#I saw a lot of people try to blame LWJ for not saying something and it's like that's not the point

[llycaons]

Ep5: the gay porn episode

even tho we know that lwj is at the very least attracted to wwx, this early on it really doesn't come off like that at all to anyone else besides lxc. he's even harsher and stricter with wwx than he is with anyone else. of course, later on he does a 180 because he's incapable of acting like wwx means as much to him as anyone else does

a boy is FLIRTING

wwx goes to a lot of effort this episode to repair his relationship with lwj, which indicates a lot more responsibility and maturity than, say, jc would have us believe. though tbf, wwx isn't trying to become friends for political reasons, he just wants lwj's attention. but he's also defending and explaining his actions, and the fact that he'll retaliate when attacked is of course extremely important later on. even with all the changes he goes through and and nuances we see, his core character is intact throughout. such strong writing

saw a blog once claim this wasn't necessarily sexual but um that's definitely how I read it. with that look? come on.

their rooms are so gorgeous

ICONIC APPEARANCE OF HISTORICALLY ACCURATE GAY PORN!!!!

this is so funny to me. wwx is so shocked that the extremely uptight young heir of a famously conservative and traditional sect hasn't seen gay porn. my boy idk how open-minded the jiangs are but you are not in yunmeng anymore...tbf lxc and lqr aren't even homophobic, but the kind of distress that his feelings cause lwj have got to come from somewhere, and I don't think it's just 'not wanting to be into someone so different from the lans'

wwx turning back the rules on lwj extremely fucking funny

aw :(

JIANG CHENG IS NOTHING EASY.GIF MOMENCE

nooooooo jc don't say that

jc is so happy to see wq, and his little pleased smile when wwx complains that she's only paying attention to jc....oh boy. boy oh boy. this is so sad

young jc is like. he's so fragile. he still has potential. he hasn't done anything he can't come back from yet. he loves his siblings. he likes a pretty girl. I mock him for the comb but it's not a great wrongdoing to be a little awkward and go for the thing that adults say girls like. it's not like he has any healthy relationship to emulate. ough.

SO MEAN. in contrast lwj is just a huge fuckin brat

see we rag on wwx for not telling people shit but early on at least, he was a good communicator! he saw that his actions could be misread and he took steps to clarify where he was coming from and why he did what he did

this is still one of my favorite jokes

wq literally is doing her job as a doctor and jc is like 😳 lady wen... I don't blame jc for having a crush but I DO blame shippers for being shitheads about a woman who is literally just doing her job

wen ning rushing in to save su she is so. he's the weakest cultivator here and he still put his life on the line to save this guy. this is something else we'll see later, when he uses his meager position to save jc and the jiang parents' bodies, and when he tries to stand up for his fellow wens at the camp

ppl who ship jc and wn are unhinged for various reasons but the kicker is right here. wq briefly held fast to her principle of looking after her family and nobody else, but wen ning never did. he puts himself in danger for people he barely knows over and over again, with no possible reward. this mindset is so alien to jc's caution and 'I got mine' outlook that there's no conceivable way that they could ever make a relationship work. even in an AU, I could barely see them becoming friends. they're just too different at their core

whew, what a long episode. ngl, this sequence at the lake ties with the maze forest as my least favorite parts of the show. it's just so BORING. there's some character work, like wwx saving wen ning and giving him the amulet, jc getting himself a crush, and wwx flirting, but it's not enough to liven up this very dull passage. regardless, the ending where lwj bought the ES for wwx was sweet

personal highlights: ep5

wwx being very openly and vocally into male erotica. I mean how are people STILL saying he didn't know he was into dudes. boy was about to start crying when lwj destroyed his treasured collection

wwx flirting in the library. he knew what he wanted. oh and him being really good at communicating. nice job, wwx!

jc has such a nice smile it breaks my heart for him

wwx giving wen ning the protection pouch 🥺

[plan-d-to-i]

"Who knew the truth about wen remnants." by karmiya, certain truths have been brought to light.

link: Who Knew the Truth About the Wen Remnants?

My qualm was :

"I did still leave out the debt he owes to Wen Qing and Wen Ning, because I felt like that was definitely veering too far into 'let's analyse everything wrong with Jiang Cheng as a person' territory."

I get where they're coming from but the point is jiang cheng's debt towards the Wens is critical in judging his failure to speak up for them, and his failure to speak up for them is pivotal in ensuring their miserable ending/ the events that led to the siege. It's even discussed w WWX in the cave. I've written before that the idea the Wens were a danger was a red herring to incite the mob and justify the Jins invading the Burial Monunds (so many things used to incite mob frenzy usually are) so JGS could get his hands on the Tiger Seal. So what WWX needed wasn't someone to publicize the identities of the Wens but the support of a person in power. Everyone catches some blame for letting it happen but it's impossible to blame everyone equally. The Jins instigated it, and jc was in a unique position to prevent it as the closest person to WWX, the one who owed the Wens a life debt and also a Clan Leader who by the time this happened had, with the help of WWX, rebuilt his sect, and had more than enough power alone, and virtually limitless power w the Yiling Patriarch on his side. Lastly:

"Lan XiChen knew that because of what happened to his father, Nie MingJue abhorred Wen-dogs more than anything, especially with how intolerable he was toward evil. Lan XiChen didn’t say anything else. (Chapter 73, Exiled Rebels translation)

Lan Xichen may well be one of the least prejudiced in his attitudes here, and he still drops the topic like a hot potato because he doesn’t care enough to risk upsetting Nie Mingjue or making a fuss. Quite frankly, the subtext here is that he just doesn’t care enough to pursue it. "Nevertheless a great read, beautifully supported by quotes. Thank you for sharing it with me.

Again here I get what op wants to say, but this was easily solved by jc divulging he owed WQ & WN a life debt. The fact that LXC spoke up at all is a huge deal considering the Cloud Recesses were actually burned down by the Wens and his father died as a result of it. Harboring jc as they had, healing him, returning Zidian and the bodies of his parents opened WQ & WN to the risk of death (and immense torture) from Wen Ruohan. This would have been a big deal, and would definitely have given LXC a reason to "care" to stand up to NMJ who himself would not have been as hellbent against them had he heard this.

-

Jiang Cheng mocked, “Those sect leaders thought you gathered some leftover forces and crowned yourself king of the hill. So it’s only the old, the weak, the women, and the children.”

(Chapter 73, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jiang Cheng: “Wei Wuxian has betrayed the sect, and publicly regards all cultivation sects as enemy! Yunmeng Jiang Sect hereby expels him, breaking all ties with him and drawing a clear line between us. Henceforth, no matter what this person does, it will have nothing to do with Yunmeng Jiang Sect!”

(Modao Zushi Radio Drama, Season 3 Episode 5, Suibian Subs)

*edit* Since reading this the first time I saw a great point brought up by grewlikefancylowers about it. I think that does illustrate a very significant weakness I initially overlooked in that particular post. Great read: link.

[wangxianficrecs]

Fic Finder

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1.  I’m not sure if this really counts since wangxian wasn’t established yet, but I’ve been trying to find this story for a while now. It was canon divergent where csr and wcz found wwx (in a clearing I think?) and he was adopted by them with his birth mom being the moon goddess. It was still in progress last time I saw it (less than 10 chapters). There was one scene in particular where they were in lotus pier where everyone was gushing over how cute of a baby wwx is. Thank you!

FOUND! by @whereisyourcahier:   as the moon pulls the tide, i to you (i will find my way home) by taengmo (T, 11k, wangxian, WIP)

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2.  Have you read about a canon divergence fic in which lan zhan and wei ying have sex during the sunshot campaign? I was trying to look for it but i can’t seem to find it. Will you let me know the title of the fic?

FOUND!  by @trektaalik:   Overcome by thunderwear (E, 8k, wangxian)

FOUND!  @laughsalot3412​ says this could also be: Sex, Science, and True Love: A Rigid Analysis of the Practical Applications of Dual Cultivation by aubreyli (E, 45k, wangxian, WIP)

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3.   Hi. I’m looking for a fic and almost going crazy because of that. wwx is a talisman genius (more than normal). In one of the scenes he, together with a group of people, use a array so they can pull the in iron to their hands. They do that, taking all of the pieces just like that. He and lwj uses a type of cultivation that perrmits them to use the same body and be very powerful, and they end up showing this to yanli, that does the same with zixuan.

ETA:  @alltheverses says, “I don't know the name of #3 but maybe I can help with some details? The fusion technique LWJ and WWX do eventually gets taught to LXC and WQ too (i think those two may be paired?) It's a long fic, I remember lots of chapters.”

FOUND!  @hunterintheice and @idlebeks think this one is Gentians in bloom by teawater (M, 251k, wangxian)

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4.  I know I read it, I thought I bookmarked it, I know you rec'd it and I definitely can't find it anywhere under any combo of logical search terms I can think of. Can anybody point me at that one canon AU where the Jiang family develops badass water cultivation during the sunshot campaign please? - @talesofthemusicroom

FOUND!  I Understand You More, Now by floraidh (G, 18k, wangxian, my post)

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5.  Hoping someone will help me find a fic, it involved trauma and self-harm. I don't remember much of the plot itself, just distinctly that wwx was scratching his skin compulsively, sometimes to blood, and the author mentioned that they suffered from the same condition.

FOUND!  @tolrais thinks it might be grieve the living by Misila (M, 160k, wangxian)

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6.  Hey there! I cannot find this fic for the life of me!! It takes place during the Wen Indoctrination. Lwj and wwx are brought to the dungeons due to insubordination (or something) and Wen Chao decides to torture lwj and wwx by forcing them to sleep with each other. Lwj blames himself because he thinks wc somehow knew of lwj's feelings for wwx. Any ideas?

FOUND?  Could it be this a/b/o  The Beauty Of Love As It Was Made To Be by vespertineflora (e, 43k, wangxian, my post)

FOUND!  @invisible-mirror​ and @whereisyourcahier say it’s actually Give You What You Like by Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 81k, wangxian)

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7.  Hello, I'm looking for a Wangxian fic, the part that can't get out of my head is LWJ giving WWX a dagger as a gift. Additional info that I think is from this fic: it was around Cloud Recesses era, they are engaged or courting, might be a time travel story, the mentioned scene was near Cold Spring or a waterfall, or it was WWX who gave LWJ the dagger, Sunshot campaign did not happened or it ended differently for the Wens,rather longer story and probably completed. Please help and thank you :) [Aaargh, I know this one!]

FOUND! by @beria1021​ [thank you, darling, I KNEW I’d read that scene!] Looking at You Always, All Ways by Keysmashed (T, 29k, wangxian, my post)

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8.  I’d like to thank you for running this as it really halted me through the last year :) [You’re so welcome!]  Basically I am looking for bed sharing fics?  Or rather one in particular set during and after the sunshot campaign where Wangxian started sharing a tent (as made nightmares easier) and everyone around them assumed they were together or at least having sex. And then after when Xichen asked him to go to Gusu for Lan Zhans sake he was made to go?  Thanks again :) - @fixeddotdice

FOUND!  I haven’t read this yet, but it’s been asked before and I think you may be looking for Minding by WithBroomBefore (G, 85k, wangxian)

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9.  Hello! Firstly, i love this blog! I've found so many good fics to read and to fill my to-read list ^^ [Ah, that makes me so happy!]  I was wondering if you or your followers could help me find two fics. Unfortunately I don't remember much about either of them TvT Both are fix-it fics, I think.

(1) The first one has LWJ staying at the burial mounds and there was a bit about how he learned to express himself/his emotions.

(2) The second fic had WWX getting kidnapped from maybe-caiyi by maybe-zixun by using dogs to threaten him.

I know it's not much to go on.

9.1 FOUND!  @artemisisdiana thinks it might be  Until It's Dark by suzvoy (M, 121k, wangxian, my post)

9.1 FOUND! @airmidcelt says 9.2 could also be  Ribbon by bladedweaponsandswishycoats (jeweledichneumon) (T, 4k, wangxian)

9.2 FOUND! @copperspecks and @theladypeartree says the second fic you’re looking for is  And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 139k, wangxian)

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10.  Hi I’m having trouble finding a fic I read a while ago but forgot to bookmark or subscribe to it! It’s a time travel fic from Madam Yu’s POV, she goes back to when she’s still a young teenager and sees everyone of her generation young and alive again, but because she’s changed everyone starts to have crushes on her while she remains oblivious! Thank you!

FOUND!  by @red-everdeen:  Lotus of Yunmeng by drywaters08 (T, 72k, madam yu/jiang fengmian)

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11.  ...there's this one that I can’t remember the name of where the changes start happening gradually: like first his eyes and his hair etc etc. There's a scene were LSz doesn't recognize him for a hot sec and it's very emotional. Its such a good emotional fic, if anyone remembers please help a girl out 😭 - @akyra-talanoa​

FOUND?   Saw My Life in a Stranger's Face by timetoboldlygo (T, 27k, wangxian)

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12.   Hi! I’m looking for a fic where post-canon wangxian move out of the cloud recesses and get a fixer-upper type cabin/house. Except lwj is terrified of bugs and they’re everywhere.

[crossdressingdeath]

There's a story concept for a canon divergent AU I thought had hilarious potential for a fic; where JC gets screwed over by a combination of his own shitty behaviour, and WWX's attempts to protect JC from consequences of his shitty treatment of his "brother". I was curious about your thoughts on it.

Basically, the premise is this: JC does a super shitty thing to WWX, and WWX is rattled by it enough to not be able to hide that fact. Someone sees how WWX is reacting, and saw just enough of the aftermath to guess JC did something; but when they ask WWX dismisses it as "nothing". He just doesn't feel like he has the right to complain about JC's shitty treatment or doesn't want to damage JC's reputation; etc. But Concerned Bystander gets the wrong impression from his behaviour and dismissal, and makes assumptions about what they think JC actually did to cause it.

Gossip happens, and next thing you know, the whole cultivation world is shaking their heads over how shitty JC is for doing this thing that he didn't actually do... and he can't really defend himself; because he does a LOT of shitty things, and he isn't actually sure which one people are upset about. And he isn't going to risk admitting that and giving people more ammunition against him. So he just makes generalized defensive statements about, "WWX deserved it", "He just wouldn't shut up", "It's his own fault for being so annoying"; etc. Victim blaming. But everything he says just makes him look worse.

