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naysaltysalmon · 2 years

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why do you call meng yao just “yao”?

oh my GOD, this is not a question i would ever have expected someone would ask me in a million years!!!

I feel like a lot of fans, especially fanfiction writers, hold up Jin Guangyao to be this unknowable, untouchable, scary/cute/infamous figure that can never be understood, and in this way they distance themselves from the character. Even when they're trying to write really deep character analyses or provocative fanfiction about him, it feels scripted and detached compared to how they write or talk about other characters. (Sometimes, when they're writing/talking about Meng Yao instead, though, it's not usually so distant.)

Part of it is just a commonplace naming formality; it's polite to include someone's surname before their first name in other cultures. And obviously, he changes names throughout the series, and people want to denote that difference in their writing/analyses. I think most fans agree (at least in CQL) he isn't quite the same person as Meng Yao as when he's later named the esteemed Jin Guangyao.

But to me, throughout all of it, he's just Yao. Like, obviously he grows more sinister and conniving later on, but his goals and personality remain largely the same. He wants to get higher up in society and protect himself, and all his efforts seem kind of... mindless. It's my personal belief that he's just treading water and seeing where it goes, rather than 1) diabolically planning every single fucking detail of how to enact his revenge/get higher in society, or 2) is a perfectly cute and innocent small creature whose life is just incredibly misfortuned.

He goes to great lengths to protect himself and rationalize his actions, when in reality he andtherestofthecast*coughs* probably could have lived a happy and peaceful life somewhere out in the country where no one knew him, like Mianmian. It was his personal ambition, drive for revenge, and worry over self-preservation that made him keep pursuing a path that only led him more and more towards darkness. (Though I personally think he's always been a bit of a sadist/murderer, but that's neither here nor there.)

TL;DR: I call him Yao because he's just a sad little man. That's the truth of it. He's a fascinating character and I sympathize with his situation, but I can't help but feel how futile everything is in his big reveal at the end. If he had been honest at any critical moment, he probably could have broken his cycle of suffering and not gone to Hell, but here we fucking are. He's just Yao, the same scared and unfortunate little boy who lived in a brothel growing up and thinks he deserves something more, without ever really asking why.

#thank u for listening to my video essay like and subscribe for more content sjdfksdjflskj #Jin Guangyao #Meng Yao #The Untamed #MDZS #CQL #Mo dao zu shi #Nay answers #honestly a little unnerved someone even noticed this detail of how i refer to him #anon #Anonymous #btw i hope my ffns have made it clear i don't think of him as a man; that was a joke #rather society thinks of him that way so that's the language they use to describe him and even he uses it sometimes for various reasons #ok i'll stop now

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llycaons · 2 years

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to some extent the drama did erase the gray morality of the novel (making the wens more fantastically evil, making wwx not responsible for nightless, etc.) but what they did with jc was so much more interesting and I think it more than made up for the loss. novel jc is well-written and plays his role perfectly - the general plot threads are the same, but it seemed like in the novel he had always been crueler and more dismissive of wwx, criticizing him without any of the warmth of reconciliation and physical affection that would come immediately afterwards in the drama. the disintegration of their relationship with wwx was something I legitimately felt relief over because it truly did not feel right for wwx to be in that situation and I never felt like they were on the same page even in the best of times. even with the reveal at the very end and a few short paragraphs of jc being anguished in the finale, it wasn’t enough to really shake my perception of him as a dude who was whatever in his youth and then became really shitty. there wasn’t as much complexity to him compared to the drama

drama jc has issues, obviously, but due to some changes in the plot, some very sympathetic directing and acting choices, and the willingness to let him be very emotional onscreen, rather than disinterest over a guy who became shitty I more feel that he’s a deeply emotional person who underwent great loss in a truly unmanageable situation and handled it the best he was able to. and he was...bad. he was bad at it. he didn’t cope well. he failed. he turned his back on the people who had saved him. he stood by, however uncomfortably, as they were burned to death. he sunk into his anger and bitterness and became his worst self

but on the other hand...he never went as far as actually murdering the wens like in the novel, and the drama also emphasized how he clearly still cares deeply for his nephew in his own awkward, forceful way, and the grief of everything he’s lost just drives his actions and his emotions so much it’s hard not be moved by it even when he’s doing horrible things. but his actions don’t need to be excused to be understandable, and I don’t even think they need to be excused for him to be sympathetic - which is where both a lot of fans and haters I think go a little far in either direction - but it’s easy to see how directly they stem from influences that he had no control over or that weren’t his fault (his parents’ abuse/neglect, the manipulation of the sect leaders, his extreme youth, the war). and the drama just brings that pathos to the forefront much more effectively than I think the novel did, and I find him a much more interesting character with more complex relationships because of this core of hurt and misery so obvious within him. but the things he did to a miserable and powerless wwx were so damning and so extreme and and his personal flaws* are so numerous and so seemingly intractable that I just can’t help coming back to them time and again. he really does contain multitudes.

novel jc is just...even more extreme of a version, less nuanced, far more violent and vengeful, too far gone into his grief and anger. not showing nearly the closeness with wwx or the open vulnerability or the grief or the longing for family and for love that was so obvious in the drama. to me novel jc not someone who’s worth feeling sorry for, not really worth examining, and not someone who I would want anyone to rekindle a relationship with. he’s just...there. he serves a role and then leaves and he is not missed. he’s barely worth pitying, though it he is pitiful

