#'oh hell yeah' says wwx

[iamsoconfusedallofthetime]

Modern WWX and WN find a weirdly familiar feeling talisman (that their supplier swore up and down didn't actually do anything and was just yet another relic from the distant past!) while working at a local museum and does something to it and find themselves all the way back in the tang dynasty.

Cool cool cool. Whatever. Wen Qing is gonna flip her shit at both of them when they get back- cause they're getting back! They will get back Wen Ning! Don't worry man we'll figure something out-

holy shit why are they in yunmeng jiang? Why are they in a boat in Yunmeng Jiang? Why does Wei Ying know this is Yunmeng Jiang it looks so different than the modern buildings he's used to- Don't look at me Like That Wen Ning I know what I'm talking about! Yes I'm sure this is where we are!

Oh that guy is looking at us? Where? What guy- oh that one. Uhhhh yep! He's staring directly at us isn't he, lovely.

And OH! What a sharp shiny sword he's got! Pointing directly at us and our little boat! I'm sure this will go fine! Aren't you Wen Ning? 😊😮‍💨

Oh look at that now he's shouting at us! Very peaceful things like-....

What the hell is this guy saying?

Wen Ying turns around for what seems like the millionth time to his friend to stare at him; (and actually making eye contact with him this time due to his head not being in his hands in his current despair) Wen Ning just looked back at him in disbelieving confusion. They could still hear the sword man yelling at them and gradually increasing in volume.

Yep! Can't understand shit this guy's saying! It's all gibberish over here my man! Nothing to see nothing to hear!

Ok. They were in a boat. They were in a boat in Yunmeng fucking Jiang- an ancient version of Yunmeng fucking Jiang! And there was some historical looking guy with a sword dressed in an achingly familiar shade of purple shouting at them in what Wei Ying was pretty sure was a super old version of the Yunmeng dialect that had long since evolved out from and was no longer being spoken or used outside of linguists trying to translate old documents that had somehow survived to the twenty-first century.

So. They were stuck in a boat in ancient China. Ok. Cool. Whatever. No big deal this is no big deal- this is TOTALLY! NO BIG-

Wei Ying put in his best "we're kind of fucked actually" smile. Wen Ning gifted a perfect thousand yard stare right back to him, seemingly coming to at least a similar conclusion of his own.

Yeah, Wei Ying let out a long sigh through his nose, he was gonna rip that supplier a new asshole or two when they got back.

[stiricidewrites]

The Damage You Do: ch 27, pt 8

Previously

~

lwj hummed in quiet acknowledgement of his grocery needs, before telling him that he generally was safe during sex.

"'Generally?'" wwx asked, catching on the word his dom had thrown a bit too much intonation into, as though it were a train of conversation lwj wanted to lead him towards.

“Yes,” the man admitted, embarrassment sliding into his voice. “I’m afraid I recently had to be tested, after a… lapse of judgment.”

“Oh…” wwx sighed, wondering what you would normally say to someone in this sort of situation. Probably not the, “Did everything come back… ideally?” that came out of his mouth. It seemed poor form to ask someone if their tests came back negative in real life—because, seriously, what do you do if they say no!?—but this wasn’t real life.

lwj hummed. “They did, thankfully. Are you also… safe?”

wwx tried not to laugh at the awkwardness in his dom’s voice. Considering how to the point the man had been when they’d discussed this days earlier—fucking hell, had it really only been days?—the awkwardness was obviously fake. It was a good fake. Very convincing. Very… awkwardly returning a question when you knew it wasn’t appropriate to the situation. At least, wwx didn’t think yoga instructors usually asked their students about their sexual health? Maybe if they were doing naked yoga?

“Oh yeah~ I’m safe,” he sighed, internally laughing that he wasn’t even lying. Technically, he supposed they should have used a condom during that first blowjob, but wwx still thought that would have been overkill. Plus! As the one leading the interview, lwj should have been the one supplying such things! He stretched further back into his fake yoga teacher. If he bent and wiggled just right, surely he could get more contact with the man—maybe even contact in just the right places, no less. “I recently had some tests done, when I got a new partner.”

Fuck, there was that word again. Had his voice stuttered on it? It felt like it stuttered.

“Ah… wy has a… partner?” lwj asked, voice collapsing into itself so effectively that wwx felt his heart clench.

“Nah!” he cheered, trying to brush off the second squeeze his heart gave at the reality that it was true: he didn’t have a partner. Seriously, his heart and emotions needed to chill. “It was more like potential sex buddy. Fell through, though. At least when I find a new person, I’ll already know I’m negative for everything.”

[llycaons]

ep39 (2/3): fucked up!!!!!

oof. this one is rough

like heartbreaking but also so so beautifully shot. the colors, the acting, the lighting, the underlying plot and emotional beats. like whew

:(

oh and HE's getting a kick out of it

he can't 😭

xy keeps this up just relentlessly. trying to make xxc feel as terrible as he can. fuck

:( not only his personal connections to sl being mocked, but also his very ideals and principles, things that uplifted him, his dreams for the world, his faith in people, his desire to to good. just so cruel

DUDE

LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!

he literally keeps this up until the moment xxc slits his own throat and then he has the audacity to be SURPRISED???

like bitch you did this!

sorry to nitpick but why is a cut that opened his throat barely bleeding. why did he collapse if he hadn't actually lost any blood. I know he didn't hit his windpipe

im so sorry song jiyang but I did see your eyelids flicker here. we got a corpser

his little setup...

putting out food for xxc...as if he'd sit up and eat it? like I suppose grief makes you do weird things but um. this seems sxtreme

THIS SHOT. what the hell else was he going to do besides kiss him.

after this he starts screaming and destroying things and I can't even tell if that's supposed to indicate they were already together or they never made it over the hump of confessing. it seems a lot of the gay couples seem to be living in that nebulous in-between space. whether it's not confessed, not confessed but known, confessed but not acted on...I don't think any of those couples actually consummated

yeah like this man is not in his right mind perhaps?

oh as if that all wasn't bad enough, we get THIS gut-punch

xxc :(

nooo he doesn't deserve it xxc :(

but also this is so intimate, like on the BED? this is the strongest piece of evidence for them being together imo and it would put xxc's horrified grief in a more striking perspective. I kind of lean towards this reading because it really had the vibes and also because it's most tragic that way. which I don't usually gravitate towards but it has a kind of terrible elegance

in modern AUs/AUs where xxc lives, I've seen it where he becomes quite averse to sweets due to the trauma of this entire situation. probably has a shit ton of guilt about it, and shame over being deceived for so long. oof

anyway. DIE FUCKER

aw jingyi :(

at least she got a grave :(

lwj was so deep in thought he jumped a little to hear wwx say this. I like their scene here, very soft and comforting together. wwx tends to be very gentle with lwj

not one of lwj's best moments. even wwx, the one who came back from the dead, doesn't seem to follow what he means. even though, in the grand sceheme of things, yeah, they ARE fortunate. and it's not like their luck caused xxc and sl's tragedy. but it's maybe the wrong time

ending this section with wen ning, the perpetual observer. a-qing fulfilled that role this arc and now she's dead because she's served her purpose. but wen ning watched as wwx tore out his golden core, watched wwx and lwj this entire arc, he steps in later when his knowledge makes it impossible for him to stand by, and he observes here as wwx and lwj mirror the two cultivators who once had such lofty goals

[tanoraqui]

*sighs in “I meant to do significantly more work this afternoon, but it’s hot and I have plot bunnies”* This happens somewhere over the course of this part of the Burial Mounds-induced amnesia au.

If Nie Huaisang had one real moral failing, it was curiosity.

Okay, so he had a lot of real moral failings. But curiosity was the only one which actively interfered with the others, which tended more toward variations on laziness, cowardice, etc. Curiosity, his brother had snapped, might really get him in trouble one day.

He wasn’t stupid about it, though. He always waited until he wasn’t going to get caught for whatever he was trying. For instance, today he waited until Jiang Cheng was leading the (mostly still new) Jiang Sect disciples through more advanced sword forms, which required spiritual energy to accomplish, so Wei Wuxian was left on the edges. At first he called advice to struggling disciples - he still remembered all of this, which was typical, really - but after a couple circuits of the group, he slid into a vague melancholy. Missing something he couldn’t remember.

