If no one’s sent it in for the ask game yet, Wei WuXian 👀
Hey!!! Thanks for giving me the perfect excuse to ramble about my favorite necromancer boy 🥰
Favorite thing about them: Can I say everything? He’s just such a great character! I love his sense of humor, how kind he is, and how smart he is! He can be a bit of a flirty airhead, but that’s what makes him so charming! Did I mention the cool glowey red eyes? He can turn from sweet to dangerous when he needs to. Oh, but he has such a big heart, perhaps a little too big for his body. I both admire him for his strength and just wanna wrap a blanket around him ❤️❤️❤️
Least favorite thing about them: Oh, dear. He’s too giving 🥺💔. I wish he knew that it doesn't always have to be him to be the one to sacrifice and that he could learn to share his burdens. I know it’s incredibly hard for him to do something like that because it’s never been in his nature to let go. He has to be strong. Has to be brave. Has to be always smiling. Always the one to take the blame, always the defender, always going to extremes to fix things. I know this is a product of his upbringing and his surroundings. He was a teenager suddenly thrown into war after the death of nearly his entire clan. I don’t know if there was another way around this, I’m not sure if speculating would be of much use. What I do know, is that at the end of his first life, after everything wwx did, after learning about how he died, I kept thinking to myself: “It’s too much. No one should have to give so much.”
Favorite line: “But from now on, what you say to me, what you do for me, I’ll remember it all—I won’t forget a single thing! I really like you, Lan Zhan. I love you, I want you, I fancy you, I whatever you. I want to night-hunt with you for the rest of my life.” Basically his entire speech from Chapter 100 ❤️
BROTP: Okay. I know there’s a lot of people I could choose who would fit this role better, like Wen Ning or Wen Qing, my beloved. But if I’m being honest! If I'm being truthful! My answer would be Jiang Cheng (Plz don’t throw a pitchfork at me 🥲). And I get it. Maybe these two brothers are destined to just go their separate ways. Maybe there isn’t a timeline where these two can ever be happy around each other. But idc. I just can’t let go of the idea that the love is still there, buried, smothered, quiet, but there. I know that some things can’t be forgotten and things may never be how they once were; there were many flaws in their relationship, so I wouldn’t want them to go back to being the same. But I choose to believe that with time, even if it’s at a very slow pace, wwx and jc can reach a new state of being. Where they can learn how to just talk to each other again. About the small things. About the memories that aren’t painful. About Jin Ling. And maybe then, and only then, would they begin to heal and close the gap, one tiny step at a time.
OTP: Y'all know who it is! I don’t have more to say about them because the book has already given me all that I wanted! They’re the heart of the story and my favorite ship ❤️
NOTP: Any ship that is not Wangxian. I’m not really a big multi-shipper. I find a ship I like best, latch onto it, and then crinkle my nose at the idea of them being shipped with someone else lol.
Random Headcanon: I think he has a music brain and would easily be able to pick up a new instrument! I could also easily see him writing and singing songs :)
Unpopular Opinion: I guess it’s the same as the BROTP section. I know my wish for him to reconnect with his brother again is an opinion that uh is divisive in the fandom 😅
Song I associate with them: Liar by The Arcadian Wild, Everything I Wanted by Denis Kalytovskyi, Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, Atlas:Two by Sleeping At Last, and of course, HOLD IT AGAINST ME BY BRITNEY SPEARS
Favorite picture of them: Oooh, no contest. The Yiling Laozu from the Untamed Mobile Game 🥰
Character Ask Game
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ohhh that one made me cry. it managed to write jc perfectly, which is quite a feat esp for a reconciliation work. and also wwx was drunk the entire time which was pretty funny. it’s really cool to see jl and lsz claiming each other as cousins even when jc and wwx aren’t ready to talk about their relationship yet. and it feels right! the younger generation being more open and close with each other and actively choosing to be family rather than splitting apart and hurting each other 🥺
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I feel like due to mom-trauma in a modern au that Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji would be in contact with each other weekly if not daily, no matter what. If it goes longer than a week without hearing from each other they both get a little antsy and Lan Wangji will straight up panic if it goes longer than two weeks and Xichen won’t answer his calls (tragedy of a broken phone and no memorized phone numbers and Wangji’s refusal to get social media)
They’re both appalled to find out that WWX and JC will go months without speaking and then just show up at each other’s house with nothing more than a “you up?” Text. Xichen is less so, because he gets that not everyone is as close as he and Wangji. Wangji however is extra confused because the only other brother relationship he’s seen is Huaisang ans Mingjue and they call each other daily even when they’re both hella busy atleast for a few minutes.
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Can we talk about Nie Huaisang’s relationship with Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian in the novel for a moment?
JC is specifically shown not to have any friends besides WWX (and his sister) because of how awful his personality is and actively discourages or tries to shut down any of WWX’s attempts to befriend people outside of the Jiang Sect. Such as Lan Wangji, Wen Ning, and even briefly Mianmian during the Wen Indoctrination.
The only apparent exception to this is Nie Huaisang and I have to wonder why.
The first thing that strikes me about their relationship to Nie Huaisang is that it’s amiable. But they don’t seem particularly close to me. They got along just fine and had fun goofing off together but none of their interactions strike me as particularly meaningful or deep.
In fact, during and after the Sunshot Campaign we barely, if at all, get any scenes where Nie Huaisang interacts with them again. Certainly when WWX comes back to life it is neither shown nor implied that Nie Huaisang and JC are particularly close to each other at all. I would go so far as to say they’re practically strangers as adults with the only person JC is shown to be close to at all being his own nephew.
And while we’re unsure of how much Nie Huaisang was involved in WWX’s revival it does imply that Nie Huaisang, at the very least, was aware that WWX’s bad reputation wasn’t all it was hyped up to be or at least implies he had some measure of faith in WWX. Before his brother’s death Nie Huaisang is never shown to be involved in sect politics at all—and his brother’s death only takes place after WWX’s death. We simply have no idea what Nie Huaisang was doing while WWX was with the Wen Remnants, including whether he tried to help him or simply ignored what was happening.
Certainly after WWX’s revival they only have a small handful of interactions—none of which are particularly negative on either side and even somewhat positive. Again, the word amiable comes to mind. Not particularly close but on good enough terms even despite WWX’s standing with the rest of the cultivation world.
I imagine this is done on purpose.
JC has shown to be violently opposed to WWX having friendships outside the sect and yet the one with Nie Huaisang is tolerated—I imagine this is because the two aren’t actually particularly close which allows JC to still feel secure in WWX’s loyalty. Unlike with Wen Ning and Lan Wangji who WWX clearly shows a more obvious investment and care for several times.
Similarly the only reason JC could somehow sustain this relationship in the Cloud Recesses is because him and Nie Huaisang aren’t particularly close. All of JC’s relationships with the people he’s close to are shown to be toxic on some level and all of them, aside from WWX, are his family. In other words, Nie Huaisang is just far enough on the outside to avoid the brunt of JC’s personality and toxicity.
And then I remember the three things Nie Huaisang is known for: his poor cultivation, his lack of interest in cultivation, and his avoidance of any conflict at all.
There are two things JC hates more than anything because of his pride—being challenged by other people and feeling inferior.
Nie Huaisang does not do conflict—openly at least (side-eyes Jin Guangyao). He is quick to backdown and even quicker to run away from such things. In other words he will never challenge JC’s words or authority even if he doesn’t agree with it because he goes out of his way to avoid conflict.
And with Nie Huaisang’s poor cultivation JC never has to worry about being overshadowed or feeling inferior. In fact, I imagine JC being close to Nie Huaisang allows him to feel superior in regards to his cultivation and school work without JC even having to do anything in particular.
With WWX JC is constantly putting him down and trying to shame him because of how good WWX is and how that makes JC feel inferior. WWX, while often placating JC and even going along with him most of the time, has no problem challenging JC’s authority when he disagrees with it—i.e. the Wen Remnants, though there are smaller moments too. WWX has also just always been in JC’s orbit—laying somewhere between a subordinate, servant, and a companion to JC—giving JC power and entitlement over him that JC doesn’t have over Nie Huaisang as another sect heir.
In other words: everything that is the backbone of JC and WWX’s toxic relationship is something Nie Huaisang virtually sidesteps just by being who he is. I’d definitely argue this is deliberate on the author’s part—showing us the only kind of relationship that could work with someone like JC. And even then, like I said earlier, that relationship is nonexistent in the future because the only long lasting relationships JC has are with his family and again: none of those are healthy ones.
Just some food for thought.
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Fic Finder
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1. Hi hi hi! First off love this Tumblr so much! Second can you help me find a fic? It sort of starts off in the cave but instead of everyone escaping wwx, lwj, jc,and jz sort of meditate their golden cores together and become perma linked together. They become sworn brothers and are super close and cam even read each others minds I loved this fic and I need to start writing them down when I read them! THANK YOU!!!! @the-untamed-stole-my-heart
FOUND! This one is Quartet series by WithBroomBefore (T, 41k, wangxian, soulbonds, fix it)
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2. Hi!! I’ve been trying to find a fic I read months ago that I forgot to bookmark on Ao3 and was hoping someone might recognise it!
So it is set during the cloud recesses school arc, and Wei Wuxian is a dragon but only the jiang clan know, and are keeping it secret while they study. But Wei Wuxian, in his classic style can’t help but keep bothering Lan Zhan in his human form, so Lan Zhan gets a crush on him that way. But he also starts visiting him as a dragon at night and the elders are all up in arms about it because it means that Lan Zhan has been chosen by a great mythical beast and it’s a huge honour and stuff. But Lan Zhan doesn’t realise that they are the same person and ends up having to choose between them and turns down human Wei Ying, but this just devastates Wei Ying who doesn’t understand that he didn’t know they were the same person and feels like Lan Zhan has been toying with his feelings, and stops visiting as a dragon at night as well as avoiding him in human form. Later when the secret is revealed it’s all very dramatic, and they are engaged. I can’t remember loads of specifics, but I vividly remember dragon wei ying finding out the truth of what happened to Lan Zhans mother and going ape shit at the elders at some point. I’ve tried looking on Ao3 but there aren’t many docs tagged with DragonWeiYing, and I’m struggling! I don’t think it was complete when I read it but it could have been by now, please help me out!!! @yeah-but-what-if-i-dont-tho
FOUND? ❤️flame and rust by cl410 (M, 35k, wangxian, Mojo’s bookmark)
FOUND? no other cloud compares to you by ectocosme (M, 125k, wangxian, misunderstandings, identity issues, courting)
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3. Hey can you help me find a fic. I dont really remember the name or anything just this one scene. It is a post canon fic where a ton of people died because of a great flood and all the clans were called to help with the burial resentment etc. But bc of the flood all the infrastructure and bodies were hidden and the clans couldn't find the bodies fast enough and there woupd be building resentment. I think they said that of they couldnt find the bodies and give them proper burials it would be like a second burial mounds. So they had to call in Wei Wuxian who did his Yiling Laozu stuff and made the bodies walk to him and dig their own graves and bury themselves. He also helped the Lans deal with the resentment. And i remember everyone looked at him differently because they were like oh he really is the YLLZ and he is super powerful even without the seal.
FOUND! Embers by xantissa (E, 38k, wangxian, LXC/WWX, LXC/WWX/LWJ, fuck or die, curses, polyamory) the scene mentioned happens in chapter 7
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4. Do you know the time travel fic where wwx returns and is Very Much Not Okay and everyone is concerned. I think one scene was when they were having lunch in the cloud recesses and wwx accidentally ate a dish with meat in it and had to run outside and be sick. @boyzcult
FOUND? Wish Me Luck by Starlight1395 (Not rated, 164kt, wangxian, time travel, fix it, PTSD)
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5. Hi, how are you doing? I tried to send a message, but my internet is not working well, so if this ask is repeated I am so sorry! I'm looking for a short fic (around 2k I think?), set in the Yiling Lazou times. Xue Yang had kidnapped lots of kids to bring as a sacrifice (or as a set up?) to WWX, but WWX defends the children. I remember the story was kind of set after the fight, when other characters arrive to Yiling to find WWX surrounded by kids. Thank you, and sorry if my ask appears twice!
FOUND? a micro utopia born as the overture plays by tardigradeschool (T, 18k, wangxian, JGY/LXC, fix-it)
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6. hi! looking for an e rated modern au where (professor?) wei ying finds out his best friend lan zhan is a legend in the NYC gay scene and proceeds to get wrecked by him after lan zhan offers casually over coffee. features regular boardgame lunches with jc, nhs, and wn. friends to fuck-buddies to lovers once they finally communicate. thanks! @panickedemo
FOUND? @xervos thinks this one might be either got your way with me by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 51k, wangxian, friends w/ benefits, ft. lan zhan fucks, wei ying fucks, neighbors to fuck buddies to lovers, does have the board games with the gang! )
or
(our friendship) up against the ropes by daltoneering (E, 36k, wangxian, friends w/ benefits, ft. lan zhan fucks / NYC sex god; best friends to fuck buddies to lovers. boardgames mention) Edit: Likely this one!
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7. I'm looking for a fic in which lan wangji is having difficulties with math and wei wuxian is his math tutor. I'm pretty sure it's smut, in which lwj kept trying to seduce wwx and it ends up working because lwj is wearing a skirt without even having the plan in mind lmao
FOUND! Obsessive Behavior by youjezebel (E, 5k, wangxian, ABO, age difference)
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8. i need help finding a fic, but in case it cannot be found anything alike will do. so lwj is very worried of being the type of father his father was, but lsz reassures him. thanks! you keep me sane with your recs!
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9. Hi, this is for a fic finder post! It was a fic set in modern times where an historian discovered some documents about the relationship between hanguang-jun and the yiling patriarch. According to traditional history they had been bitter enemies, but now she had found out that they were in love, lsz was their son and maybe they were married too (?). I have the feeling that these documents were previously undiscovered letters from lwj to wwx, and the historian wanted to tell the world the real account of their relationship (???)
FOUND? Perhaps one of the fics in Future Cultivation AU series by Aki_no_hikari (G, 25k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, reincarnation) Specifically the 2nd one Beneath the Ocean Floor FM
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10. hi! i remember reading a fic that was a post-canon fic centered around jiang cheng and wei ying. i remember that after wei ying leaves lan zhan he travels around and ends up at lotus pier. he attempts to do the sacrifice mo xuanyu did for him in order to bring back jiang yanli and jiang cheng catches him and stops him. i love the blog!
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11. Hello there, this will be my first time asking! :Dc First of all, thank you for all the hard work you guys have been doing, y'all are awesome. Secondly, I'm trying to look for this fic that I forgot to bookmark wherein JC usurped JFM and YZY because I think he got tired of their constant arguing. I believe WWX wasn't found by JFM in this fic and becomes the Yiling Laozu early on. I've been trying to look for it but I got nowhere, can you please help me?
FOUND! When It Rains It Pours by Dandelion_sama (T, 119k, wangxian, WIP)
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12. hello!!! im looking for this... time travel fic? i think wangxian got an early engagement. but the only scenes i rememeber are where wen ruohan wanted to match wen xu and wwx together bc wwx quoted the quintessence @ wen chaooh also i think wwx collapsed into like. nightmare dream sleep and couldnt be woken up (i think this is all during a disc conference in qishan)thank you!!
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13. Hi! I was wondering if you could help me find a fic. it was set in an AU where WWX disappeared with the Wens into this unlivable area full of monsters and resentful energy (maybe called Yuandao?) and were presumed dead.. until legends about mysterious cultivators helping people, and there being a refuge hidden in yuandao. Monsters start to leave the area and WWX and his sect come help. XXC and SZC are his 2nd in command, nsfw wangxian by the end. theres a cool line about the YLLZ hunting alone
FOUND! 💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, wangxian)
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14. Hello lovelies! I am looking for two fics. A) is a jin sibs one. JZX is sect leader and MY helps him. I remember people tryna kill MY and they kidnapped him and took him to a mind. WWX and the gang went to look for him. I remember WWX saying to search quickly because it was getting cold and MY had a weak core. WWX doesn’t have a core. B) is a modern au. Detective/police WWX. He and LWJ are married with A-Yuan. It is in outsider POV. They moved and their neighbor snoops and call the police on them but she learns WWX is one and the police tell not to disturb without a cause. Aide moi s’il vous plait!!! Thanks Mojo guniang and L goniang for helping us lost souls who can’t bookmark their favorites. Mwah! Hugs and kisses!! @sandriya-artemis
14A)
FOUND! Aftermath by KouriArashi ( T, 58k, wangxian, jiang yanli & everybody, Mojo’s post)
14B)
FOUND! more adventures of detective wei wuxian and his husband by trilliastra (G, 1k, wangxian, nosy neighbors, 2nd in series)
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15. Hi, I’m looking for a time travel fic where LWJ goes back in time to change certain moments(?) at the cost of his own core. I don’t remember many details from it btu I think the last change LWJ does happens at Lotus Pier.