Meanwhile, nobody says anything to WWX about the situation, because they're trying to be considerate of his trauma. And LWJ is in full protective mode, so people who wouldn't care about his trauma aren't getting anywhere near him right now.

WWX has no idea why people are suddenly shooting him sympathetic looks, LWJ is suddenly glued to his side, and even LQR is giving him sad eyes. It's all very unnerving!

Essentially, it boils down to, "One day, WWX's tendency to protect JC from the consequences of his shitty behaviour backfires in the worst way possible; and JC ends up being despised by the whole cultivation world for something he actually didn't do. But JC's behaviour is just so genuinely shitty that by the time everything comes out, everyone thinks he deserved it anyway. WWX has no idea how or why this happened."

The original idea I read suggested that JC attacks WWX and manages to both injure and genuinely frighten him; so the concerned bystander ends up thinking JC sexually assaulted WWX. Making the entire cultivation world think JC is a rapist, when that's the one flavour of asshole he actually isn't.

But I'm looking for a way to turn this prompt into something lighthearted and humorous; to provide entertainment by sticking JC in a messy situation and having him just continually dig himself deeper by sheer virtue of simply being himself, until he ends up being pretty much universally hated on his own merits rather than just rumours.

I especially liked the idea that if it happened post-Sunshot/pre-Qiongqi Path rescue, the entire thing could end up flipping public opinion on WWX at the same time as JC's reputation is getting flushed down the toilet.

Does this sound like it could be a workable/enjoyable fic idea to you? I'm trying to decide if I should actually try to work on it or just give it up as a bad job.

Yes. Do it. Send me a link when it's done if you finish it, this sounds delightful.

[angstymdzsthoughts]

I promised that I would share the convo me and @time-flies-by​ had earlier today regarding the Maleficent AU post, so here it is!

-

time-flies-by Dude that Maleficent AU-

angstymdzsthoughts I knoooow

angstymdzsthoughts It got a bit dark on me

time-flies-by It did, but goddamn was it good!

angstymdzsthoughts Right? I'm super happy with it

time-flies-by As you should! It actually gave me chills

angstymdzsthoughts WWX goes to sleep in his husbands arms, happy and in love. Wakes up to that husband mutilating him Thank you!!!

time-flies-by The best part, is that LWJ doesn’t even see anything wrong with it. He’s just like, “it has to happen”

angstymdzsthoughts Yep! Just another part of getting married to him

time-flies-by WWX definitely leaves understanding Madam Lan a lot better.

angstymdzsthoughts Oof LWJ grows up around spouses who seem perfectly happy with life after losing their wings And his mother, who still had her wings, was miserable So he thinks hes actually helping to make WWX happier

time-flies-by Double oof WWX really doesn’t understand what he was getting himself into.

angstymdzsthoughts Oh my god other spouses try to warn him (in a quiet subtle way so their husbands don’t get upset)

angstymdzsthoughts All the Lans are taught that this is a special, intimate experience between spouses

angstymdzsthoughts I feel like Su She is jealous that LWJ got to experience that and is vindictively happy when WWX ran away

time-flies-by Oh my god, the Lans all brainwashed into thinking that the tight smiles, and the tears are signs of love, when in reality their spouse is trying so hard to not hate them. Soakxldowkenenw fuxking Su She

angstymdzsthoughts The spouses are all trapped. Oh wait

angstymdzsthoughts The "soulmate" thing only happens once or twice in a generation and Madam Lan had been the most recent before WWX so the spouse around who tries to warn him away is an old woman who has been married and trapped in the CR for life 55 years That makes it so much worse

time-flies-by Oh my god, imagine wwx accidentally runs into the the wing room, and is absolutely horrified to find all the wings there, so he goes to lwj and is all like “Lan Zhan? What’s this?” And LWJ just goes “don’t worry Wei ying, I’ll make sure that never happens to you.” And what he means is “I’ll make sure your grounding isn’t as painful as theirs.” And wwx trusts LWJ 100%, but then their own grounding happens.

angstymdzsthoughts OOF Oh my god just rip my heart out

angstymdzsthoughts All I can picture is WWX crying and calling LWJ a liar before he's silenced Most disturbing part is how gentle and loving LWJ is being while hes Removing His Husbands Limbs Soft little praises and telling WWX that they will be happy together now

angstymdzsthoughts Ohhh WWX is totally gonna blame himself if he saw the wings and didn't immediately run Gets to Yunmeng like 'how could I be so stupid to believe him'

time-flies-by Ooh especially if the spouses before him tried warning him too.

angstymdzsthoughts Yes Exactly

time-flies-by WWX: The signs were all there. . . There was a red flag everywhere!

angstymdzsthoughts The way WWX sees it is like that 'face eating leopard party' meme Everyone else is just plain horrified

time-flies-by Oof 😂

angstymdzsthoughts LWJ is crying in the CR asking what he did wrong Yunmeng Jiang is ready to start a war in order to get WWX his wings back

time-flies-by Omg yesssss The Lans are all clueless and offended because they see NOTHING wrong with their traditions.

angstymdzsthoughts Someone tries to put it in perspective for them. "How would you react if your spouse cut off your hands?" But the Lans dont get it and just dig their hole deeper. "Thats ridiculous! You Need hands! Wings are in no way a necessity."

time-flies-by Aish 😓

time-flies-by Yeah no, the Jiangs are definitely cutting all ties with the Lan after that.

angstymdzsthoughts The Lans argue that wings do nothing but make someone fickle and reckless and arrogant. They Need to be earth bound so they can learn stability and humbleness ... Oh my god... Horrible thought

time-flies-by Do tell

angstymdzsthoughts Some children of grounded spouses end up with wings too But they get them cut off when they are younger Should it be LXC or LWJ who use to have wings?

angstymdzsthoughts Spend their entire adolescence being ashamed of the wings and eagerly waiting for the day they can be removed

time-flies-by Oooh maybe LXC?

angstymdzsthoughts The most recent wings added are a pair of small white ones maybe half the size of WWXs and the sight of them make him run out because he may be sick

time-flies-by Oh god, what if there’s like, a whole room just full of children’s wings.

Angstymdzsthoughts Of course the Lans would keep them Ohhh WWX hears people talking about the grounding ceremony that will follow the honeymoon and has no idea what their all talking about He asks and the Lans explain that it's a sacred ceremony between spouses that truly binds the new spouse to the Lan family WWX is like- oh wow that sounds really great! Like a big 'welcome to the family'!

time-flies-by Oh no that make it worse! WWX is super excited for the ceremony. He’s like hyping himself up nonstop.

angstymdzsthoughts Oh with the Lan members with wings- they normally have a form of the grounding ceremony when they get their courtesy name and become a Real Lan. Lose your wings and get a name Oh my gooood WWX and LWJ go to bed that night talking about how the bonding ceremony will be tomorrow morning and LWJ assures him that he knows WWX will be perfect

time-flies-by Oh god no, I’m just imagining a bunch of children scared but super willing to lose their wings, because they’d been taught that having them made them everything the clan was against

angstymdzsthoughts WWX, cuddling close: What if I mess up and make a fool of myself? No ones really told me what to do yet. LWJ, petting WWXs wings lovingly: Don't worry, I'll take care of everything Exactly

time-flies-by Oooh I just got chills again

angstymdzsthoughts Something about LWJ touching and admiring WWXs wings in this context... 😨

time-flies-by LWJ: once I get rid of these, he’ll be all mine.

angstymdzsthoughts Touching wings isn't a normal thing outside of family (given that touching in general isn't normal in Chinese culture) but WWX was always super ok with friends petting his wings. He totally offered to let LWJ touch his wings when they were teenagers after catching him admiring them

angstymdzsthoughts LWJ hadn't felt a wing since his mother died shortly after her Binding and WWXs are a really beautiful glossy black color that turns a dark, rich purple if the light hits them just right. Of course he wants to touch

time-flies-by 😥😥

angstymdzsthoughts LWJ, cautiously running one finger along the feathers: They are so big... WWX: Of course they are! My wings have to be big and strong to carry me while I fly! LWJ immediately snatching his hand back, suddenly cold at the remainder that WWX can and will fly away far, far away from him

time-flies-by LWJ is really undermining the love WWX has for him by being that concerned that he’ll leave him.

angstymdzsthoughts He got brainwashed by his clan and he saw his mothers constant attempts to escape. Everyone around him said that the only reason she was trying to leave was because of her wings. If his own mother would leave him because of wings, what would stop WWX?

angstymdzsthoughts Madam Lan got way too close to actually escaping and QHJ was pressured into finally doing the ceremony. Madam Lan didn't last long after that

time-flies-by sent a post Source (****)

angstymdzsthoughts Hahaha

angstymdzsthoughts You know what would be worse? Baby A-Yuan with wings

time-flies-by Oh noooooo

angstymdzsthoughts Like au where LWJ didn't do the binding and unbrainwashed himself Then A-Yuan is born with wings and he grows up being told he won’t be a Real Lan if he keeps them So his parents have no plans of removing them but as his naming ceremony gets closer Yuan says he Wants to get rid of them WWX is immediately packing a bag and getting him and his son the hell out of there. LWJ is right behind him with another bag

time-flies-by Oof yes I like that

time-flies-by But like what if, the day before they leave or something, A-yuan runs to the elders and tells them about what his parents plan to do, and he’s so desperate to get rid of his wings that he asks them to just do the ceremony there and then

angstymdzsthoughts AAAAAAAAAA

time-flies-by When LWJ and WWX wake, they’re so stressed cause they can’t find A-yuan, but a few minutes later he comes in all proud and wingless

angstymdzsthoughts I mean since its Maleficent au wings are apparently magic and can be put right back on but Still Horrible WWX cries LWJ is gonna fight to get his sons wings back and then get his family the hell out of there Oh my god..... LWJ walking through a room full of tiny, near identical wings looking for the little pair that he would recognize anywhere

angstymdzsthoughts Let's a few tears out when he finds them. Remembers helping WWX clean and groom them and watching while WWX taught their son to balance and fly using those wings Hates himself for not seeing what his clan was doing to LSZ and not getting them away from all of it sooner

time-flies-by Codnekaoenen perfect

time-flies-by Heartbreaking, but perfect

angstymdzsthoughts Also, if things had gone according to plan and they left before LSZ did the Binding Yuan, struggling and crying: But I won’t be a Real Lan! WWX, throwing Yuan over his shoulder to carry him mid tantrum: Then you're gonna be a Wei. Lan Zhan, would you please carry this bag? LWJ, taking the bag: Mn. Wei Yuan sounds nice.

angstymdzsthoughts Then they go to Yunmeng so LSZ can grow up in a healthier environment

time-flies-by Oh I like your version better.

angstymdzsthoughts You brought the pain, I brought a bandaid

time-flies-by Haha yes yes, thank you

angstymdzsthoughts Oof tho. LWJ finds the wings and brings them home where WWX is guarding Yuan while he sleeps. They Return the wings while Yuan sleeps and return to making plans to go to Yunmeng once Yuan wakes When he wakes up and has his wings back he bursts into tears.

angstymdzsthoughts Could be because he really missed his wings and is glad to have them back or because this means he's gonna have to go through the grounding AGAIN and it really hurt the first time and he doesn't want to go through it again. Maybe both

time-flies-by If both, then WWX and LWJ will do their best to reassure him that he won’t have to go through the grounding ever again.

angstymdzsthoughts Aww little Yuan crying so hard he can hardly breath and bringing his wings around himself so he can pet and groom them because he needs to make sure this is real and their back

angstymdzsthoughts Oof. Imagine LXC seeing this and wishing he could have kept his wings. Goes to visit his wings and knows that they are too small to fit his body now that hes an adult so he's lost his chance

time-flies-by *sigh* we really should give LXC a break.

angstymdzsthoughts Never Ok how about he gets his wings back and even tho there too small because they never got the chance to grow with him and he'll never be able to fly hes so unbelievably happy WWX and Yuan teach him how to groom his wings correctly because the only person who ever did that was his mother and he cant quite remember how to do it

time-flies-by *sniff* family bonding time

angstymdzsthoughts He starts an arrangement with Yunmeng Jiang so he can send any winged Lans to them for half the year so they can learn that having wings Isnt the worse thing in the world

time-flies-by Oooh yes yes That’s good.

[no--envies]

Something I really love about MDZS is that no character is perfect or without fault, not even WWX and LWJ, and all characters' flaws are essential to create tension and conflicts in the novel. For many events to happen differently, most of the characters involved would need to have entirely different personalities and goals. This is such good writing.

WWX and LWJ are undoubtedly the heroes of the story. They're exceptional people who make use of their many talents to bring more good to the world. But the novel is filled with characters who are generally good people, but make mistakes or tend to be neutral/indifferent to the events unfolding. NMJ, LXC, LQR, JZXuan are such examples.

Sadly, what happened to WWX feels extremely realistic. Most people aren't heroes. A lot of people are selfish or have a sheep mentality. Most of the cultivators who contributed to WWX's downfall weren't even in bad faith. They were convinced they were in the right, but they couldn't see past their own hypocrisy and self-righteousness.

Sometimes the fandom tends to be too harsh towards characters like LXC or NMJ. They definitely aren't perfect, but they were trying to do the right thing with the information they had and their own idea of justice and righteousness, unlike many other characters who were driven by resentment, greed or ambition.

Even WWX makes mistakes. His own character flaws partly contributed to his own downfall. His arrogance was mainly a front to hide the fact he no longer had a golden core, but not completely. He was overconfident and thought he could "attempt the impossible" on his own without relying on anyone's help. He thought he could control his demonic cultivation perfectly, until he lost control. He didn't exactly have another choice, but it's also just part of who he is, of his extreme confidence in himself and his own abilities (which for the most part is a great thing to have).

I'm not saying WWX's downfall was his own fault, but he's not completely blameless. When he went to Nightless City it wasn't to defend himself and the Wen remnants, but to vent his anger and frustration since his whole world had just crumbled and everyone accused him unfairly after the ambush at Qiongqi Path and JZXuan's death. He wasn't clear-headed at the time. When he activated the Tiger Seal it wasn't a strategy to weaken the Sects' forces, he was already in a half-unconscious state. Not even he is proud of all the people he killed that night. The fact that he destroyed the Tiger Seal after the bloodbath it caused is quite telling. (I've written a meta about what happened at Nightless City, which explains my opinion in more detail.)

