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withthewindinherfootsteps · 2 years

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I love your mdzs metas, especally the one where you say MDZS is not a hopeful universe and you can't fix it by just saying the Jin Sect is evil because the real problem is the powerful society.

And that post inspired my ask here.

I'd like to hear your thoughts about Lan Wangji deciding to remain in Gusu Lan Sect after wei ying's death. It's clear to me that his strong moral compass doesn't coincide anymore with the sect who was accomplice in the siege at burial mounds. Yeah his family wasn't the direct responsible of Wei Ying and the Wens' deaths, but still involved. I think his relationship with his family after Nightless city was deeply broken, not just emotionally but also morally. I think it would have been wiser leaving his seft after recovering from the wounds and being a rogue cultivator. Or living as a common with a-yuan, because I don't see how they could cohabit together after what happened. Or maybe lwj decided he was guilty as well for not being able to protect wei ying (and the wens), so he lived in remorse and guilt in the sect that allowed that crime? I'm curious about this dilemma because the novel doesn't explain fully in details that period of time. I was just thinking: "why lwj couldn't just live away from the sect after witnessing that their values were no longer compatible and the corrupted cultivation society could no longer be his home". It would have been more coherent and right for him, I think. No one could blame him. Or maybe the punishment hurt him so deeply that he grow to think he deserved it... surely living there in gusu lan sect is not the healthiest option for his state of mind (we could agree that lwj doesn't care about money and privilege). So... why did he stay there and didn't choose another road?

Sorry for the long post!

Thank you for the ask, and for your kind words!

There are factors we have to consider in this – practical, emotional, and thematic.

Firstly, there are the logistical (and most boring) reasons. After Lan Wangji brings A-Yuan back from the Burial Mounds, he’s responsible for him – and while he could take A-Yuan with him when leaving the sect, A-Yuan would have a much harder (and lonelier) childhood growing up as the child of a rogue cultivator, than he would growing up in the security of a prosperous sect with other disciples of the same age around him. We have an example of the former with Wei Wuxian himself, actually! And though he seemed to have a happy childhood, it certainly wasn’t secure, and at the age of five his parents, who were also very capable cultivators, died on a night-hunt while he was left at an inn (which probably happened regularly, because I can’t see his parents bringing him with them while on a night-hunt). If being raised in the Lan sect was an option, I don’t think Lan Wangji would choose to give A-Yuan that sort of very insecure childhood. I can’t really see him leaving A-Yuan at Gusu and defecting by himself either, especially with how reluctant his family was to accept a Wen into Gusu Lan anyway*.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that when Wei Wuxian dies, Lan Wangji is heavily injured from the disciple whip, and has to spend years recovering – he wouldn’t physically be able to become a rogue cultivator in that condition, even if he wanted to! And after he’s recovered, Lan Sizhui has already been a member of the sect for some time – again, I can’t see Lan Wangji taking him away from that.

Lastly, and very importantly, he holds a lot more influence as the second young master and Twin Jade of the Lan Clan (to the cultivation world at least – his reputation to the common people was made on his own merits!) than he would as a rogue cultivator... and that brings us to the second idea: Lan Wangji’s feelings and motivations.

Because I agree with the fact that the majority of the Lan sect, at the time of the siege, wasn't morally compatible with Lan Wangji's own ideals. But instead of leaving the sect and letting that corruption and hypocrisy stay and fester, he chooses to stay and work towards making a difference – to make it compatible, to shape it into the righteous sect it claims to be. He uses his position to teach an entire generation of juniors to be open-minded, compassionate and brave, and to not let the rules stop you from doing so (with Lan Sizhui as the primary example, but you see that in the others, too – he didn't spend all his time raising just A-Yuan). So that if or when another situation like the Siege or the Wen camps arises, they'll have the forethought to think about the situation and not be driven by mob mentality, the understanding to not fall victim to prejudice, and the courage to stand up and do the right thing, even if that means breaking some rules, because certain things are more important.

He teaches that to the people who he knows are the future of the Lan Sect, and when they take over, Gusu Lan can become the righteous sect it claims to be.

That's what he chooses to do, and chooses to do again and again – to take the initiative to make the world into a good place, when it isn't one. He didn't gain a reputation as Hanguang-Jun, for going wherever the chaos is and spending his time helping people rather than chasing acclaim, for nothing. If the sects aren't going to help, he's going to do something about it, and time and time again he does.

And that's infinitely more powerful than just walking away.

As we’re talking about Lan Wangji’s emotions and decisions, let’s consider your other thought, too: that Lan Wangji perhaps stayed because he thought he deserved it as a punishment. I don’t really believe that’s the case – not because Lan WangJi doesn’t have any turbulent feelings of guilt and regret, but because punishing himself is simply not the way he chooses to act on them. There is the scenario with the Wen brand, but it’s crucial to note that he’s drunk during that scene! It may show us his subconscious thoughts and feelings, but it doesn’t show how he’d act on them, because he doesn’t actually have the power to make conscious, meaningful decisions. However, when he does have that power, he consistently chooses to channel his grief into the inspiration and drive to not make those same mistakes, instead of channeling it into self-loathing, or even resentment for others. Instead of punishing himself for what he couldn’t do then, he focuses on what he can do now – raising A-Yuan and teaching the Lan Juniors are some examples of that.

He and Wei Wuxian are quite similar in that aspect (another way they’re alike), and both actually have very healthy ways of coping with what happened in the past! Neither of them punish themselves over what they did wrong and can’t change, but instead focus on the present moment – and likewise, neither of them unhealthily fixate on those they’ve lost and get stuck in the past, but instead carry them with them and keep their memory alive, while accepting they’ve passed on**. However, I do think that Lan Wangji uses the past, and more specifically his grief, a lot more than Wei Wuxian, and actively channels it into not repeating the same mistakes he did. Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian simply lets the past be (while still acknowledging it) and focuses on the present. Both are very healthy ways of treating grief!

Finally, Lan Wangji choosing this path also makes the most sense thematically. One of the main themes of the novel is the idea of moving on from resentment – the most obvious example of this is Wei Wuxian himself, but it appears in so many other characters, too. Wen Ning, for example, who decides to save Jiang Cheng from Nie Mingjue’s corpse, even after everything Jiang Cheng did to his family at the Burial Mounds. The rest of the Wen remnants, who, when they emerge from the blood pool, choose to channel their power into protecting people rather than doing something harmful (which sounds a little familiar, no?); Lan Sizhui, who after finding out about his heritage continues to be kind and compassionate even to the members of sects who were responsible for what happened; Jin Ling, who’s been brought up in an atmosphere of resentment his whole life, but learns to let go of that and has a breakdown because he realised he simply couldn’t hate anyone for the deaths of his parents!

Alternatively, if you look at the antagonists, all of them (apart from Jin Guangshan, who was driven by greed) held on to resentment in some way, and let it fester. Regardless of what people think of him, Jiang Cheng plays an antagonist’s role in the present storyline, and a big part of his character is that he let his resentment for Wei Wuxian fester instead of letting it go, and that leads him to convince himself that Wei Wuxian is still alive somewhere and therefore to him torturing demonic cultivators – and that resentment (along with poorly expressed care for Jin Ling) pretty much drives all his actions in the present timeline. Jin Guangyao’s driven by resentment for people disrespecting him and his mother because of their heritage/job, Su She is driven by resentment of Lan Wangji. Xue Yang is driven by resentment for Xiao Xingchen, and holds onto that motivation, convinces himself of it, even when his feelings get more complicated – and ultimately chooses to act in accordance with that. Even Nie Huaisang, whose role in the narrative is admittedly dubious, is driven by resentment for his brother’s death, and that is not presented as right.

Neither group of characters has suffered more than the others, and you could even argue that the first group suffered more. However, the thing that sets them apart is the way they deal with resentment. And so we come to Lan Wangji.

Like so many other characters, he has ample reason to turn his back on the cultivation world, to not forgive and to place more importance on his negative feelings towards others than on anything positive. But just like so many other people – like Wei WuXian, like Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui, like Jin Ling – he chooses to not focus on his resentment. He gives his sect a chance, while still preserving Wei Wuxian’s memory, while still accepting they did something wrong. Lan Wangji is not somebody driven by resentment, and not someone to hold onto it; he’s someone driven by love***.

And being a member of the Lan clan won’t constrain him from that.

Thanks for the discussion, it was really interesting!

––

*Edit: Apparently it’s only Lan Qiren who was reluctant to accept him until he saw Lan Wangji’s behaviour! But with the general prejudice against the Wens, I feel like that (not necessarily the family, but other people) was still a factor in him not wanting to leave A-Yuan alone. They didn’t tell anyone, but if anyone somehow found out, that was a risk. Thanks to kimalysomg for catching that!

**Which is part of the reason takes that say Lan Wangji spent the thirteen years searching for and waiting for Wei Wuxian bother me, actually! It very much undermines Lan Wangji’s healthy coping of with grief, and diminishes his character and character arc a lot, too.

***And not just for Wei Wuxian!

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wangxianficfinder · 6 months

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In the mood for...

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1. Thank you fabulous mods for all you do! Itmf wangxian fics where Wei Ying recovers from starvation or struggles with eating.