I don’t actually dislike novel jc because I don’t feel very strongly about most novel characters, but if there’s one person who’s presented with more nuance in the drama than in the novel, it’s him

*immaturity, pride, aggression, cruelty, inability to control his anger, willingness to inflict suffering on his brother to satisfy his own feelings, a belief he has the right to torture his brother, general disrespect for others, very few ethical principles beyond protecting his own

#like plotwise very little changed but the details...man #me when I'm mad at jc: ohhoho this guy. miserable bastrad man. awful #me when I feel bad for him: aw man I want them to reconcile #🥺#I want good things for him. he doesn't get many good things in his life #and people do not like him #I find it a lot easier to like him tbh. I enjoy liking him more. I want to see them patch things up #I just don't know if they'd ever be able to #in the drama I think they're both clearly so important to each other still that it has to come up again #they'll muddle it out #drama jc needs to like take some time and meditate. little bit of self reflection. maybe a lot #novel jc can die in a ditch and I will spit on his body #FUCKER KILLED GRANNY WEN MAYBE #I shan't apologie for going back and forth on jc. perhaps I too contain multitudes #cql txp #mdzs txp

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fortune-maiden · 2 years

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Finished vol 2 of MDZS!

and now the wait to August…

#this was my first time reading the Yi City arc in full!#very different experience than in cql/donghua haha #there are so many little details that I adore #the missing lines (again) in Vol 2 are unfortunate #though only one of the missing lines really sticks out #according to 7S website there will be an additional translator starting from the next volume #so hopefully quality improves #but more importantly hopefully by then they learn to treat their workers right

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in-sane-ity · 9 months

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#on my rewatch bullshit and i'm picking up on so much little detail i either didn't notice or forgot the first time #but most of all the ways they look at one another or at the mention of the other's name #and like all that from the very first episode #I'M SCREECHING #if i knew how to make gifs i'd be so powerful #brainrot #mdzs #cql #the untamed #wei ying #lan zhan #screenshot #mo dao zu shi #hello #please

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korpikorppi · 7 months

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Guys, I just now noticed one more interesting little detail in the Untamed!

You know the names of the buildings in the Cloud Recesses: the lecture room/hall Lanshi (兰室, Lánshì, "Orchid Room"); Yashi (雅室, Yǎshì, "Elegant Room") – the reception room/hall; the spirit-summoning room/hall Mingshi (冥室, Míngshì, "Underworld Room" or "Room of Darkness"); Hanshi (寒室, Hánshì, "Frost Room") - Lan Xichen's residence; and Lan Wangji's Jingshi (静室, Jìngshì, "Quiet Room"), right?

The character used to write the "shì", room, in the names is 室, here seen in the Lanshi and the Yashi (the names are read from right to left):

As a side note, the Lan seem to use the traditional rather than the simplified characters, so the "lán" in the Lanshi is written with 蘭 rather than 兰.

BUT. Not so in the Jingshi! Instead of the 室, a slightly different character is used for the "room":

My trusty dictionary did not know the character in question, so I started to look at what was different:

As such, the character 凶 (xiōng) means act of violence, murder, evil. An evildoer. A murderer. And as Lan Xichen told Wei Wuxian, we know who lived in the Jingshi before it became Lan Wangji's residence: "It is the place where our mother lived in the Cloud Recesses".

So, it seems that when the house became Madam Lan's prison, the character was changed to reflect her crime, denoting the place as the quiet room of a murderer. Accentuated by the reversed colours of the sign:

This has probably been quite self-evident to anyone who actually speaks and reads Chinese, but was quite an oooff! to me as I realised. One more killer detail in CQL 😟.

And while I was at it, I just had to check what it says above the gate (seen here when LWJ returns home with the Emperor's Smile):

As far as I can read it, the characters are 影竹堂 (yǐng zhú táng), which I freely translate as "Bamboo Shadow Court". An apt name for the place.

Hopefully it offered some solace to Madam Lan.

And oh, I just have to add! As Hanshi is the Sect Leader's residence, Lan Xichen is living in their father's house, while Lan Wangji is living in their mother's. And the two houses are more or less identical, down to the furnishings (just check the scene where Lan Xichen confronts Wen Chao and his muddy boots in ep8 vs. The Wangxian Scene in ep43). So did Qingheng-jun have the house built for his wife, identical to the house she was not allowed to live in? That is quite plausible, in universe. Out universe, they probably had only so many buildings to shoot in :).

#jingshi #madam lan #lan wangji #cloud recesses #theuntameddaily #all the details they put in #the untamed #cql #cql meta #translations and explanations #my translations #so they might be questionable #random late night thoughts #korpikorppi #mine

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wangxianficfinder · 6 months

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Fic Finder

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1. Looking for a smut fic I remember reading. WWX was testing an invisibility talisman and ended up in the jingshi in time to watch LWJ masturbating, and rode him after he fell asleep. LWJ woke up and made WWX get rid of the invisibility after a bit. I think it was a roleplay between the two but I'm not fully sure

FOUND! Clinomania by malkinmalkout (E, 6k, wangxian, Voyeurism, Masturbation, Somnophilia, misuse of talismans, PWP, Riding, Oral Sex, binding, Happy Ending, canon typical non-con)

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2. Hi! So I'm looking for this one fic, I remember that it was set in post-canon & Wangxian go to help this village, I remember that the Juniors (all four) followed them without their knowledge & the village had a barrier preventing people from leaving, the village had a curse where they got to see their close-ones negative memories, the juniors learnt of what actually happened to WWX & the villain turns out to be a "god" like on Dafan, it had 4 chapter (I think) & was finished. @i-like-snakes-and-spiders

