Tumgik
#on wwx and jyl's side nothing to say
lansplaining · 3 months
Note
Kind of goofy but the fact that when confronted with a crying MianMian WWX’s first thought is to have JC comfort her is kind of funny. Do you think he saw JC awkwardly patting a weepy JYL on the back as a kid when she was having a rough day and decided JC obviously knew how to deal with crying women? To say nothing of JZX standing to the side as useful as a bump on a log is just funny.
sdjfsdf this is an incredible point
surely the dynamic through childhood is yanli's upset > jiang cheng can't start something because he's heir so he comforts her > wei wuxian starts something
and wwx just assumes that's universally applicable
lan wangji has never met a woman
137 notes · View notes
sanduchengjiu · 3 months
Text
The thing about jc and wwx is that i do not take any other characters interpretations on their relationship seriously, tbh only jyl would have a chance to understand those two and she’s dead by the end of the story so we don’t get her side (regretfully). But no other character in the story (not even chengxian themselves rlly) can understand their relationship without putting some of their own biases in it. Like lwj from his perspective sees jc as a selfish abusive brother but he’s not privy to all the experiences jc and wwx have had, he met them when they were 15ish and was in and out of wwxs life (without jc) until his death. Wn (no offense to him) is clearly only aware of what wwx did for jc, not the other way around. The thing that irks me about the story is that jc doesn’t have riders and shooters like wwx does for many reasons (he’s a bitch) and any person that can vouch for jc is literally gone (see: dead family) or a child (see: Jin ling) so we as the readers are the only ones who get to see their relationship fully since we are not being deceived by anyone and can see the way outside influences as well as internal ones culminate in the relationship between them.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s obv jc’s story ceases to be important in the eyes of the narrative bc mdzs is a romance novel at the end of the day, so for people who enjoyed the back and forth between chengxian (romantic or platonic) were left with an unfulfilling ending where jc also sacrificed something before wwx did so technically there’s nothing left to say. I do enjoy the fact that they ping pong sacrifice back and forth for each other but I can also see that ending their story there just plays into the narrative that their relationship is transactional, that is if you don’t read much into it, which is what most people who read mdzs do. Cuz most people only show up for wangxian which is perfectly fine and what youre supposed to do, I mean that’s what the story is about. But I can definitely see how the opinions that other characters have on chengxian and their whole mess (affectionately) of a story can lead to readers misunderstanding jc or wwx and woobifying one to make the other the innocent party. It’s also very frustrating and we’re allowed to complain about it lol.
143 notes · View notes
shanastoryteller · 11 months
Note
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Shana!!
I love love love your writing. Thank you for blessing us with it. <3
I am invested in all your prompts at this point but, could you do some more lady Mo or JYL & WWX run away? Thanks!
a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Jiang Cheng seems a little less brittle than when he'd stomped away from them and Wei Wuxian doesn't bother to suppress the wave of relief. He considers giving his brother the space he clearly needs, then decides that he's spent the past thirteen years giving him enough space to last the rest of their lives. Wei Wuxian bounds across the room and hangs off of Jiang Cheng's shoulders like they're teenagers again. He stiffens, but doesn't push him off, which Wei Wuxian counts as a win, even if he misses the easy way Jiang Cheng used to melt into his side.
"What did you to Shuchun?" he demands. "She was such a sweet little girl and you've turned her into a menace!"
Shijie snorts and then tries to hide it with a cough.
Okay, maybe Shuchun was always a terror because she was possibly following in her favorite martial brother's footsteps, but that's not the point.
"Try saying that to her face," Jiang Cheng mutters.
It's the closest he's come to sounding like the brother Wei Wuxian remembers and it makes his eyes sting and his throat close up.
"Leave Shuchun alone," Shijie scolds. Wei Wuxian isn't sure which of them she's talking to. "We have to talk damage control. I hadn't intended for our return to occur in front of both the Jin and Lan and I don't want it getting out before we decide how we're going to spin it."
"It won't."
Wei Wuxian blinks, thrown by Lan Zhan and Jin Zixuan speaking in unison. "Uh. Okay."
"They will say nothing without my permission," Lan Zhan says firmly.
"Even the loud one?" he asks. A-Yuan seems to be getting along with him rather well, from what he saw. Maybe he can stick around and they won't have to worry about him straying and blabbing to the wrong person.
Lan Zhan's lips twitch into something that's almost a smile. "Even the loud one."
343 notes · View notes
angstymdzsthoughts · 2 years
Note
acting sect leader wcz au where jc does die on a hunt and wcz blames wwx. and he starts trying to figure out what's needed to make jyl the heir, but before he finishes, jc is back alive - in the body of wwx, whose soul was destroyed in exchange for the body offering ritual.
wwx's note is just to live well and be happy, and that now wcz can have the son he'd rather have without wwx in the way. that this is how it should be - with wwx dead, gone, out of the way. they can be a happy family now.
wcz can't look at his son's body without feeling guilty and regret. cssr left as soon as she heard about wwx's sacrifice, without a word to wcz. she has no more to say to him.
"Why didn't you protect him?!"
Wei Changze regretted the question the moment it escaped him. It wasn't a fair question. He had asked himself the same question in regards to Fengmian for years. He knew that there was nothing Wuxian could have done for Jiang Wanyin, just as he could have done nothing to save Fengmian. It wasn't right to put the blame on his sons young shoulders and he knew it the second Wuxian's face contorted with grief and sorrow.
"Get out of my sight," he snapped. He couldn't do this. He wasn't strong enough to be a rock for his son while he himself felt so lost.
Cangse swooped in between them and pulled their son into her arms. Good, she has always known how to comfort their son best. He's glad that her latest night hunt was delayed enough for her to be here.
The next few weeks passed in a colorless blur. A funeral is held and everyone in Lotus Pier wears white for their young heir. Wei Changze combs through old documents and laws trying to find a way for Jiang Yanli to inherit the sect instead of her future husband. The elders are all too eager to put one of their grandsons on the Lotus throne and fight him every step of the way. His wife sits at his side and snarles at the elders when some try to accuse Wei Changze of wanting to keep the throne or put his son on it.
He doesn't see Wei Wuxian during those weeks. His son stays inside his room and only allows his mother to see him. Wei Changze must have stood outside his room screaming at himself to knock and apologize a hundred times, but never did.
He's in the middle of a meeting with the Meishan Yu sect, hoping to gather support for Jiang Yanli, when Wei Wuxian bursts into the room. His hands are covered in blood and Zidian sparks viciously on his finger.
"Uncle!" Wei Wuxian cries. "Uncle, Wei Wuxian he- he did something! It's me, Jiang Wanyin! I- I don't understand why I..."
211 notes · View notes
joys-of-everyday · 9 months
Text
Wei Wuxian and the Difficulties of Morality
Wow so I did not realise how much discourse there was around Wei Wuxian and moral greyness. Let me erm… poke around a little because that’s a hobby of mine.
Btw, I usually write about SVSSS. This won’t change. This is a one-off thing (for now).
Firstly, an Anecdote
Fun story, I watched cql and the mdzs donghua with my mum. There were many memorable things that came out of this, but one of the relevant points is an offhanded comment from my mum. She said (translated into English): ‘Wei Wuxian has no face to show Jiang Cheng, because he broke his promise to stay by his side’ (1). For context, my mum grew up in a fairly traditional Asian household. They take their declarations of loyalty seriously (or at least, that is my impression).
I find this interesting, because when it comes to moral judgement, I (who grew up in the west, with a lot of western values) get far more hung up on the things WWX did, rather than some promise he made in his adolescence. Breaking a promise is not ideal, but in my books, doesn’t really count as a huge moral failing.
The point here is not to say anything about the ethics of promise breaking, but to illustrate a point. Different people have different values. Or one person can have conflicting values. There are many scenarios where it’s not possible to say with certainty what is right or wrong. This is moral ambiguity.
(Funnily enough, the issue that my dad took with WWX was the fact he was fiddling around with dead bodies, which was like… the least of my concerns, but then I realised that bodies have a lot of religious significance.)
What even is moral greyness?
There are two possible and equally valid definitions of moral greyness.
1. Characters who are not 100% evil or 100% good
2. Characters who do not fall into the categories of ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Note that definition 2 is a strictly stronger definition than definition 1. It is not that hard to argue that WWX does not fall under definition 2, in that he is somehow overall ‘good’. (I would also argue that MXTX encourages you to not think too hard about these dichotomies, particularly via SVSSS, but that’s a rabbit hole for another day.) It is also not that hard to argue WWX does fall under definition 1. Mainly because it’s quite hard not to breathe without falling under definition 1.
The Two Kinds of Uncertainty  
When it comes to ethical questions, there are two uncertainties you naturally run into. Firstly, uncertainty of the world, which comes from having imperfect information about the situation or consequences of any given action. Secondly, uncertainty around the underlying moral question. Is it okay to sacrifice few for the sake of many? Should we place more value on those close to us in comparison to a stranger?
Humanity has not figured out morality, and certainly not for a lack of trying. Standards change over time. We look at the behaviour of our ancestors just a few hundred years ago with no small amount of repugnance. Most likely, in a few hundred years’ time our descendants will do the same. This isn’t to pass judgement on anything or anybody, but to make an observation that there is nothing you can do in the world that doesn’t inherently come with moral ambiguity, because there is always uncertainty – both of the world and the morals you are applying. And wherever there is moral ambiguity, there is moral greyness (definition 1).
That being said, ‘everything is morally grey’ is not really a helpful statement. There are things that we (society today) generally agree on e.g. ‘killing someone for no reason is bad’ or ‘being nice to people is good’. So the argument I want to posit today is that WWX’s moral greyness goes beyond this in a substantial way.
The Uncertain Character of WWX
The Fundamental Principle of MXTX is that all narrators are unreliable. At the bloodbath of the Nightless City, did WWX kill 5000? 3000? Far fewer? Had WWX acted in a different way, could JYL’s death have been avoided? We’ll never know.
To add to this complexity is subtle shifts in canon depending on the adaptation. WWX tortures Wen Chao pretty brutally in the novel (and even if you hate him, it’s a bit ick). In cql, it ‘fades to black’. In the donghua it’s a nice quick stab. Then there’s all of the fiddling around they did with JGY depending on the adaptations, giving him more or less blame for the events. I’m not sure if ‘novel is the only canon’ is the correct way to go, mainly because adaptation!WWX is interesting to analyse in itself. I won’t explore this too deeply here, but something to keep in mind.
