#But he needs lwj too. And he doesn't know how to have both things.

[add1ctedt0you]

I am craving for a zcx' modern au, where, after years apart, jc, wwx and lwj encounter again. lwj and wwx are married and after some time, jc starts to hang out with lwj, but only with him (they are kind of exs... Or at least so lwj thinks!)

[flowersdiceandlove]

one thing I really like about wangxian is that is that in wwx's first life they both put their duties and obligations before their feelings and then in wwx's second life put their feelings first.

like, before, lwj always stopped his duties to his family and the social pressures surrounding them stop him from acting on his feelings. Even when he did act on his feelings instead of what he "should" do (taking wwx from nightless city and protecting him), he still let his feeling of duty stop him from acting when he was needed (submitting to the discipline whip and, (unknowingly, i cannot stress this enough: unknowingly) as such, not able to be there to help wei ying during the seige).

wwx also let his duties and obligations towards the jiangs, and later the wen, stop him to. at the start of the novel doesn't wwx say that he always had to think about how his actions reflected on the Jiang Clan and now that he was mxy he could act as lunaticy as he wanted? he also felt he had to repay wen ning and wen qing for helping him and jc and for the core transfer.

basically, in that first life, duty won out over what they truly wanted, but then when wwx came back from the dead they literally just disappeared from cultivation society and any duties they would've had for three months on an extended honeymoon. And i love that. That shift from "duty first" to "Nope."

And i know they did go back and took care of duties, but i think they're putting their feelings and principals before what their families and cultivation society thinks they should be doing. I think they're a lot healthier for it too. Hopefully they can pass this wisdom onto the juniors so they don't have to learn it the hard way.

[sonik-kun]

Reminder that WWX did use a homophobic slur (cutsleeve) before he found out he was, in fact, a "cutsleeve" himself.

I'd also argue that him taking advantage of MXY's body and the rumours associated with him by acting as a "stereotypical gay" to get out of situations was a form of homophobia in itself.

He assumed this was how crazy, gay people act - like sexual deviants. He used that stereotype on top of the rumours about MXY just to get out of sticky situations and avoid being captured.

Whilst this isn't aggressive homophobia, nor would I consider him a raging homophobe myself, he still took advantage of the world view he was raised in, which, in modern terms, was problematic in itself.

Think the harmful, stereotypical, predatory gay trope in anime that a lot of anime fans have taken issue with. That's the stereotype WWX was trying to perpetuate and brush off as a silly joke which is bordering that harmful stereotype territory mentioned above. And yet I don't see the moral "holier than thou" crowd talking about that in their analysis on "fictional characters in an ancient Chinese setting."

(Note before I get jumped on: I don't think WWX was being cruel or malicious when he did this. Nor do I think he purposely intended to sully poor MXY's image further. And I ofc don't think that WWX is a terrible person for doing so either. The guy was desperate and needed to pull tricks to avoid capture. But that still doesn't make things right by modern standards. Even if said stereotype was used to goad a load of "homophobes." Would also like to add that even after coming out, WWX didn't really challenge the societal standard or think ill of anyone who thought like that. It's not like he toured the CW with LWJ, promoting gay rights. He'd be very extraordinary for doing that and brave, too. But he didn't. Instead, he just got up to sexy times with his husband daily and lazed about living the good life. Which is valid of him, tbh, giving the shit he went through. But my point still stands. The social norm persists.)

Also, bare in mind, WWX was heavily in denial about his own sexuality at first and struggled to come to terms with it in the beginning due to the societal norms back then, anyway.

Homophobia was the norm. Stop denying that when you know most of the characters found it bizarre.

By their standards being gay was, unfortunate as it is, unusual and to them, perhaps even immoral in its own right.

By modern standards, we know now that it is wrong. And the moral consensus is that being gay is normal and should not be vilified (even then, not all cultures today have reached that consensus and LGBT rights still have a long way to go).

With this in mind and the notion of what morality meant to people back then, you mustn't hold the characters to modern standards because that was simply the world view. What was "right" back then.

You cannot say with certainty that you wouldn't be homophobic back then, in a world where people called it strange and immoral. As much as I'd like to believe that I would be one of the few who find it wrong to treat gay people poorly, most of us probably would find homosexuality strange because that was the moral consensus of that time. As such, it is unfair to hold characters like JC, JL, and JGY to modern standards for that reason. That's the point we've all been trying to make here.

(Even then, JC and JL both watched as WWX left with his hubby into the sunset and didn't speak illy of their relationship again, nor consider them social outcasts like the Jins and Mos treated MXY. It's almost as if people can change their world views entirely (or to some extent) after things become normalised. Hmm. 🧐

Furthermore, MXTX herself said that JC wasn't a bad person. She wouldn't say that if he's the "aggressive homophobe, incapable of change" like you all seem to imply he is.)

You all make this point about historical context when us JC fans criticise WWX for his clear breach of bodily autonomy with the core transfer and his own war crimes. You should apply that logic to the period typical homophobia too. Because as I have said before, you cannot say for certain that the characters would be homophobic had this taken place in a society where being gay was the norm whilst homophobia was frowned upon. Let's use some logic and context when talking about characters from an ancient time period, shall we?

[runespoor7]

i know you already made a post on it once but because i couldn't stop thinking about it: for the au meme, the au where wwx makes talismans for wn and wn uses them to dick down jc?

in the tags of that post I implied that everyone except WWX wanted WWX to stop making it about him, but that’s too close to the notes last AU hit (and the vibes on that one were not rancid enough), so here’s what I’m thinking would be more interesting instead:

WN is doing it on purpose. Not the first time, or the second, but after a while sneaking around to bully (sexually) WWX’s… selfish-as-hell former sect brother, without WWX knowing, becomes part and parcel of the appeal. There’s something very satisfying about it. WWX wouldn't want to make JC cry, WN is well aware, but WN can do it on his behalf and that’s good and what is deserved here. (There’s also a part of WN that likes doing something without WWX knowing. It's a relief, as well. But WN doesn't like dwelling on his bodily autonomy or lack thereof and he especially doesn't like thinking about it or WWX in negative ways, so)

2. In this timeline WWX doesn't have an out-and-out meltdown, because: WN softly says that he hopes Wei-gongzi will keep making it possible for WN to see JC.

And wow WWX is suddenly extremely here for that. Conflicted! But hum that is a thought that beard revisiting. WN can fuck JC because WWX makes it possible. Ego-wise this is extremely good for WWX and also libido-wise it does something for him.

WWX gives WN the necessary talismans, and WN tells WWX what WWX wants to know about having sex with JC. (No, of course JC doesn't know. No, of course LWJ doesn't know either.

3. I envision some steady escalation there. WWX starting to tell WN what he wants him to do to JC. WN trying to look at JC like what he imagines are WWX’s eyes. 

