#and lxc is obv lwj’s brother

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Parallels in the Yi City arc: Yi City Quartet & 3Zun

(Long post ahead!)

I think one overlooked detail about the Yi City arc is how closely its characters parallel the story of 3Zun – with Xiao Xingchen as Lan Xichen, Xue Yang as Jin Guangyao, and Song Lan and A-Qing as aspects of Nie Mingjue! Though we can't know if its intentional, the sheer number of similarities does suggest to me that it shouldn't be overlooked – so, let's investigate.

Both Xiao Xingchen and Lan Xichen play the role of the 'betrayed' — significantly, because of some sort of blindness.

While for Xiao Xingchen this is physical, Lan Xichen is also blind to Jin Guangyao's true nature. This blindness has been shaped by their betrayer: Xue Yan blinded Song Lan, leading to Xiao Xingchen sacrificing his own eyes for him, while Jin Guangyao deliberately acts to make himself appear honourable and innocent to the people he encounters. This means Lan Xichen cannot 'see' anything contradictory to this about him. This theme of blindness becomes important to the thematic implications of this arc, which we'll talk about later.

In both cases, the 'betrayer' has some role in shaping this blindness, and uses it to their advantage.

Xue Yang blinded Song Lan, causing Xiao Xingchen to give up his eyes for him. Jin Guangyao's crafted persona is the reason Lan Xichen doesn't suspect anything about him. Xue Yang uses Xiao Xingchen's blindness to conceal his identity/nature and thus get close to an unsuspecting him; Jin Guangyao is likewise able to be unsuspected, while using Lan Xichen's generosity to murder Nie Mingjue and gaining a strong ally/defender. Regardless of intent towards Lan Xichen himself, this is still true.

This leads to an identity reveal and betrayal, in which the former party is blindsided (...pun not intended, I couldn't find a better word).

Xiao Xingchen is shocked that Xue Yang is Xue Yang when A-Qing tells him; Lan Xichen likewise does not want to believe Jin Guangyao isn't the person he thought he knew (though, he does promise to evaluate his beliefs!), and when Jin Guangyao ends up sealing his spiritual powers and betraying him, he doesn't see it coming.

Additionally, Lan Xichen and Xiao Xingchen are both tricked into stabbing a member of their group, as a part of someone else's revenge.

For Lan Xichen, it's an outside party (Nie Huaisang); for Xiao Xingchen, it's another member of this group (Xue Yang). Nie Huaisang wanted to take revenge on Jin Guangyao, and Xue Yang wanted to take revenge on Xiao Xingchen himself.

Also, Lan Xichen was tricked by his Xue Yang counterpart into being an instrument for a group member's murder, which could also parallel these events on Xiao Xingchen's side!

So, why is this important?

A common theme in MDZS is being critical of information/rumours. Don't accept something at first glance – question the validity, the evidence, the reason it's being brought up. We see this in the way Lan Wangji acts (eg when discussingg the case of the Chang clan) and in how he teaches the Juniors; we see this in how Wei Wuxian questions the words and intentions of Sisi and Bicao, even when having people suspect Jin Guangyao would be beneficial to him; we see this in the very premise of the novel, as something we were led to believe was true at first glance (by the title and prologue) is proven to be entirely false.

And, in Lan Xichen and Xiao Xingchen's case, we see the dangers of the opposite. That's not blaming them – Jin Guangyao is a very good manipulator and I’d argue Lan Xichen handled the situation very well when it was raised, and Xiao Xingchen was physically blind and couldn’t have guessed the body on the roadside would be Xue Yang of all people – but factually, both characters believed something without having seen the full picture, and were stabbed in the back for it. Lan Xichen could have considered Nie Minjue's words to provide another perspective, and Xiao Xingchen could have inquired into this mysterious person's background and questioned whether they were exploitative (even if it may have been unreasonable, and wouldn't have changed much since Xue Yang is a very good liar), yet both didn't. They both do accept or try to accept what we know is the truth when it's raised to them, but unfortunately it's too late and both pay a steep price. It's also worth noting that both are considered righteous figures (you can debate about Lan Xichen, but that's his in-universe perception), and neither had malicious intent towards any group member. But it doesn't matter how good your intentions are, or how good of a person you are – if you believe things unquestioningly, it'll still lead to harm. Both to you, and unintentionally by you, too. After all, this unquestioning acceptance of one-sided hearsay is a major driver of the mob mentality so heavily critiqued in the book.

And yes, this could've worked had their stories not so closely paralleled each others' – but I'd argue Xiao Xingchen's physical blindness serves to lampshade the metaphorical blindness of Lan Xichen, accentuating this theme. And also having two similar stories helps draw attention to what both of them are saying much more easily than if the stories had been very different.

At the end, however, Lan Xichen is left alive and able to reflect on what led him to this scenario – unlike his spiritual predecessor. Perhaps this is a glimmer of hope, a sign that there is more room for the questioning of rumours and for critical thinking skills in the world now, especially as the younger generation who embodies this begins to grow up; or perhaps it's just another detail of just how doomed Xiao Xingchen was, because despite embodying this theme, was there anything to reflect on and do differently, that would've changed the outcome of his story? As we said before, Xue Yang is a very good liar, and there really wasn't a reason to constantly suspect him from the information Xiao Xingchen had and (more importantly) could feasibly gather. Regardless, the difference in where they end up is important when analysing similarities, and I'm inclined to believe it is a small sign the world can change for the better.

(Similarities on other members under the cut – because there are a lot for everyone else, too, and this post isn't just about the two mentioned above. Once more, we'll be analysing both the 'what' and the 'why'.)

Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao play the role of the 'betrayer' or 'villain', hiding the fact that they're causing and wanting to cause harm – successfully from one member, unsuccessfully from the other(s).

The 'What'

Both kill the suspecting, the main difference being who they're targeting with this action (for Xue Yang, this taints Xiao Xingchen further, whereas Jin Guangyao was simply targeting Nie Mingjue and not Lan Xichen at all). Additionally, both are from a lower-class*, non-cultivator background, who were taken in by the Jin sect and rose to power through this and through doing… morally dubious things. Both share revenge as a motivator – specifically, revenge against an older, male Sect Leader who used them, rejected them and physically harmed them in some way too (Chang Ci'An due to Xue Yang being a street child; Jin Guangshan due to Jin Guangyao being the ‘son of a prostitute’). However, they have both accomplished this revenge goal at the time of their main story. They also have worked together and helped each other in their actions in the past (Villainous Friends extra). Also, both end up losing a hand to Lan Wangji, coincidentally enough.

The 'Why'

Though classism is a present theme in both their stories, I wouldn’t say this is what the parallels are drawing attention to — it’s drawn attention to much more when dealing with Jin Guangyao, and the idea that being treated badly isn’t an excuse for your actions is more prevalent in contrast (with characters like WWX and A-Qing) than similarities. Thematically, they instead serve to show just how easily information can be twisted and distributed – and again, why it's so important we don't accept everything at first glance. Outside of themes, their parallels do contrast them slightly, too — after all, Jin Guangyao’s treatment of Lan Xichen** is much more positive than Xue Xang’s of Xiao Xingchen, despite the ‘betrayed’ treating both of the similarly. But, one could argue, how much does this actually matter? Considering the eventual harm brought to this figure by them regardless, and everything else each of them did? Whatever the answer, the questions are raised by these similarities between them.

Finally, Nie Mingjue is paralleled by both Song Lan and A-Qing in different ways, though the Song Lan parallels are more prominent.