Anyway, I want to argue that WWX is morally grey, through commentary on a few elements of his character.
1. The Horrors of War
WWX does a lot of things that are somewhat eyebrow raising. You know, killing people and stuff. Now it has been pointed out plenty of times that his situation was unusual (it was war!). The moralities surrounding warfare are in itself complicated. A pacifist might argue that war is no excuse for violence, but even without going to such extremes, these days we appreciate that there are some actions that cannot be condoned, even during times of coflict – this is the notion of war crimes.
War crimes are a surprisingly modern thing (people started to care a lot after the atrocities of WWII). Medieval warfare was brutal. Anyway, these include things like ‘torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments’ and ‘wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages’. Note that while killing large numbers of enemy soldiers doesn’t fall under war crimes (although some methods of going about this do, like biological weapons), torture does, so that’s one strike against book!WWX. Now there is subtly in these things, because if you judged people by these standards for anything more than 200 years old, basically everyone is committing war crimes without thinking too hard about it. WWX did do a lot of arguably good things in the Sunshot Campaign (whatever good means in war) – he fought against the tyranny of the Wens and was one of the key things that shifted the tides towards victory. Without him, the world might have looked a lot darker. Whether these ‘goods’ weigh over the ‘bads’ is something to think about.
On a slightly softer note, weapons of mass destructions are another cause of serious discussion. Those involved in the Manhattan Project creating the first atomic bomb weren’t exactly all war criminals (moreover, many of them genuinely believed they were doing what was right and necessary) but the consequences of their actions are what they are. So while WWX made the Yin Tiger Talley as a method of deterrence and assurance, considering the consequences of its use and the potential for future misuse, here lies another moral ambiguity.
2. Intent vs Consequences
It’s fair to say that most of the time, WWX’s intentions were good. Whether it be to protect the weak, to stand up for justice, these are all things we can get behind. The consequences of his actions? Well, JYL is dead, as well as a bunch of other people, and most the Wens didn’t survive anyway. That’s a big oof.
Now most people don’t subscribe to the strongest version of consequentialism which judges whether something is right or wrong by its consequences only. As in, for one, it’s almost impossible to apply in practice because you can’t predict the consequences of your actions at the point at which you chose to do them. Case in point, most of the consequences of WWX’s actions weren’t wholly down to WWX and it’s difficult to say if there was anything at all that he could have done to lead to a better outcome. (Arguably, WWX should have tried harder to negotiate with the rest of the cultivation world instead of being a one-man army against them, but in that case, they might have just mowed down the Wens anyway.)
Then again, I think most people do subscribe to at least a weak form of consequentialism. No matter how good the intentions, no matter how righteous and commendable… if the outcome is bad, it’s hard to label those actions as ‘good’ (play pumps is an example if you want to look into how charities can do more harm than good).
I draw no conclusions here. It’s food for thought.
3. On Conflicting Values and Lose-Lose Scenarios
A lot of the above comes from applying modern ethics to a character in a world largely based on ‘Ancient China’ (the quotation marks from the fact Ancient China is several thousands years old and changes significantly over time). We do this all the time. Hell, people are still reimagining the Three Kingdoms and making commentary on the morality of Cao Cao (155-220). MDZS makes a lot of commentary on modern social issues (the ‘mob mentality’ of MDZS feels like Weibo/twitter lol), so viewing it through a modern lens makes sense.
But let’s put that aside for a second and return to my mum’s comment about WWX’s broken promise. By traditional values, family is important. In Confucianism, the Four Virtues are ‘loyalty’, ‘filial piety’, ‘continence’, and ‘righteousness’. To illustrate just how serious family was, in the conflict between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu at some point threatened to kill Liu Bang’s father. Then Liu Bang was like ‘we’re sworn brothers, so technically he’s your father too’, and Xiang Yu didn’t kill him, because it would be unfilial to do so. All this is to say, WWX turning his back on his sect and his family was a big deal. Equally, loyalty towards a superior was valued greatly, even towards eyebrow raising superiors.
But Confucianism also teaches the importance of things like ‘righteousness’ and ‘benevolence’. Throughout many dynasties, important people have cared a lot about the grievances of the masses. Bullying the weak and hoarding power unjustly is seen as one of the ultimate evils, a big reason for a leader to lose the Mandate of Heaven, thus becoming unfit to rule. Plenty of subordinates have stood up against the tyranny of their superiors. So WWX standing up to the evils of the Jin clan is highly commendable by these standards too.
Another thing is ‘paying back your benefactors’. In the west, although we do have concepts like ‘owing a life’, I don’t think it’s as strong??? This is also serious business. In the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao spared his enemy general Guan Yu, and later Guan Yu briefly fought for Cao Cao even though he was an enemy, in order to repay this debt. Wen Ning and Wen Qing saved WWX’s life and helped him when he was in need – WWX has a moral obligation to help them in return.
Thus we see WWX between a rock and hard place. Turn away from the Jiangs and he turns away from his family, and from someone he promised his loyalty to. But turn a blind eye to the treatment of the Wens, and he is a not only allowing evil to go unchallenged, but also abandoning his benefactors. The game is rigged. There is no right move here. Morally ambiguity -> moral greyness.
(Note: A lot of the previous two points can also be viewed from a 'traditional' lens. Mohism has been arguing about pacifism and universal love since 400BC. Taoism has many things to say about intervening in world affairs. Life has always been complicated, and while our language/framework may shift, many of the underlying questions remain.)
(Second note: my knowledge of Chinese philosophy is all the stuff I learnt in Saturday school+a few books/youtube videos aka. not a lot. Please call me out if I'm sprouting nonsense.)
Let’s wrap up
Tl;dr WWX is a morally grey character.
And I haven’t even started on what went down at the Nightless City, or how interesting (read: morally sus) his methods of murder were, or his fantastic takes on risk assessment.
Maybe he’s good overall. Maybe he’s a hero. But heroes too can be morally grey. That’s just a part of life.
1. This is really hard to translate actually, and I think the way I’ve written it makes sense but comes across stronger than it was. More literally it was ‘can’t raise his head towards’. It was sort of explaining why JC was giving WWX a lot of shit later on and WWX wasn’t arguing back, more in a sympathetic way rather than a critical way.
As usual, thank you for reading! Comments and criticism appreciated, but I may be significantly slower getting back because my brain is in svsss mode rn :)
23 notes · View notes
ultfreakme · 8 months
Text
Look I’m not going to say Jiang Cheng is not an absolute ass for deciding to lead the siege to Burial Mounds where he KNOWS only like a bunch of old people are there. BUT. They won’t have been fighting Wei Wuxian plus like 50 people. They’d be fighting Wei Wuxian’s corpse army which, btw, KILLED HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
and also:
Jiang Cheng thought Wei Wuxian had complete control of the corpses and had no reason until Nightless City to consider otherwise(this information that he learned while his sister was bleeding in his arms)
He has no clue when Wei Wuxian had control, and when he lost it, so for all he knows, Wei Wuxian was in perfect control when Jin Zixuan died and the whole Qiongqi path thing happened. That entire event is now personal for Jiang Cheng. His brother-in-law, his sister’s husband-- just died.
Then, in the middle of the confusing and messy fight in Nightless City, Jiang Yanli got hurt, in Jiang Cheng’s view BEACUSE of Wei Wuxian like he’s screaming at Wei Wuxian “I thought you could control this” and when he finally manages to gain some control, Jiang Yanli dies anyways.
Throughout his attempt at controlling the corpses, both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are scared for JYL, panicking, neither of them are in the right state of mind and WWX is trying to make things better, make this work, and he’s realizing he’s lost control but he can’t say that. This is his thing to fix so he says “I don’t know” and tries. But it isn’t enough.
So Jiang Cheng still doesn’t know the extent of Wei Wuxian’s control.
By the time the Burial Mound siege happens, Jiang Cheng is grieving, angry, most definitely being influenced by people like Jin Guangshan and Nie Mingjue’s discussions, and also has his personal grudges against Wei Wuxian because in his eyes, Wei Wuxian is why his sister and his brother-in-law are dead, and why is his nephew is an orphan. He also knows the kind of damage Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation can do.
So yeah, we the reader know that Burial Mound Wen remnants won’t cause any harm. We know they stand no chance and are innocent and they are being unfairly targeted when by all accounts the sects should’ve only aimed for Wei Wuxian by their dumbass logic that Wei Wuxian purposefully killed Jin Zixun and his lackeys with personal motives(once again, Jiang Cheng doesn’t know that event was a set-up for Wei Wuxian to be framed).
But after Nightless City, Burial Mounds + Wei Wuxian is seen as too powerful. All of the people leading the siege had different motivations. Jin Guangshan just wanted to get rid of the Wens and Wei Wuxian and Nie Mingjue has a personal grudges against the Wens for what happened to his family.
Jiang Cheng’s has little to do with the Wens and is almost entirely about Wei Wuxian. After Wei Wuxian’s death we know he has this obsession with demonic cultivators and specifically thinking Wei Wuxian is still alive. Burial Mound was all about his grief and mourning.
Was it right that he doesn’t give a shit about the Wens? Nope.
But he wasn’t marching in because he was gung-ho about torturing and destroying Wen remnant lives, like we have canon evidence where Jiang Cheng’s the type to kill and keep going. Wei Wuxian’s the ‘make the death linger and torture’ type. I doubt he gives a shit about them.
By this point even if Jiang Cheng thinks Wei Wuxian was losing control, he’s already labeled demonic cultivation as the absolute worst thing ever because it’s the reason why his remaining family got killed. This entire siege was about Wei Wuxian for Jiang Cheng.
And we know Jiang Cheng didn’t kill Wei Wuxian. The events surrounding the Burial Mound siege are so fragmented.
(side note: Jiang Cheng was there in nNghtless city when JGS was declaring they’re going to do the siege and people say ‘oh how dare Jiang cheng do nothing and condone this, how awful’. Lan Xichen was there, he was cool with it. So was Nie Mingjue. The first time this ‘let’s kill the Wens and wwx’ happened, it wasn’t solely a JC effort. It was a JGS thing. It only became a Yunmeng-Jin led siege when Jiang Yanli died, which of course it did a Jin heir and a hugely important Jiang died.)
I’m not saying Jiang Cheng was justified like you’ve gotta be an ass to go into the siege ready to kill innocents and what happened was a tragedy. He was also wrong in not trying to defend their lives in a moral sense. But the siege wasn’t just him hating wei wuxian for unjustified reasons, it was a tragic falling out built up throughout the book.