💖 the absence of hunger by parsnipit (M, 27k, wangxian, angst w/ happy ending, eating disorder, PTSD, food as a metaphor for love)

a kind of emptiness by ScarlettStorm (E, 11k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Eating Disorders, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, featuring WWX's fucked-up relationship with food, and his own body, Eating Disorder Recovery, tricking your brain into better habits, bad choices, followed by good choices, low angst, Happy Ending, Tender smut, Frottage, Praise Kink, Additional Warnings In Author's Note)

The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 20k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, Time Travel Fix-It, not JC friendly, not Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect friendly, not Jiāng Family friendly, not YZY friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gūsū Lán Sect, Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WIP) It's only 3 chapters in & idk where the author plans to take it, but there's discussion of WWX being starved in the past & he is put on a special diet to make up for that

my eyes got used to the darkness by curiositykilled (M, 4k, JC & WWX, JC & WWX & JYL, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Body Horror, Implied Cannibalism, Dehumanization, Sunshot Campaign, YLLZ WWX, Demonic Cultivation, PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts, Ghosts, Disordered Eating, Referenced Animal Abuse)

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2. hi, thanks to the mods and everyone for all the recs! i have a few requests for itmf if i may 🙏🏽

a) could people recommend their fave non-english fics (ao3 or not)? i know mtl isnt that great but i'm hoping it's passable enough to enjoy fics that I've missed (peferably wx/gen but anything's good!)

b) yiling sibs feels? or bm family? even if it's not the focus of the fic! canon or modern (truth will out is one such brilliant example)

c) i saw a fun post that the juniors (or jl and lsz) each experienced canon as a different genre of YA protag. are there similar fics, of like, canon retelling/divergence but as the junior in question Goes Through It? (full quartet is great too of course!) @danmeiireader

2A)

【羡忘】落花时节又逢君 by Faywangper (E, 245k, wangxian, ABO, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ) My favourite non-English fic is a very long and delicious AU written in Chinese

2B)

so you’ve been robbed by a museum by yukla (M, 5k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, yearning tm, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, immortal cultivators in a modern world, JC is a good brother, WWX has a couple self-worth issues)

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Fix-It, Lynchpin [PODFIC] by Opalsong, [PODFIC] Lynchpin by Gwogobo)

And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 139k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together)

2C)

❤️ kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool (T, 75k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Kid Fic, teen shenanigans, two a-yuans, Fluff and Angst)

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3. Are there any fics where Madam Lan's death actually pushes LWJ into being a (secret?) rebel instead of a perfect disciple?? I think I read an SBWY fic (I think it was Pancho's privated fic that someone looked for a few fic finders back) with something vaguely similar, but I would love to read if someone explored that idea! Thank you!

Following the Rules by BegrudginglyTumbling (SarcasticSmiler) (T, 2k, wangxian, gusu lan rules, fluff & humor, LWJ being a little shit) Not quite what the request asked for because it doesn't really delve into the why, but this has LWJ rebelling via malicious compliance

Awaiting Your Return by Karmiya (E, 114k, wangxian, burial mounds settlement days, found family, opposite of slow burn, WIP) has Lan Wanji basically acting as a rogue cultivator only rarely returning to the cloud recesses, though that is a relatively small part of the fic

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4. Hello!!! I'm looking for some wangxian (a)stripper aus, and (b) prostitution aus

All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 51k, WangXian, XuanLi, ChengQing, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators) though not quite either A or B, All Old Things Are New Again has Camboy!WWX

4A)

Wuji Club Remix by babybeets (E, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, fancy rich prep school flash back, Library Sex, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Deepthroating, Aftercare, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Getting Together, Friendship, lan zhan FUCKS, Dancer LWJ, Addled WWX, WWX & WQ Friendship)

please forgive my most passionate disruptions by pumpkinpaix (E, 65k, WangXian, Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Modern AU, Modern with Magic, Modern: Still Have Powers, stripper!WWX, Graduate School)

little bun by eightroses (E, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, Stripper AU, PWP, bunny tail plug, Dirty Talk, Lingerie, Double Penetration, Trans WWX, Sex Work, First Time, Confessions, Trans Male Character)

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5. Hiiii!!!

I'm on the mood for a fic where Lz has his hair cut when he's punished with the discipline whip.

All Exits Look The Same by Ahlai (T, 14k, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, Madam Lan & LWJ, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Madam Lán Lives, Family Feels, Healing, Grief/Mourning) They cut his hair when he leaves the sect in this one

my life’s journey is far from over by thelastdboy (E, 148k, wangxian, Modern Cultivation, Canon Divergence, Madam Lán Lives, JYL Lives, WQ Lives, Post-Sunshot Campaign, POV WWX, Slow Burn, YLLZ WWX, Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Healing Is a Slow Process, therapy is good actually, All women deserve better, mlm/wlw solidarity, the mortifying ordeal of discovering you're into bdsm while you're caught up in political intrigue, Kink Negotiation, Kink Exploration, Not Everyone Dies au, WWX Lives, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, Single Parent WWX, Selectively Mute LWJ, Eventual Smut, Light Dom/sub, Happy Ending)

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6. hi, do you know of any royalty wangxian AUs where wwx is the royal instead of lwj? ty!

travelers through the empty gate by stiltonbasket (M, 99k, WIP, WangXian, Royalty, Emperor WWX, Mistaken Identity, Poor LWJ, Bookshop owner LWJ, Intrigue, Court Drama, Forced Marriage, Confused WWX, POV Alternating, Parenthood, Misunderstandings, Empress LWJ, Requited Unrequited Love, Fluff, Humor, Married Life, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Silver & Silk Series by farawayanddreaming (M/E, 55k, WangXian, Established Relationship, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, Implied/Referenced Sex, Light Bondage, Devotion, No Plot/Plotless, vibes only, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX)

Conquering the Emperor by catbrainedschemes (E, 21k, WangXian, Historical, Imperial China, Emperor!WWX, General!LWJ, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Historically Inaccurate, Misunderstandings, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Light Angst, Slow Burn, Happy Ending)

Son of Heaven and Frost General Series by Aki_no_hikari (M/T, 7k, WangXian, Royalty, Historical, Emperor/General, Fade to Black, Romance)

The Last Concubine by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 13k, WangXian, Royalty AU, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, LWJ Whump, Forced Marriage, Starvation, Non-physical spousal abuse, Fluff and Angst, Doing the Wrong Thing for the Right Reasons, Happy Ending, WWX Takes Care of LWJ)

The Most Important Man in the Empire by Marayanna (G, 14k, wangxian, Royalty, Emperor WWX, Secretary/head of state LWJ, overworked WWX, Supportive LWJ, POV WWX, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, competent LWJ, Happy Ending, Inspired by the book The Hands of the Emperor, But you don't need to know it to read the fic, Competent WWX, LWJ Takes Care of WWX, As much as he is politically able to, Is 'working together to make the world a better place' considered flirting, it should be)

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7. hello, how are you. For the next itmf

(a). Fics where lan wanji is incredibly inlove with wei ying. Whether is Canon or Au but he is just showering wei ying with love

(b). Fics where wangxian are the shameless couple. People will be finding them kissing in the corner or they are keeping cloud recess awake with their noice. It can also be canon or an Au.

(c). I would also like bamf weiying.

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 712k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement) kind of answers all three requests

7A)

Snow by kuro (M, 38k, wangxian, Modern, Snow, Sick Character, Caretaking, Fluff, Sugar Daddy, only they're like… bad at it, Angst, Rabbits, Food, Sexy Times, occasionally)

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 70 k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, POV LWJ, POV JC, Dark LWJ, Manipulation, Grooming, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Except problematic please read warning in first chapter, Blood and Violence, Insane LWJ, Manic LWJ, Conditioning, WWX is a Lán, Minor Character Death, Confused JC, Golden Core Reveal, Good Friend NHS, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiāngs, Abusive Jiāng Family, Jiāng Family Bashing, Jiāng Family Critical, POV NHS, Dark NHS, Anal Sex, Marathon Sex, Dual Cultivation, Qīnghéng-jūn Lives, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Self-Lubricates, Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Scheming NHS, Manipulative NHS, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WWX) (also fits 7C) i think they'll enjoy A Matter of Time but heed tags and warnings

7B)

Wangxian’s Time-Travelling Shenanigansseries by pupeez4eva (M, 18k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, Humor, Love Confessions, PDA, Wangxian being their shameless selves, Nothing will ruin WWX’s confession, Not even dozens of very confused disciples, or confused family members because LQR and JC are not amused, time travel at the most inconvenient moment, Everyone is just very confused, Wangxian elope with no explanation and leave everyone else to deal with the aftermath, LXC is a very good big brother, JC is probably going to end up killing WWX, Canon Divergence, Featuring: many horrified bystanders, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, AU of Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, The many moments that Wangxian could have travelled to, POV Outsider) Features WWX & LWJ being shameless throughout & part 3 of the series has them keeping CR awake with their noise

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8. Hi friends!! do you know of any fic where Lan Wangji moves into the burial mounds right after Wei Wuxian takes the Wens there? I’m not sure what to even search on ao3 for it but I would owe you my life if you knew any! @spectrelle

wide enough and wild by impossibletruths (E, 64k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Canonical Accidental Baby Acquisition, Families of Choice, References to Depression, Happy Ending, I Swear To God I’m Giving Them A Happy Ending, Overzealous Use Of Imagery, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Well Except WN But He Was Already Dead So, Fix-It of Sorts) WWX doesn't stay in the Burial Mounds in this, but LWJ joins him anyway, so idk if this counts?