FOUND? Down comes the night by danegen (E, 67k, wangxian, Alternate Universe, Canon Era, inspired by From, Horror, Sharing a Room, POV LWJ, no jiangs, a whole village of OCs, tiny mention of past wwx/omc, Happy Ending)

FOUND? unhappy stories with happy endings by Last_for_Hell (M, 30k, WangXian, Memories, Memory Fic, Kinda, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, sexual content maybe, References to Torture, PTSD, Characters Watching Their Series, kinda, but not entirely, very light consensual non-consent)

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3. good day! 😊 I read this fic before and I know that I've bookmarked it but I can't find it in the list. So the story is after wwx fell, baoshan sanren and lan yi rescued him, nursed him back to health, and waited for him to wake up. I remember that when he woke up, they also taught him cultivation (he got a new sword). He also hid his face (i think he also wore a different name and different voice(?)). There's a yi city scene where xxc asked them who they were because he cant see, then bssr is also with them at that time. thank yoooooou! 💓💓💓

FOUND! Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, war changes people, resulting to OOC, no pinning, Established Relationship, Mpreg, Good Uncle LQR, a little grey LWJ, a bit of JC bashing from LWJ, BAMF JYL, 16 years of yearning, mainly CQL verse but has scenes from the novel as well, LSZ is WangXian's Child, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Canon Rewrite, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts)

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4. hi, I hope you can help me find this fic I've been looking for, I'm sorry I don't really remember much, just that WWX can cook non-spicy food but he does it on purpose, it might have been because of his time in the streets? or because someone would take his food? (maybe JC???)

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5. I cannot for the life of me remember anything else about the fic but I think it was cql based with lwj as chief cultivator? wwx returned to cloud recesses and the first thing he did was beat someone up for saying horrible things about lwj. I can't remember if it was multichapter or not so it might have been in the middle of a longfic?

FOUND? 🔒make this chaos count by devotedbones (E, 15k, WangXian, Post-Canon, CQL Compliant, canon compliant until the very last scene of episode 50, Getting Together, First Time, First Kiss, Hand Jobs, Chief Cultivator LWJ, a flute used as a melee weapon, Fist Fights, Gossip, Self-Worth Issues, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Mentions of Canonical Abuse, Minor Misunderstandings, [podfic] make this chaos count, by devotedbones by inkpens)

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6. this may as well be an itmf for its general nature, but it's actually a ficfinder! except. i only remember a single detail LMAO, and it's that wwx and lwj consider all four juniors to be their children, blood relation be damned. I'm so sorry i have literally nothing else to go on 😅 i think there's a similar theme in 'tragedy is not the end' specifically with zizhen, but not the exact detail im looking for... thank you for the help!

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7. Hi, first of all I want to thank y'all for the hard work, and I wanted to know if a fic has been deleted or if anyone has it, I don't remember the name but it was a time travel fic where Qishan Wen win the sunshot campaign and asked for war prizes (?) Zewu-Jun goes instead of his brother, Yanli is alive, they all have them captive, Meng Yao betrayed them and ultimately sided with the Wen's who were winning the war, and I think no one remembers Wei Wuxian, something like that, it would be great if someone could help! Thanks so much 🩷🩷

FOUND? The Way It Wasn’t by KouriArashi (T, 72k, WangXian, XiYao, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, (eventually haha), Slow Build, Family Feels, Moral Ambiguity, Eventual Happy Ending)

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8. Hi!!! Its me again!! Thanknyiu so much again!!! This time im looking for a time travel fic with lan qiren as the timentraveller. Pretty sure him and wen ruohan travelled together and MAYBE involved with each other??? Im not so sure but i do know that lan qiren time travelled. Sorry its not much thats all i remember hehe @sirius-bus1ness

might be one of Nirejseki's works. They wrote several on that subject (including in a big anthology work, so finding it might take some time)

FOUND? Cursed Couple by shorimochi (M, 121k, LQR/WRH, CSSR/WCZ, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, Out of Character)

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9. Hello, I am looking for a fic but I only remember a scene from it

It was a fic wwhere wwx died and there was a scene where a-yuan was crying while laying above wwx's grave in the burial mounds. Thank you!

FOUND? To Offer a Heart by WhiteCrane (M, 111k, wangxian, major character death, Sad WWX, Hurt WWX, YLLZ WWX, soft wangxian, Cinnamon Roll WN, WWX Whump, WQ is a good sister, WN is a good brother, everybody loves wwx, yunmeng siblings, Triggers, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst with a Happy Ending, Taking care of WWX, Give WWX a break, Canon Divergence, Disturbing Themes, Changing Perspectives, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Grief/Mourning, Temporary Character Death, Getting Together, Redemption, Sibling Bonding, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brother-Sister Relationships, Parent-Child Relationship, Sad and Sweet, Tragedy, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF JYL, BAMF WQ, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Everyone Needs A Hug, WIP)

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10. Hi Mods (＾◡＾) I really hope that you can help me find some fics I've been looking for! (＾◡＾) if you can't that's ok, if you can then many thanks in advance! y'all are awesome!

A) this one is set during CR studies, and wangxian go on a date? in Caiyi and I think WWX gets emotional about something they are talking about? and I know they hug, and WWX don't want to let go.

