#Sizhui has a new brother lol

[restingdomface]

Wei Wuxian: Lan Zhan! Our son is giving me /such/ an attitude right now!

Lan Wangji: *comes into the tea room to see WWX and LSZ at the table* Hm? 😐

Lan Sizhui: 0.0 *big eyes and pouting because he’s literally not doing anything wrong* ??? 🥺

Lan Wangji: *turns to WWX* Hm? 🤔

Wei Wuxian: *picks up an annoyed looking rabbit from the floor* Look at this little monster, he’s thumping his legs at me because I won’t give him my food! This is human food! It’s cooked!

Lan Sizhui: *giggling* 🤭

Lan Wangji: *soft eyes of love and affectionate blinks* Mm. 🥰 Entitled.

Bunny: *angry thump at WWX as soon as he’s set down* 😡🐰

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

After Each Midnight Begins A New Day

[Extra #7 - Pre-fic by roughly five years, so again the only people who know anything is different from before is Wangxian. I had an anonymous request for a look at A-Yuan living his best AU life, so here it is: a few snapshots of Wen Yuan/Sizhui’s summer school days making friends in Cloud Recesses. Enjoy <3]

[Masterpost]

--

“Dafan Wen Clan is presenting!”

Wen Sizhui takes a deep breath and steps around his desk, one of Wen Qing’s most highly favored apprentices - besides himself - at his side. They step to the center of the room and Wen Sizhui salutes the men seated on the dais at the front of the room.

“Wen Sizhui, Dafan Wen, here to learn from the Grandmaster,” he greets with his perpetual soft smile. He keeps his eyes trained on Qingheng-Jun and Grandmaster Lan, but it’s impossible not to notice the jarring note of black and red behind and a bit to the left of them. He ignores it for the moment - he’s positive that Wei Wuxian will find him later anyway to ask after Wen Qing and Wen Ning, and Wen Qing will kill him if he messes this up because he got distracted by her friend. He kneels to complete a kowtow and then straightens again. “I know that the Grandmaster values knowledge of all varieties. I present Grandmaster Lan with this book personally compiled by Wen-Zongzhu herself for the study of all as well as for practical use by the Gusu Lan healers. It details her latest research into medicinal practices using ingredients unique to Gusu Province, paired with innovative and varied methods of application. I hope the Grandmaster will find it suitable.”

A murmur sweeps briefly through the room around them, and Wen Sizhui stifles a wider smile, eyes still trained on the Lan Sect Leader and his brother who will be their teacher for the summer. Both of them are too well-mannered to show their surprise at such a highly-sought after gift, but Wen Sizhui breaks his own rule to allow himself a single glance at the men standing on the dais with them. He finds three different variations of similar reactions - Zewu-Jun is smiling gently at him and offers him a slight nod, Hanguang-Jun is practically radiating a pleased sort of smugness as he stares into the middle distance in his general direction, and Wei Wuxian is grinning openly from ear to ear. When he catches Wen Sizhui looking he shoots him a quick thumbs up and Wen Sizhui quickly returns his gaze to the two men seated in front, lest his attention wander too far or his amusement at Wei Wuxian’s antics show in his expression.

“A fitting gift,” Qingheng-Jun replies when the quick susurrus of whispered surprise from the other students has died down. “A treasure indeed, to benefit so from Wen-Zongzhu’s expertise.” He waves for the closest Lan attendant to step forward and take the tome from Wen Huali beside him.

The nervous tension leaves Wen Sizhui’s shoulders as he’s allowed to retreat behind his desk again, the attendant already calling for the next student.

“Lanling Jin is presenting!”

----

“I swear I thought I was going to puke that whole time - and I wasn’t even presenting anything! I’m glad I didn’t eat breakfast but I’m starving now,” Lan Jingyi exclaims that evening around a mouthful of rice and roasted vegetables.

“I thought Lans don’t talk during meals,” Jin Ling shoots back with a hint of a curl to his lip as he looks at the half-chewed food visible in Lan Jingyi’s open mouth with clear distaste.

“We don’t, but neither of you are Lan, and we’re not eating in the dining hall anyway so shut your mouth,” Lan Jingyi retorts, all lazy insolence that Wen Sizhui finds both funny and confusing, given the fact that this boy is a Lan. 

“Why were you nervous watching the rest of us present our gifts to Grandmaster Lan, Lan Jingyi?” he asks before Jin Ling can turn a darker shade of red while he splutters for a retort - Wen Sizhui gets the feeling he’s used to being shown at least some level of deference as the oldest of his siblings and the Jin Sect Heir (deference which Lan Jingyi is pointedly not showing him), but he also gets the feeling that Jin Ling is just one of those people who’s generally easy to tease. 

“All that pressure! Weren’t you scared you’d mess up in front of everybody?!”

“Who cares? It’s just Great-Uncle Lan you have to impress and he’s not scary at all!” 

Wen Sizhui and Lan Jingyi both pause and look at him straight-on at that and Jin Ling blushes again, seeming suddenly surprised to have their full attention on him even though he’s been loud-mouthing since he stepped foot in Cloud Recesses the previous day, practically begging to be paid attention to.

“What?” he adds, defensive.

“I confess that I am not very educated in some of the intricacies of the Great Sect bloodlines, Aunt Qing doesn’t enforce learning it. You are related to Grandmaster Lan and Qingheng-Jun?”

Jin Ling huffs at that and scowls down at his bowl.

“We don’t have time for me to tell you who I’m related to, it’s easier to ask who I’m not related to I swear.”

“Oh is this gossip? Is this sweet, juicy gossip?” Lan Jingyi asks with far too much enthusiasm, leaning over the table to poke a finger into Jin Ling’s upper arm, which the Jin Heir instantly swats away with a glare. 

“No it’s not gossip, idiot, and Lans aren’t supposed to gossip anyway! But everyone knows Uncle Chen is married to Uncle Yao and that Uncle Yao is my dad’s brother.”

“I thought Zewu-Jun is married to Chifeng-Zun of Qinghe Nie?”

“He’s married to both of them,” Lan Jingyi pipes up before Jin Ling can. “They all live here but I never really see them much. Well - Zewu-Jun I see slightly more often, of course, but Chifeng-Zun and Lianfang-Zun don’t interact with us disciples very much except for when we’re learning about the Nie Sect and they’re available to give lectures or demonstrations.”

“And Jin-gongzi - you visit your uncles enough to be familiar with Qingheng-Jun and the Grandmaster?”

“I don’t actually come here to Cloud Recesses very often anymore it happened more often when I was a kid, but Second Great-Uncle comes to see us in Lanling all the time, and Uncle Chen comes to see us at least a couple of times a year with Uncle Yao and Uncle Jue.”

Wen Sizhui’s head is beginning to hurt.

“Wei-Qianbei is married to Hanguang-Jun,” he points out next and Jin Ling rolls his eyes so hard it’s a wonder they don’t pop out of his skull.

“Believe me, I know.”

“So you are also related to them?”

“Twice over, yeah.”

“Wait what?” Lan Jingyi interjects, laughter already suffusing his voice. “How are you related to them twice?”

“My mom is Uncle Xian’s sister.”

“Wait whoa hold on that means you’re also related to Jiang-gongzi?!” Jingyi adds and now he’s definitely laughing - Jin Ling’s expression has gone positively pained which Wen Sizhui will admit is actually pretty funny. Jin Ling takes a deep breath in and lays his hands flat on the table, looking like he’s bracing for war.

“Alright, better to just get this all out of the way now. I’m only going to say this once, and you two had better keep up because I’m not repeating anything! I hate when I have to recite all of this, it’s ridiculous. But - okay. My dad’s second brother is Uncle Yao, who is married to Uncle Chen and Uncle Jue. So Uncle Ji is my Uncle once because he’s Uncle Chen’s brother, and then Uncle Xian is my Uncle once because he’s married to Uncle Ji. Lan-Zongzhu and Grandmaster Lan are my Great-Uncles, Madam Lan is my Great-Aunt.

“My mom’s youngest brother is Uncle Cheng, who is married to Uncle Sang who is Nie-Zongzhu, who is also my uncle because of Uncle Jue being married to Uncle Yao, so that’s twice related for both of them, too. My mom’s other brother is Uncle Xian, who is married to Uncle Ji so there’s the second time for both of them. Jiang-Zongzhu is my Great-Uncle and Madam Yu is my Great-Aunt. And then I have my Uncle Yu, but he’s just my dad’s youngest brother and he’s not married to anybody, and my Aunt Su is their sister but she isn’t married to anybody either.”

There’s a long silence while Wen Sizhui and Lan Jingyi stare at each other wide-eyed across the table.

“Remind me to send my Aunt Qing a thank you letter for not making me learn how all of this works,” Wen Sizhui finally says and Lan Jingyi bursts out laughing so loudly it startles a nearby flock of birds into flying off with a loud rustling of wings.

Wen Sizhui hides a smile behind a bite of his soup as Jin Ling shoves Lan Jingyi off his seat (only for him to keep laughing on the ground) with a snapped, “Shut up!”

As he watches his new friends he thinks to himself that he’ll have to remember to also thank her for allowing him to be the first Wen besides her and Uncle Ning to attend the Gusu Lan lectures in decades.

----

Wen Sizhui is doing his best to read Wen Qing’s return letter a few weeks later in the shade of a tree in the back hill. It would be easier without constant interruption, but he doesn’t mind the distraction in the end, and he’ll have plenty of time to finish reading the letter later. New friends are equally as important.

Ouyang Zizhen sighs again next to him and Wen Sizhui glances up from his letter to find him forlornly plucking the petals off a flower, a small pile of plucked blades of grass already neatly stacked in front of him.

“Zizhen,” he prompts, smiling indulgently when the other boy looks up at him with a truly impressive pout. It would work better on him had he not seen Wen Ning give Wen Qing some equally impressive doe-eyed pouts over the years (and perhaps learned how to do it himself from his uncle - it was the easiest way to be given extra sweets as a child). “You didn’t need to stay behind with me if you wanted to go to Caiyi with Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi.”

“Well I didn’t like the thought of you hanging out here by yourself on such a nice day! Are you sure you’re not a Lan with all this...meditating and quietly enjoying nature that you like to do?”

“Yes, I’m definitely a Wen,” he chuckles as he folds the letter up and tucks it into his sleeve. “My aunt says that we have to take good care of ourselves to be able to most effectively heal others, and meditation is good for you. The Lan Sect are masters at it, their lessons are extremely beneficial, and this weather is perfect for it.”

Ouyang Zizhen is grumbling something about how girls are extra flirty when the weather’s nice like this, and that Caiyi is apparently full of pretty girls just waiting to be flirted with, when a cheerful call suddenly rings out through the little field.

“Aiyah - Lan Zhan!! Look at these awful children stealing our favorite picnic spot!” Ouyang Zizhen scrambles to sit up and Wen Sizhui glances further up the ridge to see Wei Wuxian standing there with a wide grin and with his hands on his hips, Lan Wangji a silent pillar of icy white beside him.

“Wei-Qianbei!” Ouyang Zizhen squeaks, already nervous - it had become clear to the other three soon after the Ouyang heir had joined their friend group that authority figures make him nervous and they’ve been trying to help him with it, but it’s slow-going somewhere as tradition-bound as Cloud Recesses. 

“Hello Wei-Qianbei, Hanguang-Jun,” Wen Sizhui greets politely for both of them, getting to his feet and helping Ouyang Zizhen to his so they can bow as the two men approach, though Wei Wuxian reaches them first by a long shot.

“What are two fine young gentlemen like yourselves doing hiding out in the back hills on such a nice day?” Wei Wuxian teases with narrowed eyes, a playful grin already tipping up the corners of his mouth.

“I was reading a letter from my aunt and Zizhen was keeping me company,” Wen Sizhui supplies before any assumptions can be made - he knows if anyone will jump to the most embarrassing assumptions it’ll be Wei Wuxian, even if he’s just doing it to tease.

“Ahh Wen Qing! How is she these days? Still terrifying?” Wei Wuxian laughs as Lan Wangji draws level with them - he had taken a much more sedate pace than his husband’s energetic bounding and sliding down the hillside to get to where the two teenagers are set up for their quiet afternoon.

“It depends on what frightens you, Wei-Qianbei,” Wen Sizhui replies sweetly with his most guileless smile. Between one blink and the next he’s got three long needles between his fingers, withdrawn from a pocket in his sleeve, and Wei Wuxian yelps, instantly ducking back a pace to half-hide behind Lan Wangji’s shoulder.

“Oohhhh I do not like how much you remind me of her!” he laughs, eyes bright. “Aiyah, put those away, Wen-gongzi! No one’s sick here, no need for your needles, put them away!”

Wen Sizhui tucks the needles back into his sleeve smoothly, still smiling. Ouyang Zizhen has, thankfully, relaxed marginally where he’s standing next to him. It’s difficult to be afraid of a man who goes around hiding behind his husband because of a silly little thing like a needle. 

“Wen-Zongzhu sends her greetings to both of you along with a...not very gentle reminder that it is your turn to visit her in Dafan this year as she and Uncle Ning have visited you in your travels the past two years in a row,” he reports dutifully once Wei Wuxian has righted himself and straightened out his robes.

“Ah such a filial boy, passing along your Aunt’s messages! And I appreciate that you didn’t quote her word-for-word as I’m assuming there were threats involved,” Wei Wuxian praises with a grin and a nudge of his elbow against Lan Wangji, who’s watching their conversation with his usual stoicism. “I’ll write her back myself though, don’t worry about it. And Lan Zhan and I will find another spot to while away our afternoon, go back to enjoying yourselves!” 

Wen Sizhui and Ouyang Zizhen stay standing even after parting salutes have been exchanged, the pair of them turning in place to watch Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji continue on their way further into the hill, hands subtly linked under the trailing material of their sleeves. Ouyang Zizhen eventually sighs again and drops back down into his spot to continue assaulting the poor flower he’s still picking apart, but Wen Sizhui can’t resist watching the pair of them a few moments longer. 

They make for a striking couple, he’ll readily admit that much. The both of them are tall and broad-shouldered, Lan Wangji just slightly more so in both aspects. While Wei Wuxian’s dark wardrobe is a jarring contrast amongst the rest of the Lan Sect while in Cloud Recesses, out here in the mountain with no one around him but Lan Wangji they just look like two halves of a whole, light and dark, evenly matched. The tips of Lan Wangji’s silver guan glint in the sun, Wei Wuxian’s worn and time-dark leather band around the base of his ponytail its humble but equally elegant opposite.

Just before the pair has completely disappeared from sight between the trees, he sees them pause to embrace, Lan Wangji’s arms curling around Wei Wuxian’s waist and Wei Wuxian’s arms around his husband’s neck. He blushes slightly and averts his eyes to give them the privacy they seem to think they have and he returns to his seat next to Ouyang Zizhen, who sighs again but this time it sounds different. When Wen Sizhui glances down at him it’s to find a slightly dreamy expression on his face.

“Imagine having such gentlemen for uncles,” he supplies for an explanation when he notices Wen Sizhui looking at him curiously. “Jin Ling has nearly every major Sect Leader and Heir in his immediate family tree, do you think he’s immune to that...aura they all have around them by now?”

“You should ask him when he and Lan Jingyi get back,” Wen Sizhui teases with a smile, well aware by now of how such a question would be received by their prickly friend. “I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to answer yet more questions about his uncles.”

“A more important question to irritate the Young Mistress with is if Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s love story is true.” 

“That depends on what version of it you’ve heard,” Wen Sizhui laughs as he gives up on any further meditation for the day and lays down in the grass beside his friend, eyes closed against the bright blue of the summer sky overhead. “All I’ve heard is the short version from my aunt, and she’s not what anyone would call a romantic - at least not that I’ve seen. Tell me the story?”

Ouyang Zizhen takes to telling it with relish, embellishing so many mundane things with such overly poetic language and dramatic sighs that Wen Sizhui can’t help but laugh occasionally, in the hazy way people laugh when they’re warm and content in the grass with a soft breeze stirring the scent of magnolias through the air.

By the time their friends find them in the evening Wen Sizhui has been treated to as many stories as Ouyang Zizhen can think to tell - romantic ones, funny ones, even folk tales he tells his sisters to help them sleep at night. Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling join them with little fanfare and only a little bit of roughhousing, and Wen Sizhui basks in both the golden hour and the presence of these boys who have somehow, over the course of mere weeks, become his closest friends.

----

“Why the pout so early in the morning, Young Mistress?” Lan Jingyi yawns behind his hand a few days later as Jin Ling joins the rest of them on the path to breakfast in the main dining hall for all the students. 

“Uncle Ji stopped me to talk on my way out the door,” he replies around a yawn of his own, not even rising to the obvious bait of Lan Jingyi’s favorite nickname for him.

“What did he want to say?” Wen Sizhui prompts, genuinely curious to know what someone as aloof as Lan Wangji would want to say to his nephew at 6 in the morning that would also make said nephew so grumpy.

“ ‘Dinner’,” Jin Ling replies in such a good imitation of Lan Wangji’s cool, dispassionate tone that Ouyang Zizhen snorts. 

“That’s it?” Lan Jingyi grumbles, likely irritated even by the prospect of being approached so early in the morning for something so simple.