More info: Hi, unfortunately it’s not the suggested Keysmashed’s fic :( I remember it being certain number of changed, probably like 5, and after every change LWJ’s core would get weaker and finally he was near death, I think. It had a happy ending, tho!
FOUND? Looking at You Always, All Ways by Keysmashed (T, 29k, wangxian, Mojo’s post)
FOUND! see if i’d refuse you anything by headBONDmeLWJ (T, 12k, wangxian, time travel, fix-it)
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16. hi, mods! thank you so much for what you do here ♡ I’ve been looking for a fic where LWJ in bunny form accidentally gets found by WWX, gets pampered by him, and gets taken around Lotus Pier. Also, if you have other fic recs with bunny!LWJ, I’d really love that too! Thank you again!
FOUND! 💖love & longing, rabbit edition. by jaws_3 (G, 18k, wangxian, animal transformation, fluff)
and in the spring i shed my skin by wvlfqveen (T, 11k, wangxian, modern, animal transformation)
#19 of this post might interest you too
❤️Of Curses and Cottontails by Alliandra (T, 15k, wangxian, bunji, curses, fix it)
Hopping Into Your Bed and Heart by FrozenHawFlakes (T, 2k, wangxian, animal transformation)
when the gentians bloom again by Yuisaki (T, 1k, wangxian, LXC&LWJ, angst w/ happy ending)
What Am I Missing Here? by SarcasticDaydreamer (Not rated, 2k, wangxian, time travel)
Our hearts, beating in our hands by MemeKonMDZS (MemeKonYA) (T, 3k, wangxian, bun times, fluff)
that time lan wangji turned into a bunny by bwyn (G, 6k, wangxian, modern)
The Rabbit Prince by JessicaMDawn (T, 3k, wangxian, royalty, magic, music) Portuguese translation available by Madame_Jiang
Sparkle by Befallings (G, <1k, wangxian, fluff & crack)
Tales From Bunny Mountain by telarna (G, 5k, wangxian, JL/LSZ, JL&WWX, so many bunnies, lan buns) podfic by esbielle available
doting by soft_wanning (T, 1k, wangxian, bunji & bunxian, mpreg)
FROM ZERO ~ Long Ears Family, But We Are No Elves! by hawa777 (T, 2k, wangxian, fantasy, curses, WIP)
over and over again series by redkosmos (G, 5k, wangxian, pre-canon, first meetings, falling in love)
sempiternal | 但愿人长久 by auberjing (T, 12k, wangxian, curses, many animal transformations one of which is bunny)
❤️ the cure for sadness by NocturnalFriend (T, 3k, wangxian, fluff and angst)
❤️ softly through pine trees, the moon arrives by theLoyalRoyalGuard (G, 3k, wangxian, fluff and angst)
This art post by neenya
This art in twitter by dangocheeked (hurt!bunji)
This twitterthread by ililacquer (sad bunji works)
Master and Jade/002 by WaffleBunny13 (E, 3k, wangxian, LWJ&LXC, rabbit hybrid lwj, bottom!lwj, human experimentation, kidnapping, mental instability, WIP)
💖 This tumblr comic by soursoppi feat. drunk!bunji & drunk!bunchen, they have gusu buns as a frequent trope in MDZS Furryverse Tumblr comics but no dedicated tag for them
What Lies Beneath a Heart of Ice by TheRedFig (G, 6k, wangxian, animal transformation, curses, dehumanization, amnesia, fluff, Rabbit God! LWJ cares for child WWX and Hunter! WWX cares for hurt Bunji in parallel storylines, WIP)
Bunny Therapy by KikiDoesFanfic (G, 4k, wangxian, bad dreams, hurt/comfort, bunji, animal transformation, fluff)
When You Married a Rabbit by the Riverside p.t 1 & p.t 2 by Suspicious_Popsicle (E, 25k, One shot collection) WWX jokingly marries a rabbit who turns out to be Shapeshifter! Bunji
Fanart by @klyukvav here’s some elegant Tumblr fanart by klyukvav, of a stately Bunji and the first Ratxian I’ve ever seen
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17. Hello! I'm looking for a fic that i read a while ago. WWX posted a challenge to the cultivation world that anyone could hit him once and then hed return the strike a year later, LWJ takes him in the offer and tries to kill him but fails to, meaning he has to return to the yiling patriarch in a year. when he returns to the mounds there's some identity porn bc he falls in love with wei ying not knowing hes the yiling patriarch
FOUND! rare the man who'll hold to faith by Fahye (M, 13k, wangxian, green knight au, identity porn)
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18. I'm looking for a WangXian fic on Ao3 but my history is over 1000 pages long. I can't remember the title, author, or exact summary. I do remember a bit of what happens in the fic though. Basically, Lan Zhan dies somehow and WWX goes somewhat crazy. I don't remember how he dies but there is a very prominent detail which I remember: WWX finds a bunch of young men (maybe Lan disciples?) who look eerily similar to LWJ and sacrifices one of them so that LWJ can come back in his body. Please help!
FOUND? Restoring the Balance by Muzu (G, 2k, wangxian, dark!wwx, revenge, 2nd in series)
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19. hi mojo. for the next fic finder there's this fic that i read in which lan zhan is a cat shifter who everyone wants to marry (duh). so he declares that he will marry whoever manages to catch his cat from except no one knows its him. enter out poor little dum dum wei ying whos new in town and just wants to play with the pretty cat. lan zhan gets tired of his dumb ass and reveals himself and its happily ever after. so basically i remember the whole story but not the name. stupid but please help
SIMILAR! Both of the following stories - based on this tumblr comic and/or this tumblr post by pakastekaappihomo - have that plot, but lwj is a bunny instead of a cat:
it’s you, it was always you by myung (G, 7k, wangxian, my post)
heartkeeper by postingpebbles (G, 7k, wangxian, my bookmark), podfic by esbielle
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20. ...I cannot for the life of me find this fic: post-sunshot WWX ends up in Gusu and marries LWJ. JGY doesn't find out until it's done and dusted and has a crisis because his whole plan revolved around blaming WWX for all the bad things he's doing and now he can't because he will inadvertently hurt LXC, which he's unwilling to do.
FOUND? Just a drop by R95irth (Not rated, 173k, wangxian, LXC/JGY, has jgy re evaluating all his life choices because he didn't know that lan xichen's brother was in love with wwx, so now he tries to abort the whole plan with varying degrees of success, but wangxian hadn't even confessed at the fic start)
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on one hand i’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while, and on the other hand i’ve been avoiding it for the massive potential it has to go from us having a conversation to devolving into the most annoying discourse possible
but i got another comment that just broke the camel’s back so i’m going to talk about it anyway
a lot of things i see people are saying are “wrong” in untamed fanfic are actually just translation preferences and just because someone chooses to translate something differently than you doesn’t make it wrong
first, before we get into what i’m talking about, we have to talk about what translations are and the motivation behind them
translations are taking something from one language and making it understandable and consumable in a different language
this can be as big as the differences between chinese and english or as small as the differences between british english and american english, which are considered different enough that books published in both places will have words and phrases translated to make them more digestible to the population it’s being marketed towards
there are few different ways someone can translate something
there’s a direct translation, which is just finding the closest applicable word and plopping it in there like a smarter google translate
there’s translating to preserve the intention and cultural significance behind a word/phrase as closely as can be replicated in the foreign language
there’s translating to convey the vibe/feeling as closely as can be replicated in the foreign language
there’s not translating at all, which doesn’t technically count, by definition, but is brought up often enough that we’ll talk about it
there’s an infinite number of ways this applies, but for simplicity’s sake, and because it’s the one people keep bringing up to me, we’re going to go with jiujiu / maternal uncle
because i don’t speak chinese, my first job is to gain some level of understanding about what this word really means in the original language and the way it’s used. only once you understand that can you make a semi-educated choice on how to translate something (since most of us aren’t fluent in the language or culture, semi educated is about as good as it gets, but for smaller words like these i think it’s easy enough to get most of the needed context). so we need to start off with: maternal uncle, respectful, people don’t use names to differentiate between uncles like we do in english, using first names and/or birth names is either intimate or disrespectful depending on circumstance
now, the simplest way to translate this is just as uncle. in english, referring to someone just as uncle is a little unusual, but common enough that this works as a good translation all around. if one wants to translate the maternal aspect of it, then “uncle lastname” works pretty well. the issue with that is that naming convention only ever happens in english maybe with grand uncles or “uncles” that fall more under shushu than jiujiu, so if i was translating it then that’s something i would avoid, because i wouldn’t want the readers to think that the characters have a less close relationship because o this, but it’s something that’s easy enough to do without distorting the original meaning so i think it also works
if the character only has one uncle
but we are, specifically, talking about jin ling here
so if he’s talking about both jiang cheng and wei wuxian in the same scene, and referring to them both as uncle, how do we differentiate them?
uncle wei and uncle jiang work here, because they’re both maternal uncles but they have different last names, which is really just us getting lucky in this situation. but it presents the problem we have earlier.
to an english ear, that creates distance between jin ling and jc/wwx. if i want to show them as being close to an english speaking audience, that’s not a translation i personally want to use
the most obvious solution is to then have jin ling refer to them way most english speaking people would refer to their uncles (that’s not just straight up having him call them by the their names, which is what i actually think is most common. i only refer to my uncle as uncle when i’m talking ABOUT him to someone else) which is “uncle first name”
however first names also present a problem in untamed because of courtesy names and because courtesy names are used ahistorically and inconsistently in canon
wei wuxian uses jiang cheng’s birth name but jc doesn’t use wwx’s. wwx is basically the same age and lower in rank than jc, so it would make sense for jc to call him wei ying in turn, but he just ... doesn’t. same for jiang yanli. she’s arguably the one wwx is closest to and has the most positive relationship with through out the show and she’s older than him. it would make a lot of sense for her to call him wei ying, or even a-ying to mirror the way she calls jc a-cheng rather than calling wwx a-xian. lan xichen calls lan wangji by his courtesy name rather than birth name, and i’m pretty sure lan qiren does the same to both his nephews, which doesn’t really make sense to me in world
i think the real purpose here was to give wwx and lwj names that they only call each other for special intimacy reasons rather than to create a consistent more in the untamed universe
however, going with that and jin ling obviously being so much younger and wanting to retain at least some of the respectfulness that would be inherent in the original language, i do think that uncle wuxian and uncle wanyin are good translations
u n l e s s
see the thing is that jin ling refers to wwx as “wei ying” before he knows him as a way to be disrespectful to him because he believes that he killed his parents. i personally like the symmetry in him shifting to calling him that in a positive manner to make up for him calling him that in a negative manner, which isn’t something that can really work in chinese, but can work in english
as for jiang cheng, probably because the story is told from wwx’s pov even in the show, we’re used to seeing his birth name rather than his courtesy name, and honestly no one uses his courtesy name unless he’s being a bitch. because of this, the use of wanyin creates a cognitive sense of distance that the often used wuxian just doesn’t. so if someone uses his birth name for that reason, i think that makes sense too. so i think uncle ying and uncle cheng can also work
there is, of course, just using jiujiu and trusting context to take care of the rest, but that’s less a translation choice than it is just choosing not to translate
i’ve done different things in different works with different contexts. in rotten work specifically, i had jin ling refer to jc as just “uncle” because i imagine that’s what he’s been doing for 16 years with no other maternal uncle, and because he’s the uncle he’s closest too among all of them, and i wanted to reflect that. i have jl refer to wwx as “uncle ying” a little bit because of the reasons above, but also a way to stake a claim on him to everyone and to demonstrate that they have a close relationship before the really have one as a way to partially shield wwx and to goad those around him (plus a bonus plot reason that doesn’t get revealed until the final chapter)
my point here is that there’s a lot reasons why someone could choose to translate something one way versus another. i used this one thing as an example, but this same thought process applies to lots of things
you do not have to agree with everyone’s translation choices, or like them, or think them appropriate. but translation is by its very nature imperfect and there’s a lot of different potential reasoning behind people’s choices and i really don’t think there’s one perfect way to translate something and that all other ways are wrong
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Anon asks - There was another idea I had seen on @crossdressingdeath's tumblr where JC's reputation was ruined because of his behaviour and WWX's attempts to protect him from the consequences of his behaviour. The concept happens pre Qiongqi Path where JC attacks WWX to the point it injures and frightens him. A passerby sees WWX startled and asks him what's wrong but WWX dismisses it as nothing. Said bystander ends up thinking that JC had sexually assaulted him resulting in the cultivation world gossiping about JC being a rapist when really he isn't. Overall, the cultivation world gossips about the other shitty things JC had done and because he did alot of pretty bad things, he can't defend himself and resorts to victim blaming WWX. That however only has him dig a deeper hole for himself. WWX, on the other hand is left confused as to why everybody was pitying him all of a sudden when they used to hate and/or fear him. By the time the truth comes to light, the cultivation world thinks JC had deserved it anyway with it ending with JC hated just for him being himself and public opinion on WWX flipping. If you don't mind, can you make it light-hearted?
(Probably not as light-hearted as you would wish. It is a bit complicated. Be a little gentle because I wrote this twice and ended up fleshing it out much more. Is this a short prompt or a long one? who knows. writer is tired. she will sleep now.)
Everyone has personal boundaries, even people who are usually tactile and social. Boundaries exist even between family members who love and trust each other.
Wei Wuxian is a veteran fresh from war. He has survived bloody battlefields, spent days dealing with one hostile enemy after another. Even before that, he had spent his days constantly battling resentful ghosts and monsters in a place he can’t bear thinking of now. Before that, he had survived torture at the hands of the Wens. And before-
Better not to think about it.
So, when Jiang Cheng presses up against him threateningly, his face twisted and eyes furious, Wei Wuxian can’t help but flinch. He takes a step back and puts some distance between them quickly. Jiang Cheng has grown increasingly bitter and discontent in these past few months and Wei Wuxian is getting tired of dealing with it. He doesn’t want to be in such close proximity with a man seething with fury.
Unfortunately, that reaction proves to be a mistake because Jiang Cheng follows him, “What? Are you too big for us now? Turning away from me in disgust now that you’re a war hero and the best of us?” Jiang Cheng is so close, their noses almost touch and Wei Wuxian feels his hair stand on end in response.
“Jiang Cheng,” He says lowly, something unsettling stirring in his chest. He feels almost anxious. His heart is racing and the proximity makes him feel like he’s trapped, “Back away.”
“Back away?” Jiang Cheng snarls, “Who are you to command me, Wei Wuxian? Do you know what people are saying about YunmengJiang? Do you know who-”
“Back away,” Wei Wuxian says tightly, his skin crawling, “Now.” His hard-earned instincts are sounding alarms. He feels threatened and provoked. He feels the resentful energy in him respond to the danger.
“What are you going to do? Send a few ghosts at me?” He sneers, “Try it! We’ll see how brave you are under the wrath of my Zidian.”
No. Wei Wuxian isn’t going to just stand here and let Jiang Cheng pick up Yu-furen’s habits, He’s just about to react, to give Jiang Cheng the thrashing he clearly desires when he realizes they are outside. He glances beyond his Sect Leader’s shoulder and sees a small group of three clad in bright white looking at them with wide eyes.
He bites back his angry retort and masters himself. He’s not going to squabble with Jiang Cheng in front of Lan disciples. His relationship with Lan Zhan is strained as it is.
“We’re in public,” He says, hoping that concern for his Sect’s reputation would move Jiang Cheng if concern for Wei Wuxian doesn’t.
Jiang Cheng looks over his shoulder and sneers at the Lan disciples before rolling his head, “Lans, of course.” He snarls and pushes Wei Wuxian away roughly, “I’ll deal with you later.”
Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath and watches his brother leave.