B) this one wangxian gets married, WWX marries into the Lan, and there are a lot of rules specifically for married people/how to be in a relationship, I'm pretty sure that is a very big part of the story

10A)

FOUND! 🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 712k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement) The scene described sounds like something that happens pretty early on

10B)

NOT FOUND! Into the Oubliette by Ruixx (M, 124k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, graphic depictions of violence, underage, Growing Up, Fix-It of Sorts, Arranged Marriage, Time Travel, Sibling Bonding, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Canon Divergence, Light BDSM, Breathplay, WWX protection squad, Sunshot Campaign, War, Politics, Hostage JYL, Visions, LXC Redemption, general LWJ, Internal Sect Politics, Good Uncle LQR, Lan OCs, No Golden Core Transfer, Empire Building, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence)

NOT FOUND! seldom all they seem by Fahye (E, 25k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, or rather Arranged Betrothal, followed by Weapons-Grade Thirst)

FOUND? Wouldn't fall for someone I thought couldn't misbehave by failedcharismacheck (M, 15k, WIP, WangXian, Marriage Proposal, Fluff, Protective LWJ, Domestic Fluff, Kissing, POV LWJ, Hair Brushing, Implied Sexual Content, soft horny)

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11. Noncon tw. Looking for a fic where when the wens burn lotus pier, they threaten to rape yanli but Wei Wuxian offers himself instead. So the wen soldiers rape Wei Wuxian in front of the Jiang sect,l. Yanli cries

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12. Looking for a specific fix where Wei Ying is dead and the sects come together to watch through his memories and end up finding out for selfless he was. @aviidaviibiitchboii

FOUND! Misunderstood by Silver_Flame_2724 (M, 250k, WIP, WangXian, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Heavy Angst, Suicidal Thoughts, Canon-Typical Violence, Self-Worth Issues)

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13. Hi, I'm looking for a modern au where Wei Ying is a grad student in an orchestra and A-yuan is dropped off at his door by his cousin Mo Xuanyu. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan get together while caring for A-yuan and end up getting married. A-yuan has a fear of airports in this fic because of his abandonment issues. This was on AO3 but I can't seem to find it. @amindonbreak

FOUND! The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental baby acquisition, Kid fic, Green card marriage (but not really), Slow Burn, Endless Pining, Happy ending, [Podfic of] The Simplest Way Forward by knight_tracer, Translation into Русский: Самый Простой Путь Вперёд (The Simplest Way Forward) by grand_R, Spanish Translation, Turkish translation )

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14. hello! im looking for specific fic, where after burial mounds wwx thinks he's dead. instead of joining sunshot campain he storms nightless city and kills all cultivators without anyone knowing it was him (exept meng yao who survived but is wounded)

he then "haunts" yumeng for a while until he runs into wen quing and takes wens to burrial mounds

eventually ppl find out and together with meng yao they outsmart jgs to pardon all wens @chellsky

I can't find 14, but I do remember reading it; they ended up pretending Wen Qing was the one controling the dead and killing the Wen, and they faked her death

FOUND! can't find a way home by KouriArashi (M, 109k, WangXian, XiYao, XuanLi, ChengQing, Canon Divergence, Angst, Family, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Family Feels, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Developing Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical political bullshit, Mental Health Issues, Eventual Happy Ending, Descriptions of suicide, (caused by dark magic))

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15. Hello! I'm looking for a fic where Sizhui's bio parents are alive and come to Cloud Recesses looking for him (post-canon, iirc)

Hello! I'm #15 from the latest fic finder. I'm quite sure that the fic was on ao3. It may have been inspired from the angstymdzsthoughts posts but it was a proper fic posted on ao3

NOT FOUND! This Post by angstymdzsthoughts Mad idea, could 15 be from angstymdzsthoughts?

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16. Hi! I was reading a really interesting story about LWJ being cursed and WWX helping him and I lost it! Arg, now I'm so curious to know how it ends, I hope you can help me!

The story is about LWJ being cursed with a change in his private body parts. (The curse changes his p to a v). Then WWX notices this and decide to help LWJ and the way to revert the curse is that LWJ has to have an org@sm.

Can you help me? I'm dying to know how to continues!! 🤗🤗 @wangxiansgirl

FOUND! Coming Back to Yourself by acernor (E, 21k, wangxian, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Oral Sex, Pining, Gender or Sex Swap, Vaginal Sex)

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17. Hi! Looking for a fic wherein wangxian married and suddenly Mo Xuanyu woke up again in his body, he fell in love with Lan Wangji but Lan Wangji just ignore or formal with him. Mo Xuanyu heartbroken tried to bring back Wei Wuxian Soul on his body

I feel like this might be in the angstymdzs collection, since I think it's was inspired by one of those asks?

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18. Kind of random, but I’m trying to find a fic I read awhile ago that featured hagfish? My memory of it is kind of vague, it was a college au and wwx was some sort of biology major i think and there were hagfish. Compelled to read it again because of hagfish reasons.

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19. Hello! I'm looking for a specific fic which I've seen in a few people's bookmarks but for some reason neglected to even mark for later. It's a modern AU where LWJ is looking for a pet sitter for his bunnies and is recommended WWX's pet sitting/walking venture (no dogs allowed ofc). Can you help? 🐇 @linderel

FOUND! A Single Note by airinshaw (E, 19k, WangXian, Modern AU, Getting Together, Mutual Pining, Kissing, Anal Sex, Fluff and Smut, Light Dom/sub)

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20. I search a fic where Jiang Cheng tries to ask Lan Xichen to marry him and Lan Xichen is super offended by it. Nie Huaisang may have done something to make JC fail even more in his proposal.