A Narrow Bridge by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 700k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Time, Pining while fucking, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Angst with a Happy Ending, CQL Verse, almost everybody lives/almost nobody dies, epistolary-ish, canon-ish side pairings, radishes)

Home and the Heartland by Witch_Nova221 (T, 210k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, Burial Mounds, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Slow Romance, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Fix-It, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Self-Discovery, Golden Core Reveal, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, the burial mounds aren't always a happy place, but wangxian do their best)

no one ever said the single-plank bridge had to be walked alone by roserocksrapidly (T, 174k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Yílíng Wèi Sect, Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies au, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Fluff, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Slow Burn, LWJ and WWX get to be Dads together, the healing power of homoerotic flute/guqin duets, Happy Ending)

Also re: 8 - Requester might be interested in the tag Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī Stays at the Burial Mounds

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9. I've got another itmf request. Does anyone know of fics where nhs gets angry or criticizes nmj/the nie sect for their part in what happens to wwx? Or ones where nhs shows that he's protective of wwx to the nie sect/cultivation world whether that's covertly or overtly. Thanks all!

and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Yúnmèng Siblings, Sound of Music AU, (i know!!! i know. stay with me on this.), Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Sometimes You Just Want Your Dads To Admit They’re Your Dads, Angst with a Happy Ending)

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 70 k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, POV LWJ, POV JC, Dark LWJ, Manipulation, Grooming, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Except problematic please read warning in first chapter, Blood and Violence, Insane LWJ, Manic LWJ, Conditioning, WWX is a Lán, Minor Character Death, Confused JC, Golden Core Reveal, Good Friend NHS, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiāngs, Abusive Jiāng Family, Jiāng Family Bashing, Jiāng Family Critical, POV NHS, Dark NHS, Anal Sex, Marathon Sex, Dual Cultivation, Qīnghéng-jūn Lives, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Self-Lubricates, Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Scheming NHS, Manipulative NHS, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WWX) (link in #7A) i think they'll enjoy A Matter of Time but heed tags and warnings

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10. Can you find me a fanfic where wei wuxian doesn’t die, instead he goes into a mountain and takes orphans in to take care of them and one day lan wangji stumbles upon his mountain. Kind of like baoshan sanren except there is no immortal thing, but it’s ok if there is ofc. Also it should have a good amount of wangxian with a happy ending

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11. Hii , are there fics where wei ying becomes the wen sect leader , if so can you please recommend some? 🙏 @karinasnowwwx

assuming this is for the Wen remnants, the user might want to try the Yiling Wei sect tag

uncertain if this is asking for wen zongzhu wwx or yiling wei fic so one of each!

To the Heavens and the Earth by IsilmeLasgalen (E, 77k, WangXian, NingSang, XuanLi, MingXu, ChengYu, WWX is a Wen, POV LWJ, Good Parent LWJ, Marriage of convenience, Accidental Marriage, Implied Mpreg, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, WWX isn't adopted by the Jiang's, CSSR and WCZ Live, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Cultivation Sect Politics, Bottom LWJ, Top WWX, POV NHS, Protective LJY, Good Person WRH, Protective LXC, Immortal LWJ and WWX, POV LXC, Mpreg, WangXian in Love, Soft WangXian, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, POV JZX, Emperor WWX, Emperor LWJ, Past WWX/Other(s), Everybody Lives, Fluff, Angst, Smut, LWJ is LJY's Parent) wen sect leader wwx

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12. Is there a Pacific rim AU for wangxian? I would love to read one. Trying to quit smoking, need a good distraction.

Lightning’s Call, Abyss’ Song by DiamondCrystalInk (T, 37k, WangXian, Pacific Rim Fusion, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, but i guess, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drift Compatibility, but also..., Soulmates, Sword fights but romantic)

The Weight of the World by KouriArashi (T, 67k, WangXian, XiYao, XuanLi, Pacific Rim Fusion, Robots, Monsters, robots fighting monsters, Family, Romance, Developing Relationship, Angst, (but not about the romances), Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Happy Ending)

or for a whole list, including ones I have not read

The 'whole list' link under 12 does not work. The asker might use the shiptag and then use 'Pacific Rim' in the 'Search within Results' box to get that list.

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13. Hi, thank you for all your hardwork!!

I come here for "I'm in the mood for", I would like a any good fic with some bickering between Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng like 'Brothers in law', even if it is the main thing of the fic or just a passing scene. Don't have any preferences if it is canon or not.

Thank you once again. @anime-trash-parody

Time Kept Flowing by notoneforreality (T, 201k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Grief/Mourning, major character death is wwx, who comes back, Family, Autistic LWJ, Kid Fic, JC and LWJ raise the kids, Co-parenting is hard, Emotional Hurt/Comfort)

none lives forever, brother, and nothing lasts for long by eena (M, 38k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, LSZ raised at Lotus Pier, JC found him first, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation)

whatever comes of you and me (I’d love to leave my memory with you) by sami (E, 12k, XiCheng, WangXian, references to past emotional manipulation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Recovery, Family, Brotherhood, Correcting for Poor Interfamily Communication, JFM’s A+ parenting, Not MY Friendly, Not JFM Friendly, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending)

A Bell That Tells Us to Rise and Fight by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee (T, 120k, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, SL/XXC, Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Everyone Lives au, Everyone Needs A Hug, Women Being Awesome, WQ is a goddess, content warning for JGS, content warning for XY, content warning for JGY, WWX's terrible awful brilliant plans, Yunmeng Bros, JYL is an angel, BAMF Women, I take it back NMJ still dies, Minor Character Death, NMJ is BACK and he is NOT HAPPY, MM is not paid enough for this shit) has a fun sort of brothers-in-law feeling between lwj and jc

This is our Get-Along Night Hunt by hmc73 (T, 28k, WangXian, Post-Canon, JC & WWX Reconciliation, LWJ has Feelings, canon-typical horror elements, POV LWJ, Canon Compliant, Fluff with Knives, It starts off funny but WATCH OUT, Case Fic, Good Sibling JC, Fluff and Angst)

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14. Hi, me again, I have been looking for fics, Modern, with cultivation, conferences and the like, where Wei Wuxian is not treated well, were things similar to cannon happened and he's not recognised as a great cultivator and Lan Wangji and his family, Jiāng Yànlí, Jiāng Chéng or Wen Qíng and Wen Ning aren't ok with this and try to help him deal with reputation and things. they can be long or short. Please help. Be well @monicaop21

Hi, I'm number 14 in the last In the mood for…post!! I just wanted to share the fics that started my obsession with modern fics that speak well of WWX in the cultivation world!! One is My Zhiji's On Broadway by ScarlettStorm and the fic inspired by this beauty Let Her Leave Your by Worldspacewitchbot Both of them in Ao3 So amazing both of them!! More sequels!! ;) Be well and tons of thanks!! You are awesome!!

My Zhiji’s On Broadway by ScarlettStorm (E, 15k, wangxian, modern with cultivation, drunk LWJ, drunk shenanigans, getting together, first time, minor angst, major comedy, smut)

Let Her Leave Your World by spacewitchbot (E, 10k, MM/OFC, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, modern cultivation, Seattle, Conventions, Getting Together, Jet Lag, One Night Stands, Alcohol Breastfeeding in public (not in a sexy way,) Infant Care, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, #metoo movement, Not quite everybody lives but more people do, People listen to Mianmian, That actually fixes a lot of stuff)

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15. Hi! For the next ITMF, do you have a recommendation where LQR secretly fond of/have a soft spot for WWX? Thank you! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

through the eyes of elders series by Fleetling (T, 13k, LXC & LWJ, LXC & LQR, wangxian, LXC & WWX, LQR & WWX, LQR pov, LQR is a good uncle, LXC recovering from the whole JGY thing is a major part, Wingman LXC)

💖 Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing) LQR goes back in time & learns to appreciate WWX

~*~

16. For the next ITMF: life of wwx or/with lwj after the revelations at the Guanyin temple. Preferably long fic, around more than 5 or 10 chapters or more than 10k words, and completed. Thank you!

💖 Germination by taotrooper (M, 14k, wangxian, post-canon, honeymoon, domestic fluff, comedy, teaching, character study)

Imprints by Lisa_Telramor (G, 47k, wangxian, post-canon, humor, panic attacks, phobia recovery, poor life choices, JC & WWX reconciliation, dogs)

Between The Lines by Witch_Nova221 (M, 153k, wangxian, WWX & LSZ & LWJ, WWX & OCs, Epistolary, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Letters, Falling In Love, Love Confessions, Love Letters, Long-Distance Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Idiots in Love)

Agapé (home is in your arms) by estel_willow (G, 15k, wangxian, fraternal bonding, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Wwx is oblivious, LXC is patient, LSZ remains the best son, Most of these characters could do with a good therapist, Wwx uses his words, Wwx is an unreliable narrator, Light Angst, canon-typical self dislike from our favourite chaotic disaster bi)

Vagabond by xantissa (E, 65k, wangxian, Slow Burn, Mystery, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Frottage, Case Fic, murders, Supernatural, Angst, Fluff, those two are so in love it hurts, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, badass LXC, Canon-Typical Violence, topLWJ, Bottom LWJ)

~*~

17. Hii! I saw a lot of tiktok that got me in the mood to read wangxian again! I love canonverse fics, but bc they’re so angsty (tho i do like a bit of it as one should) I wanted to ask for canondivergance fix it fics, prefferably with xicheng too! (*by fix it i mean shijie doesn’t die and a-cheng doesn’t hate his brother bc of it) 🥹 thank you!

~*~

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

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

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loosingmoreletters · 3 months

Note

For the ask game and because I’m soooo curious about what you’ll do with this: best friends sibling au for wangxian

The way I needed a second to parse this prompt. It’s best friend’s sibling, right?

Wei Wuxian is smart, the kind of smart that meant you either went down in the history books for revolutionizing cultivation or died trying. He knows that most people assume he’s going to die trying in the attempt. He’s fairly sure his mother has had his eulogy written since he was ten and his father started picking out coffins when he hit thirteen.

It’s whatever, Wei Wuxian’s got a goal in life, and he won’t stop accelerating until he reaches it.

Everyone knows it, and he supposes that’s the reason he got introduced to Lan Xichen at the itty-bitty age of five. Well, introduced, is a rather generous way to say his mom grabbed Lan Xichen and plopped him in front of Wei Wuxian in a sort of “behold, a fellow child” movement, mortifying everyone else in attendance, particularly Uncle Lan.

Wei Wuxian struggled to get along with his agemates, outpacing them easily, and Lan Xichen apparently needed someone to poke fun at him before he turned into a total rock. They had an odd give and take relationship, and not just because Wei Wuxian’s parents were independent cultivators and homeschooled him all over the world.