The Lan disciples are still looking at him with heartwarming concern. He waves at them with a smile and watches as they start like little ducklings and bow to him before fleeing.
Cute.
---
“We have to do something!” Lan Zhanxiao insists, “Did you see how he looked? Wei Wuxian was clearly trying to-”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!” Lan Lishan reprimands.
“Don’t say his name!” Lan Guan whispers urgently, looking around in a panic. There are already a few curious and interested eyes glancing in their direction. Wei Wuxian is a notorious name, after all. Even non-cultivators are interested in the man who had just a material impact on the war. It is hard to tell if they would’ve won without that powerful unorthodox cultivator on their side.
“We can’t just stand by and do nothing,” Lan Zhanxiao, always the righteous one, continues. He doesn’t care about the people around them, “If Wei Wuxian is hurt and we do nothing to prevent it, aren’t we culpable as well?”
“This is Wei Wuxian. Who would dare?” Lan Guan asks incredulously, “He is one of the most powerful cultivators in existence.”
“Is he?” Zhanxiao demands, “Doesn’t everyone know he’s very loyal to Jiang-zongzhu? Would he take a step against him? Even if it meant saving himself?”
“He should be building his own sect,” Lan Lishan says reluctantly, “He’s the Grandmaster of his cultivation form. It may be an unorthodox method, but it is still something new and entirely unique.” He would know. Lan Lishan is an avid student of history and cultivation theory. He knows that most cultivators with unique abilities tend to form their own sect to pass their teachings down.
He shudders at the prospect of cultivating resentful energy but Wei Wuxian has mentioned it is a technique people with absent or damaged Golden Cores can use.
The potential is almost limitless.
“See what I mean?” Lan Zhanxiao points out, “Hasn’t he been isolated from other cultivators because they fear his methods? If Jiang-zongzhu is really hurting him or…” He grimaces and lowers his voice, “That expression, Shan-ge, it reminds me of jiejie. What if Jiang-zongzhu is… doing something inappropriate?”
They all exchange alarmed glances, “You don’t think…?” Lan Guan breathes, horrified.
“He was scrambling to get away,” Lan Zhanxiao says, “And Jiang-zongzhu kept pressing-”
“We can’t talk about this here,” Lan Lishan says firmly, “Come, let’s leave.”
Unfortunately, they leave chaos behind.
---
Rumors are a powerful entity in the cultivation world. They are born in tea and wine houses, spread from one tradesman to another and spread to the far reaches of cultivation society in a matter of months.
The rumors about Jiang’ Wanyin’s treatment of a war hero are no exception to this rule. People gossip about it with their friends and neighbors, share the news with vendors while on errands, and the rumors continue to grow. With every retelling, the story changes, growing increasingly distorted and vile.
“The entire business is unpleasant,” A small clan cultivator says to one of his tradesman friends, “Jealousy really alters a man.” He speaks about old rumors then, speculations about Wei Wuxian’s parentage, Madam Yu’s wrath, and the Jiang heir’s relatively lackluster growth in comparison to his prodigious shixiong.
“Surely not,” Another cultivator scoffs, “Who would dare raise a hand against Wei Wuxian? Did he not decimate a large Wen battalion with just his flute and some music?”
“Merchants at Lotus Pier say Wei Wuxian always looks wan and tired these days. He has grown pale.” One woman whispers to her companion, “He spends more time in wine houses with ghost maidens than in the comfort of his rebuilt home.”
“It seems so improbable!” A young cultivator protests, “Why would Jiang-zongzhu provoke the sleeping dragon like this? Wei Wuxian is stable now but who knows when he will give into resentment?”
“Lan disciples saw it.”
And that’s the crux of the matter. If the rumor didn’t originate from Lan disciples, it might not have traveled so far. Lans are known for their honest and forthright nature, after all. What cause did they have to lie? And no Lan spoke carelessly, so their words must be the whole truth, without any exaggeration.
Because Lans are the source, everything they say is taken as fact. If one Lan disciple finds Jiang-zongzhu’s behavior horribly inappropriate then it must be. If another Lan is worried about Wei Wuxian’s safety, there must be a just cause.
The rumors spread and propagate, and soon almost the entirety of the cultivation world is aware of them.
---
Gossip is forbidden at Cloud Recesses. Disciples are usually discouraged from meddling in other sect business. Rumor-mongering is punished severely, with all parties involved facing the wrath of the disciple whip.
But Lans are raised to be righteous and compassionate. If someone is in trouble, a Lan must act. He must offer a helping hand and take the victim away from danger.
When the rumors reach Caiyi Town and land on the ear of one Lan Ruyao, he hesitates. He asks around, gets more information, and then rushes back to Cloud Recesses, intent on knowing it all.
Lan Ruyao seeks the three disciples that are the cause of it all and demands an explanation, his mind disturbed with worry. What he hears gives him no comfort for he cannot discard their concerns. The behavior they describe is alarming and their observations are precise, without any emotion clouding their judgment.
Lan Lishan narrates the incident in detail, describing every action with no embellishment or exaggeration. He speaks of Wei Wuxian’s retreat, of Jiang Wanyin’s insistence, the threat of whipping, and words spoken with cruelty and disrespect.
Lan Ruyao’s mind is disturbed as he retreats, absentmindedly assigning some lines to the junior disciples. They have erred by being so indiscreet but their cause is righteous. They don’t deserve severe punishment.
He meditates on the matter for an entire morning, trying to decide on a course of action.
You see, Lan Ruyao is Lan Wangji’s peer. He has known the Second Jade for many years, and while they are not close, they are of the same clan. The entire cultivation world may believe Lan Wangji hates Wei Wuxian, but Ruyao knows better. The Second Jade wouldn’t have been so insistent on bringing Wei Wuxian to Gusu if he didn’t care.
Lan Ruyao suspects both of them hold each other in some esteem. They have saved each other’s sides many times and seem to get along well when they’re not quarreling. He believes that they are friends.
It would be unwise to keep this from Lan Wangji.
Decision made, he quickly requests a private meeting with the Second Jade. The request is granted promptly and soon Lan Ruyao finds himself before his peer, readying himself for a difficult conversation.
The Second Jade listens to his piece without any interruption, his expression blank and beautiful as white jade. But his golden eyes are twin chips of flint, coldly furious.
Indeed, they are friends.
Lan Wangji summons the three junior disciples and questions them thoroughly. His demeanor becomes frostier as the interview progresses, his spiritual energy gaining a deadly edge when the juniors murmur of ‘inappropriate behavior.’
“You have my gratitude,” Lan Wangji says finally, bowing to him and nodding to the juniors, “Rest assured, I will address the matter directly.”
---
“Lan Zhan, wait!” Wei Wuxian protests as Lan Zhan drags him away by the elbow, his uncharacteristic behavior taking him by surprise, “Don’t take him so seriously, Lan Zhan! You know he’s a temperamental brat.”
Lan Zhan doesn’t say anything until they are a fair distance away from Jiang Cheng and the Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian tries to get an explanation for such unusual behavior but his companion is entirely silent, guiding him towards a crop of trees that offer some semblance of privacy.
“How long have you borne this?” Lan Zhan asks once they stop walking, his golden eyes bright and fierce, “How long have you endured without speaking a word to me or your friends?”
“All my life,” He rolls his eyes, “You know Jiang Cheng has a temper and says careless things, Lan Zhan. Don’t worry, I know how to handle him.”
“All your life?” Somehow, Lan Zhan seems stricken, “Wei Ying!”
“Aiya, Lan Zhan,” Honestly, he is moved by Lan Zhan’s concern for him. They have spent so many years just quarreling and being distrustful towards each other. The concern is a pleasant distraction from the wretched state of their relationship, “Don’t worry about it. I can deal with everything Jiang Cheng throws at me.”
“How can you be so callous about your own well-being?” Lan Zhan asks, his tone betraying his dismay, “Do you not care-” He visibly bites back those angry words and calms himself, his voice taking on a gentler note, “Did you think I would not help? That your friends wouldn’t offer you shelter or protection?”
Really, this is a bit of an overreaction, isn’t it?
“Do I really have any friends left, Lan Zhan?” He asks casually but the reaction he receives is anything but casual. Lan Zhan’s eyes widen as though he has been struck, “Aiya, please don’t look like that,” Wei Wuxian feels a stir of panic because Lan Zhan looks almost hurt, “I’m just being a brat.”
“Have a care,” Lan Zhan says, “Your dismissal of this matter doesn’t put me at ease.”
“Lan Zhan,” He sighs, “I’m used to it. You saw how we were at Cloud Recesses. Did I look unusually troubled then?”
“You’ve become… accustomed to it?” Lan Zhan asks, once again looking uncharacteristically stricken. Wei Wuxian feels a stir of concern in his stomach and reaches out, placing a hand on the Second Jade’s arm, “You’re accustomed to it.”
Not knowing what to do in response to such open emotion from Lan Zhan, he looks for something to distract him. Immediately, his mind remembers an old promise, “Let’s focus on something more pleasant. It’s about time you saw Lotus Pier in its full glory, Lan Zhan! I want to show you all of my favorite places, including all of the trees I climbed!”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan’s voice is low and pained.
Wei Wuxian’s smile softens as he tugs on the Second Jade’s arm, “Don’t think of unpleasant things, Lan Zhan. It’s a beautiful day and we haven’t seen each other in months! Let’s be happy, alright?”
Wei Wuxian feels a jolt of surprise as Lan Zhan raises a hand and covers his fingers, squeezing gently. The touch is warm and reassuring, and it sets Wei his heart racing.
Lan Zhan studies him for a long moment before dipping his head elegantly, his grip on Wei Wuxian’s fingers still firm and steady, “If Wei Ying wishes it,” He promises, “I will make it so.”
Oh.
---
It all comes to a head at the Discussion Conference. Wei Wuxian is accustomed to being the center of attention these days but the quality of that attention is different now. Instead of wary glances, he sees eyes filled with sympathy and tentative smiles of welcome.
Wei Wuxian being Wei Wuxian, ignores the nagging suspicion that lingers at the back of his mind and smiles brightly back at them.
That seems to make things worse because the looks of sympathy seem to somehow intensify. He even sees a few women blink their limpid eyes and turn away, as though disguising tears. Somewhat alarmed, he glances at Jiang Cheng and winces.
His martial brother is bristling with anger. There’s a thundercloud-like expression on his face as he meets every eye in the room with a clear challenge.
If glances towards him are filled with sympathy, those towards Jiang Cheng are filled with contempt and disapproval. Between that and Lan Zhan’s protective hovering, Wei Wuxian is at the end of his patience.
He needs answers and he needs them now before the situation can escalate somehow.
Baffled by the situation, Wei Wuxian looks around and finds the most reliable source of gossip he can find. “What is going on?” He demands as soon as he is at Nie Huiasang’s side, “Why are people glaring at Jiang Cheng like he’s a fierce corpse?”
Nie Huaisang waves his fan, his expression a strange mix of amusement and grim satisfaction. For one, his old friend doesn’t hide behind his usual prevarications. He glances around the room and seems to catch someone’s eye. Wei Wuxian follows that gaze only to blink as Lan Zhan walks sedately towards them, expression stern and disapproving, “Do you know what’s going on, Lan Zhan?”
The Second Jade remains silent, his eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian sighs in frustration and glares at Nie Huaisang, “Nie-xiong, what?”
His curt tone is enough to snape Nie Huaisang out of his musings. The man smiles wryly behind his fan, “Ah, Wei-xiong,” He waves his free hand, “There has been some speculation about your relationship with-”
“Why don’t you speak up?” A loud voice asks and Wei Wuxian turns around, “Why don’t you defend Wei Wuxian, Jiang-zongzhu? You’re going to let people slander your loyal Head Disciple so boldly?”
It’s Wang Jin, the Sect Leader of Runan Wang Clan. The man’s face is twisted in rage and disgust as he stares at Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian frowns, ready to step forward and stand by Jiang Cheng in such a hostile environment.
Lan Zhan’s hand on his arm stops him.
He looks at the Second Jade questioningly but the man just shakes his head, “Wait.”
“Why should he defend him?” An annoying Jin pipes up, his voice sharp and mocking, “We know what Wei Wuxian is! He may pretend to be loyal on the surface, but he is nothing but a faithless dog-”
“Jin Zixun!” Nie Mingjue snaps, “I will not have you insult one of our men in my presence! He fought and bled on our side.”
Nie Mingjue’s words silence him and Jin Guangyao speaks up soothingly as Wei Wuxian frowns, studying the scene with keen eyes, “Let us all calm down. I’m sure Wang-zongzhu means well.” He smiles placidly, “There have been rumors, just a bit of gossip about Wei-gongzi speaking ill of Jiang-zongzhu.” Wei Wuxian tilts his head to the side, mind whirling.
He refuses to be angry. There’s something about this situation that has his instincts rattled. He needs to focus.
“The Hanguang-jin himself said they were lies. Wei Wuxian has never spoken ill of Jiang Wanyin!” Well, that’s not entirely true. He is certain he has called Jiang Cheng a temperamental brat in Lan Zhan’s presence more than once. “Jiang-zongzhu should know better than to-”
“Why does Jiang-zongzhu need to do anything for that man?” Jin Zixun demands and Wei Wuxian feels a stir of amusement. All of this drama on his account? He’s honored.
“What kind of Sect Leader is he?” Wang-zongzhu asks, fuming, “If he doesn’t even defend his own Head Disciple? Has he not brought glory to YungmengJiang? Doesn’t the Sect owe him a debt of gratitude?” Wei Wuxian winces and Jiang Cheng’s expression turns stony, “If you want to talk of rumors, why not discuss the other rumors?” Wang-zongzhu turns to Jiang Cheng with a scowl, “Is he not your brother in all but blood? Didn’t the former Jiang-zongzhu raise Wei Wuxian as his nephew? Is this how YunmengJiang treats its brightest disciple? How will you face Jiang Fengmian, Jiang-zongzhu?”
Wei Wuxian bites back a groan as Jiang Cheng’s expression darkens with fury. This is the absolute worst thing to say to his martial brother.
“Why is he so concerned about this?” Wei Wuxian asks, almost to himself.
Nie Huiasang leans in and whispers in his ear, “His sisters were… assaulted by the Wens.”
Wei Wuxian feels a shudder crawl down his spine and shakes his head. Those disgusting wretches deserved the death he inflicted on them.
He still doesn’t understand what this has to do with him.
He glances at Lan Zhan, he is looking at the scene with his usual frosty expression, giving nothing away. He looks ahead to see Jiang Cheng ready to erupt and frowns. “Lan Zhan, I need to… help, somehow.”
“Wei Ying needs to do nothing.”
He’s about to protest when Jiang Cheng finally snaps, “Glory to YunmengJiang? He has brought nothing but devastation to it!” Wei Wuxian flinches and Lan Zhan steps forward and to the side, pointedly placing himself between the two Jiang Sect cultivators, “YunmengJiang has always been glorious. My ancestors bled and fought for it! We earned our glory through centuries of cultivation and diligence! I owe him a debt? Wei Wuxian owes me the lives of my parents! He provoked the Wens to save Lan Wangji’s life and I lost my family because of it!”
“Jiang-zongzhu, perhaps-”
“Shut up!” Jiang Cheng interrupted Jin Guangyao, “How I treat my Head Disciple is none of your business.”
“It is very much our business if you’re abusing him,” Nie Mingjue says and it silences everyone.
Wei Wuxian is… dumbfounded. He feels like he’s just a mass of confusion at this point because nothing about this situation makes sense. “Abuse?” He whispers harshly to Nie Huaisang, grabbing his arm to drag him away to a quieter corner, “Nie Huaisang, what is going on? Jiang Cheng doesn’t abuse me!”
“Does he not?” It is Lan Zhan who speaks, his expression solemn, “Truly, Wei Ying? Does he not abuse you?”
“Of course, not-”
“So he didn’t threaten you with Zidian?” Nie Huaisang asks, “Or try to physically intimidate you while you were clearly trying to step away?”
Wei Wuxian frowns, “Well yes, but that is just him being angry! He does that all the time.”
“That is no comfort to us.” Lan Zhan says stiffly.
“Didn’t he push you away several times? We have accounts from people who saw you fall to the ground.” Nie Huaisang’s expression is unusually stern, “Didn’t he seek to isolate you from everyone? Didn’t he keep telling you Wangji-xiong hated you?”