The 'What': Song Lan

All three were killed by the ‘betrayer’ — however, both Nie Mingjue’s and Song Lan’s murders occured before the betrayal, and their deaths and post-mortem identity reveals play an important role in it. A-Qing witnessing Song Lan’s death (as well as just discovering Xue Yang’s identity from Song Lan) is what makes her tell Xiao Xingchen who Xue Yang is, catalysing that betrayal, and Xiao Xingchen discovering Song Lan’s identity makes the betrayal have… let’s say even more of an impact :’). Meanwhile, the identity reveal of the mysterious corpse triggers the investigation of Jin Guangyao, and also starts to catalyse his downfall, leading to the events of the Guanyin temple. Additionally, both turn into fierce corpses encountered by the cast of the main story (both fighting Wen Ning and starting more antagonistic than they end up), with these corpses having been modified in some way by the ‘betrayer’: Nie Mingjue’s corpse is cut up, and Song Lan’s has the needles inserted and is under Xue Yang’s control. I wouldn’t especially say there are themes or questions raised here, it’s more similarities in the group dynamic, but it’s still very interesting to see.

There isn't as much to say here on the 'why' side of things, though there may be something I'm missing. The role of these characters here is mainly in service of the themes in the other characters' arcs – but it's still useful to analyse just how many factual similarities there are, again to give us hints as to whether these parallels between the groups were intentional or not.

The 'What': A-Qing

A-Qing and Nie Mingjue have less parallels, but they definitely exist. Their role here is their constant suspicion — they both suspect and keep suspecting the ‘betrayer’’s actions, despite the trust of the ‘betrayed’ in them (though Nie Mingjue is certainly more violent in this regard). Additionally, both play an important role in the death of the ‘betrayer’ as undead beings: the ghost of A-Qing by constantly tapping her bamboo pole to reveal Xue Yang’s position, and Nie Mingjue’s fierce corpse by directly killing Jin Guangyao. Both are souls through which Wei Wuxian experiences the events of their stories, and both also end the story in some sort of container — Nie Mingjue in the coffin and A-Qing’s broken soul in a spirit-trapping pouch — but admittedly that’s much more flimsy than the rest of my points.

The 'Why': A-Qing

Though at first glance it seems like this suspicion didn't do anything positive for the characters – both ended up dead at the hands of the one spreading/taking advantage of misinformation – it's important to note that these characters are the characters the truth is revealed through. Though I'd argue Nie Mingjue was probably blinded by his own assumptions as much as Lan Xichen was blinded by his own, even if it did end up lining up more closely with the truth, he still plays the same role as A-Qing in questioning and suspecting somebody despite it appearing – on the surface – that there's nothing wrong. And I don't think it's coincidence that in both these cases, the truth is revealed through somebody who did play this role.

Final Thoughts

Though it is possible these parallels were still coincidences, there really are a lot of similarities between the groups' storylines – and they do serve the purpose of important themes within the book. Therefore, I don't think it's unreasonable to assume they were intentional on some level! And even if I'm reading too far into things and they weren't? It doesn't mean they hold no value.

Finally, these parallels are really interesting on their own, but it’s also really interesting to compare where each group ended up. Both groups ended up destroyed due to murder done by the ‘betrayer’, with only one person left standing. However, while Xue Yang was the survivor of the Yi city group (and was later killed by LWJ), the survivor of the Venerated Triad was Lan Xichen — someone who, as mentioned, though heavily affected, now has the chance to grow as a person and fully take things with all their context because of it. So despite the prevalence in the Jianghu of the attitude MXTX is critiquing, despite Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and Mianmian only really being able to find peace by stepping away rather than changing it, despite the tragedy of the stories of both the Yi City quartet and of 3zun... ultimately, these parallels could indicate hope.

—

*Although there is a big difference in how much lower this class is, of course.

**There is also the aspect of Xue Yang having a negative past with Xiao Xingchen before, with the opposite being true for Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen. Jin Guangyao is known to have a good memory and hold grudges — so, if the pairs’ roles were reversed, would anything fundamentally change?

[llycaons]

everyone do you use the phrase 'shovel talk' in real life because I have never heard it before in my life until after college and then only within like fan spaces but idk maybe it's just not a thing I dealt with in my life and it's a really common thing to say irl

[meanderfall]

give me twin jades of lan content or give me death

[angstymdzsthoughts]

Do you ever think about how the bond between the Twin Jades was probably irreparably broken after LWJ's 33 lashes? Presumably the punishment was at least permitted by LXC, as sect leader, even if he might not have explicitly chosen it, and LWJ would know that and know that his brother had agreed to have him whipped almost to death just after losing his soulmate. Sure, LXC might not have had much of a choice about it with pressure from the Lan elders and all, but I don't think LWJ's mind would be clear enough to recognise that.

And then, when WWX comes back and LWJ very obviously stands by him in front of the whole cultivation world, LXC must have known that he's effectively lost him. LWJ has what he's always wanted now, so there's no reason for him to stay with his sect anymore.

So after the Guanyin Temple, LXC has already lost the one person he might otherwise have had left because LWJ has run off to elope with WWX and who knows if they'll ever come back (obvs they do, but I'm guessing it wouldn't have been certain at the time).

It's too late for them to repair their relationship now, and with the Lan elders being their usual unsympathetic selves, LXC realises he has no-one left anymore. He feels truly alone, and believes it's entirely his own fault.

.

[vrishchikawrites]

JC's condemnation of WWX and the recent discussion about Lan Xichen made me wonder about how both characters failed their brothers (JC obv more than LXC) and the entire discussion about how things could've changed if JC had stood by WWX.

And that made me wonder of a scenario where Xichen for the sake of his brother, actually tightens his belt and visits WWX in the Burial Mounds- would that have made an effect? After all LXC doesn't know WWX at all and only through second hand accounts at this point so why not actually DO something about it.

Honestly i wonder about a comparison between LXC and Jiang Fengmian where both characters are the wait-and-see type and do the bare minimum of courtesy but never proactive enough to bring about a change or raise their voice. I don't dislike these sort of characters because they still feel better then the ones who accuse and vilify and have no control over their emotions, but they also feel like a cautionary tale of being too mild and trying to make everyone happy but failing completely.

I know everyone says LWJ is suppressed but sometimes I think LXC is worse. LWJ is eventually honest with himself but I feel like LXC lies to himself a LOT. So much that he actually believes it. Always smiling. Always unruffled. The First Jade of Lan.

The cast is so big it's a bit hard to think about all characters so i've liked/been neutral about LXC for a while. I have to admit though that in many many fanfics he basically exists only to give shovel talks to WWX (which is beyond annoying) and very rarely makes friends with WWX and often when he does WWX is overly tearfully grateful and it's affected my view of the character somewhat. I've become less fond of LXC but I still sympathize with him for Meng Yao. It's what he warned to his little brother about WWX but instead it was actually happening to him.

On a different note- how strong a cultivator is Lan Xichen? I feel like he should be right up there among the best but his cultivation skills are mentioned. What is he good at? Is he super good at anything?

I sometimes think LXC is, in a way, a foil for LWJ. He's this gentle, placid guy, willing to cruise along with the world, serene as the surface of the lake until someone throws a stone. LWJ, on the other hand, feels powerful like a storm sometimes. Even his silence has an edge to it, he comes across as fierce in ways LXC just isn't.

His fierceness makes him proactive instead of reactive, that's especially true when he's an adult. He's always ready to shoot and he doesn't hesitate. That's why he goes where chaos exists. LWJ isn't the kind to sit idly by when people face problems, even if the people don't concern him.

With LXC, things are different. Yes, he earns his title during the war and is known for helping hundreds of cultivators. We get the picture that he's this incredibly kind, gentle, and honorable guy. And he is.

But honestly, there's a limit to how much a kind guy will care about other people not connected to him. He knows LWJ cares for WWX in some capacity but LXC himself isn't attached to WWX in anyway. In his view, this is the guy who teased his brother relentlessly as a teenager and then showed up rebeling against everything they had been taught.