WN in particular is having his brain rearranged in real time - it’s so easy to glide into what WWX wants him to do, to simply lose himself into being WWX’s thing. And yet - WWX’s requests are never enough to last a night, WWX is never satisfied with WN recounting what WWX wanted - WWX is so hungry for the details that he didn't know to expect. Incredibly thrilling to do things on his own that have JC moaning and tell WWX about it and watch WWX’s eyes go dark. WN can be so good and WN is necessary and WN is both WWX’s thing and WWX’s stand-in and the person making JC beg and break.

WWX sliding a paperman on WN, so he can see - he needs to see. He comes very hard but at the same time it’s not enough - he’s not controlling WN, he doesn’t feel what WN feels…

4. Because WN can feel WWX start growing dissatisfied with the paperman (that didn’t take long at all) - I think he realizes WWX has started dabbling into how-to-project-his-conscience-into-a-fierce-corpse - he starts including more mentions of WWX into his dirty talk. The levels of destructive hatesex have gone somewhat down since he and JC started fucking (just as well, WN was levels of roughness WWX would not have condoned), and JC’s occasionally sneered a challenged on that topic when he wants a reaction, so WN gets his revenge by wielding mentions of WWX like a sexy weapon. 

It’s very effective for everyone involved, JC gets off on the implied degradation, WWX gets off on JC wanting him (and at the same feels horribly guilty for his JC-is-crying-because-of-me boner, what’s new), WN gets off on both being of use to WWX and sometimes one-upping the WWX he’s making up for JC (WWX doesn’t like that part much. WN ending scenes by making JC pant WN’s name when WN demands JC says who’s making him feel good does not feel good to WWX). (WWX and WN can have a little sexy rivalry as a spice.)

5. at this stage WWX is definitely not going to be happy sitting on the sidelines like a voyeur forever. possibly it has more than vibes of dubcon, because JC always needs a little convincing and at some point he’s probably going to be pissed at WN, but that’s not going to stop anyone, and sunk cost fallacy added to how weak he is for the idea of WWX wanting him, WWX picking him, is going to get JC pretty easily. LWJ still doesn't know the first thing about this and I'm sure it's all going to be fine.

[sillygoofyqueer]

I have been summoned by the newest chapter of losing hope :3

Not much happened but I’m taking this as a “I will give you fluff both after and before things go to shit”

Jingyi being Jin Ling’s reluctant friend is honestly pretty hilarious and I can’t wait to see those two start to get close because I feel like that’ll be like “I hate this person with every fiber of my being but if you make him cry there will be nobody searching for your body and no body to find either.” Especially after they realize the type of environment he was in his entire life in comparison to their childhoods. They’re goofy and I love ‘em.

Wangxian being shameless is always amazing (love that it’s LWJ doing it too!) but Wwx missing his sword. Jesus, that made me sad. It’d be interesting to see how suibian communicates with Wwx because in canon we know that the swords have spirits but that’s never really expanded upon. Especially since suibian sealed itself. It’d be nice to see them communicating with their weapons (also imagine suibian mother henning Wwx? Or even Wwx thinking of suibian as a sibling/parental figure? The angst for that would be great especially combined with the scene of Wwx giving away his golden core. Both of them would know Wwx would never be able to properly use suibian again and wow that would hurt. Also I’d imagine since Jiang cheng can also use suibian, suibian does care for him much like Wwx but also it’d be funny if it didn’t particularly like him. Like, the entire time Jiang cheng uses suibian it is fluently cursing at him.)

Jingyi picking up on LWJ pining/flirting is very funny but probably not as funny as it will be when sizhui realizes that A) they’ve both been pining for each other for almost two decades B) 100% they are not in a relationship even if they’re totally shameless with each other and C) they both SOMEHOW have NO IDEA that the other likes them back. The facepalm when that realization sinks in will be funny :3

As always fuck JGY.

Also as always, your writing is amazing four and I wish I could give you more Kudos <3333

Remember to take care of yourself and take breaks!

Just...just picture me holding you close right now. That's it, that's the sentence.

Now, I don't know what you meeeaaaan, there is barely any angst in my fic whatsoever and there will never be anymore angst-...*checks timeline doc*....for nowwww....In all seriousness though, I can't actually remember/decide if there will be any angst next chapter, but oh boy if there was wouldn't that be silly. Wouldn't that be sooo goofy? Guess we'll never ever ever EVER know. I was feeling soft and silly, and this was more of a filler chapter, so I was like, "fluff be upon ye" I guess.

Jingyi and Jin Ling are going to have a very interesting friendship - Jin Ling's been raised differently because Wei Wuxian has kind of been a part of his childhood, so I wonder if that will affect how he builds/views relationships with other people - what do you MEAN I can't foreshadow in my post, who said that?! Anyway, I can't wait to think about it from Lan Sizhui's perspective; dude feels bad for Jin Ling because it is OBVIOUS that this poor guy does not know how to talk to people and if he is befriending what everyone labels as a dangerous criminal, then he is in severe need of friendship. Then there's Jingyi in the background, barking like a chihuahua every time Jin Ling does something that the Lan doesn't like until they devolve into fighting.

Ever since I learned about sword spirits, I've always wondered how Suibian would interact with Wei Wuxian and how they work together. I read one too many SVSSS fics where sword spirits hold a big value in them and it was all downhill from there. Think about it - Wei Wuxian had a lot of people who knew him in Lotus Pier, but he was never truly vulnerable with anyone (except maybe Jiang Yanli, but even then, it wasn't much) because he didn't want to sound ungrateful. So, imagine a Wei Wuxian who found solace in ranting to Suibian. Now imagine a Suibian listening and soothing in their own way. You see my vision, right? Imagine losing that when he needed it the most, during the Burial Mounds. Imagine finally being able to get it back after years of unforgettable trauma and torture, when he desperately needs someone he can rely on without second guessing everything to do with human duality. That doesn't exist with a sword spirit - Suibian just cares.

[symphonyofsilence]

I love Wangxian as much as the next guy, but my unpopular MDZS opinion is that both LWJ & WWX after the resurrection were really shitty brothers. Both to their own brothers and to each other's.

Like...JC just threw himself in front of WWX & his boyfriend & Jiggy's sword & took a stab to the chest just narrowly missing his heart, & Wei Wuxian DIDN'T EVEN ASK HIM HOW HE IS! I'm sure JC didn't want him to thank him, but totally ignoring that & forgetting about it is... you know, not fine. even LXC was more worried about his wound. After the temple, when everyone was talking to everyone else, & WWX thanked JC for giving Chenqing back to him, he doesn't even wait until JC's answer is fully out before he immediately turns back to look at LWJ!