“Hey, Wei-xiong,” said Nie Huaisang, strolling beside him. He pointed at random to one of the Jiang disciples, a young woman with a purple scarf tied around her right bicep. “Would you kill that one, if I asked?”

Wei Wuxian stopped walking and looked at him in surprise. “What? Why?”

“She insulted me,” Nie Huaisang extemporized. “And my brother.”

Wei Wuxian looked at woman with something dark in his eyes, but he spoke hesitantly. “But she’s...you know, with the...” One hand passed over his own right bicep, then drifted up to the play with the ribbon in his hair - bright purple, these days, instead of his signature red. Nie Huaisang suspected Jiang Yanli.

“Shouldn’t you ask her, whatsit, Sect Leader?” he managed, though his other hand had fallen to the flute at his waist. “Or First Disciple - those are usually in charge of discipline.”

“I am asking her First Disciple,” said Nie Huaisang, and watched Wei Wuxian give the vague smile he always gave while he waited for someone to say something that made sense through the haze of this strange curse. No names could get through except his own, and fake ones for a minute or so - a distinction that meant on some level he knew the real name, not that it helped - and nothing about how he related to others.

Nie Huaisang changed tack, and pointed at a man in servants’ garb cleaning ashes from a nearby fire pit. “What about him? Same thing - totally insulted me. My brother. My favorite pet oriole.”

“You have a pet orioles?” Wei Wuxian asked, distracted by odd new entertainment. “Wait - you have multiple pet orioles, and a favorite?”

“I have three,” Nie Huaisang said proudly, “and a dozen other birds. But Lu Si is the best songbird of them all - you should hear her sometime!” It wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but it was a little fun to have someone to whom he could just go on and on about his favorite hobbies, over and over, without boring the audience. 

But he was still conducting an experiment here, so he reiterated his pointing at the man cleaning up the campsite. “So, insults can’t be forgiven, you know? So...”

“If you’re sure...” Wei Wuxian spoke uncertainly - but he drew his black flute like it was already part of his hand, wisps of dark resentful energy floating around it and reflecting in his eyes. His gaze looked hungry. The temperature seemed to drop.

Nie Huaisang yelped a nervous laugh and latched onto his arm before the flute could reach his lips. “Wei-xiong, I’m kidding! Please don’t kill anyone - don’t worry, no one would dare insult Lu Si, she’s too lovely, and no one insults me because da-ge would kick their ass!”

Wei Wuxian let his arm be held, but he didn’t lower the flute himself, nor did the the dark hunger leave his gaze as he watched the oblivious servant by the fire.

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!” Wei Wuxian’s stare was disrupted by Jiang Cheng dropping directly in front of them, Sandu settling into his hand. He glowered like a storm. “Wei Wuxian, you’re supposed to be critiquing people! Nie Huaisang, if you’re just going to be distracting, get out of here! Some of us are training!”

“I’m sorry, Jiang-xiong!” Nie Huaisang cowered about 2/3 as much as he would from his brother. “Everyone was doing so well on their own, we just started joking around!” 

“Joking?” Jiang Cheng demanded. “About what?”

“Oh, you know,” said Wei Wuxian, and waved a lazy hand. “Stuff.”

The hand he waved still held the black flute, but he’d relaxed, or at least, adopted a deliberately careless posture. And he radiated the warm affection he always did around Jiang Cheng, these days. The vulnerability would be kind of freaky if it weren’t for the many much freakier aspects of Wei Wuxian these days. 

Also, thank fuck for instinctive co-conspirator-hood, apparently?

“I asked Wei-xiong if he could play nice things on his flute, too.” Nie Huaisang flicked out a fan to hide behind and rushed his words like he was cracking under pressure. “I bet he couldn’t sound as nice as my songbirds.”

Wei Wuxian shot him a narrow-eyed, assessing glance, but Jiang Cheng didn’t notice as he rolled his eyes to the Heavens for aid and patience. 

“Obviously you don’t play sweet music on that thing! For one thing, it’s a- a  powerful cultivation tool! For another, it’s completely consumed by resentful energy!”

“Ah, you doubt my skill?!” Wei Wuxian slapped his chest with dramatic injury. “I’ll have you know I played an entirely sweet duet with that beautiful man with a guqin just the other day, and he definitely uses that thing for cultivation. With this flute, I could play the softest lullaby. I could woo the gentlest maiden!”

Nie Huaisang giggled behind his fan. Jiang Cheng glared at them both. 

“Come on, you can fuck around with Nie Huaisang later,” he said as he grabbed Wei Wuxian by the arm and dragged him around, back toward the Jiang disciples. “Cheng Mei needs extra help on his footwork, and then we’re doing archery drills.”

“Okay, okay!” Wei Wuxian grinned and waved over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later!”

“Have fun getting all sweaty and gross!” Nie Huaisang waved back, and was rewarded with a laugh - and maybe the slightest sliver of suspicion, but that was okay. As far as he could tell, Wei Wuxian could still change his opinion of people, but he wouldn’t remember any particulars of why after just a couple days, and Nie Huaisang didn’t think he’d put such a dent into their friendship that it couldn’t be smoothed over soon. Not with how lightly Wei Wuxian took killing, now. 

(And he did want to sooth it over. Wei Wuxian was still fun to hang out with, even with...everything. At minimum, Nie Huaisang could talk his ears off about birds and art and poetry, in return for continuously losing at cards because nothing had gone wrong with Wei Wuxian’s skill there, either. That is, his skill at out-cheating Nie Huaisang, because apparently the only thing that taught slight-of-hand better than soldiers was the street.)

Nie Huaisang had absolutely no ambitions of aiming the Yiling Patriarch on his own. In fact, he had no doubt that, were Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, and Lan Wangji all somehow incapacitated, he himself would either already be dead or very soon dead, along with everyone else in about 50 miles of the Wei Wuxian. But it was still nice to figure out where he ranked in the meantime, in the man’s (literally) absentminded regard. 

[siivermoon]

it was absolutely worth staying up to 2am watching the last episode of mdzs i am sobbing

gonna throw my rant thoughts in tags to hide spoilers

[guqin-and-flute]

The Most Public Private Meet-Cute [Episode 4]

NHS: hello everyone my name is nie huaisang

Background Person: hiii huaisaaang

NHS: and fun fact about me is that i grew up around lan xichen and i know exactly what his type is

NHS: ON A COMPLETELY UNRELATED NOTE here is my dear and very single friend who desperately needs love and affection and probably a hug meng yao

MY: oh hey that’s me

NHS: say hi meng yao

MY: uh ok how weirdly specific sure thing

NHS: the stage is set i give it 2 minutes

MY: hello my name is meng yao and i’ve brought you a box hope u like it there’s a pot in it

MY: uhhh ok some things about me i’m adorable i get bullied frequently i eat dry bread and my dimples are deep enough to hold all my war crimes see? *ping*

Asshole 1: did someone order some loud and publicly cruel narration about your tragic and slightly damning backstory??

MY: no?? ?

Asshole 1:  too late

MY:  ugh do you allow returns

Asshole 1: WOW THIS DUDE SUCKS

Asshole 2: yeah totally and his dad fuckin hates him rolled him down the steps of jinlintai like a fuckin slinky

MY: well this feels a bit unwarranted

Asshole 1: naaah his dad would have to actually CARE to hate him

WWX:  damn this is brutal hope this doesn’t foreshadow any major plot component that might outline the problem with the idea of reputation vs honor in our society and the place hearsay and gossip plays in the perception of the value of a person that would suck

Random Background person: sure would especially if it greatly impacted you as a person

Asshole 1:  i love shitting on people with u bro

Asshole 2: awww bro

JYL: rude

JC: wow

WWX: jfc

MY:  this is fun so glad i came

LXC:  .......hm.

NHS: 10...9...8...

LWJ: xichen  n  o

Asshole 1: ANYWAY FUCK THIS DUDE

LWJ: u need to stop and not for the reason u think

LQR:  CAN U READ THE ROOM PLEASE AND SHUT THE ACTUAL HELL UP what do you think this is? some kind of high school?? who do you think you are?? children? ? nONSENSE

Asshole 1:  oh shit i thought talking at regular volume in plain sight of a silent room gave me anonymity

Asshole 2: oh no me too what an unforeseen outcome

LQR: anyway, now for-- oh god oh no what are u doing r e s i s t, boy

LXC: [i_need_a_hero.mp3]

Random Lan: love this song

LWJ:  jfc here we go

JC: is this a kissing book?