24 notes · View notes
crithir · 6 months
Note
what about transmigrating into jgy himself? say it's already post-sunshot
NOOOOO JGY 😭😭😭
Alright well assuming there’s no way I can bring JGY back and put myself back where I belong, the obvious goal is to survive, but I’m also going to do my best to accomplish JGY’s goals since he no longer can. And I’m going to win, because I have the benefit of foresight.
So first things first, I’m obviously not going to get involved with Qin Su. Not like that, anyway. I’m still going to keep her close, though, because I’m going to need a good relationship with Laoling Qin later. Since I have the benefit of seeing who she is 10 years down the line, I’m going to trust that she wouldn’t out or hurt someone she considers a friend, so I’m going to let her down gently by telling her that I’m a cutsleeve and that’s why I can’t return her affections. But Qin-guniang is still very dear to me and I would like to help ensure that she gets the love match she wants. I think she’ll be compassionate enough to keep my confidence and agree to remaining friends and allies.
I’m not intervening in SMS cursing Zixun to try to change much of the fallout from that. Not my circus, not my monkeys. I would still tell Zixuan about the ambush at Qiongqi path, because regardless of JGY’s feelings or intentions for doing that, the fact remains that Zixuan is the only person who had a shot of intervening there and changing the outcome. He was ignorant to JGS’s machinations to take down WWX so he had the power to broker peace without suffering consequences from JGS, and it was far more likely that Zixun and WWX would listen to Zixuan than to JGY because WWX should care about Zixuan if for no other reason than Yanli’s sake and Zixun respected Zixuan (meanwhile both of them outright ignored JGY when he tried to talk to them in the past, so). Of course it still didn’t work and wasn’t enough, but Zixuan was the best shot at a different outcome. Alas.
I would, however, at least attempt to stop JYL from running off to Nightless City, because it would be nice if Jin Ling gets to keep his mother. Maybe “someone” “accidentally” traps her in her room or something until it’s over.
Now the NMJ & JGS issue… this potentially is a lot harder. Since we’re assuming post-Sunshot here but not specifying exactly when, I’m going to assume I have the option to just not take in Xue Yang and go with that. I’m not taking in Xue Yang. Which doesn’t entirely solve the issue but it at least takes some of the immediate pressure off and buys me time. Because the thing is, NMJ & JGS both still gotta go. But without the Xue Yang issue I can probably go about thing differently. So, assuming nothing major happens that becomes the Xue Yang issue in another form, my plan is to take on playing the Song of Clarity for da-ge, no DJ JGY remix…but I’m not going to put much of any spiritual power into it. I’m a weak cultivator after all and I did my best uwu. Then wait for nature to take its course and make sure I’m nowhere near when the inevitable happens.
Now, on the off chance that something equivalent to the Xue Yang incident happened and forced me to be more proactive than purposefully negligent, I would have Turmoil in my back pocket and use it if needed. And if in that scenario, or even in the one outlined above if da-ge turned fierce corpse and came after me anyway… well. If I Turmoiled him, then he’s getting the chop chop, and because I am not bound by silly plot necessities all of those pieces are getting burned and the ashes scattered to the four winds. If I didn’t have to Turmoil him but he came after me anyway… then I’m calling er-ge in for help with the problem. Pretty confident he’d be able to find a way to put da-ge to rest.
Throwing a little side note in here about NHS before we move on to the JGS issue: if NMJ qi deviated to death just because of the saber curse running its course and my playing not being of much help, then I don’t think I have to worry about him much but I would still keep an eye on him. And under any of the other circumstances I would of course be keeping an eye on him as well… and the second he starts acting funny, he’s done. And the very convenient thing about NHS is that he seems to have a habit of getting drunk and very dramatically and publicly threatening suicide when he wants help with his problems. So if he one day turned up dead of apparent suicide… well, wasn’t he always saying things like that? No one ever took him seriously, but oh, we should have! I would even go so far as to take the blame for it… because just once, he caught me at a very bad time, and I was so stressed, and instead of helping him as I always do, I snapped at him. I told him I was tired of it and that he needed to stand up on his own and take care of his own problems for once. How I wish I could take those words back! It’s all my fault, and I will never forgive myself 😔
…. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but I’m ready if it does.
Anyway, it’s patricide time! Of course I’m not going to off JGS the way JGY did because yikes. But I have ammo that he didn’t have, because I haven’t damned myself with accidental incest, so there’s nothing stopping me from driving a wedge between JGS and Qin Cangye and benefitting from the fallout. How to do that? By surreptitiously revealing what JGS did to Madam Qin (icky, I know, but it must be done). Either I wait for her to die like she did in canon and then forge a deathbed letter from her to be found by Qin Cangye, or if she doesn’t die as she does in canon (because she’s not heartbroken by her daughter’s marriage? unclear) then I’ll have to forge a letter by a made up anonymous witness. A servant or something. Idk. Either way, the point is that JGS’s secret is out, and Qin Cangye will presumably want justice. Revenge. Whatever you want to call it. Ideally there would be a public spectacle about it, but regardless, I now have to walk a tightrope playing both filial son and peacemaker while goading them toward the outcome I want: a duel. So I will have to convince Qin Cangye that he cannot try to start a war against JGS. My father is too powerful, they’ll be crushed, wiped out. But if he publicly challenges JGS to a duel, it will spare lives from both sects and JGS will have to accept if he wants to save face. At the same time, I’ll be working on JGS, suggesting that he accept the duel and doubtless get rid of Qin Cangye, and then he can do as he wishes with the rest of the traitor clan. Wipe them out or play magnanimous, sparing them despite the lies and treason of their sect leader.
So assuming they both agree to resolve this with a duel, QCY to spare his clansmen and JGS to save his face and pride, the duel is sure to be a public spectacle as well. And I, ever the filial son, will of course be with my father before the duel. I will even take responsibility for thoroughly cleaning his sword before the duel. And if his sword happens to break during the duel, leading to his demise… it must be the will of the heavens. Proof of his guilt! It certainly couldn’t be that his son used a little trick he learned from an old master and tampered with the sword before he presented it to his father >:)
Now of course we’ll need time to mourn Jin Guangshan, but not before his grieving son swears to Qin Cangye that this is the end of it. That there will be no retribution or aggression from Lanling Jin, and that they will even pay any sort of reparations he might demand. Of course, the best way to ensure that I can keep this promise is if I have his support in succeeding JGS as sect leader. I will even put every effort toward finding a good and advantageous match for Qin Su, as a gesture of goodwill.
Of course I already have the support of Lan as well, and I’m sure er-ge is very proud of the tactful and gracious way I handled such a distasteful affair—preventing more war and bloodshed while still upholding my duties to my father. The Nie are in the bag, little sway as they hold now with NMJ gone. Jiang support is easily secured by pledging to Jiang Cheng that I have no intention of marrying and producing heirs, that Jin Ling will remain my sole heir and that I will abdicate in his favor when he comes of age. He can even keep Jin Ling with him for half the year, if I am Jin-zongzhu and in the position to grant that :)
And so as in canon, with the Jin sect knowing that I have the support of and good relationships with the other great sects plus the support of various Jin vassal sects like Laoling Qin and Moling Su, I’m succeeding to sect leader of Lanling Jin. And eventually, elected xiandu.
And I am building three thousand watchtowers. And erecting a temple with a Guanyin carved in Meng Shi’s image (I’ll just buy out the brothel and tear it down the normal way though).
As for my promise to find an advantageous match for Qin Su… I hear Jiang-zongzhu needs a wife. And it just so happens that my meimei has all of the qualities even the most particular of men could want in a wife. I know he will be fiercely loyal to her even if he’s prickly around the edges, and I know she’ll win his heart before long. Lotus Pier will have heirs, and Jin Ling will have cousins.
And then there is Mo Xuanyu! Oh, what to do about Mo Xuanyu. Well again, because I haven’t accidentally committed incest, I have a little more leeway in how to handle Mo Xuanyu here. But I still can’t afford to have any scandals going on. So before anything gets too far, I’m going to send him to Su Minshan to live as a guest disciple of Moling Su. This way he’ll be safe and treated well but away from direct contact with me, with the added benefit that I can keep an eye on him through Minshan. And yeah, that necessarily means WWX is never coming back.
Last but never least and most certainly first in my heart—Lan Xichen. We’re going to live a long and happy life together. Sworn brothers, best friends, partners in cultivating a better future for the jianghu. And of course, lovers, but the rest of the world doesn’t need to know about that. They’ll write songs about us and our devotion to each other regardless.
I think it’s what JGY would have wanted.
12 notes · View notes
bloody-bee-tea · 1 year
Text
24 Days of Mingcheng 2022 Day 17 - Lunch
This story is courtesy of a prompt from indiw which was as follows: add to the punching JFM tag -  only this time it is JC punching him, YZY giving immediate alibi and shaming JYL and WWX (and LWJ?) into agreement, over NMJ’s honor.   NHS has recordings and receipts for future blackmail purposes and is waiting, when JFM wakes up.  Maybe YZY, JYL, and WWX (and LWJ? ) are also present.
It's not exactly like that but I hope you still enjoy it!
Jiang Cheng doesn’t want to be doing this. He can imagine a thousand different things he would rather be doing that bring Nie Mingjue to lunch with his family and going to the dentist to have a root canal treatment still ranks pretty high up there compared to this.
“It will be fine,” Nie Mingjue tries to reassure him as they are getting ready and Jiang Cheng shakes his head.
“I will not be fine. Nothing about this will be fine. Mom has been strange for a while now, Wei Wuxian will be as annoying as ever, Yanli will only try to keep the peace when it’s for Wei Wuxian’s sake and my father—” He trails off here because there are not actually words for how badly his father is going to behave.
“You know nothing he says about you is right, correct, my heart?” Nie Mingjue carefully ventures and Jiang Cheng lets out a sharp breath.
“I know. I’m not worried about what he’ll say to me,” he then admits because he has long made his peace with the fact that his father is a neglectful, abusive asshole and that it’s not actually his fault. That also means that there is nothing he can do to change his father’s opinion of him, though, and it had taken Jiang Cheng quite a few therapy sessions to not only accept but also come to terms with that.
“Then what?” Nie Mingjue wants to know, taking Jiang Cheng’s hand in his own.
“I’m worried what he’ll say to you,” Jiang Cheng tells him. “I doubt he’ll be on his best behaviour today, it’s only family after all, and he’s not going to hold back. He’ll casually insult me but also you, if only by proxy and I might just be fed up enough with him that I am not going to let that stand.”