“Wangji-xiong gave every impression of hating me.” Wei Wuxian firmly denies, “Let us not attribute that particular error to someone else.”
“Indeed,” Lan Zhan nods graciously, as expected. He wouldn’t be Lan Zhan if he didn’t accept his own mistakes without hesitation.
“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang tucks his fan away and he sees Lan Zhan focus on that, his eyes suddenly sharp, “He has been saying the same thing since you were at Cloud Recesses. He has always dragged you away from Lan Wangji. You saved Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan’s lives. Why is he so intent on our Second Jade, hmm?”
Wei Wuxian shakes his head, “You’re making this unnecessarily complicated.” He says, “On the surface, all of these actions appear wrong but the intent behind them isn’t cruel.”
“Your love for him blinds you.” Wei Wuxian narrows his eyes sharply at his old friend, “If er-ge treated Wangji-xiong like that, you’d be furious. Just the threat of da-ge whipping would have you reaching for your flute.”
“Huaisang-”
“Did you think we wouldn’t feel the same way?”
Wei Wuxian studies him and Lan Zhan, realizing they are utterly serious. Concerned and a bit baffled, he looks at Jiang Cheng over his shoulder, only to find him nose to nose with Wang-zongzhu. “Heavens,” He breathes and steps forward, determined to intervene.
“You think what?” Jiang Cheng’s voice is full of disgust, “You… you think I have… that I’m some disgusting cutsleeve?!”
Wait, what?
“How dare you?! I would never touch a man!”
“Is that what he’s focusing on?” Nie Huaisang asks incredulously.
For once, Wei Wuxian has nothing to say.
---
It takes a few weeks for fresh rumors to make their rounds. People now know that Jiang Wanyin hasn’t behaved inappropriately with his martial brother, but that doesn’t make much difference.
The cultivation world, in general, still believes that Jiang Cheng’s behavior is abhorrent. Wei Wuxian is tempted to point out the hypocrisy of their words but knows it is futile. Once the masses make up their minds about something, few can persuade them to think otherwise. Jiang Cheng’s reputation has been tainted forever and there’s little they can do about it.
Unfortunately, this issue has also cemented the break between Wei Wuxian and his Sect Leader. There’s nothing that can repair the relationship now. He feels a pang of loss but he had already resigned himself to that when he had given away his Golden Core.
Fortunately, it seems he has some options available.
“Come to Gusu with me,” Lan Zhan says, his tone softer, his voice imploring, “Please.” This time, Wei Wuxian can’t mistake his intent. Lan Zhan’s reaction to the entire mess made one thing very clear to him.
Lan Wangji cares about him.
Isn’t that something? Never in his life did Wei Wuxian think he would be in such a position. He had always assumed Jiang Cheng would be by his side and Lan Wangji would stand against him. But everything is different now.
Wei Wuxian thinks of his childhood home, thinks of a life that has been irrevocably changed, and sinks in those memories for a brief moment. Despite what everyone thinks, there have been some good times. He doesn’t regret the course his life took when he was welcomed to the Lotus Pier by Jiang Fengmian.
He lingers, briefly, on regret,
Then, he shrugs it off and looks into the golden eyes of his future with a grin, “I’ll come to Gusu with you, Lan Zhan.”
And that’s that.
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I always found the obsession JC stans have with WWX staying by his side forever so damn weird. Even in AUs where things go differently with the Wen rems, even the idea of WWX marrying LWJ and moving to the CR seems to veer into ‘aww poor JC’ with them. JYL goat married and left, so I don't get why the stans act like WWX living his own life would be a huge betrayal. People come up with all these situations, like WWX splitting his time between the Lans and YMJ and...why? 1/2
Like, my brother is moving out this year. We've lived together or 24 years, and as the younger sibling I've never known what it’s like to not have him around all the time. Of course I’m sad, but it’s just a normal part of life. And it’s not like your relationship is over just because you’re not in each other’s faces 24-7. JC and JYL seem to be doing fine so…everyone just needs to stop coddling JC and acting like WWX getting to actually be in charge of his own life isn’t a huge crime. 2/2
Yeah, it really is like... this is why I'm pretty sure most JC stans are only children, because siblings do not live together their entire lives. There are exceptions, sure, but with the vast majority of families siblings are going to move out and live their own lives separate from each other. Am I going to miss my sister when she moves out? Yeah, obviously! But I'm not going to force her to stay at home or try to follow her through her adult life, because I am in fact capable of living without her.
Methinks if JC stans aren't only children they are on at least some level aware that JC and WWX are not close and loving siblings, because when close and loving siblings leave home to live their own lives they stay in touch. I suspect they are at least somewhat aware that the moment WWX gets out from under JC's thumb that's it, he's out and he's not coming back. The only way JC and WWX stay "close" is if WWX is literally never able to get away from JC, and with the stans' obsession with finding ways to keep WWX from getting away from JC I find myself suspecting that they do know that, even if they won't admit it.
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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 09 first part
(Masterpost) (More Canary Funsies)
Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!
This episode features so many eternal minutes of zombie shambling that I thought I could fit everything into a single post. HA HA HA HA nope.
Zombie Temple
The trio do their best to fend off the not-zombies in the temple. Lan Wangji tells Wei Wuxian that he can’t go carving them up because they’re not actually dead, and drops a callback to their very first meeting at the gate of Cloud Recesses, when Wei Wuxian caught his attention with his pillowy lips comment on the not-dead cultivator.
Lan Wangji: You said it in that golden moment that will be seared into my memory for eternity, where I heard your voice and laid eyes on your angelic face and lost my heart forever, remember? Come on, babe, it was our very first zombie! How baked were you?
Wei Wuxian: I jerk off to the sword-fighting memory, not the zombie memory, you weirdo.
Nie Huaisang’s fear of the definitely not undead has apparently gotten him the rest of the way over his fear of Lan Wangji, because he’s now yelling “Lan-Xiong!” right along with “Wei-Xiong!” as he struggles. Note that although he later mentions that his fan is made of some fancy metal, we don’t see any evidence that he wants to fight with a fan any more than he does with a blade. I don’t hate anyone’s fan-fighting NHS headcanon, but my take is that he just isn’t a physical fighter, and that’s ok.
This is a good time to remember that our entire experience of the Nie clan so far in this story is 1. Clever but hopelessly combat-unready tiny artiste Nie Huaisang 2. Quietly helpful, absurdly pretty sidekick Meng Yao.
We don’t know yet that Nie Huasang’s gege and Meng Yao’s sugar daddy is literally the toughest motherfucker in the entire cultivation world. But his friends do! Which makes me love these dynamics even more, because not one of them criticizes Nie Huaisang for being the person he is.
(more after the cut!)
Never Let Me Go
This scene is where Wei Wuxian gives his tacit consent to being used as the eventual agent of Nie Huaisang’s vengeance....ok not really.
But he does make it clear what Nie Huaisang should do when he’s in a pickle. And NHS doesn’t forget things.
Priorities
Meanwhile, Lan Wangji isn’t nearly as patient as Wei Wuxian, and he drops a silence spell on Nie Huaisang basically out of annoyance. It’s not like they’re trying to be sneaky.
Lan Wangji: How about you have an exquisitely crafted ceramic cup of shut the fuck up?
Flute Girl
Wen Qing comes to the rescue by summoning all of the not-zombies, who happen to be her extended family, to come toast some marshmallows.
She’s another person who unwisely demonstrates, where Wei Wuxian can hear her, the power of flutes over zombies.
This move doesn’t seem to do anything important but it looks cool.
Brother Dynamic: Bad. Really Bad.
Jiang Cheng shows up in the temple and trolls everyone, because this is a great time for childish antics. Wei Wuxian is super happy to see him and runs over to hug him, which earns him a shoulder slam.
This is a regular part of their body language with each other. Wei Wuxian covers his hurt reaction very, very quickly, with a smile that doesn’t involve very much of his face.
Ow
Wei Wuxian is so good at pretending his feelings aren’t hurt, he probably convinces himself.
Then he gives a too-honest answer when Jiang Cheng accuses him of...daring to enjoy himself, basically.
That’s more truth than Jiang Cheng was looking for, and he raises a hand to Wei Wuxian, who hides behind Nie Huaisang. This move is interesting because on one level it’s just clowning; obviously Nie Huaisang can’t protect WWX from anything, and WWX doesn’t need protection from Jiang Cheng.
WWX can easily beat JC in a fight, as he’s let us know before. On another level, this retreat signals WWX’s harmlessness, his childlike-ness, in a semiotic dance that has been playing out for over a decade between the brothers. NHS is taking on Jiang Yanli’s role in the choreography, this time.
All of this troubling hostility doesn’t make Jiang Cheng a bad person. He’s young and he’s still under his parents’ control and subject to their abuse at home. It takes time to develop mindfulness about this stuff and learn to treat people beneath you differently than the way you are treated.
Jiang Cheng isn’t ready for that yet, any more than he is ready to say out loud that he cares about his brother.
Leave My Boyfriend Out of It
This interaction is noteworthy for Wei Wuxian defending Lan Wangji to his brother, before Jiang Cheng even has a chance to blame Lan Wangji.
Wei Wuxian says that following Lan Wangji was his own idea, and then gives LWJ the sweetest, warmest smile.
Lan Wangji also gets a pair of totally unearned, delighted smiles of thanks from his two besties when he lifts the silence spell on Nie Huaisang.
Being mildly dickish all the time works out fine, I guess, if you only make friends with people whose brothers are legendary grouches.
Grilling Wen Qing
Wei Wuxian finally decides he’s had enough of Wen Qing’s crap, and gets slightly aggressive in questioning her.
He’s not actually roughing her up but he is approaching her as a near-enemy for the first time, rather than as someone who wants to be her friend. Once Wen Qing tells him what’s up and agrees to a sort of temporary alliance, he goes back to being his normal slightly awkward self with her.
I don’t romance-ship WQ and WWX, except maybe as corpse-mountain era FWB, but I do like their chemistry. And their friendship is really refreshing and interesting, based on sharing goals and working together, not on emotional intimacy. It’s nice to see people with a lot of barriers around their hearts, building a strong, trusting bond without having to actually open up very much.
The idea of perfect sharing between people is a nice one, but it’s pretty alien to many of us who are recovering from trauma, or people who just aren’t wired that way, and it’s good to see other models of friendship and love.
Wei Wuxian, at Lan Wangji’s direction, parts the Red Sea drops a cage on the other 3 cultivators before going to hunt the dire birdy.
Jiang Chang is, predictably, pissed off about it, in spite of Wei Wuxian’s “you’re good at this” parting words, and says, according to the subtitles, “you bastard!”
“Bastard” is a pretty specific epithet, in English. In the current century, it’s generally used to mean “asshole,” more or less. But it still does carry the meaning “of illegitimate birth,” and since The Untamed is often concerned with legitimacy it seems pretty strong for JC to use with someone who is rumored to be his own Dad’s by-blow.
Let’s have a look and see what he really is calling him... 你混蛋 = Nǐ húndàn = “you bastard” per Google translate. Wow, Jiang Cheng, you really went there, huh.
Wen Granny
Wen Qing and the others in the golden cage watch as the not-zombies try half-heartedly to get to them. Wen Qing is super sad about it, as opposed to the two guys who are just annoyed (Jiang Cheng) or scared (Nie Huaisang).
The first time I saw this, it was just - oh, Wen Qing sympathizes with this poor random woman, she feels bad about what's happening, this is to show us she has a heart.
Now though -- that's HER granny. Maybe not her bio-grandma but clearly a granny of her clan, who she knows well, who later cares for A-Yuan when he's a child, so may very well have cared for A-Qing and A-Ning when they were small, too. Owie.
Dire Bird Hunting
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian run off to hunt the smoke bird together. They are quickly trapped in cool-looking fog. Kudos to the Director of Photography.
They spend some time being confused and also being peak Wangxian 1.0 as they help each other out.
Lost in the fog and unable to summon talismans, Wei Wuxian is mainly about checking on Lan Wangji, making sure he’s ok, making sure he’s near. He doesn’t spare any worry for himself.
(We get a rare instance of seeing an actually glowing sword here, instead of just having a character say “I saw the beams of swords!” to save money on VFX.)
Lan Wangji, meanwhile, understands the mental attack they are under, explains it to Wei Wuxian with only a little snark about Wei Wuxian’s overly busy mind, and teaches him how to handle it.
Lan Wangji is super disciplined in mind, body, and sword - his fight moves don’t change, really, throughout his life, but he gets better and better at execution. Wei Wuxian isn’t exactly undisciplined, but he’s super creative and busts out a new skill in nearly every encounter. Lan Wangji sees this and is learning to make use of it.
After Lan Wangji helps Wei Wuxian overcome the confusion that is blocking his talisman use, he tells him which talisman to use.
This isn’t a talisman that LWJ uses himself, it’s just that he’s paying very close attention to WWX’s battle moves, and has a great memory, so he knows which ones will work. In a pretty short timespan he’s moved from thinking like a solo swordsman to thinking as part of a team with a broad range of battle skills. Very soon, he’ll be starting to use Wei Wuxian’s talismans himself.
WWX takes a hit from the flying death chain, but uses it to his advantage, as in so many encounters. He’s not just self-sacrificing--he is definitely that--but he’s also a chess player, knowing how to use a sacrifice or an injury to his advantage. Cue Lan Wangji being worried for the entire rest of his life.
Part Two is here!
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im here to chat about that mdzs idol au because you've intrigued me 😅
I’m afraid I might disappoint cause I’ve got, like, half a dozen loosely connected concepts and all my kpop/cpop knowledge comes from old xnine videos, BTS things my friend sends me, and the stuff I sort of skim past on twitter BUT with that said
sects = talent agencies? I think there’s something to be said about sect leadership/politics/affiliation and how people treat them as these big conglomerates. the great sects = the Big 3 (Big 4?) etc.
there aren’t really enough characters per sect for each sect to be its own group (though you could definitely mix-n-match, which could work) but I think the possibilities of LWJ and WWX in two different groups and running into each other at tapings/award shows/etc is hilarious tbh. their staff trying to run interference. management by turns putting out and fanning the flames of their ~rivalry~ (funnier if YMJ and GSL are taking completely different stances on this). JC hears that G.U.S.U. is going to be sitting next to them at [insert award show here] and resigning himself to a night of wrangling WWX, who for SOME REASON (what could it possibly be /s) cannot stop bothering Lan Wangji for a five minutes much less three hours.
on the other hand: the Five Most Eligible Bachelors in a group. LXC is the leader. offstage they are meme-worthy disasters but on stage they are the Five Most Eligible Bachelors for a reason. everyone has lived and worked together for long enough that most of the edges have rubbed off and they’re mostly loving little shits to each other (LXC mostly excluded, but when he gets in on it the fans go wild). the Yanli debacle was pre-debut but that WILL NOT stop JC and WWX from thoroughly dragging JZX for it any chance they get. There’s Tension In The Dorm And Its Name Is Wangxian.
wangxian writing songs about each other! charged(TM) performances! fashion! late nights in the studio! falling asleep on each other on the bus! choreo! recording sessions! radio shows where everyone tells embarrassing stories that brush a little too close to honest feelings! memes! tours! fans following the shipping drama! etc, etc.
look, we’ve seen WYB and XZ on stage. That’s The Good Shit.
(alternately: the juniors as a group that is about to (or just had their) debut and the older generation are their staff/management, who were idols themselves back in the day and are now training the next generation. I think it would be wholesome. very “get the teachers together” with a side of 最是少年不可欺)
mostly I have thoughts about how public sphere AUs work really well for the untamed since reputation and image play such a big role, and the particular rules and structure and publicity of idol culture pairs really nicely with that. also just, like, aesthetically-speaking it would be very good for me, personally. did I mention the fashion?
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What would happen if Jiang Cheng found A-Yuan hiding in the tree stump at the Siege of the Burial Mounds and decided he's going to take in this toddler Wei Wuxian's was raising and raise him, in the memory of what WWX promised to be for JC?
sequel to this aka Delight in Misery (ao3)
--
“Sizhui?!” Jiang Cheng roared as he stormed into Lan Wangji’s room. “You named him Sizhui?”
Lan Wangji had already long ago become inured to Jiang Cheng’s huffing and puffing. Anyway, Jiang Cheng had medicine in his hands when he stormed in, which meant that he wasn’t bothered enough by it to come yell at him outside the usual time - and that meant that whatever it was, it was no big deal.