MY:  sure could use a hug

WWX:  ur gonna get more than that dude

JYL: aww good for him

LXC: why hello.

MY: ho- (where is the saxaphone music coming from)

MY: -ly- am i in slow motion ur very tall did u know ur very tall

MY: shit hey.

LXC: hey :)

LXC:  o h .

LXC:  good god i have gravely miscalculated my investment in the situation what did i come down here for again

MY: hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh u have a mouth i have a mouth what a strange coincidence

MY: i humbly present my body BOX my box this box right here it’s really cool it has a red thing in it it’s for u or maybe the grandmaster i can’t really remember anymore  or feel my legs fuck

LXC: oh yeah the reason i came down here theoretically i should at least pretend to care about what’s in the box

Ambience: [Careless_Whisper_on_Flute.mp3]

WWX: HOLD THE PHONE that’s allowed?? i don’t have to sword fight the gay feelings? he’s beating me at public homoerotic subtext chicken this cannot stand i have to up my game

Pot: I’m a metaphor or something it’s not really relevant at this point is it?

LXC: nope so anyway i could probably fit you into my pocket and cherish you forever thoughts? i’m thinking gentians for the wedding

MY: i can’t feel my face currently but yes to all

MY: ur touching my hands again

LXC: oh trust me i am VERY aware

NHS:  :)))

LWJ: can i go?

Random Lan: probably not

LWJ: ugh i have my own gay shit to deal with

Random background Guy: taking notes for my fanfic

MY: message very fucking received

MY: we are bowing now because we are very polite and definitely not experiencing a life changing sexual awakening in a crowded room

Random Background Person: u guys know people can hear u, right?

LXC: yes very polite definitely nothing gay and certainly no lifelong connection that could potentially end in horrific tragedy for the both of us thank goodness

NHS: guys i didn’t mean elope right fucking now

MY: did u like my box?

LXC: it’s the best box the most adorable box I’ll keep this box forever in my heart

NHS: dude it’s not for u it’s for ur uncle

WWX: i cannot BELILEVE i’m losing public gay chicken i’m gonna get lan zhan a box

BONUS:

Random Asshole 2:

yeah technically he’s zixuan’s brother but jgs treated him like shit what’s ur raction to that zixuan?

JZX: think i’m gonna stick with haughty silence, if i’m honest

Random Asshole 2: that seems on brand

[more brief summaries because yeah]

[moxuanyurights]

cant stop thinking abt the imaginary md.zs home.stuck au in my head...... still cant figure out jgy but everything else is so good

[rainbowsky]

hello (I'd like to say firstly please don't take this as discourse I'm just genuinely curious). A lot of turtles consider the iconic heart and dot ❤️. as gg's mole but yibo has a mole in the same place too so it could also be just his touch no?

The clearest unenhanced photo I've ever seen of DD's 'mole'.

This is a very common (weak-ass) argument solos frequently make to try to wash this candy. Good thing you posted a disclaimer that you're totally not a solo, totally not trying to wash this... 😅

Fake, Fan fiction, CPN.

Almost no one knows that DD has a (very faint) mole under the lip in a somewhat vaguely similar area as GG's if you squint a bit.

Meanwhile the mole under the lip is one of GG's most distinguishing features, and something everyone has always associated with him. Fan art, brand art, etc. has never once that I have seen, drawn DD with a mole under his lip - even when they've drawn all his other moles - but meanwhile GG is never drawn without the mole, even by solo fan artists who hate BXG. Like I said, it's one of the most distinguishing visual cues referencing 'GG'.

Hell, it's practically CANON now that WWX has a mole under his lip in almost every Wangxian fanfic I read.

You would be pretty hard pressed to find a photo of DD - even a barefaced one - where his mole is even very visible.

Nor any art that shows him having a mole under his lip, even when the artist has paid special attention to DD's moles.

And DD has much more prominent moles at the top of his nose by his eye and on his ear, so why would he associate himself with a much fainter mole almost no one can see? I think the vast majority of fans - solo or otherwise - would find it really puzzling if DD were to draw himself with a mole there, or start using a lip mole to reference himself. Like I said, most people are completely unaware of the faint mole he has there because it's practically nonexistent.

Yet with GG, there's no bare-faced photo of GG where the mole isn't sharply seen, and even in most heavy makeup photos you can still see the mole.

But yeah, Anon - it could totally be referencing DD's mole. 🤷🏼‍♂️

When DD was drawing the mole during the brand event he behaved the same way he did when he was adding the mole to a drawing he did of GG for an Untamed promo interview. He hesitated and looked over to the other person to make doubly sure he was drawing it in the right place.

If it had been 'his mole' he was drawing, he would have immediately known where to put it.

The heart and mole is something that GG has repeatedly used in his own artwork, so it's something he has a connection to.

Oh wait - but maybe it's GG who is referencing DD with the mole in his drawings?... 🤔

DD famously added a dot under the heart of a pricey Chanel pin he wore for a photo shoot. Yet take a microscope and you will find no trace of a mole under DD's lip in that photo.

Knowing full well, no doubt, the association BXG make with that heart mole. The original pin doesn't have that dot on it.

And there is also the big bomb candy that came out earlier this year related to a heart mole drawing.

This is in fact, one of the most unwashable candies in the entire fandom. But solos never give up the fight. 😅

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Hello again! It's dragonfly anon here! And after reading more about Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's relationship, I ccouldn't help but notice that their relationship is pretty much what me and a friend of mine had going on for 3 years until I eventually decided to cut ties with her.

I was Wei Wuxian in this scenario, and, by the heavens do I understand his feelings more than ever. Where you are the only person who gives and gives more of yourself just to please others until eventually you are nothing more than an emotional slave, being tied to whatever genuine feelings you once had for the person that now tries to keep you in a leash, living in a perfect fantasy to suit their needs.

Much like Jiang Cheng, this friend of mine was only ever satisfied when i did things her way, and if i was better than her, or didn't reach her expectations, I was suddendly the one in the wrong. I couldn't have more friends, otherwise i was picking others over her, I couldn't do better in classes, because then I was shaming her, and oh boy dare I like someone romantically.

This is kind of a vent but also just me understanding Wei Wuxian more than ever and just being happy that he also got to be free. Specially with someone who loves and is the to support him like Lan Wangji!

I still haven't found my own Lan Zhan, but I have time and I have new friends and my family to support me, but I still wanted to share this little piece here because as someone who was in a similiar situation to Wei wuxian, it pains me to see people belittle his feelings over Jiang Cheng. I don't really mind if people create AU's and such, these are fictional characters after all, but when talking about canon JC as if WWX was in the wrong? People gotta be ready to catch my fucking fists because I'm coming for them, no one hurts my son in my presence.

But yeah your post yesterday was also a very enlightening and I truly had to lay down and have my onw "Oh" moment because, oof it hit right in the feels. Anyways love you and your posts and they always bring me so much joy! (Tho I have to read SVSSS now to help fend off your blog against nasty haters, gonna start my research soon!)

Dragonfly out! - 🐉🦋

I am very happy about this, Dragonfly!

I do think what keeps Mo Dao Zu Shi so great as a reread over and over is because it has such a great underlying social commentary through it's characters on very human relationships and how none of those can really be neatly tied up for endings. I do see how those ends can be lackluster, since the end of a fall out of an extremely bad relationship is not supposed to always be cathartic. Sometimes you just have to move on yourself and live even if they're stuck in the past.

I do think Wei Wuxian is an amazingly written literary character, he wouldn't be as magnetic in fandom if it wasn't for how well written he is as a protagonist. The work meticulously works it's way through to show, that whatever mistakes that yes, Wei Wuxian may have made, he learned and grew from that and became more world aware without letting that jade his optimism for people. It takes a lot of strength to go through hell and still say you want others, and yourself, to remember the happy times over the hard. His mistakes and regrets are there, but he doesn't let them keep him from being levelheaded or realistic about the world he is in.

Vindication is very easy to feel, but he is just not that type of character to try to attempt that through by the end.

I'm glad my posts keep you entertained! For as moody and sarcastic as I can be, I try to let that be the crux of what I post here without the filters of fandom lenses. Fandom is fun to explore the what if's for! But maybe I'm a little bit old school and like to separate it from the canon of the texts and what we are given to actually decipher from that. As writers say plenty of times, sometimes don't think too much about a certain part since it's not the part meant to be focused on for the themes.