“Yeah? He doesn’t usually say much if he doesn’t have to. It means he wants me to come have dinner with him and Uncle Xian tonight, probably so they can ask me how things are going with my classes.”

“And you just...know that. From one word.” The skepticism dripping from Lan Jingyi’s tone is too thick to be missed. Jin Ling makes a rude gesture in his direction.

“Yes, stupid. I’ve known him my whole life, of course I know how to talk to him, and my little brother talks like that too. Don’t judge me just because you’re too dumb to figure out what people are trying to say without it being spelled out for you.” 

Lan Jingyi makes a half-hearted grab for him as if to pull him into a headlock and Ouyang Zizhen whines, shoving them both in different directions. “It’s too early for you two to start this, just drop it,” he pouts and Wen Sizhui is in full agreement with that. He doesn’t mind waking early, he actually enjoys it now that he’s used to it, but that doesn’t mean he wants to put up with his friends wrestling in the middle of Cloud Recesses when he could be eating breakfast. 

“Is it strange for you to be attending lectures knowing that so much of your family is nearby when the rest of us are far from ours?” Wen Sizhui asks mainly to keep everyone awake and paying attention once the roughhousing has officially been put on hold and they’re all back to shuffling blearily along and yawning behind their hands as they go. 

“Not really,” Jin Ling shrugs. “They’ve all been good about giving me space like any other disciple. I probably have Uncle Ji to thank for that, the rest of them are...clingy. Besides, pretty much everywhere I go I’m related to somebody. You get used to it.”

Wen Sizhui startles as Ouyang Zizhen nudges him in the side with a bony elbow and he glances at his friend first to see what he wants before following his gaze. The four of them stumble to a clumsy halt and dip into bows as they realize they’ve come face to face with Lan Xichen walking in the opposite direction back towards the residences, a basket from the kitchens in hand. 

“Zewu-Jun,” they all greet and Lan Xichen smiles as he finishes closing the distance between them to return their bows with a nod - Wen Sizhui is determined to find out how the Lans (well..perhaps minus Lan Jingyi) can manage to turn every movement into something so regal.

“Wen-gongzi, Ouyang-gongzi, Lan Jingyi, A-Ling. I hope your morning is going well,” he greets in return, voice warm.

“Yes Zewu-Jun,” they chorus, only Lan Jingyi ruins it a bit with another wide yawn. Thankfully Lan Xichen just chuckles with what seems like understanding.

“I will not keep you from your breakfasts, then, nor would my husbands appreciate a delay in ours. A-Ling, shall I pass your greetings on to them?” There’s a distinct note of teasing under the polite question and Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen both stifle snorts behind their hands. Jin Ling, for once, has the grace to just sigh, seeming momentarily resigned to his lot in life.

“Yes Uncle Chen,” he mumbles, his attitude only making Lan Xichen smile wider. They exchange another round of salutes and step past each other, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen instantly pulling further ahead. Wen Sizhui glances over his shoulder in time to see Lan Xichen pause to give Jin Ling a pat on the shoulder and murmur something quietly just for him, both of which Jin Ling accepts with an affectionate smile that transforms his whole face. For all that Jin Ling bemoans his truly convoluted family situation to his friends, Wen Sizhui thinks that, if it were him, it would be nice to know that he’s loved no matter where he goes - and looking at the smile on his friend’s face, he realizes it might be possible that he feels the same. 

Jin Ling turns forward again to catch him looking and Wen Sizhui expects him to bluster and fuss at him to hide the moment of vulnerability, but instead all he does is blush a bit and duck his head, that pleased little smile still on his face, and step forward to join him so they can finish walking to the dining hall in peaceful quiet.

----

“A-Ling! Hey!!”

“Oh gods it’s Uncle day,” the nephew in question sighs with a roll of his eyes, tipping his head back as if the sky will have any reprieve to offer him from the affections of his family. 

“Three out of five before lunch, that’s a decent lead going into the afternoon,” Ouyang Zizhen remarks with a put-upon accent and mannerisms, both of which Lan Jingyi instantly copies, stroking an imaginary beard as he leans his shoulder against Ouyang Zizhen’s and tips his head back to look down the length of his nose at Jin Ling.

“Indeed, will the Young Mistress attempt a full score today? It’s a tricky feat, but it seems the uncles themselves are more than willing to help by seeking Young Mistress out whenever he dares to step foot outside.”

“Shut up you two,” Jin Ling hisses as Wen Sizhui laughs into his sleeve. “You’re so annoying!”

“Shall we count the Great Uncles as double points if they make an appearance as well?” Lan Jingyi addresses the question to Ouyang Zizhen, ignoring Jin Ling entirely save for a hand raised in his face to block his angry glaring.

“No, at least triple, I would say. Sizhui?”

“Four points each for Great Uncles, they are both a rare sighting out in the wild,” he supplies dutifully, as serene as ever as Jin Ling splutters and starts throwing punches - not at him, never at him, which Wen Sizhui would be lying if he said he hasn’t noticed. 

“Ah ah, hey!” Wei Wuxian laughs as he draws up next to them to put a restraining hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder. “While I fully support fighting while you’re young you’re supposed to save it for your enemies!”

“They are my enemies,” Jin Ling grumbles as Wei Wuxian waves off the attempts of the other three to stand and bow.

“Don’t get up, don’t get up! Aiyah your manners are too good, all of you. Where are yours, A-Ling?” Lan Jingyi’s eyes and grin both go wide with pure, mischievous delight as Wei Wuxian ruffles his free hand in Jin Ling’s hair, making him squawk and duck away from his grip. 

“Da-jiu!!” Jin Ling snaps as Wei Wuxian throws his head back to laugh. 

“Hush A-Ling, you can’t expect me to believe you haven’t missed getting teased by an uncle this last month since you left home, I’m just filling in for Mo Xuanyu! I have to go set up to teach the babies their archery basics so I’ll be on my way, but Lan Zhan asked you to come have dinner with us this evening, yes?”

“Yes,” Jin Ling mutters, still looking mutinous.

“Good! The invitation is actually for all four of you, I realized he probably didn’t make that clear.” Wen Sizhui looks up at that, surprise written as clearly on his face as it is on Ouyang Zizhen’s and Lan Jingyi’s. “Why are you all looking at me like that?” Wei Wuxian laughs.

“In the Jingshi? With you and Hanguang-Jun?” Lan Jingyi pipes up, looking starstruck.

“Of course! It’ll be nice, Lan Zhan’s going to cook and I’m going to sneak behind him and spice things properly. We want to see A-Ling and we thought it would be nice to have all of you over together since you’ve become such good friends.”

“Of course, Wei-qianbei,” Wen Sizhui replies with a smile. “Thank you for the invitation, we will be happy to accept.”

“Great! So polite! Jin Ling is so lucky to have such examples of gentlemanly behavior to learn from,” Wei Wuxian teases, ducking away from Jin Ling’s weak punch in his direction with another laugh. He offers them a jaunty parting salute before stepping back onto the main path.

“I’m telling er-jiu that you messed with me so he can come kick your ass!” Jin Ling shouts after his retreating back. Wei Wuxian just laughs again and waves a hand without even bothering to look back at them.

“Hey - Jin-gongzi,” Lan Jingyi says once Wei Wuxian has turned the corner and is out of sight. He smirks when Jin Ling turns to give him a wary look. “No shouting in Cloud Recesses.”

Wen Sizhui has to stand up and back away from the table to avoid several flailing limbs as Jin Ling goes in for a tackle, and he’s glad that the four of them had chosen to study far away from the main teaching pavilions as his laughter and his friends’ playful shouts echo off the trees around them.

----

“Lan Zhaaaan!” Wei Wuxian’s whining is audible as soon as the four junior disciples step through the gate that leads to the yard surrounding the Jingshi that evening. “Come on, they’ve been eating nothing but boring Lan food for a month! I’m sure they’ll appreciate some spice and flavor!”

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji’s quiet admonishment is only audible because their doors are already thrown open to the warm summer breeze.

“Okay fine, we can set out the chili oil and let them decide for themselves. But we already know that A-Ling will want it! Just let me spice my bowl and his at least!”

Wen Sizhui glances at Jin Ling to try to gauge his reaction but the back of his head doesn’t offer any answers. It feels strange to even be anywhere near the private home of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, let alone to approach it with the intention to go inside, but Jin Ling clearly feels right at home doing so - and leading his three friends to do so as well.

“Da-jiu!” he shouts now while they’re still crossing the yard and there’s a clatter from inside the house shortly followed by Wei Wuxian bounding up to the threshold to grin at them.

“A-Ling! My favorite first nephew!” he cries, flinging one arm wide. He seems, if possible, even more energetic than when he can be seen flitting around the public spaces of Cloud Recesses.

“You say that all the time, da-jiu, and it never stops being ridiculous.”

“Don’t roll your eyes at me A-Ling, you look just like your er-jiu when you do that, it’s creepy! Come in, come in, all four of you. Lan Zhan’s just finishing dinner.”

The four of them troop into the house and Wen Sizhui tries not to look around the space quite as obviously as Lan Jingyi is doing, but he can’t help but be curious. Their hosts at least don’t seem to notice, or if they do they don’t mind. Jin Ling gestures for them to settle at a table and begins to pour tea for them all as Wei Wuxian flits back to his husband’s side at the hearth on the other end of the main room.

“Where’s A-Xiao?” Jin Ling asks his uncles once the four of them are all settled in with tea and the silence threatens to creep in, thick and heavy. “My cousin,” he supplies quietly to the rest of them at the table.

“Dormitories,” Lan Wangji replies, his deep, steady voice instantly soothing some of the awkwardness curling through Wen Sizhui’s chest.

“Oh. When did he start taking classes with everyone else?” 

“Two months ago, right after we gave him his courtesy name and his ribbon. He’s Lan Xiafeng now, so you know just in case you run into him, but it’s taking him a while to get used to it,” Wei Wuxian supplies as he starts bringing finished dishes over to the table with surprisingly good balance. “Honestly he’s been ready for his formal studies for longer than that from a teacher’s standpoint, but we wanted him to choose when to move to the dormitories and begin his lessons with everyone else. He’d love to see you sometime if you can spare him a minute, though,” he continues. Wen Sizhui wonders if he should feel uncomfortable that they’re discussing family business in front of them and a glance at Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen proves that they’re looking similarly at a loss.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji calls without looking up from whatever he’s stirring and Wei Wuxian immediately flaps his hands a bit (thankfully he’s not still holding any dishes when he does it). “Guests.”

“Aiyah, I know Lan Zhan, but A-Ling asked! But of course you’re right anyway, enough family talk,” he sighs as he plops down at one of the two remaining place settings to grin at all of them. “I may mostly teach the babies these days but I remember what it was like both to take and teach the lessons you four are in. Tell me about them, come on! Don’t be shy.”

Lan Wangji brings the rest of the dishes over in silence over the next few minutes as Jin Ling practically bullies Wen Sizhui, Ouyang Zizhen, and Lan Jingyi out of their nervousness to get them talking. It doesn’t take too long before Wei Wuxian’s natural charisma and questions have the conversation flowing more freely, even once they begin eating. Wen Sizhui notices about halfway through the meal that Lan Wangji seems to uphold the Lan rule of no speaking during meals - even when Wei Wuxian tries to get him to offer up an opinion or a potential solution to whatever scenario they’re discussing - but at the same time he makes no move to stop the others from chatting, not even Lan Jingyi.

He studies Lan Wangji as subtly as he can in glances and out of the corners of his eyes, looking for the things that Jin Ling had told them about that afternoon in preparation for dinner. Jin Ling had sworn that if you look close enough, Lan Wangji’s face is actually very expressive, much more so than he seems from a distance, and that his expressions can help with decoding what he says when he hardly uses words. ‘It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for and paying enough attention to spot it’, Jin Ling had said with all the confidence that comes from a lifetime of prior experience, as if it should be that easy for everyone else.

It takes most of the remainder of the meal for Wen Sizhui to begin to see it. Lan Jingyi has relaxed enough to start teasing everyone at the table (well, everyone who’s not Lan Wangji) and something he has just said makes Wei Wuxian throw his head back and laugh. While the eye would normally be drawn to Wei Wuxian’s boisterous character, Wen Sizhui glances at Lan Wangji beside the other man just in time to spot the ghost of a smile on his lips and the way his eyebrows relax marginally out of their perpetually stern set, somehow managing to soften not only his eyes but his entire countenance. It’s such a small, subtle change, but now that he’s noticed it he can’t help but feel like Lan Wangji is...glowing. Practically radiating silent contentment, like a cat sleeping curled in a beam of summer sunshine or on a hearth in front of a fire in the winter.

Wen Sizhui is still staring (on accident) when Lan Wangji turns his head and meets his eyes, his smile somehow managing to gentle even further until it becomes so unexpectedly tender that Wen Sizhui can’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed for getting caught looking. He offers his own smile back, an easy slip of a thing that feels right at home on his lips, and after a long moment Lan Wangji breaks the contact with a nod and a return of his gaze back to his husband at his side.

Wen Sizhui returns to the conversation at hand - something about talisman theory that is being hotly debated between Wei Wuxian, Jin Ling, and Ouyang Zizhen (who has also apparently relaxed in response to Wei Wuxian’s gregariousness). The conversation continues to fly quickly for the rest of the evening - witty and loud and fun - until they have to leave to make it back to their dorms for curfew.

They say their goodbyes and their thank you’s on the threshold of the porch and then step out of the warm light of the Jingshi into the dark hum of the evening, Wen Sizhui trailing behind his friends still chatting and laughing amongst themselves. At the last moment, he can’t quite resist turning to glance over his shoulder one more time, back towards the comfortable home tucked unobtrusively into its little copse of bamboo.

The sight of the warmly lit silhouettes of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian standing in the door to their home, Wei Wuxian leaning against his husband’s side with his head on his shoulder, imprints itself instantly into his mind like the bold strokes of a painting. He raises one hand in a tentative wave and instantly receives one in return from Wei Wuxian.

For propriety’s sake, he’s willing to pretend not to hear the gentle, “Be good, A-Yuan,” that follows after him onto the path, Lan Wangji’s mellow tones turning the goodbye into something so soft that it feels like a hug. Maybe, Wen Sizhui supposes as he gets ready for bed in the room he shares with Jin Ling a few minutes later, he’s loved here too.

[lordhelpme0-0]

How they fell in love HC:

Character: Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, Nie Mingjue, Nie Huasiang, and Wen Ning

~*~

Lan Xichen:

It never occurred to him that you hazardously were on his mind

Even being with you over tea set flutters in his heart

Once he realized this, he will start to proper courting techniques

Even asking for help from his sworn brothers and friends

Mostly Jin Guangyao will be the wingmen

He will be sweeter than usual

Giving small gifts or tokens

Sometimes he will sing serenade for you to enjoy

Definitely being a huge gentlemen

Once you both became official, hands down that he will follow you everywhere

Once he heard of Nie Mingjue death, will immediately rush to you

Once the aftermath of Jin Guangyao and the reveal of his schemes, Lan Xichen will definitely seek more comfort from you

Not to say, that he will spill it.

Will have to be coax and be build up mentally again

While in seclusion, you be being teas, news, and even just stay there for him

Thankfully he will be better now, and will be a bit more protective

Nie Mingjue:

It will take him a long time to figure it out

So Nie Huasiang will be there while playing matchmaker

Both of you are dense

He will seek you out regularly after something that Jin Guangyao did or a bad day at work

Definitely will be flustered with heart pounding when your near

To be honest, once he figures it out after small coaxing and hints (much to Nie Huasiang amusement and deadpan looks)

He will walk over to you, will be even tense as he continue to recite the confession

It’s gonna be like Jin Zixuan scenario but with more intimate friends and family around (lol-)

Definitely red while you look in silence

Lan Xichen will cheer you both on as Jin Guangyao smirk

Once you return your feelings be ready for an interesting relationships

He will definitely monitor you and be a lot more lenient

Definitely one of his soft spots and someone Nie Huasiang can run to when he face his brother ire

Will be a tug of war between the Nie brothers and you

Even in night, you both be walking around just enjoying your presence with each other

Also, definitely fines your voice soothing when he almost qi deviate

Nie Huasiang:

He never really found out he likes you, so it will take about a week. I mean, seriously, after all he did?

Definitely will pursue you and not just confess immediately like his brother

Give fans, treats, jewelry, or anything that you like

Your gonna be treated as a queen

When he confesses, he be a stuttering mess

Definitely will have his fan to cover his face with ears blazing hot

Once you reciprocate his feelings, will be hugged

You already meet Nie Mingjue approval so your fine

Will be the mediator and someone he will seek comfort to

Definitely paint fans while just chilling and watching the scenes form the balcony

Why is it that I imagine him to take you out on strolls in the town

Your definitely on the top list of lovey dovey couple in the cultivation world

Expect him to also cling when flying on your sword

Wen Ning:

Poor baby will be even more nervous around you

I mean, he has low self esteem so will need to have his sister annoying watch you two dancing around

Will be blushing a lot more at anything you do. ANYTHING.