WWX's no innocent peasant or helpless cultivator that needs defending. In his eyes, WWX is powerful, dangerous, and a proven soldier. He knows WWX is smart and cunning. LXC knows he's capable of being very ruthless.

All of the heroism and kindness that LWJ has seen first hand, LXC has seen none of it. I'm also uncertain about how much he understands LWJ's feelings for WWX. He was forced to go mediate between the two a few times during the war because they were fighting so much.

So why would he go out of his way to get the true facts regarding WWX and the Wens? Especially if JC, WWX's own sect leader is set against him? He has no reason to distrust JC, who has always seemed like a steady guy, trying to reign in WWX's chaos.

From his perspective, whatever happens to WWX and the Wens is just a part of the post-war politicking.

Now, if LWJ had asked him to check, LXC would've definitely gone to the BM settlement. But he didn't afaik. LXC simply went on handling his own sect business and life.

All of that makes perfect sense for his character and his station in life. He becomes a little more invested post-ressurection when LWJ and WWX request his aid. He gets involved because both of our heroes ask this time. And due to his connection with JGY. If he wasn't tied so closely to the situation, with JGY and LWJ at risk, he wouldn't have paid much attention to the situation.

Imo, he's just a kind guy who is inclined to help but also needs to have some sort of personal stake to truly involve himself. Everytime he's shown stepping forward (outside of war) in any meaningful way, it happens when someone close to him is at risk like JGY, NMJ, LWJ, or even NHS.

There's a big difference between how JC and LXC failed their brothers.

JC activily turned the entire Cultivation world against WWX. He refused to defend him or offer help when needed.

LXC only saw his brother's somewhat 'friend' was turning bad and his brother maybe felt a little put out about it. Can't even consider that a failure, tbh.

When he knew how seriously invested LWJ was, having seen his brother suffer for love, he became seriously invested in WWX's wellbeing too. He showed that by sheltering WWX even if it meant going against his sworn brother in spirit.

But that doesn't mean WWX owes LXC anything.

So to conclude, I think he's a kind but casual character. MXTX basically wanted him to be a humbo, so there's that.

As for his power, I believe he's a skilled cultivator, particularly good with musical cultivation. He's so good that JGY thought he was nothing in comparison. He's also a good swordman and very good at archery.

Is he has powerful as LWJ - I somehow don't believe he is simply because LWJ seems to go on many more nighthunts. I assume that hightens his cultivation somewhat. But LXC is very competent from what the text suggests.

[tanoraqui]

okay I have to do this today because even I wouldn’t do it after the godforsaken finale airs, and it’s basically my specialty and I did spend like an hour thinking about it last night while washing dishes. Definitely partly inspired by @words-writ-in-starlight​‘s insightful post on everything Supernatural did wrong, and apologies in advance to all the characters for dragging them into anything related to Christian mythology:

Wei Wuxian’s parents die in a house fire when he’s 6(? I refuse to look anything up) months old

Jiangs are a hunter family I guess? That whole disaster of a family dynamic, except WWX dips out at some point to be idk an environmental activist bc at the time, that seems like the larger threat to the whole world. “Mom and Dad went on a hunting trip and they haven’t come back”, “bitch” “jerk”, 2 brothers in a beat-up old car, you know the drill

Jins are also an old hunting family, but more Men of Letters energy - they have a fancy bunker and do research and avoid getting their actual hands dirty. Jiang Yanli ducked out of the active hunting life a few years ago to be happily married to her peacock and settled down with a baby and she’s fine. We’re not going to bother Yanli. She’s safe and happy and doesn’t need to involved in any of this

so, WWX is the demon blood child developing exciting new abilities like telekinesis, mind control, exorcising demons by sheer force of will...etc, and Jiang Cheng is the Righteous Man. Lucifer, Michael, etc.

s1-3 probably proceeds more or less as spn canon...which I more or less remember...by the time they find their parents at the end of s1, Jiang Fengmian is...ugh, we probably shouldn’t kill him offscreen, I mean, we should probably meet him before he dies. I guess. Madam Yu lasts longer because I’m way more interested in her. But we do know that both Jiang parents are totally inclined to fling the boys into a metaphorical or literal escape boat and go hold the line for as long as possible, so...that’s spn energy...

Xue Yang is the one who’s like “fuck yeah, demon powers” and opens the gates of Hell, because I want him to have nice* things

*nice for Xue Yang

from characterization rather than memory, I’m 90% sure that Dean tried to hide his crossroads deal from Sam, but Jiang Cheng does it...better. I think it does come out, though. Right before the hellhounds do.

here’s where it starts to go farther off from spn canon. Jiang Cheng crawls his way out of the grave, gets stalked by a menacing presence that explodes windows for an episode, incidentally can’t find WWX...*Lan Wangji voice* “I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition” (a baller line then and a baller line now)...and then the next episode starts with them all awkwardly standing around, and JC is like, “ok well let’s go find my brother then”, and you think there’s going to be an mdzs-riffing JC+LWJ Roadtrip To Find WWX...and they’re immediately attacked by like a dozen demons

in fact, the first time we see WWX in s4 is here, wherein he goes toe to toe with an angel and...holds his own. that’s new and terrifying! also is leading a squad of demons??

because here’s the thing: for the last 3(?) months, there’s been war in hell

because unlike Some People Mooses, upon finding out that his brother’s soul was legally nearly-owned by a crossroads demon, heir-apparent-to-Satan!WWX went, “actually fuck that” and kicked open the door of Hell (metaphorically, not loosing any demons this time) and was like, “who do I have to beat the shit out of to get a specific crossroads contract around here”

this did not work, obv. He didn’t know until it was too late, Lilith had already snapped up the contract, etc. etc.

obviously he also tried to offer himself instead, and got rejected for some reason

Since Jiang Cheng died, however, there’s been a war for control of Hell. Leading one side, Lilith, the Original Babe, who wants to break all 666(?) seals keeping Lucifer bound and in the meantime, break the Righteous Man so Heaven won’t even have Michael’s destined host ready for the Final Battle. Leading the other side, Wei Wuxian, infamous upstart, who wants to rescue the Righteous Man and restore him to life, tear Lilith’s guts out through her nose, and also stop her from doing the Lucifer thing because Wen Qing explained that yes, that’s a Thing, and it’s Bad.

Wen Qing! I’ve decided to combine Bela and Ruby’s roles and let WQ be both the cool badass example of how demon deals can go Bad and the demon deliberately leading our heroes astray for most of s3-4. Wen Qing is a very new demon; she used to be some sort of herbalist/witch but then she sold her soul in a crossroads deal to cure her brother of some lingering illness. 10 years of happiness and then boom, hellhounds. WQ is so obviously competent, though, that they (Lilith, I guess?) immediately offers her a job, with the promise threat that gee, that’s a nice brother you’ve got there, even with his Designated Chronic Health Condition getting all relapse-y. It’d be such a shame if something were to...happen to him...

we find this out at some point in last s3 I guess? some Monster of the Week case involves WN as a witness or something, or possible next victim, and WQ shows up to be A Normal Amount Of Invested In This, while desperately trying to avoid actually interacting with her brother (who thinks she’s dead). YES, the truth comes out; YES there’s a tearful reunion

now in s4, Wen Ning is fine actually, health-wise, bc he maybe made a crossroads deal with Wei Wuxian personally, and Wen Qing may or may not have admitted that she’s supposed to be working for Lilith to get WWX ready to host Lucifer? Or potentially that comes out later, idk. Either way, she’s 100% his top lieutenant in this exciting Hell War they’re waging

[insert whatever the hell (ha) happened plot-wise in s4 of supernatural]

we obviously mix up the relationships, too, bc it’s like, *LWJ internal monologue* I’m too young to remember my brother Lucifer as he was before he Fell, but surely Wei Wuxian is his Heir and Destined Vessel in truth, for he is Charismatic and Charming and Makes Me Feel Things, with his Clearly Feigned Righteous Drive and Compassion for All God’s Creatures and - why does heat keep pooling in the lower abdomen of my vessel when I look at his lips, which I am definitely doing a Normal and Not-Weird Amount - I’m just keeping an eye out for the famed Silver Tongue, and not in any way wondering how it would feel in my own mouth -

it’s actually DEFINITELY plausible for Lucifer to still be released even if our designated Heir Apparent is using his demon powers to his full potential and no one’s lying to each other about their motives. You just need to let Lilith be more scary too, and especially bc by “no one” I mostly mean Wen Qing; the angels are still totally hiding the fact that they, too, want to jumpstart the shit out of this apocalypse.  LWJ decides at the last minute that that’s a bad idea actually, gets himself discorporated to send JC to intercept WWX because he accidentally releases Lucifer, etc. etc. Oh yeah, the boys were def fighting before this, bc JC has actually fairly reasonable concerns about the sort of things WWX is getting up to in his quest to become King of Hell...