[vermillioncrown]

i just reread the dbd loveshack tag, and with the ot3 posts and more recent zl/zyx ones, i can’t wait for the four of them to meet all at once, it’ll be wild flailing on all sides for different reasons the rest can’t interpret or vocalize. like, lwj horny gripping for wwx and his unrequited friendship with zyx, and possible jealousy with zl and zyx’s “friendship”. wwx being his disaster self for his two totally-not-crushes crushes and this random interloper. zl annoyed with how touchy wwx is with zyx, plus lwj’s emotional repression. then there’s zyx who has to deal with ALL THREE of them, but completely misses the romantic/jealous/whatever the hell, undertones of the whole thing is just super entertaining for me. bonus points for shuangfeng commentary

my favorite type of mess: one thing happening with ten million different povs/interpretations

it's a bit tricky bc it depends on when they meet again. i think i hinted that there will be zl in the north or somehow the north visits the south, but both situations are post-ssc. you can imagine how charged those interactions will be in a vacuum - adding on the spice of political tensions and blah blah will uh. yeah.

lwj: on wwx: yes on horny gripping, that hasn't changed. contention due to possible demonic cultivation pending. on zyx: his friendship w zyx will get deeper, and more entangled due to zyx's developing intimacy w wwx (<- not in an exclusively romantic sense). aka more Emotions and ascribed deep meanings to every little thing. on zl: and you know how lwj fucking drinks that jc haterade, esp with how he treats wwx? he will be sipping a different flavor of haterade when he sees zl again, esp given that the two didn't make the best first impressions on each other.

wwx: on lwj: lwj is someone he admires, and it's complicated depending on the events within the ssc. this crush is one he still doesn't realize. on zyx: crush is realized. oh fucking no, but he can't help himself. + the events that i have planned during the ssc and between these two, it's also a minefield for wwx. on zl: wow, this upstanding, talented, serious guy that he met before is here! of course he's zyx's martial sibling ('wow my exceptional crush would have exceptional peers'). esp with the issue of the wen afterwards, knowing that zl essentially helped wq and wn's family without self-benefit is admirable. oh. huh. he's... he's a prickly guy, but wwx deals with prickly people all the time :)

zl: on lwj: how did he get worse on wwx: lol it's that funny, rude little guy - *sees wwx full clowning to get zyx's attention* >:| and then noticing whatever wwx's deal is with lwj post-war, how did he also get worse??? on zyx: kinda redacted because there's a thing that will happen in the next few chapters. but at this point he takes more of zyx's actions in good faith, even if the squirrely nature of them tire him out. and the fact that zyx's still interacting with these northern idiots makes him 'they are hopeless. it shouldn't be our problem. let's go home now'

zyx: 'i don't fucking want to be here, and you guys are making it worse. just behave you motherfuckers'

'oh what, they've all met? lol that's between them and the tudi-shen where they have a fistfight' <- still thinks they aren't part of all of this (bc who goes around thinking people have a crush on them?)

(people with better self-esteem and romantic awareness ig)

'no. how... my neural network was... it was wrong...' despair upon realizing that the shuangfeng betting pool was right, and it fucks them up that they don't even know where to begin calibrating their zl behavioral model

=

bonus:

depending on other relationships that could potentially win out late-ssc

all i'm gonna say is imagine zyx thinking they could park zl next to lxc during a discussion conference. 'lxc, for as much as he mortifies me, is a stand-up guy. we've worked things out during the war. zl should like him'

and the tension that ends up between lxc and zl is thicc af

and then zyx erroneously assumes 'oh wow is this a crush? do they like each other??? that's a lotta manly tension imma leave'

[llycaons]

ep32 (2/3): sect leader yao: how dare you! murdering innocent people is wrong! wwx: are you FUCKING kidding me-

wwx continuiing to defend himself - HE was the one to get ambushed!

such a cool line his is so hot

the laughing-crying is another EXCELLENT part of this scene. 1. wwx as a character is strongly associated with mirth, but this is a miserable and twisted laughter that conveys and brings no joy, just expresses how far he's been pushed and how close he is to his breaking point. 2. villainous laughter is a part of so many cliches and fairy tales - how many disney movies have you seen with a darkly chuckling villain or cackling megalomaniac? it fits the perception people have of him as an uncaring and malicious demon

this is such a good point! I think for wwx especially, who's had a long life of sacrifice, or unfair punishment, and of serving others, this rankles him particularly. I don't blame him for being sick of it

this is so galling omg sect leader yao being like 'all those people who you killed were innocent! how can you be so callous!" and wwx responding like 'AND THE FARMERS WHOSE LIVES I WAS TRYING TO SAVE WEREN'T???'

and this is so fucking cruel, to wwx who cares SO much and who has such a strong moral compass. this is what myu attacks him with, what jc throws in his face. diminishing and disrespecting his values and his actions. he's not out to be a hero, he's literally just trying to do the right thing and stick to his principles and all he's getting is shit from every single person around him and that INCLUDES lwj he FAILED esp in this episode and he knows it

ASKING TO PROVE A NEGATIVE!! LOGICAL FALLACY YOU BITCH

this is kind of funny. who is this irrelevant bitch. it does open up wwx for one of his greatest lines tho

I wrote a whole post about this because I didn't want it to be hidden but I love this line and I think it demonstrates important things abt wwx's character and outlook that make his relationship with lwj extremely stable

also 'you're so insignificant why would I ever care what side you're on?' lmao

this is was badass I love this so much. IS he keeping himself alive with resentful energy at this point? fuck, who knows?

HELL YEAH THEY'RE BREAKING OUT THE FIREBIRD SUITE. I think. fuck

honestly I find this action scene extremely drawn-out and boring but oh god this hurt me so bad

this was kind of a funny shot where nmj was spinning around then the camera moved behind a post and then it just stopped for a second then went to a completely different shot. thanks for showing us the back of this post I guess

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!! wow the aesthetics here rule. the contrast. wwx is like barely holding on look at how red his eyes are

I wonder if lxc thinks that wwx is so far gone he'd hurt lwj

oof. obviously they don't want to but I don't think wwx in his paranoia and isolation sees another way out

I've complained before about it not making sense that postres wwx avoided lwj (because they were friends in the flahback!), but if I'm being fair, lwj did in fact attack wwx. with his sword. and I can see wwx waking up and being really leery about what lengths lwj would go to subdue him again.

I'm sure he knew lwj didn't want to kill him - after all, they have such a history and lwj did save him, at the very end. but there's a huge difference between wanting him dead and wanting to support and protect and hide him, and wwx wasn't expecting lwj to offer him that. because he hasn't, historically, look, he;s trying to fight him right here. and he's made it clear in the past that his feelings are secondary to his sect and the path of orthodoxy. so wwx is entirely justified in all his reactions, in fact

ALSO it's kind of hard to tell in screenshots but lwj looks extremely distressed in context I promise

JUST SAY A-YUAN IS ALIVE. JUST SAY IT. THREE WORDS. SPIT IT OUT. god. useless boyfriend

[silverflame2724]

WWX decides to kill two birds with one stone and with the help of WQ reforges the Stygian Tiger Seal into a artificial golden core replacement which she implants into WWX.

WWXs eyes are now permanently red and he has the full power of the seal at his fingertips at all times because its part of him now.

Another side effect of this Stygian Core is discovered when WWX misses JZXs ambush and is instead attacked and disembowled in Carp Tower in full view of the cultivation world but then immediately regenerates without a scratch and blood ruined robes.

Watching WWX be more annoyed at the bloody robes than being disembowled because the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation has apparently cultivated to immortality USING RESENTMENT shakes a lot of people.

“Huh.” Wen Qing says as she observes yet another failure of Wei Wuxian’s inventions quite literally blow up in his face. “So this Seal of yours protects you?”

Wei Wuxian coughs from the smoke of his busted invention, “Well, yeah. What about it?”

“It’s sentient, correct?”

“Yeah....?”

“Hmm.” Wen Qing observed the Seal slowly bobbing up and down. “Can you circulate resentful energy through the Seal for a moment? Don’t make it do anything. Just channel resentful energy through it like you would if you channeled spiritual energy normally.”

“Okayyy??” Wei Wuxian was perplexed but nevertheless obeyed and watched as Wen Qing’s eyes brightened. “What? What is it? Wen Qing, tell meeeeee! Don’t leave me out!!!!!”