He will pin after you hopelessly with giving some very subtle hints

You will catch on and will kabedon the poor baby

Once your suspicions is confirmed, your an item

He will cling to you when his sister ain’t around

Will show off with that quirky dimples of his

Definitely will have confident boost when your around

When he turned into a fierce corpse, expect him to feel insecure

He gonna need lots of reassurance from you

Will be gentle with you, but you really don’t mind

When he came back many years later

It’s a tearful reunion, as you went off to be a rogue cultivator

Will watch Sizhui from afar with both you and Wangji missing their loved one

Once he is back, expect lots of cuddling and time alone

Even after what is revealed, he finally found peace as he buried his relatives with you at the Wen sect territory

Jiang Cheng:

This tsundere will take a very long time

He will seek both his brother and sister consult to help his beating heart

During your teens year, he will stick to his principle of a perfect wife which is proven wrong

Definitely will fluster a bit, though keeps it within

Also, he is dense and have his inferiority complex hinder his confidence of being with you

During the Sunshot campaign, your gonna be his shoulder to lean on

At this point, he put his feelings away while mourning for his family loss

Definitely seeks you out even after the battle at Yiling and Wei Wuxian death

You sorta had your feelings sorted before this, though feel insecure on his list of his perfect wife

Both of you and him will pin at each other

Definitely there when rebuilding and easing Jin Ling

Your gonna be his guiding hand while also be the shoulder and close person to release his frustration within out

How you guys got together had to do with you talking with a sect leader

He will get jealous and snappy more than usual

Will be cornered when he confesses his feelings, your gonna shocked

Once you also accepted and given your own confession your officially together

When announcing this, the others are gonna just be “oh really? Cool, took you long enough”

Yeah…you both already acted as a couple

Jiang Cheng with his trauma on his parents relationships and his complex will make him insecure

Will need a lot of reassurance

He will be the better man than his father was

Will treat with tender feelings

Also do PDA, he gonna be flustered and will try to control the tingling of when you whisper sweet nothings

He got a facade and reputation to keep cause you know how the cultivation world will do anything for a bit of juicy gossip

Hope you enjoy this little handcanon! It’s my first!!! Bye~!!!

[songofclarity]

what do you think of the idea of Wen Yuan being Wen Xu’s son/ Wen Ruohan’s grandson ? it’s one of my fave headcanons since Wen Ning didn’t say which older cousin is Sizhui’s father.

I absolutely love Wen Yuan being either Wen RuoHan's son or grandson, Anon! It's a canon compliant headcanon or at least a heavily insinuated canon that Wen Yuan comes from his family branch.

Wen Ning says, "Y-You really l-look like a distant relative of mine..." to Lan SiZhui as they are traveling to Lotus Pier (ch. 83, ERS).

And earlier we are told that "[Wen Qing] wasn't a daughter of the Qishan Wen Sect's leader, Wen RuoHan, but instead the daughter of one of Wen RuoHan's cousins. Although they were far cousins, Wen RuoHan had always had a close relationship to this cousin of his." (ch. 60)

Plus a general: "Every day when [Wei WuXian] was free, he played with the toddler Wen Yuan, son of Wen Qing's cousin." (ch. 74)

I highly doubt the specification of distant relative/far cousin was used by accident or just a hand-wave since it's not used for any of the other Wen relatives. We have no idea how Uncle Four or Granny Wen are related to anyone else, for instance. I do headcanon Granny Wen being closer to Wen RuoHan's branch than to Wen Qing's since she is already Wen Yuan's guardian and caretaker when we first meet her. Imagine Granny Wen fleeing Nightless City with Wen Yuan after Wen RuoHan's death only for them to end up falling into the hands of the enemy anyway!? My heart! 💔

I will confess that, depending on what flavor I'm in the mood for, I headcanon Wen Yuan as either Wen Chao, Wen RuoHan, or Wen Xu's son lol

Wen Yuan is a toddler when Wei WuXian first meets him, making him around 2 - 3 years old. The Sunshot Campaign lasted three years, which means Wen Yuan was born either right at the start of the Campaign or a full year later.

Anon may have excluded him on purpose since he's the least popular choice, but I will say that I kind of prioritize Wen Chao as being Wen Yuan's father since we are explicitly told that Wen Chao has a wife. While it's described that him picking a new lover every six months is his routine, that he goes from honeymoon phase to being tired of them during that time is just his norm, I like to consider that him picking his wife's servant this time around wasn't merely out of natural rotation of lovers.

If his wife were pregnant, it's not illogical that a young man under twenty would go for the pretty woman batting her eyelashes at him while she holds back his wife's hair during another bout of morning sickness. Morning sickness traditionally lasts the first trimester, so the specification that Wang LingJiao will be dropped after six months matches well with the projected due-date. Wen Chao sending Wang LingJiao ahead of him to Lotus Pier could easily be because he was taking care of business (and a heavily pregnant wife) at home before he dashed out the door again.

That Wei WuXian then gives up everything to repay his debt to the Wen while at the same time protects and entertains the son of Wen Chao, who turned Wei WuXian's life to hell in the first place, is delightful to me lol

The second person I headcanon as being Wen Yuan's father is actually Wen RuoHan! This is my favorite option and warms my heart ♡ although at the same time it makes me very sad.

MDZS focuses a lot on characters losing siblings and parents and friends, but barely touches upon losing a child. Madam Jin and Jin GuangShan are described as having wasted away before they finally died over the loss of Jin ZiXuan, but we all know Jin GuangYao was done humoring them by then and their deaths were likely caused by poisoning (Jin GuangShan was weakened before his grand finale send-off and Madam Jin's cultivation was strong enough to maintain her in her youth and thus inedia should have preserved her longer even while depressed. These two did not die of grief.)

So Wen RuoHan gives us room to explore the grief of losing a child and having to restart a family, whether it's for the sake of protecting Clan lineage or for his own need to have a family. This also paints a rather intriguing picture of Wen RuoHan's position within his sect that he was comfortable and supported enough to have a child after such a great loss (Wen Chao and Wen Xu's bodies were vandalized and then never returned to him) and in the middle of a war (baby booms happen after wartime).

We're never told if Wen RuoHan's policy to attack the Sunshot Campaign changes after Wen Chao and Wen Xu die. It's both sweet and sad to imagine him playing with and caring for his little son while the Sunshot Campaign knocks on his door.

(Wen RuoHan should not be blamed for centuries of Wen Sect policies. Upholding family tradition is as true for him as it is for Nie MingJue and Jiang Cheng. He is never shown to have conspired to take over anything, much less the world. Let him have a family to love!)

There is also the question of who is Wen Yuan's mother in this case. Same mother as Wen Xu and Wen Chao? Another wife? A lover? The Qishan Wen Sect is not short of people wanting to cozy up to Sect Leader Wen, as we have seen. Wen Chao reveals to us that there is some fear of assassination, but Wen RuoHan seems rather negligent of that threat. Although the other sects might hate them, the inner-workings of the Qishan Wen appears to be a safe and supportive one. Wen Yuan was born from at least an agreeable union, but ideally a happy one~

Although you mention him first, Anon, Wen Xu is the last of the three that come to mind when I think of Wen Yuan's father! Which is amusing because I also know Wen Xu is considered the popular fandom choice whenever I see this topic come up. As I mentioned in another post, there is something poetic in the circular way Wen Xu destroys Cloud Recesses and tells the Lans that the Wen will help them rise from the ashes followed by Wen Yuan raised from ashes of the Wen Sect to find new life in the rebuilt Cloud Recesses.

But whether Wen RuoHan was his father or his grandfather who took the role of father after Wen Chao/Wen Xu died, he would have been the first and only father Wen Yuan truly knew. Wen RuoHan looks like he's in his twenties, so calling him father rather than grandfather wouldn't be unexpected for a child to do, either.

Which brings new insight into this moment when Wei WuXian brings Wen Yuan out to play with him in Yiling. Wen Yuan calls Wei WuXian brother (Brother Xian), so he's definitely not calling out for him in this scene...

When children were scared, they always called out to those they were close to. And so, sobbing, [Wen Yuan] called, "Dad! Dad..." (ch. 74, ERS)

Crying out for Wen RuoHan!? My heart! 💔

[gusu-emilu]

mdzs/untamed figure skating AU where the names of their signature skating programs are the names of their weapons.

wei wuxian names his performance ‘suibian’ (’whatever’) and maximizes points with dangerous stunts that push as close to breaking the rules as possible. he skates with wild, unconventional style that is bursting with raw energy and is exhilarating to watch, making him an audience favorite. he is the highest scoring competitive skater in the country, but his arrogance and tomfoolery rouse the ire of both his peers, who admire and envy him, and his coaches, who implore him to take a step back before he hurts himself.

lan wangji names his program ‘bichen’ (’to avoid worldly matters,’ literally ‘to avoid dust’) and focuses on clean, graceful, steady movements to the sound of the guqin. his bright bluish-silver costume with perfectly matching skates is instantly recognizable. in ‘bichen,’ he illustrates the concept of achieving strength and power through tranquility. as a critics’ darling with impeccable form, lwj is second only to wwx. their rivalry is milked by the media and is a staple of the figure skating scene by now, although the other skaters would tell you that despite their radically different ideas and frequent bickering, they are always in each other’s company at competitions.

jiang cheng performs a thrilling routine called ‘zidian’ (’purple lightning’). its concept is the search for one’s soul. the gentle, stately first half of the routine explodes into a fast-paced, technically challenging performance with an astounding number of spins. jc is known for his unique style of dancelike arm movements between jumps. jc and wwx are like brothers. since they were toddlers, jc and wwx have been coached together on the yunmeng team by skating power couple jiang fengmian and yu ziyuan. however, rumor has it that the coaches shamelessly play favorites among their students, with the most prominent example being jfm’s subtle bias toward wwx and yzy’s outspoken preference for jc, resulting in an unhealthy amount of pressure on the two young men.

jiang yanli skates to the program ‘lianhua’ (’lotus flower’) because yes, lotus pork rib soup is her canon weapon. if yuri katsuki could be a pork cutlet bowl that ensnares men, jyl can be powerful too. anyway. the theme for ‘lianhua’ is eternal consolation and comfort, and her skating style is choreographed with sweeping motions to radiate warmth onto the skating rink. according to the wishes of her coach, jyl is thinking about switching to a pair skating routine with jin zixuan (more on him later). wwx and her brother jc are currently begging jyl to continue her solo career instead. at the same time, the two are investigating, interrogating, and intimidating jin zixuan in case the partnership does happen.

known as the venerated traid, lan xichen, nie mingjue, and jin guangyao all came from the same skating school but ended up on different teams. still, they remained best friends and help with each other’s training, although the relationship between nmj and jgy has become a bit strained. famously, the venerated triad designed their routines to have complementary themes (explained below).

lan xichen’s program is named ‘liebing’ (’cracked ice’). it portrays the restoration of harmony to a world that is falling apart. lxc skates to a piece of music with a prominent flute part. his style is similar to lwj’s but gentler. together, lxc and lwj are known as the ‘twin jades’ of the skating world, both coached on the gusu team by the notoriously strict lan qiren.

nie mingjue performs ‘baxia,’ named after a mythological dragon with the shell of a turtle. the program’s theme is carrying the weight of the world. many criticize nmj for his choppy form, but it is inevitable with his routine being one of the most physically demanding in figure skating history. when he is not training, he drops in as a qinghe assistant coach to his younger brother nie huaisang, who scrapes by at the very bottom of the professional skating scene with lackluster bird-themed routines, more well known for his aviary, art collection, and party attendance than for his skills. although he doesn’t seem to care much about his own skating career, nhs is undeniably nmj’s biggest fan.

jin guangyao names his program ‘hensheng’ (’hating to be born’ or ‘hatred of life’). its theme is survival when the world turns against oneself. in this performance full of angst, jgy’s skating style emphasizes physical flexibility and emotional expression over power. although jgy used to be unknown and does not score very high, his popularity skyrocketed after he exposed the doping scandal of his own team, led by wen ruohan. in a viral interview, he told the story of how he was bullied while on the qishan team. once he became so popular, the lanling team snatched him into their ranks.

jin zixuan calls his routine ‘suihua’ (’the passage of time’). this ambitious program is divided into eight equal-length sections, each representing a different generation of his family, telling a story of wealth and success. his performance, albeit gaudy, is high scoring. along with jgy, he is from the lanling team, which is lavishly funded and grants him access to the best resources. one of his coaches, madam jin, is enthusiastic about planning his partnership with jyl. in fact, she is already working on the choreography. however, jzx is hesitant to give up his solo career, especially as his scores begin to approach wwx and lwj.

[little plot idea]: after a nearly-fatal injury caused by his reckless techniques, wwx must spend a year in recovery. when he is cleared to skate again, he is warned that he cannot attempt his old style of skating without exacerbating the injury. with the help of lwj, wwx readapts his style and returns to the ice with a new program called ‘chenqing’ (’setting forth one’s thoughts,’ ‘explaining one’s actions’). it is about finding beauty in darkness. his movements are aggressive yet elegant, chaotic yet balanced. he seems to have finally found a way to calm his style while maintaining his characteristic edge.

i don’t know how or when to work it in, but because it’s so beautiful and needs to be included, later in their careers wwx and lwj perform a pair skate called ‘wangxian’ (’forgetting envies’). credit to @wackopig​ for this stunning idea.

(after i finished writing this post i got curious and found wip figure skating AU fics that i haven’t read but now NEED to, one by @zizzani​ who has a figure skating fic on AO3, and Rinnoa’s fic on AO3. kudos to y’all doing the lord’s work)

i don’t have the discipline to write a full-on fic and I know nothing about figure skating lol. but i want to do a post for fun with plot ideas later. wen ning and wen qing show up as owners of a small skating rink and hot spring while raising a-yuan, in the way that @wackopig​ made up that i love so much. i think it would be interesting if wn and wq are disgraced members of wen ruohan’s team who got banned from skating due to the doping scandal, but they were forced into taking the drugs against their will and never got their names cleared. also there’s likely a lot of jin ling because i want him to perform his late father’s routine. wwx and lwj coach both lan sizhui and jin ling. also thinking about how to get the yi city folks in here too, because who doesn’t want to see a songxiao pair skate and xue yang doing a murder-themed performance called ‘to cause disaster’? anyway if you have any ideas for plot hmu!

[tanoraqui]

AU: Hányǐng-jūn

(”Shadowbearing Lord”, translation by @lyratalus)

(see, this is my problem. I decide, “yes, damnit, I AM going to write this longfic!” and then 0.0003 seconds later I’m absolutely swarmed by other plot bunnies.)

anyway, Yiling Patriarch!Lan Wangji but, like...better

Lan Wangji gets out of seclusion and 3 days later takes a mostly sleeping Lan Yuan, a couple days' worth of provisions, and leaves for Yiling. Lan Xichen somehow catches him just outside of Cloud Recesses and LWJ freely admits that he's going to Yiling - the city, not the Burial Mounds themselves - and he's going to raise A-Yuan there and cleanse the Burial Mounds like Wei Wuxian was starting to do with the life he brought back to them

Lan Xichen lets him go, doesn't even bother to play the "shouldn't A-Yuan grow up somewhere healthier and wealthier" card, bc a) cheap shot, b) he knows Wangji has already thought of it (he's right), and c) this is doing NOTHING to convince him that his brother won't commit some sort of passive suicide if he doesn't get to keep that child. God damn, he thought they were over this phase of mourning but Apparently Not

so Lan Wangji gets a house in Yiling, has to deal with 50 tons of gossip - of a new variety; he's used to political gossip and "isn't he hot" gossip but wow he was not prepared for small town "ooh new hot single dad" gossip with a side order of random advice from elderly women about how to care for a six-year-old

(he is, in fact, very grateful for the advice)

(there is no way in hell that Lan Wangji knows how to be the sole provider for a six-year-old)

in the internal war between "do not let A-Yuan out of my sight" and "do not take the vulnerable child to the death mountain", I think the former wins, considering the small child already lived on the death mountain for about a year, and seemed fine except for malnutrition. Which was...well, yes it was a problem with the death mountain, but not directly. Lan Wangji has money and they live in town and commute to the Burial Mounds each day for LWJ to play Cleansing while A-Yuan runs around catching imaginary butterflies or practicing reading; it's fine

...though possibly the nosy grannies convince him to get a babysitter

and maybe to take a break?

oh no i would want so many OCs of just Lan Wangji's neighbors in this

anyway, it doesn't take long for it to become clear that even playing Cleansing all day every day is like being a bird scraping its beak once a millennia on a mountain. Sure it works, technically, but...not really. Frankly, the resentful energy grows back if he stops for a single day. And even Hanguang-jun only has so much power and endurance

he's going to have to handle the resentful energy himself. If he wants to do this, wants to leave some sort of positive legacy for Wei Wuxian, he's going to have to demonically cultivate himself. Siphon the stuff off, and do...something with it. It won't just vanish. Subdue corpses and monsters, probably? Go back to night-hunting?