SO

...I neither know nor care what happens in s5

it does end with both Lucifer and Michael locked in the cage probably, bc I rather liked that solution. Fuck both of ‘em, basically.

I was toying with the idea that WWX also found Madam Yu in whatever hellish torment she was suffering after making a deal so her idiot son(s) would survive, and she was leading forces for him in the war against Lilith as well. If she came back to life somehow, body and all, it’d probably be compelling if she offered her own body to Michael - bc it’s her lineage! - and we’re all led to believe that she’s, uh, being a bitch and actually wants to risk destroying the world in order to destroy all demons...but then she seizes back control and flings herself/Michael and Lucifer into the Pit, because she’s just That Hardcore?

which means we’d actually have had her around and having characterization for most of s4-5, too, which would be fun

More importantly, it ends with newly crowned King of Hell Wei Wuxian appointing Wen Qing as Queen-Regent and ditching to go on an indefinite honeymoon with his new angel boyfriend (they’re going to fuck for like three weeks straight, then roll up their sleeves and go conquer Heaven in the name of free will), and Jiang Cheng gets to live out his hitherto-unknown-to-himself life’s ambition to be the sugar baby of the Queen of Hell. It’s very Hades/Persephone, except he goes back down to the underworld at least once a month. He gets his own demon squad whom he trains up in all the hunting techniques and it’s gr9. Wen Qing is reforming the crossroads deal process to make it more fair to the humans.

the end

Addenda:

it should go without saying but Jiang Yanli is definitely a recurring character, like, at least once a season there’s a filler episode where they go to Jiang Yanli’s for dinner and have to get along as a family, and also do the much easier job of defeating some sort of terrible demon that gets loose in the bunker and turns the evening into a horror movie. She’s their main research/emotional check-in person, a la Bobby, more often appearing in later seasons when there’s, uhhh, more to emotionally check in about.

Jin Zixuan is actually a perfectly competent hunter; he’s just a priss and we don’t Like him

we like Mianmian, though. Oh, I guess the official Hunter’s Guild or w/e tries to declare WWX a public enemy on account of the whole “King of Hell” thing and she’s like “actually what if you’re morons and assholes?” and joins hte team in s4 or 5? Yeah.

idk how the 3zun disaster happens in this ‘verse but I do encourage it to be happening in slow motion as a recurring subplot for several seasons. NMJ is a hunter, LXC is obv an angel, and JGY is...I wanna say one of the more human monsters, like a vampire? Or, you know, something that could be born from JGS sleeping with someone/something he shouldn’t have

[mousehole5000]

okay heres what im getting for mdzs bake off in order of elimination where the judges are xue yang and lan wangji. mianmian and jin zixuan are the presenters and its the most dramatic season yet

su she - shows up late the first day and has a meltdown when lwj tells him not to do it again. also everything he makes is way too crumbly

yanli - is 8 months pregnant and only joined bc her brothers begged her to and her husband was so excited about it. she is actually one of the best bakers but she goes into labor early so she cant finish the competition

wen ning - his dough gets taken out of the proofing drawer and no one knows how it happened..... (it was su she. jgy promised him he would promo his youtube channel if he helped him win)

song lan - gets into a physical fight with xue yang and even though he’s completely in the right he gets sent home

nie mingjue - managed to incorporate meat into every single one of his signature bakes. it actually kind of worked until they got to cakes. mianmian tries to tell him that its good but its just not

wen qing - this one is much more dramatic theres a fire at her work station (again this was su she) and she can tell that somethings up so she bows out gracefully its just a baking show its not worth this

wei wuxian - everyones favorite contestant obvs. had the most batshit ideas for his showstoppers and flavor combos but they always worked. straight up sabotage makes his bakes taste awful and jgy accuses him of trying to poison the judges. wwx is like “why would i actually want to poison anyone this is a cooking show” but still gets eliminated

xiao xingchen -  mistakes salt for sugar during the technical bake and fucks the whole thing up. hes kind of relieved because he couldn’t get a-qing to stop stealing candy from xue yang

jiang cheng - was staying in the competition through sheer willpower. all his bakes are well made but not terribly creative and now that the group is smaller thats not enough to sustain him

final three nie huaisang, lan xichen, jin guangyao - nhs “accidentally” bumps into the table and knocks the beautiful cloud recesses showstopper that lxc made directly onto jgy. wwx enters dramatically with su she and proof of all the sabotage. jgy gets so angry that he destroys all the other showstoppers as well before admitting to the sabotage. afterwards, nhs sits among the ruins of his pretzel birdcage and wonders what to have for dinner

[trensu]

Episode 49: The One with Too Much JGY and Not Enough Wangxian

Very little wangxiantics in this episode, guys, there’s like, VERY LITTLE wangxiantics

The fact that the show is bringing us down to breadcrumbs again is Homophobic 

But let’s get through this!

blah blah blah jgy acts all pathetic blah blah blah lxc engages jgy in a convo blah blah

lwj has to go in and be like, bro, please, don't talk to him

and wwx is like, yeah, you literally just told jc not to talk to him, follow your own advice dude 

lxc is like, hm, you make a good point...i shall continue talking to jgy regardless

jgy continues with his pity party speech and i continue not to care

BUT THEN LXC KNEELS DOWN TO SPEAK WITH JGY MORE INTIMATELY????

WTF LXC STOP THAT RIGHT NOW

lwj is like BRO

lxc is like I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING BRO

and i'm like DO YOU THO?

now he's going to question jgy and counting on him answering truthfully??

WHAT HAS HE DONE TO MAKE YOU THINK HE'LL DO ANYTHING BUT LIE, ZEWU JUN??

so we get a much less entertaining Q&A session accompanied by jgy's flashbacks 

(can we go back to lwj's drunken Q&A sesh? I’d much rather question drunk!lwj than sober!jgy)

the only point i had any actual sympathy was when jgy brings up qin su and her mom bc qin su and her mother deserved better

Ooh, lxc is getting super judgy about jgy killing jgs

This is where you draw the line, lxc?? c’mon.

i mean, judge him for how he did it, sure

there was no need to involve all those innocent women in the murder

but really, killing jgs was the only good act of public service jgy did

give credit where it's due, pal.

HELL YEAH IT'S BITCH-SLAP JGY TIME AGAIN

LOL EVEN WWX AND LWJ LOOK SURPRISED THAT LXC DID THAT

oh noooo lxc is asking about jzx and oh, wwx is PISSED

Wwx grabs the front of jgy's robes and hauls him up and yells in his face “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO? SAY IT!”

cue flashback scene to jgy tricking jzx 

AND NOW MY BRATTY SON IS YANKING THE FRONT OF JGY'S ROBES SCREAMING WHY? WHY? TELL ME WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO IT??