My point is that what happened to WWX is a complex sequence of events some people are more responsible for than others, but which makes perfect sense given the context of the novel and every character's personality. The cultivation world feared and envied WWX's power because they had seen what he was capable of, and how cruel and ruthless he could be with his enemies. They were a bunch of hypocrites, since most of them approved of his actions during the war and saw him as a useful tool as long as he was on their side, and they definitely behaved like sheep, but WWX's fall from grace feels in a sense inevitable.

JGY was clearly trying to deflect his own responsibility for WWX's downfall, but his analysis in the Guanyin Temple is quite accurate: on one hand WWX was the untamed hero, on the other hand he made enemies wherever he went. And it wasn't even his fault. He was just unafraid to speak his mind and stand out against public opinion, even when he knew doing so would put a target on his back. While this is what makes him the hero we all love and admire, it's what made him a target of the Sects' hypocrisy, classism and self-righteousness.

I'm not trying to assign blame here. I'm just analysing the events of the novel and appreciating MXTX's writing. MDZS is such an amazing story and I love it.

[bewareof12metersfrogs]

Warning: long rant. Probably messed up grammar. Not LXC-friendly.

So Pinterest gave me this:

And I was like

Ah yes, Lan Xichen.

I mean, I love that guy, but oh gosh that man is BLIND. Like, man's so blind Xue Yang could use him to slaughter people.

(I'm so sorry for that joke)

I really loved him when I first read the book, esp pre-Nightless City, but then I read it for the second (and third) time and that love turned into "uhh, I guess I kinda like him?"

I mean, in Sunshot Campaign arc, NMJ just got freaking tortured. He just got beaten, made to watch his men die, and his former deputy "betrayed" him -- and then LXC was just like, "oh da-ge CALM down, this is all part of OUR plan, A-Yao's our spy lol put Baxia away don't shout at him smh"

Why didn't LXC say to NMJ that the whole thing had been orchestrated? Okay, I get it, maybe he couldn't risk JGY getting caught, but couldn't he just tell NMJ, "hey, this is the plan. You're gonna get caught at Yangquan by WRH and our spy will take care of the rest of it" ? I'm pretty sure NMJ was angrier about his men getting slaughtered than himself getting beaten. NMJ is kinda like WWX; they were both idiots, but they cared about their people. Pretty sure he cared more about his men than himself. If he knew about the "plan", he'd most likely bring the disciples who were ready to die.

THEN LXC just went to NMJ like, "Hey let's be sworn brothers!". Xichen, dude, his wounds aren't even healed. I mean, it's a bit insensitive right?? I think it is. The whole sworn-brotherhood-right-after-shunshot-campaign thing still bothers me. To me, it seems like no one cared about NMJ. I mean, he was the leader of SC, people used his skills, his men, his everything, and then he was just, like, casted aside?? Pretty sure man's got PTSD. Also, qi deviation. Oh gosh I forgot about qi deviation.

Anyway, yeah, LXC was blind throughout the novel. I won't talk about the scene where Wangxian tried to tell him that A-Yao = bad, but I will talk about the scene where NHS decided to "use" his er-ge to kill his san-ge. Was it intentional? Perhaps. Was NHS lying? Maybe. Was it bad? Absolutely. Was it expected? Of course.

Let's put ourselves in NHS' shoes for a second. Your big bro, who is also the one who raised you and the only family you have left, died. People are quacking "oh it's the Nie curse, and isn't it such a tragedy?" BUT NO! One day you be minding your own business and then BAM you found out that da-ge'd been murdered and mutilated AND betrayed. So you started scheming for like a decade. Everything was going great, as great as a 10 years revenge plan could ever be. You just gotta wait for a few more hours, you just gotta listen to your nemesis' retelling his sad background story, you just gotta endure the pain of seeing your dead big bro wrecking havoc, and you'd have your revenge.

Then of course your er-ge, your big bro's best friend, gotta help your big bro's killer. He just gotta treat his wounds, huh? Pretty sure NHS was unstable. He was desperate and maybe even full of wrath. I understand that, at least, the same way I understand that maybe LXC tried to treat JGY's wounds because he still saw him as his brother -- he didn't want to lose another brother. But how about NHS? He was watching the man whom he thought was his brother treating the man who betrayed and murdered his actual brother. NHS was being a dick, yeah, but it was expected.

Think about this for a second. NMJ's corpse was still right there (and gosh, NHS had to sew his big bro's corpse by himself). NHS was RIGHT there, and LXC had the audacity to tend to JGY's wounds after the man himself admitted to his crimes. I think it's understandable if NHS felt at least insulted.

Also, he was perhaps sick of people not thinking that his big brother was as important as other people, that he was also a human being instead of just a war machine or even a mere tool that can be casted aside whenever they want to. Why did his brother have to die because of other people's greed and selfish decisions? Why did he have to lose the only family he had left forever and why did he have to just sit back and accept it?

Most importantly, LXC had been too blind for more than a decade too long.

Also, the bit about "You're Wangji's only mistake":

Bruh.

If WWX is LWJ's only mistake, then (trusting) LXC is NMJ's only mistake. I mean, sure, WWX is as dumb and oblivious as a rock, but can you really blame him?? HE WAS TRYING TO KEEP HIMSELF, HIS FAMILY, AND THE WEN REMNANTS ALIVE, DUDE'S GOT NO TIME TO THINK ABOUT FKING ROMANCE.

Sorry, I got carried away.

Anyway, are we just gonna ignore the fact that LWJ had been acting like he hated WWX since, like, the first time they met?? I mean, I really love LWJ, but his only mistake is his communication skills (or lack thereof).

But LWJ never gave up on WWX. He learned to express himself way better. Man's got dedication and he's not afraid to learn. I really love that about him.

Also, I understand that LXC was angry because LWJ took beatings to protect WWX, but I don't think he had the right to blame WWX for that. Yes, I know WWX did plenty of things wrong; he was extremely reckless and untrusting, but he never asked LWJ to protect him. LWJ did everything voluntarily. Ffs Xichen WWX didn't even know that LWJ did that. You know why? CAUSE HE WAS FKING DYING THAT'S WHY.

TLDR: LWJ was a grown ass man.

Okay. So, do I hate LXC? No. But do I find him flawed? Yes. But that's why I like MXTX's characters, including WRH, JGY, and LXC (the only exception are perhaps JGS and MXY's fam, and I think we all know why). They all have flaws. For me, LXC is too naive and blind, JGY is too power-hungry and selfish, and NMJ is too stubborn and unyielding. NHS? Well, he's a lot of things. He's manipulative, unsympathetic, and IMO he's got a problem with obsession too. He and JGY are alike, in my opinion. The main difference is their goals: JGY seeks power, NHS seeks revenge.

Everyone has flaws. LWJ and WWX have flaws too; they're EXTREMELY flawed. Heck, even our lord and saviour Shijie also has flaws, as much as it hurts me to type that.

Then why do I get so worked up about LXC's flaws? Honestly I don't really know. Maybe it's because I'm tired of (almost) the entirety of fandom treating him like a god, maybe because I'm tired of people who treat NHS like the devil himself, or maybe because I'm disappointed in him. I mean, JGY's our main villain, but I still love him so much. Heck, I love him even more than I love LXC. Bruh, nowadays I even like WRH more. At least that guy is downright evil and he looks cool while doing whatever evil things WRH does (I'm talking about the novel and donghua mmkay).

Anyway, this is the end of my rant. I apologise if I'm offending you, this is just something that's been bothering me since the first time I re-read MDZS. This whole thing is like a plot bunny but instead of a "plot", the bunny is shaped like a "rant". This is a rant bunny. I need to get this outta my head. I've edited this thing like four times already because I keep finding errors and stuffs. I also added like two new paragraphs.

I'm sad now.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

[1/?] Sorry for venting. I just saw some bad takes that gave me a lot of feelings. Personally, JC stresses me out every time he comes on screen, but I don't mind it when JC fans say fan-typical things like how they like JC because he wears purple, or is grumpy, or they think he's hot, or that they ship x*ch*ng because the cql actors have nice jawlines. They're harmless, fun takes, and while I don't agree with some of them, I see where they're coming from

Hello there anon, vent away as that is what my blog is open for as I love/hate on Jiang Cheng as he is in the plot, as well as all of my beef with what has been done to him for the EN side of the fanbase! I am more than fine listening and engaging with the unsavory "unpopular" discussions of his canon behavior and this goes for anyone of course that needs an open play area. I'll try to engage with what you have sent point by point as succinctly as I can.

[2/?] (some of these are obviously crack, and I am a fan of a few problematic faves). But then there are stans that just have to put other characters down to make JC look good. Like, I think some fans take their freedom of interpretation for granted because most of these takes aren't even labeled 'headcanon,' 'ooc,' or 'crack' anymore. Stans feel that their interpretations are valid, and while they are, valid =/= canon, and they're treating these takes as canon, which becomes popular fanon.

I enjoy Jiang Cheng for what he is, however as I had said it took me another reread to get to my stance of him being the negative mirror to Lan Wangji's positive and my comfort with that for the story once I realized what purpose he served. He is only insofar tragic in regards to his circumstances, but it does not absolve him for what he is at his core (no pun, but I can make a very nice metaphor that even with a piece of Wei Wuxian in him he is still forever unable and unwilling to stand by him equally all while stagnating where as Lan Wangji is able to flourish, grow and mature with nothing of import left from Wei Wuxian in a technical sense). As for ships, I am a little dirty Xicheng whore for fun and can say there is a sense of entertainment for me making it work with two people where one is wildly ignorant and the other wildly rabid. But that is outside of what is established as canon in the work and I always try to keep the two strictly separate due to the skew fanon perpetuates.

3/?] And now, it's not clear what part of the fanon references canon JC or the canon events of mdzs. JC is an asshole; I don't like him as a person, but I do think that he's a complex character motivated by many issues (sup, YeeZY), which makes him fascinating to explore. Unfortunately, erasing his culpability also removes his agency. JC should be allowed to be an asshole character who makes his own decisions even if they're the wrong ones. He has made his own tragedy by constantly casting Wei Wuxian as the villain of his life.

Now thanks to you I will be using YeeZY to forever and now to acknowledge Madam Yu (this is your fault for the new tag). From a standing from storytelling I agree that he is complex in the Jianghu for MDZS. Where in the usual political intrigue of Wuxia, he would be the mustache twirling villain that is outright unforgivable in narration, it is by favor of Wei Wuxian's narration that has an early steeping of empathy for him. And he is not meant to be seen as ultimately sympathetic, the work builds up his hate against Wei Wuxian who tries to rationalize it all several times until he is finally unable to. Jiang Cheng is the antithesis to Lan Wangji and the false bait to get attached to in Wei Wuxian's first life. I will make the note their meeting in Yiling is lukewarm between both as they exchange nothing really in terms of conversation and all pleasantries are left in terms of Jiang Yanli for Wei Wuxian. By this point Wei Wuxian has already switched his yearnings of platonically wanting a part of Jiang Cheng's life, to subconscious romantic inclinations about Lan Wangji and the perceived loss of being in the other's life.

The very point of Jiang Cheng as the deconstruction, is that he has no passion in life despite his apparent exploits because he put a shadow to hang over himself as an excuse to say others think he is not good enough. He has no deeper motivations than pure selfishness by the end of the work and is pure frivolity that he has built up losing the meaning of his sect as a tradition. He had his agency (more than anyone I might add in the work due to his social position) that he used to build his reputation as a passive rich sect leader that has little to do with civilian problems.

4/?] And I think a JC, somehow, that realizes that he did something wrong and is working hard to change for the better and gain self-actualization to become that UWU best jiujiu the stans want him to be, who is ready to talk (not yell at) with WWX, apologize to him, and create a better, healthier relationship with him is a much more powerful reconciliation and happy ending than 'everyone is wrong and mean and they all apologize to JC, which magically gets rid of all his issues'.

He is forced out of culpability in reconciliation because simply put, his audience do not like the reality that relationships fray and dissolve with no further resolution other than we as adults both need to move on for safety and good health. It is not acceptable in real life and fiction is allowed to place that also in it's thematic relationships. He has a small, small spark of recognition at the end of the main story, however he himself seems to choose to ignore it, as change is hard and he has never taken to that well as was foreshadowed with his dogs and the idea of sharing a space with Wei Wuxian. To write this is an awful lot of work into his psyche which is not a nice place, he is a terrible being and downplaying that to make a sugar sweet person does not work instantaneously. He is the one responsible for the entire fallout with Wei Wuxian and he hysterically realizes that even as he tries to continue to blame Wei Wuxian.

The issue that I have with his current stan culture, is that they already view him as something he is not. They play at bicycle with all of the other protagonists that have positive traits that they strip as they see fit; Good affirming loving to children adult Lan Wangji, Self-sacrificing ultimately did it all for love and care Wei Wuxian, Hard exterior but softened to who they consider an annoyance Wen Qing, Loyal as partners in their exploits on the field and always have each others back Wen Ning. They even take Jin Guangyao's persona of playing damsel and using that as a positive to soften up Jiang Cheng into something he has never been for anyone for ships.

[5/5] Also, making WWX/WN/LWJ apologize just makes them look better than JC. Like, stans supposedly love JC, so they ahouldn't be lazy and work hard to give him actual character development. Again, I'm sorry for spamming your ask. It just really baffles me about where they get these 'hot' takes (All I'm going to say is that JC was ungrateful, and WN had a reason verbally dismantle him).

They see this, but, they will spin it in any way to excuse Jiang Cheng due to the story itself showing that he was in the wrong to everyone he flung accusations at and his hate. No one but him is at fault for his spite as he had gotten his revenge on the ones that had ruined Lotus Pier and killed his parents. His own resentment pitted him against good and well meaning people that he refused to help as he mimicked his mother's words about raising their heads higher out of goodness instead of keeping low and staying self-centered. There is the underlying criticism of taking individual arrogance as self-care at the cost of others. Each point that Wen Ning makes is exactly what Jiang Cheng himself knows as he hated Wei Wuxian for being something he could not be or even wanted to be. Jiang Cheng wants kindness but does not understand that kindness to others needs to be selfless and accept the hurt that can come with that in life. He encompasses the fall from the path of buddhist lifestyle, "The Three Poisons" to Wangxian's "Without Envy" at the stories end.