Even JL who wasn't talking to JC at that moment saw that JC had something to say! But WWX not only didn't give him a chance to talk, but didn't even have any interest in what he had to say, and wouldn't listen to him just like all the other times when JC tried to talk to him (Repeatedly reminding WWX of his promise & even asking why didn't you go back to Lotus Pier). As you try to do, after you brother has returned from the dead, after causing his own death, your sister's and your brother-in-law's. WWX doesn't think that that's an issue that they need to talk about. Because it's unpleasant for him. While he is not the one who's owed an explanation or an apology. He's not the one who gets to decide if they're having this conversation or not. Let alone asking about JC's wound! WWX! just! Left! With! His boyfriend! & didn't look back! Not even after JC's public meltdown!

And and, what's worse, for both LWJ & WWX is this! Here is what happens when JC is trying to have a conversion with WWX about the non-consensual surgery WWX performed on him by mutilating himself on JC's behalf:

Why yes, he is injured, Hanguang-Jun! He's injured because he threw himself in front of WWX & you little fuck!

He does this once, and it causes JC's wound to open and start bleeding again, and then he goes to do it again!

It's a matter that seriously needs discussion, Hanguang-Jun. JC's world has turned upside down without him having a say in it or even being told about it for years, Hanguang-Jun. JC has every right to talk about it to the person responsible, Hanguang-Jun. It's a family matter, Hanguang-Jun.

And ffs What do you think WWX's brother wants to do to him?! After he took a stab to the chest for him?! He is wounded and his spiritual energy is sealed, what can he do? He's going through it right now in front of everyone. why would you humiliate him even more?! They're brothers! It's none of your business!

And WWX doesn't say anything! It's Jin Ling who must beg Hanguang-Jun to spare his uncle!

(I think they understood what a shitty move it was in the CQL, cause WWX at least lifts a hand to stop LWJ there. And LWJ doesn't actually push JC, opening his wound again, And then try to do it A SECOND TIME AFTER THAT!)

Like...Beating someone's family member in front of them is a very, very rude thing in general when they're themselves handling the situation very well. They were just having a family argument, and LWJ felt the need to beat JC. If you want to de-escalate a family argument, you do it the way JGY does. Or LSZ, A CHILD, de-escalates situations. While respecting both parties. Or else it just escalates even worse.

And this happened at the Jiang ancestral halls, too. WWX was the first to attack JC (which was totally within his brotherly rights when JC was being a little shit) and JC counter-attacked. JC's spiritual powers, unlike WWX's and LWJ's, hadn't returned yet. WWX totally got this. It wasn't their first time fighting. OK, LWJ deflected the first blow of Zidian. He didn't need to intervene further when WWX was beating JC in JC'S ancestral hall. WWX himself passed out when he realized wtf he was doing. (& bear in mind that hours ago, JC with his spiritual powers sealed, barely able to walk, picked his sword and was going to go back for WWX in the burial mounds, before he knew about the golden core thing)

Imagine your friend invites you to their home which they've ran away from when they were very young, their sibling that now owns the house lets you in even though you don't even say hi to them or acknowledge their existence there in anyway, & your friend invites you to somewhere you really have no business being in. IDK. Say, the master bedroom that's been locked ever since their parents' death. Your friend's sibling arrives there and they have an argument. You get offended in the crossfire but your friend leaps in to protect your honor, by beating the said sibling. The said sibling beats back. Can you imagine actually beating the sibling?! Trying to separate them, sure. But beating them?!

& others have talked in depth & better than I about how LXC just murdered the love of his life after some very shocking revelations & was 100% ready to die with him & was clearly going through it & LWJ just left with his boyfriend to fuck when LXC was the one who was there for him when HIS boyfriend died. Like..no LWJ didn't leave his brother after a few days. HE LEFT HIM THAT VERY MOMENT! DIDN'T EVEN GIVE HIM A HANDKERCHIEF OR A PAT ON THE SHOULDER!

And people have also talked better than I about how WWX didn't tell LXC about Sisi bc...he might have shown JGY mercy?

[ninjakk]

I've been thinking of how JC attempts to sacrifice himself for WWX when they first run from the Wens after the fall of LP and his reasons/feelings for doing that and reconciling them with this person who acts so shamefully and is full of such hatred that he kills all 'demonic cultivators' after wwx's death. Even as WWX thinks of whether JC and JL are okay, I notice he calls JC "Sect Leader" out loud to others. I don't know how they could reconcile. Sorry lots of feelings.

Hi again anon 👋🏻

I've answered your two asks separately as they were addressing different aspects of the novel and my original response was getting rather long 😆

It certainly was an unexpected revelation when we found out that JC lured the searching Wen cultivators away from an unsuspecting WWX. Of course, I don't think it was his intention to get caught in the process, but he definitely thought about someone else other than himself for once - which was interesting. Although it was one of the very few selfless acts he did during the course of the novel, it still doesn't retract any of the awful things he has done, nor the way he treated WWX or his homophobic outburst.

Even after WWX has died, JC's bitterness remains very strong and he does indeed hunt down those that use the ghost path in hope of capturing WWX, should he return. Which I always find quite telling of just how little JCs actually knows and understands WWX - who would never actually do such a thing.

In all honesty, JC actually redeemed himself ever so slightly at the very end of the novel, when he decides not to tell WWX about how he really lost his golden core. Instead, he finally let him go, severing the very last thread of "debt" and "obligation" between them. It was actually a fitting character arc for him and it showed a glimmer of possible growth.

Even if JC had selfishly told WWX that particular fact, I don't think it would have changed much at all. WWX has already paid back his "debt" and "obligations" to the Jiang sect far beyond what was required or reasonable. There is nothing left to say between them and WWX literally has nothing left to give. Too much water has gone under the bridge. All of that is in the past and WWX always focuses on the present. So either way, nothing would have changed. I also think WWX would not want to associate with someone he thought his love for LWJ was disgusting and shameful regardless of anything else at play. He chooses love, happiness and freedom as his parents did before him.

JC and WWX are too different, in both personality and virtue. They would not have been friends or hung out in any other scenario bar the circumstance they found themselves in during the course of the novel. They both literally embody the traits that the other actually cannot stand! Their relationship was that of a master and subordinate, it was toxic and they are both better off giving each other a wide berth and moving on.

A reconciliation would never happen and it doesn't need to. WWX is entitled to a happy life for all his efforts in his previous life and JC needs to live with the consequences of his actions and learn from them in his own way.

I know it's probably not the response you were hoping for. But if you consider the above, they both got some form of a happy ending. JC is finally learning to let go of things that little bit more and WWX is free to move on and live his life how he always wanted. I honestly couldn't think of a more suitable and realistic ending.