HIS VOICE IS ALL CRACKED AND HOARSE AND HE'S CRYING 

I WANT TO WRAP HIM UP IN BLANKETS AND COZY THINGS AND PROTECT HIM FROM ALL THE BAD THINGS IN THE WORLD

jl collapses to his knees and my beautiful sunshine boy falls to his side and scoops him into his arms 

BC WWX LOVES HIS BRATTY NEPHEW AND GOD DAMN IT, JL DESERVES HUGS AND AFFECTION

oh jgy was about to touch jl's face and i was like DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE I WILL CUT THAT HAND OFF YOU

but then he pulled away bc i am very fearsome actually wwx was glaring at him 

and ofc jgy can't have people being sympathetic to anyone NOT him so he's like, what about me, huh? you never ask why I personally had to suffer!

Cue another flashback in which JGS IS A FUCKING DOUCHEBAG 

I HOPE HE ROTS IN ANCIENT FANTASY CHINA HELL

HALF OF THE PROBLEMS WERE A RESULT OF HIM NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP IT IN HIS FUCKING PANTS

ROBES

WHATEVER

ugh i hate jgy too

he's essentially telling jin ling that oh, i killed your father bc your grandfather was scum of the earth

AS IF JZX AND JL DESERVED TO SUFFER FOR JGS'S SINS

FUCK YOU JGY

suddenly jgy takes my bratty son hostage!!

wwx shouts "JIN LING" as he jerks towards his only nephew

BUT IT'S TOO LATE, jgy already has that garrote AROUND JL'S NECK

WIPE THAT SMUG SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE SU SHE

I WILL END YOU

god i need to stop threatening people, i have no ability to back it up

lol jc is like WWX YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE ALL HIS WEAPONS AWAY!!

and wwx is like I DID! 

siblings always find time to bicker, even in dire situations

lwj tells them that jgy hid the garrote inside his body 

bc lwj is smart and observant

but ewwww, the idea of yanking that gold string out of a vein squicks the hell out of me

yuckyuckyuck it makes my skin crawl

jgy tightens the string around my bratty son's neck and everyone freaks out, obvs 

oh jc loves his nephew so much! he's all like, if you need a hostage take me instead and leave jin ling alone!!

JC IS A GREAT UNCLE, JC LOVES HIS FAMILY SO MUCH, JC DESERVES TO RECONCILE WITH HIS BROTHER AND HAVE A LOVING HAPPY FAMILY

jgy is like, nah bc of Reasons

then my sunshine boy is like, hey aren't you forgetting smth jgy? what about your loyal lackey here?

but ss is an idiot and is like, don't worry about me boss!

and jgy is all, cool thx lackey

now lxc and jgy do some more chitchat i don't care about

suddenly there is ominous knocking on the doors AND A WILD LAN SIZHUI APPEARS!!!

He got chucked into the temple like the football lol

NOW WEN NING IS HERE! HE’S COVERED WITH RESENTFUL ENERGY, CARRYING BAXIA LIKE A BADASS

Dude, for real, wn looks so cool here

letting the tip of the saber scrape ominously against the stone ground and walking with slow measured steps

and baxia is freaking glowing

nhs calls him "brother" but i'm pretty sure he knows it's not nmj and just said it to freak jgy out

wwx ofc recognizes wen ning

AHHHHHH WWX IS DOING HIS EERIE WHISTLE AGAIN, I LOVE IT WHEN HE DOES THAT

SO COOL, WWX, SO COOL!!

his brow is all furrowed when he sees wn is not reacting and he starts to whistle more earnestly

wwx: what's happening? why is wn not listening to me? could it be...?

cut to lwj, looking all serious bc hey, this is actually a serious situation 

lwj: he is possessed by the blade spirit

wn roars and vaults over the distance between him and jgy with baxia raised high and it looks freaking AWESOME

lol we get a quick shot here of nhs panicking and ducking behind su she

jgy lets go of the gold string around jl's neck to flee from wn which gives wwx an opening

Wwx dives forward and wraps himself around jin ling

Then he twirls them to the side away from incoming baxia and crashes them both to the ground where they're safe

as this is happening, lwj sees his opening and draws bichen

we get a quick moment where wwx and jc are both fussing over jl, it’s super sweet!

AND THEN WE GET A SHOT OF JGY'S DISEMBODIED ARM 

THE CAMERA STARTS TO TILT UPWARDS 

WE SEE THE HEM OF LWJ'S PRISTINE WHITE ROBES FRAMED BY BICHEN 

BICHEN HAS RIVULETS OF BLOOD STREAMING DOWN THE BLADE

THE CAMERA CONTINUES TO TILT UPWARD UNTIL WE SEE LWJ STANDING TALL, FACE GRIM AND SERIOUS AND JUST OVERALL HOLDING HIMSELF IN AN IMPOSING BADASS WAY

wwx is looking at him like HOLY SHIT LWJ

Which is a totally reasonable reaction bc holy shit lwj

HA, now jgy only has one arm

I may not be able to follow up on my threats but it is gratifying to see lwj follow through for me lololol

gross, ss is all begging for medicine to help jgy

stfu ss, nobody likes either of you two

wn's blow struck the ground and cracked it before so now he's back up doing his steady creepy walk to finish what he was going to do

lwj's brow furrows and he sits himself down, cross-legged and summons his guqin

lol i love how he summons his instrument tbh

he just wooshes his flowy sleeves and his guqin glitters into existence

it looks very Magical Girl and i appreciate that

someone needs to draw lwj in a Magical Girl outfit IMMEDIATELY

lxc gets his flute out and our lan bros do a duet to chill out the angry sword spirit

LOL WEN NING JUST STEPS ON JGY'S CHOPPED OFF ARM

DO IT AGAIN WN 😆😆😆

let me just say, i'm really enjoying watching jgy and ss cower away from the oncoming wen ning

but oh noo! jl calls out for his evil uncle and draws wn's attention and wn tries to attack him

i guess baxia senses jgy's blood on jl's robes or smth? Idk, doesn’t matter

wwx tries to do some sort of spell to stop wn but it doesn't work and in a fit of panic he yells out “WEN QIONGLIN!”

thankfully this snaps wn out of it enough that he stops baxia like, one inch from my bratty son's face

the lan bros are still doing their Magic Music thing and wn is trying to reign in baxia but baxia's pissed off so everyone’s struggling 

wwx starts his whistling again and it's rattling Plot Device 3

lxc tries to stop wwx but lwj shakes his head at his brother like no, back off

wwx turns to look at lwj, lwj meets his eyes and gives him a single solemn nod

AND WWX SMILES AT HIM BC HIS SOULMATE BELIEVES IN HIS ABILITIES AND TRUSTS HIM!!!

this is the first legit proper wangxiantic moment in the whole episode, what the heck

GIVE ME MORE WANGXIAN AND LESS JGY, PLZ & THX

jc: wei wuxian!!

wwx turns to see his brother and jc FLINGS THE DEMON FLUTE AT WWX bc apparently he's been carrying chenqing around THIS WHOLE TIME??

wwx nods to him (and omg jc is helping him, this is good, this is a step in the right direction!!) and brings chenqing to his lips

we get a shot of lwj staring at wwx as wwx starts to play 

and the background music starts to get SUPER INTENSE and EXCITING as wwx plays

CHENQING STARTS TO OOZE THAT SMOKY RESENTFUL MAGIC STUFF

we get a shot of JC watching wwx play and this is the softest we've seen him look at his brother since he came back from the dead

he's looking at him like it's finally hitting him that wwx is back, his big brother is alive and here and protecting him and jin ling bc that's what family is supposed to do