[6/5] P.S. I'm not saying I want reconciliation fics, but I just feel that if stans want JC to have a happy ending, then I think that he should actively work for it. I think it would be interesting to see what force of nature would push him through a character development because throwing a therapist at him would result in a murder.

"I'm not saying I want reconciliation fics, but I just feel that if stans want JC to have a happy ending, then I think that he should actively work for it."

They do not think he has to work for it, they say his tragedy is enough, while heaping accusations against Wei Wuxian and saying his own are not enough to absolve him. Something Wei Wuxian has never denied and told all present they are allowed to forever hate him for what he had done in the past, but that they need to find a way to live in a life that is always moving on. He learned that grudges do nothing once they are absolved and it leaves you with hate with nothing else to do with it once that object is gone. In terms of reconciliation, I do not ever think that either want anything other than a distant peaceful out of each other's life set up. Jiang Cheng does not need Wei Wuxian in his life to be satisfied and never has since he used him as the handicap to hide behind to stay angry and miserable. Being without that fallback opens the world far more for him to change than him ever interacting like an old friend with Wei Wuxian ever again, if he ever had the guts to do that.

[agendratum]

OK so, i wanted to put my two cents in on these two topics:

1. the statement i once saw, made by someone, who, i’m not sure, was reading the same novel as i am. it went somewhere along these lines: “the novel implies that in his first life wei wuxian wasn’t interested in lan wangji or even in men at all”

2. the general idea that wei wuxian (specifically novel!wwx, i mean, obv all of this is just about novel!wwx or novel!lwj) is oblivious dummy, who can’t see what’s happening in front of his own nose, doesn’t understand not only lwj’s feelings towards him, but also not even self-aware enough to understand his own 

(idk if it was obvious from my previous posts on this website, but i’m a wei wuxian apologist so you should probably know that before i proceed)

i’m gonna quote the paragraph that prompted me to think about all this, it’s worded a bit differently in russian, but the point still stands:

Although in the past few days, he felt that Lan WangJi probably regarded him highly and differently from other people, he’d never dared to guess just how ‘highly’ it was or if ‘differently’ was the kind that he thought. Wei WuXian never thought of being confident as bad, and in fact prided himself on such a thought. Legends often gossiped about the YiLing Patriarch’s allegedly amorous life, but in reality, he’d never experienced such hectic feelings before. He used to think that Lan WangJi was too easy of a person to understand, but things were different now. He feared that he was the only one who thought of them that way, that it was all his own wishful thinking, that he was too confident for his own good.

lets start with the first statement and go waay back in time. first of all, the idea that wei wuxian wasn’t interested in lan wangji is kinda ridiculous to me, as this boy spent the entire time he was in gusu summer camp trying to get lan wangji’s attention, annoy him into friendship with him, he gifted him rabbits goddamnit. he had a whole fanclub of boys going on in gusu summer camp, he had girls in the nearby town swoon by him, and yet he focused his attention on lan wangji, but clearly he wasn’t interested, right. 

and then during sunshot they kept arguing and having bad experiences with each other, and yet wei wuxian couldn’t stop himself from being drawn to lan wangji, initiating conversation, that situation with the headband, that time he invited him to the inn. considering that every one of their encounters would end pretty badly, there was no reason for him to try again and again to build that friendship that he told himself wasn’t even possible. and yet he kept trying, and then in yiling he invited lan wangji to have a dinner with him, but of course he wasn’t interested. 

second of all, and it kinda bothers me a lot, actually, he wasn’t interested in men in his first life? yeah no shit. for starters, how old was he? 15? 17? you know, not all of us came to terms with our sexuality when we were digging up shit in a sandbox. it can happen later. it can happen much later. but what caught my attention in that paragraph i quoted above “but in reality, he’d never experienced such hectic feelings before.” was wei wuxian not interested in men in his first life? sure! according to the novel, he also wasn’t much interested in women! was it ever a consideration, that perhaps, for a teenager going through war and also shitload of other terrible events, romantic endeavors might have not been a priority? sure, he had an image, he had a reputation of a shameless dumbass to protect, but do we not know it was a pretence? it’s almost like characters like nie huaisang don’t exist. 

but also specifically for a teenager who was already experiencing his first crush, that he didn’t acknowledge much, because, once again, he had a lot of other shit to worry about

this brings me not very smoothly to the second statement. and i wanna start by giving some more credit to wei wuxian (who isn’t as dumb as he sometimes seems) and take some credit from lan wangji (who is a bit dumber than i thought he is), which brings them to the same level of idiots in love. 

wei wuxian doesn’t understand what lan wangji is feeling towards him. yeah. to be fair, adult lan wangji did a lot of things, some of which were more obvious than the others. but lan wangji wasn’t always like that. if i recall correctly, he spent almost the entirety of gusu summer camp rejecting wwx’s attempts in friendship, being an asshole and just plain rude (yes, wwx also was rude, but still) (yes, on the inside lan wangji was panicking in gay, but on the outside he was Just Rude, and WE know that, wei wuxian doesn’t). in the cave? lan wangji is overwhelmed and once again kinda rude to wwx, and he bites him, and again, WE know that lwj is probably going through a lot, wei wuxian knows less. moreover, later in the novel there is some more context given to why wei wuxian reacted like that to being bitten by lan wangji, our guy is straight up scared of being bitten, because he associates biting with dogs. they both were having kinda a shit time in that cave and i can’t blame them. during sunshot lan wangji was constantly arguing with wei wuxian and pretty openly dissaproving of his ways that he didn’t understand for obvious reasons. none of this says “i’m your friend and also i’m in love with you and i’m not actually trying to control you or reject you, i just don’t know what else to do”

and every time lan wangji would master his bravery to do something that would make his feelings more obvious, he would do it while wei wuxian couldn’t possible know that lan wangji was doing it. (e.g. singing wangixan to him in the cave while wei wuxian is out of it because of the fever, kissing him while he’s blindfolded). and the last chance in wwx’s first life that lwj got to confess his feelings, wei wuxian was simply not in the state to remember it or even process what was happening at all. 

coming back to his second life, wei wuxian actually becomes aware of his own feelings. not immediately, but dude was just dead like a few days ago, give him some time. and it’s not that he doesn’t notice that adult lan wangji now treats him differently, and certainly not how he treats anyone else, wei wuxian is straight up just afraid, without a direct conformation, that he’s still misunderstanding something. and taking in consideration all that i said previously, i can’t blame him. if any of these two could actually use their words, and ask questions they wanted to ask, this whole mess could have been avoided. but lan wangji can’t be direct (he doesn’t want to impose), and wei wuxian can’t trust indirect hints (he puts lan wangji way above himself and doesn’t believe hanguang-jun could get down to “his level”). 

and so they operate on this perfectly dysfunctional system of “i’ll just carry on with my own agenda, hoping for nothing in return” and also:

wwx: i’ll get him drunk (if he wants to get drunk) to just ask a few questions that i can’t ask while he’s sober

lwj: i’ll get drunk to be a little bit more free around wei ying, as i can’t be like that while i’m sober and i won’t remember it anyway

and, surprise, it doesn’t help their understanding of each other’s feelings. it doesn’t mean that wei wuxian is that oblivious, it just mean that things can’t work out like that, you need to TALK sometimes. (i didn’t get there yet, but thank god for lan xichen). in fact, that terrible system of communication makes things worse and i’m pretty sure the novel is being very clear that it wants you too to understand that it makes things worse.

their terrible inability to communicate properly results into that chapter that i just read. they operate in the previously learned patterns: wei wuxian buys alcohol, cause he wants to ask lan wangji this important question, lan wangji gets drunk, cause he doesn’t want to be present in this reality (relatable) (drinking to forget is bad, kids), and shit goes down. 

wei wuxian doesn’t want to take advantage of drunk lan wangji, but then he gets carried way, and drunk lan wangji gets carried away and things happen. and by the end of it, both sober, they BOTH think that they forced the other one to do something he didn’t want to do and they both feel terrible about that. (once again, i’m pretty sure that the novel is very clear about how it’s actually bad to have sex with someone blackout drunk) so wei wuxian ends up thinking that he took advantage oh lan wangji who wasn’t in control of himself, lan wangji thinks that he lost control of himself and took advantage of wei wuxian who didn’t protest out of gratitude to lan wangji (his worst fear, btw). 

i got slightly carried away from my original topic, but it just pisses me off that someone looks at this and really thinks that the novel is glorifying this behaviour or whatever. it’s terrible, they both feel terrible, the novel is yelling at them to talk instead of getting drunk and fucking. 

so yeah, wei wuxian isn’t that oblivious. but that situation doesn’t clear anything out, actually, because by the end of the day lan wangji sobers up, and wei wuxian sees his reaction to what happened, which was not a good reaction, and how is he supposed to understand lan wangji’s thought process correctly if he never says anything?  so wei wuxian ends up thinking that yeah, he gave in to his own wishful thinking, and terribly terribly fucked up (i mean, he did fuck up, but not as much as he thinks). 

idk how to end this so i just hope my point came across as i intended it and i’m just glad it’s all out

[coffintownkids]

I had the rare occurrence of having the house to myself for the entire day yesterday, which hasn’t happened since...last September maybe?

Which means I got to bang out translating all of Ch.34 while I was distraction-free!

This chapter had lots of fun moments with the junior disciples. To set the scene, WWX and LWJ come across the juniors in Coffin Town and the kids are freaked out by the sound of a bamboo pole drumming against the ground.

Long Post Ahead!

“That was It again…It really has been following us this whole time!”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “It’s been following you?”

Lán Sīzhuī said, “After we entered the town, the fog was so heavy that we were worried about being separated. We gathered closer when suddenly, we could hear that noise. At the time, it wasn’t so fast. One sound after another rang our very slowly. Ahead in the white mist, we saw a hazy, short silhouette slowly walking by. We chased after it, but it disappeared. After that, the sound kept following us.”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “How short was it?”

Lán Sīzhuī gestured around his own chest, “It was rather short and very petite.”

I guess that very technically counts as the first time Ā-Qìng gets described! She’s so little!!!

Jīn Líng said, “I knew I should have brought Fairy with me. This is all your damn donkey’s fault.”

Just hearing the dog’s name had chills running up Wèi Wúxiàn’s back while he listened to Lán Jǐngyí say, “We haven’t even blamed your dog! It bit first so Little Apple just kicked out at it. Whose fault is that? Anyway, now neither of them can move.”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “What?! My Little Apple got bit by a dog?!”

Jīn Líng, “How can you compare that donkey to my Spirit Dog? Fairy was given to me by my xiǎo-shūshu. If something were to happen to it, 10,000 donkeys still wouldn’t be enough compensation!”

Wèi Wúxiàn started spouting nonsense, “Don’t rub Liǎnfang-Zūn in people’s faces. My Little Apple was also a mount given to me by Hánguāng-Jūn. How could you bring Little Apple down the mountain for a Night Hunt? You also let it get hurt?!”

All the junior House of Lán disciples spoke in unison, “Liar!” They would absolutely never believe that with Hánguāng-Jūn having such good taste, that he would give such a mount to someone. Even though Lán Wàngjī didn’t refute it, they firmly refused to believe it.

Ha! Ain’t nobody buying what WWX is selling. Also, JL refers to JGY as xiǎo-shūshu. It means that JGY is his father’s youngest brother (aka JL does not consider MXY to be his uncle, despite him also being his father’s half-brother and younger than JGY!) LSZ, however, is a good boy and explains the situation-the elders evicted Little Apple for being too noisy in Cloud Recesses :P

Jīn Líng also didn’t believe that he had been given the donkey by Lán Wàngjī, “I hate looking at that donkey. Why is it even called Little Apple? It’s so goddamn stupid!”

Lán Jǐngyí was still thinking about it. If it really had been given by Hánguāng-Jūn, then this wasn’t good and he promptly spoke up for it, “What’s wrong with Little Apple. It loves to eat apples, so it’s called Little Apple. It’s that simple. The name is miles better than you naming your fat dog Fairy.”

Jīn Líng, “How is Fairy fat?! Go ahead and try to find a Spirit Dog that’s in better shape…”

All of a sudden, there was absolute silence.

After some time, Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Is anybody here?”

From nearby came “uhhhhh” and “wahhhh” to indicate where they were. Lán Wàngjī coolly said, “They were causing a commotion.”

…He actually cast the Mute Spell on all of them at once. Wèi Wúxiàn couldn’t help touching his own lips and felt extremely lucky.

LWJ ain’t got time for your shit lol. I also continue to waffle with whether I’m calling it the “Mute Spell” or “Silence Spell” or “Gag Spell” etc etc etc. It’s another case of me being an overly nitpicky overthinker! I’ve mentioned it before, but I figured it’s worth sharing again that it’s written as 禁言. Very technically, it means “speech is banned/prohibited.” which ties into all of the Lán rules that also use 禁 when saying something is prohibited. I’ve been wanting to convey that, plus I’ve seen it used in a more modern sense to “mute” sound. Also 禁言令 is used as “gag order.” So, like, I know it’s one of those things that doesn’t need to be changed, yet here we are.

Naturally, here’s where some zombies show up. LWJ gets rid of a bunch, but...

Another House’s disciple said, “It looks like there’s more zombies!”

“Where is it? I didn’t hear any footsteps?”

“It sounded like strange breathing to me…” The young man realized how ridiculous that was once he finished saying it and shut up out of embarrassment. Another boy said, “I’m done with you. You heard them breathing. Zombies are dead. How could you possibly hear them breathing?”

Breathing, huh?

LWJ decapitates one and...its body spews out a bunch of powder! And then the gravedigger that tried to steal the torso earlier in the book shows up!!! So while he and LWJ start fighting, WWX starts freaking out.

The current situation did not allow for optimism. The gravedigger’s sword was shrouded in black mist, its sword aura couldn’t shine through it, and the white fog was keeping him quite well-hidden. The sword aura from Lán Wàngjī’s Bìchén, however, could not be blocked. He was the light and the enemy was the dark. His opponent’s cultivation was not lacking and the Lán Sect of Gūsū’s swordsmanship was well-known to him. On top of that, they were both fighting equally blind in the fog. He could do so without having any concern, while Lán Wàngjī had to be careful that he didn’t accidentally injury his own allies. It honestly put him at a major disadvantage. Wèi Wúxiàn heard the sounds of their blades a few times and his heart clenched. He blurted out, “Lán Zhàn? Are you injured?!”