[lansplaining]

About how wwx is the 'problem' in the yunmeng bros reconciliation I completely agree and that's why I think wangxian works so well in canon : none of wwx's past actions have hurt personally lwj, so wwx doesn't feel very guilty. Wangxian is true love but there's a canon where wwx performs the core's transfer on lwj plus lxc died at nightless city plus lqr died during the war = so now lwj is a lonely sect leader = lwj loves wwx in every universe! but I really don't know how in this they can have their happy ending

GOD this is such a great point.

i've been working on a long meta that has accidentally taken a year because i was waiting for all of the 7 seas translation to come out about the difference between the show's "In a person's life he needs to learn to say two things-- thank you, and sorry" vs the book's "Between you and me there is no need for thank you and sorry" and I think you've actually just nailed it?

one of the things that typifies MXTX love interests is that they're simply willing to go farther for one another than anyone else in that person's life. this always feels especially clear in TGCF: mu qing and feng xin trample well past the boundaries any normal person would hold when it comes to standing by xie lian, but at the end of the day, things simply go too far and they have to go (and even then, intend to come back!!)-- whereas hua cheng literally never gives up, even in death. it is a level of devotion that xie lian is lucky to have, but not actually something that can be expected of most people, which is something i feel the narrative acknowledges.

the same thing can be said of jiang cheng and lan wangji in regards to wei wuxian, or even the contrast between wangxian and xiyao. jiang cheng takes his support of wei wuxian as far as he possibly can, and much farther than the wider world realizes-- and frankly, much farther than even wei wuxian realizes (why do you think he still had chenqing a) at all or b) literally in his pocket you absolute goober). lan wangji is able to go much farther, partly because of his personality but partly because of the pure luck and happenstance of his social position. he isn't constrained by the same things jiang cheng is, he doesn't have the same demands to balance. and, of course, he doesn't share the complex familial baggage and all the other history that leads to wei wuxian and jiang cheng hurting each other so much.

maybe "between you and me, there's no need for thank you and sorry" isn't really a "moral" (for lack of a better word) in the same way as CQL's thank you and sorry, but just a statement of fact, and an acknowledgement of coincidence and luck. they share a history that means they don't need to thank or apologize the way they both do to others in their lives, and that's part of what makes the relationship feel so good and so special.

CQL would need to change this because of the changes they made to the pacing of wangxian's relationship. because they are able to recognize and partially acknowledge how they feel about each other much earlier, they actually are able to hurt one another with the same depth as jiang cheng and wei wuxian. this means that it's now got to be a relationship where such apologies are necessary-- though as you say, not with as much lingering guilt as there would be with something like a core transfer. the words have to be said (and thus a new "moral" about what those phrases mean), but all that's needed are words: there's no permanently lingering baggage to weigh down the relationship forever and make it, as you suggest and as i totally agree, impossible.

[lilymystica]

Me and my friend made a mdzs prompt in the middle of the night and it came out much cooler than i thought when i read back on it in the morning. We both write but we have zero motivation so you may use this if you like it.

Anyways, the story revolves around Nie Huaisang, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng because we want badass Caiyi Trio. Our trio was helping an old woman in her house in Caiyi but ended up in a dungeon kinda thing where they face some challenges. Those challenges being:

The gang facing a pair of undead corpse but they all just ended up being a married couple that died in the cave and looking for their daughter who was also dead somewhere in the cave. It was Wwx to suggest they listen to the corpse because he heard them cry for their daughter.

Wwx and Jc falling in a maze, a boulder chasing them (chasing, as in it has a sense of direction and actually wants to flat their ass) with nhs on a high platform. In front of him is a some sort of tablet that shows the whole architecture of the maze. Nhs ended up saving them.

And lastly, a group of rabidd wolves chasing wwx. Wwx was scared af but he wants to just yeet himself to the wolves so nhs and jc could survive but jc said fuck no and let one of the wolf bite him instead, saving wwx in the process. Later found out the wolves need them because a female wolf was having a hard time giving birth.

After all those, they came into a room full of treasure. You know the drill, wwx chooses a flute, jc a whip (it's actually supposed to be a rope but let him have his thing, and, of course, nhs with his fan.

Later, they woke up in cloud recesses.

Now this is where the fun part begins.

A few days later, Wwx just woke up and suddenly he can see ghosts. How did he find out? His parents are sitting in front of him (although they're a little bit transparent). Jc and nhs thinks he's crazy but he insisted till they believe him. Oh, he could see Lan Furen as well. (Lwj saw him drawing instead of writing his punishment but ended up seeing his mother's face in wwx's drawing. Tbf tho, wwx doesn't she's Lan Furen.)

Then Nhs can have visions. My friend suggested we should use sand (nice symbolism since nie's are like– the ground, but nhs is like a flimsy ground so he's sand lmao) as his way of seeing the future. If he'll see a vision, he would hear sand pouring. Or if he looks at sand, there's just small visions. And of course, this is how they see the future war too. However, nhs's vision is not perfect so they only see glimpse of it.

Now jc. Look at our dude just insecure an all because his brother and friends have their cool powers but he has none. Then suddenly a weed in the corner just went, "henlo:D!". Yeah. Jc talks to plants. Not just plants tho, like the whole ass nature (aka every living thing).

So yeah! The bois have different abilities and such. We based these off of what could represent them. Like Wwx is death, Nhs with time, and Jc with Nature (wanted it to be human but kinda went meh).

[not-rude-ginger]

Hi! It's time for a random bunny question! You've mentioned how hard it's been to write JFM in Smooth as Ink. Has there been any other character who's given you similar troubles on your other stories? 🐰💛

Hmmm, depending on the story, any character could give me trouble, but in general I find YZY is also hard - though in a different way. JFM is so passive I struggle to get him to say anything that'll keep the story going. It's one thing when his silence is enough to hurt JC, but when I need him to speak, I really struggle with what the hell he should say. If he isn't going to say something horrible, but also can't say anything useful or nice to JC because he's bad at this, what can he say?

With YZY it's more about finding that balance between her being abrasive to her being just abusive. I try my best to keep her on the former side especially with JC because she loves him, wants him to succeed etc but I second guess myself a lot about how far is too far and I try to listen to people who have had similar parents, but my instincts aren't great for it.

I know how both characters are thinking in scenes, it's just the words coming out of their mouths that give me hassle.

Another character I struggle with is LWJ for similar reasons. It is so hard to write him when he's so quiet, partly because I feel all the descriptions I try to add to give readers some idea what he's thinking or feeling can feel very obvious and clunky. It is easier to write him when his silence is a plot point, like how his inability to communicate/his mutism makes JC feel he doesn't like him in Little Bit of Hope, but in other stories it's harder.

[whumpbby]

I think my problem with LWJ is that I love him in his teen years and when he’s being stuck between protecting WX and his clan, but I find his grown up version unappealing. I liked him being conflicted and having to make serious choices with consequences. I don’t like him leaving his brother alone after his own traumatic conflict without even looking back. Hell even WX in the extras asked LWJ if they should check on his brother to which he just kind of shrugs. I hate that it feels like any loyalty he had to anything outside of his relationship with WX has evaporated. He’s not like other MXTX leads he has someone else who needs him that he’s ignoring and it just feels wrong, especially with how tortured we saw WX and JC’s separation was for them both. He goes from an interesting character to a blank lover and it’s a down grade.