FOUND? To Take A Wife- Or Perhaps A Husband by Admiranda (T, 2k, one-sided LXC/JC, one-sided NHS/JC, JC's canonical homophobia, JC's canonical inability to get married, Decides to solve his problems with spite, not JC friendly, We all love NHS in this household, JC's canonical blind spots, Post-Canon, JC's canonical classism)

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#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic finder #wangxian fic search #the untamed #wangxianficfinder #long post

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mdzs-fics · 10 months

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Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket

Post-CQL Canon 51 chapters (complete) 290K words

It is then that he notices that the child in front (a little boy around nine years old, if Lan Wangji had to guess) has the hilt of a jeweled dagger protruding from between his ribs, and a small novice’s bow clutched in his hands with an arrow still nocked to the string.

“They’re not alive,” Li Shuai gasps, clawing her way upright against one of the pavilion’s four corner pillars as the ghosts keep coming towards them. “That’s sixth shidi, the one with the bow, and our third shimei there in the pink—but they’re not corpses, I don’t know how they could have—”

The ghosts come to a halt, then, standing right in front of Lan Wangji’s ward with pensive looks on their faces. Some have clear death-wounds in their chests, and one of the boys wears a gown covered with dull black blood from the cruel gash in his throat—but all of them are looking straight at Li Shuai, and their lips shape her name with open wistfulness; some of the older ones call her A-Shuai, and the children call her Li-shijie, and then they nod once in Lan Wangji’s direction before stepping closer to the ward and disappearing into it.

He feels their spiritual energy pouring into the seals before he sees it in the ward, reeling back at the sudden shock of ninety-one ghostly golden cores taking up arms beside his—ready to defend their sect in death as they could not do in life, and then he finally understands why the land-eater went unnoticed for so long. The ghosts must have been suppressing it until its power surpassed theirs, and then they sought out Wang Hai for help when they could do nothing more—but for them to have taken shape like this, in something resembling their living selves even though their bodies must long since have rotted away—it should have been beyond them to do such a thing, unless…

“Auntie!” Xiao-Yan screams. “It’s Wei-zongzhu! He’s coming back!”

As Author stiltonbasket notes, this is the CQL (The Untamed) Universe with a few differences, the major one is that A-Qing is still alive during and after the Yi City events and is being treated for the damages Xue Yang did to her. There are other differences, given it's The Untamed version of the story. Second most important being that the Confession in Guanyin temple does not occur.

The story is written with both narrative point-of-view and letters to and from those involved. The style is most effective in moving the story forward.

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight begins months after the events of Guanyin temple. Lan Zhan is Chief Cultivator and Wei Wuxian has spent the following months near Gusu. He meets regularly with the Lan Juniors in Caiyi. It is at one of these meetings that he is told Jin Ling asked him to speak with Jiang Wanyin about something.

Wei Wuxian becomes Wei-zhongzhu, acting as Jiang sect leader while Jiang Wanyin aids Jin Ling in taking controlling power from the various factions in Lanling.

There is a brief stop in Yunping during an official tour of Yungmeng, where Wei Wuxian collapses and is taken somewhere to rest, which results in the adoption of a child, the eventual foundation of a lady's refuge, and the mystery of Wei Ying's illness begins.

There is the romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan that everyone except Wei Ying can see so plainly.

The world of Yungmeng is fleshed out in detail as the seasons pass. There is a land eater, and a mystery about its origins. Was a recent bout of illness in the area a result or the cause of the land eater? Did it have something to do with the summoning ritual Mo Xuanyu used to bring back Wei Wuxian? Why is Wei Wuxian having nightmares of Mo Xuanyu? There are discussions about golden cores and core sickness ... and an upset young child who has already seen one mother die.

The story is not centered only on Yungmeng. There are other important events occuring. Lanling is brought under control. In Gusu, Lan Xichen has healed the wounds Maiden Qing received as part of the Yi City story arc that precedes the story. There are junior shenanigans, including a rainy night and a bonfire involving Lan Xichen and the juniors.

We learn of Nie Mingjue's several Qi deviations. And the depth of the many betrayals of Jin Guangyao that still affect the living.

The stakes for all involved become higher as illness risks killing Wei Wuxian before he can reach a happy ending.

The resolution to most of what's going on hits like a hammer.

There is a night of terror, questioning using the qin language, reveals through empathy, several tense chapters with warning about body horror. And healing. Followed by 8 chapters in which some secrets are finally exposed, mysteries resolved and there are weddings to attend.

Author stiltonbasket has provided a number (47) of tales related to this one. Of these, one of the most poignant for me was The Trouble with Talismans: a Treatise on Time-Travel by Young Master Lan Xiaohui (Age 6)

#mdzs fic recs #lan wangji #wei wuxian #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jiang yanli #jiang wanyin #the untamed #untamed fanfiction #mdzs juniors #lan xichen #wen ning

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dayurno · 5 days

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who are your favorite mdzs characters??

