#A+ cql xiyao song imo

[dailyayao]

[thatswhatsushesaid]

do you have any jgy fic recs? i trust your opinion on the matter lmaoo

i do indeed! i've probably rec'd a few of these before in the past, but i am always glad to rope more people into reading my faves. (i'll also try to rec some other stuff so i'm not just parroting the same recs over and over again lol)

also the vast majority of this is going to be xiyao-flavoured, but there's a peppering of suyao in here, too.

the it's worth it every time series by roquen (aka @fincalinde here on tumblr), which includes my favourite xiyao fix-it fic, the weakness of falling in love. the series revolves around the premise of what would happen if jin guangshan denied jin guangyao permission to marry qin su, meaning that jgy and lxc can now fuck without guilt--and, probably more importantly, what that added emotional intimacy and access to jgy's circumstances reveals to lxc. i love this series because it hews extremely close to canon, which is just the type of fic i personally prefer reading.

abstinence, denial by @ilgaksu, a xiyao vestal virgins AU with a predictably sad ending. still very crunchy.

a painting missing strokes, a song missing notes by occasional_boy_reporter, a post-canon xiyao fix-it following the cql canon. it's unfinished 🥲 but the cliffhanger of the last chapter is still emotionally satisfying imo, and there is SO much good and crunchy su minshan (and decidedly one-sided suyao) content. good good food.

the after series by welcome_equivocator, including the fic remains, a cql-canon xiyao AU in which lan xichen runs back into the guanyin temple as it is collapsing to die with jin guangyao.

imago also by welcome_equivocator, a VERY unsettling xiyao body horror fic that will make your skin crawl, but hopefully in a fun way.

sainted, untainted by @gloriousmonsters, a suyao-flavoured exploration of trust through badly negotiated kink, but everyone is fully consenting to what is going on ftr.

please mind the tags/warnings!

[madtomedgar]

Lan Xichen for the ask meme

a song that reminds me of them: this is more a xiyao song but imo it's from Lan Xichen's perspective post-canon so it counts but. "Stairwell Song" by Brighteyes

what they smell like: probably a lot and not very good because pre-modern people didn't obsess about removing body odor and also really liked incense/perfume/etc, and also he's a dude and dude-smell is not good (to me. because i am a lesbian. if that's your thing, fine, but i am not a fan). less a lot than most because i feel like Lans probably wash better and more often but still.

an otp: Jin Guangyao!

a notp: I'm not like... against other ships here, even if I don't enjoy them... I think Jiang Cheng, because it clogs tags, I don't get it, and its execution is always very unpleasant for me. But more than that anything that pairs Lan Xichen with a woman because imo he is like. Gay gay. Like. Knows that people are straight but like... can't really understand that they... enjoy that? They're probably straight because they want kids so they do what must be done, right? Yeah.

favorite platonic/familial relationships: I love him and Wangji's relationship, especially exploring how it devolves post-canon, but I also really really like the dynamic between him and Lan Qiren in cql. Very crunchy. Like. Lan Qiren clearly cares deeply about him but mostly expresses that by holding him to high standards and shaping him for his role. And he shows his affection for Lan Qiren by striving to live up to his expectations, but also runs interference for his brother. And then like. When Lan Qiren sends him away because he is the one who is too important, and it's the most crushing thing his uncle could have done, and the way that sets up this pattern of him being the one everyone decides must survive, whether he wants to or not. Yeah. Good stuff.

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with: Centrist himbo Lan Xichen my beloathed. Also the like "too nice, too trusting, weak and effeminate" (mis)characterization.

the position they sleep in: flat on his back like a good Lan but. Also. He has secretly and sneakily mastered the art of sleeping while sitting so it looks like he's meditating. (I hc that the Lan sleep schedule doesn't really match his body's natural rhythm so he's often a little tired so. Stealth-nap).

a crossover au i’d love to see them in: star trek!