Yep, that's kinda my opinion too.

I actually love him in the Gusu-arc. He's so weirdly repressed and helpless to make this strange boy make sense! To make his own feelings make sense! He struggles with himself and his feelings and what he knows should be appropriate way to deal with it, but somehow isn't. I cheered and cackled when the porn book happened to him and his virgin eyes!

And then he just...stops being that. He turns into a Love Interest and that's his whole role.

Does he have friends? Does he have duties in CR he has to preform? Is he the first disciple?? Does he even talk to anyone there at all apart from his brother and his young ward???? Like, where is your life Lan Zhan? You're meant to be the half of the main couple, where is your life??

After the Nightless City, JGY took control of the richest sect around, got married, got and lost a kid and did some murdering. Nie Huaisang was inventing a cruel and unusual punishment for the murderer of his brother, and failing at running a sect. JC built a sect from the ground up and raised a kid. What have you been doing, Lan Zhan? Apart from going around and fighting stuff, and being a periodical dick to JC, what was his life about in the time he apparently 'got over his loss'?

I wrote before that I wish these years between his seclusion and WWX being back were spent by Lan Wangji on regaining his standing in the sect and the respect of the Elders. That it would be amazing to see him facing the choice of getting his place back or 'here we go again' with Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian who, as far as Lan Zhan knew, didn't like him all that much.

Does he go back to his stoic life or change it all on the man he fell in love with as a boy? Is he the copy of his father after all - trailing after an uninterested person to soothe his own feelings? Does he slowly start to figure your that while his crush is not perfect, a lot of things just went very wrong for everything to go to shit so badly and he doesn't want it to happen again? Does he think that while his brother is in pain, he still has support of their uncle and the clan, while Wei Wuxian once more chose to walk alone and he wants to follow???

Give me something ffs!TT

I'm not gonna lie, nine out of then times I prefer Lan Wangji in fanfics than in the canon. The writers usually add character he is solely lacking in his post-ressurection iteration.

[flowersdiceandlove]

Something I’ve noticed I have fun doing in writing fanfics is come up with an au but then follow scenes in canon. What this means is, I’ll take the dialogue from canon, but try and figure out, given the new circumstances I’ve made, why the characters are still saying these lines and why they're still taking these same actions.

A good example of this is a zhanchengxian fic I've been working on where zhancheng get married during WWX's 13 years mia, but it still follows the events of canon pretty much exactly until the end where they all get together. The mental gymnastics I had to go through to figure out why Jiang Cheng is still acting the way he is and does the things he does that he did in canon but with the fact that he's married to LWJ in a secure relationship and they have a kid together was fun. Like, zhancheng are committed to each other, but LWJ still goes off with WWX just the two of them (and WN, but WN doesn't really count bc he's just designated-third-wheel/hiding a lot). Like, LWJ is dedicated to JC in the way he is to WWX, and throughout the whole thing LWJ and JC are penpals (ie LWJ sending his overthinking husband letters so he doesn't overthink and spiral).

It took me forever to figure out how to write the scene on Dafan Mountain where LWJ and JC fight and JC is acting all pissy. Then it hit me. LWJ was traveling with the Lan disciples and has been since at least Mo Manor which was a couple days ago at least (book canon). Jiang Cheng's pissed bc his husband's been away for too long!! Duh! Their little daughter has been asking where her other dad is! Of course, Jiang Cheng's going to be mad at his husband for being gone so long.

Then I also had to figure out which pov to write this scene from to make it clear to the reader that this is why JC's mad and fighting with LWJ. Like, from WWX's pov, it's pretty much the same as in the novel, but everyone else is confused bc these two are literally the cultivation world's Power Couple. So, I could write it from outside pov and have everyone just confused and hint at JC's reasons, but I want it clear why JC's mad. Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui have a better chance at knowing why their uncles/dads are fighting all out, but still don't know the context of WWX/MXY other than what's surface. Then that leaves either JC or LWJ bc they have silent conversations and both know What's Up.

I do think I need to take a break from that scene were WWX returns from the Burial Mounds after 3 months bc there's only so many times I can rework a scene across multiple fanfics until I get to the point where I'm like "Arghhhh! Just get on with it already!" and I flip over to paragraph summaries of What Happened until I get to the divergence part of canon divergence.

In conclusion, the mental gymnastics can be tiring, but they're also fun.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Working hard (and hard at work)

Or the one in which LWJ tries to work and WWX totally doesn't try to distract him.

It is around midday that Wei Wuxian walks into the library, carrying a tray of light snacks and tea. Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen have been hard at work since early that morning, preparing reports and documents for the upcoming discussion conference. It is the first Lan Xichen is attending after his three year seclusion, so of course he needs some help getting back into the hang of things - and who's better to help than his own brother?

(Anyone, probably, since he's been traveling with Wei Wuxian for the better part of these three years himself, largely away from the Cloud Recesses, but Lan Wangji suspects his brother just wanted to spend some time together and found this as pretext).

The library is, expectedly, very quiet, the only sound welcoming Wei Wuxian being the swishing of papers - but when he walks up to the two brothers, seated side-by-side at the large reading table, they both smile at him in greeting - one, loving, soft and sincere, the other empty, placid and distant.

"How are you two holding up?" he asks, pouring two cups of perfumed tea for them to take. "I imagine none of that stuff's too fun to work on."

"It is... tiring." Lan Xichen responds, "Thank you for the treat, by the way. Very thoughtful of you."

Wei Wuxian smiles in place of an answer, and feels Lan Wangji reach across the table and briefly caress the top of his hand. Lan Xichen's eyes catch onto that, and he picks one of the sweets off the tray as he stands up. "I'm going to have some fresh air while the two of you... catch up." His eyes narrow in warning towards his brother. "I'll only be gone five minutes."

The "don't let me catch you fucking on top of this table again" goes unsaid but both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji hear it anyway. He makes himself sparse quickly, and the door barely slides closed before Wei Wuxian's taken his rightful place in his husband's arms, kissing him fervently.

Not that Lan Wangji minds, he really doesn't, who would - but he knows that, at this rate, they won't be doing just kissing for much longer. Wei Wuxian seems to be needier now than usual, and he's wearing his lightest set of summer robes so that Lan Wangji can feel all of him, everywhere - and he's very, very excited, grinding his hips against his husband's and moaning into his mouth.

But Lan Xichen will be back soon and Lan Wangji does not want his brother to make shady comments about catching him and Wei Wuxian in the act - so with all of his strength, he pushes the horny demons in both his heads away, and breaks his lips away from Wei Wuxian's.