“You’re worried you’ll start a fight?”
“Well, it’s not really like you can start a fight with my father, he’s way too infuriatingly calm for that somehow. But I will want to and it’s not going to end pretty.”
“Did you talk today through with your therapist?” Nie Mingjue asks him with a smile because he knows Jiang Cheng way too well already.
“Of course I did,” he huffs out in reply. “She told me to simply do and say what feels best for me, with no regard for him since he doesn’t have any regard for me, either. It seems like sound advice but it could also backfire horribly.”
“You will be fine,” Nie Mingjue reassures him, leaning in for a quick kiss. “If things do escalate, I am still there as well after all. And I have your back, no matter what.”
It’s nice to know that Jiang Cheng has someone on his side who is there unconditionally but it might not be helpful for this evening. There are still so many ways today could mean he breaks with his family and despite all the therapy and all of Nie Mingjue’s love, he’s not sure if he’s ready for that.
“Let’s just get it over with. I’m glad it’s only lunch, though, because that means no matter what happens, we get to end the day on a nice note.”
“Yeah, I wondered about that. You usually have dinners right?”
“My mother planned this. I don’t know what’s up with her lately, she’s been a bit strange. Last week she told me to take care when we said goodbye on the phone and that never happened. I wonder if she’s sick.”
“Or maybe she just realized how awesome you are,” Nie Mingjue gives back and even though Jiang Cheng’s doubts it was meant to make him laugh, he can’t help it.
“Yeah, right,” he mutters but follows Nie Mingjue outside when he leaves for their car.
The car ride is over way too quickly and Jiang Cheng stares at the house, dread pooling in his gut. It’s going to be awful, he can already tell.
“Stop frowning, we haven’t even gone in yet,” Nie Mingjue chides him and Jiang Cheng heaves out a deep breath.
“Fine, fine,” he sighs out and makes a conscious effort to relax his face.
“Better,” Nie Mingjue decides and then kisses Jiang Cheng between the eyes because of course there must still be a furrow.
Jiang Cheng doesn’t even know if his face can do completely relaxed but he’s not about to ask Nie Mingjue that, at least not right now.
He braces himself before he goes to knock on the door and he’s not surprised when his mother practically yanks the door open.
“You’re—” she starts but then cuts herself off and that alone makes Jiang Cheng frown again. “I’m happy you’re here,” she then says instead and Jiang Cheng fights the urge to reach out and take her temperature.
“Hello, mom,” he says and then tugs on Nie Mingjue’s sleeve. “This is Nie Mingjue, my boyfriend.”
“It’s nice to meet you in this capacity now,” Nie Mingjue says with a slight bow and Jiang Cheng watches his mother open her mouth, close it again, visibly re-arrange whatever she wanted to say and then try again with: “It’s nice to finally meet you, Wanyin has been talking quite a lot about you, recently.”
It’s almost nice coming from his mother and Jiang Cheng tries his best to keep the confusion off his face.
Something must surely be going on here; maybe it will be a big family announcement that will leave Jiang Cheng devastated and Yu Ziyuan is just trying to soften the blow or something. Jiang Cheng wouldn’t put it past his family, after all.
“Do come in, lunch is almost ready,” Yu Ziyuan tells them and ushers them into the house with the same impatient gestures she always uses and now this Jiang Cheng can recognise.
“Don’t be fooled, she’s not normally this nice,” Jiang Cheng whispers as Nie Mingjue and he take their shoes off and Nie Mingjue shrugs.
“But it’s nice for now, isn’t it?” he asks and Jiang Cheng has to admit that it kind of is.
If only he wouldn’t be waiting for the other shoe to drop. But he can’t trust this yet and so he keeps his guard up at all times.
“Let’s just see how the rest of the day goes,” Jiang Cheng whispers and leads Nie Mingjue into the dining room.
His family is already there, milling around the room and Jiang Cheng briefly presses his lips together when he realizes that neither Jiang Yanli nor Wei Wuxian have brought their respective partners.
It seems as if his family wanted to make sure that all the scrutiny is on Nie Mingjue today.
“Just great,” Jiang Cheng bitterly mutters under his breath and Nie Mingjue briefly squeezes his hand.
“I can deal with that. I have dealt with worse,” he reassures him, clearly coming to the same conclusion Jiang Cheng has and while Jiang Cheng knows that Nie Mingjue is more than capable of dealing with a bit of scrutiny, he simply wishes he didn’t have to in this setting.
“I know,” Jiang Cheng sighs out and then forces a smile on his face when Jiang Yanli notices them.
“A-Cheng, how nice to see you,” she says and flutters her hands around Jiang Cheng’s from as if she wanted to fix something. “And Mingjue as well, how nice, how nice,” she babbles and Jiang Cheng’s worry instantly doubles.
His sister is never one for babbling and she’s also not someone who refuses to make eye-contact but she’s doing it today.
Something must be up.
“Ah, Chengcheng, you brought your mountain of a man,” Wei Wuxian also calls out at that moment and Jiang Cheng takes a deep breath at that.
It’s not technically an insult—yet—because Nie Mingjue is huge but to say it to his face? That’s more than tactless in Jiang Cheng’s opinion.
“Wei Wuxian,” Yu Ziyuan chides him almost immediately and even though her voice isn’t as cutting as they are all used to from her Wei Wuxian still shrinks back.
“My lady,” Jiang Fengmian reprimands Yu Ziyuan almost instantly and Jiang Cheng isn’t sure if he wants to sit down for lunch first before they start with the fighting or if he’d rather get it over with.
It’s not like it’s in his hands anyway, but it’s nice to think about the different possibilities if only to tune everything out.
“Well, are you simply going to let him speak like that to our guest?” Yu Ziyuan wants to know and Nie Mingjue darts a quick look at Jiang Cheng.
He only shrugs in answer though, because it’s not as if he has any control over this. And it is along the lines of what he told Nie Mingjue to expect from this lunch.
“It wasn’t meant like that, and besides. He’s right, isn’t he? Mingjue is rather—huge,” Jiang Fengmian says, eying Nie Mingjue up and down and his gaze is so judging, Jiang Cheng immediately feels like apologizing to Nie Mingjue.
He seems to simply shrug it off though, because he extends his hand towards Jiang Fengmian.
“Thank you for inviting me,” he says and he almost sounds sincere, which is quite the feat, in Jiang Cheng’s opinion.
“Yeah, we’re required to meet any new partners at least once, right?” Jiang Fengmian gives back as he takes Nie Mingjue’s hand and Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes at him.
“You’re going to meet him a lot more often, though, because I’m planning on keeping him,” Jiang Cheng says and he fights the urge to take a step back when his mother honest to god smiles at him.
“That is nice to hear, that you’re intending to make this work out,” she says and again, it’s just this shy of a compliment that it leaves Jiang Cheng a little bit floundering.
“Is it, though?” Jiang Fengmian muses, critically eying Nie Mingjue up again. “We all know about the temper problems of the Nie. I’m not sure we need any more of that in our family.”
It’s a clear side blow at Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Cheng, and honestly, Jiang Cheng couldn’t care less because he damn well knows he’s never going to change his father’s perspective of him, but for him to insult Nie Mingjue like that? Jiang Cheng can’t let that stand.
He’s just about to open his mouth when Nie Mingjue puts a steadying hand to the small of his back, slightly shaking his head at him. Jiang Cheng would love nothing more than to argue with him about that, but he presses his lips together instead.
Fine, if Nie Mingjue doesn’t want him defending his honour, then so be it.
“I think I have my temper just as well under control as Wanyin does,” Nie Mingjue gives back with a smile but of course Jiang Fengmian only huffs at him.
“So not at all, of course,” he says as if that is to be expected.
“Father,” Jiang Cheng says, his voice carrying a warning that is clearly lost on Jiang Fengmian. “He is a guest here, today,” he reminds him and Jiang Fengmian gives him his blandest smile.
“Of course he is. Thankfully only today, though, because you won’t be seeing him again after this,” he then declares and silence falls over the room.
“Fengmian,” Yu Ziyuan snaps out, her voice now carrying the bite Jiang Cheng was almost missing. “How dare you dictate who your son is seeing?”
“When it’s someone so wholly unsuitable as him, I exercise that right, of course.”
“Of course,” Yu Ziyuan huffs out mockingly. “But when Zixuan made your daughter cry several times and in public even, that was fine. And when Wangji almost molests Wei Wuxian at the dinner table, with no regards to social propriety, that’s also fine, am I right? No need to interfere there, but here you think you can tell your son what to do?”
“I can and I will,” Jiang Fengmian says. “Nie Mingjue has a reputation as a brutish and violent man and I will not stand for that in my household.”
“What you mean to say is that he pulverized the cooperation proposal you sent to him because it was entirely bullshit and you can’t deal with that,” Yu Ziyuan sums up and if Jiang Cheng wasn’t so angry on Nie Mingjue’s behalf he would laugh at the fact that his mother basically just called his father childish.
“Father, please think about what you’re going to say next because I will not allow you to speak like that about my boyfriend,” Jiang Cheng now chimes in as well even though Nie Mingjue is still motioning for him to stay quiet.
But Jiang Cheng will not stand for this; what kind of boyfriend would he even be if he allowed this?
“Wanyin, you will not be seeing him again,” Jiang Fengmian says again and Jiang Cheng clenches his hands to fists.
“You do not get to decide that,” he presses out. “You haven’t cared about my life before this, and you certainly don’t get to care about it now. So either you shut up right now, or you won’t like the consequences.”
“A-Cheng, please, don’t be rash,” Jiang Yanli soothingly says and steps in between Jiang Cheng and Jiang Fengmian. “There is no need to fight.”
“Oh, there absolutely is, if he thinks he can just say these things about Mingjue. You wouldn’t stand for it if he said those things about Zixuan.” He looks over at Wei Wuxian. “Or Lan Wangji, for that matter.”
“Ah, but Chengcheng, it’s all just in good faith, right? Aren’t you happy that Uncle Fengmian is worried about you?”
“Why would I be happy about that if he tries to paint my perfectly nice boyfriend as a violent man?” Jiang Cheng wants to know because he logic escapes him here.
“But he is exactly that,” Jiang Fengmian says, a small, confused frown on his face as if he couldn’t possibly understand how Jiang Cheng can’t see the truth. “We have all seen him with his brother after all.”
At that Nie Mingjue flinches slightly and Jiang Cheng immediately steps closer to press their arms together. Nie Huaisang is a bit of a sore topic for Nie Mingjue; even though they are mending their relationship as best as they can, there have been some things said between them that will need time to heal.