At sixteen, Wei Wuxian knew that Lan Xichen latched on to him because of the end result of a messy divorce. Sects, even in this day and age, didn’t particularly condone divorce. Separation tended to be the end all, which was the reason why they never got to see Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli on the weekends.

But Lan Xichen’s parents had gone through a divorce and Gusu Lan got to keep their sect heir and Lan Xichen’s mom her youngest. She’d wanted custody of both children, but the sects wouldn’t ever allow that.

And all of this culminated in Wei Wuxian accompanying Lan Xichen to the airport to pick said younger brother up. Well, that and the broken arm. Cultivation didn’t revolutionize itself and Wei Wuxian suspected that if he’d spent another hour in the library, Uncle Lan would’ve thrown him out himself.

Lan Wangji, the brother to be picked up and taken to Gusu for the first time in ten years, was sixteen, like Wei Wuxian himself, but that didn’t mean much given how much better Wei Wuxian did around older peers.

And apparently he looked a lot like Lan Xichen—

Oh.

“Well, that was a fucking lie,” Wei Wuxian told Lan Xichen the moment he spotted what could only be Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian supposed that at first glance, Lan Wangji looked a lot like Lan Xichen to someone who’d seen Lan Xichen out of sect robes, but a simple comparison didn’t measure up.

“You never told me your brother was hot,” Wei Wuxian hissed. “How have I known you for two thirds of my life and never known your brother was hot?”

“I’ve shown you photos,” Lan Xichen pointed out.

Well, yeah, but Wei Wuxian hadn’t wanted to see them because he’d been dragged to the Cloud Recesses by his mother only to be told that Lan Xichen would be gone for the summer, visiting his brother and mother. And the Lan Wangji in those pictures had been inherently ugly by virtue of stealing Wei Wuxian’s best friend.

This Lan Wangji was not.

“Does Uncle Lan know your brother has an undercut?”

Holy shit, Wei Wuxian needed to touch Lan Wangji’s head so badly. Squish his face between his hands and bite his lips.

“No,” Lan Xichen said and waved at the Hottest Man Alive, trademark pending. “Would you do me the favor and tell him?”

Wei Wuxian turned to his best friend and snorted. “I love you, but if I piss of Uncle Lan one more time, he’s banning me from the Cloud Reccesses too.”

“Thought so.”

#mdzs #wangxian #lan xichen #lan wangji #wei wuxian #mdzs fanfic #fanfic #ask #anon #prompts

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weiying-lanzhan-fics · 1 month

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Practical Mythology by metisket

Funnest story ever! I loved this soooo much - didn’t want it to ever end. Thank you for this gem ❤️

Quotes:

“You only hurt bad people,” Lan Wangji informs him with perfect confidence. “They won’t be worried.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan,” the Yiling Patriarch says, ducking his head and smiling, but sounding sad for some reason. “If only everyone had the faith in me that you do.”

Lan Wangji frowns. Everyone should have faith in the Yiling Patriarch. The Yiling Patriarch is always fair, and that means his rules and the Lan rules can’t be that different. “Can I visit you again?”

The Yiling Patriarch beams at him so brightly that Lan Wangji’s breath catches. “Yes! Come visit me, Lan Zhan. But you have to wait until you’re grown, okay? For decency’s sake.” He laughs, and Lan Wangji isn’t sure why.

“When will I be grown?” Lan Wangji wants to be clear.

“Hmm.” The Yiling Patriarch looks skyward, rubbing his nose thoughtfully. “…Twenty? Let’s say twenty. Your uncle shouldn’t have too much of a qi deviation about that. How’s that sound?”

Lan Wangji frowns, but nods anyway. It’s a very long time, but he supposes that’s how all the Yiling Patriarch stories are. You can’t win anything worth having without fighting for it yourself. “I will be here.”

“I look forward to it, Lan Zhan,” the Yiling Patriarch, smiling and tugging gently at Lan Wangji’s hair one last time before sending him away to the other side of the barrier—to his brother and uncle.

————

It takes him a couple of hours, but he eventually finds the perfect victim. Said victim is innocently standing in a garden admiring the flowers, and has no idea what level of little brother nonsense is about to hit him. Poor thing.

“So, Xichen-ge, I hear your brother is planning to run away and marry the Yiling Patriarch,” Nie Huaisang casually declares. He’s always felt more comfortable hassling Lan Xichen than he has Lan Wangji, anyway. “What’s that about?”

Lan Xichen sighs and suddenly looks very tired. “It was cute when he was eight.”

Wow. Just wow. “How did he even meet the Yiling Patriarch when he was eight?”

Oh, that was a bad question, because Lan Xichen’s eyes just iced over like a Gusu winter. Nie Huaisang will just have to pry the details of that ugly story from someone else. “Never mind!” he cries. “It doesn’t matter. At least Senior Wei is nice.”

Lan Xichen frowns at him in confusion. “Senior Wei? Your father’s friend, Senior Wei?”

Oh good. At least Nie Huaisang isn’t the only one who didn’t know. “My father’s friend, Senior Wei, who is the Yiling Patriarch. Yes.”

He’s never seen Lan Xichen gape before. This is a shockingly exciting day in the Cloud Recesses.

T, 17.5k

Summary:

The Yiling Patriarch is a living legend—a terrifying, ancient force of nature, dispensing punishment or reward with implacable, indifferent fairness.

Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, is a weird but oddly charming guy who wanders around the cultivation world making fun of people's art and mooching food from sect leaders.

It really upsets people to find out that they're the same person.

#wangxian #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan wangji #lan zhan #the untamed fic #wangxian fic rec #the untamed fanfiction #untamed fic #mdzs fic #fun fic

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starrywangxian · 3 months

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how the mdzs characters would sign off emails

inspired by this post and this post

Wei Wuxian: Thanks - I'll see myself out, Wei Wuxian

Lan Wangji: Sincelery, Lan Wangji, Hanguang-Jun, Cloud Recesses, Gusu Lan Sect... (he would include full titles and addresses etc.)

Lan Xichen: Many thanks! Lan Xichen, Zewu-Jun. (it's passive aggressive to other sect leaders but to lwj he adds emojis - yes he emails his brother shh)

Lan Sizhui: Have a nice day, Lan Sizhui! :)

Lan Jingyi: Never stop the grind, Lan Jingyi - P.S. Plz don't fail me Hanguang-jun :(

Lan Qiren: Regrettably, Lan Qiren.

Qingheng-jun: That's all, Qingheng-jun.

Madam Lan: Talk soon! (i recognise this is ironic... but i feel like she'd write something really casual and nice :))

Lan Yi: Okay then. (i feel like she'd be very straight to the point lmao)

Ouyang Zizhen: Fare thee well, Ouyang Zizhen! :)

Jiang Cheng: Please stop reading the email.

Jiang Fengmian: Stay tuned, Jiang Fengmian.

Yu Ziyuan: May the lord forgive your sins, Yu Ziyuan.

Jiang Yanli: Thanks again, Jiang Yanli! :) ...Don't cross me.

Wei Changze: Sent via smoke signals. Best, Wei Changze. (i feel like he'd also write a joke but treat it like a fact lmao)

Cangse Sanren: Sent from the future ;) Cangse Sanren! (i feel like she'd write a jokey and fun sign off <3)

Jin Guangyao: You're the best boss ever (lol jk), Lianfang-zun.

Jin Ling: don't care + didn't ask + L + ratio. jin ling.

Jin Zixuan: Lukewarm regards, Jin Zixuan.

Jin Guangshan: Ciao! Jin Guangshan. (he tries to be friendly and cool because he thinks everyone likes him but he's just annoying and everyone hates him)

Madam Jin: Thank you. (P.S. Please send any important sect-related emails to me, my husband is useless and doesn't do anything).

Jin Zixun: The best, Jin Zixun.

Qin Su: See you in hell, Qin Su.

Mo Xuanyu: So long and thanks for all the fish! Mo Xuanyu.

Nie Huaisang: Stay hydrated, queens! Nie Huaisang <3

Nie Mingjue: Over and Out, Chifeng-zun.

Wen Ruohan: May the Night bless you, signed Overlord Wen Ruohan.

Wen Ning: Apologies for existing :') Wen Qionglin

Wen Qing: Please don't contact me for 3-5 business days - kindest regards, Wen Qing, Head Physician.

Wen Chao: Mic drop, Wen Chao.

Wen Xu: Thanks, enjoy the hours you have left. Wen Xu.

Wen Zhuliu: Regards, Wen Zhuliu.

Wang Lingjiao: Live, laugh, love! Wang Lingjiao xoxox

Luo Qingyang: At a loss for words, Mianmian.

Xiao Xingchen: Live long and prosper, Xiao Xingchen!

Song Lan: May God be with you in these trying times, Song Zichen.

A-Qing: God's favourite child, A-Qing.

Xue Yang: YOur FrIendly NEIghBOur... XuE ChEngmEI.

Su She: Remember the name: Su Minshan.