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn: I like the sunshot outfit and also the blue and white one from the second half of the show with the tighter sleeves.

[watch-grok-brainrot]

OMG @mika--82 and @needtherapy tagged me in this. XD I’m so happy. 

Top 3 Ships: (wangxian in modern AU, wangxian in canon, wangxian in some other AU) Ok, we all know i’m here for wangxian. it’s in my freaking account name... so, wangxian ASIDE…   

1.SongXiao: Yeah. I love them so much. That moment in CQL when XXC smiled and said Zichen, I was sold. And I was head over heels for them. I love them so much. I want them to be reincarnated and just happy forever. Adopt A-qing. Live a happy life. Xue Yang can suffer the lack of candy forever. 

2.XiYao: Here’s the thing. This is a painful ship. More painful than SongXiao because there isn’t really love there. There is so much betrayal and hurt. But I love the what ifs. Because if you watch CQL, LXC was so gentle and soft with MY at the beginning. That first moment of contact they were both smitten, IMO. And I can’t give up on that potential. I want it to work and I want them happy. So I love the IDEA of a GOOD HEALTHY XiYao. Where LXC can help Meng Yao’s insecurities and Meng Yao learns to like himself and be honest. It would be so sweet. I think it’s a great dynamic to explore in canonverse too. Painful but great. 

3. JinLing/Lan Jingyi:  This is the fluffy happy ship of mine. They bicker. They argue. LSZ is their match maker. They care about each other. LJY is a cat. JL is a pupper. I dunno, i’m just soft for this ship. I think Lan Jingyi is fairly sure of who he is and it makes him stable. But he’s also so sweet and fun and kind and funny and snarky. I stan LJY, ok?  And Jin Ling needs that in his life. 

Last Song: I am OBSESSED with Mao Buyi’s 水乡 right now.  The imagery is just stunning. And it makes me think of the prettiest places in China I’ve been to. So soft and sweet. It does the classic chinese poetry thing of painting a picture and then interweaves feelings into a picture. And the picture painted is a quaint chinese town with… oh. Let me just pull up some lyrics and translate it. Because I can’t really explain the feelings until i start translate it. This is a ROUGH TRANSLATION. Oh god. But it gives you the idea…

水绿天蓝蓝 白鹭一行路辗转

Green water and blue skies, i see a row of egrets as i pass through on the road

飞过芦苇滩 停在相思畔

They fly over the reedy shoal, and stop on the banks of missing you

听船歌声声慢

Listen to the song emanating slowly from the boats

长忆相见欢 多少柔情落江南

Strong memories of happiness when we meet, so many soft feelings settle over Jiangnan 

一曲唱不完 此去几时还

A song cannot encompass them all. After leaving, when will we return?

It hurts so good! I am OBSESSED. And his song 胡同does the same thing but with the aesthetics of old beijing and i’m just melting all over due to feels. So so so good. I love Mao Buyi. Also, his song 消愁 is such a wwx mood. I can’t even begin! 

Last Movie: Fatal Journey. Hahahaha. I don’t watch many movies. 

Current Reading: Uh.. Wow. I am the most ADHD reader. Tea: A Nerd’s Eye View by Viginia Uttermohlen Lovelace (got it at a tea festival, ok? I think i’m one of the top 5 most tea obsessed people I know); The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan (uh… it’s been on my list?); The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu (I’m 2 pages in but i’m in the middle of it and KEN LIU IS AMAZING. His Paper Menagerie short story collection made me hurt so much and i couldn’t put it down as tears ran down my face); Oolong (a tea book in chinese that i’ve been SLOWLY hauling my way through); TGCF (because yeah); Persuasion by Jane Austen (Because @baoshan-sanren proposed an AU and i decided i wanted to write it but I haven’t read much jane austen, so i’m listening to it on audiobook… I’m not a Jane Austen fan… sorry just so aggravatingly misogynistic in so many ways. >.< when i tried to read pride in prejudice a decade ago i got so angry i literally threw the book across the room). I think that’s it. I don’t know. I have so many books that i’m like 10% into… like 3 body problem… but it has been on hiatus for 4 years… so i don’t count it.