(falling over myself panting and screaming) JIN LING ITS JIN LING JIN LING IS MY FAVORITE i will say i havent watched cql so i don't know anything about him in that but i love jin ling in the books and i loved that he was angry and that he was scared and that he was confused and i loved how hard it was for him to accept affection from wwx when he knew it was wwx, i love that he's the world's saddest and loneliest little boy, i love that his life is shaped by so much grief and trauma and that the adults around him have failed him constantly ever since the day he was born. and my only beef i'll ever have with wangji is that he has beef with jin ling. he's not a monster he's a 16 year old who misses his parents. so there!

other than that i'm easy and simple obviously i love wwx and lwj..... i'm a ride or die for xichen as well i think first of all there is something so kevin day about xichen in the sense that they're both positioned at the crux of so many issues and entirely unaware of it. the way jin guangyao and nie mingjue were passing xichen back and forth and xichen had no idea of the game they were playing because he wasn't invited into it at all. ugh! i love the jades of lan really, i think their relationship as brothers is so interesting and i think about their mother all the time. madam lan :(!

this is surprising even to me because on my first read through i didnt care if jiang cheng lived or died but now i actually think about him a lot. usually i don't enjoy jealousy plots but i think jiang cheng is so interesting and detailed and flawed and human..... he gets misunderstood a lot in my opinion so he's my friend now too. i know he'll never be happy but that's ok. he has jin ling and that will be enough. and also i love wen ning but i cant think too much about him or i start to get ill and sick. but i hope wen ning jiang cheng and jin ling can go out for dinner one day

#and i fw jin guangyao greatly even though he's insane #just such a great antagonist #so interesting and troubled and funny. in another world he would have been the hero #mdzs really has such good character work you could invest time and attention into all of them #also im not xiyao truther i believe nie mingjue was in love w xichen for the entirety of the time hes known him #and i think jgy definitely had feelings for xichen but xichen was too busy living his life #xichen: yeah yeah im the only thing you love besides your mother i have a meeting with uncle in 5 mins #LIKE DO YOU GET IT. he's so duty bound! he cant love you he cant even try #asks

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piosplayhouse · 1 year

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Status on lil apple identification: inconclusive

I used this paper by Zeng et. al on genetic diversity in indigenous Chinese donkey populations as a starting point, but was limited by the amount of breeds they actually listed and lack of related English literature on the topic. It turns out people just aren't that interested in China's 24 donkey breeds :(

From then on I closely examined some key shots of lil apple from cql to make note of distinguishing features:

- blue-black coat with little brown transition

- distinguishing white eye spots, belly, and leg spotting-- interestingly enough, though the white muzzle is consistent with most other Chinese breeds, it extends higher than appears to be common on others. This will be important later

- square body, flat back

- shorter, more forward facing neck (as opposed to upright)

- elegant limbs, fairly tall

Further observations can be made in comparison to Xiao Zhan, who we know to be 6ft/182cm. At around waist height, lil apple is likely a little bit less than 4ft/137cm. This doesn't narrow down much as it's pretty much the average height of a mid sized donkey, but I did a bunch of cm to ft calculations so chew on it anyway

Also take the objectively best cql pic I've ever seen: live lil apple reaction

Again English literature on this subject is essentially non-existent, as are pictures, so I had to rely on some devoted Chinese donkey fans and mtl to pull through with some breed comparisons

Here, here , and here

Then I found a behind the scenes cast pic that provided a new detail: notice the little white marks on her chin

(1/2)

#cql meta #but not in the way you might expect.#mdzs meta #long post #long posts

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jaimebluesq · 2 months

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🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

Thank you for the ask!!! :D

I came up with an idea for a modern day AU in my fandom that I've had an inkling to write as an original fic - the characters would be inspired by the fandom ones, but I'd change a few details and see how I could get it to work.

The idea: The story would follow the POV of a man, Chinese diaspora living in rural Ontario. Haughty, opinionated, even cruel in his thoughts sometimes - but only in his mind. Outwardly, even though he's not friendly at all, he's actually got a reputation as being dependable and always willing to lend a hand. He HATES it, but he does it because, as the reader discovers, he feels he has a penance to pay. And then one day he goes to the restaurant/bar and there's a face he knows, and before he can run off, the man notices him.

This is a problem... because people think he's dead. His family had been a serious Triad, and in other people's view, he went rogue and tried to turn on his family by going to the police, and then he was shot and killed. The man in the bar plays coy at first, but then not-so-subtly suggests that he could get word back home that the MC is still alive - but he could keep his silence if the MC does him a few favours. The MC has an inner conflict - his instincts are to immediately plan the man's death, but he refuses to go that route. He allows himself to be blackmailed - he figures it's part of his penance - but strangely, the other guy just starts out wanting a guide to the area, and then someone to help him find a place to stay, and get to harder-to-reach areas to go paint the natural landscapes. And the two get closer, however reluctantly, until the MC's loneliness and the presence of one person who knows his history has him end up in the other man's bed.

All this time, the reader learns the backstory little by little. That the MC had been the nephew of the Triad's leader, the muscle of the organization and always willing to kill whoever needed to be killed. And then there was a war between theirs and another crime family, and in the ensuing violence, the MC's cousin died - a cousin that he grew up with, that was like a brother to him, and one who was not suited to a life of crime, and who had actually been trying to get out of it. He became disillusioned in his mourning and began not just looking at his family's role in everything, but his own as well, and he couldn't let go of the fact that he was in part responsible for the falling dominos that led to his cousin's death. He talked himself into going to the police to give evidence against his family, but shortly after the process began, there was an attempt on his life. Of course his family had bought out someone in the police force. So he faked his death and left, using his connections to get a fake identity and documents that he used to leave for Canada.