There was a slightly muffled sound in the distance, as if someone had received a critical injury. However, it clearly wasn’t Lán Wàngjī’s voice.

Lán Wàngjī said, “Of course not.”

Wèi Wúxiàn smiled, “Of course!”

I love LWJ being pissy over the implication that some scrub could have the potential to injure him. Sorry, Sū Shè. You’re not qualified to injure him, either.

Since WWX isn’t needed there, he starts checking on the kids that inhaled the powder.

Wèi Wúxiàn went to Lán Jǐngyí and touched his forehead. He had a slight fever. He did the same for the others that had inhaled the powder that had gushed out of the zombies. They were in the same state. He lifted Lán Jǐngyí’s eyelids and said, “Stick out your tongue and let me take a look. Ahh.”

Lán Jǐngyí, “Ahh.”

Wèi Wúxiàn, “Okay. Congratulations, you’ve been hit with corpse poisoning.”

Jīn Líng, “How is that something worth being congratulated for?!”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Because it’s the sort of life experience that you’ll tell stories about when you’re older.”

Life advice according to WWX: get poisoned for the lulz.

Meanwhile, poor LSZ’s little heart can’t take this.

Lán Sīzhuī was worried sick, “Mò-gōngzǐ, will anything happen to them?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “They’ll be fine for now. However, if we wait for their blood to circulate through their bodies and reach their hearts, we won’t be able to help them.”

Lán Sīzhuī said, “What…what will that do?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Whatever happens to corpses is what will happen to all of you. If you’re lucky, you’ll just rot badly. If you’re not, you’ll turn into a long-haired jiāngshī and from then on, you’ll only be able to get around by hopping.”

All of the poisoned disciples gasped at the same time.

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Want to cure it?”

They all nodded at once. Wèi Wúxiàn said, “If you want it cured, listen well. From now on, you’re going to have to obediently listen to everything I tell you. Every one of you has to listen to me.”

WWX is so goddamn dramatic. I love it! Also, I think it’s the first mention of jiāngshī in the novel. Jiāngshī (僵尸) literally means “stiff corpse” and are a folktale creature in China. They’re something of a cross between a zombie and a vampire. The legend goes that because they’re dead and rigor mortis has set in, their bodies are stiff and rigid. Thus, they can’t bend their legs and can only move by hopping instead of walking. Since it’s a pretty Chinese-specific myth, I’m opting to leave the term untranslated.

WWX’s first order is for the healthy disciples to carry the poisoned ones. And, of course, despite them all agreeing to do what they’re told, LJY has something to say about it.

Lán Jǐngyí said, “I can walk. Why do I have to be carried?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Gēgē, if you’re frolicking around, your blood will flow that much faster and that much harder, which means it will reach your heart that much faster. Therefore, you need to limit your movements. It would be best if you didn’t move at all.”

WWX sarcastically calling him gēgē sent me.

And then:

One of them being carried by someone from his sect muttered, “The zombie that just sprayed the poisoned powder really had been breathing.”

The boy carrying him was gasping for breath as he complained, “I already told you the one that was breathing had to be a live person.”

I’m sure that’s not foreshadowing anything terrible.

Meanwhile, LSZ does not complain and just asks what WWX would like them to do next.

The one that was the most well-behaved, most obedient, and made him worry the least was Lán Sīzhuī.

LSZ is the bestest boy!

Next, WWX does order them to go door-knocking. Keep in mind that they have yet to come across anyone in the town except zombies and the gravedigger.

Jīn Líng put in quite the effort and banged on the door for a long time, but no response came from inside, “It doesn’t seem like there’s anybody in there. We’re going in, right?”

Wèi Wúxiàn’s voice floated over from far away, “Who said you could go in when there’s nobody there? Keep knocking. We’ll go in a building that has someone occupying it.”

Jīn Líng said, “Are you still trying to find people?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Yes. Knock properly. You were knocking too hard just now. Don’t be so rude.”

Jīn Líng was so angry that he nearly kicked the wooden door in. In the end, he nevertheless…relentlessly stomped his feet against the ground.

Each building on the main road all kept their doors firmly shut. No matter how much they knocked, they remained looming and unmoving. The more Jīn Líng knocked, the more jittery he became. But he was at least being a little more gentle about it.

JL really is his father’s rude-ass son!

They do eventually find a shop with a creepy old woman, though.

“Shopkeep, when we first arrived in your land, the fog was too thick and we lost our way. We’ve walked for quite a long time and have grown somewhat weary. Would it be possible for us to make use of your shop and rest for a while?”

The strange voice said, “My shop isn’t meant for people to use as a rest stop.”

Wèi Wúxiàn didn’t seem to find this all that out of the ordinary and his expression was the same as usual, “But there is no other shop around in this fine place that still has someone occupying it. Shopkeep, are you truly unwilling to make things easier for us? We’ll reward you handsomely.”

Jīn Líng couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Where did you get the money to reward them handsomely with? Let me be the first to tell you I won’t be lending you any.”

Wèi Wúxiàn shook the dainty little money pouch in front of his face, “Look. What is this?” Lán Jǐngyí was terribly alarmed, “You really have some nerve! That’s Hánguāng-Jūn’s!”

Ahhh...LJY continues to be scandalized on LWJ’s behalf.

Although the old lady was hunchbacked and seemed quite elderly at first glance, she actually didn’t really have any wrinkles or age spots. One could say that she could pass for middle-aged. She opened the door and stepped aside. It looked like she was willing to let them go inside.

It came as a major surprise to Jīn Líng and he softly said, “She’s actually really willing to let people inside?”

Wèi Wúxiàn also spoke softly, “Of course. I also stuck my foot in the doorway, so she can’t close the door even if she wanted to. If she wouldn’t let us in, I would have just kicked the door in.”

Jīn Líng, “……”

WWX: *also rude*

JL: *shocked Pikachu face*

[bottomlwjrights]

MO DAO ZU SHI REREAD:Thoughts™️....and Stuff

Chapter 43

Oh im trying so hard to stay calm as im about to read this but im so excited i love these chapters

Im really trying but even wwx making the effort to analyze lwj’s face is driving me nuts

Id just like to point out these chapters are titled “Allure”

Oh no this is like what he did when they were writing in the library

“Both his features and the hand at his forehead were impeccably fair in color. He looked as if he was a piece of fine jade”

Wwx was describing how lwj smells and how the sandalwood scent was warmed up by the wine and then said “the scent could almost be described as intoxicating” im gonna scream

“Now that Wei WuXian was near enough, the scent intertwined with his breaths. He couldn’t help but bent down further so that he was even closer to Lan WangJi. Vaguely, he thought to himself, Strange… Why is it starting to feel a bit hot in here?” Ohohoho

“Wei WuXian finally noticed that his heart was beating a bit too fast.” Shut uuuuuup

Okay im gonna lose my mind, i love wen ning

Also he left a man shaped dent in the ground when he fell

“Won’t you be a good boy?” Wwx calling lwj a good boy is canon so suck it i guess

Wwx brushing his fingers along lwj’s eyelashes is tender

Wwx, @ wn knealing in front of him: what the fuck are you doing? Stand up

Wwx obviously believes wn to be an equal to him, kneeling when he kneels, kowtowing when he kowtows until wn finally decides to stand in front of him

Wow anyways loved that ningxian moment

God....i feel so bad for wn...

Jin Ling....please...

This scene hurts me

Goddamn is wn someone who takes the blame for everything

Do NoT kiCk My BoY

Just a note, wwx does come to wn’s defense here, pulling lwj back and telling him to calm down

Wwx really doesnt like it when wn kneels to him

“Lan WangJi scrunched his brows and covered his ears. He then turned around with his back toward Wen Ning. Facing Wei WuXian, he used his own body to block their eye contact.” Lwj acts like such a little kid when he’s drunk oh my gosh

“Just as he was about to leave, Wei WuXian stopped him, ‘Wen Ning, why don’t you… find somewhere to hide first?’ Wen Ning paused for a second. Wei WuXian added, ‘One can say that you’ve died twice already. Go get some good rest.’” I dont care what anyone else says this is sweet “go get some good rest” 🤧

Lwj really took off his forehead ribbon for wwx without skipping a beat wow....

Oh and how wrong wwx is about it not holding any significance, he just doesnt know it yet

Trying to stay calm, trying not to scream about lwj taking off his forehead ribbon for wwx and then tying his wrists together with it

Knfnckc lwj reaching to take off wwx clothes again slnfckfk

“You said that you’ll listen to me, didn’t you? Be a good boy and take it off.” Twice in one chapter? Im being fed 

“Lan WangJi stared into the distance as he tugged at the ends of the forehead ribbon, contently swinging them around.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺 thats so cute

Ooooh lwj decided to show people when wwx said it would look bad on lwj if someone else saw them because he doesnt care if it makes him look bad hes gonna publicly claim wwx as his

Only ljy would hurl himself across a table to cover up a bottle of wine lmao

Lan WangJi is So shameless, holds up wwx’s hands tied with his forehead ribbon in front of his son and the other Lan disciples who know exactly what that means

Chapter 44

Chicken wing chicken wing

God im never gonna get over lsz shoving the chicken wing back into ljy’s mouth

Oh pls....lwj shoving wwx on the bed...

Oh!!! I forgot that after wwx said ow, lwj checked his head... he really didnt wanna hurt him

I really vibe with lwj being so concerned and gentle

“Sitting on the bed, Lan WangJi hugged his knees and clutched the hand that Wei WuXian had just licked to his chest, not moving at all.” I 🥺🥺🥺🥺

My god lwj was scared that he was gonna wipe it off 😭😭😭

Okay this is so so so cute, i dont care what anyone else thinks

“Hiding behind the screen, he showed only half of his fair-skinned face, peeking silently at the direction of Wei WuXian.” This tears me up

“You caught me”

“he enunciated each word with heavy emphasis and sounded anxiously eager” jakfncjfof gOD

Aw :( you’re not gonna lick me??? :(

Anyways lwj likes to be licked my wwx 👀

“Again clutching the hand that had been licked, he faced the wall silently.” Goddamnit this is so fucking cute 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Listen they should play chase or hide-and-seek post canon, like itd be so cute and sweet, somebody should hop on that 

“As he spoke, he held up one of Lan WangJi’s hands, bent down, and kissed between two of his slender fingers.” Listen im trying to not freak out but this is incredibly tender

“Wei WuXian’s lips pressed onto his distinct knuckles. Softer than the touch of feather, his breaths wandered to the back of his hand, and he kissed again.” This entire scene is too much

Hand and wrists kisses are so tender good god im gonna scream

“Over the clothing, he kissed where his heart was” jajfnkc so sweet!

“Suddenly, however, as Wei WuXian stared at those soft, pale-red lips, he didn’t know what had taken over him, but he suddenly went and kissed them.After the kiss, he even licked them, as though a kiss wasn’t enough.” AHHHHHHHH

I know that lwj wanted to deescalate the affection, but did he have to do it by knocking himself out???

“Even though he was drunk, even though he wouldn’t remember anything when he sobers up, I still shouldn’t have done something so outrageous… It’s too disrespectful to him.” This is important

God i love when characters touch their own lips after a kiss it’s such a good trope 

“In the future, it was best to not make Lan Zhan drink anymore” this is also important

Okay this was one of my favorite chapters to read so far

Chapter 45

I physically cannot handle lwj gently picking wwx up off the ground and putting him into bed right now

“... Wei WuXian could see Lan WangJi’s still-indifferent face. He immediately felt more awake...” i cannot

This entire scene is too tender for me, lwj rubbing ointments on wwx’s wrists...

Thinking about how wwx and lwj shared both their firsts kiss and how they’ve never kissed anybody except eachother

It makes sense that people including wwx would assume that lwj is straight bc thats what people do even in modern times (bc homophobia and heteronormativity) but also how tf does anyone think lwj is anything except gay

“It’s possible that he’s never even had such thoughts before…” “But judging from Lan Zhan’s habit of self-restraint, he’s probably really careful about not crossing any lines.” false.

Lwj just letting the juniors socialize, because hes good

Wwx once again taking any chance he can to bestow knowledge and wisdom upon the juniors, this time jl

“After the mention of Lan WangJi, Jin Ling looked to Wei WuXian in a strange way. He wanted to say something, but held it back, ‘You and HanGuang-Jun… Nevermind.It’s your own business. Anyways, I don’t care about you guys at all. Have fun being cut-sleeve. The disease is incurable.’”JIN LING 

“I already know the meaning behind the GusuLan Sect’s forehead ribbon. Now that it’s already like this, then stay by HanGuang-Jun’s side properly. Even if you’re a cut-sleeve, you should be a modest one. Don’t go about messing with other men, especially people from our sect! Or else, don’t blame the results on me.” Kandkckdkdn i can NOT

The scene kills me wow

As my reading buddy asked, why does wwx not mention wn when talking about how jc and lwj know who he is? Like does he not think thats pretty significant? especially bc thats one of the things that tipped jc off

LWJ IS SO SASSY 😨

Also pls stop picking on him about his memory

Ahhh the damsel of annual blossoms...

God i love wwx.....

Did lwj write the book that lsz read this from......

“Although still expressionless, an unusual glint hid beneath his eyes. He looked as though he was laughing at him.”

GOD “Wei WuXian’s heart skipped a beat and then thumped faster and faster.”

Lsz is the one to tell wwx about the meaning of the forehead ribbon

The lan juniors blushing thinking about what wwx means to lwj

Once again, wwx describing lwjs appearance in depth, talking about how dashing he is

“Along with that overly-pretty face of Lan WangJi’s, now that they met again, Wei WuXian’s eyes had momentarily been blinded by his looks, failing to immediately recognize him.”

“Softer than even the touch of catkin blossoms carried by the wind, the object made Wei WuXian’s cheek itch....The ends of his forehead ribbon danced in the breeze, gently brushing against Wei WuXian’s face.” Wow....i love this imagery with all my heart

The way that somethings are worded in this novel is just so beautiful

Lxc and the others lan sect disciples reactions....