“Brat, I’m trying to concentrate.” She scolded him, but her tone was fond.

Wei Wuxian waited a few more moments before it seemed like Wen Qing had seen enough.

“I want you to calm down when I say this, but I think you can reforge the Seal into a core which I can transfer into you.”

Wei Wuxian was silent......for about two seconds. “............What?”

Wen Qing sighed. “Wei Wuxian, when you channeled resentful energy through the Seal, the Seal acted much like how it would if someone were to channel spiritual energy through their core. The Seal can be made into an artificial core is what I’m saying.”

“I.....you are sure?” Wei Wuxian asked. He knew Wen Qing wouldn’t joke about this.

“Yes. I’m about eighty percent sure this will go well. I can even knock you out when I cut you open this time.”

“I.....okay.” Wei Wuxian was at a loss for words.

“So I’ve rendered you speechless.” Wen Qing smiled. “That kinda feels good.”

Wei Wuxian pouted.

...........

It took a few days to reform the Seal into a form that would resemble a core but Wei Wuxian was a genius and having Wen Qing there to bounce ideas off of helped in giving him a clue as to how a core should look and feel like.

“Are you ready?” Wen Qing asked.

Wei Wuxian, who was one hundred percent not ready, said, “Yes.”

Wen Qing saw through this. “It will be alright.” She squeezed his hand. “This time, it will be alright.”

That was the last thing he heard before he was knocked out.

.

.

.

When he awoke, his eyes had burned for a little before the pain dissipated.

Wen Qing had been in the midst of declaring the operation successful when she suddenly paused, “Huh.”

“What is it?” He asked nervously. Did something go wrong?

“Oh.....it’s, hmm. A’ Ning, get me some water, will you?”

Wen Ning returned not long later and locked eyes with Wei Wuxian. He seemed quite startled and that made Wei Wuxian even more curious. Based on Wen Qing’s reaction, it wasn’t anything bad, but still.....

“Wei Wuxian.”

“Yes?”

“Look at your reflection and you’ll understand why A’ Ning and I looked startled.”

Wei Wuxian did.

And he was shocked to see that his eyes have now become a brilliant shade of red. “What the hell?”

“Mmhm.” 

“Why are my eyes red???”

“Well, Wei Wuxian, I’m not sure if anyone’s told you, but you’re aware your eyes turn red everytime you use demonic cultivation, right?”

“Umm, no??”

“Well, they do. And considering what your core is, well. I’m not entirely surprised this happened. It was certainly unexpected though.” She finished cleaning up and left Wei Wuxian to just sit and admire his reflection.

...................

A week and some carefully supervised experiments later, Wei Wuxian had full control over his core. It was really just the same thing as how one would normally use a golden core, so it didn’t take long for him to get the hang of it. However, considering his core is the Seal, he also had the ability to control thousands of corpses and this time without any of the side effects.

He also spent time trying to get Suibian to respond to him using resentful energy. Considering that the sword was a spiritual sword, he was unsure of the compatibility but Suibian seemed to adapt well enough and Wei Wuxian was so glad he didn’t have to give up ever using his beloved sword again.

The next step on his agenda was to update the wards. Using the power of the Seal to strengthen it was a walk in the park and Wei Wuxian finally felt like despite how the cultivation world was always on the verge of killing him and the Wens, they’d be safe. The wards would hold out.

He then started absorbing all the deep-seated resentment in the soil to make it more fertile as well as trying to clear the Burial Mounds resentment by listening to the stories of the dead and helping them pass on. He also painstakingly dug up all the strewn about corpses, burned them and held proper funeral rites for them.

The crops flourished, the Wens and him were well-fed, and the Burial Mounds started to lighten up. Wei Wuxian no longer looked to be on the verge of death and he was able to cultivate without any problem.

Like this, time passed peacefully.

..........................

He was invited to his nephew’s one month celebration not long later and Wei Wuxian decided that this would be a good time to show the cultivation world that he truly is the grandmaster of demonic cultivation they all claim him to be. (In truth, he never considered himself to be any sort of grandmaster considering how little he knew of demonic cultivation, but it was different now.)

He told Wen Ning and the other corpses - of the resentful spirits that stayed behind saying they wanted to help him - to watch for any Jins since he trusted they’d take this chance to attack the Burial Mounds.

After he put on a concealing talisman for his eyes - since he knew that his different eye color would make a huge uproar -, he took to the skies with Suibian and nearly teared up. He’d missed flying. He’d missed this feeling. Laughing happily, he circulated the resentful energy in his core and sped up, becoming a black blur as he flew straight over Qiongqi Path.

When he landed at the foot of Koi Tower, invitation in hand, the Jin guards seemed surprised to see him there but had to let him in, not wanting to offend him. 

Jiang Yanli-- no, it was Jin Yanli saw him and waved excitedly, beckoning him over. Out of his sight, Jin Guangyao and Jin Guangshan seemed surprised to see him there.

“A’ Xian!”

“Shijie!” The form of address slipped out.

Her face softened. “You made it!”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

The whispers of the people around him, wondering why he was there, surrounded him, but he ignored it. “Shijie, here’s my present!”

She looked at the bell with a little bit of wonder. “What does it do?”

“It’ll ensure that high level resentful beings and below won’t be able to move!”

“Oh, A’ Xian! This is perfect.”

“Thank you.” Jin Zixuan said, awkwardly. Wei Wuxian had forgotten he was there.

“No need! If it’s for Shijie’s son, I’d do anything!”

“He’s my son, too.”

Wei Wuxian made a face at that. “Well, yeah.”

“Wei Wuxian!” Jiang Cheng called and then stopped. “You have your sword?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged, “Yep!” He twirled around. “I started picking Suibian up again! But let’s not focus on that, Jiang Cheng!”

Jiang Cheng seemed hesitant but dropped it readily enough as they started bickering like they used to.

Suddenly--

“Wei Wuxian!” Someone yelled.

Wei Wuxian groaned. Can one day go on without someone yelling my name with hatred??? Like, please??

“Yeeeeeees?” He drawled tiredly.

And some Jin guy that vaguely looked like Jin Zixuan stomped in, looking murderous. “You, remove the curse that you put on me!!”

Murmurs started up all around them.

“Curse?” Wei Wuxian looked confused. “What curse? And who are you anyway? Am I supposed to know you from somewhere??” 

“You know who I am!!”

“No, I don’t actually.” Wei Wuxian scratched his head as he walked forward to get a better look. He really didn’t know!

“That’s Jin Zixun.” His shijie said, coming up to him. “From the Phoenix Mountain hunt?” Before Wei Wuxian could say anything, she continued. “The one that was supposed to apologize to you.”

“Hmm?” Wei Wuxian thought really hard. “Oh! I remember you now!” He said to a rather red-faced Jin Zixun. “Sorry about that buddy, but uhh I didn’t curse you! I didn’t even remember you until now!”

“It must be you! It has to be you!!” He screamed and it was really grating on his nerves. “See! Look at this!” He ripped his robes open and everyone gasped at the evidence of the Hundred Holes curse on his torso. 

Wei Wuxian whistled. “Well, that’s quite some curse. But I still didn’t do it.” Jin Zixun looked ready to refute so he continued, “Why would I curse you secretly when I usually make a big production of those I kill?”

People had to admit he had a point.

Jin Zixun continued to scream expletives until he finally rushed forward and in a rather bold move, drew his sword, plunging forward. However, in his anger, he completely missed his target and the direction of the blade pointed towards Jin Yanli.

“A’ Jie!!” Jiang Cheng screamed

Wei Wuxian was the closest to her and pushed her back, stepping in front of her taking the sword to his gut.

“A’ XIAN!!!” “WEI WUXIAN!!” “WEI YING!!” Jin Yanli, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Wangji, who was actually there, all screamed.

And Wei Wuxian who had just been disemboweled, grit his teeth and pulled out the sword. Which, in hindsight, was a horrible decision since blood got everywhere. Though not so much when his stomach stitched itself back together. “................Huh.” I knew I regenerated quickly considering how often I got hurt plowing the fields and digging up the corpses to put them to rest, but damn that was quick. Though..... “My robes!” He fake-cried, turning his attention to a stunned Jin Zixun. “You ruined my robes! I just managed to scrounge up enough money to buy this new pair and you ruined them!!!!” He fretted over the large rip over his abdomen. “What am I going to tell Wen Qing? She just told me not to stain them!”