I dunno how or how fast word gets out, but I guarantee you Jiang Cheng is the first person of note to hear about it and come furiously flying. The fight that follows is raw and possibly literally bloody, and 99.99% about Wei Wuxian (of course.) I think the only reason it stops is that even though they took it outside, A-Yuan wakes up (as does most of the neighborhood) and pokes his head out the window to ask what's going on, and Jiang Cheng puts two and two together with the kid he saw when he visited to disown Wei Wuxian and- 

He can't quite bear to destroy something even halfway adjacent to family He wants Wei Wuxian to have a slightly good legacy, too He storms off.

the only reason he doesn't pass Lan Xichen in the air is that they aren't quite coming from the same direction. This night is becoming very long but Lan Wangji is happy to explain himself to his brother: the careful methods he's started to use, never very much resentful energy at once, and the careful checks he has on himself, meditation and Cleansing and purification rituals. Lan Xichen isn't happy, but he has to concede that it all seems sound, and the goal is certainly a righteous one, and...there are worse ways to mourn

so when an emergency sect leader cultivation conference is called, because the news that Hanguang-jun has not only moved to Yiling but started practicing demonic cultivation has spread like wildfire, Lan Xichen calmly stands forward and defends his brother, states that Lan Wangji is working on noble goals with careful precautions and the full support of GusuLan, he can confirm it himself as Sect Leader but of course any who wish are welcome to visit Yiling as well and judge Hanguang-jun's precautions for themselves.

I cannot put in words how close Jiang Cheng comes to punching him in the face

So that’s what happens: people visit, see what careful measures Lan Wangji has in place, and are convinc- ha ha lol no it’s politics. But it works out. i wish I could say that it's some sort of tie between who Jiang Cheng hates most: Wei Wuxian for everything, but particularly for not even bothering to try to make it safe like LWJ clearly is; Lan Wangji for thinking he can just get away with this shit; Lan Xichen for helping him do it; everyone else for going along with it when they couldn't give Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and YunmengJiang a single shred of goodwill; or himself for not standing up for either Wei Wuxian (a la Lan Wangji, however post-mortem)/his brother (like LXC)

but we all know it's nowhere near a tie

so...Lan Wangji doesn't plan to teach Lan Yuan (he's still a Lan! They're both still Lans!) any sort of demonic cultivation, but no matter what he does there's still So Much Dangerous Stuff around here, and they have no backup nearby, and demonic cultivation is just so much easier for those without a well-developed golden core yet -

so he teaches him, you know, some basic chords to make a ghost or corpse go the fuck away

(to start)

UNFORTUNATELY I'm pretty sure the timing is such that the Yi City Affair happened mostly while LWJ was in seclusion? Or at least, the start of it, such that the finding of Xue Yang by the side of the road happened either shortly before or shortly after he got out (and, in this case, went to Yiling)

and they have no reason to visit Yiling, so...all that...plays out. as in canon

no reason to visit Yiling, that is, until Xue Yang is sitting on the floor of the coffin house clutching a bag containing the shards of Xiao Xingchen's soul and feeling something like remorse for the first time in his life and he HATES it, he hates it SO GODDAMN MUCH, he wants to burn everyone who contributed to this to the ground and then torment their ghosts for centuries

so, he might then visit Yiling and the man said to be some sort of inheritor of the Yiling Patriarch's power. He almost certainly tries to play nice and helpless, just a good young man who made bad choices and lost his friend, and Lan Wangji probably tries to give him the benefit of the doubt and...yeah that does not last long.

especially if A-Qing has anything to say mime about it

Xue Yang has a fierce corpse on call and the won't-stay-down attitude of a feral weasel on crack who hates you personally, but Lan Wangji has a the home court advantage, including extensive practice siphoning and applying power from the Burial Mounds, and he's fucking Hanguang-jun.

Result: Lan Sizhui gets a sad fierce corpse uncle and a cheerfully-refusing-to-pass-on ghost-jie

HARD CUT uh...10? Ish? Years later? Wei Wuxian aka Mo Xuanyu is quickly giving up the idea of subtle launching fierce corpses at this hand bc at this point it's either out himself or people die, and the latter is not acceptable. He's just about to whistle them in when a ghost whips in and probably saves someone's life by knocking them out of the way. One of the Lan babies shrieks and hides behind another one - but a third points excitedly to the sky and shouts, "Oh, it's Lan Sizhui! Sizhui, over here!"

and who should descend by sword but one Nice Young Man(TM) with a guqin that he plays while switching effortlessly back and forth between spiritual and resentful energy, which, damn, Wei Wuxian didn't even know that was an option. I mean, it wasn't, for him, but...damn! What a clever kid! Did someone teach him?!

oh yeah, imminent danger of death by angry left hand -

Wei Wuxian does have to openly intervene, or at least, obviously intervene by fierce corpse and shouting some instructions at the kids, and then letting this Sizhui kid take the credit for the fierce corpses and trying to book it but, uh...getting caught. By aforementioned Sizhui kid. Who is polite and formal and, Wei Wuxian points out, extremely un-GusuLan-like, what with the bothering him and also the demonic cultivation. There's probably still the ghost of a teenage girl following them and making rude gestures at Wei Wuxian for insulting her little brother

"That's because I'm from the Yiling branch," Lan Sizhui admits, a little shame-facedly except that it's definitely fake shame. 

"Hmm?" says Wei Wuxian, like he knows what that means but is curious for more information (as opposed to have no goddamn idea what that means and desperately wanting more information)

"I, ah, study with Hanying-jun" says Lan Sizhui, who doesn't want to make a big deal out of his parentage. 

"Hmm?" says Wei Wuxian, who is fucking Dying here "I thought I might escort you home with me, so you can get properly cleansed after manipulating those corpses. One must be careful, of course." He sighs in a slightly teenagerish way. "It'll take most of a day, probably, after that arm. I try to use only spiritual energy on night hunts, but that was...pretty bad." 

Wei Wuxian, internally: okay, CONS: getting spiritually cleaned by Lans, even possibly Cool Lans - ugh, why are Lans always like this. PROS: finding out who the fuck this "Hanying-jun” is, bc...what the fuck. In Yiling? Is he stealing MY schtick?? And I can't just ASK, because clearly this kid expects me to recognize the title, which means Mo Xuanyu would probably recognize the title, and even a Lan who practices some sort of resentful energy manipulation isn't just going to be okay with suddenly meeting the Yiling Patriarch...And i can always run if I have to. 

WWX: I mean...okay! I don't have anything else to do!

except they do detour to Dafan Mountain a little because Lan Sizhui wasn't raised quite Lan enough to beat out the rebellious teenager streak and he wants to fight a big monster, and Jiang Cheng nearly fucking draws Zidian on sight bc he really. Hates. The Yiling Lans. And then Lan Wangji shows up just bc he heard about a ruckus and figured it was a good place to find his son

and then goddess statue, Wen Ning, terrible bamboo flute...

it's definitely not 'til after Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng have started and maybe finished fighting before Wie Wuxian finds out that the mysterious bastard who totally stole his spot as Dark Lord of Yiling is Hanguang-jun

or, you know...different title now

apparently

and then LWJ takes him and orders him bathed and - wait actually if they've developed elaborate formal spiritual purification rituals to balance handing resentful energy, he. he probably does order Wei Wuxian bathed

and then brought to his room

oh wow

beautiful

AND THEN PLOT RESUMES AS NORMAL?!? except possibly several questions of romance and Lan Sizhui's history get cleared up much faster 

also Lan Wangji - Hanying-jun - doesn’t have as peerless a reputation to trade on. Public opinion is probably fairly split between camps of, like, “he’s doing a good and noble thing, cleaning the Burial Mounds” vs. “the Lans say it’s okay so it must be, but wow that seems dangerous and/or useless” vs. “demonic cultivation is always eeeevil!” Among cultivators specifically, it’s more the first two, but...performatively more the first, genuinely more the second.

[trnquilgalileo]

WayV as MDZS characters

Because I love them and I love MDZS

Ten as Wei Wuxian

Main character energy

Need I say more?

Always has something say

Never shuts up

I swear I love him🥺

Would, 100% raise the dead because he could

But he’s also so so so loving

In his own way ofc

Bad bitch vibes

Also big Lan Xichen vibes

Has « attempted » to set up his little sister with Yangyang

Would 100% set up his little brothers with someone

Kun as Jiang Cheng

Stressed

Need I really say more?

Already a father of 6

Please give this mans a vacation

The Lunar New Year video where all he would just yell and drink

Big Jiang Cheng energy

Minus the drinking

Mans is Fanon Jiang Cheng x 100 sweeter

(Cause Canon Jiang Cheng isn’t exactly healthy )

But big sweet

Fuck it, he’s also Jiang Yanli

Cause soup is life

I love Kun

Winwin as Lan Wangji

Quiet

Only loud with his members

Only sweet with people he likes

A whole mood tbh

Plus Winwin knows traditional Chinese dance

But he’s in a cpop? kpop? group

Basically Lan Wangji

Traditional man who does rebellious things on occasion

Big silent judging energy

Tell me that also isn’t Lan WangJi

Also him interacting with Ten on WINformation

Basically Wangji and Wuxian

Except Wangji is silently loving his husband

Unlike Winwin playfully debating with Ten

It’s just Ten bring out that energy in people

But yes Winwin as Lan Zhan

Unrelated, but i love winwin

Lucas as Lan Sizhui

Mans is baby

Baby energy

That’s all that needs to be said

Also after the wayv princess party

(lol what was that, I swear something awoke in them)

Hes more gentler

Which is so🥺🥺

Also he does have a way with words

Very wise in his own special Lucas way

Also imagine 6’0 Lan Shizui towering over the sect leaders like

« Let’s be friendly🥰🥰 »

Also chaotic

And let’s be honest

Lan Shizui is so chaotic

Boy was raised by Wei Wuxian for his first couple years

And Lucas big chaotic man

Hendery as Ouyang Zizhen

When Hendery first debuted he was referred to as Prince Eric

And still upholds that title to this day

Like fuck it up Hendery

Yes, king energy!!

(Omg i accidentally posted this so now I gotta type quickly)

But tell me

Ouyang Zizhen

The most romantic out of the juniors

Wouldn’t love being called a prince

Mans is a prince in and out

Also let’s be honest he is chaotic

Look at his friends

Talked back to his dad?? Yes.

Also Hendery smiling in the midst of choas is my mans Ouyang Zizhen

Xiaojun as Jin Ling

Kun’s golden child

(The only reason I included this gif)

Let’s be honest okay

Mans is also stressed

And angry

Will defend Mint Chocolate chip till the bitter end

Big Jin Ling energy

Also Bella = Fairy

I said it

He loves Bella so much

Love that father daughter relationship

But you also know who loves their dog so much

That’s right

Jin Ling

He cares for Fairy so so much

Aaaa

Give more Bella content

Also give us live action Luo Binghe as Xiaojun

They both have strong eyebrows

Yangyang as Lan Jingyi

My bias

I love him

So I’ll be the first to admit

Hes a little shit

So basically Lan Jingyi

Lan Jingyi bullying Jin Ling

Same energy as Yangyang bullying Xiaojun

I swear I love him

Also Sizhui! Lucas trying to calm both Ling! Xiaojun And Jingyi! Yangyang is everything

« Looks like a sheep but is a tiger » -Winwin

I think

That’s a paraphrase not a direct quote

But yes, Yangyang isn’t an innocent boy

Hes a naughty one that gets away with everything because look at that smile

Basically Lan Jingyi

Sassy boy.

This was so self indulgent I am so so sorry

[imaginaryelle]

Fic: And One He Writes Himself

(also yesssss. \o/ headcanon, but even though everyone blames wwx for the new rules, lwj going off script 100% freaked the clan out way more and imo would make the clan elders far more likely to chip out some more lines on the wall than anything wwx could do alone, lol)

@vera-invenire​​, here it is! Thanks very much for the prompt, I had a lot of fun writing for it :D Many thanks also to @morphia-writes​​ and @miyuki4s for their wonderful beta work, you are all awesome people.

Tags: CQL-verse, Chief Cultivator Lan Wangji, Wangxian, five times fic, pining, getting together, first kiss, long distance relationship (with meet-ups)

Length: ~6k (AO3 link here!)

**

1: Do Not Use Clan Techniques Inappropriately

*

To His Excellency, the esteemed Chief Cultivator, Hanguang-jun, the letter begins.

How will you ever know which letters are mine if I start them so formally? I promise, I promise, never again. Forever onwards you will be only Lan Zhan in letters, no matter what I have to write on the address.

But Lan Zhan, did you know? I’ve heard the most outrageous rumor lately. It’s the talk of traveling merchants and wine houses everywhere that you used the Lan Clan silence spell during the last cultivation conference. On every sect leader! Lan Zhan is so cruel. How could you do such a thing—and not invite me to see it? A baker in Yingchuan said Sect Leader Ouyang turned redder than his robes, and that Sect Leader Yao risked his throat and mouth still trying to speak. I’m tempted to call on Jiang Cheng and extract a full account from him, but we’d probably only fight again. Especially if you used it on him, too! Perhaps Jin Ling will be more accommodating for his long-lost uncle. Can I even think to trust a version of the tale from our dear Sect Leader Nie? I’m sure he managed to keep his voice unhindered, sly fox that he’s become.

It looks as if the rain is letting up, so my caravan will be leaving soon. I’ve heard all my life how beautiful Kuizhou is and now I finally have the time to visit. Have you seen it? I’ll send sketches of the landscape in my next letter; if you’ve been, we can compare notes, and if you haven’t perhaps they’ll help you decide if the rumors are true. For now, I can only offer this picture of your Gusu mountains. Think of it as a promise that I’ll come see them again someday.

Yours,

Wei Ying

P.S. I know you won’t tell me the story yourself, but I plan to beg you for it anyway. A tale like this is too good to keep behind your lips.

Lan Wangji reads it twice, committing the ebullient flow of Wei Ying’s writing to memory. The drawing is inked in a looser hand than he remembers from portraits and rabbits so many years ago, but he recognizes the landscape as the ridge on which they bid each other farewell, as seen from the trail towards the Qingling mountains.

He sets it to the side, smooths it carefully, and tries to take up his work again. The Jin Clan’s collected accounts of the last twenty years are neatly stacked before him, the white-gold bindings gleaming in yellow lantern light. He even manages to open one before his mind flits away, following the swooping energy of Wei Ying’s brush strokes into the night. He puts down the ledger, snuffs out the lantern, and stands. Perhaps he will check on the rabbits before curfew.

There is no announcement to go with the new rule listed in the main courtyard; it simply appeared on the Wall one morning, and then in all the library copies on the day after. But rumor swirls, of course, even in this place where gossip is prohibited. Perhaps especially here, behind white-and-blue sleeves in the juniors’ classes and through barely-moving-lips in the crafting, sword and music halls. As seems to be happening ever more frequently in the past few months, the name on the wind is Hanguang-jun.

Lan Wangji walks the wide, wandering paths between the back mountain and the Jingshi with the crisp folds of Wei Ying’s letter pressed between his yi and hanfu, over his heart. “Inappropriately” is a qualifier with more leniency than he is used to hearing from the Lan Clan elders. He wonders, with a sudden surge of surprise, if they are just as unsettled by and unprepared for his appointment to the position of Chief Cultivator as everyone else. Or perhaps it is simply that they have all attended more cultivation conferences between them than he ever wants to imagine. He can’t be the first Lan to have such an impulse. Loudly proclaimed falsehoods are, after all, exactly what the silencing spell was created to counter.

Yes. He is secure in his judgment. He has no doubts.

If the Sect Leaders cannot restrain themselves to speaking the truth, they will not speak to him at all.

*

2. Do Not Bother the Kitchen Staff

*

It’s supposed to be a surprise. A good surprise, for Wei Ying’s first visit to Cloud Recesses since Lan Wangji’s appointment as Chief Cultivator. He’s been working on it for weeks, ever since he received the letter declaring Wei Ying’s intent to visit for Qixi: he knows that Wei Ying’s greatest complaint about Cloud Recesses is the food, and so he will make certain Wei Ying has at least one meal more fitting to his tastes.

He knows it’s foolish, wishful thinking, but the idea that if he could just fix this one thing Wei Ying would stay has snuck into his mind, and so he purchases dried chilies and their oil from Yunmeng and spicy peppercorns and ginger from Caiyi, and rises before five every day for two weeks so that he might visit the kitchens and learn enough to prepare something simple.

If the kitchen staff are curious about his presence, they never let him see it. Li Jing seems pleased enough to teach him—stern and exacting, but never cruel—and pronounces the dishes of hot clear noodles, freshly pickled mushrooms and spicy tofu soup Lan Wangji produces “acceptable,” which is the highest praise she ever gives anyone. He makes them again the afternoon Wei Ying arrives, so that they will be ready for the evening banquet. He leaves a preservation talisman over the tray, and a note: For Wei Wuxian’s Return.

He doesn’t have time to check on it again. Wei Ying arrives like a spring storm, wild and sudden and casting the quiet paths of Cloud Recesses into disarray. He flits here and there like a blown leaf, greeting Lan Sizhui with an enthusiasm that violates at least three Clan principles before teasing Lan Jingyi with familiar humor and then complaining aloud—and loudly—that the rabbits still don’t like him. Never once does he venture further away than the reach of Lan Wangji’s shadow, and rarely even so far as that, but it is still not quite enough to quiet the tangled threads that pull and knot in Lan Wangji’s center. The press of paper against his chest is a habit born of a new kind of waiting, and now that Wei Ying is here, in front of him, the warmth it brings is more distraction than comfort.

Evening comes quickly, sweeping over Cloud Recesses with a cool, creeping fog and painting the mountain peaks in lively shades of red. Wei Ying tips his head back to watch a pair of cranes fly overhead and Lan Wangji watches the tilt of his mouth as he smiles and the line of his neck as he turns and waits.