Yanno the lan disciple who whispered “a man” definitely wasnt making things better, considering lwj definitely had a crush on wwx at this point

“He seems a bit too excited. It seems like he really loves HanGuang-Jun a lot. Look at how happy he is…” WHICH LAN SAID THIS

Wwx is so mortified by this entire situation because he kept violating something sacred to lwj, doing something so intimate like touching his forehead ribbon without his consent and he didn’t even really know that he was doing it 

[veilofher]

MDZS Meta: Why did Lan WangJi live on?

Guys. Guys.

Lan WangJi. Loves. Wei WuXian.

Period.

If you’ve read Mo Dao Zu Shi / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, then you know this is a hard fact.

Like attack his own family just to try and protect him for a bit longer and bear 33 scars on his back for it kind of love.

Like break the very rules he so strictly upholds, and stash his favorite alcohol- Emperor’s Smile in his house kind of love.

Like adopt a baby he loved kind of love (which if any of you know, taking responsibility of babies aren’t exactly the easiest thing to do, we’re talking a minimum of 16 years here guys).

So that got me thinking, if LWJ loved WWX so very very much, so much so that one of the very first descriptions of him, as said so eloquently by WWX, was “nothing could help the bitter facial expression that made him look as though his wife had passed away“, then why did he not just take his own life? Or at the very least become as nonfunctional a person as his father who was mourning his wife.

Because can you blame the man? The love of his life, who was probably the best person he knew, okay no probably about it, had been viciously villianized for his strength and then brutally murdered for his choices- choices that LWJ himself agreed with.

I mean just look at the family history of the Lans, those bloody suckers just feel too damn much.

And God knows the Lan sect wouldn’t have stopped him. Be grudged him? Yes. Hated on WWX more than they already were? Definitely. Used him as an example of how not to love? That’s a given. But stop him? I don’t think so. I mean just look at what they did with his father- Qingheng Jun. They left the man alone, to do whatever the fuck he wanted, in the name of love. And they let LWJ, who was so heavily injured that he needed three years to recover, just leave and go to the Burial Mounds merely three months after said injury. They did not even try to stop him or follow after him to make sure he was alright. They just let him do as he wanted, now that his punishment was complete.

Side note: The Lans really do allow a lot in the name of love, don’t they?

So yes, LWJ could’ve very easily ended his life, and not suffered through the next thirteen years of grief, which in his case was kind of tripled, because not only did the love of his life die, the world just blindly hated on said love, and everyone also kind of thought his soul was destroyed. Actually fuck triple grief, make it x100 fold.

But did he do that?

No.

What did he do?

He followed the principle he shared with WWX, one that WWX died to uphold- always be there for others regardless of the fame it brings / always be where the chaos is. And this is something they both have done all their lives, think LWJ protecting Mian Mian despite having a broken leg, and WWX protecting the Wen sect remnants despite the infamy if brought him.

This man, who cherished every part of WWX that he had left behind, so desperately, how could he just take his own life when WWX himself hadn’t?

I mean think of the absolutely pain and horror of the last couple of years of WWX’s life- he was one of the best cultivators of his generation who lost his core days after he lost his sect and his father-figure, then was stabbed by his own sword and thrown into hell on earth, aka The Burial Mounds, then was thrusted into a war when he was barely out of his teens, where he was reduced to a weapon by his own brother (and you cannot say anything to make me think otherwise. Jiang Cheng had the front seat view to his brother’s misery, and he did nothing. LWJ, who barely interacted with the man knew that his spiritual powers were somehow impaired, but JC, who lived with him, had zero clue? Bro do you even see your brother?), and then just when the dust was settling, and he could finally begin to psychologically heal, he took the Wen sect remnants under his wing, for which he was villainized by the entire world and it’s mother, and pretty much everything went downhill from there.

And despite all that, not once does WWX think of committing suicide. After Qionqi Path and Jin ZiXuan, he would’ve surrendered himself, I think, had he been able to secure the Wen remnants’ safety. And then after the Nightless City Massacre, and Jiang YanLi’s death, he still doesn’t kill himself, as most people in his situation probably would do, because imagine the fucking guilt of having murdered the very sister you loved more than anything. Instead he finds a way to destroy the Stygian Tiger Seal, and dies from a backlash.

LWJ was one of the few people who saw and perhaps the only one who understood WWX even in the midst of his madness. So how could he, knowing all that, just kill himself? What was his pain of losing one loved one compared to the pain of WWX’s, who had lost pretty much everyone?

So instead what does Lan WangJi do?

He lets go of the wordly affairs, and just leaves. He can’t leave his sect, because his brother and uncle and A-Yuan are still there, but he doesn’t even stay really. He’s just on the road, going from place to place, and protecting people. And teaching kids, so that they don’t end up as close minded as his and his previous generation were.

He’s doing the only thing he could do-

Live on and protect Wei WuXian’s values.

[butterflydm]

The Untamed Rewatch (ep 12)

Previous Episode | Index 

Lan Wangji looks so pained when he's handing over Bichen. That's the only piece of home he has with him right now.

This scene is really effectively tense. Wen Chao is a bully but he's a bully backed up by the fact that he's in his home territory, with the implied threat of many guards plus the open question of his father's army potentially attacking any of their homes. And the way we see each of the characters respond in this scene tells us about where they are emotionally. Lan Wangji is the character who has actually been through what everyone else is being threatened with — home destroyed, family's fate uncertain. Lan Zhan has been so ready to fight in previous episodes, and his resignation here is more striking because of that.

And here, Wei Wuxian makes the point to Jiang Cheng that he's not planning on making a fuss because he doesn't want to make things harder for their family and — okay, so is that the pivot that Jiang Cheng uses in the future to blame WWX for Lotus Pier burning? I will...  refrain from too much judgement in case I'm remembering incorrectly. But I've keeping my eye on Jiang Cheng, who really could have used anger management therapy tbh.

Because the Wens are clearly gearing up to take over the cultivation world as a whole, with 'submit or die' as their motto, essentially. And Yu Ziyuan was willing to only go so far but no further when it came to submitting to Wen authority. Lotus Pier would have burned, regardless of WWX's actions, because the Wen would eventually demand more than the Jiang clan were willing to give. And Wen Chao already hated WWX before any of this happened (in the drama, anyway). It's easier, I suppose, to make someone a scapegoat rather than confront the idea that some things are inevitable (given certain starting conditions).

Moving away from that, this dude in the hat that objects to their swords being taken away… I think he's from the same sect that shoots WWX way down the road? Who are those guys, anyway? I'll have to see if I can catch their names at some point. Are they under the Jin sect?

The other person who vocally objects is Jin Zixuan and this is really where I started to understand and kinda like JZX during my first watch-through, though I still thought Jiang Yanli deserved better. But we see his arrogance, as it were, being used against an antagonist instead of one of our protagonists, which reframed it a bit. Both Wen Chao and Jin Zixuan are spoiled and prideful kids of powerful parents, but JZX isn't a bully (his cousin is, but that's a different story). And Jin Zixuan is open to correction — we see that when Mianmian reminds him of the realities of their situation. JZX and Wen Chao both get put into positions of powerlessness over the course of the drama and their responses to that are very distinct from each other.

This is also another great scene for Luo Qingyang (Mianmian). At first, I thought she was the only female disciple there but then I spotted a few others in the background. But I appreciate her presence. I also just really like her. She's capable of swallowing her own pride when it's a matter of survival & protection but is also quite moral in addition to being sensible. For all that in many places, she works as a LWJ parallel, her position is similar to WWX's or Wen Zhuliu's — she's not a part of the main clan and she has to decide for herself where her allegiance lies and if she stands up for what is right or what the sect leader wants (Wen Qing runs up against this line too).

We go to a scene with Wen Qing and Wen Ning doing what I think is the first on-screen example in the series of a sibling withholding information in order to 'protect' said sibling, which I'm pretty sure never actually works out as planned in the whole drama. Here, Wen Qing warns Wen Ning away from associating with Wei Wuxian, but because she doesn't give him any reasons, the balance of her words doesn't weigh against him actually seeing WWX in a bad situation and wanting to help him. 

Now, Wen Qing probably didn't tell him the full story for a few reasons — it seems likely she's never fully explained how fragile their position is with Wen Rouhan and she doesn't feel prepared to do it now and if she gave Wen Ning the actual reasons, she may worry that he would counter those reasons directly and disagree with her. Much like Jiang Cheng does in the future, Wen Qing is trying to place her people's survival (and especially her brother's) over her own potential moral impulses to help people outside her clan.

Speaking of Jiang Cheng, while he and WWX are learning the Wen Sect history, we see that he's carrying around that comb he bought for Wen Qing and he wonders if she might be around.

Wei Wuxian realizes that it isn't in Wen Sect's MO just to take Lan Zhan and leave the rest of the clan alone and the second he realizes it, he tries to go and find Lan Zhan. He's stopped by the guards, but it's sweet. We do see the contrast here, between WWX's immediate choice to act on his impulse to find Lan Zhan versus Jiang Cheng's more reticent desire to seek out Wen Qing.

When WWX gets thwarted, he starts plotting how he might talk to LWJ tomorrow instead, but it's all immediate and urgent. Part of that is due to the respective situations LWJ and Wen Qing are in, of course, (her own hostage situation is less obvious than LWJ's) but part of it is down to the differences in how WWX and Jiang Cheng treat the prospect of partnership, I think. Jiang Cheng is, and will remain, Family First, while WWX is more flexible and is drawn to the idea of finding a fulfilling equal partnership with someone.

This next scene, where WWX lists out the Lan principles instead of reciting from the Wen book, is such a great defining moment for WWX. Because he doesn't just stand up against Wen Chao — both LWJ and JZX are doing that as well — he does it with humor and style and charm. He does it with showmanship. And, sure, he gets punished for it but even then his main concern is that the dung will mess up Lan Zhan's clothes.

Obviously, LWJ and JZX would have been punished for their own refusals but by making his actions so attention-getting, it means that Wen Chao's focus is more likely to be on him and some of it pulled away from LWJ.

The other options WWX had in this scene — after being called out with LWJ and JZX — would have been either to refuse in the same blunt way, which would have gone much the same, probably, or to actually do as Wen Chao asked, which would have meant LWJ and JZX being punished while WWX was not. Which he wouldn't find acceptable for obvious reasons.

I like this little glimpse of a potential happy farm boy alternate life for WWX we get here — he's so practical and efficient about it here, and we see how happy he is to get the lotus to grow later on in the Burial Mounds. He's not at all worried about hard work for himself; he's fully capable of metaphorically rolling up his sleeves and getting it done. And we kinda get those two pieces of him back-to-back — show-off vs practical. And willing to give a hand to anyone who needs it, even if he doesn't like them (JZX with the cloth tied under his nose). That's kinda the main thing that a lot of the sect leaders won't or can't understand — that WWX will help someone just because they need it, without them being a member of his family or asking anything in repayment (LWJ, of course, does understand and it's part of why he learns to trust WWX's heart so implicitly).

Poor Wei Ying! He'd thought he and Lan Zhan made all that progress and now he's being ignored again! But he's a little more grown-up and self-aware now, I think, because he doesn't really take it personally. He knows something must have gone very wrong for LWJ to be here alone, so his predominant emotion is just worry over what's happened.

Then Wen Chao intervenes and I really love this scene, too. From how unflinching WWX is, to LWJ and then JZX trying to protect him once Wen Chao's anger focused on him.

If Jin Zixuan had lived (and especially after his dad died), I think he and WWX could have come to a real understanding as brothers-in-law. Their main clashes were over Jiang Yanli (so once JZX starts treating her as she deserves, WWX can dislike him less) and because they both assume the other one is annoyingly arrogant and thinks too highly of themselves, but we see that being worked out as they interact more too. So, while I don't think WWX would ever maybe be soft with him the way we see him be with some of his other loved ones, I do think they could have gotten to a fond teasing place.

One thing that I find interesting about Wen Chao is that he does seem aware that his bragging about Wen Sect being above everyone else doesn't actually translate to being able to hold his own against a talented cultivator. We could say that he was just taught to lead from the back, as it were, except that his brother, Wen Xu, actually did fight his own battles, as we saw at the burning of the Cloud Recesses. So it's not that they're taught they shouldn't get their hands dirty personally. It does make me wonder exactly when Wen Zhuliu was made Wen Chao's primary bodyguard, because that relationship already seem pretty set in stone when we first see it. And here, as soon as WWX makes any move to defend himself, Wen Chao relies entirely on the guards for any 'muscle' involved.

After LWJ and JZX both make it clear they won't just stand there and let WWX get beaten, Wen Chao orders him to be taken to the dungeon instead. Lan Wangji, of course, is much more forceful and hands-on in his attempt to protect WWX. He does back down, but when WWX tells him to, not Wen Chao. And since WWX was trying to distract Wen Chao from focusing too much on LWJ anyway, that's fine with him, and he manages to put up a good show of bravado over it all. By the time we get to their second lifetimes, LWJ knows WWX well enough to tell when he's trying to do this kind of thing to protect someone — WWX tries to do it when they're running away from Jinlin Tai but by then LWJ isn't willing to let WWX push him away to protect him.

WWX does seem to be quite self-sacrificing in general, and possibly might have been that way even without Madame Yu encouraging the tendency, but it's clear that he does find it very comforting and emotional when LWJ stops letting himself be pushed away so that WWX will no longer face scorn and dangers alone.

We see that Wen Ning saw this scene, too, and of course he immediately decides to go help WWX, no matter what his sister asked him to do. I'm pretty much a hundred percent sure he would have gone to help even if Wen Qing had explained the dangers, given what he's willing to do later to help WWX. Wen Ning also has a strong sense of right and wrong and he's very loyal to the people he cares about (does Wen Ning have a crush on WWX? I mean, probably? If I were Wen Ning, I would definitely have a crush on WWX).

I do think this animatronic (maybe?) doggie is probably the worst 'effect' (practical or cg) that the drama does, bless its little fuzzy head. Like, I can't even be scared of it a little bit. It's just… too fake to be scared of, even if Xiao Zhan is acting his heart out. That's okay. I'll just mentally insert something scarier and we're good. This is one case where lowering the light levels so we could maybe only see, like, a glint of teeth, might have served well. Like, I think they tried to do that but I can still see it too clearly for there to be any fear.