He whines at the loss, chasing Lan Wangji's lips out, but when his eyes open enough to see his expression, a disappointed pout appears on his kiss bruised lips. "C'mon, why'd you stop?"

"You know why. My brother will return soon."

"So? We can just be quick." Wei Wuxian argues, leaning down to bite a bruise into the side of Lan Wangji's neck, "I won't be long, I promise..." His tone drops down low, dangerously low, "...after all, I've been teasing myself all morning thinking of you. You left so early, I didn't even get to tell you what I've dreamt of..."

Lan Wangji has to make himself imagine his uncle dying so doesn't pounce his husband right then and there. "Wei Ying!"

He doesn't seem to care, loosening the lapels of Lan Wangji's robe. "Don't act like I'm the degenerate one here, either. I can feel how hard you are already."

"Wei Ying, we really can't!"

Lan Wangji tries so hard to control himself that he feels like he's going to die of horny disease. The cure is right there, in his arms, about to unfasten his robes, so maybe they really could be quick and-

But Wei Wuxian suddenly decides he doesn't want to anymore, abruptly standing up and away from his husband. "You know what, maybe you're right. It's better if we don't." And he fixes his clothes to make himself look presentable, and does a rather poor job at pretending he doesn't delight in Lan Wangji's dejected expression. "Good luck with your work, Hanguang-Jun, I'll go finish mine~"

Lan Xichen walks at exactly the perfect moment for Lan Wangji not to be able to chase his husband outside. His eyes fall onto his brother's neck, and he sighs deeply, with disappointment.

It is about four hours later that Lan Wangji decides to take a break from work himself and get some sunlight. He's been cooped up in the library for much of the day, and he needs some time to unwind - so, he goes to his favorite place in the Cloud Recesses, the bunny field. He loves playing with the little creatures and perhaps he's been a bit too generous feeding them lately, but they bring him so much joy that it doesn't matter. There is plenty of ridiculous things the sect spends money on, bunnies are at least cute.

It was much to Lan Wangji's surprise, though, to find that somebody else has decided to keep the fluffy animals company. And who could it be other than Wei Ying? He seems to have fallen asleep sunbathing, an assortment of rabbits around him.

Problem is - he's not very decently dressed. In fact, he's barely dressed at all, and Lan Wangji feels himself getting jealous at the thought that people might walk by and see hus husband like this, only covered by a very loosely fitted robe that only stays on him enough to cover his...modesty. Otherwise, Wei Ying is entirely shirtless, skin gleaming with the lightest sheen of sweat, knees bent and close together to reveal his thighs.

It is nearly afternoon, so everybody in the Cloud Recesses is busy, so it's unlikely anybody would walk by. Which means, if Lan Wangji were to let the horny demons win, nobody would know.

So, he lays down next to Wei Ying, and places a hand on his thigh, pressing onto the few bitemarks he left there last night. Wei Ying moans himself out of sleep, but only enough to turn towards his assailant and close his eyes again.

"You'd just let anyone touch you?"

"Nobody but you would dare." Comes the response, a bit too sultry for somebody who's supposedly just been awoken from sleep, "Have you finally remembered I exist?"

Lan Wangji rolls his eyes and leans to kiss his husband, but his gesture isn't well received when Wei Ying pushes him away and sits up. "I don't think you finished your work."

"I took a break." Lan Wangji replies, sliding the robe off Wei Ying's shoulder to leave kisses on the tanning skin.

"It's not nice to leave your brother to struggle all by himself," he tries, the sympathy in his voice only a bit theatrical, "I can take care of myself just fine."

Lan Wangji bites him at that, and Wei Ying falls somewhere between a laugh and a moan. "I'm angry with you for pushing me away earlier, so we're not doing anything now." And he stands up again, "Go now, how long of a break do you even need?"

"But what about-"

Wei Wuxian makes it a bit of a show tightening his robe back on and tying his hair with one of Lan Wangji's forehead ribbons. "Yeah, I know, everyday is everyday, but that's for later."

"Later when?!"

He turns to walk away, swinging his hips just a little. "I don't know, when I'm done being angry with you."

---

Lan Wangji has decided to be turbo-productive for the rest of the day, and that allowed him time to drop by a local shop for Emperor's Smile. If there was a way for him to reenter his husband's good graces, that would be it. Of course, Lan Wangji doesn't think Wei Ying is actually mad at him, but he's done being denied what he craves most, so he's going to apologize and hopefully get it.

Wei Ying waits for him in the bath - well, reality is that Wei Ying has been bathing already when Lan Wangji walked in, but this is his mind and he can imagine whatever he wants in it. So, Wei Ying is there, relaxed, in the steaming water, and he doesn't even crack his eyes open to see Lan Wangji as he says "I'm still mad at you."

"I have Emperor's Smile."

His eyes snap open. "Ok, I'm not mad at you anymore, give me that!"

So Lan Wangji pours him a cup, and chastely waits by the side of the bathtub as Wei Ying drinks it. He asks for another and Lan Wangji pours it for him, not making much of an effort to hide his expectant gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I want to bathe too."

"Right, I'll finish up-"

"With you."

Wei Ying sighs and gets up out of the water, wrapping a towel around himself. At this point Lan Wangji is about to cry, so Wei Ying bends down to leave a kiss on his forehead. "The bed. We've broken enough bathtubs for a week."

Lan Wangji nearly knocks over his feet running.

[truly-morgan]

[Deaged WWX and JC, feat. cuckji (w.i.p)]

ChengXian | Mo Dao Zu Shi 17-07-2021

[#xiancheng, deaged + cuckji I think?]

What if on some random night hunt, both wwx and jc get deaged to somewhere probably around the CR studies.

It is seriously troubling for everyone, especially the boy who still have their adult bodies. jc can tell this core isn't his. It being stronger was indeed a bit worrying when he wasn't explained what happened, but he somehow also could tell it /wasn't his/.

wwx on the other side saw his reflection in sandu and was shocked when he couldn't recognise himself but also felt much weaker than what he remembered "of the day before".

It takes a lot of calming down from the juniors and attempts at explaining who they are today (leaving the trauma on the side for now).

The thing is, they are still in the middle of solving some problems and the two "young" cultivators are more than happy to help despite being so troubled ("I trust we can fix it later" wwx said as jc rolled his eyes at his lack of care).

And this is how the juniors see for the first time what the duo was like before everything was shattered. They are so close to one another, fighting rather well despite the balance now being messed up (they somehow still manage to balance it well enough).