Baoshan Sanren: That's it. Baoshan Sanren. (i feel like she'd be straight to the point too)

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wangxianficrecs · 3 months

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💙 Crossing Paths by Ilona22

💙 Crossing Paths

by Ilona22

M, 21k, Wangxian

Summary: In a world where the gentry families are both shapeshifters, and rulers of their territory in truth, a different war is started by greed. During its course the paths of a human and a dragon shifter cross, and from that, something grows. Kay's comments: This story has really enjoyable world-building and I loved to see the sects re-imagined as shifters. Like in canon, a war plays out between the sects in this story. However, the allegiances are different and in the end, the Jiangs are on the losing side and the story follows how Wei Wuxian ended up being turned over to the Lans and then promptly courted by Hanguang-Jun himself. Even during the war on opposing sides, Wangxian had already hit it off and their developing relationship in this story was right up my alley! Lan Wangji truly knows how to treat Wei Wuxian as he deserves and shower him in love and appreciation! Excerpt: Wei Ying’s part of the border had held, in contrast to the one near the coast. And so, it had been deemed more important that he guard their back against Gusu. It meant that Wei Ying had spent the last month skirmishing with Lan Wangji, Hanguang-Jun. Heir of Gusu and, as all of the main Lan clan, dragon shifter. Truly an awesome sight in his dragon form, Wei Ying had never seen anything as beautiful as that. All sleek, white scales, with ice blue accents, swift and elegant in the air. But fighting him directly like that? Not his idea of fun. Bears at least stayed on the ground. It had involved a lot of tactically chosen cover, talisman work and quick, intense duels. He was managing to hold the border, despite still having mainly common troops, and a few of the other outer disciples. But this would not work forever. For the moment, his requests for reinforcement had been denied, due to the Nie and Wen effectively pressing the Jin and Yu – the Nie had been joined by Zewu-Jun and his men, which was making things very difficult for the Jin. As Wei Ying had expected, their side was crippled by power plays and politics. There were factions in the Jin sect, each jockeying for the most prestigious postings. The Yu were too proud to accept someone outside their sect commanding their troops. And Jiang Cheng was terrible at cooperation. It was a mess held together by Jiang Fengmian’s efforts at diplomacy, and the hope for gains.

pov wei wuxian, canon divergence, shapeshifters, war, cultivation sect politics, dragon lan wangji, human wei wuxian, war prize wei wuxian, diplomacy, developing relationship, getting to know each other, getting together, falling in love, not jiang cheng friendly, jiang family dynamics

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

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pakhnokh · 11 months

Text

Hi everyone! I’m Pakhnokh

(Yes, it’s a Pekingese dog in my profile pic)

This blog is dedicated to art and fun!

For 3 years now I’m drawing stuff for Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom, and still have many more ideas to draw!

Hopefully I will also soon move to reading other danmeis :D

🎨 I’m in the process of creating a dedicated tab here on my blog for ALLLLL of my MDZS fan art. It’s A LOT of art, so please bear with me as I make it. You can find already some of it here.

🔞This blog does not contain NSFW works, but I do draw them! You can find them on my NSFW X (twitter) account. Censored previews will be available here, however.

💙 Also as some of you already know, I’m creating a fan MDZS dojinshi (long ongoing comic) called “House of Gentians”, that’s an AU where WWX never died, and went back to Gusu with LWJ as the Yiling Laozu, married him, but is under seclusion in the house that belonged to LWJ’s mother. Together they try to solve the difficult status WWX is under in the cruel political world of cultivation, and also their own relationship.

Start reading it here

🖌️ I can do commissions! If you have something in mind that you want to see drawn in my style, DM me! 😁

🫂 If you like my work and want to support me, you can join my Patreon, where I also post stuff such as WIPs, step-by-steps, videos, NSFWs and even complete pieces that I don’t post here.

IMPORTANT NOTE FORE HOUSE OF GENTIANS READERS

As you may know, I post 4 pages update every Thursday. On each part I use a navigation menu that looks like this: NEXT PART PREVIOUS PART ABOUT+TABLE OF CONTENTS

For each new update the "NEXT PART" option isn't available yet. You will mostly see this note:

(available on my Patreon, will be posted here in a week) Because I do already post the next part on my Patreon for the same week. HOWEVER On the next week when I post the next part, I go to the previous part and edit it so that "NEXT PART" button contains the link to the newest update. However, if people already reblogged the part before the edit and others see their reblog after I already updated the next part, they may think that I didn't. So please, just in case, always go on my page here and check for updates to be certain 💚

#pakhnokh #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #house of gentians #hog

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lgbtlunaverse · 7 months

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Thinking about the fact that during the gusu lectures arc Huiasang has apparently been going every year for the last 3 years, but he isn't older than the others. He can't be any older than Zixuan because Meng yao is canonically younger than Zixuan, yet Huaisang calls him "san-ge" which means Meng Yao is older than Huaisang. So maybe Zixuan is way older than the other kids there, except in the novel it was mentioned that they were all around 15 to 16. And Huaisang also calls himself around Wei Wuxian's and Lan Wangji's age. Which means Nie Mingjue has been sending Huaisang to gusu summer camp since he was like 12 years old.

I'm relatively sure that you're just supposed to chalk that up to nmj's general gung-ho-ness about Huaisang and training like wowww he's so intense! HOWEVER. We are not here to take the easy route we are here to overthink. So I have 2 alternate headcanons.

1. Nie Mingjue went to the gusu lectures at an unusually young age himself.

So we know Nie Mingjue's father died when he was between the ages of 10 and 15, generally assumed to be a little on the older side of that spectrum, 14 or 15-ish. Considering that he was, you know, allowed to acually inherit the sect and it didn't topple down, nor did a coup occur or did any of his advisors use him as a puppet ruler. And I'm not sure a 10 year old is capable of handling all of that. We also know that Nie Mingjue's father got wounded in a night hunt that Nie Mingjue was present for, as he saw his father's saber shatter himself, and that it took 6 months for Lao Nie to actually die from his injuries. During that entire timeframe, and afterwards- as I presume sect leaders don't exactly have the time to leave their sect for multiple months to go study- Nie Mingjue could NOT have gone to the gusu lectures. It could be true that he didn't go at all, we're not told this. But IF he ever went, he must've been unusually young. 13 at the eldest.

If that's true, it'd provide him a reasonable motivation to send his brother at a younger age as well. "I did it too and I was fine, Huaisang! It's not that hard if you actually work for it"

or, alternatively:

2. He didn't want him to be in gusu in the same year as the Wens.

Nie Mingjue has a longstanding grudge againt the Wens for his father's murder and very good reasons to NOT trust them with his family's safety. He definitely wouldn't like his little brother to be out of his sight for a multiple month-long stretch with one of Wen Ruohan's sons right there. We don't know Wen Xu's exact age but since he wasn't in the archery competition he's at least 1 year older than lan xichen, which means he's at least 3-4 years older than Huaisang, so sending Huaisang early would mean avoiding Wen Chao, who was his age, without running into Wen Xu. Sadly, due to Huaisang failing the 2 years before, he's ended up in the same class as Wen Chao anyway. And not sending him again after failing for 2 years would mean giving up, and was probably considered a disgrace, so Nie Mingjue had to bite the bullet.

There's definitely other options I'm not seeing but both of these are fun to play with and rotate around in my head.

#mdzs #mdzs headcanons #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #like in-universe this is an anomaly EVERYONE ELSE waited until their kids were like 15 #it's JUST nie mingjue #no wonder xichen doted on huaisang so much he's been having him over every year since he was a fucking baby

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yutaan · 1 year

Photo

A chibi commission of the client’s ttrpg party, in a campaign based on the world of MDZS! The setting is that the players are all a fresh crop of juniors studying at Gusu when Mysterious Things begin to happen.

From left to right, we have Lan Xichen (GM stand-in and mentor extraordinaire), Lan Shou (a modern-day MDZS fan who got yeeted into the ‘verse), Jin Bao (goodest boy), Feng Zhi (and his pet peacock Baichi), Yao Yuan (always tired), Su Mingying (ray of sunshine, big fan of Wei Wuxian and also a fan of fans), and Xiao Lian (the level-headed one)!

Chibis are always fun to draw, and I really enjoyed these. So round! So cute! I want to pat their little cheeks!

#digital #chibis #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #my art #dnd #(again I'm not sure the game IS technically dnd but: my standard ttrpg tag)

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justaghostingon · 2 years

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How to Woo the Girl You Dumped Without her Demon-possessed Brother Getting in your Way: A Guide by Jin Zinxuan

A crack au

It all begins when Jin Zinxuan notices that Jiang Yanli is actually really pretty.

This is unfortunately right in the middle of him yelling at her for trying to claim credit for the soup someone’s been making for him

Wei Wuxian shows up, demonic tendicals (we’re going anime version here) dripping from all around him as he defends his sister, it comes out that she has been making the soup, and now he’s smitten with a huge problem: the girl he likes both now prob hates him because he humiliated her, and also her brother is definitely a demon

Now a sensible person would first try to patch over the relationship with jiang yanli by apologizing, but jin Zixuan is a Jin! He’s never done a sensible thing in his life!

And also talking about feelings is really scary and as his friend Miammiam likes to point out, he is really bad at it

So naturally, he decides that the most important step to wooing Jiang yanli is to save her brother from demonic possession. That way she’ll be super impressed with him and he’ll be less terrifying and so greatful he’ll well come him into the family!

What could go wrong?!!

Jin Guangyao insists that it is not demonic possession, it is demonic cultivation. But jin zixuan has heard jin zixun rant about “that wei demon” enough times to know better

Figure of speech? What’s that?

So jin zixuan decides to exorcise wei wuxian, and to do that, he’ll need help from the smartest person he knows: jin Guangyao

Jin guangyao is less than thrilled at being sent on a rediculous job like this, to exorcise the clearly not possessed wei wuxian, until he realizes jin zixuan will do anything he suggests without question

ANYTHING

So Jin guangyao decides to have fun with this, setting jin zixuan on increasingly ridiculous tasks to “cure” wei wuxian of demonic possesstion

Like covering him in salt. Or throwing itchy flowers at him. Or running after him chanting this truely awful tune while hoping on one foot.

The result of course, is a very angry wei wuxian who chases zixuan away, and an increasingly desperate jin zixuan who thinks wei wuxian’s frustrations are proof that “the demons are trying to stop me!”

Now the sect heir acting strange is going to raise some eyebrows, and when outsiders look at jin zixuan throwing flowers and singing, they come to a very different conclusion.