And then the MC learns the other guy's story - that he's actually hiding as well, trying to get away from their shared past (his family wasn't Triad but had done business with them), because his brother had been murdered and he'd managed to kill the one who did it without getting caught, but he doesn't want to go back.

Neither of them are lovey-dovey soft emotion types, and the MC resents the other guy at first - even afterward. But they've forged this connection, and somehow, find a life together.

Haven't figured out other than that in terms of plot points or inciting incidents, but it's an idea I've had for a while and just haven't gotten the courage to try and make happen. (And I'm sure most of my CQL/MDZS mutuals have figured out who the characters are from the descriptions lol).

So yeah lol.

#ask response #original fic idea inspired by fandom characters

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add1ctedt0you · 1 month

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I really love the little moments you choose to gif. What inspires you to pick the ones you do?

Hiii! Thank you! It makes my heart warm! It makes me happy! <3

The question is quite interesting, because I hadn't never thought in detail about my reasons for choosing specific moments, it's the moment that draws my eyes.

Overlooking how this blog supports women's rights to do wrongs, I like to compare the source material with the web adaptation: like with jiang cheng' dream. Or the gifset I am most emotionally attacked to: this. I still remember that the first time I read jiang cheng smiling looking at his mother (he's the only one who seems truly happy to see her) and it caught my attention: he loves her so much! And she loves him too! I have a soft spot for mother & kid relationship, and I enjoy how their relationship is played in the drama, so, that's how the gifset is born. (the quality is so bad though. At the time I still was using YouTube videos :-/)

Other times, cql and the cast acting choices/interpretations have caught my attention. Like here: the camera shows us, even if briefly, jiang yanli's expression while lan xichen is congratulating jiang cheng: she opens in a little smile only to immediately drop it... What is she thinking? I had in mind another moment to add to the gifset, a parallel, but I felt it was unbiased/leaning toward an exact interpretation, and decided to focus on her expression during jiang cheng's speech to his disciples. Another gifset born due cql choices, is jiang yanli mourning jin zixuan: jin zixuan saying 'I'll take care of you' is a great foreshadowing! I like to think about jiang yanli, looking at jin zixuan's coffin, and remembering that specific moment (or, I've written scenes like this in my jiang yanli survives au lol). the jiang siblings inability to deal with rejection is still so funny.

Other times, mostly born from spite, my gifsets are about themes: love and hurt, jiang cheng protecting his family and being protected, deaths - 1, 2 (initially, I wanted to gif all mdzs's characters' deaths including novel quotes to enlighten the differences between the canon source and the web divergence. I still want to do it! I just need time).

Or I'll do a whole gifset because I want to gif one moment lmao. As in this ao3 tags gifset, I just wanted to include granny wen and wen yuan under the 'rated t for trauma' tag, because I think their past is quite overlooked! (if not to underline who is good and who's bad...) (like, seriously, the wen clan is *great* and I'll obsess over them all more if lotus pier and its dysfunction wasn't there too). Even retelling of jiang cheng and wei wuxian relationship is born due a gif... That I didn’t include because I felt it wasn't fitting the tone of the gifset :-/ ( the gif was lotus pier burning + tag: Lotus pier is a metaphor for chengxian)

Then, to motivate myself to keep reading svsss (I have almost finished the first book), I decided to make this gifset: honestly, parallels/references to mdzs stand out lol. Mxtx, the writer you are.

Uh, I think that's all! Like, I'll honestly make fun of cql too ( sorry, I am mean :-/). Hoping the answer is coherent enough. Still, thank you for the ask!

#about mar #ask answered #Anyway. I am evolving. I have like 4 gifset of mdzs's characters plus novel quotes/ atla quote #I just... need to understand how everyone makes their gifset so artistically pleasing #In the end I think it boils down to me loving details and obsessing over them lol

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llycaons · 2 years

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I’ve ragged a lot on the ‘wwx returns to LP’ idea today so I offer a balance before going to bed. sometimes I see art/fic where wwx settles in CR (okay) and then starts wearing the lan hair ribbon and while I understand the impulse I just think that’s the stupidest nonsense imaginable. I don’t even think he stays in CR very long, especially in the drama since the ending is so open. his leaving CR could have been about not really loving it there just as much as needing some time to breathe and live on his own before reuniting with lwj. it’s more explicit in the novel that he comes to appreciate things like the silences and seriousness of meals, but since that’s not in the drama I tend to disregard it even though I actually like that particular scene a lot and I think it exhibits a lot of maturity and growth on wwx’s part

but since we’re in drama canon...I want him to have a home and family and a community too after all he’s been through but I think a really strong theme of the story was that he forged his own path no matter how difficult it was and went his own way and lwj went and followed him on that path. so they end the story literally united but separated from the sects they respectively came from. I don’t think lwj would leave his sect but I can see them living in a place in between CR and LP, where they cultivate and night-hunt and teach but also travel frequently

so I don’t think it’s a massive travesty for wwx to live in CR, but I can’t see him staying there for a long time or ~becoming~ a lan in the way that I’ve seen him written, like wearing white all the time or god forbid getting a forehead ribbon. his personality and sense of identity, tastes, and even aesthetic and personal expression are far too strong for that, and I don’t think he should be expected to give them up just because he’s getting married