Accordingly, Lan Wangji didn’t give the yelling any more thought than it required, opting instead to turn onto his stomach in silent invitation.
Sure enough, Jiang Cheng came over to sit on the bed, grumbling the entire time he undid the bandages on Lan Wangji’s back and starting to spread the soothing balm onto the slowly healing wounds.
“I can’t believe you picked ‘Sizhui’ as a courtesy name for A-Yuan,” Jiang Cheng said, sounding thoroughly disgusted and more than a little disgruntled as well. His hands, however, were as gentle as his voice was harsh. “Sizhui. Was carving ‘Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian’ into the woodwork too subtle for you?”
Being face down made it easier for Lan Wangji to hide the way his lips twitched.
At first, he had been disturbed at the notion that his grief for Wei Wuxian’s loss – an endless well of despair, an injury that would never heal – might in some ways be balanced with instances of joy, and yet, in time, he had slowly come to accept it. After all, Wei Wuxian himself had never remembered pain for more than a moment; he would not have wanted Lan Wangji to deny himself the pleasures of A-Yuan’s cheerful presence, the peace of being surrounded by Wei Wuxian’s belongings, the amusement of Jiang Cheng’s sarcastic commentary that was so thoroughly ungracious it could only be laughed at.
The adjustment had not been easy. Lan Wangji was broken in both body and heart, lingering too longer in regrets of the past, while Jiang Cheng had walked a fine line on the verge of true madness, periods of calm interrupted suddenly by grief so intense it manifested as hysterical anger and furious lashing out, his own servants trembling to see it - it was only when Jin Ling had ended up with them, a safe haven for him in his younger years while Lanling Jin sorted out its own internal issues, that Jiang Cheng had started to calm down. His nights were still full of nightmares, brutal soul-shattering screaming ones that Lan Wangji suspected matched his own, but there were now entire days in which the man who kept him company (because apparently “seclusion” wasn’t considered a real word in Yunmeng Jiang, and “alone” was translated to mean “with me”) was a serious, earnest sect leader with a penchant for snide quips rather than the devastated wreckage of a human being he had met upon the Burial Mounds.
They had not been particularly close, before, and their personalities weren’t exactly compatible. And yet, to his surprise, Lan Wangji found that he didn’t miss the serenity of the Cloud Recesses as much as he thought he would, but rather appreciated the noise and clamor that Jiang Cheng brought into his life.
“ – like two drops of water, both of you,” Jiang Cheng was saying. “Sizhui and Rulan! These are people’s names! They’ll have to bear them their entire lives! Do you think when they’re adults they’re going to enjoy telling people, ‘oh, yes, well, you see, the people who named us had absolutely no sense of dignity or proportion, so –’”
“How is A-Ling?” Lan Wangji asked, feeling his ears go red. He had known about Jin Ling’s courtesy name since long ago, but he hadn’t known until Jiang Cheng had told him that the name had been bestowed by Wei Wuxian, or that Wei Wuxian had praised his sect and maybe even him in the naming – it sometimes made him wonder if his feelings, which he’d long believed to be unrequited, might not have been so hopeless after all.
That didn’t mean he wanted to talk about said feelings with Jiang Cheng, though.
Luckily, Jiang Cheng’s attention was very easy to divert when it came to his precious nephew. “Good! His teeth are finally coming out properly, so we won’t have to deal with all that wailing and gnawing anymore – I thought we’d have to lose A-Yuan’s fingers to all that biting before it ever happened –”
“I thought you told him to stop.”
“Of course I did. Did he listen? No. He just looked sad and obedient whenever I looked at him, and snuck his fingers into the crib whenever I didn’t – I should’ve gotten you to give him the order. He actually listens to you.”
Lan Wangji hummed in response, listening as Jiang Cheng continued in his usual manner to update him about the development of the children they were raising – teething for Jin Ling, Lan Yuan’s rapidly swelling waistline (he was almost recognizable as a child again instead of the pile of bones he’d been after he’d recovered from his fever) and the need to start him on physical conditioning soon, the investment of time and effort that all three of them were putting into trying to convince Jin Ling that his first word should be ‘jiujiu’ – and then, from there, about developments at the Lotus Pier more generally.
At first, Lan Wangji had thought there was a purpose to these updates, that he was meant to give some sort of advice as payment for taking up food and resources, but after a while he realized that Jiang Cheng just wanted someone to listen to him.
He didn’t seem to have anyone else that would.
“– finally finished the full set of docks, so maybe the fishermen will stop beating my ears in about it,” Jiang Cheng was saying. “And yes, damn you, your idea about opening up hotels was both very popular and very profitable – just goes to show that your Lan sect’s reputation for being above it all isn’t in any way justified, you lot make money better than the Jin sect…your brother came by again.”
Lan Wangji tensed.
“Stop that! Your back’s bad enough without adding knots to it.” Jiang Cheng pressed down on one of them purposefully: it hurt for a moment, and then released, and Lan Wangji involuntarily relaxed as the relief spread through him. Jiang Cheng either had a very good teacher in massage or a natural-born talent for it; Lan Wangji hadn’t yet figured out how to ask which it was. “He’s still looking for you, that’s all, and it’s starting to take a bit of a toll on him; he looks like he hasn’t slept in a while. I’m starting to almost feel bad about it.”
It was very classic Jiang Cheng, Lan Wangji had found, to orchestrate a punishment for someone and feel bad about it almost immediately thereafter. It was no wonder A-Yuan had him so thoroughly wrapped around his little finger.
“You can tell him, if you want,” Lan Wangji said reluctantly. Telling would mean seeing, and while he missed his brother very much, he was still very angry over everything that had happened. “I do not want the Lotus Pier to suffer for having harbored me.”
“Stop being so damned self-sacrificing,” Jiang Cheng said, and Lan Wangji wasn’t looking but he could hear him rolling his eyes. “I don’t care how much you enjoy it; I for one can’t stand it. Anyway, if my Jiang Sect can’t hold our heads up against another sect’s anger, we don’t deserve to be called a Great Sect. It’s like I told you: the moment he actually admits that you’re missing, rather than being all ambiguous and vague about it, I’ll tell him.”
Lan Wangji was secretly glad, even though he knew it was petty of him.
The thought of how frantic Lan Xichen must be after all these months, the idea of him not sleeping, of him travelling to all the sects to ask again and again if they’d seen him…the thought of it hurt, he didn’t deny it. But it didn’t hurt as much as finding out that Wei Wuxian had died with no one by his side – as finding out that his brother, who knew what Wei Wuxian meant to him, had known and deliberately omitted to tell him.
Just as Jiang Cheng was deliberately omitting to tell Lan Xichen the truth now.
“The sect would lose face,” he finally said, offering up an explanation for his brother’s actions, both then and now.
“Yeah, well, fuck your sect,” Jiang Cheng said. “I picked my sect over my family, too, and where did that leave me? Now it’s all I have left.”
His hands stilled for a moment.
“…except you and kids, I guess,” he said, sounding especially bitter about it in the sort of way that Lan Wangji had learned indicated that Jiang Cheng was having an attack of feelings and not particularly enjoying the experience. “You’re not that annoying.”
That was practically stating that Jiang Cheng would die without them.
“Mn,” Lan Wangji said, and after a moment Jiang Cheng continued rubbing in the salve. There was even a brief moment of silence, probably Jiang Cheng being thankful that Lan Wangji didn’t call him out on those feelings. Normally, Lan Wangji would just enjoy it, but… “You could have children of your own.”
Jiang Cheng choked, his hand slipping as he nearly fell over. “What?”
“Children,” Lan Wangji said. “You could marry.”
Not that marriage was a requirement for children, as Jin Guangshan continuously seemed to demonstrate – according to some of the gossip Jiang Cheng had recently reported, he’d recently brought another bastard son home.
“I’m trying, aren’t I?” Jiang Cheng asked, indignant. “I’ve gone on three matchmaking dates –”
Lan Wangji was well aware. He had been the one to whom Jiang Cheng had exaggeratedly complained after each one of those disastrous dates.
“Deliberate sabotage,” he said, because even without having left the four walls around him in months he could figure that much out. “Why?”
Jiang Cheng hesitated, then snorted. “Well, let’s hope not everyone’s as perceptive as you. It’s the agreement I made with the Jin sect to allow me to raise Jin Ling – no other children.”
Somehow, Lan Wangji hadn’t expected that.
He swallowed, his throat suddenly tight. He knew, of course, that there was nothing Jiang Cheng wouldn’t do for his last living blood relative, even risk having his Jiang sect turned into nothing more than an inheritance to be gobbled up by the Jin sect, but he hadn’t realized – that the Jin sect would take advantage of the grief and trauma that Jiang Cheng suffered, the same grief and trauma that he himself suffered from every day…
It made him taste bile.
“Though you’ve nearly screwed that up, you know,” Jiang Cheng said, sounding suddenly amused. “Back’s done, by the way.”
Lan Wangji sat up and turned his head to look at Jiang Cheng. “How?”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Well, given your injuries, I’m the one out there teaching Lan Yuan all the basics, aren’t I? The Jiang sect hasn’t started accepting disciples that young yet, so he stands out. Everyone’s starting to say that he’s mine.”
“His surname is Lan.”
“And Wei Wuxian’s was Wei; that never stopped people from talking, did it?” Jiang Cheng scowled a little at the reminder he’d just given himself; as Lan Wangji had found out these past few months, Jiang Cheng was a master of the self-inflicted injury. “The latest I’ve heard is that I fell in love with some lady from the Lan sect who left her child with me when she died – honestly, it’s a bit sad that they can’t think of anything more interesting. Why would I be stupid enough to make the same mistakes as my father?”
Lan Wangji frowned. Jiang Cheng’s voice was shading near to actual pain, rather than his usual bark without a bite – he had let slip enough about his childhood for Lan Wangji to have figured out that the old jokes about the Jiang sect leader’s favoritism for Wei Wuxian were not jokes at all.
More like an old wound ripped open so many times that it would never heal.
It was no surprise, then, that it hurt him to be cast in the same role.
“You could always tell them that the lady still lives,” he said mildly, pretending his words weren’t hurting himself this time. Maybe Jiang Cheng had a point when he said that Lan Wangji enjoyed self-sacrifice. “Only that she’s ill, or in confinement, and cannot be seen.”
“Not a chance! Like I’d ever do something like that,” Jiang Cheng said, and Lan Wangji very briefly loved him for his immediate rejection of the idea. “Besides, if I say that, what do I do when you do come out of here and claim him? Everyone will think we’ve been sleeping together.”
Lan Wangji politely didn’t mention the occasional night that Jiang Cheng spent huddling by his side, wild-eyed, until the nightmares went away, or the way Jiang Cheng would occasionally lend a hand with certain physiological reactions that Lan Wangji could not bear to deal with himself, turning what might have been a trigger for self-hatred and near suicidal despair into a process as mundane as the baths he still needed help taking; neither of those were what was meant.
“No one would fear that you would have children if they thought you cut your sleeve,” he pointed out, not sure why he was pushing the issue. Even if people did say that, it was only rumors, after all, and temporary ones: when Lan Wangji could walk again, even the most pointed would swiftly fade in favor of ones that slandered Lan Wangji’s reputation instead.
“I’m still hoping to get married eventually,” Jiang Cheng said. “Just – after Jin Ling is an adult. Once he’s sect leader, he can release me from the promise I made. No harm done, assuming I don’t die first.”
Lan Wangji nodded. It made sense, though for some reason he felt some dissatisfaction.
“Though,” Jiang Cheng continued, looking thoughtful, “it might not be that bad an idea to spread some rumors. If I never commented on it, people would never know for sure if it was true or just slander by some dissatisfied female cultivator after one of my horrible matchmaking meetings.”
“It would still affect your reputation.”
“Like I care,” Jiang Cheng scoffed. “Let them talk! If anyone is stupid enough to think that the contents of my bed have any impact on my abilities, I still have Zidian to show them the error of their ways. And I will, too; don’t think I won’t!”
Lan Wangji abruptly felt lighter inside. Of course Jiang Cheng wouldn’t care; he hardly ever cared about anything other than his sect and the children – and anyway, just because Lan Wangji had never told Jiang Cheng directly how he felt about Wei Wuxian didn’t mean that he hadn’t guessed. He had given Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian’s bedroom, after all. “I would never be so foolish.”
Jiang Cheng huffed and tossed his head, then turned to say something that he promptly forgot in favor of gaping at him. “Hanguang-jun, what are you doing with your mouth?”
Lan Wangji allowed his smile to widen. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Stop it! It’s creepy! Go back to being humorless and dull this instant!”
“No.”
“This is my sect and you’re my guest; you have to do what I say.”
“No.”
“You’re worse than A-Yuan,” Jiang Cheng complained. “At least he pretends to listen. I’ll have to raise Jin Ling to be properly obedient.”
For some reason, Lan Wangji didn’t think he would have much luck with that.
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CQL Rewatch - Ep 20
Iconic. Seeing Wei Wuxian back and better than ever is so satisfying! That flute playing that probably we’ve all forgotten about since the first two episodes becomes a repeating leitmotif throughout the series. It’s just as iconic as Wei Wuxian himself. And what I love about this shot here is how the light hits his eyes, and from this specific camera angle, it looks like a mask on his face! I just thought that was super cool. Whether it was intentional or not, I have no idea, but I like to think it was. I guess it’s like a reverse mask in this case—everything is hidden except his eyes.
It’s amazing how I only went without Wei Wuxian for like half an episode, yet it felt like so much longer. The emotional weight that he carries is so great that from all the characters searching for him, it feels like it’s actually been three months, instead of more like twenty-five minutes. And I think that’s something that we can feel in CQL but we can’t really feel in the book. Since the book is written in third person limited, we only see Wei Wuxian’s side of the story (I think that’s accurate, but it’s been a few months since I read it). That being the case, we never leave Wei Wuxian’s side, we never get to miss him being there. Of course the story is framed totally differently in the book and not in chronological order, even—lots of flip-flopping, which is fun but also a little confusing when you’re trying to keep track of a timeline.
I think part of what makes Wang Lingjao so creepy here is that her garish makeup is totally gone: her face is pale and ghoulish, with just the bright red blood trickling out of her nose, mouth, and cut on her cheek. I think they could have made her even more ghostly, but I like what they did for her apparition. It’s fun to see how fast Wen Chao cracks, though. He’s very much all bark and no bite—honestly, such a coward. On the one hand, it’s satisfying to watch him lose it, but on the other, it’s quite disturbing. I toe the line between enjoying it and being disgusted by it, but I love that CQL at least kept in this part of Wei Wuxian’s character. It’s like revenge, no matter how bloody, is okay in Chinese tv, but not the main character being kind of bad. I don’t get why they had to nerf his character to the point of absolving him of all guilt with everything that happened. I like a character who makes bad choices, but feels guilty for it, because that shows depth. Someone who bad things happen to because of the “real villain” aren’t as interesting to me. I think also that Xiao Zhan would have been amazing as the real Wei Wuxian from the book, had they adapted him that way. I also would have really, really loved to see the scene that is only really described to us (I think by Lan Xichen) where a distraught and delusional Wei Wuxian rejects Lan Wangji. Ugh, that would have been so heart-wrenching! Maybe in the donghua…sigh….
So this is important, I think. There was a point in the last episode where Jin Zixuan tells his cousin not to let the crows peck at the dead bodies of their enemies. In other words, don’t desecrate the bodies, even if they are the enemy. Of course, Jin Zixuan didn’t hold any personal grudges towards any of them, at least that we know of. Jiang Cheng certainly does. So even though Wang Lingjao is already dead by her own hand, he whips her with Zidian. Jiang Cheng is becoming more and more twisted by his anger and grief, which he never deals with in a healthy way. He wants revenge against those that have wronged him and his parents, and he really never stops seeking revenge throughout the story. First it’s against the Wens, and then it’s against Wei Wuxian. It’s a fairly slow descent, I think, over years, but I quite like watching him twist like this. While it’s fun and interesting watching someone repent and have a redemption arc, it’s also interesting watching them go the other way.