Within a day, everyone in every sect is convinced jin zixuan is trying to court wei wuxian

“My son is a cutsleeve!” Moans jin guangshan. “How did this happen! I showed him all the fine ways to love a woman!”

“You’re lessons are the reason my son is a cutsleeve!” Madam jin retorts. “U scarred him for life!”

They proceed to spend the rest of the time arguing and somehow forget to actually talk to their son

Meanwhile in yumeng everyone is losing their collective shit. Jiang cheng is furious that jin zixuan thinks he can poach wei ying with a few pretty words and flowers. Jiang yanli is depressed because her crush is really hopeless now, and how could she measure up to wei wuxian?

Wei wuxian himself is disgusted, not that jun zixuan is a cutsleeve, but that he’d dare to court him! After what he did to shijie! He resolves to firmly rebuff every attempt jin zixuan makes

Which only serves to make jin zixuan more determined because “those demons are really stubborn!!”

But then… the rumor reaches gusu

And lan zhan hops on the first sword to the jin sect to challenge jin zixuan to a duel for wei wuxian’s honor

Lan Zhan tells himself he wouldn’t do this is wei wuxian actually loved the guy. But its not just some guy. This is jin zixuan, wei wuxian hates him! Even he knows that!

They fight, but jin zixuan for all his denseness, even he knows he doesn’t have a quirrel with lan Zhan, and eventually he gets lan zhan to calm down enough to ask why they are fighting

Lan zhan explains and jin zixuan is horrified he’d ever thing that, and quickly fills him in on what he’s really doing: saving wei wuxian from the demon that is possessing him

Lan zhan is sceptical at first, but jin zixuan has jin Guangyao to back him up, and his brother always trusts jin Guangyao so maybe there’s something here? (Give him a break, wei wuxian has been worrying him for months and at this point he’ll take anything)

So lan zhan joins jin zixuan’s demon begone schemes

Wei wuxian is horrified: he trusted lan zhan! And now he’s tryimg to get him married to the peacock? Does he even care?

Meanwhile jin Guangshen has realized if his son marries wei wuxian, he gets the tiger seal, and so begins to push for marriage

Jin guangyao realizes this practical joke has gone a bit too far, but he can’t back out now, lan xichen thanked him for helping lan zhan “make friends” and he’d rather the world end than lan xichen think he hurt his brother

In desperation, jin guangyao suggests the final cure: a true loves kiss

Jin zixuan of course, balks at this. He can’t kiss wei wuxian! He’s in love with his sister! He’s doing this for jiang yanli, he doesn’t want her to think he likes her brother! (Still unaware thats exactly what everyone thinks, especially jiang yanli)

To make matters worse, his father seems to be suddenly invested in curing wei wuxian, sending him off to court wei wuxian with a wink, a charriage and a large amount of gold

Terrified, jin zixuan wants to run, but lan Zhan refuses to let wei wuxian suffer because jin zixuan has cold feet. So he gets in the carriage too

When they arrive they meet a very angry, very resentment tentically wei wuxian

Jin zixuan panics, but lan xhan doesn’t back down, if his love can do anything he’s going to try. So he confesses to wei wuxian

This shocks wei wuxian so much his resentment actually starts to fizzle out.

It’s working! Jin zixuan shouts! Lan wanji keep going!

So lan zhan keeps confessing, saying everything he’s been keeping in his heart, then ending with “come to gusu with me”

Wei wuxian’s eyes widen “you mean…this whole time…that was a proposal?!!”

Lan zhan: en

Wei wuxian: lan zhan! Proceeds to jump into his arms and share a passionate kiss with lan zhan

Jin zixuan: i can’t believe that worked

Jiang yanli, who has come up beside him, “you planned this?” (Meaning getting wei ying and lan zhan together)

Jin zixuan: oh yeah! This was all my idea! (Meaning exorising wei ying)

Jiang yanli says “thank you A-xuan” as she places a hand on his arm, and jin zixuan suddenly forgets everything else

And that’s how jin zixuan got wangxian together while trying to impress jiang yanli, and never realizes people thought he was in love with wei wuxian until well after jin ling is born

#mdzs au #mdzs #the untamed au #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #jin zixuan #jiang yanli #jin guangyao #jin guangshan #madam jin #wei wuxuan #lan wangji #xuanli #wangxian

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jiaoji · 1 year

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Y'all don't understand how good it is to see HanGuang-Jun destroy all the things Teen Lan WangJi said to TeenXian:

WWX just calling him HanGuang-Jun??

No no! Wei Ying can call me Lan Zhan since we are close 😐 (😊)

Is drinking emperor's smile forbidden? We're not in Gusu, Wei Ying, I'll buy it for you myself.

I hate you?? Who was the idiot who put words in my mouth? I would never hate Wei Ying with him being so cute.

Wei Ying is very smart, I'm lucky to have such a good 'friend'

Punishment? Wei Ying will be punished with me and let's talk more and forget about the punishment

Of course I would love to go to YumengJiang with you, Wei Ying. Let's steal lotus and hunt pheasants, it will be so much fun

Wei Ying wants a different food? I can cook myself

Meanwhile, TeenJi watching as he destroys his own image for his crush and lets WWX know all his weaknesses and thoughts:

#mdzs #modaozushi #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #hanguang jun #cloud recess arc

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jaimebluesq · 2 months

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oooo for the AU Ask Game, an alternate universe where JYL marries someone else who isn't Jin Zixuan? (your choice on who she marries and why!)

Oooh this is a fun one! All right, here we go... this might change EVERYTHING lol

Who does JYL marry? There is absolutely no question in my mind that the best option in terms of inter-sect connections, and a desire on JC and WWX's parts that she be safe and cared for, is for her to marry Nie Mingjue. She would have had a chance to get to know him during the Sunshot campaign, and we all know NMJ drinks respect -women-juice for breakfast - and is a big softie, like look what he lets his brother get away with >.< So yeah, JYL goes to Qinghe and gets a spare didi out of the deal!

But why does she marry? Because yes, she still has feelings for JZXuan, but he's still a man-child who doesn't know a good thing when he sees it ;) But seriously, we have YMJ which is still rebuilding after the war and likely getting more and more in debt to get the supplies and manpower to fix up Lotus Pier, not to mention attracting new disciples to feed and clothe, so they'd need an alliance with another great sect - one that's stable financially and could even help YMJ. Gusu is still rebuilding as well, so they're out, and we've eliminated the Jin. THankfully Qinghe is a solid option all around (as stated above). And JYL has known from the time she was young that she would marry for an alliance, not for love - she would be the one to sit JC and WWX down to tell them it needs to be done (when they hear her suggestion of NMJ, that's the thing that gets them on board - they would have fought just about anyone else).

So at Koi Tower, things might be a little more uncertain because these clans are based on hereditary hierarchy, and without an heir along Jin Zixuan's line, his position is uncertain even if he's the only legitimate son. So JGS pushes for a marriage - even worse when he sees Qin Su's pursuit of JGY, because he'll be DAMNED if he allows JGY to marry before JZXuan. Sadly, I have no idea who he'd marry, probably the daughter of a smaller sect's leader (Yao or Ouyang maybe), but it would be a rushed deal and will make poor JZXuan miserable - but he'll do it because it's what's expected of him, and even though he will not love his wife, he will still give her far more respect than his father gave his mother (I know, low bar, but the boy is TRYING).

So with JYL engaged to NMJ by the time of the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, things go a little different - yes WWX will bust out the Wen remnants and fuck out of dodge, but JYL will go to NMJ and ask him to help WWX (at the very least give him a chance to explain instead of denouncing him with everyone else). This turns the tide for many things because once NMJ sees the conditions of the Burial Mounds and what's left of the Wen, he will be amenable to helping - but will do so under the condition that WWX give up demonic cultivation (and in fact he suggests Nie cultivation as an alternative - this will lead to a sad moment when WWX FINALLY comes up with a proper story and claim that WZL melted his core to explain that he's core-less, and after much crying all around, they can finally move forward from this mess).

So the Nie will lend their protection to the Wen in the Burial Mounds and actually suggest they move up into Qinghe - not by the Unclean Realm, but he will give them land to live on that isn't full of resentful energy, and they will have QHN's protection. This is good, and in return, a certain doctor meets NMJ and will start researching his condition to treat (and hey, if you wanna have fun, have her join NMJ & JYL, I'm easy ;)

So yeah! One change and everything changes like dominos :D

Thank you for the ask!

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ibijau · 3 months

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I have written a thing! It's a three part xisang timeloop with a lot of people repeatedly dying, because that's what's good and fun about time loops. All three parts are already on AO3 because this was for an exchange, but I'll post it one chapter at a time on tumblr warning from some mentions of violence (mostly offscreen) and an offscreen suicide (it doesn't stick)

1. Even without the Song of Clarity to both calm and irritate him, Nie Mingjue still died on the same day. In his final moment of rage, he did not recognise his own brother until Baxia had already decapitated him. Lan Xichen, who had come running to his friend’s aid, stopped in his tracks as Nie Huaisang’s head rolled to his feet, blood and tears staining it. A pang of twisted satisfaction coursed through Lan Xichen at the sight of that little snake being punished for crimes he would now never commit. A short-lived glee; Nie Mingjue roared as he realised what he had done, and collapsed over his brother’s corpse.

2. “Enough excuses!” Nie Mingjue snarled, still shockingly angry for a man to whom Lan Xichen had played the Song of Clarity daily. “I warned you that you’d pay if Xue Yang wasn’t punished for his crimes!”

Jin Guangyao was shaking with fear, pleading for more time, trying to explain his side of things, begging their Da-ge to understand his position, but Nie Mingjue refused to listen. Baxia was unsheathed. Realising the situation was getting out of control, Lan Xichen tried to step between his two sworn brothers, only for a terrified Nie Huaisang to grab him by the sleeve, restraining him with surprising strength. Lan Xichen glared at him, letting his hatred shine through. Nie Huaisang, startled, released him, but it was already too late.