“That is enough,” Yu Ziyuan almost yells but of course Jiang Fengmian is completely unimpressed.
“She is right. One more word about this and you won’t like the consequences,” Jiang Cheng says as well and he is fully prepared to punch his father in the face should he say one more word on this topic.
“He’s probably abusing you just as he is abusing his brother,” Jiang Fengmian says despite the clear warnings and that’s it.
Jiang Cheng darts forward, his fist connecting with the side of Jiang Fengmian’s face and when he crumbles to the floor Jiang Cheng doesn’t even feel bad about it.
“A-Cheng!” Jiang Yanli yells out, rushing forward to Jiang Fengmian’s side and Wei Wuxian steps between them as if he needs to shield Jiang Fengmian from Jiang Cheng.
“How could you?” Jiang Yanli asks, her voice shaky and her eyes glistening with tears but before Jiang Cheng can find his voice, Yu Ziyuan steps in.
“I should hope that both of you would have done the same if anyone accused your spouses of abuse,” she sternly tells them. “If not, I would urge you to think about the consequences even such a rumour could have on your lives. Now, call him an ambulance if he needs one, or let him lay there for all that I care but I will see my son and his partner out now. You better have excuses ready for why you didn’t step up for your brother when I come back,” she says and then turns around to Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng.
“Come on, this was entirely unpleasant and you shouldn’t have to stay here,” she says, herding them towards the entrance.
Nie Mingjue looks a bit pale around the nose, so Jiang Cheng follows along without much complaint but once they are at the door he can’t help but to ask: “Mom, are you alright?”
Her behaviour is still strange and in all honesty it makes Jiang Cheng worry that something might be wrong with her.
“Everything is fine, my child,” she says and Jiang Cheng thinks he’s never heard her voice this soft. “I—have been attending therapy for a while now. I know there is a lot I have to make up for, but I would like to try. If you are amenable to that.”
“You’re going to therapy?” Jiang Cheng blurts out because he expected a lot but not that.
“Yes. When you moved out it was so clear that you didn’t expect anything from us—no help, no money, nothing—and it rubbed me the wrong way,” Yu Ziyuan admits. “After that I started to notice all the little things that have been going wrong in your life thanks to us so I talked to a good friend of mine and she advised me to talk to someone professional about this. It helps, at least I like to think that it does.”
“Wow,” Jiang Cheng breathes out.
“I would like to—well, make it up to you sounds as if this can be fixed, but I at least would like to try to build a proper relationship with you,” she says and it sounds so awkward that Jiang Cheng shudders.
Plus, he’s not completely convinced he can believe her.
“Lunch, once a month. You can prove how sincere you are then,” he decides even as he guides Nie Mingjue to put on his shoes.
He does so, but his moves are mechanical and Jiang Cheng worries.
“Sure. Now get your man home, he doesn’t seem so well.”
“He’s not. But thank you. And father—”
“Would do well to keep his mouth shut in the future,” Yu Ziyuan immediately says, much to Jiang Cheng’s amusement.
“Alright. Bye, mom,” he calls over his shoulder as he ushers Nie Mingjue towards the car.
“Bye, my son,” she calls after him and Jiang Cheng hates to admit it, but it makes him happy to hear her like that.
“My heart, are you alright?” he asks Nie Mingjue once they are in the car and Nie Mingjue slowly breathes out.
“I am not abusing you or my brother,” he then says and Jiang Cheng is quick to agree.
“You are not. Do you want me to call Huaisang?”
“I—yes, please,” Nie Mingjue slowly says and Jiang Cheng gets his phone out immediately, dialling the number and putting him on speaker before he even picks up.
“A-Cheng, hello,” Nie Huaisang cheerfully greets him but Jiang Cheng is not about to beat around the bush here.
“We just had a bit of a situation at lunch with my parents,” he explains and Nie Huaisang’s soft “Oh, oh,” is barely audible over the speaker. “My father accused Mingjue of abusing both of us.”
“Oh dear,” Nie Huaisang sighs out. “Is he there?” he then asks and Jiang Cheng hands the phone over to Nie Mingjue.
“Didi,” he breathes out. “I’m sorry.”
“There is nothing you have to apologize for. You never abused me. We both said some pretty hurtful shit when we had our fight but you never abused me, do you hear me?”
“I hear you,” Nie Mingjue whispers out and Jiang Cheng reaches over to take his hand.
“But do you believe me?” Nie Huaisang wants to know and then curses when Nie Mingjue stays silent. “Alright, change of plans, you two come here. Did you eat lunch? Doesn’t matter, you’ll do it again. I expect you in twenty,” he tells them and then hangs up on them.
“See, he doesn’t sound upset and he wouldn’t invite you over if he felt unsafe in your presence,” Jiang Cheng soothingly tells Nie Mingjue who seems to finally start to believe him.
“Alright,” he says with a nod and Jiang Cheng leans over to press a kiss to his brow.
“Good. Now let’s have an actual nice lunch and not whatever the hell this was.”
“Did you—punch your father for me?” Nie Mingjue suddenly asks. “And did your mother say she’s been going to therapy?”
Jiang Cheng allows himself a small laugh at that.
“Yes, to both. The former, especially, was very cathartic.”
“I can imagine,” Nie Mingjue wryly says and Jiang Cheng knows he will be okay when he smiles slightly at that.
Jiang Fengmian’s remark hit a very sore spot for Nie Mingjue but Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang will make sure to show him exactly how much they love him, no matter how much Nie Mingjue sometimes worries.
Nie Mingjue’s and Nie Huaisang’s relationship might have been bad once upon a time, for various reasons, but they both want to change that and are working so hard on it.
Jiang Cheng is just happy to support them both through that and if that includes punching his idiot father—well, he’s happy to do it again any time.
Tip me
25 notes · View notes
jiangwanyinscatmom · 2 years
Note
Thank you for bringing up the soup incident, I still can’t get over how that all went. I know people say WWX overreacted, but I think it was justified with the shit JZX was saying was making JYL cry. It’s no wonder he didn’t trust them alone together when he saw JYL with JZX during the night hunt competition before the confession thing happened. JZX gets better, but even with the confession he was a bit of an a** about it.
I feel this scene is used far to much by certain Jin Zixuan stans in his favor, when we were never meant to feel sorry, pity, or understanding for him as a character deeply. Call it my fandom pet peeve, but when the focus is placed on a woman's hurt feelings that are valid, and skewed by it's audience towards the man that is aggressively hurtful and cruel, it get me personally annoyed and angered. It's misogyny, pure and simple to try to make excuses for a man that was no longer held by anything towards her, and saying his vitriol is still justified.
We are not supposed to take Jin Zixuan's side during that incident, because he was insulting and crass towards Jiang Yanli, using the guise of worrying about a servant girl's hard work being stolen, while demeaning her as well as the one she calls brother by yet again, calling him a servant. It is hypocrisy and cruelty all to take his own anger out on a simple kind act. All because he himself refuses to see Jiang Yanli as nothing other than someone he wants to hate.
No, I do not blame Wei Wuxian for being weary about his sudden advances of interest. This also interestingly mirrors the hurts that Lan Xichen claims Wei Wuxian later put upon Lan Wangji. He is a sibling as well wanting to protect the sister he loves. So, why is one okay, over the other within many fandom spaces when it is brothers protecting each other, but when it is a brother protecting a sister, both are overreacting or deserved to be mistreated continuously?
There is a deeply imbedded internal misogyny with analysis for Jiang Yanli, mostly always mocked that she is a traditional woman in her setting that doesn't rock the boat. All while forgetting that this work deals with the multiple prejudices of those that step out of the roles they have, and a lot of times find solace after a lot of hard work only, and at a sacrifice to their public reputations for that change.
24 notes · View notes
chaotic---calm · 9 months
Note
Hi! So, I've been debating sending another ask to continue the conversation or not, mostly because despite wanting to, all I could think of was a lot of "*SQUEAL*" and "EXACTLY!" and "AHDSHHS I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED THAT!", with all the energy of a sugar-hypped child. So, after putting down your answer and coming back to it a bit calmer, I can finally point something that I can make into a proper conversation: the topic of LQR.
I have to tell you, I was so surprised when you mentioned having thought of making him side with the elders! It's not that I haven't seen him characterized as an antagonist (mostly in WWX/WangXian-centered fics), but somehow I didn't consider him facing against LXC here. In a way, I understand, he's a traditionalist through and through, which naturally points to perpetuating gender roles. And yet I believe so wholeheartedly in his love for his nephews (nevermind if that love is perfect, it isn't, but neither is JC's to JL and that doesn't make it less all encompassing, though obviously the next generation intentionally tries hard to be better than the previous one and it shows —I always think of the LQR/Jiang parents-LWJ/JC parallels, but they can be cross examinated too), that I think this version of him suits him better. I think the difference for LQR lies in the fact that LXC cannot choose to not be an omega and LQR knows it, while I think he never understands that LWJ doesn't choose to be gay, and certainly standing by WWX is a choice LWJ makes, and the choice is what LQR disapproves of, I think.
I also think it curious that LQR is a beta here, the dynamics of him parenting and omega LXC and alpha LWJ make me really curious (add the fact of o!LXC being not just older than a!LWJ but also the future head —as opposed to JYL being eldest but not in the line of succession, planting her firmly in the caregiver position— and the family structure and power dynamics across the years must have been quite something). It surely helps him sympathize with LXC, though the fact that he gets mistreated by the elders makes me wonder about gender demographics. How rare or common are each gender? Are all the elders alphas? Sounds… weird. How are elders appointed? If by bloodline, it sounds ridiculous that there wouldn't be any betas (maybe not omegas since they get female-coded sexism —speaking of which, what about female alphas? where do they fit here?—, but at least betas, since surely some families don't get lucky with getting an alpha in the first or even second try, like some people get four daughters and no sons). If they get appointed by picking from between the disciples, who does the picking? Why are they not choosing non-alphas (besides sexism)?