Lan Wangji seems to know, or at least suspect, that the person who has killed everyone in the Supervisory Office, including Wang Lingjao, is Wei Wuxian. A talent for using talismans (one of which Lan Wangji used himself to escape the Wens), someone who is seeking revenge against the Wen Clan—these things point to Wei Wuxian in his mind. He doesn’t want to say this to Jiang Cheng, he doesn’t even want to admit it himself, but he’s putting the pieces together. I think this is a frightening thought for him. On the one hand, he would be happy to find Wei Wuxian alive, but on the other, what state would they find him in? And what does it mean that he’s killed all these people singlehandedly? This isn’t the Wei Wuxian that Lan Wangji knows and cares so deeply about. This isn’t the man that Lan Wangji was ready to die for. I think his heart is very much filled with dread in this scene.
Jiang Cheng’s line is interesting too—basically, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Solid, really, but it does come with some problems in reality. The enemy of your enemy just might stab you in the back later. It’s a very simplistic view, but I think at this point, Jiang Cheng is just happy to see the Wens dead. There are a few he wants to kill himself, but he seems satisfied if they just die out, regardless of who does it.
I like seeing Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng team up for these few episodes, because it’s fun seeing how they each approach the situations. Jiang Cheng relies heavily on his heart and emotions, which I can totally identify with. He wants to find Wei Wuxian and he wants revenge on Wen Zhuliu and Wen Chao—those are his two priorities. And then Lan Wangji is definitely more of a logical person—he wants to get to the bottom of these deaths and find out who is the person with so much wicked energy that is doing all of it—and also, that person is probably Wei Wuxian, who he is very interested in finding. Here Jiang Cheng wants to rush after Wen Zhuiliu, just as he did when he went back to Lotus Pier. He’s very rash, while Lan Wangji is much more calm and collected. I mean, if it were me, I’d want to see if they would give up any information before I killed them.
And the reveal is…Wen Chao is fucking disgusting! I didn’t even want to screencap one of the close-ups, because I felt like I’d have to do a trigger warning for blood lol. Not really, though, because I never do, sorry. I love the looks on Jiang Cheng’s and Lan Wangji’s faces, though. Jiang Cheng is so horrified and Lan Wangji is just mildly shocked. I think the real thing is like, who are we dealing with here? Who is this monster who’s been murdering everyone in all these different ways? Who has made Wen Chao look like this? Is this friend or foe? Like I said, Jiang Cheng keeps saying that as long as the person is killing the Wens, he’s fine with it, but I think even he is bothered by this level of mutilation, even against someone he loathes.
It’s hilarious to me that Wen Zhuliu uses this tactic with Wen Chao. Oh, you’re going to insult me? I’m useless? Okay, bye! LOL. Also very amusing that this is really the last conversation they have with each other: this bickering that they’ve probably done over and over off screen. Wen Zhuliu stays by Wen Chao’s side, though, because he’s indebted to Wen Ruohan, of course. It would have been a neat twist to see Wen Zhuliu defect. And you still could have had a dramatic scene where Jiang Cheng chases him down.
I love it! I love it I love it I love it! The flute! This part is so well done (it’s still a little campy, of course, but that’s part of the charm)! I mean, as the audience, we all know who it is by now, but I love that they keep up the mystery because Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng still don’t know. They didn’t see him walk in. I just love this.
And shock. Jiang Cheng looks significantly more surprised. It had never crossed his mind that the person doing all this was actually Wei Wuxian, the very individual that he’s been searching for. Lan Wangji, on the other hand, doesn’t really look surprised. He looks a little surprised, okay—I’ll give you that. But I think most of what he’s feeling right now is the deep dread of being right. He wanted to be wrong, even when everything pointed to Wei Wuxian. I don’t think he wanted to believe that Wei Wuxian was capable of this, no matter how much he wanted to get revenge for what happened at Lotus Pier. I think there’s disappointment there too—how could he do such a thing? And I’ve giffed this scene with this quote: “He started to estrange her…And they became strangers who knew each other’s heart, so broken as they drifted apart” (Ana Claudia Antunes, Pierrot & Columbine). I think the realization here and a bit later for Lan Wangji that Wei Wuxian has become some other person is quite heartbreaking. He’s like a stranger to him, and that feeling of betrayal when you thought you knew a person inside and out—that hurts. It’s a deep-seated betrayal that Lan Wangji feels throughout this scene.
Oh, what I also like about this part is that when Wei Wuxian appears, neither one of them can look away. They are solely focused on him at this point.
He finally gets his revenge on Wen Zhuliu. And it’s great. They jump through the roof and he strings him up with Zidian. I can’t really say anything about it—Jiang Cheng needed to do this or he never would have been able to move on from Lotus Pier and his parents’ death.
WWX: Have I changed?
JC: No, not exactly.
I love that these lines are exchanged while the camera is on Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji already sees how Wei Wuxian has changed: the flute, the wicked energy, the almost senseless killing—none of these things are like the Wei Wuxian he’s come to love. And yes, I think love—and it hurts more because there is love. Lan Wangji wanted to walk the straight path with Wei Wuxian together, and he feels betrayed by what Wei Wuxian has done. Despite that, he still wants to help him. He implores Wei Wuxian to come back to Gusu with him so that they can help him and bring him back to the right path.
This whole scene feels like Lan Wangji isn’t even in the room, it’s like a private conversation between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji just happens to overhear. He says nothing. He lets Jiang Cheng ask a hundred questions while Wei Wuxian calmly answers them. Wei Wuxian smiles and laughs, he seems himself, and yet he isn’t. There’s something wrong and Lan Wangji grows more and more perturbed by it as the seconds pass by.
The tension in this scene is palpable. It’s painful, it’s sad, it’s really hard for me to watch. And yet, this is one of my favorite scenes. Lan Wangji is feeling a lot, and he’s held it all in until this moment here. He calls him Wei Ying, and then Wei Wuxian in turn addresses him first as Second Master Lan, and then as Hanguang-Jun, both very formal names. It’s not Lan Zhan anymore—there is no familiarity on Wei Wuxian’s part. I think part of that is his attempt to protect Lan Wangji from any association with him that might actually harm Lan Wangji and his reputation. He’s setting a boundary—a wall—between them. And then when Lan Wangji bites back, Wei Wuxian changes tack: he stars being informal with him again, he brings up how they were good friends, classmates, etc. But that’s not going to work because Lan Wangji is feeling pretty upset right now.
Lan Wangji is desperate, scared, and worried for Wei Wuxian. Sometimes when we’re feeling all that, it can come across as anger, and that becomes worse when someone is dismissive of those feelings. Wei Wuxian is definitely dismissive here. In their interactions, Lan Wangji rarely shows this much emotion, and instead of paying attention to that, Wei Wuxian brushes it off. Jiang Cheng shows that he cares by hugging Wei Wuxian, but Lan Wangji is different—he’s thinking ahead, he’s seeing what Wei Wuxian has started to mess with—demonic cultivation—which can destroy a person’s mind, and he’s terrified. His only thought is to take Wei Wuxian away and try to change him for the better. Of course, just like what his father did to his mother, this cannot work. Even if Lan Wangji manages to force Wei Wuxian to come with him, he won’t be able to control him. All Lan Wangji can really do is try to persuade him.
The intensity of Lan Wangji’s gaze here is something else. This is a man who is desperate to save the person he loves. He is really looking out for Wei Wuxian’s best interests here and is getting no support from Jiang Cheng. I don’t really know what’s going on in Jiang Cheng’s head right now, but he’s definitely finding Lan Wangji’s behavior offensive. He doesn’t understand that Wei Wuxian’s actions will lead to his ultimate destruction, while it is very clear to Lan Wangji. But all I can do here is bring up how they viewed the person who was killing all the Wens earlier, before they even knew who it was. Lan Wangji felt very unnerved by it: he was disturbed by the talismans and disturbed by the various manners of death, while Jiang Cheng’s stance always was that it didn’t matter because the person was clearly on the same side—a dead Wen is a dead Wen no matter who is behind it. And his opinion doesn’t change even after he finds out. It’s not important to him how Wei Wuxian was able to kill all those people. He asks the questions, but he isn’t interested in really hearing the answer. On the contrary, I think Lan Wangji is very interested in those answers, but he wants to hear about it in a controlled environment. He doesn’t want Wei Wuxian to go back to Yunmeng, where he will essentially live with free-rein without boundaries.
As for cinematography, I love how Wei Wuxian holds up his flute here, setting up a literal boundary between him and Lan Wangji. Not only do you have Jiang Cheng creating that wall with his sword, you also have Wei Wuxian. What I mean is, it’s not only Jiang Cheng who wants to keep Lan Wangji out. Wei Wuxian is drawing a line here too: he wants Lan Wangji to stay out of his business. And this morphs into, what happens at this place is not Gusu Lans’ business—it only concerns Yunmeng Jiang Sect.
We all know Wei Wuxian is an arrogant person, but his arrogance and ignorance here is truly stunning. Lan Wangji tells him point-blank that he won’t be able to control this energy if he uses demonic cultivation, and Wei Wuxian does everything but laugh at him. I enjoy this and I hate it at the same time, because Lan Wangji is just fucking worried, you know? And maybe he doesn’t express himself well, but he’s shocked to see Wei Wuxian here, shocked that he’s responsible for all this—he can’t stay calm and collected under these conditions.
In just a few minutes, Wei Wuxian says that he and Lan Wangji are good friends and that Lan Wangji should treat him better, as well as “Who do you think you are? What I do is none of your business.” I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist. This scene here, with their faces so close to each other, kills me. This is absolute betrayal for Lan Wangji. It’s as if everything they had built together—all the respect, the affection, the comradery—is gone. The Wei Wuxian that he knew is gone.
I love the way this shot is framed, with Wei Wuxian staring after Lan Wangji, and then Wen Chao pleading, “Forgive me, forgive me.” So apt, because I think Wei Wuxian does feel bad here, I think he feels guilty. I think part of him really missed Lan Wangji and wanted to see him. I think he even knows that what Lan Wangji is doing is out of concern for him over anything else. But I also think Wei Wuxian’s pride gets in the way of that, and his desire for revenge, and even his desire for things to go back to normal. More than anything, Wei Wuxian wants to return to Yunmeng, to his shijie, to be able to live normally again, whatever that really means, because of course everything has changed. Nothing will ever be as it was again. More importantly, he has changed, and can never go back to the person he was before, the person who played so hard, the person who shirked his responsibilities and fooled around in classes, the person who shamelessly teased and flirted with Lan Wangji. That Wei Wuxian is gone. I think Wei Wuxian knows he’s hurt Lan Wangji and does feel bad about it, but he knows he has to push him away to protect him. He doesn’t want to drag Lan Wangji down with him, he feels it’s better this way. And I think, even though CQL!Wei Wuxian does have feelings for Lan Wangji quite a bit earlier than in the book, you can see the one-sided love here, in Lan Wangji’s aggressive behavior as he attempts to save this person he loves. Lan Wangji isn’t willing to give up on him, whereas Wei Wuxian is more prepared to let him go—to push him away to protect him. That’s love too, I suppose, but it’s a love that is meant to be from afar—a sad love, not a passionate one, not a desperate one, not the one that Lan Wangji feels for him.
This is so heartbreaking for Lan Wangji, in part, because they had such a special relationship before. Prior to this, Wei Wuxian prided himself in that he and Lan Wangji went on night hunts together—the clan didn’t matter, whether that was unorthodox or not. And now to see him use his clan as a barrier between them…it’s quite a betrayal. Lan Wangji feels so hurt, so at a loss—he wonders what could he have done differently to prevent this, he blames himself.
This is one of my favorite episodes because of this reunion scene. What you expect is some great reunion, the hugging between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, maybe a smile from Lan Wangji because he’s really happy to see him. But instead, you get pain. You get a Jiang Cheng hugging Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian not even returning the hug (he only raises his arm to signal that he wants to break apart). You get a heated confrontation between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, one that is “fondly” thought of as their break-up scene. I love the drama, I love the pain, I love the angst, I love the dichotomy between Yunmeng Jiang and Gusu Lan, I love that this is the start of more tension between Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji, I love everything about it. The “us and them” dynamic that starts here is so great, and then to see it slowly unravel throughout the next ten episodes, to see Wei Wuxian’s and Jiang Cheng’s relationship fall apart, while Wei Wuxian’s and Lan Wangji’s relationship begins to strengthen again--I eat it up. It’s like my candy. Anyway, I’m excited for what’s to come, excited to talk more wangxian and how it compares to the book (from my dwindling knowledge, that is)! Happy that you all are coming along this ride with me!
Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
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untitled Untamed time travel au but make it Mingcheng PART 2A
@piyo-13
Part 1: The Setup
Part 2A: GUSU REVISITED (part 1)
EDIT: Part 2B now up!
y'all...I tried to do one part, but this notefic is quickly becoming fic, and I need to keep it small enough to fit on tumblr, lol. The second half of this should be up in the next day or two!
Okay, the next day they arrive in Gusu, have the run in with Zixuan, which....almost goes the same? Zixuan still buys out the inn, but WWX saw this dude, who made Yanli happy, die (and while JC says it wasn’t him, he still feels that guilt) and JC looks at him and sees Jin Ling’s father, and they just... leave. Do not engage. Perhaps with a look at each other like - we need him to see her for herself, but we don’t want to put her through the pain of losing him.
...okay, JC can’t leave without saying something along the lines of “we’re in Gusu to learn, but also to form alliances. Open your damn eyes, and you might actually make a friend” - Zixuan is shook, but Mianmian looks at JC assessingly. I am here for “isolated and therefore socially awkward Zixuan” and I think it’d be hilarious if he takes this as a sign that JC wants to be friends. So, he will kind of randomly show up where JC is, like a cat trying to signal that they’re friends by mirroring you? Luckily, JC speaks “stray animal” and eventually figures out that Zixuan isn’t trying to spy on him but trying to make friends. It eventually leads to a conversation where JC turns to him and just asks “Why don’t you like my sister?” ...but i’ll get to that.
So, they leave, and this time they double check that WWX has the invitation. He does, but they’re still delayed just a bit going up the mountain, so when they reach the top, Lan Wangji is waiting.
The party stops when they see him, mostly because it looks like he’s barring entry, but JC sees the way LWJ looks at WWX and *knows* that somehow, LWJ is back too.
Now, in The Untamed canon (which we’re in) I fully believe that WWX was in love with (and knew it) LWJ before he died, but either felt that his love was not returned, or that LWJ’s love would end if he knew, the time was never right, etc - so, he’s looking at this like and opportunity to present the side of himself that he thinks LWJ wants.
Meanwhile LWJ is like “THERE IS MY GREMLIN ALIVE AND WELL. THIS TIME I WILL LOVE HIM AND STAND WITH HIM NO MATTER WHAT.”
But when JC announces themselves and WWX pulls out the invitation, LWJ says “Wei Ying” in that WAY of his and WWX freezes because a) he realizes that LWJ is also back b) this doesn’t fit into his plan and c) stall. So he does that awkward laugh, flicking his nose, like “Ahaha, Lan Zhan. It’s me.”
And LWJ *SMILES* “It is good to see Wei Ying.”
And WWX *melts* because he is weak, and JC is like “kill me now” (JYL is confused but thinks its sweet) and everyone else is just *confused*.
Not taking his eyes off WWX, LWJ gestures for Yunmeng Jiang to follow him, and leads them (well, WWX and by proxy everyone else) to the student dorms where they will be staying. (WWX walks next to LWJ, and there is something about the way they fit together that makes JC *feel things* all over again, because here was one more thing WWX lost because of *him* and—
When they arrive at the dorms, the other disciples and Yanli all retire, but JC stays because if LWJ is back then they need to talk before JC leaves those two to “count each others eyelashes or whatever they do when they’re alone together” and the absolute bitchy-ass angry *look* that LWJ sends him has JC standing taller and WWX stepping between them.
“Ayia, Lan Zhan, there’s no need for that. Jiang Cheng and I talked it out. We’re good.”
Lan Zhan looks over at WWX, softening for a moment, before bringing the heat back for JC. “He killed you.”
“You-!” JC clenches his fist, and is thrown because there *aren’t* sparks because Zidian is on his *mother’s* wrist, and it’s enough to make him settle, enough for WWX to step in again and say:
“That fall wouldn’t have killed me if— If I hadn’t lied to him, then Jiang Cheng wouldn’t have had every reason to believe I would survive that fall.”
*That* causes a reaction, a widening of his eyes that would be subtle on any other face, at the implication that Jiang Cheng hadn’t been trying to kill him. But, it doesn’t make the frown disappear. “He did not stand with you.”