Back to the inn, everyone is surprised by how jc acts (even jl, who has only known jiujiu post-I-lost-everything-but-you). This is such a contrast from the fierce and severs looking sect leader they know (even tho the quartet has learned to know he can be nice and loving too).

wwx isn't 100% out of character, although he might be a bit less drunk than usual and a whole lot flirty with jc (which does make the juniors a bit unsure of what is happening.) of course, the ymj sect was immediately warned of what happened, so no one would be surprised of seeing their dear sect leader like this.

of course, lwj is also warned of the situation (as if they could let hgj in the dark about his husband). So while they all have that fun at the inn, you have ymj SIC and lwj on their way to them to make sure their respective reason of worries is alright.

meanwhile, the juniors are still stuck to deal with a wwx who is somehow more mischievous than before and a jc who is actually ready to /follow him/ in these ideas.

It is a strange evening for the juniors than to deal with these men who they look up to but are now basically around their age. But as no one has reached them yet for help, they decide that staying at the inn would be better. After all, it is close to where everything happened and they actually have yet to fully deal with what has been causing problems to this village.

They were going to take three rooms (thankfully to jl money, the juniors could share the biggest room here), but wwx asked why three when he and jc can share one. It takes a bit of arguing, only for jl to give in because he cannot argue against jiujiu telling him it would be stupid to spend on a room that isn't even needed.

So they now have two rooms and the juniors are a bit nervous about it.

What if they suddenly get back to normal in the middle of the night? Would they be alright in the same room?

"But don't you think senior way and sect leader jiang are strangely... very close to one another?" oyz ends up asking after a while.

Sure, they all had heard about how close the two had been in the past, but they felt like people had forgotten to tell them about how they seemed to flirt together?! This isn't right, especially since now, wwx is married to hgj!!

little did they know that wwx and jc had actually been pining for /years/ in the past.

it was Jiang "I am not enough he can find better" Cheng and Wei "I know jc doesn't see me as a servant but I still cannot be his for this reason" Ying being an absolute idiot. They had experienced together, mostly because they trusted each other in trying those, hiding behind it only being experiments and everyone does that yes, it wasn't because they were in love with each other.

These are the same idiots who most likely still had romantic love for each other, but had too much baggage at this point to go on with it.

But now you have them away from anything that could have been a cause of worries and a reminder of why they "couldn't". Sure, in their mind, it was only yesterday that yzy would have wiped wwx at the thought of his sleeping with her son, or that jfm was always putting wwx first.

But they also understood that now, no one would do such a thing. Now they would probably be side by side (and the role was probably reversed in the public eyes).

Now they were away and could a bit more easily indulge. especially in an inn.

They were happy to finally be in their room after checking out. Despite technically being the youngest of the group now, the juniors were still looking up for their opinions and also making sure they were alright. the duo was more than happy to finally be alone.

the moment they were in, wwx slapped a silencing talisman on the door, turning to jc with a grin, starting to tease him again about how he has been acting since earlier with the kids.

it ends up with them playfully arguing until jc finally pushes wwx to the bed and pins him down on it. It surprises them a bit all the ease it took jc to do it, after all, to them it wasn't so long ago that they were to the same strength, both physically and in cultivation. wwx laugh at this, since he was usually the one to pin jc down on a bed "A-cheng has gotten so strong" he praised with a grin.

jc shut him up with a kiss, wwx more than happy to indulge, pulling him closer.

It is a bit weird, since this is jc older body, while wwx simply did not have his at all. Yet it was as if they didn't care for any of it, as long as it was them it would always be alright (plus jc would lie if he said this body wasn't attractive too, even if differently).

(🌸NSFW-ISH to come)

hands soon start to roam over unfamiliar skin, slowly taking robes away so they can have direct access to the skin. fingers run over scares for which they do not know the history (and honestly they don't want to know right now).

After a while wwx ends up flipping them over, grinning when he is finally atop jc, kissing along his neck down his chest (giving some love to those harsh scars on his chest, feeling like he has an idea where they come from, yet he pushes it far away).

wwx in this body isn't as strong as jc, yet he lets him take over, letting wwx do as he wishes, more than happy that they can finally have this moment for them, knowing he will have all the time he wants to do whatever he wants with wwx too.

the night goes on like this, wwx taking all he wants and gladly letting jc take all he wants too.

To say the least, they didn't sleep much that night (which these older bodies do not seem to agree with).

when they meet again with the juniors, the group of young

(🌸 end)

man tries not to stare in disbelief and disapproval at the mark they may or may not have left visible on each other's neck (they might have gone a bit overboard with the knowledge of no one here to scold them). the lan juniors are a bit conflicted because they do not want for hgj to be destroyed by this (but lsz can easily see how happy this makes senior wei).

jl is in a way worried this will only end up hurting his jiujiu /again/. it is good to see him so happy, but what will it be like when they get back to normal? Will he be alone again?

and on the side oyz look about to go crazy over this new development.

it is so easy to catch on for the juniors, so of course, once they join the ymj SIC and lwj who are having tea downstairs at the inn while waiting for them, of course, they would notice it too (especially lwj, because he /knows/ he's not the one who put those mark here).

They know that both men had been deaged, but neither would have actually expected for something like this to happen. Sure, wwx and jc had a history of being really close, but none of them would have expected it to turn out like this. How could lwj have missed it in their youth?

it doesn't take long before the ymj SIC comes up to his sect leader, politely saluting him while presenting himself (he knows jc must have no idea who he is).

jc is a bit surprised by the action, still not used to the idea he was indeed a sect leader now (but also he had no memory of this man, had he been newer to LP?).

wwx give the man a glance, a bit unsure why /he/ wasn't the sic by jc sides (the juniors did tell them some of the history, but it never told him why he wasn't by jc sides anymore). then they looked at lwj who had approached wwx so suddenly, actually making him back off a little bit, not expecting for the man to come up to him so suddenly.

lwj clearly looks hurt for a moment, hand retracting as his eyes lingered on wwx neck and a couple of exposed marks. he looks displeased for a moment, yet no comments come and he goes back to his usual unexpressive face.

This does trouble wwx, looking back at the juniors who are greeting hgj politely. they have to explain again what happened the day before, saying they didn't have too much time to find out what happened since they had more pressing matters that they still hadn't fully taken care of yet.

"We are enough today that we can split, can't we?" jc asked. They were now 8, which included 2 that were actually older and more experimented now that they were both deaged.

"We could keep investigating here while you two go back to where everything happened" ljy suggested.

Every juniors agreed, not interested to be stuck in the weird and awkward situation that would happen once jc and wwx would go back to being close while lwj couldn't really do anything because this wasn't really the wwx he married (from what he understood, this wwx

was from a time when they barely even knew each other, he couldn't exactly expect wwx to accept so easily that they are husband now, doesn't stop from hurting when he sees what he sees).

[poll to see what the continuation should be]

Original

[stiricidewrites]

The Damage You Do: ch 24, pt 3

L.J. was briefly mentioned in chapter 13. They're the leader of the group's financial division, who lwj is hoping doesn't learn about his new sub anytime soon.