AND IF I CAN’T HAVE WANGXIANTICS, I WILL ACCEPT YUNMENG BROS TIME AS RECOMPENSE

oooh, Plot Device 3 starts to zoom around and we get a fun bit of camera work so it seems like we're seeing everything from Plot Device 3's perspective

which is kind of adorable for some reason???

it's just zipping along and it sees wwx and wwx guides its attention to where wn is struggling to control baxia

wwx starts to walk, getting both baxia and Plot Device 3 to follow him further into the temple

lwj sees this happening and whooshes away his guqin and follows bc he's always going to follow wwx obvs

WWX IS SO AWESOME, I LOVE WATCHING HIM WORK

EVERYBODY IS STARING AT HIM IN AWE AS THEY SHOULD BE BC MY SUNSHINE BOY IS SKILLED AS HECK

he manages to get baxia into the coffin with nmj before he starts coughing up blood 

But before we can freak out about that, nhs scream in the background 

so everyone runs to check out what's happening there

nhs is all SS WHY'D YOU TRY TO KILL ME OMG MY LEG IS ALL CUT UP NOW, EVERYTHING IS AWFUL, HELP HELP

and ss is like BUT I DIDN'T, HE'S LYING!!!

lol baxia just leaps out of the coffin buries itself in ss's chest

AND THAT’S IT FOR SU SHE

good fucking riddance

But also baxia is nmj's saber

DID IT HEAR NHS AND BE LIKE, NO I CAN'T LET MY MASTER'S BELOVED LITTLE BROTHER GET HURT BY THIS USELESS NOBODY???

BAXIAAAAAA

WHAT A GOOD SABER YOU ARE *CRIES*

wwx starts up his demon flute again even tho baxia seems much more chill now that it has finally killed someone 

But let's watch wwx be a badass on the flute anyway

look at my sunshine boy go! 

look at him corral all that resentful energy!

love my sunshine boy

baxia is finally subdued and wwx lays it and Plot Device 3 in the coffin with nmj

he covers the coffin using some of his wicked awesome red magic stuff

but it's taking a lot out of him i guess bc he stumbles back and lwj is right there to catch him 

bc they're soulmates and they love each other 

aND GOD THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER HERE

JUST, UGH

EVERY TIME THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER MY HEART GETS PALPITATIONS

And this is the only other wangxiantic moment in this episode, wtf show

cut to the next scene, everyone's patching up wounds and whatever

lol we can hear nhs whining like a baby bc omg it hurts it hurts, lxc be more gentle

and lxc is like, chill bro it's just a stab wound

nhs is like JUST a stab wound?? r u kidding me, i'm DYING!!

Which is exactly how i would react to a stab wound lol

now lxc is with jgy and he's like jgy if you do ONE more bad thing, i will definitely finally punish you mercilessly

then he starts checking out his armless shoulder bc lxc really is too good and not all that bright apparently

lol when wwx sees lxc tending to jgy's wounds and his face is like ugh i can't believe this guy

AND THIS IS WHEN WE GET THAT AMAZING AWESOME SHOT OF NHS'S FACE GOING ALL SERIOUS AND, LIKE, VENOMOUS

WE ONLY SEE PART OF HIS FACE, THE OTHER PART COVERED BY LXC'S OUT OF FOCUS FACE

AND NHS GLOWERS AT JGY

oh, my poor sunshine boy is wincing and holding a cloth to his STILL SLUGGISHLY BLEEDING NECK WOUND

SOMEBODY GIVE MY SUNSHINE BOY MEDICINE 

TAKE WHATEVER LXC GAVE TO JGY AND GIVE IT TO MY SUNSHINE BOY STAT

lsz is watching him very intently bc he's figuring out some things about himself and wwx that LWJ DIDN'T HAVE THE GOOD GRACE TO EXPLAIN TO EITHER OF THEM YET

lwj ofc has got his eyes glued on wwx bc, i mean, what else is there worth looking at in the Temple of Doom?

And i guess this counts as a wangxiantic too bc lsz is basically wangxian’s love child anyway!

lxc has the gall to ask nhs to hand him the medicine bottle to tend to FUCKING JGY'S (AKA HIS BIG BROTHER’S MURDERER) WOUNDS

GOD JUST LET JGY BLEED OUT AND DIE ALREADY

nhs is like sure! grabs the medicine bottle and hides it in his robes 

he makes a whole show out of rooting around in his robes to ‘find’ it and lxc goes to him to grab it or whatever so his back is turned to jgy

AND NHS, THAT CLEVER CLEVER BOY, USES THIS CHANCE

he makes a show of looking over lxc's shoulder and shouts LXC LOOK OUT!!

lxc grabs his sword and whirls around and stabs it right into jgy

and nhs is all stuttery and nervously saying how omg he saw jgy reach behind him and he thought he was gonna do something awful so he panicked

Then jgy finally sees nhs AND THAT'S WHERE THE EPISODE ENDS

So another episode with way too much plot stuff, yuck

I mean, we only got 3 actual wangxian moments?? 

What is that about, huh? THAT’S NOT EVERY GAY RIGHTS OF YOU, SHOW!

The next episode is THE LAST and we’re definitely getting wangxiantics there and i will definitely cry about it

Return to Masterpost

[ghost-city]

ok listen I haven't fully fleshed out this idea so feel free to add to it and idk if anyone has done this before but hear me out... wangxian princess bride au

I'm thinking both wwx and lwj as a mix of buttercup/westly bc westly's devotion and him only saying "as you wish" Screams lwj but also consider yiling patriarch = dread pirate roberts... pirate wei ying 👀👀👀

not really necessary to the plot but I kind of like the idea of wangxian setting out together to get money to marry but they get separated somehow and only lwj returns

su she is humperdinck, wants to marry lwj after wwx is presumed dead

lxc and/or lqr convince lwj to get engaged to him even tho he's still waiting for his wei ying maybe bc of political reasons

instead of "as you wish" lwj recognizes wwx through wangxian

you'd obviously have to tweak that scene for it to make sense but I can't stop thinking about lwj shoving yp!wwx down a ravine and while he's still rolling down the hill he busts out chenqing and starts blasting wuji and lwj being like "wait my soulmate what have I done" comic gold

fire swamp could potentially be burial mounds where ROUS's = corpses and fire = resentful energy

the six fingered man is jgy + nhs as inigo montoya (you killed my brother. prepare to die)

instead of the soul sucking machine it's golden core removal obvs

miracle wen qing to the rescue

torn bt wanting wen ning still being wen qing's brother/assistant or being the fezzik character

uhh yeah idk who would play vizzini like I said this isn't fully fleshed out

there's potential to add other mdzs characters like the jiangs, etc. and diverge from a strict princess bride plot too

[yibocrisis]

22, 23, 1, 2, 4, 6, 26 & 27 for the salty asks? (obvs for cql) i support your procrastination and i get a quick distraction, full jackpot

23. Unpopular character you love?

ok. i love madame yu. 

please don’t get me wrong, i’ve already got into some discussions about this and people sometimes think that i defend her abusive actions towards her kids, but that’s not what i mean at all!! 

i just respect her so much, and i love her for being so powerful in a show that barely portraits woman in power positions (compared to man). yes, she can be really abusive at times, but a lot of the male main characters do some BAD shit and don’t get the amount of hate she gets. by that i don’t mean we should hate them or excuse their actions, i think we can love a character and hate some of their actions at the same time.

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

yanli + xichen

yao + wwx

lwj + jzx / lwj + nhs / lwj + jc (ok if i make some effort i kind of get it.)

some more, but these were the ones that came to my mind

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

lwj + lxc: i don’t want to sound moralist or anything, but i can’t deny that i am deeply disturbed by people shipping two brothers. jc + wwx, nhs + nmj and wwx + yanli are NoTPs for me for the same reason.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

sizhui + jin ling: i used to hate this one, but some fics make such an incredible job constructing some slowburn romance that at times i find myself enjoying them together (this fic for example). i still enjoy broshipping them way more!

xichen + mingjue: i actually never hated this one but i wasn’t a fan either. now i really enjoy picturing them together.