I like the hand gesture that Wen Chao makes after WWX touches his arm. It seems so baffled, the way he jogs it up and down. "Did he actually… dare to touch my arm… wtf????"

The scene between Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng isn't necessary story-wise — the audience could easily assume she made the connections herself — but it's an important moment for the characters. For us to see Jiang Cheng's palpable concern over WWX and the reminder of his concern for Wen Qing as well. CQL does choose to center character over plot, which is a choice that can sometimes cause plot fuzziness, but it does give a good sense of the characters, their relationships, and their growth over time.

So, the doggie does attack Wei Wuxian before Wen Ning is able to throw the needles at the doggo and put him to sleep for the night. WWX is injured and scared, and Wen Ning has come bearing some medicine he, uh, borrowed from his sister, and also is there to be an inside source of information. I notice, with a fair sense of irony, that WWX can accurately diagnose Wen Qing with 'tries to carry the burden all herself' disease, but does not see that he, himself, also suffers from this ailment.

Also, awwww, WWX calls him 'Wen-xiong' in this scene. I feel kinda emotional over that tbh. And the moment when he bows to thank Wen Ning despite the chains and his injuries is also very emotional. I just feel a lot of things right now. Wen Ning is such a sweetheart and Wei Wuxian is a darling and I'm just very very fond of them.

WWX gets much more agitated over how LWJ has been wronged and hurt by Wen Xu and the Wen sect than over his own injuries. They both do this, of course, get protective over the other one, but it's always sweet to see. I mean, I wish they would think more about their own injuries, because taking care of yourself isn't a bad thing, but the protectiveness over each other is sweet.

Wei Wuxian fighting past his own fears to pull the needles out of the doggo (and thus made the lil dude a threat again) is a great moment and the focus is mostly on Xiao Zhan's face, which is a much better choice than focusing on the dog puppet, because he is definitely selling the nervous fear there. Wen Chao is also, unfortunately, too smart to do the whole 'fight me one-on-one' thing. He is affected by WWX's jabs but not enough to actually trick himself into thinking he should take away any of his advantages like the soldiers or the big pupperooine.

The moment after WWX has been brought back, and everyone is just feeling super-nostalgic over the lectures as Gusu Lan — I wonder exactly how many times WWX thought that over the years, and missed that. He gets super-nostalgic over his memories when he's wandering around the buildings after he comes back to life as well.

That is, actually, one of the reasons WWX marrying into the Lan clan does work on a thematic level. Like GusuLan isn't perfect and I'm not a fan of all of their methods but they provided this atmosphere where these young people could mostly just be young people. And they give us enough call-backs to show that there are a lot more good memories associated with the Cloud Recesses than bad ones.

And Good Brother Jiang Cheng in this scene does show open worry and then give WWX food, which is the surest sign of love for these boys who were half-raised by Jiang Yanli, whose main love language is giving the people she loves food at all costs and in great quantities.

Nie Huaisang gets to do a lot of little but important things in this scene as well — he shows concern over WWX, nostalgia over the Cloud Recesses, and then fear and worry over the threat towards his brother that Wen Chao makes.

The scene as a whole continues the tense energy that we had at the beginning, as Wen Chao 'updates' them on their statuses as hostages for their families, essentially. It's hard not to react in a situation like that, and most of them do have minor outbursts. Especially since Wen Chao makes it clear that the 'good behavior' thing is meant to go both ways — that their clans could get worse treatment from the Wens if they act up.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning's next scene alone gets back into the heart of the conflict of 'protection of the family' vs 'helping others outside the family'. Wen Ning argues that she herself taught him to repay kindness that are paid to them, and that WWX has done him kindnesses that deserve repayment, but Wen Qing is dealing with the stress of being the head of a family that has been whittled down to very few pieces, just trying to hold it together.

I do wonder if these character similarities with Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng were what made the CQL people decide to give them the doomed almost-romance or if they accentuated those things once they had already decided to go down that road. I believe I've read that Wen Qing's character is different than how she's written in the novel, but is that part of her one of the things that was changed for the drama?

I love that Lan Zhan hasn't even opened his copy of the ~glories of Wen clan. I mean, it's also really sad, because it's a statement about how much he's already lost to the Wens in some ways. But I also love it. NHS faints and it's probably real; I'm not sure if he's developed his fake-fainting skills yet but he seems pretty out of it right before he drops.

When Wen Chao gets the report about the ominous spirits, he decides to go ahead and use the hostages as his meat shields without… clearing it… with his dad first. Because it all went so well the last time he went off without his dad's permission! I'm not sure if we ever get an on-screen reaction from Wen Rouhan about this choice, but if I were Wen Rouhan, I would not be thrilled that my son took all my good-behavior hostages out on a probable-death field trip.

The field trip does mean the introduction of Wang Lingjiao. We don't get very much from her this episode but anyone who is that happy to be around Wen Chao is already giving signs of not being the best person in the world.

We end the episode with Jiang Cheng trying to hold Wei Wuxian back from going over to check on Lan Wangji, who must be in incredible amounts of pain, because he's visibly limping. Jiang Cheng's argument is essentially the same as Wen Qing's — our own family is already in a terrible position, we can't afford to help anyone else.

WWX's counterargument is different than Wen Ning's, though, because it doesn't rely on LWJ having giving him anything previous or getting anything back from LWJ at any point. Wen Ning's argument was 'WWX has helped me and I should return the kindness' while WWX's argument is 'he needs the help and I can provide it'.

Here, Jiang Cheng can maybe believe this is an argument that stems partly (or even mostly) from WWX's feelings for LWJ — his jealous at various points implies that, I think — but we know from other experiences with WWX, both in the past and the future, that those kinds of feelings aren't required for WWX to be willing to help. Instead, he falls back on the reasoning that he gives Jiang Cheng here — help is needed and someone has to do it. If not him, then who? So again, WWX and Jiang Cheng diverge on this important point of morality, not for the last time.

And somewhere off-screen, Meng Yao and Lan Xichen are currently taking the next steps of their own romantic drama that will end tragically in the future. But we don't find that out for a while.

Next time: Trapped alone in a cave with a giant mystical murder turtle!

Previous Episode | Index

[enbyleighlines]

Thank you for your stories. I would like read about: wn & lwj - jeaulosy, yanli & lwj - friendship, jc & nhs - flowers. Again thank you for sharing those small ficlet.

You’re welcome! And thank you, anonymous friend, for all the requests. I’m going to be splitting this up into three separate posts, because I want to fill all of them.

Without further ado: Lan Wangji & Wen Ning: Jealousy

—

Lan Wangji has a bad feeling. He’s sitting at one of the window booths at a locally owned coffee shop. Wen Ning texted him last week, and asked to meet up.

This is unusual, to put it lightly. Despite having an overlapping friend group, Lan Wangji and Wen Ning rarely interact one on one. In fact, Wen Ning tends to actively avoid Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji doesn’t have to wonder why Wen Ning avoids him like the plague. For years, Lan Wangji has been cold to Wen Ning, if not outright hostile. So Lan Wangji does not blame Wen Ning for wanting to stay out of his hair. On the contrary, that’s exactly what Lan Wangji had wanted, once upon a time.

The thing is, Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian are best friends. And Lan Wangji has envied that, ever since high school.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning’s friendship began in Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s second year of high school. Lan Wangji was still deep in denial about his feelings, rejecting all of Wei Wuxian’s desperate attempts to befriend him.

Wen Ning was a freshman, a year behind them, and new to the school. Quiet and baby-faced, he drew bullies to him like moths to a flame. After Wei Wuxian stood up for him the first time, making a grand scene in the cafeteria, the two became inseparable. Suddenly, all the teasing usually directed at Lan Wangji went to Wen Ning instead.

It was unfair for Lan Wangji to feel cheated. After all, he had been trying to get Wei Wuxian off his back for over a year. He was like a dog, selfishly coveting a toy he had once ignored. But envy has always been the hardest sin for Lan Wangji to ditch.

His jealousy only intensified with time. Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian went to the same college. They became roommates. They even went into business together.

It was petty, true, to resent Wen Ning merely for receiving the attention that Lan Wangji was too cowardly to admit that he wanted. But it was hard not to feel the burn of acid in his throat, whenever he saw the way Wen Ning tucked himself under Wei Wuxian’s arm, hanging off his side like a bur.

Of course, Wei Wuxian had many friends. It was the way that Wen Ning looked at Wei Wuxian that bothered Lan Wangji the most. Adoring, like Wei Wuxian was the center of the universe. It was like looking into a mirror. Lan Wangji would catch a glimpse of Wen Ning’s shimmering, lovestruck moon eyes, and see his own crush reflected back at him.

Except, for all his cowardice, Wen Ning was not afraid to let himself get close to Wei Wuxian.

But that was then. This is now.

Now Lan Wangji is twenty-six years old. Wei Wuxian is his boyfriend. They live together. They’re raising a child together.

Jealousy should be a thing of the past.

And yet.

Lan Wangji takes a sip of his hot green tea and waits.

He doesn’t wait too much longer. Wen Ning jogs up to the cafe, waving to Lan Wangji through the window before heading inside.

Lan Wangji bites back a scowl. Once, he could reassure himself with the thought that their crushes were equally doomed. After all, Wei Wuxian wasn’t interested in men. Neither of them stood a chance.

Obviously, now Lan Wangji knows that isn’t the case.

Wen Ning orders something at the counter and then comes to join Lan Wangji. He’s holding a cup of some sugary caffeinated concoction with whipped cream on top. It looks like the type of thing Wei Wuxian would like. Wen Ning sits, not so subtly avoiding eye contact.

“Hey,” Wen Ning says.

“Hey.” Lan Wangji doesn’t grant him more than that. The bad feeling in his gut begins to grow.

“How... are you?” Wen Ning asks.

Lan Wangji narrows his eyes. He does not appreciate all this tip-toeing around whatever Wen Ning wishes to say. So he answers, “I’m confused. Why did you ask me to meet you?”

“Ah,” Wen Ning sighs. He finally meets Lan Wangji’s gaze. “Right. Well, I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“Then discuss.”

Wen Ning winces. “This isn’t easy for me to explain,” he says, “I’d appreciate it if you’d hear me out.”

Lan Wangji feels a bit bad for being so aggressive. So he mutely nods.

“I don’t know if you already know this about me or not,” Wen Ning begins, “but I’m asexual. Aromantic, too, most likely.”

Lan Wangji blinks. He was not aware of that. He’s not sure what he’s supposed to do with this new information. Should Lan Wangji congratulate him on coming out? Or would that seem patronizing?

Thankfully, Wen Ning doesn’t seem to be waiting for a response. “I bring this up,” he continues, “because I feel— I think— Correct me if I’m wrong, but I always got the sense that you thought I was in love with Wei Wuxian?”

Wen Ning isn’t wrong, so Lan Wangji doesn’t correct him.

Wen Ning nods at Lan Wangji’s silence. “That’s what I thought,” he says, “So I want you to know that, however I feel about Wei Wuxian, it’s not romantic.”

Shame burns in Lan Wangji’s chest. Here he was, wasting his time being jealous of a man who was never even interested in Wei Wuxian. He wants to apologize, but he doesn’t know how to do so in a way that won’t make him sound petty.

“To be fair,” Wen Ning goes on, “I used to think it was a romantic crush myself. And I do love him, in a platonic way.”

Lan Wangji can do nothing but nod.

“That said,” Wen Ning says, “The main reason I’m here, is because I wanted to be completely honest with you.” He pauses, and his eyes dart to the side. “Do you know anything about queerplatonic relationships?”

Lan Wangji does not. He thinks he might have heard the term before, but that’s the extent of his knowledge. “No.”

“Well, they’re kind of what they say on the tin,” Wen Ning explains, in a nervous twitter, “They’re like platonic relationships, but a little different.”

That doesn’t clarify anything. Lan Wangji blinks. “What?”

“Ah, I’m not that good at explaining the concept,” Wen Ning says, “They’re kind of like a third option, for people who are aro/ace, and who want to be in a romantic relationship without the romance.”

Lan Wangji is trying to understand. He truly is. But he is still confused.

Wen Ning sighs. “Here’s how I think of it... it’s got the structure of a romantic relationship, but with the content of a platonic relationship. It’s a way for us to experience the companionship of a life partner without all the romance stuff.”

“Friendship?” Lan Wangji asks.

Wen Ning’s shoulders slump. “It’s like that, but more... structured. I’m sorry, that’s the only way I can describe it. Anyway, I’m trying to explain this because... I want to be in a queerplatonic relationship with Wei Wuxian!”

The rancid taste of vinegar rises in Lan Wangji’s throat. He tries his best to swallow it back down. He’s twenty-six. He can be an adult about this.

“I know it probably sounds weird to you,” Wen Ning starts to babble, “I don’t fully understand it myself. All I know is that I read a book about queerplatonic relationships and now I can’t stop thinking about asking Wei Wuxian to be in one with me!”

Lan Wangji feels the smallest tug of pity in his heart. “If you were in a queerplatonic relationship with Wei Ying,” he says to Wen Ning, “Would you... go on dates?”

Wen Ning flushes and fidgets. “Ah, maybe,” he answers.

“Kiss?”

Wen Ning goes pale at that. He shakes his head quickly. “Oh, no,” he says, “I’ve tried kissing someone before. It wasn’t for me. No offense, but... I don’t understand the appeal of kissing someone.”

Some of the acid in Lan Wangji’s larynx begins to subside. “Then no sex, either?” He guesses.

“Nope! Definitely none of that!”

“Holding hands?”

“Ahh... hopefully, yes.”

“Cuddling?”

Wen Ning squirms, but his small smile betrays him. “If he wants to...”

Lan Wangji stops his interrogation. “So far,” he says, “it does not sound like anything would change between you two.”

It’s true. Wei Wuxian has always been a tactile friend. He has had no qualms about hugging and cuddling with his friends in the past.

“That... might be the case,” Wen Ning admits, “It’s not that I want to do anything new with him. I just want... the label, I guess. I want to tell people that he’s my partner. And that I’m his.”

Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow. The way Wen Ning said that, it almost sounded... possessive.

“I know this is a lot,” Wen Ning says, “but I needed to tell somebody.”

Lan Wangji wants to leave this conversation. Even if what Wen Ning feels for Wei Wuxian isn’t romantic, it’s still... Well, Lan Wangji doesn’t know how to put it into words. And neither does Wen Ning, apparently.