Unfortunately, my keyboard broke, and I had to order a new one. I'm not sure how my sketchy glue repair will hold up yet, so I might not post until the new one arrives, hopefully by Tuesday.

Previously

~

Now was for winding wwx up, for digging his nails into the man’s flesh, for making him beg or cry or melt into the floor—even he wasn’t sure. Scenes with wwx were like tornados, unpredictable and wild, every bit of planning flooding out of his head the moment the man’s eyes were on him, the moment his hands were on that body. It had been like that from the first moment they met, the man snapping his self-control like it had never existed to begin with.

It was dangerous.

It was intoxicating.

It was addicting.

wwx’s breath shuddered as lwj’s hips pressed into his ass, the man’s glutes flexing so hard he could feel it through their bottoms. Fuck, that ass. He wanted to bury himself in it. His dick, his face, his entire arm. He knew wwx was going to be a size queen—the word nhs had once told him meant the bottom liked things big. lwj had had no desire to know there was a specific word for such people, but when nhs wanted to tell you something, there was no getting around it. He also knew what a pillow princess was thanks to his pimp, and was quite certain wwx also fit that description—or whatever the gay equivalent was—to some extent, what with how overwhelmed he became during sex.

There was also no getting information out of nhs when they didn’t want to tell you, either, unfortunately, and the Nie heir was still avoiding his phone calls. Eventually, he was going to have to track the little menace down personally—he was under no circumstances sending anyone other than L.J., his cousin or himself to find nhs. For one, they wouldn’t be able to find them, and for another, nhs was dangerous, even if certain people—namely both of their older brothers—still saw them as an innocent baby.

lwj almost snorted at that thought as he manhandled wwx around the mat, the man turning into a limp doll that he had to repeatedly remind still had muscles that needed to be used if he was going to get any benefit out of this.

nhs had never been a baby, nor had they ever been innocent. Even when they were children, the Nie heir had been scheming and planning, ripping his childhood enemies to shreds without anyone being any the wiser. Anyone, except lwj, L.J. and his cousin, and that had likely been an accident (it was always a little hard to tell if accidents involving nhs were actually accidents). He couldn’t exactly say the four of them were friends, each of them too careful with people outside their own groups to consider themselves that, but they were close enough that lwj was sure that once he got his hands on the little bitch—

“Lan-laoshi~” his sub whined, blinking watery eyes up at him. “Can we move now?”

lwj blinked slowly down at the beautiful man, every instinct inside him screaming to wreck him. Take him right there on the mat and make him scream.

“Yes, wy,” he said, pulling both of them backwards. His feet settled under him, his hips pushing upwards as he dragged wwx into Adho Mukha Śvānāsana.

[hetaoren]

I've been asked more than once if I think that "Lan Qiren's punishment of Lan Wangji is justified" and I'm going to try and do my best to finally answer this question without writing an entire essay.

First of all, it wasn't "Lan Qiren's punishment", I doubt he alone decided on Wangji's punishment, just wanted to put this here. Yes, he most likely did give him his punishment, but for big transgressions like that, I doubt he decided on them alone. I believe the reason he was the one whipping Wangji was because he felt that his nephew's actions was to some degree his fault too, since he raised him, but also to take the burden of punishment from Lan Xichen, knowing that punishing LWJ in such a way would hurt him too much. Not that it didn't hurt Qiren too, because I believe it did.

Anyway, was the punishment justified? I believe so, yes. We can't look at it from our point of view, because I'm personally against corporal punishment, we have to look at it from their point of view.

The Sunshot Campaign has just finished, all sects are exhausted in every sense of the word and the world is trying to reform itself after a power-vacuum and also a considerable loss of people. Not just cultivators, but regular people too. The cultivation world and the secular world are connected, not just by cultivators helping the common people, but through trade and services too (this includes servants). At this point, most sects just wants peace and to rebuild/restrengthen themselves. They probably also want to make sure the secular community in their area is okay (at least some of them would want that). Doing anything that would gain unwanted attention during this time is a bad thing. Not much would be needed to make a sect crumble at this time, even someone as old and powerful as the Gusu Lan. Especially if the one you went against is Lanling Jin, since they are the top sect at this time (and continues to be so until JGY fall). The Lans doesn't really have anything to do with the Wen remnants and would therefore focus on their sect instead. Wangji's connection with Wei Wuxian, who ends up being on the not so good side of the Jins, is not the best thing for the Lan Sect.

Though until the Massacre at Nightless City, this is not much more than a worry, but after that, when Wei Wuxian is, quite rightfully, declared an enemy of the Cultivation World, it becomes something that needs to be stopped. Wangji cannot be associated with Wei Wuxian anymore because that will cost the Lan Sect, and especially Wangji, greatly if the other sects finds out he aided him. Which is why Xichen tries to act as quickly and quietly as possible when he sees Wangji taking Wuxian and fly away after the massacre. To quote him from the novel:

"I hurried back to the Lan Clan of Gusu to request reinforcements, worried that Wangji would be considered an accomplice if the other clans caught up to the two of you first. The best-case scenario would see his reputation tarnished, blemished for life. The worst-case scenario would see him killed without mercy."

And if anyone thinks that Qiren thinks more of the Sect than his nephew, I think they'd be wrong, since he and Xichen are the one selecting who to bring to search for Wangji and they choose people they know have always liked him. Not necessarily the best at the job itself, but the best ones for Wangji.

"Uncle and I selected thirty-three seniors who had always thought highly of Wangji, and we launched a secret search."

Once he's found, he has no explanation to his actions other than it is what it seems. In other words, he acted on his own personal emotions (doing something that's terrifyingly similar to what his own father did), aiding someone who had just caused a massacre and by doing so, he could bring great damage to both himself and his sect. I know some of you might not realise how important a sect is. It's more than just family and it is home and security for many, cultivators and commoners alike. You can't just go against the Sect's rules when you feel like it and expect that it will all be forgiven in the end and once you have been kicked out of a sect, you lose all connection with it, including blood-family. So if Wangji had been kicked out, he would no longer have a brother and uncle, and family means a great deal here. It is the foundation the sects are built on (and the rest of society too, for that matter).

Anyway, they found Wangji and he fought them, severely injuring the 33 elders, and he was also the one starting the fight. Doing this, raising his blade against and injuring his own sect, which included his own blood-family and they were all older than him is a huge transgression. Yes, Wangji knows it, otherwise he wouldn't return to Cloud Recesses and accept his punishment.

So, for putting his sect at risk (and if the sects reputation had been damaged enough by it, it could've meant it's decline and fall, leading to loss of home and income for many), breaking various rules, severely injuring 33 people (who all happened to be his elders) and aiding a criminal, I do believe the 33 whips by the discipline whip and the seclusion was an appropriate punishment (based on how their world and laws work).