The entire cultivation just stared at him in silent shock, making Wei Wuxian feel a little self-conscious. 

“Uhh, what are all of you staring at me for?”

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said with all the patience of an exasperated brother. “Is that the only thing you can ask?!” He glared, signaling for two Jiang disciples to restrain Jin Zixun from anymore stupid ideas he’d like to enact. “When did you cultivate to immortality?”

“I didn’t??? What do you mean??”

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan said, checking him over. “Are you alright?”

“Hmm? I’m a little dizzy considering all the blood I’ve lost, but it’s nothing big!” He grinned. It felt nice to have Lan Zhan care for him rather than fight with him.

“Wei Wuxian, stop flirting with Hanguang-Jun and answer the damn question.”

Wei Wuxian turned his attention back to his brother and pouted at him, missing Lan Wangji’s red ears. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“A’ Xian.” Shijie said and Wei Wuxian abruptly realized her robes had his blood on them. 

“Shijie, I’m sorry I got your robes dirty!”

“It’s fine.” She patted him. “But A’ Xian, I know you didn’t pay attention to those lectures, but only immortals can heal from wounds like that that quickly.”

“Really?”

“Mn.” Lan Zhan confirmed.

“Huh. So I’m immortal?”

“Yes.” Jiang Cheng deadpanned. “And you didn’t even notice it. In true Wei Wuxian fashion.”

Lan Zhan frowned then. He had still been checking Wei Wuxian’s pulse. “Wei Ying, what happened to your core?”

“Hmm? .........Oh shit.”

“Why is it covered in resentment?”

“Oh. Umm.” Wei Wuxian really was at a loss for words now. “We can discuss that later?”

“Wei Ying.”

“Aiya, how do you make my name sound like reprimand?”

“Don’t try to deflect the conversation.” Jiang Cheng said, now paying attention.

Wei Wuxian groaned. “Okay. Well, everyone would have found out sooner or later but umm. I might have cultivated to immortality accidentally via demonic cultivation? Haha, ha......”

No one laughed with him. They all looked pretty shaken and Wei Wuxian wanted to laugh at their reaction. He felt pretty detached from it all, to be honest.

“Can we all just forget about this and continue celebrating Jin Ling’s one month celebration?”

And everyone collectively said, “No.”

“Aww.”

___________________

To this day, I’m still unsure of whether it’s Carp Tower or Koi Tower.

[featherfur]

Oh you know what else is awful :Re people's reactions to JC's childhood? A lot of JFM apologism consists of 'that's just how (Chinese) fathers are'.

Like maybe MXTX was trying to get at something, what with the yunmeng siblings having terrible coping mechanisms and poor communication, when she wrote JFM.

Why does everyone just assume JFM was a good parent just because WWX puts him in a good light? Of course he does! WWX's other option is sleeping on the streets so of course he regards JFM as kind and charitable!

But that doesn't erase the fact that JFM is a neglectful father who babysits his 'easiest to get along with' child when he feels like and leaves him for his wife to abuse when he does not to WWX, and a neglectful father who ignores his heir who is desperate to for validation, or a neglectful father who leaves his eldest daughter to raise the other children while making major life decisions for her without consulting her. Just because this is 'normal' does not make it right.

look, im not here to tell anyone who to like or who to hate but there is a Lot of JFM apologism that absolutely reeks of misogyny. And I don't say that lightly.

Saying "thats just how fathers are" doesn't... make him a good dad. It really doesn't excuse anything, it just says that you think it's okay for fathers to be bad parents because it's just what happens. Instead of like, acknowledging that it's not a good thing to be and that a good parent should yknow, be a parent.

Both Madam Yu and JFM are both horrible parents they're just on opposite sides of the spectrum. JFM is no less neglectful and abusive just because he isn't screaming. He doesn't parent any of his kids, he just exists with them and relies on the fact that his wife taught his son and daughter responsibility and hopes that WWX will learn it through osmosis or by his wife. He's a glorified babysitter at best and while WWX does put him on a pedestal, we also see JFM being neglectful in canon multiple times, and WWX is not a reliable narrator. Just because he says that JFM is great and wondrous, doesn't mean that he is especially when we then get scenes of proof that he just sucks. (Also a lot of those moments of him being a good uncle are just... JFM letting him get away with shit.)

And honestly like, if your kid goes around wondering if you actually like him then you've failed as a parent. No matter how good you are to the other kid. You don't get to just choose a kid to care for (which he does in like the worst way). I get that people like characters that are good to their fav and the MC but sometimes man,,, idk I don't like him lmao. He's not a good father even to WWX and it irritates me when ppl act like he was, or blame JC and Yanli for JFM being a shit dad. Or when they blame Madam Yu for Fengmian being a shit dad. Like no, look. I get it. You hate your wife (who you signed up to marry) and you feel like you got the short end of the stick. The person you loved went off to die in the wilderness and abandoned you. You're upset.

You're still a fucking parent. You don't get to ignore and belittle your kids because your wife sucks, because you're unhappy, because you didn't marry the person you wanted. Not to mention you're a pretty shit husband too, you give no shits about the rumors that are hurting your wife and your kids because heaven forbid you make a point to be like "Yeah no Wei Wuxian isn't my kid, my kid is the one in purple. The one with anxiety. And I wouldn't cheat on my wife." It's also the reason I get very aggravated when modern au's have JFM suddenly be a great dad because he's single. No he was a shit parent before WWX and if the reason is because he doesn't like his wife then he's a shit parent anyway. Madam Yu is more likely to be a decent mother, traditional and strict as hell, without a husband letting her name and her kids get dragged through the mud and everything her son has being put in danger because JFM can't be bothered to tell the kid he brought home that he has to follow the rules.

This doesn't even go into the stereotypes of mothers and how women are punished and hated a thousand times more than men because that's "just how men are".

I just,,, so much of the apologism is just refusing to admit that father's should be good parents. So unfortunately the more ppl try to apologize for him and insist he's secretly a good dad, the more i despise him and understand where Madam Yu is coming from. But people are welcome to make their own decisions, and at the end of the day they're both horrible parents and really should not have been allowed to be near kids as anything more than actual aunts and uncles so that the kid can go home and get a decent family dynamic

[crossdressingdeath]

"Boys will be boys" logic is interesting since WWX himself basically uses that exact excuse in the book when he tells LWJ not to take JC's homophobic rant/assault seriously in the ancestral hall bc that's just how JC is, as if WWX himself wasn't furious when JC targeted LWJ in that scene. A lot of WWX's famed unreliable narration is rationalizing the crazy shit JC does but sometimes people tend to take it at face value.

Yes, exactly! That is such a huge thing. WWX spends so much time telling himself (and through himself the audience) that oh, it can’t be helped when JC mistreats him, JC is just like that, it’s totally fine, he doesn’t mind, and we see how that viewpoint was encouraged and strengthened by the people around him, especially JYL (sorry Shijie but it’s true). Hell, you could argue that this particular aspect of his character was entirely her doing, given YZY just thinks he should be subordinate to JC in all things and JFM mostly ignores JC’s behaviour; it’s just JYL going for the “oh boys will be boys, you’re strong and always smiling, you can take it” angle.

...Actually, let’s go into that a bit more because it very much gets buried under the “best sister” shit; I am prepared to argue that JYL consistently taking JC’s side did serious damage to WWX. Like, she was the only Jiang who consistently showed him affection and support and he convinced himself that it was unconditional! But the “unconditional” aspect was an illusion entirely based on his ability to consistently and convincingly pretend that JC wasn’t hurting him. WWX isn’t stupid, I don’t doubt for a second that he knew JYL would take JC’s side if it came down to it. She always takes JC’s side from day one. Literally; she hears WWX say he’ll take the blame for JC chasing him out of Lotus Pier and getting WWX’s leg broken while all JC did was come out looking for WWX personally (instead of doing the smart and more helpful thing and getting adults to help) because he was scared he’d get in trouble and he got a little scrape because he was running through the woods like an idiot because, again, he was too scared of getting in trouble to GET ACTUAL HELP THAT WASN’T A CHILD and she’s like “Yeah, that sounds reasonable and fair and not like a really, really bad precedent to set with a kid whose safety relies on my family liking him”. ...There’s also an aspect of “Sure, it can’t hurt to let the kid my mother very clearly hates take responsibility for something that he could be punished for by someone with a motive to take everything possible as a wrongdoing on WWX’s part”, but to be fair at this point she doesn’t know YZY will whip WWX for literally anything she can even slightly suggest is any sort of wrongdoing on WWX’s part. And let’s not pretend WWX wasn’t punished for JC getting hurt; come on, it’s YZY, she punishes him for sunbathing.