“Neither did you!” Jiang Cheng snaps, going for the *jugular* without even realizing, and LWJ just fucking *wilts*
“That...is my regret.”
But before he could say anything else, WWX spoke again.
“Look, there’s no reason to rehash the past. I’m alive! And I know what I need to do to not be bad again, but I would really appreciate it if my brother and my soulmate” and didn’t THAT cause JC’s eyebrows to rise “didn’t hate each other.” Suddenly, several things about the last few years made a lot more sense.
“I don’t hate him,” Jiang Cheng said, as Lan Wangji said “Wei Ying is always good.”
When *that* caused the three of them to stare at each other again, Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Look, we need to talk soon about this whole time travel... thing, but I want nothing to do with whatever this” and gestures between them “is. So, I’m going to bed because I have been awake for two days straight and I would like to sleep. Figure it out!” and Jiang Cheng turned and went to find his bedroom (which he shared with WWX. Considering the way they were looking at each other, JC was pretty sure he’d be spending the first night without a roommate. Again).
MEANWHILE, outside, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are left staring at each other. (Well, WWX stares after JC for a minute, mouth open, but that fades quickly when he sees Lan Zhan staring at him, all intent.)
Wei Ying would normally begin to fidget, but he’s transfixed, heart in his throat, without a clue as to what to do next and—
“A-Yuan.” Lan Zhan said, and Wei Ying’s focus sharpens.
“A-Yuan?!”
Lan Zhan nodded. “I found him, after. He was sick. I brought him here, gave him the name Lan to hide him.” He opened his mouth as if to say more, but fell silent.
Wei Ying was staring with shining eyes. “He lived? My little radish...” he trailed off, staring into the distance. He frowned, shaking his head. “But Lan Zhan, why would you—”
“I should have been there,” Lan Zhan interrupts *interrupts* angrier than he had ever sounded, but even Wei Ying can tell that it’s not directed at him. He cools quickly. “I will not make the same mistake.”
He catches Lan Zhan’s eye again and falls silent. “Oh.”
And Lan Zhan steps back, like he hadn’t intended to let that slip. “If Wei Ying does not feel the same—”
“I do!” Wei Ying bursts out, stepping forward and reaching out, not quite touching. “I do. Feel the same,” he said, quieter this time, for the two of them. Lan Zhan’s expression doesn’t change, but something shifts and Wei Ying knows him well enough to know it as *joy*
And, Lan Zhan reaches out and takes his hand.
(Yes, they use the next several months to actually talk though their relationship, but this is effectively a speed run from the way they feel in Episode 1 to the steps of jinlintai, bypassing all the *plot* that gets in the way of their romance, but whatever, it’s my fic. If this was a wangxian fic first, then I might do the “WWX needs to get a clue” thing he has going in the book, but.... Honestly, I *adore* the idea of *gremlin couple wangxian* on what is essentially their honeymoon in gusu. Like - pre-sunshot Gusu is not *prepared* for post-Yiling Laozu LWJ.)
The next morning, JC arrives to classes with the rest of the Jiangs, not at all surprised to see Wei Ying standing with LWJ (though everyone else seems to be weirded out by it, which may be because they’re standing far too close). LWJ nods at JC, who nods back, grimly pleased to see that there was no longer an open front of hostility. JC wasn’t foolish enough to think it was gone completely, but at least they should be able to discuss business when necessary. (And some part of his mind absolutely began planning the wedding. WWX was Yunmeng Jiang, and if JC had anything to say about it, he would REMAIN YMJ until he was damn sure to remember that he can’t get rid of Jiang Cheng that easily... and JC would be DAMNED if he let Lan Xichen steamroll the wedding prep, which he absolutely would, hopeless romantic that he was).
They enter and settle into their usual spots, though LWJ hesitates when he realizes that his seat would not let him watch WWX. JC continues on to sit in his old seat, determined to see *as little of this as possible* and turns to look at Nie Huaisang, who—
Oh, sonofabitch, Nie Huaisang was back too. How the fuck did their ritual have enough power to drag *four souls* back in time, especially one from *wherever the hell WWX was* JC widened his eyes at him, clearly saying *WTF* which had Nie Huaisang giving him a *look* from behind his fan, which fluttered, agitated. JC rolled his eyes, cutting them over to WWX, who was blatantly staring at Lan Wangji, chin propped on his palm. (And if LWJ had his head tilted so he could look back, well, *most* of the class probably couldn’t tell). Incredible. Jiang Cheng turned to look at JYL, who was hiding a smile behind her sleeve, when movement behind NHS caught his eye.
Meng Yao. Oh, that wasn’t awkward at all. Nie Huaisang flicked the corner of his fan, and JC turned back aground, knowing they would talk later, and then they were all standing as Lan Qiren walked into the room.
Which was when it dawned on Jiang Cheng that he would have to take these classes again. Judging by the soft whimper behind him, Nie Huaisang realized it, too.
The class runs the same, as clear as Jiang Cheng can remember, even if the recitation of the rules seems occasionally pointed at Lan Wangji, which is odd. He doesn’t dwell on it, however. He’s gotten good at looking like he was paying attention while thinking of other things, and Jiang Cheng had a lot to think about.
~*~
Like before, WWX invites NHS to go fishing (and JC isn’t sure if he realizes that NHS has also come back yet - in fact, he’s pretty sure he doesn’t), only this time, JC agrees to go with them and WWX pulls LWJ along, leading the group far enough ahead that JC and NHS end up waking behind. NHS keeps up with looked wide-eyed and confused until they leave the main areas for the backwoods.
“So,” Jiang Cheng starts. “Something went wrong.”
“Obviously,” Nie Huaisang hisses, snapping his fan closed. “I woke up in the same room as him.”
JC winces, because yeah, awkward. “I’m a little surprised he’s still alive, actually.”
NHS’s jaw clenched, and JC was reminded very strongly of NMJ. “No one would support flat out murder, even if they don’t really care about the victim.”
“And it’s messy,” JC offered, dry. NHS looked at him from the corner of his eye.
“It’s so hard to get blood out of white fabric,” he agreed and JC laughed.
THAT gets WWX to spin around. “You laughed!” he accuses, pointing a finger at JC.
“So?”
“So I haven’t heard you laugh in years, Jiang Cheng!” he pouts. “Why do you laugh at his jokes and not mine.”
“You are an *actual child*--”
Then, of course, NHS gasps, his fan falling from his hand. JC, catches it, reflexively, startled at the horror he sees on NHS’s face as the show drops. “Wei-xiong, you— but you—”
WWX laughs awkwardly. “No need to worry, I’m —” probably going to say something about not being evil anymore, or not following the demonic path, but NHS cuts him off.
“Back from the dead!?”
Which is when JC remembers that they used Baxia in the ritual, and if his core was enough to bring back WWX, then maybe...
“Da-ge!”
MEANWHILE, in Qinghe, Nie Mingjue wakes up, which is odd, considering the last thing he remembered was dying. Perhaps he didn’t die? Unless the doctors had some new pain medications, he didn’t feel as if he had just had a near-fatal qi-deviation.
Tentatively, he opens his eyes and sees...his bedroom ceiling. How long was he sleeping that they brought him from Lanling to Qinghe? His door opens and he’s reaching for Baxia before he can think — and stops when he recognizes Nie Zonghui (though not before Zonghui notices the aborted movement). “Sect Leader....troubled night?”
Nie Mingjue snorts. “That’s one way to put it.” There’s something rattling around the back of his mind, some detail that doesn’t quite add up as Nie Zonghui helps get him ready for the day. It’s not just that Zonghui doesn’t seem surprised (or relieved) to see him up and awake, it’s the names that Zonghui mentions in is reports — names of disciples who are, like Zonghui himself, long dead.
It’s when Zonghui mentions that a messenger bird had arrived from Gusu that morning, carrying word that Huaisang had arrived safely and that Meng Yao would be leaving tomorrow to return to his duties that the other shoe dropped.
“Zonghui, there’s something I forgot to tell Huaisang. I need to send him a message, the faster the better.”
Zonghui gave a short bow. “Consider it done.”
BACK IN GUSU
Nie Huaisang was pacing atop a long, flat rock on the river’s edge. It wasn’t a very long boulder, maybe 5 or 6 steps at most, but it was dry so Jiang Cheng wasn’t too worried about him slipping. Besides, Lan Wangji was sitting only a few stones away, playing a soft melody on his guqin.
Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were both in the stream, robes and pants hiked up to keep them from getting too wet, as they waited to catch their dinner. Jiang Cheng remembered getting upset about WWX fishing their second night there, blatantly flaunting the “no killing” rule, but if LWJ felt like indulging his soulmate, what the fuck, then who was Jiang Cheng to complain.
On the rock, Huaisang was plotting out loud, starting ideas and rejecting them just as quickly. “You know, if you put this much effort into your studies this time, you might not have to come back again,” JC called over. Nie Huaisand didn’t even break his stride, just flapped his fan irritably in Jiang Cheng’s direction.
WWX darted forward, pulling a wriggling fish into the air in triumph. “Jiang Cheng, catch!” He tossed the fish, and Jiang Cheng caught it with ease. He considered, for a moment, throwing it at Nie Huaisang, but he was getting hungry. He tossed the fish into the bank, where it wouldn’t flop back into the water. Lan Wangji side-eyed it, warily.
“You know, he’s not actually done anything wrong yet,” Wei Wuxian said. “Can you really hold him accountable for actions he hasn’t taken?”
That made Huaisang stop. “To a certain extent, yes, I can.” That got him a *look* from both LWJ and WWX. “Look, all the decisions we make are influenced by the lives we live. And no, as far as I can tell, Meng Yao didn’t come back with the rest of us - and I still don't’ know why you came back too, Lan Wangji,” LWJ makes a gesture that is far too elegant to be, and yet totally is, a shrug, “but so far, Meng Yao’s life is *exactly the same* as the Meng Yao who committed those acts. That means Meng Yao is the same man who WILL make those choices, barring a MAJOR shift in the way he views the world.”
“Can we cause that shift, then?” Wei Wuxian asked. “I just don’t know if ‘kill him dead’ is always the best course of action.”
Nie Huaisang’s eyes narrowed, a fraction of the coldness Jiang Cheng had seen that day seeping through, before his expression cleared a bit. “It would be a touchy subject for you, yes, but Meng Yao is not Wen Ning.” Wei Wuxian flinched, and, surprisingly, it was Lan Wangji that spoke.
“One cannot change another’s mind,” he said, vanishing his guqin and rising to his feet, one hand behind his back. “One can only show the path; only they can choose to walk.”
“And we have the path to show him,” Wei Wuxian argued. “Don’t we have a responsibility to try, knowing the damage he can do? If we know we have the opportunity to change things and save lives, are we not bound to try? Is that not why Jiang Cheng was sent back in the first place?”
“I’m fine with killing him,” Jiang Cheng said. “He deliberately uses his own weakness to learn the vulnerabilities of others, and then uses that as leverage to get what he wants and then discard them once his objective has been met. He uses Jin Zixuan’s better nature against him. He used Mingjue’s sense of fair play against him and then used his biggest fear to kill him, and he used Zewu-jun’s kindness as a shield.” He looked up at Nie Huaisang. “Though, if you’re right and he’s back too, Meng Yao might not live long enough for us to do anything about it.”
“Oh no,” Huaisang said, voice dryer than dust. “What a tragedy.”
“His information was key in winning the war,” Lan Wangji said. “Can we win against the Wens again without him?”
“Hey, yeah,” Wei Wuxian added. “Speaking of - am I going to have to...” he trailed off, miming playing a dizi.
“You better not!” Jiang Cheng snapped. Wei Wuxian looked at him in surprise, then smiled sadly.
“No, you said not to, and I won’t refuse a direct order from my sect leader,” he said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I know how.”
“Meng Yao wasn’t actually that good a spy,” Nie Huaisang said, a faint frown between his brows that Jiang Cheng didn’t trust at all. It meant he had noticed something and was putting pieces together that Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure he wanted known. “More than once his information was either wrong or outdated. A lot of the correspondence was kept for our records, and I went back to check once I had my suspicions about him.”
“You think he was playing both sides?” Jiang Cheng asked. Nie Huaisang fluttered his fan and didn’t disagree.
Between them, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian caught more than enough fish to feed Huaisang as well, and he and Lan Wangji were both invited back to the Yunmeng dorms to eat with them and their sister. Yanli was surprised, of course, but rolled with it well enough. Luckily, she had chosen to make a soup that was in line with Gusu Lan’s dietary restrictions, so Lan Wangji was able to join them. WWX and JC exchanged smug looks when Lan Wangji blinked down at his soup in surprise, and began to eat more quickly.
Later that night, while WWX was walking LWJ back to his rooms, Yanli poked her head into JC’s room. “Second Young Master Lan seems to have taken quite a liking to A-Xian,” she said.
JC nodded, because that was certainly one way to put it.
“Which makes sense, A-Xian can be very charming,” she continued. “But from what the other female disciples tell me, Second Young Master Lan is ...” he paused, and Jiang Cheng filled in:
“A giant stick in the mud?”
“A-Cheng!” Yanli scolded, but there was laughter behind her voice. “...essentially, yes.”
Jiang Cheng sighed. He had no idea what to say here. He was never good at lies, never LIKED lies, preferring to neither confirm nor deny another’s suppositions when the need for secrecy was necessary...and he had never been able to lie to Yanli. Never wanted to. And besides, Nie Huaisang hadn’t covered this possibility with him.
“A-Jie,” he said, “There’s something I want to tell you, but it’s going to sound like a lie even though it’s the truth. I need you to hear me out, and to believe me, and I will do whatever I can to convince you that it’s real and true.”
And...he tells her. Flat out, just tells her about living the next ten years of his life - the end of her engagement, the indoctrination in Qishan, the burning of Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier, the death of their parents, losing his core, gaining his core but losing Wei Wuxian, the War, her marriage to Zixuan, A-Ling, Nightless City, Nie Mingjue, death after death after death — and Nie Huaisang, like vengeance made flesh, with a crazy, desperate plan.
“So, yeah. They’re close because they’re, like, in love or whatever.”
“Because they’ve known each other for ten years.”
“Seven,” Jiang Cheng corrected. “They only had seven.”
Yanli looks a little stunned wild-eyed. She had looked sad yet resigned when she had heard about her engagement ending, hopeful when she heard about their wedding. Her eyes had shone suspiciously when she heard about Jin Ling...a few tears falling when she heard about Qongyi pass and Nightless City.
“Do...” he began. “Do you believe me?” he asked, voice small and hating it, but he couldn’t stand it if Yanli thought he would make this up.
Slowly, she nodded her head. “It sounds...wild,” she said. “But I know my A-Cheng. He is honest, and would not make up wild stories like this. So, if A-Cheng says it, it must be true.”
“A-jie,” He said, and had to stop, his voice choked off, and when Yanli leaned in to hug him, his tears were sweet with relief.
~*~
The next complication came the next day, at the presentation ceremony, when, once again, Wen Cho showed up to interrupt Yunmeng Jiang’s gifting. It took everything in him not to punch Wen Chao in his smug face with Sandu unsheathed, and Wei Wuxian was a dark, simmering presence next to him. Somehow, the steps played out like they had before - a brief exchange lead to swords drawn, lead to Xichen stepping in and Wen Qing soothing tempers with quick words.
Jiang Cheng wasn’t prepared to see her again. Her, or Wen Ning, who was a remarkably still shadow behind her. When they left, his eyes stayed lowered towards the ground. There was nothing to make Jiang Cheng think that there was something different, except the long running knowledge that he had the worst possible luck.
WWX was strangely unwilling to approach Wen Ning first, though he clearly wanted to. Some misplaced guilt, perhaps. He still clung to LWJ’s side, which was in no way avoidant behavior, WWX, but Jiang Cheng was surprised when Wen Ning found him first.
“I knew it!” Jiang Cheng cried out, to everyone’s surprise, even Wen Ning. He gestured at Wen Ning. “WWX’s here because he’s tied to me, and Wen Ning here is tied to Wei Wuxian.”
“That still doesn’t explain Lan Wangji,” Nie Huaisang said, tapping his fan against his cheek.
“Nothing explains Lan Wangji.”
“Aiya, Jiang Cheng, so mean!”