Adgagd I said I wanted to talk about something, but then I couldn't help moving the conversation somewhere else, sorry, I'm so easily sidetracked. Anyway, the main point of this ask (besides pointing out my thoughts on LQR) is to say thank you! I'm really happy that you enjoy my rambling comments and are okay giving me such nice answers. I've been ignored before and once got something like "wow that's 700+ words" and nothing more, it totally broke my heart, so it's really reassuring when you're so enthusiastic (even when the last ask was far longer than 700 words, or twice that). Yeah , thank you for being so nice! *sending bunny hugs if you want them* - S.D.P. 🐰💛
Hey! Good to hear from you again. As a quick aside, your first two asks have both led people to come looking for my story because they were intrigued by what you were saying and how excited you were about the story, so thank you so much for that! 💜
LQR is an interesting character, particularly to me. I think the logic you wrote out regarding the way he would differently approach this situation and the way he approached LWJ/WWX is spot on. Something that can’t be controlled versus a choice (or a perceived choice, as far as LQR not understanding that sexuality isn’t a choice) is a big determining factor for his characterization. And I also think that’s why, in the end, it didn’t feel right to me to make him an antagonist here; it just didn’t feel true to character. Now, comparatively, I have a different short story I wrote that was after the Guanyin Temple incident where it’s revealed that LXC is pregnant with JGY’s baby, and the elders and LQR are all upset about it. Their stance and expectations are extreme, but again, his unwillingness to side with LXC in that moment stems from not understanding the choice to fall in love with someone like JGY, and a refusal/inability to see LXC’s alternative perspective where all he saw was the genuine love that JGY treated him with.
Like I’ve said about LQR earlier, he’s a bit difficult for me to figure out when writing in stories because I’m admittedly a little biased against him, but just because of my own personal experiences. He reminds me a lot of people I know who are very set in traditionalist mindsets who are bigoted or unwilling to become more progressive as the world changes and as we learn new things. And his extreme stern strictness reminds me of aspects of how I was raised, like not being allowed to ever “talk back” (re: try to express my own feelings and look for middle ground). But, I did read an important post one time talking about how cultural differences were important to remember too, and that from an eastern perspective, LQR’s actions aren’t nearly so awful as they can seem from a western perspective, which is true as well.
The gender demographics…are definitely not something I probably thought about enough before starting this story, lol. So far, we’ve really only seen a lot of focus on the Lan sect. For their sect, all of the elders are alpha. I’ve always figured that the positions of elders, if not elected per se, were at least appointed positions where those in power got to choose who held that position, much like how in the U.S. the Supreme Court isn’t an elected position, it’s positions appointed by whichever president is in power at the time a new spot needs to be filled. It’s a flawed system that allows for party favoritism (insofar as my understanding of politics; please, no one come at me in the comments, I’m not in the mood). In regards to the Lan Sect, they lean hard into gender stereotypes, so the alphas hold the power and feel they should continue holding power, and so they keep putting more alphas into positions of power rather than considering betas or omegas. Other sects are different. I feel like the Nies are primarily alpha but do include betas. The Jins have included all three in the past, but JGS is a gross bitch, so omegas in particular tend to be leery of working close to him. The Jiangs have had the best mix in the past, largely due to the influence of JC’s mother who was omega but not at all stereotypical, and even more so now that JC is rebuilding his sect, as there’s a noticeable majority of betas and omegas more willing to follow a “damaged” alpha compared with alphas. Honestly, the way I’m writing this is leaning onto those stereotypes just as much; I guess I’m just a little bit more invested in or focused on the relationship between JC and LXC than the overall politics and social situation, lol. But yeah, that’s kind of how I’ve got it all explained/organized in my own head.
To answer your other questions, female alphas are less common than male alphas, but they do exist and are generally treated similarly as other alphas. As far as line of succession for families, alphas are preferred, betas are accepted, and omegas are expected to marry out. Perhaps what some sects will do is if a first-in-line heir presents beta, they are considered the interim heir unless a younger sibling presents alpha. The Lans could have chosen that option, but even before presenting, LWJ was showing signs of not being good for leadership in comparison to LXC, so they chose to lie rather than be honest. And it bit them in the ass.
lolol. So, in regards to how many words you wrote last time, it was around 2500! I put it into my word processor to check—not because I thought it was bad, mind you!—but because I was absolutely astounded that anyone could find my writing so engaging as to have so much to say about it. You’re a rock star, and I really appreciate you.
On a side note, I’m sorry you’ve not had the best reception with other times you’ve reached out to other authors. While some people might just be assholes, my guess is that most aren’t. I know a lot of fanfic writers don’t respond to commenters at all or very in depth. Sometimes it’s because they just don’t have the time, and sometimes it’s because they don’t feel comfortable engaging with strangers, and sometimes it’s just because they feel uncomfortable gushing about their own work. Whatever the case may be, I do have experience from your side of things as well; I also tend to be a big loquacious, especially when I’m excited about something, so comments like yours don’t faze me in the slightest. 💜
Also! As long as I keep my shit together, Chapter 3 should be coming out later today, so keep an eye out for it! 😁
(Including a link to the story here and in future responses to asks from you to help out anyone who might be interested in reading it after our conversations: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48148945)
3 notes · View notes
llycaons · 6 months
Text
im just going to make a complication post for it: this fic btw
His brother is excellent at small talk, at making people feel at ease, at saying the right thing at the right time. Lan Wangji, for his part, is excellent at silence, at staring at people until they feel uncomfortable enough to leave the room, and at reciting rules – in short, he is a model member of Gusu Lan and as such definitely not fit for public appearances.
so true he IS good at all that
Wei Wuxian proudly presented a self-drawn family portrait to his sister, who was thrilled and promised to hang it up in the main reception hall. When Jin Zixuan walked past it hours later, he saw that the picture showed his beautiful wife, their beautiful son, his two brothers in law, and a peacock. The peacock had a vermillion dot between its eyes.
oh this is hysterical. imagine jyl actually going along with that
“Say da-jiu. Can you say da-jiu? Da-jiu. Da-jiu. No? Let’s try Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian. Really, nothing? Aiyo, we’ve been at this for so long now and you still insist on staying silent? I’m very disappointed in you. Hey, say Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan. Say Lan Zhan. Think of his face when he hears you say that. Think of Jin Zixuan’s face when he hears you say that! Do it for da-jiu. Look how simple it is. Lan Zhan!”
wwx WOULD teach his nephew to saw lwj's name
Can you believe he hasn’t said a single word yet?” “He’s two months old,” Jin Zixuan bites out. “Shijie was already speaking in full sentences at that age,” Wei Wuxian says with the confidence of someone who hasn’t actually met Jiang Yanli until she was eleven. “Must be your side of the family, I suppose.”
WHAT A DICK
But if he stays behind, then how can he know for sure that this event serves as the romantic bonding time he has planned? He knows that Wei Wuxian is a skilled cultivator...His attention won’t be captured by someone with lesser skills, he needs a match, someone who can keep the ever-fleeting interest of someone as scatter-brained as Wei Wuxian. Zewu-jun would have provided a pool of calm to Wei Wuxian’s restlessness, but even Nie Mingjue, for all his anger and intensity, has something solid about him. People look at him and see a man who will not yield for anyone. Jin Zixuan hopes that Wei Wuxian will look at him slay monsters today and see a man who will make for a good husband and a demanding, yet gentle lover.
I CAN'T
Wei Wuxian is sitting cross-legged on the mossy grass and appears to be weaving together the stems of several dandelions, occasionally throwing some of the petals in Lan Wangji’s direction, who steadfastly ignores him in his muted conversation with Nie Mingjue... They both look over at the rest of their group, where Wei Wuxian has finished his flower crown and is presenting it to Lan Wangji with a little flourish. Lan Wangji gazes down at it, then turns back to Nie Mingjue, who’s watching this display intently. Physically incapable of accepting defeat, Wei Wuxian now tries to deposit the dandelion crown on Lan Wangji’s head anyway; Lan Wangji takes one step to the side. Wei Wuxian changes tactics and makes a grab for Lan Wangji’s hand, equally unsuccessful. Wei Wuxian has finally given up and lets the wreath drop to the ground between them, his sulk visible even several metres away. He starts walking over to them, and in the background, Jin Zixuan sees Lan Wangji bow down to pick the crown back up, tucking it into his sleeve,
typical
“There is no shame in weakness,” he says, vaguely recalling his uncle’s advice. “There is only shame in failing to try.” “Um,” Nie Huaisang says.
help
Wei Wuxian still doesn’t understand boundaries, because he immediately invites Lan Wangji along – and, of course, he’s really obnoxious about it. “Of course, I’ll come to Qinghe,” Wei Wuxian says, eyes bright with the promise of adventure. “It’ll be nice, won’t it, Lan Zhan? Get a bit of a break from everyday sect life.”
he just assumes lwj will be there with him...
2 notes · View notes
lansplaining · 3 months
Note
Protagonist-centric readers will do anything but admit that their MCs did lie and impact other characters' decisions. It's not the side-characters fault that they did not know the whole truth because *drum roll* they weren't told anything and/or was deliberately lied to.
LQQ being hated bc he impaled XL in a coffin for a long time but like... XL admitted to killing the King of Yong'an and committing the bloody massacre so what was LQQ supposed to do? Sit down and ask his Guoshi for the truth when we know damn well XL will just continue to admit to it? XL didn't want to tell LQQ the truth to protect LQQ and the two groups of people, and that's completely admirable, but what LQQ saw was his Guoshi stabbing a sword through his father's chest and admitting to everything so him reacting the way he did was completely valid. The single act of killing the king was treason 100x already, and as the son of the king, LQQ's reaction was not out of the ordinary. we don't want XL to suffer and be even more traumatized, but XL already knew that the consequences wouldn't be pretty and lied anyway. idk why fans can't grasp that.
Or for JC's case, HE IS LITERALLY THE ONE PERSON ALIVE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD WHO ACTUALLY DESERVES SOME KIND OF EXPLANATION FROM WWX HIMSELF, THE MAN WHO ACCIDENTALLY CAUSED WN TO KILL JXZ AND INDIRECTLY KILLED JYL DESPITE CLAIMING THAT HE HAD EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. These two aren't strangers to JC at all; they're his sister and his brother-in-law, or more importantly, his sister's beloved husband and father of his nephew. He deserves to be angry and bitter at the one person who did all that, and there is no time limit for how long he should remain bitter and angry about it. The GCT was a whole mess and they both made HUGE sacrifices out of love but the only one whose sacrifice is made invalid is JC because one, it was short-lived and two, they already didn't like JC so no matter what he does for WWX, it will be seen as something negative.