26. Most shippable character?

wei wuxian.

i’ll ship him with a tree if you will. i can picture wwx with wen qing, wen ning, xue yang, mianmian, you name it and i’ll ship them. although sometimes my ships involving him work a bit like this: everyone has a crush on him but he’s not aware and doesn’t really reciprocate if lwj exists (yeahyeah i’m boring)

27. Least shippable character?

lan qiren / wen ruohan / jin zixun

[gingersnapwolves]

You said you have a spreadsheet of who calls who what in mdzs? I would love to get a copy of that if you're able! (Currently puzzling over What does WWX call Xiao Xingchen, but this has come up So Many Times...)

HOKAY SO. First, a disclaimer.

This is probably not entirely accurate. I’m sure of about 80% of it, but some of it is based on my conjecture, because I couldn’t easily find a specific instance on the show. Like, LXC is generally formal and polite so I assume he would call JYL Jiang-guniang, but I didn’t rewatch the entire show to confirm that. And there are also a lot of blanks with characters that it just hasn’t come up in one of my fics, or they don’t interact, or I don’t care.

Or in LWJ’s case, the character NEVER FUCKING TALKS lmao so I have no idea what he calls half the people on the show.

Some of them have dual entries because what they call the other person changes over the course of the show and I haven’t made specific notes because it’s just my internal reference, but I’m pretty sure y’all can figure out stuff like when JGY goes from calling Wei Wuxian ‘Wei-gongzi’ to ‘Yiling-laozu’ LOL.

(But, sidebar, if anyone knows what JGY and NHS call each other after JGY goes from being MY to JGY, I’d appreciate the info, because I haven’t had time to go back and watch those scenes. I want to say that JGY calls him ‘Huaisang’, at least after the time skip, but I’m not sure. Not sure what NMJ calls JGY either, probably Guangyao because NMJ has a definite pattern of calling people by just their given name [Wangji, Xichen, Huaisang], but I’m not sure. [Additional sidebar: it’s somehow so cute that he’s so informal with the Lan brothers and now I want fic about LXC and NMJ being friends as kids.]) ((Extra sidebar: uploaded the image somehow without putting on here that NHS calls NMJ ‘da-ge’ which I meant to do.))

(Click for higher resolution obvs.)

((Um. Hang on. Why isn’t it giving the high res version? Please hold for technical difficulties.))

ETA: Okay I just divided it up into two parts so it would be legible, hopefully it works this way.

To answer your specific question because not everyone is on the chart, WWX calls XXC ‘shishu’ which means ‘sect uncle’. If he were addressing him directly, it would probably be Xiao-shishu but I didn’t find an instance of him actually doing that.

[megafaunatic]

Hey! I hope you don't mind but I devoured your Untamed works on AO3 (except for "If You Were Made For Me", I admit, because it has a Sad Ending and right now I can't bear with that. I just want them to be happy and fluffy domestic together. They have been through enough and so have I! But I inted on reading it when I'm on a better headspace). Your Wangxian writing is the BEST I've found and I absolutely ADORE how you write their dynamics. I would like to say especially your interactions (1/10)

between Lan WangJi and the Jiang siblings, but honestly, you write all their dynamics, espacially family ones (my faves!) so wonderfully and it's really such a treat! Also, I love SO much how you write Jiang Cheng! I think your portrayal of him is so spot on and perfect. I loved his interactions with WWX and LWJ on "Linger in the Sun", I really re-read many times because it was so beautiful, and don't get me started on the explanations both give to WWX! I also especially loved (2/10)

"You, Asleep and Dreaming" because of the sheer domesticity, how WWX helps around Cloud Recess and his efforts are welcome and appreciated, the non-sexual intimacy is absolutely beautiful, how much they appreciate and adore eachother and, let me tell you, the way WWX's complexes and traumas are portrayed? LWJ's support and care for him? It hit home, like, hard. I had to breathe for a sec there. It reminded me so much of my parter and I there. The relationship you portray is such a (3/10)

beautiful, realistic, healthy one. I love that for them. Is exactly how I imagine them and what they deserve. I love it. Also, they are so CUDDLY!! They love to cuddle so much and I love to cuddle that much too, so I just ENJOY it SO much! They take every small chance they can they can to cuddle and I'm LIVING for it!! I'm right there with you, guys!! My partner is always so surprised by how much I love cuddles and we have been together for years! But I think probably my favourite one is (4/10)

"Grand Pianos Crash Together". It focuses on their relationship, but it also shows how they have people around how loves them and who they love too (the conversations between LWJ and LQR and LXC?? Do you know what you have done to my heart??????LXC saying sometimes love isn't enough is something I've said for years and it really hit, man, it really hit, specially in his context. Damn), and that doesn't keep them from choosing a path they are happier in and also some (5/10)

PRIVACY, aside from JC crashing in, but it leads to 100/10 interaction so I'm quite cool with it. I abslutely loved WWX going "I should have married you at that stupid temple. Our families were already there", wich also makes me wonder how their wedding would be. In most of your writings, in the ones where they en up together, you always have them want to get married (obvs!!) but they never are shown doing it and I can't help but be all giddy imagining their families there, everyone there (6/10)

just being together, interacting, showing their different levels of support for their loved ones (LXC and JC being brothers with WWX and LWJ TT_TT and don't get me started on LQR, the juniors, Wen Ning...). In my head I've mixed all your writings (except the Sad Ending one). I really love Shi and Guang and all your OCs and would love to know more about them (and I'm usually weary of people's OCs in fanfics. A bad habit, I know) but I imagine that LXC is the one taking over the Chief (7/10)

Cultivator role due to me wanting him to open up to the world again and not to punish himself for what JGY did (I want him to he happy!!) and I think that experience also gave him a better understanding of the world and people without losing his heart that could really make him so good. Wen Ning is everyone's friends because he's a sweetheart and he deserves it. A mix of "It's Only Time", "GPCT", "Y,AaD" and "Linger in the Sun" happens and they are hella domestinc and fluffy traveling (8/10)

around and teaching the juniors when the oportunity comes here and there, while visiting their friends and just being happy together, in eachother's arms. OH! ALSO!! They marry, but because of you and your portrayal of JC and WWX working to rebuild their relationship I wonder: both dreamed since they were kids of their sister's wedding (CUTE), so does JC do the same for WWX? Does he try his best to make his wedding perfect? Does that help to ease his and LWJ relationship? Does LXC want (9/10)

to help to? (Also, conversation between LXC and JC about their brothers?????? YES PLEASE!!!!) Do the juniors or even LQR want to help? How do WWX and LWJ feel about all this people loving them so fiercely? This is probably the most important part of what I wanted to tell you, just how much I love and appreciate your work and how happy is making me. Right now my country is on quarantine, I can't with my partner, but you are making this so much better and easyer for me. Thank you. Really.(10/10)

OOOOMG... Good morning tumblr user faraige!!!! This was so amazingly sweet to receive, I don't know what to say 🥺🥺🥺 Thank you so much for reading my fics & for appreciating them so deeply! I'm so honored by your love for them, and I'm glad my writing spoke to you like this!! That's all I really want 🥺💛

also I definitely want to write LXC & JC talking abt their brothers at some point. I don't really care for x.icheng in particular, but I think they have... a lot to talk about... in the end of the story they're both left behind, full of grief and anger and betrayal that they're not necessarily "allowed" to feel, overshadowed by the accomplishments/successes/redemption/happy endings of their brothers, having been in the wrong all along. There's a lot there!! WOO!!!