None of this has much of an effect on the present moment, however, save that it causes Nie Huaisang to adjust his plans *again*. “No one else has better come back!” he demanded. “All of these calculations are hard, and I am *delicate,* Jiang Cheng.”
“Yeah, a real wilting flower.”
Later that night, just before curfew, a missive arrived to Nie Huaisang from his brother. Huaisang walked as fast as he could manage from the Nie Quarters to the Jiang, bursting into Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian’s room, holding the letter aloft, speaking as soon as he’s through the door: “It’s him! He’s alive! Da-ge’s back!”
Huaisang slammed the letter on the table, reaching for the nearby inkbrush, quickly grinding some ink to circle letters on the page. There, written in an otherwise standard letter reminding Huaisang to mind his studies and practice his saber, was the phrase: Do Not Trust Meng Yao.
TO BE CONTINUED....
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Hi....If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite MXTX characters (top 5 from each novel)? And why? I'm sorry if you've answered this question before.
It’s absolutely no problem at all!! I don’t think I’ve been asked this before, but hey, I also have zero object permanence, so it keeps things fresh and new. And it’s interesting to see how my answers change over time! Lemme see, I think I’m going to go in reverse order, because I feel like then I’ll be doing the worst agonizing up front.
TGCF
Fifth favorite: YIN. YU. I know that he’s a minor character and him even making it onto the list is pretty solid performance, but I do feel guilty that he isn’t higher than this. He came out of nowhere in my first reading and punched me in the stomach with emotions. I find his sections so hard to read, and I was DEVASTATED when he died and BEYOND stoked to find out he was still alive in the extras. His story hurts so much! I am weak against characters who have relatively modest goals and still see them snatched away (see also: my next entry) and have to struggle on. I wish wish wish I had a way to see more of how he made his peace with things after being thrown out of heaven, and the nature of the (distant) relationship with Hua Cheng and what happens with Quan Yizhen now that he died in his arms, and still came back anyways, my god!
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Fourth favorite: He Xuannnnnn. I have a hard time articulating particulars, but. I love him a lot. I love a character with a grudge, with a deep, painful grudge, where the grudge is hurting him almost as much as it’s hurting the people around him, and setting the grudge aside would also hurt, and then what has any of this been for-- I've used this metaphor for other characters, but I don’t care if I’m overusing it, because I love it. He feels like a character caught in a thorn bush, where simply being there... hurts, but trying to escape or move in any ways is going to hurt worse, and there’s no path forward that doesn’t involve pain. And like... I don’t love the way he hurt Shi Qingxuan (who didn’t quite make this list adfasgdafsd I’M SORRY) but I wouldn’t have liked to see him swallow back down all that pain and set aside everything that happened to his family and fiancee either! I’m always, always soft for characters who have no good path forward and who grit their teeth and set out anyways.
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Third favorite: MU QING!!!!!!!!!! I have done... extensive screaming about him. And I love him veryvery much. I can already tell that this list is going to have a lot of mean boys on it, and like... no regrets. Especially since this is one of my FAVORITE flavors, an unapologetic mean boy who is rarely (but sometimes!) soft for the people around him, and who regularly tries to do decently by people, but who consistently gets shat upon and misunderstood and accused of acting in bad faith. I screamed when he and Xie Lian finally got to talk their friendship out in the book. I also screamed when I realized how immediately after Xie Lian’s return he started looking out for him again, and how sincerely, despite his horrible attitude about it. I still want to write more fic for him so badly. I love him so much.
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Second favorite: Xie Lian! What a good boy! The best boy! He’s so sweet and gentle, but also the best fightboy this world has ever seen, and also so gently snarky with the people he loves! I just... really love me some traumatized characters who have trouble recognizing that they can be Loved, and I’m not going to write this whole essay right now, but I think in some ways, he’s the most... passive about his romance, out of all the leads? Shen Qingqiu is aggressively oblivious, but Xie Lian kind of gently shrugs off the idea that he might be Hua Cheng’s special someone, until he finally gets hit with the cluestick. I generally shy away from the idea of a character “earning” love, but he’s maybe the mxtx character who moves me most with ‘you deserve to be loved’
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Most favorite: Hua Cheng. HUA CHENG. Oh my god, gotta love this boy. Gotta love this devotion. I love a mean boy who is soft for one person, and he EMBODIES it. I mean, I love Shen Jiu, but he barely manages to do the soft thing at all, while Hua Cheng is over here like ‘if I could only be the stone beneath your feet--’ It’s hard to talk about him separately from Xie Lian, because they’re a unit in my head more than just about any other characters on this list are. I don’t want to get this list to get out of control, so I’m not going to scream for too long, but... I could just watch him go forever. I want to write him forever, and that’s a huge aspect of what draws me to some characters.
MDZS
Oh god, I think I lied, I think this book is going to be hardest. Making these choices is AGONIZING.
Fifth favorite: .....Lan Wangji. Oh god, I feel bad about how low he is. But this story is just packed SO full of wonderful characters, and I’m already consumed with guilt over all the characters who aren’t going to make it. I don’t love them less! But my love for characters in this particular story is very evenly distributed. And I think that Wang Yibo’s acting is possibly scoring points with me that the book might not have earned all by itself. Microexpressions and subtle body language add SO MUCH to a character with such flat affect, and I would be drawn to such a closed-off character anyways, but it really helps. And I love, like... the combined subtlety and intensity of his relationships. It’s not that subtle once you know what to look for, and the brother/sworn brother network makes for varying degrees of how much other characters understand of the things he chooses not to explicitly express, and it gives a really interesting character to the way he interacts with the people around him. Also, love me a man with intense separation anxiety.
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Fourth favorite: Jiang Yanli? I think it has to be Jiang Yanli, but these rankings are hard. So. I just talked about how much I enjoy the flat affect and closed off nature of Lan Wangji? Well, guess what, I also love it when m’girl is just very GENUINELY AND OPENLY an absolute sweetheart of a person, and I love the contrast between her genuinely kind nature and the uncomfortable pressure that her family’s dynamics put on her to start parenting at a very young age. It’s not necessarily a happy situation, but she adores her brothers so much and they adore her so much! And it’s... a very understated element of the story, but after her parents died, her baby brothers went off to war, and one wreaked havoc as a straightforward commander and one of them disappeared for months and returned as a creepy-ass zombie puppeteer. And she STILL dotes on them like before, despite knowing what they’re capable of. Like, yes, Wei Wuxian just raised an army of corpses and forced a man to eat himself, but I shall still boop him on the nose and feed him Soup. How can I not adore energy like that?
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Third favorite: Wei Wuxian, I think. I do adore him a lot. He gives me some of the same vibes that make me ache most with Xie Lian, where he is trying his best, and is struggling to hold on in the face of lots of suffering, and I find it really interesting that when the suffering peaked, Xie Lian was forced go on because he couldn’t die, while Wei Wuxian... expired. That line about ‘he thought that no matter how large the world was, there was still no place for him’ always sticks with me, and hurts me deeply. Xie Lian had most of his personal attachments stripped away, and was left to wander on his own, while Wei Wuxian still had a number of strong connections left, but abruptly exited life. And that informs their respective trauma so interestingly! The way Wei Wuxian bounces between high energy chaos and drained exhaustion is really fascinating to me, and was the thread that held me attached to the book through a very confusing beginning. And I’m still very drawn to how intensely he loves, whether it’s Xiao Zhan’s fantastic acting, or it’s him busting out with how much he wants Lan Wangji in the middle of the Guanyin Temple scene. He’s a fantastic character, honestly, I don’t think such a convoluted book would have held together very well without a protagonist this strong.
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Second favorite: Xue Yang :X Look, he’s a good boy and I love him. Who among us hasn’t done a few mass murders that we are completely unrepentant about, but that we would really like to keep hidden from our current boyfriend, actually? Anyways, as always, love me an angry boy who makes terrible decisions for understandable reasons. And I do love a character who is consumed by agonized ragrets (see my next entry), but I DO also love me a character who has no regrets at all and doesn’t even have much interest in trying to justify himself to anyone else around him. Just look at that confidence! Look at him go!!
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Most favorite: Jiang... Cheng....... I knew he and Xue Yang were going to be at the top, but those were the only parts of this list that were easy. I mean. Love a self-sabotaging angryboy who is also super super sad and keeps hurting himself in his own confusion. And while I love the romantic thread in all of the mxtx books, the agonized family thread in mdzs is one of my favorite parts, and something that I don’t really see echoed in any of the other stories. I need ten million jc+wwx reconciliations, at LEAST. He’s so sad! And so angry! And I want to see him becoming less of that thing, and for Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian to demonstrate very firmly how much they love him, because they do. I am invested in his happiness in a way that goes far and beyond any of the other non-main characters, haha
SVSSS
Fifth favorite: Tianlang-jun. I think? Oh god, but moshang. THIS IS REALLY HARD, I HATE THIS ;-; But especially since writing my fic, Tianlang-jun has really won me over. And like, he already hurt me good in the novel, just thinking about how he was an innocent young guy, just! Trying to have a girlfriend! And instead got trapped in sensory deprivation, body-rotting-hell for twenty years, when he didn’t do anything wrong!!! He suffered, so much! And I live for his intensely strained relationship with Luo Binghe, because it’s! Perfectly understandable and painful, from both of their perspectives! And he wants to hate humans so badly, but in the end, when he’s told that Su Xiyan never betrayed him, he starts helplessly asking the people around him, ‘really? is it really true?’ and then in the end he loses the only family member he has left who cares about him, and it’s just! Everything is terrible! I have a su xiyan au brewing in my head because I can’t stand it! Someone just give this man a loving partner!!!
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Fourth favorite: Shen Qingqiu. But... moshang??? Goddammit. Anyways, this dumbass. I find him so endearing, in his dumbassery. I sometimes get a bit frustrated with Wei Wuxian for being oblivious, and Shen Qingqiu is just asking for me to react the same way, but I... don’t, for the most part? Because he thinks he has good information, and he’s slow to react to a changing playing field, and I still haven’t read another transmigration novel that strikes the same balance of hypercompetence and intense incompetence :ppp It’s a funny book, and he’s a funny character! And I really vibe with him, in most parts of the story, which covers a pretty darn wide emotional spectrum. Plus, the running internal commentary is choice.
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Third favorite: Liu Qingge. Look, I’m a woman of simple needs, and sometimes I just need a high-quality fightboy who clearly cares deeply and is absolute garbage at expressing his emotions. I can’t articulate it much better than that. I absolutely howl at the succubus extra, when Shen Qingqiu is talking to Madam Meiyin about his future partner, and Liu Qingge is like ‘oh my god, sHE IS CLEARLY DESCRIBING ME’ and Shen Qingqiu is like ‘haha, liu-shidi, i thought you thought this was stuupidddddddd’. They’re both so dumb. I love them so much. But stupidity plus war god fighting energy has a narrow lead over stupidity and internal commentary track.
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Second favorite: SHEN JIU. GOD. I’m still arguing with myself over whether he should go first, but Luo Binghe hurts me consistently through the whole entire story, so I think he wins. Shen Jiu just stabs me in the heart at strategic moments. This is it. My ideal mean boy who is soft for one (1) person, and who BOTH does unconscionable things for terrible reasons (someone just. give him a pile of girls to teach, it will be much more pleasant for everyone involved), and who ALSO gets blamed for things he didn’t do even when he tries to act in good faith. It is the best of all painful worlds. And even at the end, when he has a powerful person who wants desperately to protect him, he still tries his hardest to shove that person away, to keep him safe. I’ve got like four aus where he gets to live. I’m so invested in this character, I love him so much.
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Most favorite: Luo Binghe. He was.... made for me............ Like, the overwhelming amounts of childhood angst were baked in by Shang Qinghua, but the in-story pain and suffering is PRECISELY my jam. I love a character with separation anxiety! I love a character with massive anxieties over being unwanted! Over nobody ever, EVER just choosing him! I love a character struggling with the idea that the person he loves most in the world thinks that he’s intrinsically Disgusting! I love the kind of stubborn determination that leads him to preserve a corpse for five years, desperately hoping for a way to revive it, constantly cooking fresh food, in case, in case he someday wakes up. The way Hua Cheng loves is overpowering, but he’s had time to like... learn to be mellow when he needs to be. Luo Binghe doesn’t have a chill bone in his body, and if he’s acting chill, it’s probably because he’s done some mental math and decided that being more clingy right now will probably get him pushed away harder. I love the combination of manipulative tendencies and a very, very genuine fear of rejection and being unwanted. There is nothing I don’t love about Luo Binghe, including his worst decisions. I love him so so much.
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i've been thinking a lot about wei wuxian's three month disappearance while he was in the burial mounds, and i have So Much to say but at the moment i mainly want to talk about his resurgence
cos like. in the anime he just shows up at the burning nightless city and k*lls wen chao, wang lingjiao, and wen zhuliu, playing his flute atop a roof and pretty detached from everyone around him. lwj is obviously heartbroken and we get the infamous 'wei wuxian!', 'lan wangji!' and they're physically so distant from each other. then jc is kinda like 'k my bro's back. cmon wwx forget lwj let's go to lotus pier'
AND THEN there's cql, where jc Hugs wwx like 'where the Fuck have you been you idiot fool' which like. donghua jc hugging wwx? the day pigs fly. and of course we get 'wwx! lwj!' but this time they're standing practically opposite each other cos they're just inside a room together. the setting isn't quite at dramatic and the donghua, and they aren't screaming in anguish. lwj raises his voice in anger and concern, but wwx is totally composed, dejected, even. it's way less theatric and way more solemn, poignant. a more quiet heartbreak than the donghua
AND THEN STILL there's the audio drama, which is the most close to the novel, w the ling chi and the cannibalistic meat bun, where wwx just shows up at wen chao and wen zhuliu's room in their inn and lwj and jc are listening through the attic before revealing themselves (can we take a moment to appreciate lwj and jc in the attic together. cos. i mean. omg) it's not a burning wasteland with raging green flames and hoardes of undead, no, it's indoors like in cql- but lwj sounds so distraught, and it's louder and more confrontational this time, because Fuck, Wei Wuxian this is Horrifying (seriously wwx you sadist just let wen chao d*e already)
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Look... I know y'all like color coding Twin Jades with pale blues and white and Jiang Cheng with purple and Wei Wuxian with red in fanfic for a reason, and I get it, but may I politely suggest to you the observation that having Twin Jades wear absolutely only one shade of blue or white and Jiang Cheng wearing absolutely nothing but one shade of purple or Wei Wuxian wear absolutely only black and red is possible, but not very believable if you think about it in modern AUs where they probably own a wider range of kinds of clothes than in canon timeline
Not throwing shade at anyone, I just think as a younger sibling and youngest relative that gets clothing passed down to them like my whole life that it's more likely that WWX and JC, who in almost every modern AU that I've read them in, were at one point really close and probably lived together and absolutely have absorbed some of each other's wardrobe and preferences in clothing through osmosis even if just by accident
Some examples if y'all wanna incorporate it into your minescape:
Using sibling's shoes/slippers/flip-flops bc yours got rained on last night and are still drying, or because you just can't be assed to go grab your own from the other side of the house just to take out the trash or get a package
Borrowing formal shoes or clothing for an interview or in a pinch because this is an occasion where Stains (or Scuffs) Will Not Do
Stealing and reusing old clothes (PE uniforms, university merch, former job uniforms that didn't get returned...) as home/work in the yard/garage wear because new ones just aren't worn out in the right places
Hair ties and pins and stuff
Accumulating random pieces of clothing and stuff at their place bc sometimes your friends party until eff o'clock and forget to take all their shit with them when they go home
And this isn't even including how hard it is to color match things perfectly if you buy them at different times from different places, for example, or factoring in how wear and tear will just happen to things that are worn often (esp with bright colors like red or really pale colors will!! Fade!! Over!! Time!!) Like let WWX own things he loves that have been washed so many times that they've actually turned pink or grayish it's not that hard also patterned and textured clothing exist please for the love of God we haven't been making textiles this long for you to be satisfied just giving your faves plain colored or just flat fabric things right
Anyway this isn't to bash anyone for using this kind of color association as narrative shorthand, I just wanted to toss that out as food for thought. I'm fully aware I overexaggerated a bit at the beginning but there's so much detail about the way we as people dress that I'm always a bit sad when that variety never gets utilized
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