Food I’m Craving: I’m actually not craving anything. I love good food. But i also love to cook… so I’ve been dealing with my cravings by cooking many of them. I made a chinese style flatbread thing filled with pork over the weekend. It was SO GOOD. I took photos and spammed people with it. hahahaha. maybe i’m just craving dinner... whatever that’ll be. 

People I’d Like To Get To Know Better: Oh man. YOU! Dear reader! If you’ve gotten this far, I think i wanna know YOU! SO please @ me in your post!  I’m so socially awkward. Uh.. who do I talk to that I haven’t seen do this? (and if you have, so sorry!) Uh… @merinnan @somanyjacks-writes @phoenixrisesoncemore @seaweedredandbrown @bi-the-wei @mylastbraincql

[thatswhatsushesaid]

hi hi hope youre doing well!! i was wondering if you had any good recs for fics that explore jin guangyao and su minshans relationship? platonic or romantic idm i just wanna read more fics about their dynamic!! no worries if not, you just seem like youd know some good fics for them lol (compliment)

anon you have come to the right clown with this request, let me throw some stuff at you:

a painting missing strokes, a song missing notes by occasional_boy_reporter is a cql post-canon xiyao fix-it fic that includes probably my favourite brand of suyao, which is one-sided, unrequited, but nevertheless not something minshan makes jgy's problem to manage. he might be eaten up with envy on the inside, but his ride-or-die loyalty to jgy overcomes everything. anyway, i am sad to say the fic is incomplete, but it is still such a beautiful read, and sms's role in it really can't be overstated! i also really like how the writer handles lxc and sms's dynamic!

favor by venndaai is a hunger games AU which primarily focuses on a romance between meng yao and lan xichen in the games, but also features background nieyao and very minor background nielan--which, if you know anything about me and my preferences, is so high up there on my list of NOTPs as to be in the stratosphere, so for me to not only read and finish this fic, but turn around and recommend it to other people as often as i do.... idk if it says something, exactly, other than i think it's REALLY FUCKING GOOD! minshan's role in this one is very minor in contrast to what you'll see above, but it is nevertheless an extremely important role that, imo, closely mirrors sms and jgy's canon dynamic in spirit, if not in function. just be prepared for things to go very dark. i cried at the end.

sainted, untainted by gloriousmonsters is a suyao oneshot that veers very closely towards dubcon territory, though the kink in question is one that they do negotiate in advance. things just... happen... in the thick of it, and they struggle, but the whole scene from start to finish remains consensual. what i love about it isn't even the sex, though that is very steamy and intimate dgmw. it's that everything about this scene, from start to finish, is also an examination of trust and vulnerability, and i think if there's anyone in the canon material jgy would be willing to give up his dearly bought power and control to--other than lan xichen--it's going to be su she.

those are the ones that immediately leap out at me! beyond that, here's a shameless plug for my post-canon xiyao fix-it WIP glorious, which only has one chapter up atm, but it is all jgy and sms. their dynamic is going to be as important as the romantic xiyao in subsequent chapters so 👉👉 watch this space etc.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

I see you have songyao on your bio blurb, which isn’t something around on The Untamed I’ve followed so far.

Would you mind please laying the fandom brain worms on that for a newbie? Their early timeline interactions are very cute, but I suppose I hadn’t considered it from a shipping perspective

hello anon! I assume you mean 'sangyao' rather than 'songyao,' because I, um. ...while I am sure that there is someone out there who has written some flavour of jin guangyao/song lan and ships it for whatever reason, I am not that person lol. the other ship I enjoy sailing in this weird, fucked up little novel about gay sword wizards is jin guangyao/nie huaisang, and I enjoy it because it is so satisfyingly crunchy.