He would have preferred a private dinner in the Jingshi, where Wei Ying might pair his special meal with his favorite wine and there would be no audience to comment on a lingering touch of fingertips as the cup passed between them. But it is not to be: his uncle is eating alone to aid his recovery after several days’ work refreshing the outer wards and his brother is still in seclusion, and so it falls on Lan Wangji to be present in the main dining hall for the evening meal.

Wei Ying pouts at this revelation but he joins the crowd without much protest—with so little in the way of objections, in fact, that Lan Wangji is certain he has some small rebellion in mind. As he is a single note of black and red in a chorus of white and blue, whatever it is is sure to be noticeable, but perhaps the food will be distraction enough. It is at least different from what Wei Ying has been served in Cloud Recesses before. Different enough that he frowns at it, and then opens his mouth to speak before he catches the slight shake of Lan Wangji’s head: silence during meals. Instead he fishes a whole dried pepper out of his soup for inspection and shoots Lan Wangji a questioning glance. The look of glee on his face when Lan Wangji nods is so captivating that Lan Wangji hardly even looks at his own portion before he starts eating.

It’s not that he doesn’t notice the unexpected added spice; his mouth burns after the very first bite, but Wei Ying’s surprised pleasure is worth any momentary discomfort. Even if it means he can’t actually taste most of the meal. It’s only when Lan Jingyi makes a faint choking noise that he realizes anyone else’s food has been affected. He can see the moment Wei Ying notices it too—his lips curl in like he’s clamped them together with his teeth trying not to smile, and his eyes widen even as he determinedly doesn’t look at anyone. Lan Wangji keeps his own eyes lowered as he examines the room. He is abruptly thankful that his uncle is not present, but many of the other elders are not so lucky. Several have already gestured for more tea or rice, an action that quickly ripples through the attending juniors as well.

The prohibition against talking during meals has never felt so smotheringly present as in this moment, watching faces turn red behind fiercely-clutched cups of tea. It’s Lan Bai who stands from his table and glares at Wei Ying, his face transformed more with emotion than the spicy food. He doesn’t speak—silence during meals—but he flaps his sleeve derisively and starts to sweep contemptuously past them, and Lan Wangji knows he will go straight to the Grandmaster, and then to the Sect Leader if he is still unsatisfied, because he always does. It will be an unpleasant waste of everyone’s time and an unnecessary stress on both of them because Lan Wangji already knows this incident is highly unlikely to repeat itself. It can only have happened at all in Li Jing’s absence, which means she has been called away earlier than expected for her grandchild’s birth in Caiyi.

“Do not be picky about food,” he reminds Lan Bai, and even the clicking of chopsticks stops in the wake of it. Lan Bai looks so affronted that for a moment Lan Wangji thinks he will actually argue the point.

Anything that might have been said is promptly forgotten as Wei Ying hurriedly stands and runs from the hall. He makes it just outside the doors before laughter bursts out of him, loud and joyous and likely audible to the whole of Cloud Recesses. Lan Wangji holds Lan Bai’s gaze. He will not have this falling on Wei Ying’s shoulders, and he is no longer just the Second Jade of Lan, too young and too-headstrong, who spends too much time away from home. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Lan Sizhui nudge Lan Jingyi, and both pick up their chopsticks. Slowly, the normal sounds of dinner resume, if with a great deal more tea than usual. Slowly, Lan Bai manages a rather stiff bow and excuses himself without further dramatics.

After he’s gone Wei Ying returns, mirth still spilling from every movement. He finishes his meal without speaking but it’s clear, as cultivators file out of the hall in silent rows, that he has plenty to say.

“That was—” He laughs again in the quiet of the Jingshi. “Lan Zhan, I can hardly believe someone so righteous as you would do such a thing. And to so many at once! Do you know how many times I tried to get into the kitchens when I was a student here?”

“It was unintentional,” Lan Wangji admits as he pours wine into Wei Ying’s cup. The incident is, in retrospect, rather reminiscent of a childish prank, and he should not be surprised to learn that Wei Ying might have planned something similar. “My preparation of your portion was not meant as a general instruction.”

Wei Ying accepts the cup with a soft brush of fingertips and a grateful smile, and then stills with it halfway to his mouth.

“Lan Zhan.” He sets the cup down with a sharp click. “Are you—Lan Zhan you made that? You—” his gaze drops for a moment and then he slides around the corner of the table to sit beside Lan Wangji instead of across from him. “You cooked that? For me?” His eyes are very wide, all traces of humor gone.

Lan Wangji hesitates, his fingers curling deeper in his sleeves. Perhaps his confidence was misplaced.

“Was it unpalatable?” he asks, because of course that’s possible. He hardly knows what the dishes are supposed to taste like to someone who actively enjoys them.

“It was delicious,” Wei Ying assures him. He reaches out with both hands and finds Lan Wangji’s fingers, and then his wrist. “Perfect.” He laughs, the sound a little watery. “I can’t believe—” he squeezes Lan Wangji’s hand, “—no one’s cooked just for me since—” he breaks off and turns away. His breath shudders through his frame.

Lan Wangji turns his wrist and links Wei Ying’s fingers through his own. This is perhaps not the reaction he hoped for, but he is hardly unfamiliar with the ways grief can lie in wait to ambush the most vigilant of minds.

“Sorry.” Wei Ying’s grip tightens. He manages to meet Lan Wangji’s eyes before ducking his head again, his chin tucked to his chest. “Sorry, sorry, this is—I don’t know why I—”

“It is alright, Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji guides his head back up and wipes the tears from Wei Ying’s cheek with his sleeve. “I’m here,” he promises. For you, always here for you, goes unspoken, caught somewhere deep in his chest.

Wei Ying’s face crumples. “Lan Zhan,” he says, the syllables half strangled on a sob, and he leans first into Lan Wangji’s shoulder and then sinks lower, until his head rests on Lan Wangji’s forearm above their joined hands, and he cries. It is not a particularly comfortable position, but Lan Wangji does not protest, even when Wei Ying’s tears soak through his sleeves to dampen his skin. He is, for a moment, at something of a loss for what to do. A faded memory comes to him of another night in this room, so long ago it’s more feeling than image: his mother’s soothing warm hands on his back and soft humming above him. And then another memory: Lan Zhan, won’t you sing for me echoing back at him from two decades passed.

He strokes Wei Ying’s shuddering shoulders, and he hums, soft and soothing, and he holds Wei Ying’s hand until he quiets, wrung out and limp with exhaustion.

Tomorrow he will rise early and prepare another meal for Wei Ying’s breakfast, shuttered away from curious eyes and open judgment. Tomorrow there will be music, and stories of mountains and rivers they never saw in their youth. Tomorrow they will walk the paths of his home side-by-side, and visit Little Apple and the rabbits, and he will watch Wei Ying revel in the afternoon sun. Tomorrow, together, they will build a lantern and release a promise to the heavens.

Tonight, he unbinds Wei Yings hair and combs it smooth with long, slow motions. Tonight he guides Wei Ying carefully to the bed and removes his boots and sees him settled under the blankets. Tonight he holds Wei Ying’s hand in his own and sits vigil against any specters of memory or dream that might come to haunt him, and for tonight—for tonight, that is enough.

*

3. Do Not Be Overly Affectionate in Public

*

“Pssst. Wei-qianbei.”

Wei Wuxian stops, much to Little Apple’s annoyance, and lets one hand slide down to Chenqing as he inspects his surroundings more closely. Cloud Recesses’ main gate is just around this bend in the path, and sometimes he thinks the donkey might be looking forward to their arrival even more than he is.

“Wei-qianbei.” A flash of white on the mountainous side of the path reveals Lan Jingyi, stumbling down to meet him with Lan Sizhui at his side and a gaggle of other young Lans in his wake.

“A-Yuan,” Wei Wuxian greets Lan Sizhui with a grin, “and so many upright young Lans. Whatever could you all be doing outside your own warded walls?”

Lan Sizhui steps forward. “Wei-qianbei,” he says with a bow, proper as anything, “before you meet with Hanguang-jun, there’s something you should see.”

Wei Wuxian purses his lips, considering. “How many rules are you planning to break with this venture?” he asks.

“Um. None.” Lan Sizhui looks back at his companions and then nods firmly. “It’s actually the Wall of Discipline we want to show you.”

Wei Wuxian clicks his tongue in disappointment. Youthful creativity squandered once again. “Really, A-Yuan, don’t they teach you Lans anything about negotiations? This proposal is not at all appealing to me. I’ve seen enough of those rules to last a lifetime. Or two.”

“We know that.” Lan Jingyi folds his arms over his chest and smiles like he has something to be smug about. “But we think you’ll want to see this one.”

Hm. There’s a bit of cunning in Lan Jingyi’s expression that Wei Wuxian must admit is refreshing to see in a Lan. And he’ll have to walk past the rules anyway, on his way to the Jingshi. It can’t really hurt to take a look.

“You see?” He gestures at Lan Jingyi. “This is much more intriguing. Take note.” He ponders for another moment, then nods. “Alright,” he agrees, nudging Little Apple back into motion. “But it had better be quick.”

They get some curious looks from the cultivators on gate duty, and it takes some time to get Little Apple settled, but soon enough they’re in the main courtyard, staring at the engraved hunk of rock that dictates so much of life in Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian isn’t certain what he’s supposed to be looking at. Yes, there’s a new rule: Do not be overly affectionate in public. He’s just not certain what was so important about it to merit a special visit.

“It was added months ago,” Lan Wangji says, appearing at his shoulder. “Shortly after your departure.”

Wei Wuxian looks up at him, searching for some hint of what he’s supposed to be understanding here. Lan Wangji is doing his best impression of an implacable jade statue, which generally means he’s having some very pointed thoughts indeed. Wei Wuxian leans in to jostle his shoulder and gets a faintly amused deepening of the corner of Lan Wangji’s mouth in response. Success.

“How long was that, a few breaths?” Lan Jingyi asks to their right, too-loud as ever. “A count of ten?”

“I’m not certain that breaks it,” Lan Sizhui says, softer, “You’ve never been punished.”

That prompts Wei Wuxian to watch Lan Wangji more closely, waiting for confirmation or denial. But surely not. Surely they couldn’t mean...

Slowly, ever so slightly, Lan Wangji nods.

Wei Wuxian stares at the characters so carefully etched into the rock and struggles to contain his laughter.

“Lan Zhan,” he says, trying to hide his snickering behind his sleeve. “Lan Zhan, they can’t be serious. This sounds like they think I’m going to ravish you in the central courtyard.” It’s a joke. Very much a joke. He would happily ravish Lan Wangji in private, of course, if he could ever be certain Lan Wangji was interested in such pastimes, but—

“It’s not you they’re worried about,” Lan Jingyi says, though his smirk slides off his face almost as soon as it’s out of his mouth. Lan Wangji’s gaze settles on him for a moment, until Wei Wuxian draws his attention back by tugging at his sleeve because that—that doesn’t make sense.

“Lan Zhan,” he says. “Is this—this can’t be about Qixi. Can it?”

Lan Wangji looks away. The tips of his ears are turning pink.

“It is?” Wei Wuxian thinks hard, but he can’t remember anything from his last visit that would be drastic enough to prompt a new rule as a response. He frowns. “But we only built a lantern together. Building a lantern is hardly debauchery in public.” Even if it had felt like a bit more than just building a lantern at the time, with the mix of hope and nostalgia rising in his chest.

“Wei Ying is shameless,” Lan Wangji observes.

“I was a perfect gentleman!” Wei Wuxian protests. Well, alright, perhaps he had been overly touchy in his affection for Lan Sizhui. Or overly loud, at least. And there had been, admittedly, several moments where he’d had to to sternly restrain himself from kissing Lan Wangji in full view of all his elders and students. He had restrained himself precisely because he hadn’t wanted to spend the precious after-dinner hours of the festival writing lines or banished to kneel somewhere as some sort of penance. And also because even he wasn’t so shameless as to subject his first kiss to such a display. What if he did it wrong? Getting it wrong in front of Lan Wangji would be bad enough, but the whole of his clan as well? It hardly bears thinking about.

And yet, Lan Jingyi had said…

Wei Wuxian does have some well-worn memories of that time, of Lan Wangji’s steady presence at his side and the jumping, choking pulse of hope and want thrumming under his skin. There had been moments. When Lan Wangji plucked leaves out of his hair after an afternoon’s game with some of the younger Lan disciples. When their hands had touched over and over and over again as they built their shared lantern. The way Lan Wangji had looked at him after they’d released it. The mornings, when Lan Wangji presented him with breakfast made especially for Wei Wuxian, and the evenings too, when they played together, sharing songs both old and new, or simply sat together in easy quiet with a cup of Emperor’s Smile passed between them: one to pour, one to drink, fingers brushing. Moments when he’d thought—maybe that kiss was going to happen.

Maybe Lan Wangji had thought that too. Maybe—maybe he was waiting for Wei Wuxian to move first, maybe—

“Lan Zhan.” He reaches for Lan Wangji’s sleeve again. Lets his fingers slide down to linger on Lan Wangji’s own.

Lan Wangji turns, just slightly. Just enough to actually be facing him. There’s a quickly muffled noise to their right, which Wei Wuxian resolutely ignores.

“Lan Zhan,” he repeats, softer. “I really… I really do like you.” He shifts closer.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji’s fingers clench around his hand, and Wei Wuxian squeezes back.

“I like you so much,” he says, “and I wish...” He drops his gaze to Lan Wangji’s lips. “I wish...” His words dry up. All he can do is squeeze Lan Wangji’s hand tighter and stare at him and hope that—that his intent is clear. That Lan Wangji… understands and—

And then Lan Wangji is kissing him, moving their linked hands up to Wei Wuxian’s jaw and holding him still with Bichen pressed against his side and kissing him, and Wei Wuxian suddenly remembers the rules—rules Lan Wangji is breaking! For him!—and their audience, and he can’t stop the blush that burns on his face and neck but he’s not going to stop kissing Lan Wangji either.

“That definitely breaks it, right?” Lan Jingyi says in a whisper that is likely louder than he thinks it is, and Lan Wangji pulls away.

Wei Wuxian, embarrassingly, whimpers a bit, which turns into a only-somewhat aborted exclamation of surprise as Lan Wangji turns and starts dragging him along in the general direction of the Jingshi.

“Lan Zhan!” He jogs a little to keep up. He wonders how many rules they are breaking now—they’re not exactly running, but they’re certainly moving faster than usual. He’s definitely making noise. Is kissing someone still an impulsive act if he’s spent months and months thinking about it? And he’s quite certain that anyone looking at his expression, at least, would mark him down for “excessively happy” because the smile he’s wearing feels like it’s been stamped onto his face.

“Lan Zhan!” He stops in the Jingshi’s doorway and clings to the wall a little and waits for Lan Wangji to look at him along the taut line of their still-joined hands.

“What is it?” Lan Wangji’s voice is unexpectedly flat, and his grip on Wei Wuxian’s hand tightens as his eyes drop to that point of connection. As if he is perhaps afraid Wei Wuxian will try to slip free now.

“I just wanted to say, it is an honor to break the Lan Clan rules with you.” Wei Wuxian’s grin widens as Lan Wangji’s gaze narrows. He loves that glare so much. So, so much it feels like emotion is going to burst out of him like a breaking dam. “And,” he adds, gleeful and almost giddy, “I’m happy to help you break that one again any time you like.”

There is a moment of considering silence.

“Perhaps,” Lan Wangji allows, a smile pulling at the edges of his lips, and Wei Wuxian steps over the threshold and lets himself be pulled in like the moon pulls the tide—surging, crashing, and eternal.

*

4. Do Not Speak to Wei Wuxian

*

There is a new rule on the Wall of Discipline. Lan Wangji glares at it, which has little effect except to make his lover cling to his sleeve and laugh at him.

“Unjust,” Lan Wangji mutters. The rule has, admittedly, come in the wake of three separate disturbances to the Lan Sect’s calm, quiet existence, but Wei Ying is not to blame for them. If anything, it had been Lan Wangji himself who asked his young students the question: Who is just, and who is evil? Who is wrong and who is right? Who decides what is black and what is white? And how will you tell the difference outside these walls? 

Just because Wei Ying is present in Cloud Recesses does not make him responsible for disruptions, even if he does take a certain amount of glee in watching such debates unfold.

Wei Ying’s glee is currently threatening to completely undo him as he collapses under the force of his own humor, more and more of his weight coming to bear where he holds Lan Wangji’s wrist.

“Lan Zhan,” he gasps, laughing enough to be hardly intelligible, “this is my favorite rule.”

Lan Wangji steadies him and waits, patiently, for an explanation. There usually is an explanation even if it is not always something Lan Wangji himself would consider reasonable or logical. Wei Ying tries to speak three times, each instance interrupted by a fresh peal of laughter before he finally heaves a few calming breaths and stands straight.

“Lan Zhan,” he says, wiping tears from his eyes, “with this rule, any time your uncle yells at me, he must break it. And the other elders! How will they punish me for talking at meals and running in the courtyards if they can’t speak to me?”

Lan Wangji’s lips twitch. “Ridiculous,” he says.