The two men sit in silence for a moment. It’s clear to both of them that they keep misunderstanding each other, but neither knows how to fix that.

“I think... I’m just jealous,” Wen Ning speaks up, unexpectedly, “Everyone around me seems to be in a serious relationship right now. It’s like everyone is paired up, and I’m the eternal third wheel. And maybe I shouldn’t be complaining. I mean, I don’t experience romantic attraction, so it makes sense that I’m single. And there isn’t anything wrong with being single. But when I think about being single for the rest of my life... I feel lonely. Ever since Wei Wuxian moved in with you, I’ve felt...” Wen Ning trails off, and bites his lip, as if to keep himself from finishing the sentence.

“Ah.” Now Lan Wangji understands. It’s like a ray of sunshine piercing through a break in the clouds. He remembers how he felt, learning that Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning had rented an apartment together: Jealous. Lonely. Abandoned. “You miss him.”

“It’s stupid,” Wen Ning says, speaking with his eyes scrunched up, “We still hang out all the time. But I miss living with him. I miss eating our meals together, and I miss running errands together...”

Lan Wangji watches Wen Ning, and feels true empathy blossom within him. “It’s not stupid,” he argues, “Wei Ying... has a loud presence. He is easy to miss.”

Wen Ning’s eyes fly open. “Yes, you’re exactly right! The apartment feels so quiet now. It feels empty.”

Lan Wangji nods. Now they are speaking the same language. Though the flavor of their love for Wei Wuxian is different, the essence is the same. Wen Ning’s love is not the same as Lan Wangji’s love, nor is it the same as Jiang Yanli’s familial love for Wei Wuxian. But all of them feel the same depth of emotion.

“Give me time,” Lan Wangji says, “I need to... research queerplatonic relationships. But I will not stop you, should you bring it up with Wei Ying.”

Wen Ning’s eyes widen. “You’re— you’re serious? You think I should tell him?”

“Wei Ying would want to know,” Lan Wangji tells him. That much he can guarantee. “I don’t know if he will agree to be your queerplatonic partner. I don’t know what that would look like. But you may ask. I will respect whatever decision he makes.”

Wen Ning looks speechless with shock. To be fair, Lan Wangji has surprised himself, too.

“Thank you,” Wen Ning finally says.

Lan Wangji simply nods.

Both of them fall silent once more. The space between them is a little less tense, though. For the first time, Wen Ning and Lan Wangji are able to enjoy a comfortable silence together.

[crossdressingdeath]

I'm sorry but all these recent it was okay for NMJ to lash out because he was "poisoned by rage" takes are really irritating to me. It reminds me of all the times people excuse JC lashing out at WWX or torturing people cause he's just so traumatized and angry. If NMJ felt his temper rising, as an adult and sect leader, he should have left the room, not attack JGY or destroy NHS's property. As for attacking JGY, it doesn't matter if he was guilty or suspicious, if NMJ had killed JGY without evidence, JGS would have destroyed the Nie sect regardless of how he felt about his son. Also I don't condone NMJ's death, it was clearly an assassination and power grab, but I don't think it is as simple as to be 100% due to the collection of turmoil. After all if NMJs cultivation didn't need medical intervention to be viable, it would have been much harder to kill him, or at least his death would been a lot more suspicious. Speaking of his cultivation, the Nies cultivate their sabers with the resentful energy of beasts, which sounds an awful lot like WWX's cultivation, and what was it that LWJ said, it harms the temperament. Also according to JGY, NMJ is only interested in his cultivation, to the exclusion of all other hobbies. Given how dangerous his cultivation method is and NMJ's extreme dedication to it, his worsened temperament should have been a clue to him that something was seriously wrong. I feel like at that point he should have stopped his cultivation to assess his condition instead of putting out his very busy sworn brothers to play for him personally, or at least paid the Lan sect for some vetted dedicated healers. I'm sorry if this sounds like NMJ hate but I'm tired of all the stories where the Nie sect is perfectly righteous and does nothing wrong and is against WWX for his demonic cultivation when they have been doing something very similar for centuries, including desecration of the dead to keep their sabers from going on murder sprees. As well as all the stories where the issues of the Nie sect are trivialized to "minor qi deviation issue" or "little saber tomb problem". Also, with this in mind I can see how it would have been easy for LXC to be turned against NMJ when he just saw the same thing happen with LWJ and WWX just a couple of years prior.

Okay, no. No, absolutely not. NMJ isn’t just lashing out! This is not the same as JC at all! He is literally being driven mad with uncontrollable rage. He couldn’t just leave the room or whatever and he wasn’t capable of thinking ahead to the consequences of attacking JGY, because again, driven mad by uncontrollable rage. The only thing poisoning JC was his mother’s worldview and his own entitlement; there is an actual cultivational spell being worked on NMJ to make him incapable of controlling himself. That is not his fault and not something he could just stop by walking away or taking some deep breaths. Don’t compare a man being literally driven insane by rage that he cannot control or prevent by someone who is supposed to be helping him and who he is trusting to a guy spending over a decade murdering people because he thinks his wealth and power give him the right to, because they are not the same at all. And as for “he should have realised something was wrong”... he did. That’s why he agreed to let LXC and JGY play for him, and there’s no real mention of him doing any serious cultivation after that point. He was trying to fix it! It’s hardly his fault that the person he thought was providing treatment was actually in the process of killing him. Also note the word “agreed” there; both LXC and JGY offered. They wanted to play for him. Saying he was putting them out is suggesting an unwillingness that is not there in canon. Also you know what? I’d say the collection of turmoil was 100% responsible for his death, because if JGY hadn’t been using it Clarity would’ve worked. This isn’t NMJ falling because of a flaw in his cultivation technique, this is JGY poisoning his medicine. Also uh... “If his cultivation method didn’t need medical intervention to be viable he’d be a lot harder to kill” is a) not necessarily true (plenty of Nie disciples manage to go their whole lives without being murdered and plenty of people who don’t use the Nie method are killed far more easily than NMJ is; also it took someone who NMJ trusted completely vouching for him to give JGY the opportunity to use the Nie cultivation method against him, I wouldn’t call that easy) and b) smacks just a bit of victim-blaming, if you don’t mind me saying. It’s no more his fault that JGY used a pre-existing weak spot to kill him than it is WWX’s that the sects used his demonic cultivation to target him. Also “according to JGY” NMJ only cares about his cultivation? According to the guy who has good reason to want people to think that NMJ’s rapidly approaching qi deviation is entirely due to his cultivation? I suspect that JGY may not be being entirely honest, there.

The Nie sect is not perfectly righteous. They’re not supposed to be, no one in MDZS is perfectly righteous! However, I would like to point out that “locking the bodies of people given to the sect by legal means in order to prevent bloodthirsty sabres that cannot be destroyed or otherwise sealed” is not the same as “digging up graves and raising the dead for use in combat” and it’s not all that strange that NMJ would be okay with one and not the other. Is he hypocritical? A little, sure. But it also makes sense. Also, y’know. tradition and all. The Nie method is fine because they’ve been doing it so long. Also the Nie method involves considerably fewer undead armies? There is a bit of a difference.

Basically, there are people who insist that NMJ is entirely faultless and righteous and has never done anything wrong in his life, and those people are incorrect. However, any suggestion that he didn’t try to fix his impending qi deviation or that he was forcing his friends to support him or anything of that sort is equally incorrect.

[thecrazyanimegirl]

Hi hi hi~~ I'd like to request alpha emperor LWJ & omega empress WWX where WWX was having a heat/pre-heat & being unaware of it & attracting everyone with his scent & even joining training/teasing the juniors at the training grounds and then things happen and LWJ founds out and JC just suffers cuz of how stubborn the empress is and I don't know, a little bit of possessive/scary LWJ with Sizhui/Jin Ling/Jingyi reactions..??

I felt like writing this and had some time. Hope you like it ^^

When Wei Wuxian woke up that day, he felt abit feverish. He blamed his husband who has woken up long before him.

“He really never shows any mercy”, he gotup, staggering a bit. He felt weak, but dismissed his condition thinking itwill get better later. He decided he needed some distraction and went to teasejuniors.

Imagining how fun it will be to tease them,he didn’t notice the panicked looks people around him exchanged amongstthemselves.

“Sizhui!” the Empress ran towards hisadopted son.

Lan Sizhui, who had been practicing withhis sword, turned around wide-eyed.

“Dad…” he wasn’t sure what to say. His dadmust know, right?

“How are you feeling?” he tried to see ifthe empress knows.

“Who me? I’m fine, why do you ask?” WeiWuxian was a bit confused with the sudden question.

Hedoesn’t know?

Sizhui decided to tell him, but he wasinterrupted before he could say anything.

“Sizhui where are you? Jin Ling came backfrom his trip!” Lan Jingyi came running towards them. “What is this smell?” heasked when he got towards them, his nose wrinkling.

“Smell?” Wei Ying sniffed his armpits andsighed in relief when he didn’t smell anything funny.

“It is…” Sizhui was still uncertain how toreact.

“You are in heat!” Lan Jingyi’s eyes growten sizes, then he proceeded to panic. “This isn’t good! Does the Emperor know?This will be chaos! Why is he outside?”

“Jingyi…” Sizhui wanted to calm the otherdown, but he was feeling a bit anxious too.

“Heat? What are you talking about? If Iwas, I would certainly know!” Wei Wuxian shook his head and laughed. “And youwouldn’t be able to resist my alluring self”, he winked at Jingyi.

At that moment, Jingyi decided two things.One was that he got another trauma since Wei Wuxian was right and his scent wasreally messing up with his head and second was that he is really going to getkilled by the emperor.

He needed to leave the Empress and go hidesomewhere!

“You said Jin Ling is back! I have to gosay hi to my nephew!” Wei Wuxian, unaware of Jingyi’s  turmoil, ran off.

“Dad, wait!” Sizhui immediately startedrunning after him.

“Why are you running after him? We shouldbe running in the other direction!” Jingyi was terrified.

“I can’t just leave my dad like that. Yousmelled it too! He could be in danger!”

“He is capable of taking care of himself,he will be fine! On the other hand, we won’t be if Emperor finds out that wewere near him when he’s in heat!”

When they finally caught up to him, he wasrunning around terrified Jin Ling, talking without a pause while Jiang Changstood near them commenting something about stomach and ulcers.

As soon as they saw Sizhui and Jingyi, bothof them sighed in relief. If it were just two of them, they wouldn’t be able tomake the Empress go back to his room.

Four of them exchanged glances knowing whateach of them were thinking, but before they could do anything Wei Wuxian feltsomething was wrong.

“Why are you looking at each other likethat? Don’t tell me you think I’m in heat too!”

“That is because you are, you idiot!” JiangCheng had enough of his brother’s behavior.

“If I were, you wouldn’t be able to standso close to me!” Wei Wuxian concluded and to prove his point he threw himselfon Jiang Cheng, locking him in hug.

“Let go you…!” Jiang Cheng was at hisbreaking point. He was really angry at his brother plus his scent was messingup with his head making him feel like he is on a really bad trip. It took allof his self-control to keep his sanity.

“Dad, please, just come with me to see theEmperor”, Sizhui tried to reason with his parent.

“No!” Wei Wuxian said childishly andstarted running again.

“Wait!” poor Sizhui was on the verge ofcrying.

“You two go get the Emperor, we will makesure that idiot doesn’t get in any trouble”, Jiang Cheng told Sizhui and Jingyiwhile gesturing to Jin Ling to go after Wei Ying. “We spend a lot of time withhim and are somewhat used to his scent, but I’m afraid it will be much harderfor others…”

The man in question was already in trouble.It would be better to say he is thetrouble.

“No,not like that. Like this!” Wei Wuxian was showing sword techniques to someyoungsters he found.

Most of those youngsters looked like theywere near their breaking point. So was Jiang Cheng. He just got to his brotherand started dragging him out of there while Jin Ling tried to do some damagecontrol which meant that he tried to make sure no one follows. Few of thealphas started to follow them, unaware of it so Jin Ling tried stopping them.

“Uncle, there are too many of them!” heyelled when he notice some other alphas were coming.

Jiang Cheng threw Wei Wuxian over hisshoulder like a sack of potatoes and started running. Jin Ling had to shake hishead to forget that image and only then was he able to start running afterthem.

Somehow they were able to get to empress’sroom safely.

They locked the room and put the closetover the door then they sighed and slid down to sit on the floor.

“I can’t believe this”, Jin Ling was readyto start banging his head on the wall.

“Take the medicine! What are you waitingfor?” Jiang Cheng yelled at Wei Wuxian who was awkwardly playing with his hair.

“Well… you see…”

“You don’t have any?” Jiang Cheng finishedthe other’s thought and felt like hanging him over the balcony. The only thingthat stopped him was the Emperor’s fury.

“How are you still alive?” Jin Ling askedlooking like he really wanted to know.

Wei Wuxian was about to say something, a jokemost likely, but he was stopped by the unimaginably killer aura.

That killer aura was so strong it madeevery single person around it obey it perfectly.

As soon as they felt it, Jiang Cheng andJin Ling froze from fear. They weren’t able to move for a whole minute.

“Wei Ying”, a voice came from behind thedoor.

Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng immediately wentto open the door and let the Emperor in. As soon as they did, they ran awayalong with other alphas who were trying to get inside the room before.

“Wei Ying”, Lan Wangji looked at hishusband with fierce eyes.

“What is it, Lan Zhan? Don’t tell me youthink I’m in heat too! I’m perfectly fine! I would know if I was in heat”, heaffectionately hugged his husband.

“Wei Ying…” Lan Wangji took a deep breathto calm himself.

He wasn’t able to, so he just kissed WeiYing. The feeling of his lips made him crave more and more.

Extra:

Jin Ling ran to the place he usually hid withLan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi. It was a big garden behind the palace. They managedto find a hiding place there and always came there when there was trouble.

The other two were already waiting for JinLing there. Lan Jingyi was banging his head on the nearby tree while Sizhui wasjust staring at the sky.

“I can’t believe I thought he smelled good”,Jin Ling said to them and sat underneath the tree, curling himself to escapethe world.

“That’s my dad…” Lan Sizhui joined him.

“I wanted to bite him”, Jingyisaid while looking at the distance blankly.