This is a running thing going forward in their dynamic, too! JC does something horrible, JYL immediately starts in on the “Oh, boys will be boys, A-Cheng might get upset if you call him out on his shit” shtick if WWX shows the slightest trace of dissatisfaction with being treated like garbage, WWX smiles and forgives JC for whatever he did without question, there’s a period of calm, the cycle repeats. JYL very much teaches WWX that he cannot EVER show any unhappiness with JC’s threats and insults. If he ever shows so much as a shred of anger or sadness or generally being upset at the way JC mistreats him JYL takes JC’s side. At most she’ll tell JC that maybe he should back off a little while basically telling WWX to grin and bear it because JC might be slightly upset if anyone ever calls him out on being horrible to literally everyone. And don’t even get me started on the whole “Oh you’re always smiling” bullshit, talk about teaching a mistreated orphan that he has literally no right to look sad about anything ever. Like, let me put it this way: WWX doesn’t even feel he can go to JYL about JC TRYING TO KILL HIM. That’s a lot? It’s a lot? And it never really gets discussed in any way? WWX doesn’t feel like he can tell his supposed sister who supposedly loves him unconditionally that her brother tried to murder him like three times and when the third time comes up JYL takes JC’s side because JC’s arm got broken in the process of the staged fight where JC stabbed WWX in the gut and that’s fine and healthy apparently. Stan WQ, the actual best sister (god I love WQ).

Anyway, now that I’m done enraging the fandom with my tangent about how much JYL sucks as a sister to WWX... Yeah, WWX insists that JC’s attitude can’t be helped because JC’s just like that even when he very clearly doesn’t buy that? He’s obviously pissed when JC goes after LWJ to the point of genuinely going after JC for it... but when they get away from JC he goes into the “Oh, he can’t help it, don’t get mad at him”. And in this particular case part of it is him panicking because JC’s homophobic ranting (and LWJ’s clear anger at it) left him questioning his and LWJ’s feelings and the mutuality thereof, but it also... really does throw every other time he insists JC’s behaviour is fine into question. Like, we know he’s not buying his own line in this scene! He was furious at JC! He’s still furious and upset! But he feels the need to cover for JC. Even after he’s realized that JC’s behaviour wasn’t okay, he still feels like he has to protect him from anyone else getting angry at him. WWX knows JC’s behaviour isn’t okay and that it’s not fair that JC treats him the way he does and I’d argue (especially at this point in the story) that he deserves better than JC’s treatment... but he still insists that JC is just like that and it’s fine.

That throws every single time WWX smiles through JC’s mistreatment into question, I’d say; we know he’ll react this way even when he knows that JC’s behaviour isn’t okay, so who’s to say he ever isn’t aware that JC’s behaviour isn’t okay? In CQL XZ does an excellent job of showing that at least in that continuity he is extremely done with JC’s shit even from when they’re fifteen; the novel is as far as I remember a little less clear, but it’s still pretty obvious that he’s not enjoying the way JC treats him. He knows that the way JC treats him is hurtful and upsetting and sometimes even frightening (think of the times JC threatens him with dogs and he’s clearly scared, which is a whole other thing because either he’s so scared of dogs that even the threat terrifies him or he has zero doubt that JC for sure would set dogs on him, which is a big thing either way and also I’m still not over how CQL JYL laughs when JC threatens WWX with dogs even though WWX is clearly scared and she totally would’ve laughed if that happened in the novel too but showing it so blatantly and then never actually getting into how messed up it is is just unnecessary), but he feels like he has to smile through it and cover for JC, just like when they were nine.

Anyway yeah, for a fandom so obsessed with WWX being an unreliable narrator the MDZS/CQL fandom sure does miss a lot of times where WWX is actually being unreliable, huh.

[pocketfulofrecs]

ChilianXianzi was one of the first authors I (Dee) read in this fandom and These Mortal Treasures was one of the first fics I read. ChilianXianzi has a great writing style and you’re fully immersed into the story she’s weaving. We are really looking forward to anything she writes in the future.

She has written 39k+ words on 7 works, both mdzs and cql canon. You can find her @chilianxianzi on Tumblr.

Her fics:

To Not Vainly Break Branches - [mature | 3k | wip | emperor LWJ/empress WWX]

For Safekeeping Purposes - [mature | 2.9k | crime boss/sugar daddy LWJ]

The Shadows of My Old Places, Falling Across the Moats - [teen | 8.4k | QHJ goes to Burial Mounds]

To Start A Bridge From A Single Log - [teen | 4.7k | epistolary]

These Mortal Treasures (our post) - [teen | 9.3k | dragonji]

They say - [teen | 3.1k | LWJ is troubled by rumors]

Proximity to Knowledge (our post) - [teen | 7.2k | WWX protection squad]

Dee’s favourite: These Mortal Treasures, definitely. It is one of the first fics I read when I entered this fandom. It is also one that planted the idea of writing a dragon fic. I really love it. The story, the pacing, LWJ’s response to WWX, everything.

Ju’s favourite: Proximity to Knowledge! I love genius WWX, and I love WWX and his ducklings, and this fic gives me both so well! Jingyi pov is so much fun, and all the juniors doing whatever they can to be close to WWX and learn from him just makes me so happy. It’s a really good fic to read when you’re feeling down.

The Interview:

Q. When did you start writing fics? Did you have fandoms before this one?

A. I think around 2006-ish? I used to write character and quest mods for Baldur's Gate 2 before I went through the Knights of the Old Republic fandom and the whole ouvre of Bioware's games, although Dragon Age was the fandom I was most involved in and wrote the most for. There was of course a Harry Potter phase amidst all that, as one does, but also a good deal of Sailor Moon.

Q. What made you start writing for MDZS?

A. Definitely the worldbuilding and the issues and themes raised in canon. In a way, MDZS is the complete package of family issues, class issues, communal responsibilities, my childhood love for Wuxia/Xianxia, and the increasingly dangerous and volatile court of public opinion - which is also reflected very prominently in the MDZS fandom proper.

And let's not forget the Wangxian, because they're just a couple that works not just because they look good together (They do) and have a deep love for each other (Hell yeah they also do), but they also work perfectly together because they are constantly, stubbornly striving for the same values in a world where such values often come second after ideas of honor and performative righteousness.

Q. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

A. It's an ongoing one and it's called "To Start a Bridge From A Single Log" where I wanted to explore the possible uses of Cultivation outside of the super insular scope of the cultivation world and how that would impact both communities, because all of these hogging of spiritual resources, I cannot stand it. But it also has ridiculous amounts of Wangxian mutual pining so there's that, it's just all my favorite things piled up together.

Q. What’s your favourite type of fics to read?

A. Oh, it really depends on my mood at the moment like that's why rec blogs like this is just so *mwah chef's kiss* because there's just a ready selection of different stuff for different occasions! In the MDZS fandom, I do gravitate towards fics about Wei Wuxian finding a home and his place in the world outside of his Jiang upbringing, or fics where Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian just work together realizing their mutual vow, being a good role model for the juniors.

Q. What’s your favourite comment? Or type of comment?

A. Any comment is a favorite, honestly! Writing stories are just like talking to people right, so being answered is always nice :D I suppose whatever the comment is, it's just always really interesting and heartening to see that parts of what you're talking about resonates with other people, enough to get an answer in words :)

Q. What motivates you to write?

A. I think I'm inherently a very angry person. Like literally the way I set my career path had been to find what things made me the most angry and do my best to fix it, and I feel like that's also my approach to writing. I would tackle something I think is a problem or a question that makes me angry and try to find my way through it via the characters and worldbuilding - And even if in the end the problems don't get solved or the questions are not answered, there would still be dialogue incited and there would still be the process of seeing said problem from many perspectives as writing (and reading!) encourages you to do.