Wei Ying smiles, wide and exuberant. “Yes, yes, yes, so many of your rules are ridiculous,” he agrees, which is not what Lan Wangji meant, but he is well familiar with Wei Ying’s opinion in this matter. “But Lan Zhan,” he continues, “this one is silly. If only speaking to me were such a danger then you, you! Hanguang-jun, the Second Jade of Lan, the Chief Cultivator! You would be entirely beyond hope.” He shakes his head, incredulous and dismissive. Matter closed.

The implication, Lan Wangji is certain, is meant to be that he is obviously still an upstanding member of the Lan Clan, committed to its principles. This is true, but is perhaps truest in Wei Ying’s eyes, and in his own self-perception, rather than that view belonging to his Clan’s elders; Lan Wangji’s interpretation of the rules differs from his Uncle’s, and he knows the friction that causes is unlikely to resolve itself quickly. And then there are the rules he breaks willingly, repeatedly. The rules he is breaking right now, standing here with Wei Ying without attempting to hide either his affection for the man before him or his critique of an elder’s decisions. Speaking to him, as is apparently now prohibited. Lan An’s principles—and his exceptions—are well known to the Lan Clan elders, but Lan Wangji is still certain his ancestor would be much more forgiving of his transgressions than his living relatives are.

“Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying leans into him, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Do you want to know the best thing about this rule?”

Lan Wangji nods, and Wei Ying presses his lips tightly together, perhaps suppressing another laugh.

“Lan Zhan,” he whispers, leaning ever closer, until his hair brushes Lan Wangji’s ear and his breath is warm on Lan Wangji’s face. “Just think,” he says, conspiratorial and jubilant oh-so-dear, “I can never be punished for breaking it.”

*

5. Do Not Vandalize Sect Property

*

Their belongings are packed, the weather is clear, and Wei Ying is eager to return to the road. Lan Wangji, if pressed—by Wei Ying, in a quiet moment caught between breaths, private to themselves—might allow that he is also pleased to be leaving Cloud Recesses, at least for a time. To go night hunting again, to use his cultivation skills where they are most necessary, and to extract himself from the incessant politics of squabbling clans. To spend time with Wei Ying, and only Wei Ying, and to see the world as Wei Ying sees it. He has dedicated months of planning to this journey. Weeks of work to guarantee that they will not be interrupted, and that the cultivation world will weather his absence without more than the usual level of strife between sects. 

Still, he stops in the courtyard, before the Wall.

“I will meet you at the back gates,” he says.

Wei Ying shoots him a curious look. “Is this about whatever had you talking to Zewu-jun for days and days?”

“I will meet Wei Ying at the gates,” Lan Wangji repeats. This topic is only tangentially related to matters he has discussed with his brother recently, and it only concerns Wei Ying in the way that most of Lan Wangji’s life concerns Wei Ying—his thoughts ever returning to him like the flow of rivers into the sea. There will be time to inform him of this later, when they are alone on the little-used mountain path to the southern provinces. He retrieves a bundle of bok choy and carrot tops from his sleeve and holds it out for Wei Ying to take. “For the rabbits.”

Wei Ying pouts, but he takes both the vegetables and the direction. “Secret Lan Clan business,” he mutters. He frowns and shakes the carrot tops at Lan Wangji. “You could have told me you were planning something.”

Lan Wangji could have, it’s true, but he knows Wei Ying. Even the hint of something unusual is enough to keep his interest for days—often long days, featuring frequent leading questions—ambushes from a probing enemy. And this is Clan business. Clan politics. Involving Wei Ying even as an observer courts resentment at best and chaos at worst. Wei Ying himself at least seems to realize the same. He sighs and waves the topic away.

“If you take too long the rabbits might start to like me best,” he teases instead, turning away and deliberately avoiding Lan Wangji’s skepticism.

Lan Wangji watches him until he’s out of sight and waits several slow, steady moments longer. He has gathered an audience, eyes watching from latticed windows, just-barely-open doors, and entirely-too-convenient conversations stopped just far enough away to allow observation. But that has been true of his life for years now—eyes wherever he goes, whatever he does. Here, now, perhaps it will actually be useful.

He approaches the wall and runs two fingers along the top edge, where he can feel the protective layers of generations of cultivators’ wards and talismans sunk into the stone. He could break them, with enough effort, or unravel them with the right array, but it won’t be necessary. What he has planned should not interfere with any of them. He steps back, pulls a talisman from his sleeve, and centers himself. He’s still not certain the words are exactly right, but they are the closest he could get.

It’s easier than expected. Perhaps due to something in his bloodline, or his cultivation level, or the memories he can bring to bear, stretching back past this handful of years, past Wei Ying’s resurrection, past his death, past Lan Wangji’s own injuries and seclusion, stretching back across long years to a childhood spent etching rules into his bones in the hope of one more afternoon listening to his mother talk and laugh and sing.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps the Clan has simply depended more on custom and reverence to protect the Wall than he anticipated. Perhaps they thought to ward only against actual damage. Whatever the reason, it is only the work of a few heartbeats to write the seal, focus his intent, and let it go.

The ink shines against the stone, stark against the carvings: An attempt to control others is a loss of self.

It won’t scrub off, or be easily banished. It will wear away with time, and rain, and wind, as all the world does. It will last weeks, at least. Perhaps months. Long enough. He suspects, in the utter stillness that the courtyard has suddenly become, that even a day would be long enough.

He does not look at the watchers in the windows, or across the courtyard. He turns and walks away, looking only forward. To Wei Ying, who is sitting on the ground near the back mountain gate with a leaf of bok choy in one hand as he attempts to coax a rabbit ever closer.

Wei Ying, who pouts as Lan Wangji approaches and the rabbits immediately lose interest in his offering of treats, instead gathering around Lan Wangji’s ankles. Wei Ying, who stands and tosses the leaf aside with a disappointed sigh more befitting of a child than a cultivator of his talent.

“Important Clan business done with?” he asks.

“Mn.” Lan Wangji gently nudges the rabbits away and steps over them, joining Wei Ying and Little Apple at the gate’s threshold. Wei Ying nods a few times, like he’s not really aware of his actions.

“You know, Lan Zhan.” His voice is oddly low, the words stilted. His hands move aimlessly in the space between them. “If you’d rather stay here—if you don’t want to come—”

“I want to, Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji assures him before that line of thought can go any further.  He takes Little Apple’s lead and holds Wei Ying’s gaze. “The paths we walk do not need to be lonely ones.”

Wei Ying smiles, his eyes overbright, and something between a sigh and a laugh bursts from his lips. “Lan Zhan,” he says in something closer to his normal voice, “you just say these things and I can’t—” His hands rise warm and familiar to Lan Wangji’s jaw, and their lips meet, and Lan Wangji stands still and steady and kisses Wei Ying for as long as it takes for Little Apple to become agitated and shove her head into Wei Ying’s hips, pushing him back. Based on the displeased scrunching of Wei Ying’s face as he glares down at his donkey, Lan Wangji is certain they would both agree it wasn’t nearly long enough. But there will be more chances. More long afternoons, more starlit nights and soft morning sunrises to share. He watches Wei Ying shake his head fondly and rub the donkey’s ears. Watches him grip Chenqing at his belt and turn with a smile.

“Alright, Lan Zhan,” he says, the corners of his eyes crinkling with good humor and excitement and what Lan Wangji has tentatively started to think of as love, right there on his face for the whole world to see. “Where should we go first?”

[wangxianficrecs]

WangxianFicRecs Presents:

In-Universe Fanfiction

Anonymous said:

can you rec me some wangxian fics where they write fanfiction? idk if this exists but i think it would be funny if one of them wrote like yiling patriarch x hanguang-jun fanfiction and then the other one reads it and assumes its just a rando villager and then there's like some online exchange and then eventually they discover its the other one (prolly wei wuxian who writes it as a dare or joke, bc i can't see lan zhan doing that)

Lol, this ask reads like a prompt.  I haven’t read that one, but here are three, all of which are hilarious, with fanfic written by various Juniors....

❤️The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts

by aubreyli

T, 20k wangxian,  [my post here]

Summary:  Wei Wuxian’s hand jolts, spilling a drop of wine onto the tabletop. “Love?” he croaks, then clears his throat and tries again. “Lan Zh— uh, Hanguang-jun, in love?”

“Have you not heard the story?” the other young woman asks, looking pitying. “You must, it is a truly heartrending tale of star-crossed romance and mutual pining — go to any storyhouse in town, everyone has been requesting a reading of this book.”

“There’s a book?” Wei Wuxian says blankly.

In which the junior disciples (namely, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen, and a reluctant Lan Sizhui) turn to RPF in an attempt to rehabilitate Wei Wuxian’s reputation so that he and Hanguang-jun can get together and get married and live happily ever after. It’s… surprisingly effective.

Cut sleeve (m/m), slow burn, pining (lots of pining)

by Lucky_Moony

T, 6k, wangxian, zhuiyi,  [my post here]

Summary:  Nothing to see here, just Lan Jingyi writing fanfiction about his favorite ship: Wangxian.

Or

How Lan Sizhui discovered his best friend was writing romantic stories about his parents.

A Dramatic Reading

by pupeez4eva

No rating (I’d give it a G), 6k, wangxian, [my bookmark comment here]

Summary:  Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian make out in a room full of Sect Leaders, Jiang Cheng tearfully declares his love for his estranged brother, Sect Leaders Yao and Ouyang beg for the Yiling Patriarch’s forgiveness, and Lan Qiren openly welcomes a new nephew-in-law into his family.

None of them want to be doing any of this. Thanks to the Juniors, they don’t exactly have a choice.

(Or, wherein the Juniors accidentally write a cursed fanfiction, and everyone has to reenact their parts in it, or potentially cease to exist).

(You may wish to REBLOG as a signal boost for these authors if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[multsicorn]

Wei Wuxian makes families everywhere he goes.

[this got... long]

The first one, of course, is kind of cheating.  In Yunmeng Jiang, he’s taken in as a kid.  Jiang Cheng is made to share his bedroom with him.  And yet, though they were raised as siblings, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, and Wei Wuxian really did have to choose each other - and being ‘as siblings’ was also a choice.  Jiang Fengmian wanted it, set them up for it, (... sibling favoritism and all, lol), but Yu Ziyuan continually scolded her children for treating ‘the son of a servant’ as a beloved brother.  Both parents set Jiang Yanli and especially Jiang Cheng in competition against Wei Wuxian... and all three kids responded by choosing each others’ sides, by trying to take care of each other, by becoming closer than ever.

The second one is in the Burial Mounds.  I’ve gone on a bit about that ;).  ‘Sometimes a family is two mad scientists and a zombie who owe each other a series of mutually escalating life-debts’?  And also several dozen more war refugees, from elderly down to children, don’t forget that.  It is very incredibly unfortunate if one’s obligations to one’s new family conflict with one’s obligations to one’s earlier (but still present! not former!) other family - but, I mean, if you bring someone back from the dead with the asterisk that you can control them, whether you want to or not; if you’re co-running a village with someone... you’re some sort of family.

(What I always want, personally, is pretty much everyone else important to Wei Wuxian, and also therefore to the story, to ally themselves with and roll right up to the Burial Mounds, in ones or twos or with a whole crowd of followers.)

(My favorite sect really is Yiling Wei, huh.  Of course it is.)

And then, the third one, of course, is in the Cloud Recesses.  Eventually.  resurrection, and only under the auspices of Lan Wangji’s most murderously protective glares.  But also with Lan Xichen, who has always been kind and welcoming and encouraging to Wei Wuxian, who’s all fucked up about all kinds of things and still values his baby brother’s happiness.  With Lan Qiren, who’s disapproved of him for years.... like Yu Ziyuan hadn’t?  Wei Wuxian is chill and older and can deal with disapproval, and, anyway, I have faith that Lan Qiren can change.

With Lan Sizhui!!!  Returned from the radish patch, all unlooked for!!!  Man, there’s just something that moves me so much about someone who has all sorts of other obligations choosing to take on looking after a young child, too, because someone has to and who else is there, and, yes, becoming that child’s parent.  And so I will read Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji as Sizhui’s dads, no matter that it’s arguable vis-a-vis canon.  But I’m not usually even into the pairings I ship having children together - I mean, I’m not necessarily against it? but I’m not invested, I don’t care - ‘they have a son’ was used to try to sell me on this canon back in last winter, and I really don’t care - but the narrative with Sizhui is just.  So wonderful.  To me.

(and that got away from me a bit, lol.)  But I was going to say!  In the Cloud Recesses, with the most loving and devoted and protective husband in the whole damn world, with an approving brother-in-law and a disapproving uncle-in-law, with an adopted kid who turns out to already have been his own, and a whole contingent of young Lan disciples that Wei Wuxian has already pretty much picked up as his very own students/trainees just by virtue of them encountering a dangerous situation or three together.  He thrives as a teacher, and he deserves the whole multi-clan duckling assemblage, but Lan Jingyi and his unnamed peers are a pretty big component of that.

Anyway, the point is: family’s additive.  Let him have ALL the families.

The other point is: Wei Wuxian makes a home wherever he goes.  He’s never had one home (and that’s it).  His parents were wanderers, Yunmeng wasn’t his first home.  Cloud Recesses... might not be his last?  But he’s adaptable, more so than the lotuses he will grow wherever he can.  He doesn’t need to be in one specific place.  And he shapes a place by being there.

And the third point is: ... Wei Wuxian, throughout his teen and adult lives, latches onto everyone.  Anyone in need of his protection, or help... but as a kid?  Jiang Fengmian may have brought him to live in Lotus Pier, but it’s Jiang Yanli who brought him back from running into the woods, who insisted you belong here.  (And insisted the same thing to bb!Jiang Cheng, while we’re at it.)  Anything he knows about making other people his?  Wei Wuxian learned from his shijie.

And the fourth point: ... (you thought we were done with points?  But I have more family things to talk about, so there!)  Is that, of course, that Wei Wuxian’s an orphan.  So maybe he’s always looking for more family.  But he perks up hopefully and/or wistfully not just when hearing about his mother, but when anyone mentions his mother’s teacher.  Baoshen Sanren, who lives on the mountain.  There’s something there, but he could never find it... but when he meets Xiao Xingchen, one of her other disciples, he makes something of that connection.  Though they only travel together briefly (and then, later, of course, Xiao Xingchen dies).

So family can mean so very many different kinds of things.  A small nuclear family, too, small because the parents have left their homes behind; a lineage of teachers and disciples.  It doesn’t even have to stay in one place.

... I do think Wei Wuxian would like staying in one place, I think it would suit his domestic instincts well.  And any place he stays is not gonna have everyone he loves in it, most of the biggest shots of the cultivation world! are his family.  Beware every reunion.  But I also think he’s good at being happy, and making a place where he fits, everywhere that he goes.

[eyeslikefoxglove]

Episode 2 - Wei Wuxian has Foot-in-Mouth syndrome & Foxglove absolutely has a crush

Alright let’s go! It’s almost midnight so I might have to go to bed and continue tomorrow but... YOLO? I guess?

Fair warning, I will gush about cinematography and scenery like a lot. I have zero professional knowledge about it, but it’s pretty.

Wei “let me be really damn sexy when drinking” Wuxian.

He’s so done with everything omg it’s hilarious.

Ok but the actress who plays A-Yan is GORGEOUS.

Why does this show do “creepy yet beautiful” so damn good?

This might be my inner Rumplestiltskin talking but the second I heard “wish-granting fairy” I had to scream bullshit; all magic comes with a price.

My god Jin Ling would’ve gotten la zapatilla for talking to the people in the net like that if my granny had been there.

And I’ll never stop wondering who the fuck is in charge of logistics here. Because there you have A CIVILIAN wandering into a forest covered in magic nets.

That fucking donkey.

Watching this for the first time, with not prior knowledge must be fucking disconcerting. Because you have this literal walking disaster, who everyone (besides the gorgeous man in white) wants dead. But he’s a fucking mess and mostly harmless. So why? And it’s hilarious.

So maybe not that harmless. (Ok but badass WWX is kinda hot)

AND WWX DONE GOOFED. Feet in mouth syndrome at its finest.

Him sassing JL is hilarious.

OH HEY THAT’S MY HUSBAND RIGHT THERE!

But FR, the first time I saw JC in this scene I screamed: oh not he’s hoooooooot.

It’s the cheekbones. And the long hair. And the hands. And the fact that my self preservation instinct was left in-utero because I think getting that man riled up and angry over stupid shit would be hilarious.

... in my defence my family’s love language is being assholes to each other; but with affection you know?

JC: I am badass and have a temper don’t fuck with me.

Me: ok that’s valid but you’re also kind of an angry grape and spent ten minutes trying to find a polite way to say “fuck off and die” via letter.

WWX: why am I so unlike today.

WHEN ARE YOU LUCKY MATE? WHEN?

ooooooohhhhhh petty petty smackdown round one!

I love that JC is throwing digs at LWJ and LWJ is not even looking at him. I mean, the ducklings are carrying the conversation so this must not even be new to them.

Jin Ling is the Peacock, Sizhui is Shijie and Jingyi is a WWX/JC hybrid.

JC: what’s the bad news now?

Honestly? Same.

Why does Netflix not translate HJG as HGJ?

JC telling JL that he’ll break his legs if he fucks up has the same energy as my mum threatening me with making me go out on a Friday night if I don’t pass a test.

And yes, I make jokes about threatening physical violence here because it is my hc that, after the kind of parents the Yunmeng siblings had, JC took a look at JL and decided right then and there to stay away from his own parents’ methods.