Jin Guangyao laid in a puddle of his own blood, unmoving.

3. Warning Nie Mingjue of Jin Guangshan’s plot only made things worse. Lan Xichen had taken such pains to explain that Jin Guangyao had been pressured into it, that he was truly innocent, another victim of his father. Nie Mingjue refused to see things his way.

The attack on the Jins, however justified, started a new war which decimated what was left of the cultivation world, including Jin Guangyao.

4. Warning Jin Guangyao that Lan Xichen knew of his plot did not work either. Jin Guangyao apologised, yes, and he begged for forgiveness, explained in detail how awful his life was in Jinlin Tai, how he was not given a choice. But he refused to take Lan Xichen’s offer to stay with him in Gusu where he would be safer. He was after all the heir apparent of the Jin sect, as he pointed out once he realised that Lan Xichen had no intention of revealing his plot to Nie Mingjue. And he was likely to remain so, since none of his father's other bastards had any real skill for cultivation, and Madam Jin was past the age to bear children. He couldn't give up on that.

The two of them argued for the first time that Lan Xichen could recall, certain tragic events of his first life aside. No matter how good Lan Xichen’s arguments, Jin Guangyao found ways to turn them around to suit his opinion. Meanwhile, over the course of the day, Jin Guangyao grew increasingly frustrated with Lan Xichen’s refusal to bend to his side, the way he’d always done before. Unable to reach a decision, they agreed to continue talking in the morning.

Left alone for the night, in the silence of the Hanshi, Lan Xichen found his resolve wavering. After all, Jin Guangyao had done such good for the world as chief cultivator before. Maybe they really could ensure that he would be again, and without killing Nie Mingjue this time. There had to be a way, if Lan Xichen helped him.

And he would have helped, truly, but he died in his sleep that same night.

5. Lan Xichen couldn't make sense of his death in the previous loop. He knew his health to be excellent at this point of his life.

A lesser man might have suspected Jin Guangyao, but he refused to consider the thought. Even in murdering Nie Mingjue, Jin Guangyao had been a victim of circumstances. He'd had no choice. If he had really killed Lan Xichen… But no, that was impossible. Jin Guangyao would never hurt him. He'd said so, once. Jin Guangyao would never have hurt him, not on purpose.

All the pain he'd caused had been accidental.

Lan Xichen clung to that conviction.

He tried, again, to warn Nie Mingjue, and he was more careful in his words, trying harder to hide Jin Guangyao’s part in the plot, so both his sworn brothers might survive.

He failed. There was a war again, but this time it was Nie Mingjue who failed to survive it.

6. Another attempt to make Nie Mingjue understand.

Another failure.

7. One more attempt.

Nie Huaisang was there when Lan Xichen spoke to Nie Mingjue, for some reason.

He’d refused to leave his brother alone for the entirety of Lan Xichen’s visit. His presence was irritating, as always, but Lan Xichen ignored him. Nie Huaisang wasn’t worthy of notice at this point in his life.

He would never be worthy of notice.

He was just a coward, a liar, a little snake manipulating better men to spill blood for him.

Lan Xichen focused only on Nie Mingjue, on making him realise that his life was in danger while still protecting Jin Guangyao, so he could become the man he should have been.

One more attempt.

One more failure.

8. One more.

9. One more.

10. One more.

16. Sometimes, almost Lan Xichen wondered how he had become friends with Nie Mingjue in the first place. This unbending man, always so sure that he alone knew what was true and what wasn't. Stubborn, irritating Nie Mingjue, without any mercy in his heart.

This time either, Jin Guangyao couldn’t be protected once Nie Mingjue guessed the parts of the story Lan Xichen was trying to hide from him.

27. It wasn’t that Lan Xichen wanted to see Nie Mingjue die again. But he was growing frustrated with his inability to fix things, when it should have been so easy. He knew that Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao used to be friends, so why couldn’t they be again? Why must one always kill the other?

Why couldn’t anyone ever make things easy for Lan Xichen?

He was so tired.

He was also running out of ideas.

That was why he didn’t try to change anything in this new loop. He allowed events to follow their natural course, hoping to gain new insight. Jin Guangyao changing the song after one last humiliation. Nie Mingjue losing his mind after another perceived betrayal. The Qi deviation. The slaughter.

Lan Xichen didn’t try to change anything.

Something still changed.

There must have been a mistake somewhere, something he didn’t notice he’d done differently.

For whatever reason, Nie Huaisang didn’t run to his crazed brother in this loop, and Nie Mingjue continued his slaughter until he found Jin Guangyao.

They both died this time.

That had never happened yet.

Lan Xichen fell on his knees next to the corpses of his sworn brothers, choking on tears he couldn’t spill. For the first time, he wondered if trying to fix things hadn’t been a mistake. If he had accepted their deaths, if he had accepted his own mistakes… But as he thought this, his eyes fell on Nie Huaisang, watching the three of them from a few feet away.

Nie Huaisang, with his face red and shining with tears, but his eyes as hard as the day he’d re-buried his brother.

Nie Huaisang, who watched with cold curiosity, seemingly more interested in Lan Xichen than in the dead men.

Nie Huaisang, whose absence at a critical moment had caused this tragedy.

Nie Huaisang, whose irritating personality had made things so much harder for Nie Mingjue even before the loops.

Nie Huaisang, who had hated Lan Xichen enough to use him as a weapon.

Nie Huaisang, without whom Lan Xichen wouldn’t have had to see his two only friends die again and again.

Nie Huaisang, whose cold curiosity turned to pure terror when Lan Xichen launched himself at him to choke him.

Nie Huaisang, whose neck snapped with such a terrible noise, just as surviving Nie disciples pierced Lan Xichen’s chest in an pointless effort to rescue their late sect leader’s brother.

28. Lan Xichen went into seclusion.

The irony was not lost on him.

But he couldn’t bear to see either of his sworn brothers die again, and he knew he was powerless to save them. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so blind, if he’d accepted that only one of them could live, if he’d been a better friend…

But things were what they were.

It was better to stay out of this, until the loops drained away what was left of his life.

29. Lan Xichen went into seclusion.

He now realised what he hadn’t in the previous loop, that he would always know when one of his sworn brothers had died because he would be sent back to the first day. But as long as he didn’t see it happen, as long as he wasn’t there to smell blood, knowing hurt less.

At least, that was what he tried to convince himself of.

30. Lan Xichen went into seclusion.

36. Lan Xichen went into seclusion.

42. Lan Xichen went into seclusion.

He closed the door of his house behind him, turned around, and startled when he noticed someone standing inside his home, waiting for him. Lan Xichen nearly ran back outside, but he refused to be scared, refused to lose again.

“How did you get in here, Huaisang?” He calmly asked.

The young man shrugged, hiding an embarrassed smile behind a fan.

“Oh, you know, I managed,” Nie Huaisang said in the light, somewhat whiny tone he used often.

The tone he had used at that temple, when Wei Wuxian had confronted him.

“I can’t imagine anyone let you in,” Lan Xichen insisted.

“I didn’t need it. You gave Da-ge one of those jade tokens that lets him freely come and go, so I borrowed it,” Nie Huaisang admitted with an awkward giggle. “I wasn’t sure it’d work since I’m not Da-ge, but it’s about the token, not the person. I came in last night and this morning, when you went to talk to your uncle about your seclusion, I slipped inside the house. It was really easy, Er-ge,” he added with a pouty frown. “You really should put some protections around your home. What if I had been an assassin?”

An assassin would have been a less unpleasant surprise, Lan Xichen thought, glaring at the little snake that dared to disturb him again. But quickly, another more important detail struck him.

“How do you know I’m entering seclusion?” Lan Xichen asked, frowning. “I haven’t told anyone except my uncle.”

Courtesy would have demanded that he inform his sworn brothers, especially in such troubled times. But courtesy mattered little, and in three weeks, none of this would have happened in the first place. Lan Xichen could afford to be rude.

Nie Huaisang shrugged again. “You’ve done it like that the last few times,” he said, his voice trembling, just as his hand did, barely keeping his fan in place. “So I thought you probably would again, and I thought… I thought I should finally try to find out for real.”

Lan Xichen stared at the young man. Nie Huaisang was smiling, but his lips were spasming from the effort it took, and whatever good humour he was trying to convey failed to reach his eyes, already shining with the threat of tears.

How many times had Lan Xichen seen him like that? Poor little Nie Huaisang, incompetent sect leader if there had ever been one, so awkward as he asked Jin Guangyao for help. And it was always Jin Guangyao he’d bothered with his problems. Lan Xichen had only ever been involved as an afterthought. He used to be bothered by that, he vaguely recalled, because there had been a time when he had sincerely liked and pitied Nie Huaisang, when he had wanted the younger man to rely on him more. Lan Xichen used to wish they could have been friends. He knew better now. He knew that all of Nie Huaisang’s tears had been false, more like rouge on a courtesan’s face than a genuine display of emotion.

“You’re not making any sense, Huaisang,” Lan Xichen scolded. “If you want something, say it clearly. Otherwise, go home. I don’t care if you’ve had another argument with your brother…”

“But I haven’t!” Nie Huaisang cried out, lowering his fan and taking one step toward Lan Xichen.

He froze, his eyes glancing in terror at Lan Xichen’s face, then took two steps back.