I don't even want to get into the hell-hole regarding LXC but... damn...
the revelations after a character found out the truth should be "oh man, so that's what really happened" not "this character was a dick because they didn't know about the major sacrifice the MC made for them that would only be revealed many years later, and it's not even voluntary because someone else told the truth, not the MC themself"
I'm not the first nor am I the last person to say this but a protagonist is just a character we see, mainly, from their POV or the character that we follow the story through. That's all there is to it. I feel like a lot of danmei readers have yet to read a variety of stories about an MC that's completely shit but serves to tell a story just as important and interesting.
okay, first of all-- people hate LQQ?? The sweetest, most violent himbo of all????????????? even Xie Lian doesn't hate him for what he did??????
i have nothing to say to such people
i'll be honest, it is really only relatively recently that i've fully come to realise how completely Jiang Cheng deserves an explanation or even just acknowledgement of any kind from Wei Wuxian, and how cowardly and selfish it is that Wei Wuxian refuses to give it. and I say this with a heart full of love for WWX-- he is dealing with Some Trauma (tm) but that doesn't mean his refusal to even speak to JC isn't hurtful and unfair, even if it's what he needs... but man everyone in fandom and fanworks is focused on WWX taking what he needs in this situation and not even remotely considering that just maybe he also justifiably owes something to someone he harmed and who he supposedly (formerly?) cared about (i think he still cares)
the lan xichen thing is literally inexplicable to me and i will never understand it
32 notes · View notes
truly-morgan · 7 months
Text
[Retrouvail, JC helping WWX out]
Shuangjie | Mo Dao Zu Shi cw: mention of not eating enough 07-07-2021
[#shuangjie (potential xiancheng) retrouvail / reconciliation, modern] (cw: mention of not eating enough)
the classic wwx modern move where he gets in trouble with the wen (or maybe the wen helped him out so now he has to pay back). And of course, wwx cannot trouble the jiang after all they did for him all these years, so the best he can do is pack his thing a disappear. Jc of course tries to contact him and wwx answer to him each time for a while when he can, reassuring him that he simply needs time to deal with something.
When he's not in front of jc it is easier to lie about how things are going, about how things should soon be settled. He tries to tell himself he's only half-lying since he doesn't know for how long he will be stuck with this debt, but he knows it's not true.
So he tries to reassure jc who only gets more angry, worried and anxious after each call, as if the one they have would be the last.
jc does try to reason with him, but it doesn't work, so he settles for messages and calls, where he asks for wwx to at least write to him once a day, to make sure he is alright and well (he also lies to himself when he decides to believe wwx when the young man says everything is fine).
but then, after nearly a year of doing this stupid game, jc gets an unusual call from wwx and something in his guts tell him that something is /wrong/ and he starts to panic when wwx voice gets a bit tighter. "A-cheng, stay safe and take care of jiejie for me okay? I... I'll be okay, don't panic, just... stay safe for me so I don't worry... Don't come looking for me now, I need you safe"
Jc tries to talk him out of whatever stupid shit wwx will do, asks him to tell him where he is, that he'll go get him and they /will/ find a way. "Wei Ying! You promised me to be by my side, are you going to go back on your words?" he asks shakily, desperate to make wwx change his mind.
wwx does pause at that. He really wants to reconsider what he needs to do to get rid of his debt, but people are now coming for him and he can't stay longer. "I am sorry a-cheng" he whispered into the phone before hanging up and shutting down his phone.
after that, there's nothing from him. Jc did try to call him many times after, tried calling anyone he knew had been friend (or at least, acquaintance) of wwx, yet no one knew anything, wwx had basically burned all bridges months ago, and only jc was left from his life.
and now even jc wasn't able to contact him. He did all he could, but nothing worked and he didn't even have an idea /where/ he could search.
jfm did give a hand at first (after all /it was/ wwx who had disappear) but even he gave up after nothing could be found, only rendering jyl and jc more worried from the lack of /anything/.
Then things got distracted when jyl pregnancy got farther and soon jl was a source of attention (but jyl could never forget about wwx, and neither could jc). but of course, some calm couldn't stay for long and tragedy followed another. jc basically lost his last family, left with a poor baby who would grow up with only an anxious uncle who could only do his best and probably never as good as his parents.
It was really hard for jc, to raise jl alone while going to college so he could find a good job and take better care of his nephew. He really hoped that he could have wwx by his side, even in the worst of time the man could find ways to make it seems a bit less worst.
But he wasn't here and he had to power through it alone.
So taking care of jl took away from searching for wwx, although the man never fully left his mind, when he saw a similar face he would stop, only to realise it is not him.
It was hard, but he managed and still kept the hope that wwx was somewhere safe at least.
Then a bit more than a decade passed by so quickly.
Jc had moved to a new city with jl for a better job opportunity (which mean better money for them). It also seemed to be good with jl, as the boy seemed to have had difficulties with other students, despite jc trying to change that.
This is why he was more than happy to see that he had managed to make friends more easily this time and was growing close to three lively young men.
He was more than happy to have them stay over for dinner when they came to play or do homework.
wy had caught his attention a bit, as he was clearly coming from a poorer background (clearly ljy parents weren't low on money and oyz parents seemed to be doing comfortably).
He did ask jl if he knew more about it, wanting to make sure the young man was alright after all, it did happen often for him to stay until rather late before his dad came to pick him up (or even just go back home alone).
jl simply said that wy had told them his dad had off working hours, hence why he would stay until late, so he was not home alone. of course, jc is more than happy to let the young man stay until late or overnight if needed, but he does worry about his dad's situation (especially since he seems single).
but the way wy talks to him over the phone, the man seems to really care about him, so this does reassure him a bit.
Yet he is curious about who the man is, after all, even when he comes to pick him up, he doesn't come to the door and wait in the car.
jl told him wy dad was alright, clearly, life had been hard on their little family, but he was overall doing his best and treating them right when they were over (though he could be a bit annoying sometimes).
Then one time, as wy was to stay overnight to do a group project, his dad came to bring him something he had forgotten back home. "Wen Yuan, your dad is here, he's coming to the door" jl warned as he saw the car park in the driveway and the man getting out (for once) to the door.
wy then went to the door for him, jc was cooking when he heard that, a bit curious as to who the man was, but decided to finish cutting his vegetable first before looking.
But then he heard the voice.
"A-yuan forgot his school bag at home before coming over for a school project?" teased a very familiar voice. jc couldn't have bolted for the hallway as fast as he did, stopping net in his track when his gaze landed on the dark figure in the doorway.
it's was so sudden both wy and his dad jump, before wwx froze when he saw him. "Wei Ying", the name escaping his lips.
"Jiujiu, you know wy father?"/"Gege knows jl uncle?" ended up asking the teen, looking a bit confused as to what this was about.
yet wwx couldn't feel like he could do this right now, faking looking at the time on his none existent watch. "Ahah I have to go to work now, my boss won't be happy if I am late again today," he said as he was quickly retreating, not actually leaving time for jc to do anything other than stare at him in disbelief.
wwx was back and so close, yet he had no clue about this.
why didn't he tell him?
He had to wait until the next day if he wanted to have some answers, because he knew wwx would still come and pick up wy, he wouldn't leave him here for this.
Thought wwx did wait in the car like usual this time, but it was not enough to stop jc, of course. He simply stopped wy gently, telling him to wait inside for longer, before going out.
"Why don't you come inside for a minute?" he asked once he got to the car.
wwx wanted to refuse and find some bullshit reason, but he knew that look in jc eyes, it was the "I am not giving up so easily" look. He would probably get in the car if he needed to, so he decided going inside would be better.
wwx greeted jl when he came in, the two teens quickly understanding they needed to have a talk and leaving them space for it. "We'll hang out in my room" simply said jl as they went to his room.
This is how wwx was left alone in the kitchen with jc, sitting awkwardly at the table as some tea was being made. "Where were you?" jc asked as he leaned against the counter, staring at him.
Wwx didn't really want to reply to this. Could he really just admit he went to prison? And that afterwards he tried to just survive? He wasn't ready to know how jc would react to knowing he was now considered a criminal ("I guess the teachers were right" he laughed to himself more than once).
"You know... places" he replied vaguely, looking even more awkward and uncomfortable than before.
jc knew pushing on this one would lead nowhere, he had a vague idea of what wwx might have gotten himself in the past, he simply couldn't be sure which path it had taken. He even had a suspicion about the truth, but he understood he wouldn't have his confirmation now.
"Why didn't you contact me in all these years then?" he asked instead, which he felt was a valid question. Was he that untrustworthy? Was he not a good enough help for him?
wwx stopped himself from saying he actually did it one time, to see if jc still had the same phone number as in the past. It was late at night and he was missing jc even more than before, so he had dialled the number in the hope to talk a bit.
yet, when the tired voice of jc asking who it was he choked out of it and hung up, scared of /how/ he should get back in jc's life. At the end of it, he simply never actually found the courage to do it, staying out of jc's life, it would probably be easier for him especially with what he had heard had happened soon after he was put into jail, he really wishes he could have been by his side when it happened. How lonely and sad must jc have been when he lost everyone around him, leaving only a baby behind (which he was happy to see was doing good too).
But he also didn't want to be a burden for jc. His record was making things harder for him now, he wouldn't have wanted for jc to be affected by that too. Also, he didn't want to be a financial burden for jc, the man already had enough of taking care of himself and jl, he wouldn't have wanted to add himself.
"I... Didn't want to be a burden" he finally admitted, a sad smile on his lips, "You seem to have already a lot to take care of and a lot to go through, I didn't want to add to it".
this annoyed jc. Couldn't he decide by himself what /was/ a burden for him? He wouldn't have found wwx to be a burden, they would most likely have figured out a way to manage.
They ended up talking for a good part of the evening, wwx mostly answering questions about where he had been in the past years and what he had been doing (avoiding a couple of years gap directly after his last call to jc).
jc was a bit mad that wwx had put himself in this situation, but he was also glad that he had found him now. He was not going to let him disappear again and wanted to help him.
throughout this conversation, he had noticed that yes wwx was struggling with jobs and money, yet he had assured many times wy was alright.
"WQ actually help a bit, but I decided all the money goes for wy" had admitted wwx after jc asked. Sure, wy wasn't wearing the latest trend or the most expensive clothing, but they were in a better state than the one wwx had.
Also, wy looked like a healthy kid for the most part, having most likely never lacked the food he needed to grow well. yet wwx looked thinner than he should be. It wasn't sickly either, or he wouldn't be able to work as much as he does, but he was clearly not eating enough.
wwx did try to brush it off, saying he was simply eating too much in the past and this is why jc had this impression.