I do like the idea that someone like him could thrive in CR without needing to alter himself too much (after all, jingyi’s thriving) but I don’t know if there’s enough support in canon for me to believe that given wwx’s repuatation and the strength of his personality, which is a shame because I think the show wants us to think there is, but doesn’t quite succeed. on the other hand, the mobile game confirming that wwx gained weight postcanon is enough for me to accept he’s been living in CR for a few years

#also jc visits him in CR and is very loud. and lwj was so cute he was like 'we all love and support you including my uncle' Ik it's not #canon canon but I like to see it as such #anyway I do think the drama #fumbled the bag a little there #everything was so perfect you forgot to provide any details #and I don't think wwx wants to live in a place where his peers only tolerate him because lwj is important #but like I said...this ending doesn't infuriate me nearly as much as the ~return to LP~ happy ending #'uwu just let this boy go home to LP' we aren't stopping him! his brother is!#cql txp

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erotica-hooligan · 4 months

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Etienne Telling's 2023 Fic Roundup

All fics on AO3 are well tagged or have end notes with more details. Fics below contain everything from soft kink to noncon, so mind the tags and endnotes before reading.

114,307 words this year! Mostly CQL/MDZS, one original, and one A League of Nobleman.

In order of publication:

Brat, NieYao, Rated E, 3.4K.

Meng Yao comes home and ends up with an unexpected reward.

This Heavy Joy, Jadecest, Rated E, 22.6K

Xichen is determined not to allow Wangji to wither in isolation in the aftermath of his punishment. Xichen’s care draws the Twin Jades closer than ever and reveals old wounds alongside the new. As they struggle in recovery, Lan Yuan teaches them how to play pretend, and the Twin Jades redefine what it is to be a family.

Intricate, Wen Ning/Lan Xichen, Wangxian, Wangningxian, other implied ships, Rated E, 2.5K

Wen Ning walks in on Lan Huan dick out on his sofa, listening to Lan Zhan and Wei Ying fucking in the other room and takes charge of the situation.

Good Girls Don't, Xiyao/Jin Ling, Rated E, 5.3K

Jin Ling has a rape fantasy. Jin Guangyao doesn't trust just anyone to take care of her.

Grateful, A League of Nobleman, Lan Jue/Wang Yan, Rated E, 1.1K

"I wasn't even gone a week." How many more times will this scene play out between them? This is at least the third, and Mowen knows it won't be the last. He can only hope they'll keep happening, with Peizhi managing to escape from a mess of his own making by the skin of his teeth.

First, Jadecest, Rated E, 2.9K ⚠️Rape/Noncon, Underage

A teenage prank goes wrong and Lan Xichen finds himself the age he was when he lost his virginity.

Ask, Jadecest, Rated E, 5.8K

In which Wangji and Xichen play a cat and mouse game over Xichen's spanking kink.

drag it from the inside (like we're young again), Jadecest and Wangxian, Rated E, 6.6K

In which Wangji decides how to help his brother, with a little help from Wei Ying. A slice of Wangji POV from if you tell them where to begin. Not a standalone.

10/07/07 2:13 PM with @iamwestiec, Xizhui, Rated E, 24.2K

Introduced to a kink on ff.net, a teenage Lan Yuan stumbles into an ageplay forum in an attempt to learn more. With a new name (sizhui1987), false birth year, different gender, and insatiable curiosity, Sizhui makes friends with the forum's owner, shuoyue_writer. Drawn together by shared identities and caregiving preferences, Shuoyue changes Sizhui's life. Except… Shuoyue is Sizhui's Uncle Xichen, and eventually, the truth of who Sizhui is comes out and crashes down on the both of them. TL:DR: Sizhui Catfishes his Uncle Xichen, circa 2006-2008. A story told in AIM transcripts, emails, and vignettes

Home, Xiyao, Rated E, 4.9K

Xichen comes home to Meng Yao; he comes home to his mama.

Seventeen Minutes, Jin Gaungyao/Lan Sizhui (kinda), Rated E, 1.5K

The way of the Cloud Recesses is that a dominant must intimately understand what they are doing to their submissive. To understand, they must experience. It would be foolish not to accept a masterclass from Lianfang-zun, even if it means Sizhui's limits will be putty in Lianfang-zun's hands

Well Bred, 3zun/Qin Su, Rated E, 1.9K

The one where Qin Su gets fucked by her husband's beloved pony. And his boyfriend.

love is the voice under all silences, Xiyao, Rated E, 5.2K

The one where Jin Gaungyao allows Lan Xichen to whisk him away to happiness.

Recognition, Xiayo, Rated E, 17.2k ⚠️Rape (Xichen/Others)

Meng Yao rescues the first Jade of Lan and takes him into his home, becoming far more involved than ever anticipated.

strength and softness, Yu Ziyuan/Jiang Yanli, Rated E, 2.5K

Yanli has always been weak, but the truth of her weakness is a carefully guarded secret. It is not an easy life, yet with all of Yanli's secrets, she has one she treasures: there is a side of her mother that she is the only one in the world allowed to see. Or, the one where Yanli has a curse where she needs physical contact to live.

The Lemon House, Original, Nonbinary/Genderqueer, Rated E, 5.7K

A Day in the Life of a House Submissive for a Housing Cooperative in a BDSM AU setting. Wren’s second favorite thing about mornings is the satisfaction of giving its housemates a warm start to the morning. That their day will be a little nicer because of Wren. No matter how shitty its housemates’ days may be, Wren started them right. It will wait for them when they get home, bookmarking their days with warmth and affection.

#my fic

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