“Er-ge, I have been so good the last few times,” Nie Huaisang whispered, lowering his eyes. Shedding a tear, even. Pathetic. “After what happened the last time you came, I realised it had to be my fault. That’s why you’ve been like that toward me since this started, right? It must have been my fault. So I behaved. I did everything Da-ge told me. I trained as hard as I could, until there were blisters all over my hands. I meditated when he told me to. I helped with the sect’s daily affairs even when it gave me headaches. I… I tried so hard, Er-ge!” He sobbed, heavy tears falling on Lan Xichen’s floor. “But he still… every time, he still… I don’t know what to do…”

Lan Xichen took a sharp breath, finally starting to understand what Nie Huaisang was trying to say. But it was impossible. Lan Xichen had started those loops. He should have been the only one aware of them.

“Please Er-ge, you have to tell me what to do!” Nie Huaisang begged, as whiny and demanding as he had been during the years after his brother’s death.

Lan Xichen had trusted him then, his heart aching every time. He now watched Nie Huaisang’s despair without emotion. None of it was real, so why should it touch him?

“Er-ge, I just want to save Da-ge!” Nie Huaisang insisted. “It’s fine if you hate me, but if we work together, won’t we have a better chance to save him, and San-ge too?”

“You want to save A-Yao?” Lan Xichen scoffed, something in his voice startling Nie Huaisang out of his tears.

The young man stared at him with the terror of a mouse cornered by a snake. Then, slowly, almost carefully, he nodded.

“Even though Da-ge hates him?” Lan Xichen insisted.

Nie Huaisang blinked a few times, some last few tears falling on his cheeks. Then, another nod.

“It’s like you’ve said,” Nie Huaisang whispered. “It’s not really San-ge’s fault. I… I don’t understand all of it. And I… I don’t like that San-ge could even think of obeying his father about this. It’s… it’s wicked of him. But I don’t think… I don’t think San-ge would actually do that, anyway. He wouldn’t go through with it. He’s so nice, he wouldn’t. I’m sure he would have stopped in time, but I… because I always make Da-ge angry… San-ge couldn’t guess that I’d make Da-ge so upset, and… I hate that Da-ge blames him for everything. I just want everything to be good again, and for all of us to be friends.”

Lan Xichen pinched his lips. During the early loops, Nie Huaisang hadn’t been there when Lan Xichen would tell Nie Mingjue in detail about the plot against his life. By the time Nie Huaisang made himself unavoidable, a few loops later, Lan Xichen had figured out it was wiser not to let Nie Mingjue know that Jin Guangyao had already started poisoning him, so he only spoke about the murder scheme in a vague manner, as something that had been ordered but not yet put into action. Omissions were not really lies, were they?

Lan Xichen had despaired that his efforts to protect Jin Guangyao would convince anyone.

He despaired all the more, knowing they had only convinced the wrong brother.

“I’m not sure this can really be solved,” Lan Xichen bitterly said. “Short perhaps of you killing yourself to see if it solves something…”

“No, I’ve already tried that,” Nie Huaisang cut him, hiding again behind his fan. “It wasn’t enough. There’s got to be something more we can do, Er-ge.”

It had to be a lie. Lan Xichen almost shouted at the young man, who even at this age thought he could be easily fooled. But he realised, suddenly, that the previous loop had felt… oddly short. It was hard to tell the time when he was in deep meditation, so he hadn’t thought much of it.

He didn’t want to think about it.

“I find it hard to believe you’d be brave enough to try that,” Lan Xichen replied, clinging to his understanding of Nie Huaisang as a selfish coward, a man without honour who never saw fit to avenge his brother until it became easy for him. But if it was true, if Nie Huaisang had killed himself… of course that would have precipitated Nie Mingjue’s death, in his unstable state, ending the loop early.

“I had to see him die so many times, after you stopped coming,” Nie Huaisang said, averting his eyes. “I couldn’t… it wasn’t being brave. I just couldn’t see it happen again. And if it could save Da-ge… But it didn’t really work. I still woke up at midnight again, like the other times. And I… you’re right, I’m not brave. I didn’t mean to come see you at first. I just ran away as soon as I woke up. I just couldn’t stay home to watch him die again. Why did you stop trying, Er-ge?”

“Nothing I did was working,” Lan Xichen replied, more honestly than he intended. His heart clenched at the despair in Nie Huaisang’s voice, the accusation in his words. Nie Huaisang was the last person who had any right to judge him.

Nie Huaisang was, perhaps, the only person with a right to judge him.

“How long have you been aware of what was going on?” Lan Xichen asked.

“I don’t know,” Nie Huaisang sniffed, and Lan Xichen winced at the too familiar answer. But unlike his time as a sect leader, Nie Huaisang didn’t leave it at that. “A while? Maybe from the start. The very first time Da-ge died, I tried to stop him and he wounded me with Baxia. But then I woke up in my bed, without so much as a scar, so I figured it was just a bad dream. Only, you told San-ge to stop playing that song for Da-ge, and a little while after Da-ge still had a Qi deviation, and this time he killed me.” Nie Huaisang paused and brought one hand to his throat. He started crying again. When he spoke again, his voice was weak. “After that, it was San-ge who started dying many times. But I could tell… I could tell even whenever he won against the Jin, Da-ge was about to have another Qi deviation. I always woke up at the start of the cycle before it happened, but I knew. I could see it.”

Lan Xichen shivered. He’d been so focused on his horror over Jin Guangyao’s death every time that came to pass, he’d forgotten to worry about the effect of another war on Nie Mingjue’s health.

Or had he simply not cared?

He’d become so frustrated with Nie Mingjue’s stubbornness. Had Lan Xichen really cared anymore what happened to Nie Mingjue once Jin Guangyao couldn’t be saved anymore?

Had he cared even when he started those loops? Had he cared before, when Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had offered proof that Jin Guangyao was a murderer? Or had everything he’d done been an elaborate way to protect his last friend from the consequences of his actions? Lan Xichen had so desperately wanted to believe Jin Guangyao could have been a good man, had he not murdered their sworn brother. He’d found so many excuses for him, so his complicity would weigh less heavy.

As if Nie Mingjue hadn’t been a good man as well.

Infuriating and stubborn and unbending, yes, but good as well, and a steady friend for as long as he’d lived.

And Lan Xichen had helped kill him.

Lan Xichen fell to his knees, bile burning the back of his throat, tears drenching his face. He distantly heard Nie Huaisang’s cries of concern, and then felt the young man’s presence at his side, hand hovering near his shoulders, never daring to touch him.

Nie Huaisang who didn’t know yet that Lan Xichen was a murderer.

Or didn’t he? Lan Xichen had killed him once with his bare hands, had watched him die another time with cruel glee, had wished horrors upon him countless times. All that for the crime of doing what Lan Xichen couldn’t have done, for avenging Nie Mingjue with what weapons he had at his disposal: tears, and the sympathy of others.

It was no wonder that Nie Huaisang had used him as his weapon, that night. It was all Lan Xichen was good for. That, and making excuses for murderers. Like his father, he was so much like his father. Too much like his mother, too. Ruining lives and hiding dirty secrets.

“Er-ge, should I get someone?” Nie Huaisang asked, his voice appearing to come from so far away. He had gotten over his terror of Lan Xichen and was holding his shoulders now, trying to comfort him perhaps. “Er-ge, please, I don’t want to watch someone die again. Please calm down, please. I’m sorry I came here, I won’t do it again! I’m sorry for whatever I did to make you angry. Please calm down, please don’t die.”

The request startled Lan Xichen. He opened his mouth, wanting to reassure the young man, only for blood to pour out of his lips. A hand brought to his eyes, his nose, made it clear he was bleeding there too.

Lan Xichen would have laughed, had he had the breath for it.

What a fitting punishment for his failings, to die the way he’d allowed Nie Mingjue to die.

He wondered, briefly, if perhaps this would finally break the unending cycle he’d created, if they would all be free once he died.

He could only hope.

43. Lan Xichen went into seclusion.

Nobody came to visit him.

Days and weeks alone, waiting for the moment everything would start over again. He did not meditate this time, wanting to ensure that days flowed normally, that Nie Huaisang had not tried anything radical again to protect his brother.

It gave him time to think about things, really think about them, for the first time since he’d seen Nie Mingjue’s headless corpse blindly attacking juniors, and Wei Wuxian hinted at a possible murderer.

Lan Xichen had made mistakes. Believing Jin Guangyao had been one. Being kind to him… he could not regret being kind, even to a man who had abused his trust. Even a murderer deserved to have his pain soothed, and Lan Xichen refused to think he’d been wrong to show mercy to Jin Guangyao that terrible night. But he could see better why it would have enraged Nie Huaisang, pushing him to reveal himself by pushing Lan Xichen to murder.

Looking back on it, Lan Xichen disapproved of the methods, but he pitied the desperation.

Poor Nie Huaisang, whose only remaining friends had been his nemesis and an accessory to murder. Could Lan Xichen really blame him for lashing out and hurting so many others, when he had done the same during those hellish loops?

It was odd, to have anything in common with Nie Huaisang. Lan Xichen remembered, distantly, that Nie Mingjue used to encourage him to befriend his little brother, saying they were more alike than they seemed. He couldn’t have known that their greatest common trait was a tendency to be vicious for the sake of affection, but Lan Xichen didn’t think Nie Mingjue would entirely disapprove either. Not when he’d gone to such length to avenge his father.

Maybe that was why Jin Guangyao had failed to truly fit in with them. If he had killed for love instead of ambition, like the rest of them, Nie Mingjue might have liked him better.

44. Lan Xichen did not go into seclusion.

Instead he stepped on his sword and flew North, toward Qinghe.

Alone, he had failed to save his sworn brothers. But he did not have to be alone.

First, he would apologise to Nie Huaisang, for his mistakes in their first life, in all of the horrifying loops he’d inflicted to the poor boy. He would tell him the truth, as much of it as could be shared without hurting him more.

And then, if Nie Huaisang was still willing, they would work together to break the loops.

#lan xichen #nie huaisang #xisang #although barely and even then not until the third part #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes #you know I think I really write most easily when I'm given a theme/prompt orz

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