I'll preface this by saying a couple of things which may seem a little weird, but they bear mentioning anyway because I think my way of enjoying non-xiyao ships with jgy is not the norm lol. so:

I don't consider sangyao to be a 'canon' ship in the same way that I do xiyao (I'll die and kill on that hill, esp wrt how it's portrayed in the untamed/cql, but that's neither here nor there), which means I don't think there's a defendable argument to be made based on what we're given in the text alone to state that jgy and nhs have reciprocal romantic feelings for each other. however--

what they do have in spades, especially in cql, is fantastic on-screen (or in-text) chemistry, and pathos, and a shared victimization by nmj, and Tragedy™️, and in the magical land of transformative fiction, I fuck with that shit heavily. 👀 god what wouldn't I give for a post-canon soliloquy by nhs just going full-hamlet on the audience about killing his ophelia, if ophelia in this context also was the one who murdered his father. (and.. married his... mother..??? nevermind it's not going to transpose perfectly but you get what I'm saying.) if anyone has the chops for it in-character, you know it's nhs.

imo, jgy's love and devotion to lxc is something so integral to his character across all adaptations of mdzs that even when I ship jgy with other characters (e.g., nhs, su she, or even jiang cheng), I still write him as being in love with lxc at the same time. ('write,' she says, as if she has actually gotten any mdzs fic to a state where it is fit to be shared with the internet. lol) this last point is one that I don't believe is commonly shared amongst other people who enjoy shipping jgy with nhs or other characters, and that's fine obviously. I'm just mentioning it to emphasize that maybe my particular brand of sangyao brainworms are not the same species of sangyao brainworms commonly found in other corners of the fandom. but this isn't a bug for me with sangyao, this is a feature--because think of all the ways you can lean into this to create beautiful, painful romantic friction between jgy and nhs in this context? "why won't san-ge give up doing shitty things for his shitty father and just come back to qinghe with me?" well, a-sang, if he wouldn't do that even for lan xichen, why would he do it for you? just... just twist that knife, just a little.

I've written in a couple other places specifically about why I enjoy this ship: here (along with why I also enjoy suyao and... do not enjoy nie//yao, at all), as well as here, where I dig down into the stuff that throws me right out of the immersion of the story vis-a-vis jgy's characterization. (tl;dr, jgy doesn't want to be a nie, and he does not want to hurt nhs, at all, period, before the guanyin temple confrontation).

also, all the late canon sangyao vibes contained in all their beautiful, terrible multitudes inside artworks like these.

I hope these are adequate sangyao brainworms for you, anon!

[thatswhatsushesaid]

wei wuxian

anon are you trying to get me in trouble

a song that reminds me of them: "coz i luv you," slade. very wangxian imo

what they smell like: hot spices! and, uh. old bones.

an otp: am I allowed to say anything other than wangxian here, I feel like that's just denying reality. "no I don't believe in the moon" "ok grandma"

a notp: idk, wwx/wen chao

favourite platonic/familial relationships: I love his cql dynamic with wen qing and wen ning!! their whole burial mounds era gives me life, it's legitimately one of my favourite parts of the show. in the novel I'm trash for the messed up dumpster fire that is his and jiang cheng's inability to use their words and communicate their feelings like grown-ass men, even when they are grown-ass men.

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that I disagree with: miss me with morally pure good boy protagonist wei wuxian who did not derive selfish and sadistic pleasure from tormenting and torturing wen chao, wang lingjiao, and scores of wen sect cultivators after the sacking of lotus pier. our boy worked very hard to cut a bloody swath through yunmeng, don't take that away from him.

the position they sleep in: on lan wangji's chiseled tits, exactly where he belongs

a crossover AU I'd love to see them in: eh idk. I enjoy wwx predominately as added funky flavouring in fic otherwise devoted to xiyao, so I just don't have strong feelings here one way or the other.

my favourite outfit they've ever worn: yiling-laozu wwx's looks are very sexy