I mean, one of my dad’s fave swears is: lord give me patience, because if you give me strength they’re all dead.

Which I find hilarious, so I can’t help but see the same thing in those two.

WWX finding out he’d disparaged his orphan nephew’s parents: It was at this moment that he knew he’d fucked up.

... well, that was creepy.

(Can I make the “compass that doesn’t point north and wooden sword” joke? Please?)

JIN LING SHUT UP.

Nopenopenopenoooooope.

So quick question, despite WWX coming back with his own body in this adaptation he does have a golden core right? Because he does some talisman and array things and he does mention when everyone is shit out of luck in the Burial Mounds that he, LWJ and the Ducklings are the only ones with spiritual energy. But he also gives his sword to WN to fight more often than not and he mentions that his body is “fragile”. So...

WWX just went into scolding/disappointed parent mode lol.

He just deduced everything correctly from a bunch of glittery grass. He’s fucking Sherlock and I can understand why NHS wanted him to help with his brother’s murder.

(Brief interlude so I can thirst over JC’s hands for a second again)

Jingyi is, as always, A Mood.

THE CINNAMON ROLL IS HERE.

“The Yiling Patriarch is not here!”

He’s right behind you mate.

So everyone is wearing Kevlar under their robes right? I’m going to assume so, because otherwise WN would’ve caved LSZ’s chest in with that chain throw. I mean, he punched right through stone so...

IT’S HERE.

IT’S HAPPENING.

NOBODY PANIC.

THE WRIST GRAB.

IS THAT A TIIIIIINY SMILE ON LWJ’S FACE?

THE DOUBLE WRIST GRAB.

LWJ’S SURPRISED FACE.

*screaming into a pillow*

Oh hey, hubby is back!

OMG I’m laughing at him scolding JL. Can’t help it.

Full disclosure, I love Zidian’s design.

Petty smackdown number two!

Lemme go on a Zidian tangent tho: IT’S A LIGHTNING WHIP. That shit should be devastating. Do you know how much voltage is in lightning? Too fucking much. Every time someone got hit with it you would have at least second to third degree burns, not to mention broken bones, muscle spasms and if you’re very very unlucky cardiac arrest. But you don’t. It doesn’t make sense? Help?

... why am I being logical over A FUCKING MAGIC WHIP.

Idk, it’s almost 1am don’t ask me that.

He really wanted his brother back didn’t he. I mean, he was so sure WWX was possessing that body and when nothing happened his face got all surprised and sad. That’s not the look of someone who wants to torture and murder the dude. That’s for sure.

LJY: didn’t you kill him yourself?

JC: conceal don’t feel don’t let them know.

Again, brilliant tiny flashback. We still don’t see what exactly happened at the cliff. You see LWJ holding onto WWX, you see a close up of JC stabbing down from above, but then it cuts to a wider frame and WWX is already falling. We are meant to assume JC did something like stab him on the face or hurt LWJ’s hand.

I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS OVER JC OK? He’s an angry grape but he’s my angry grape and he misses both his siblings.

Amazing transition again to a mega long flashback.

SHIJIE IS HERE. JC IS SMILING. WWX’S BIGGEST PROBLEMS ARE STEERING CLEAR OF DOGS AND HIS HORRIBLE ADOPTIVE MOTHER. *goes crying to read time-travel fix it fics*

(I’m gonna stop being all thirsty over JC at least until the SunShot Campaign bc 1. I think his mega crush on WQ is adorable and how I wish it’d worked out. & 2. He’s what? 17 at the beginning of this flashback? That feels creepy.)

It’s a little disturbing what WWX says about alcohol easing the mind tho. I mean he’s 17?

JC: A-Jie WWX is being mean to me!

So that’s episode 2 done. It’s 1am and my cat is begging me for food so I bet the neighbours love me right now. I’m not going to take any responsibility for typos or weird turns of phrases because I’m tired.

Tomorrow I have to actually start packing my flat so I might not get another episode out but who knows.

Thanks for reading!

[butterflydm]

The Untamed Rewatch (ep 1)

 Series Overview | Index | Next Episode

Oh, yes, I was very correct about this all hitting me a lot harder after I’d seen the whole show. I am also watching it on viki.com this time and the subtitled translations are already a lot better than the ones on the tencent youtube channel. They flow much more naturally as lines of dialogue (there’s a new set of translated videos popping up, too, that I might check out on my… third viewing… that will probably happen after this one… I really like this story y’all).

Things that stood out to me on this viewing (note: I am going to be spoiling the rest of the story as well when talking about things, including the twists):

Okay, so in the drama, when Wei WuXian is brought back to life, it seems like he definitely does look like himself again from the start —he specifically questions Mo XuanYu’s cousin to see if the Mo family would recognize him and learns that they haven’t seen him without mask or heavy makeup since he left home for a while at thirteen. What I infer from the conversations is that their looks were similar enough that when Mo XuanYu called Wei WuXian’s spirit into his body and the magic reshaped it, his general shape didn’t change enough to be noticeable, plus the family didn’t really look at him much in any case. And Wei WuXian worries that the “Lans of Gusu” might know enough about how he looks to recognize him, even if they aren’t “him”. I mean, obviously the doylist/meta reason is that they hired Xiao Zhan for a reason and they’re gonna have him play the part, but yeah, thinking about it is interesting.

Wei WuXian playing wangxian on the piece of grass: fucked me up so much more now. This show does such an excellent job with this entire romance. The whole way they set up Wei WuXian both wanting and not wanting to see Lan WangJi again is a lovely representation of their push-pull dynamic in the drama as a whole.

Which brings me to how much I love that song. The wangxian love theme is absolutely beautiful, enough that even when they play it like ten times in one of the later episodes, I’m still like “aaaah, so pretty! <3”. The first time we hear it is when Wei Ying has the flashback to Lan Zhan in his Gusu robes when he’s talking to Lan SiZhui and it’s so subtle there but it starts building up the mood of their romance, piece by piece. And WWX is so overcome by the memory that he literally sinks down and sits on his heels.

I also really love Lan Zhan’s theme song, as well. Lan Zhan’s introduction is… a lot. I love that we don’t see his face until it’s WWX seeing his face again, too. And he’s just this floating ethereal being and WWX stares for a long while, transfixed… and then makes fun of the way he’s dressed, with a fond smile. There’s such a good job there of putting in a sense of familiarity and history with how Wei Ying reacts to seeing Lan Zhan again.

The set-up of the sixteen years ago, seeing that moment, and then when we come back to it 30+ episodes later as we see both that there was so much we didn’t know but also that the show didn’t at all ‘cheat’ about the emotions of the scene — the backstory information we get complicates the picture of that day that we start with but doesn’t undermine it.

Wei WuXian also comes back in a much better emotional place? Given the way resentful energy is presented in the drama as a corrupting force, I wonder if part of that is attributable to getting a ‘new start’ in Mo XuanYu’s body — his own original body had been put through so much physical trauma in addition to the emotional trauma. The removal of his golden core. Being thrown down into the burial mounds. Then years of resentful energy being held inside his body and built up over time. Even just getting a chance to wipe that out and start again in a body that hasn’t been through that trauma might be helpful. This fey, trickster Wei WuXian is reminiscent of how we meet him in the flashback.

Though, in the drama (as I understand it, his death happens differently in the novel), another element might be that we did see him reach a moment of peace right before he died — he saved Lan Zhan’s life. He was already able to break out of the stranglehold of his grief and pain long enough to do that before he died, so his mind already started the healing process (but then he died, so it was short-circuited — sort of? Wei Ying does make it clear he was aware of being dead and he even knows how long he’s been dead without anyone telling him). I’m not sure how much of that applies to the novel’s version of WWX, but that’s what I got out of the drama’s version.

I really love Wei Ying’s casual displays of power. Snapping his fingers to freeze Mo XuanYu’s cousin in place… it just comes so naturally to him. He just has this very spontaneous-feel to when he uses magic (is it still called cultivation in this context?) that makes it just part of who he is and it’s very charming.

We see the hints of Nie HuaiSang’s hand behind everything — he paid the storyteller to talk about the YiLing Patriarch for three solid days, probably to influence the timing of Mo XuanYu’s ritual. He makes sure he stays there to see the initial results through — which he does again in the final act of the story. I have much genuine love for Nie HuaiSang tbh. He gets his revenge thoroughly but doesn’t go incredibly overboard the way most of the revenge-based characters do in the series (though he is ruthless about it). He knows his own strengths and weaknesses — he’s not a fighter, but he knows where he can find one. He doesn’t have overweening ambition beyond what he can handle. If his big brother had never been murdered, I get the sense he would have happily stayed a decorative baby brother all his life.

The Lan juniors are the cutest lil beans in creation. I love the contrast between them, because we see that Lan SiZhui is much more polite and formal than Lan JingYi, but he’s also incredibly compassionate and his heart is very much present on his face at all times. He’s respectful but openly kind. The moments when his memory is getting tickled by the way Wei Ying is behaving is also… it means so much after having seeing the drama all the way through once. And I love Lan JingYi for many reasons, but also because I think his (tbh kind of straight-up bratty) attitude implies that the Cloud Recesses have calmed the fuck down a bit about their strictness in the past decade-plus. And he finds Wei Ying’s dramatics amusing for the most part, which is cute.

Lan SiZhui recognizing wangxian — I suspect he’s remembering Wei Ying playing it rather than it being a post-death memory of LWJ playing it, since Lan JingYi doesn’t remember it at all. And because if Lan WangJi played it for anyone after Wei Ying died, then I’m not sure he would have been so certain from the start that the person playing it had to be Wei Ying. Meanwhile, Wei Ying isn’t aware of the full emotional importance of the song to Lan Zhan, and he seems to play it a couple of times as a soothing action (self-soothing here, and then to calm down Wen Ning’s corpse in episode 2)? Likely because it reminds him of being cared for by someone (in this case, of course, Lan Zhan). Wei Ying keeps precious hold of things like this and is very sentimental from what we see, and it makes sense that he associates this song with affection in the same way that he associates lotus root and sparerib soup with affection.

I am… honestly not at all surprised that people (even apart from the Lans) are using all the cool shit that Wei WuXian created even while most of the cultivation world still condemns him. That was the way they behaved when he was alive, too. They wanted his cool shit but judged him for making it.

Wei WuXian standing up for Lan SiZhui and the rest of the juniors when Madame Mo is yelling at them: he’s such a natural defender, tbh (which, of course, ends up being a big part of why he and Jiang Cheng end up at odds because WWX doesn’t limit his caretaking nature to his family but extends it to literally anyone who needs it no matter the cost). He’s nurturing in a careless/teasing way at times but he’s also very protective. And that impulse to jump in to help other people is such a big moral thing that he shares with Lan Zhan.

Okay, so, thoughts on grief as presented in the drama: Lan WangJi is well-known and beloved by the young Lan disciples. His reputation is back to being spotless, because it’s been over a decade since he did anything wrong. so, I don’t think he was publicly still grieving, though I will note that the Lan junior disciples seem relatively open to the idea that the YiLing Patriarch was probably not the worst person ever and it wouldn’t suck if he really weren’t dead after all, kind of reminiscent of MianMian’s daughter talking about how the YiLing Patriarch only goes after bad people (Lan JingYi honestly sounds hilariously excited about the idea that the YiLing Patriarch might still be alive, tbh - what have you been telling these children, Lan Zhan? lol).

So while I don’t get the impression LWJ spent most of those years openly pining, I’m sure the subject of WWX has come up, as he’s still a popular monster-in-the-night for a lot of people, and LWJ probably did defend his memory, in his own quiet but solid way. But I also get the impression overall that LWJ put his deep grief for Wei Ying in the same box as his deep grief over his mother, and he did his duty.

Then, he realizes Wei Ying might be alive and everything changes. I love that they both instinctively think of each other by their given names, too. Even when Wei Ying isn’t sure whether or not he wants to see Lan Zhan, that’s still how he thinks of him first — as Lan Zhan. And Lan Zhan just stares at the sword while it’s giving off those black smoke trails, transfixed, and when he first wonders if Wei Ying is alive and there, it’s just... Peak Romance, y’all. Peak Romance.

It does crack me up that the second Wei Ying gets the chance, he dresses himself in his own colors of black & red and doesn’t stick with Mo XuanYu’s colors. The only effort he puts into his ‘undercover’ disguise is the mask. He deserves a “I don’t think you even tried at all” star tbh.

Series Overview | Index | Next Episode

[seekingthestars]

sarah watches the untamed: liveblogging adventures, part twenty seven episodes 46 + 47

(aka: wen ning and fairy are the real mvps here.)

alright y’all it’s been a week but now i’m snuggled up under a bunch of blankets with Emotional Support WangjiBun and WuxianBun and i am READY FOR THIS LET’S GOOO

episode 46:

“who could be worse than him!?!” ahhh have they finally decided there’s someone they hate more than wwx XD

oh god his son i forgot he’d had a son for a minute oh gross gross gross

poor little jin ling over here ;; 

look i still hate clan leader yao, he will always irritate me

me and wwx have the same thoughts, it’s amazing how quickly these people will turn on someone lol i mean Dimples deserves it after being being A Whole Evil, but STILL

I’M ACTUALLY CACKLING, TWO HOURS AGO THEY WANTED TO KILL WWX AND NOW THEY’RE LIKE “HEY BUDDY :D YOU SHOULD HELP :D” LIKE COME ON -.-

ugh i love all the little lotus lanterns all over Lotus Pier, they’re so pretty ;;;;

wangji going into the ancestral hall with wuxian, he is good boy ;~~;

“after all, you two are sworn brothers.” ;AAAAAAAAA;

lan zhan about to smack jiang cheng

jiang cheng is hurting MY feelings, buddy no ;;

“Let him go.” WANGJI I LOVE YOU that was v attractive

WUXIAN ;AAAA;

WEN NING ;AAAA;

oh SHIT OH MY GOD WHAT

WUXIAN GAVE JIANG CHENG HIS GOLDEN CORE. THAT WAS ALL THE RESEARCH. IT WAS WEN QING. EVERYTHING MAKES SO MUCH SENSE BUT ALSO NOW EVERYTHING HURTS EVEN MORE

JIANG CHENG HE GAVE UP SO MUCH FOR YOU AND THEN YOU JUST HATE HIM I’M SAD :(

(bless this teeny extra peek we get of cape outfit) (wen ning is so sweet being so proud of his sister and calling her the best doctor of their section of the wen clan, also him in this entire sequence makes me ;; <3 wen ning is goodest boy ever)

WANGJI CRYING, JIANG CHENG CRYING, I’M CRYING, EVERYONE CRYING

WEN NING THANKING WANGJI FOR TAKING CARE OF YUAN, i’m so emotional

flashback to wangji finding yuan hiding in the burial mounds y’all i am legit so emotional

okay look wen ning is literally the best boy, wangji’s like “you didn’t tell him?” and he’s just, in his sweet little soft voice, “he’s happy now. i don’t want him to be less happy.” PLEASE. WHO COULD EVER HATE HIM. HE IS A SWEET SWEET BABY

OH MY GOD WUXIAN HAD TO BE AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME

weeps that explains why he looked so hurt when he was captured by wen chao, i remember thinking he looked really sick THAT’S WHY OH MY GOD BABY ;A;

TWO NIGHTS AND ONE DAY. WEEPING.

i’m squishing WuxianBun so much ;;

(unrelated but everything about lotus pier is so pretty, even the random lake looks lovely, sighs i love lotus pier)

YANLI ;AAAAA;

NOW WUXIAN IS CRYING when will this show stop making me so emotional, the answer is probably never

Wangji picking the lotus seed pod and handing it to wuxian and saying “Only today” bc he knows everything that’s been going on now and knows how upset wuxian must be and he’s going to let him have this little bit of home for today and oh my god FEELINGS

omg they ate so many XDDD

ohhhh sparkly golden butterfly PRETTY

guangyao (look i am TRYING to use his new name, i am MAKING AN EFFORT) came to lotus pier/yunmeng??? ohhhh boy

and we’re off to yunping city!