It took weeks of meeting here and there for jc to get a better grip of what exactly was the whole situation. Clearly, wwx was working as best as he could to get money. Part of it would go for what wy needed, which paired with the money wq was sending to help her nephew made it so wy could be more comfortable, where wwx would cut some things for himself just to make sure of that. He had even gotten some frustrated jokes about how he couldn't keep all his job for that long either once when wwx came back.
It also took many weeks for wwx to finally admit that he had indeed gone to jail. It had been a bit hard to talk about and he was clearly not ready to talk about what he might have seen and lived in prison, but jc was happy that he would tell him at least that.
wwx was only supposed to do three bigger jobs so a larger amount of his debt could be paid (honestly, sometimes he felt like it was never going to end).
But with his bad luck at the time, of course, things went horribly wrong and the other party ended up opening fire. "I-I... I killed someone, Jiang Cheng, I just wanted to scare him and protect myself, but I killed him" wwx said in a quiet voice, scared that jc would start hating him now.
It was truly an accident, he never went there in the idea that he would need to defend himself. He had been there for other transactions and everything went well, so he assumed it would be the same. Yet shit got really bad and he was cornered, he truly never wanted to injure the person to the point where they died of it quickly. luckily it was seen as self-defence despite the situation (maybe him giving the officer more information than needed also helped his situation, he felt lucky to not die in prison).
He was happy that he didn't get over 10 years in prison, but the time he did was already a lot.
When wwx was done talking he was tense, anxious and scared that this would be it, jc would definitely hate him now, jc was not one to really break the law (other than small mischief, all started by wwx when they were younger).
Yet jc didn't get mad at him. The man wasn't sure how he should react or see it, but he knew wwx would never have killed with intent. wwx might have changed a bit over the years and some part was a bit hard to recognise, but this was something he would always believe in. wwx was not necessarily a bad person and this was all in self-defence.
After that day they didn't go over that section of his life again, only mentioning his stay in prison from time to time when it was relevant. This was relevant once when jc went to pick up wwx after work once, seeing the man get out with a sour expression on his face. he did startle him when he called out to him asking what was wrong.
"Got fired because I did something wrong, they probably just figured out I have a record, wouldn't be the first time anyway". It was hard keeping a stable job where someone was ready to really give him a chance without waiting to kick him out to the slightest inconvenience.
He would need to find another job again, or he would have difficulty paying for bills at this point and he wouldn't cut in what was necessary for wy.
jc did suggest helping them, but he was gently brushed off by wwx "You already have jl and yourself to take care of, I don't want to burden you more". This did annoy jc and pinch him the wrong way, did wwx think he don't have the money? but he took a deep breath and reconsidered it.
If he was in wwx shoes he knew he would also refuse the help unless he was at rock bottom, so he couldn't blame him.
So instead he tried helping to find another job, talking to some contact he has. It was a bit hard finding someone who was ready to give wwx a chance even when knowing about his record (better be upfront from the start). But since he was trusted by these people seen as a trustworthy man who was only trying to help his brother he did find a couple of people ready to give wwx a shot.
wwx couldn't be more thankful for that help.
Then, as the month slowly went by, wwx and jc slowly enter each other's life again. It was sometimes odd getting used to things and habits they never had before, but they were slowly getting there, where they fit perfectly together as they did before. It became rather frequent to visit each other, to the point where jl and wy weren't surprised anymore when they were seeing each other so often, this meant they could hang out more.
This also meant wwx was slowly letting jc help him out when he needed it, still unsure sometimes if he could really ask for help (He had gone on for so long that he couldn't really do so).
But something he couldn't stop jc from helping apparently was groceries.
"It is good that you make sure a-yuan has all that he needs to eat, but /you/ also need to eat correctly" jc scolded once when he dragged him to the grocery store so they could buy enough for /both/ of them.
He was so worried about wwx, especially since he could see he was cutting his own portion to make sure wy eat enough. He couldn't let that slide, he would put back some meat on wwx, be it if he needed to cook for him every day too.
This is how he saw wwx slowly (but surely) go back to a healthier size, having also more energy from correctly eating, instead of living on energy drinks and pushing himself. even if he didn't ask for it, wwx would always try to pay him back for the food, so he simply settles on "You pay back half the grocery when you can, keep your money for what you need"
they may be both stubborn, but he would out-stubborn him if needed. At some point jc even suggest coming to live with him and jl, they both would be happy to have them here (plus, they were already often over as it is). jc didn't push him when he first refused, simply saying the offer would always be on the table.
It took weeks before wwx accepted his offer. Something had happened in their cheap building and he didn't want anything to happen to wy, and he had really wished to get out of there at some point.
So they moved in, a new routine settling in for everyone. Something in both older men was more than happy to have each other around all the time, like in the good old days.
They didn't notice it, but jl and wy saw how they acted around each other, wondering if they were ever more than "brothers" in the past.
This is how wwx was slowly able to find a more stable way of living, also trying to finish his studies now that he had the time and financial safety to do so (in the hope of maybe getting a better job despite his record).
It was a weird little family, but really, none of them would complain about it going this way. They couldn't tell what the future would bring, but they knew they could go through it now that they were back at each other's side.
Original
0 notes
shanastoryteller · 2 years
Note
Hapappy Pride! More of WWX and JYL raising Jin Ling and A-Yuan?
a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Things settle eventually. Shuchun has been sticking close to A-Yuan and A-Ling, probably because of all the Lan and Jin hanging around. Which, as happy has he is to see his family again, is something they really need to address.
Shijie peeks around the corner and jerks her head to the side before disappearing, just like they're kids again. Jin Zixuan is looking at A-Ling still, something that he knows is going to get A-Ling's hackles up but it's not like Wei Wuxian can really get upset about Jin Zixuan not wanting to take his eyes off of the son he thought he lost.
It does mean he basically has to elbow him in the side to get his attention, pointing to the walkway. He frowns but doesn't argue before heading that way, likely because he's rightly assuming that's where Shijie is. Blech.
That still leaves one clan unaccounted for. The blue clad juniors are sticking mostly to themselves, except for one that keeps poking at A-Yuan and speaking louder than he's ever heard another Lan speak that was Lan Qiren yelling at him. He lifts his gaze a little higher, looking for Lan Zhan, and is startled when he meets his eyes immediately. It's almost like he was already looking at him.
Wei Wuxian crooks his finger and Lan Zhan steps quickly to his side, saying nothing as he leads him away from everyone else.
Weird.
323 notes · View notes
rosethornewrites · 2 years
Text
Thursday & Friday NR, E, & M reading
The usual
Finished
Not Rated:
JYL/JZX/NHS + Jin Ling, by nirejseki
Prompt: JZX/JYL/NHS: JZX is the noble one, trying to make the Jin Sect a better place. JYL is the strong one, in a quiet but significant way. NHS is the gremlin monster who will destroy anyone who even looks at them wrong. (Bonus for Jin Ling ! )
Five of Cups, by mondengel
His body could feel nothing, but somehow that made the emotions that coursed through him more pure.
Rumors and Hearsay, by secondjade (4th in a series)
"Father thought that the Jin might refuse to attend this year." He says, tugging at the golden fabric in his hands to confirm Jin Ling's really there. "It would have been terrible here with just me and Jingyi."
"Thanks." Jingyi deadpans.
Explicit:
Caught, by moonflowers (2 chapters)
On seeing he was awake, Wei Wuxian grinned and drew in a breath to call out to him. That thing inside him that couldn’t resist prodding at the other man was still there, carried with his soul apparently, rather than taken with his body. Death was not enough to crush the habit. But then he heard something, a tiny exhale, the quiet pull of desperate breath. From Lan Wangji, it just as well have been a shout. It was then that Wei Wuxian’s thoughts stopped chasing each other for long enough to realise what it was his friend was doing, and he stilled in shock. The esteemed Hanguang-jun, the Second Jade of Lan, Lan Wangji, was pleasuring himself.
Mature:
your tender caress, by banditoheart (2space_lesbo1)
Wei Ying finally decides to show something to Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan is thrilled.
Unfinished
Not Rated:
The Combined Cultivation Path, by MxModern
Jiang Cheng's golden core was destroyed by Wen Zhuliu. With no hope of restoring it, leadership of the Jiang Sect was passed to Wei Wuxian who cultivated the demonic path in secret to gain the upper hand in the war and get violent revenge against the clan that destroyed his home.
Now a Master of the Six Arts as well as the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian struggles under the weight of his office and his desire to protect Wen Qing and Wen Ning and the other innocent, but still persecuted, remnants of the Wen Clan.
The story begins in the Burial Mounds where a frustrated Wei Wuxian dragged the mindless fierce corpse Wen Ning in a desperate attempt to restore his consciousness after a year of failure in Yunmeng.
Explicit:
Memories are easier when shared, by marhalf
Sweet and slow fix-it, beginning after WWX death, on the idea that his soul would answer LWJ's call. Getting people together, healing trauma through love, I can't help it!
"Every night.
Every single night the guqin echoed into the Cloud Recess’ clear atmosphere, breaking the curfew. Within the last three years, be it the height of midsummer nights’ heat or the coldest winter nights, Lan Wangji’s guqin would squeeze the hearts of those who could not sleep. It kept the light-sleeping elders awake, and the old people would curse the Sect Heir in the dark, failing to understand the Sect Leader’s indulgence for his younger brother. It kept Lan Qiren awake, fueling his guilt: night after night the old man painfully realized how pointless the near-death punishment he had inflicted on his nephew had been. It kept Lan Xichen awake, helpless to soothe his brother. Often, the Sect Leader would rise to meet the musician inside the Jingshi, or near the waterfall where Lan Wangji would try to hide at the end of a too-long day, shoulders bowed by the weight of the elder’s look. He’d sit by his side and lay a hand on the wounded back – the only person Lan Wangji let touch him aside from Lan Yuan.
The guqin would also...
Mature:
To Ride A Stygian Tiger, by Madyamisam
Wei Wuxian is mortally wounded after saving Jin Zixuan from death at the last moment during his altercation with the Jin Sect at Qiongqi Road. Realising that there will be more threats and even another siege on the horizon threatening to wipe out the Wen Remnants at the Burial Mounds, he sets on an impossible task using his last breath to protect everyone he cared about.
Idiot Shixiong, by Jazz_Reenn
Jin Ling decided to host his birthday banquet at Yumeng Jiang with his uncle’s permission. Jiang Cheng reluctantly agreed till he realized who Jin Ling invited.
Wei Wuxian.
It was too late for him to go back on his word now. He has to face his former Shixiong.
0 notes
aschenn · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Seeking advice
481 notes · View notes