Q. Who’s your favorite author?

A. The authors that really stayed with me are the Shoujo mangakas of the late 80s and the 90s, because they gave me examples on so many different ways to express myself outside of the one-note "girls should be like this" sentiments that were still somewhat prevalent when I grew up. My favorite has to be Kyoko Hikawa, though. Other writers would probably be Margaret Atwood and Nnedi Okorafor because of the way they talk about many issues through stories so they're not directly talking about it but still kinda blatantly talking about it.

Q. What is your favorite trope to read and/or write?

A. Curtain fics! There's just something inherently telling about how a character approaches the everyday and its logistics, because in a way these everyday things around them are also the things that molded and shaped them to be who they are.

Q. Do you have any advice for new authors?

A. I guess start small? I used to teach piano and after all the godawful finger exercises and endless scales it's always SO nice and validating for the kids (and adults!) to be able to complete an actual song, even if it's just a tiny piece of twelve bars. And I feel like it's a bit like that with writing too, the joy of just like, finishing something with your own hands and then having people hear/read it is such a great motivator to do more. Like we could totally start with super simple goals and as we go on, the goals or the objectives could become bigger or more diverse.

Q. What do you think is the most important element in writing? Plot, characterization, relationship?

A. I really think it depends on what kind of experience you're looking for your readers to have? For me, some plots or concepts are so engaging that you'd be fine even if the characters are switched to another fandom, and some fics have such good characterization that it happening in limbo would be fine with me, that kind of thing. I guess it's also fun to experiment with each pressure point and see which feelings and reactions from readers (and yourself!) you gain from each you love the most and how to combine each element in a portion that works out for you.

~

Check out their stories on ao3 and remember…

Comments and kudos feed the author’s soul.

[guqin-and-flute]

The Soup Incident [Episode 22]

Random Jin Guy: hey u know ur sister

WWX: everyone's mom? best person in the world? beset by terminal heterosexuality? rings a bell

LWJ: i'm sure this is more important than a war

Random Jin Guy: something happened with j

WWX: [overrunning other line] I MUST GO MY MEDDLING IS REQUIRED

Random Nie Guy: oop there he go

LWJ: wow this sounds serious

WWX: what horrors will i find what trauma will this compound what cruelty will i be met with also how did i know exactly where to go

WWX: OH. YOU.

JZX: gross

JYL: oh an audience perfect i'm sure this will de-escalate things

WWX: can we solve this with castration? tell me we can

JYL: no thanks i'd still like the option if it's all the same to u

WWX: it's not let me remove his body parts

JZX: like i'd let u near me u classless hellion

JYL: listen life hasn't been like the greatest lately had a lot of shitty carriage rides i'd like things to chill out and by things i mean namely u in this moment can we go now pls i have an appointment to cry into my pillow that i'm missing

WWX: omg noooo i'll behave i'm here to support u i'll be impartial

JYL: i don't believe that for a single second tho hun

WWX: impartial to how mUCH BLOOD I'M GONNA GET EVERYWHERE HOW IS IT  EVERY TIME I SEE UR STUPID FACE I HATE U MORE fuck u u piece o shit

JYL: and there it is

JZX: [angry sleeve flap of disdainful eloquence]

WWX: wtf

JYL: yeah he's good at those

JYL: honey ur not helping urself here he beat the shit out of u BEFORE he marinated in dark energy for 3 months pls use ur words and ur brain

WWX: WAT DID UR SLEEVE SAY TO ME BITCH

JYL: can we just go pls i like to not be reminded of exactly how much stupid i willingly allow into my life

WWX: but shijie M U R D E R

JYL: inexplicably i still want to marry him so no thank u

JZX: oh look mianmian's here

MM: u fuckin bet i am u dipshit

WWX: wtaf is wrong with him

MM: ok listen LISTEN i know i feel u trust me

JZX: time to return to the arrogance corner

WWX: UR YOUNG MASTER'S A BITCH

JYL: a-xian  n o

MM: no he totally is u right

JYL: well then he's MY bitch :(

MM: why do i bother to stay up late to practice conversations with u if u don't bother to try all that time wasted am i supposed to cover for u now?

JZX: bold of u to assume u can but go for it still don't know why tf ur all here just wanna eat my soup

WWX: HEY I HAVE A FUN GAME IT'S CALLED HOW MUCH OF CHENQING CAN WE FIT INTO JIN ZIXUAN quick someone pick an orifice

JYL: gross

MM: tempting

LWJ: oh hey i'm here now i walk slow oh shit the nice jiang is crying who would hurt the nice jiang?

MM: ok so u know how ur sister makes soup?

JYL: i never really stop it's a little pathological at this point maybe i should talk to someone...

LWJ: oh more heterosexual antics wei ying's achilles heel best wait outside thank god Xichen is mostly functional and gay as the day is long

MM: so she makes soup right? 2 goes to you chuckleheads and the third goes to emporer perpetual foot-in-mouth over here

JZX: [buffering]

MM: jfc why do i even try

WWX: DID HE INSULT UR  S O U P ?!

JYL: sorta i am soup and soup is me

MM: so anyway

JZX: [overrunning previous line] HOLD UP I THOUGHT RANDOM SERVANT NUMBER 62 BROUGHT ME THE SOUP THAT'S NATIVE TO YUNGMENG WHERE MY EX-FIANCE GREW UP

WWX: ur in love with an idiot

JYL: i'm in love with an idiot

MM: I STG UR HEAD IS FILLED WITH JUST HAIRBALLS AND LINT HOW ARE U STILL BREATHING

MM: SHE MAKES SOUP. SHE'S THE SOUP LADY. ASK PEOPLE WHAT THEY THINK OF  WHEN U SAY YANLI AND THEY'LL SAY KINDNESS. A N D  S O U P . and her murder-brothers but that's not the point rn

JZX: ...u made me soup

MM: i'm so fucking sorry pls marry him i need a competent woman to hang around with i'm getting dumber by the day

WWX: seriously this guy u love this guy?

JYL: xianxian pls romantic idiocy runs in our family it's practically traditional

JYL: i mean...yes i have 2 coping mechanisms; soup and crying neither of them are working rn tho help i don't unlock righteous fury until level 25

JZX: wow she made me soup

WWX: of course she made u soup  u human inner-thigh chafe show us the flashback mianmian

MM: [off screen] oh yeah that roll the tape jeeves

[ENTER FLASHBACK]

JYL: i made u soup bb

JZX: ur not servant number 62 go fuck urself

JYL: wut

[END FLASHBACK]

WWX: NO FURTHER QUESTIONS UR HONOR

Random Jin Guy Who Brought Wuxian: perhaps this was a [cursive writing] Mistake™

JZX: ouchie i can twirly fight countless puppets can't dodge a punch of the life of me cultivation jesus that's gonna leave a mark

JYL: GOD I WISH THIS WAS MORE CATHARTIC how does this always happen? who raised this kid? oh right me

Group of Random Jin Guards: we are all well intentioned but ultimately expendable extras fear us

Random Jin Guard: UNHAND HIM FIEND

WWX: cool imma write u a song it's called Don't Care Didn't Ask Gonna Kill Everyone In This Tent Over Soup in b flat tootly toot here comes the murder flute

Random Jin Guards attacked by resentful energy: [keyboard smash]

LWJ: wait hold on that's his shit starting music has shit been started?? wEi YiNg

WWX: are u prepared for the journey i'm about to send u on little man

JZX: i'm actually good here thanks

[unintelligible teenage screaming]

MM: HEY LISTEN U CAN'T DO THAT MURDER IS BAD and i still like him i sympathize but like...u can't

WWX: the semi corporeal black smoke demons that sublet my soul tell me that it's fine sooo

JYL: a-xian if u kill him now i will have put up with so much bs for n o t h i n g

LWJ: take a deep breath us ur words what in the actual hell is going on

WWX: fuck u ur not my therapist

LWJ: u do not have a therapist never has someone so clearly NOT had a therapist except maybe jiang cheng

WWX: SOUP MURDER IS GOING ON

LWJ: wut

JYL: pls understand it's just as dumb as you think

LWJ: ... i refuse to let soup related crimes of passion be something my future husband is known for u stop that

WWX: THEN I'M LEAVING

LWJ: wow

JYL: we're both in love with idiots

JZX: am i still gonna keep getting soup?

[this is a thing i do sometimes so if you would like to see more...]

Scene suggested by @nagisachan1​!! (I’m so sorry I forgot to tag/credit you when I posted this!)