POOR NING BEING BULLIED but he’s so CUTE 

i love sparkly butterfly magic it’s v v pretty

look i know it’s midnight but it’s been a moderately rough week and i don’t have anything going on tomorrow and despite the fact that this show makes me emotional it also makes me SO HAPPY so ONWARD

episode 47

oh my god wait a minute is wuxian trying to play matchmaker for wen ning bc i’m about to lose my mind laughing if that’s what’s happening right now

“he needs to make some friends at least! i think sizhui is the perfect candidate!!” I ALMOST MADE THE DUMBEST NOISE OH MY GOD WUXIAN OH MY GOD I’M DYING OF COURSE THEY WOULD BE FJEWAOIFA FAMILY

wangji being like “oh crap quick dodge the statement, turn and run” XDD

wen ning looks so SAD being told he should stay behind in the inn, omg actual baby wen ning

hmm guangyao why you out here buying temples

monk seems suspicious

the wonder trio back at it again, breaking in places, solving mysteries

ohhhh no spoopy smoke, that can’t be good

FAIRY. JIN LING MUST BE HERE

THERE HE IIIIIS

XICHEN? what are YOU doing here, buddy

excuse you, misters with the bows, you better freaking not shoot jin ling

JIN LING WHY ARE YOU CLIMBING THE WALL PLS BUDDY

wuxian being a great uncle and saving him but also COVER IS BLOWN

THE DIMPLES OF BETRAYAL ARE IN FULL FORCE TONIGHT

i audibly gasped at the shot of the wire cutting into wuxian’s throat NO

jin ling didn’t get away :(((((((

“Chase and kill it” DON’T YOU FREAKING DARE KILL FAIRY, YOU HAVE FOR SURE GONE TOO FAR GUANGYAO

Dimples is just SO EVIL feaiwofjawo;fewa god zzj plays such a GOOD evil villian 

jin ling sitting a little behind xichen and clinging to his dad’s sword ;;;; like his dad’s sword is his security blanket and if he has it, he feels a little better ;;

i think the jin clan must teach a class in the art of the Sleeve Swish bc Zixuan did it, Jin Ling’s done it, Meng Yao’s out here sleeve swishing away

HUAISANG?!?!? MY BB

ughhhhh go away su she

“Why do you know the Lan principals so well?!” “I transcribed it so many times, I memorized it.....” “WHY THOUGH.” “it was my punishment.” “SHAME ON YOU.”  FJEWIOFJEW HAHAHAHAHA

“Or else you will be pissed off by me.” I LAUGHED OUT LOUD GOD I LOVE WUXIAN SO MUCH

wangji has the freaking fastest reaction times, those reflexes

JIANG CHENG BURSTING IN LIKE THE MOST MAJESTIC ANGRY GRAPE

AND FAIRY!!!! Jin Ling looks so happy Fairy’s back T___T <3

Wangji’s -__- face as he holds up his sleeve for Wuxian to hide behind and Wuxian cheering on Fairy to bite Su She IT’S ADORABLE AND I LOVE IT

jiang cheng ain’t here to play around, y’all

god that SMIRK foejawif meng yao your dimples truly overflow with evil :(

jiang cheng ;;;

that delighted evil grin omg what iiiiiis iiiiiiiit

okay i guess i should stop and go to bed since it’s 1:45 but!!!! only three episodes left, this is insane!!!!!

[wifiwuxians]

Lan Xichen, Wen Qing, Lan Sizhui?

Lan Xichen: the scene/chapter/whatever I found the most heartbreaking

Anything with JGY hurts my bones tbh, don’t judge me. But also, Yanli’s sacrifice and when Wen Ning kills JZX both brought me to actual tears.

Wen Qing: who got me into this mess

MY BESTIE ZEKE. He has a habit of scoping out new shows and then offering me to watch with him if they’re good. Rabbit killed that for us forever but y’know it’s w/e, I don’t think he counted on me being so into it LOL

Lan Sizhui: post-game hcs

Not a whole lot tbh... LXC exits seclusion eventually and makes a shrine to his fallen brothers, Wen Ning finds peace after rearing several generations of juniors and eventually reunites with Wen Qing, WWX and LWJ continue to be obnoxiously in love... Nie Huaisang always watches himself to not become the next Evil Sect Leader... Jiang Cheng eventually lets go of his idiocy and finds a woman who whips him into shape. The juniors become a very popular gang of cultivators who travel the country together even though Jin Ling should be sect leader ~ And, eventually, the coffin sits still.

[callanthea]

MDZS Character Tarot Analysis - Part 2

Given my love for the Tarot archetypes, I noticed that the main cast of Mo Dao Zu Shi actually fits these major arcana readings extremely well! I therefore decided to compile all my interpretations of who fits what, including my reasonings.

Part 1 (Arcana 0 to XI) can be found here: https://callanthea.tumblr.com/post/177844446959/

I promised a follow-up post, so this has the remaining Arcana XII to XXI. Again, these are of course my entirely subjective opinions!! I mostly focused on the upright meanings of each arcana, but I gave special preference to character arcs that included both reverse and upright characteristics. There may be some slight spoilers here and there. 

————

XII.                Hanged Man: Wen Qing

Suspension, restriction, letting go, sacrifice, surrender, meditation on breaking old patterns/habits, buying time, feeling stuck, vulnerabilities, reversal of perspective, new priorities, selflessness, giving up personal needs for greater good, devotion to bigger cause

(Reversed: martyrdom, indecision, delay, getting nothing in return for sacrifice, unwilling to sacrifice)

Reasoning: In what appeared to be their darkest hour, Wen Qing willingly surrendered everything to save Wei Wuxian and the rest of the innocents of her clan. Unfortunately, the Jin clan continued pursuing Wei Wuxian’s group of Wen clan survivors—her sacrifice seemed to be meaningless, her former pride and beauty and ability all reduced to ash for nothing. Still, even now, the best part of the Wen clan survives. As the martyred Hanged Man, Wen Qing’s words and legacy live on: “I’m sorry. And… thank you.”

Runner-ups: as I’m sure you are all aware, our boy Wei Wuxian gave up so much to do the right thing ;__;

XIII.             Death: Mo Xuanyu/Wei Wuxian

Endings, beginnings, change, transformation, transition, purification, rebirth, closing one door to open another, putting past behind you, embracing new opportunities, letting go of past, breaking old bad habits.

(Reversed: resistance to change, carrying harmful aspects from past, unable to move on)

Reasoning: Oh boy oh boy. If we had to pick a single major arcana to sum up the entire MDZS novel, it would of course be the arcana of Death. Death isn’t scary—it’s an ending, sure, but it’s also a new beginning. Of course it is a painful process, and it’s all too easy to get trapped in those past memories. But Death is ultimately a chance to put the past behind you, to break old habits, to let go of old and bitter burdens. Closing one door to open another, starting a story anew, just like how Mo Xuanyu’s death enabled Wei Wuxian’s rebirth.

XIV.           Temperance: Lan Xichen

Balance, moderation, patience, purpose, meaning, calm, tranquil, taking time, peace, making right choices, adaption, coordination, harmony with others, cooperation, synergy, timing and precision, self-evaluation and new directions

(Reversed: imbalance, stress/tension, excess, conflict/competition, lack of long-term vision)

Reasoning: Ahh, the most chill guy in MDZS~ Lan Xichen very much exemplifies the Temperance Arcana’s focus on patience, calm, peace, and mediation. He brings out the best aspects of those he works with. I specifically chose him for his role in the Three Sworn Brothers dynamic, where Lan Xichen is 100% the balancing and moderating power between Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. At the same time, Lan Xichen wasn’t perfectly successful. Like in Reversed Temperance, Lan Xichen quelled the short-term disputes but could not prevent long-term conflict from finally erupting.

 XV.           Devil: Jin Guangshan or Wen Chao

Desire, bondage/chains/restriction, addiction, fear, sexuality, materialism, negative lower tendencies, harmful impulses, deception and illusion, feeling despair because of lack of control, obsession, greed, trapped

(Reversed: detachment, breaking free, power reclaimed, detachment)

Reasoning: The two straight-up scumbag characters in MDZS lol. Both Jin Guangshan and Wen Chao act according to their own harmful whims and impulses. And their ultimate fates are also perfectly ironic for the Devil Arcana: Jin Guangshan died from being trapped in the lust he had always indulged in, and Wei Wuxian mutilated Wen Chao into the base animal he always was.

Runner-ups: Jin Guangyao matches the “illusion of lacking control” and the deception aspects. Xue Yang very much works off the low instinct of “revenge”, and he is chained by his own obsessions.

 XVI.              Tower: Xue Yang

Disaster, upheaval, sudden change, revelation, momentary glimpse of truth, destruction of ignorance and false reasoning, turmoil, misfortune, upsetting all old beliefs, shattering illusions and false foundations, insecurity, shaking your very core, awakening, release from bondage, breaking down your personal defenses, pain and anguish, death of ego

(Reversed: avoiding/delaying the inevitable disaster, clinging to the lie, fear of change, intuition of upcoming calamity)

Reasoning: I’ve literally never met a character who fits the Tower Arcana better than Xue Yang. Come on, even his sword is literally named “Falling Disaster.” The moment he revealed the truth to Xiao Xingchen, I could almost literally see the classic Tower Arcana imagery of “Lightning Destroying the Tower”. That brutal revelation completely shattered the false foundations and illusions of that Yi City daily life. And with that anguished awakening, the fates of every Yi City character were sealed. At the same time, Xue Yang wasn’t solely a harbinger of destruction. Like the Reversed Tower, he too feared the destruction of that ignorance and attempted to conceal Song Lan’s arrival. Even after knowing the peaceful lie was gone, he still clung to its broken pieces.

Runner-up: A-Qing’s intuition enabled her to see the disaster coming, yet she too could not escape the tragedy.

 XVII.           Star: Lan Sizhui

Hope, spirituality, renewal, inspiration, serenity, intuition, faith and truth in the universe, fulfillment, enduring challenges and now healing, letting go of damaging memories, stable, forgive and forget, new opportunities, personal transformation, believing in yourself, generosity, giving back blessings

(Reversal: lack of faith, despair, discouragement, loss of enthusiasm, test of faith)

Reasoning: Lan Sizhui is very much Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji/Wen Ning’s ray of hope, healing, and redemption. He went through such hell as a child, but has now been able to let go of that horrible past and make his own brighter future. He is an inspiring and serenely calming force to the rest of the young disciples. His entire existence is basically destiny proving that doing good is ultimately repaid. As the Star, he is the universe’s reward for the selflessness and love of those around him <3

 XVIII.         Moon: Jiang Cheng

Illusion, fear, anxiety, insecurity, subconscious, intuition, dreams, dim and uncertain, mystery, shadow self, repression, secrets, invisible things being revealed, deception, requirement for vigilance and clear perception, misjudgment

(Reversed: release of fear, weight being lifted, unrealistic, feeling stuck, unhappiness, confusion)

Reasoning: I finally decided on Jiang Cheng because of how much his character arc is rooted in hidden insecurity and misjudgment. Both as a child and as an adult, Jiang Cheng struggles to repress his complicated feelings. He feels stuck in the nostalgic past and trapped in the bitterness of Wei Wuxian’s betrayal. His subconscious fear and anxiety manifests as him literally lashing out. And all these years, he had to sit on a certain unspoken secret. Even by the end of the novel, that weight has not yet been entirely lifted. We can only hope that sometime in the future, Jiang Cheng will finally throw off the remaining shackles of the Moon Arcana for good.

 XIX.      Sun: “Mianmian” Luo Qingyang

Fun, warmth, success, positivity, vitality, optimism, fulfillment, source of life, happiness, action, radiation of love, confidence, enthusiasm, energy, freedom, enlightenment

(Reversed: temporary depression, lack of success, difficulty finding optimism/enthusiasm, overoptimistic)

Reasoning: This one is probably more of a stretch, but the character arc of Mianmian (AKA Luo Qingyang) is a bright spot in the cultivation world of MDZS. She started out beaten down and taken advantage of by the horrible Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao, but she grows to take action on her own. She frees herself from the burdens of her original clan to repay Wei Wuxian’s generosity. And she shows up one last time at the end of the novel--now a confident cultivator in her own right and married with an adorable daughter, as proof that happy endings are possible. Her trajectory towards happiness is a great example of the Sun Arcana’s radiating love and infectious fulfillment.

Runner-up: the optimistic baby disciples including Lan Jingyi, who shine the hope for a brighter future in the cultivation world

XX.           Judgment: Lan Wangji

Judgment, rebirth, inner calling, absolution, inevitable, new beginning, reflection, epiphany, learning from past experiences, awakening, putting the past behind you, cleaning/purging of sins and wrongdoings, control of own destiny

(Reversed: self-doubt, missing new opportunities, overly self-critical, refusal to examine self, fear of making the important decision)

Reasoning: If our major arcana began with Wei Wuxian, it’s only fitting that it ends with Lan Wangji. In their “first life” together, Lan Wangji struggled to pin down how he felt towards Wei Wuxian, constantly doubting his own actions. He finally reached an epiphany: what he was feeling was love. This was his inner calling, his purpose for existence. Yet he was ultimately incapable of expressing his emotions until it was far too late. Only after Wei Wuxian’s rebirth could Lan Wangji take the lessons he had learned from those mistakes, and finally put his reflections into action. Now Lan Wangji can stand straight and proud, declaring even against the weight of the whole world: This is who I am, this is what I want. As Judgment, he is now the one in control of destiny, able to avoid the tragic fate of their first lives and create a new beginning.

XXI.              World: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

Completion, integration, accomplishment, travel, looking infinitely outward, evolution, balance, victory, success, enlightenment, closure, achievement, everything coming together, celebration, fulfillment, unity/wholeness, giving back, new experiences and beginnings

(Reversed: lack of completion, taking the easy path instead of the necessary one, lack of closure, delay)

Reasoning: Come on, do I even have to say it? Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji complete each other. They are each other’s missing parts. The moment these two lovestruck idiots finally get together is the Mo Dao Zu Shi novel’s peak of achievement, the cheers of success, the point of victory. And of course, you know, the satisfying climax where every single plot thread came together to solve the overarching conspiracy. After obtaining closure on (almost) all the mysteries and starting the celebrations, the two of them can finally elope together, riding off into the sunset to start a new journey across the World <3

And that’s all the major arcana! Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think about these interpretations too!

[omgkatsudonplease]

恭喜发财!! may i request: jin ling, lan sizhui and lan jingyi going 红包拿来 :)

so uh @exile-wrath and i might have turned an original novel idea of mine into au fodder, and this is like a tiny bit of that…

warning: this is like… super autobiographical chinese/abc kids in southern california shenanigans, so there’s some english names and chinglish being tossed around. i’ll make notes of who’s who lol

“Smile for the camera, kids,” announces Wei Wuxian, bending over the tripod.

The kids in question – A-Yuan, Rulan, and Jingyi – groan in unison. “Wuixian-叔叔, we’ve been smiling for the last ten minutes,” whines A-Yuan.

“If someone would stop putting bunny ears on Rulan, we’d have gotten the photo taken much faster,” retorts Wei Wuxian, as he adjusts the settings. “It’s not every year Jamie gets to come over from mainland China for Lunar New Year, after all. Your parents all want to send this photo to their friends.”

“Why can’t we make funny faces?” mutters Rulan. 

“Because your grandpa would hate it, Rulan,” replies Wei Wuxian. 

Rulan rolls his eyes. “Who cares about what my grandpa wants.”

Wei Wuxian snorts at that. He has a point. Jin Guangshan, also known as Donald Jin to the business world, had once decreed that everyone in the Jin family could only pick their American names from Forbes’s list of billionaires. Poor Rulan had therefore been saddled with the dubious moniker ‘Elon’, which he found even more insufferable than his Chinese name. 

(Jiang Yanli had insisted she was going to march her son down to the Social Security Administration the minute he turned of age, so he could get himself a better name. Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan had both agreed that was for the best.)

“Okay, boys,” Wei Wuxian says, once the three of them had settled on the piano bench once more. Jingyi, who had long since tired of the other boys’ antics, sighs loudly. “Just once more, okay?”

“你上次也说这是最后一张照片,” Jingyi complains. 

“I said that, and then Rulan blinked when I took the photo,” retorts Wei Wuxian. He puts a finger on the button. “Okay, boys, on three you keep your eyes open and say cheese, okay? One… two…”

“CHEESE!” Rulan and A-Yuan say, beaming.

“西瓜甜不甜?” asks Jingyi. 

“Oh, so now you decide to be the little,” mutters Wei Wuxian, coughing in lieu of cursing. A-Yuan would never let him live it down otherwise. He checks the photo, satisfied when he notices no blinks or funny faces. “Okay, boys, now you can get back to the party.”

“You promised us 红包, Wuxian-叔叔,” A-Yuan points out. The other boys nod eagerly. 

“Yeah! 恭喜发财, 红包拿来!” The boys break into giggles, before starting to chant it over and over. “恭喜发财, 红包拿来! 恭喜发财, 红包拿来!” 

“Okay, okay!” Wei Wuxian laughs, pulling back the curtains blocking off his studio from the rest of the house. In the living room, Lan Wangji is already waiting with a tray of red envelopes. “Oh, would you look at that, Wangji-叔叔 has your 红包. Go get it from him.” 

The boys cheer, before descending upon Lan Wangji with shouts for prosperity and red envelopes. Wei Wuxian shakes his head, opening up the app for his camera on his phone to send the photo to Jiang Yanli. It’ll make the rounds on WeChat after that, after she’s done adding whatever stickers and doodads she’s got planned this year. 

Across the room, Lan Wangji ruffles A-Yuan’s hair and smiles, and for Wei Wuxian, that’s better than any red envelope.

叔叔 - Uncle. Doesn’t have to be your actual uncle. 

你上次也说这是最后一张照片 - You said last time this was the last photo!

西瓜甜不甜 - is the watermelon sweet? It’s a reference to a Chinese TV show about a photographer. I swear to god every time I’ve taken a photo at Chinese school, someone has yelled this in lieu of cheese. 

恭喜发财, 红包拿来! - Happy new year (lit. celebrating good fortune), bring us the red envelopes! My brothers and cousins and I would annoy every grownup in our family with this at LNY until we got paid lmao

So in this AU, Jingyi is sometimes referred to as “Jamie”, and… Jin Ling unfortunately has “Elon” lmao. Sizhui and Wuxian also have English names too, but not Wangji, as he got zapped forward in time from ancient China haha