OK I ALSO do want to encourage you to read "If you were made for me" because it does have a sad ending BUT, LIKE, it exists within the canon timeline so you know they get a happy ending EVENTUALLY...!!! And it has some scenes & exchanges that I'm really very proud of :')

WAH ANYWAY this was such an amazingly kind series of messages, thank you so much!!! 🥺 I hope you get to see your partner soon, and I hope we ALL get out of quarantine safely & quickly!!

[lansizhuis]

I just thought of this AU where Yanli and Zixuan don’t die but Wei Ying dies and gets reincarnated as their child along with Jin Ling as his older brother!!!

HOLY SHIT SIGN ME TF UP FOR THIS!!!!!! ok no really this is amazing bc think of the possibilities

- JL absolutely adores his brother even if WWX always makes him cry (”a-ying, stop making a-ling cry” “but he looks so cute when his cheeks are red and puffy!!!” “why don’t i make YOUR cheeks red and puffy” “husband, please don’t threaten our children”)

- but does WWX have his memories or nah?? maybe let’s start with no then he MIGHT remember in the future years

- what if it’s a “secret” in the higher ups of the cultivation world about the truth behind wwx and they all silently agree not to reveal that to anyone to protect him

- both JL and WWX love their uncle JC while our resident uncle tries his best not to fall for any of the kids tricks - obv wwx influencing jl 

- the lans are regular visitor to koi tower - 1) lxc for jgy; and 2) lwj for you know who

- WWX was six when the discussion conference were held at the lanlingjin territory and he saw “the prettiest person ever” and ran up to him AND TUGS THE LONG FUNNY LOOKING WHITE RIBBON everybody freezes bc “jfc child wtfff that’s like the chastity of hanguang-jun” and jc’s like “this chaotic fckr doesn’t change ffs”

- JYL gently scolds WWX and wwx asks what’s so important about it and why is everyone’s faces looking like that (all the while munching on the ribbon - on the far corner, jc is having a stroke) and at first no one wants to answer but wwx WILL HAVE HIS ANSWER NOW and won’t shut up about it and LXC (bless his face) calmly tries to explain (”oh wow you’re pretty too” “thank you” “but i kinda like his face more” “A-YING!!!” “haha that’s totally fine”)

- so wwx doesn’t really get the whole explanation about “righteousness” and “control” but he does understand that the ribbon is for the future spouse so he turns to lwj again and declares “i’ll take responsibility!! wait for a-ying to grow up then let’s get married okay? okay!”

- JZX chokes on his drink (wwx or not, that’s HIS kid), JYL and LXC chuckle at the impudence, JC needs a break from this - then LWJ nods and agrees to almost everyone’s surprise AND IT’S ANOTHER ROUND OF CHAOS and jc is debating the merits of stabbing his eyes with the utensils in his hand then wwx turns to jc and “uncle! looks like i’ll get married before you do” (jc decides that stabbing wwx seems to have MORE merit)

- BUT JL HATES LWJ bc this person is stealing his brother from him and how dare he??? *cue jl and wwx as brothers cutie moments*

- wwx starts growing up and is constantly trying to get all sorts of skinship with his future hubby to which lwj expertly dodges the attempts bc he’s still a kid and nope not until he reaches the age of maturity (BUT WWX MAKES IT SO HARD ESP WHEN HE HITS HIS PUBERTY STAGE “a-ying what are you wearing” “clothes, father” “clo - THAT’S JUST YOUR INNER GARMENT” “yes well how do you expect me to seduce my husband if i wear too much clothing” “aasfkfakafla”)

OKAY BUT THIS IS DEF ONE OF THE BEST AU FIC IDEAS THAT WE HAVE A MIGHT NEED FOR - CALLING OUR FIC WRITERS HELLO

[obaewankenope]

So true. It's explained away a lot of the time as "but he's in love with Meng Yao so obvs he's flawed in this" or that he's too Good and Noble to see the harm this could do to NMJ. Thing is, we see him in later episodes literally admitting that he will try and not automatically side with JGY (he does, but at least in this he TRIES FOR ONCE) and gets tricked and then kills him via more trickery. So LXC can at least distance himself a little from a situation to consider other outcomes and variables. Which makes what he did to NMJ worse.

The problem with Lan Xichen is he's seen publicly as one who can't do wrong. In his own Sect, he's the Jade Lan who didn't need punishing for siding with Evil (the fuckin irony there) and for being the one who let his brother be punished for crimes against the Sect. By the entire cultivation world, Lan Xichen is literally one who does No Wrong.

Even NMJ falls for it, which is why he can forgive LXC for betraying his faith in him as Honest And True. Like, you can't pretend NMJ didn't look at LXC and believe that This One Person wouldn't trick or lie to him. Even when not telling him the name of the spy. And LXC deliberately keeps Meng Yao out of the discussion because he knows how NMJ feels about him and LXC doesn't trust NMJ back. Not the way NMJ trusts him.

Obviously some of that is Meng Yao using whatever he has to in order to keep options open for him. After all, he betrayed NMJ and used his honourableness for his own ends and justifies it bc it is for Meng Yao in the end. But LXC isn't completely free of the blame here.

The thing is, this all definitely ties into the cultivation world's perception of what is Right and what is Wrong. Especially with cultivation. Because LXC is the Perfect Cultivator who doesn't associate with evil, who always does what's right, who is charming and polite and politic.

(We all know that LWJ is more righteous and won't associate with Evil but he's not charming, he's not polite or politic. LWJ is distant and cold and admired for his distance and how he, as per Lan expectation, is righteous. But his association with WWX taints the perception and he's treated like he's tricked by WWX and thus cannot be trusted the way LXC can be. Wow oh wow. What a lot of problems there.)

LXC appears to do what needs to be done but he didn't need to avoid the truth of the spy with NMJ. He didn't. Not when NMJ is a tactician and who is willing to put ANYTHING to the side IF HE MUST. That's why he swears brotherhood with JGY and LXC after such a reveal. Because duty demands he present a united force for others.

NMJ will let himself suffer for others sake. LXC has to do what he considers impossible in the end, killing JGY and it breaks him because, honestly, he's tricked himself into thinking he isn't selfish or fickle or blind to the flaws of JGY.

The only thing LXC can do that LWJ can't is kill who he loves. LWJ can let WWX go, LXC can't let JGY go. Which makes LXC more like their father than he probably ever wished to be in this matter. (Had he not killed JGY, I definitely think he would have wished him locked up like their father did to their mother. Which, very fucked up.)

Because love made their father selfish and LXC and LWJ suffered for that. NMJ suffered for LXC's selfishness.

LXC knows, objectively, that what he did to NMJ wasn't right or fair, but LXC grew up without right or fair because of his father. It's no surprise he repeated the cycle with those he loved himself. Sad, but not surprising.

And that's so very fucked up and sad because I think both Jades wished to be better than that and only one of them has managed it. Only it's not the one LXC expected of them.

He goes into seclusion after killing JGY but I don't think it's just for that. I think he secluded himself because he fears doing more harm to those he loves and because he needs to atone for the harm he caused one of the only people who cared about him as more than just The First Jade.

LXC goes into seclusion as punishment for the wrongs he committed against NMJ.

(This fuckin show. I swear.)

one of the grey areas in mdzs that I don't think we discuss often is that lan xichen and meng yao are together responsible for a tremendous breach of trust and creation of trauma towards nie mingjue for which one of them (lxc) seems to be forgiven and the other (my/jgy) isnt, but like, even the fact that lxc was forgiven is truly a matter of how long lasting that friendship was.

lan xichen is one of nie mingjue's closest friends AND is working under nie mingjue during his capacity as the apparent general of the Sunshot Campaign and he never once discloses the identity of the spy he's getting his information from during the war proper, even when asked. this directly results in the fact that when nie mingjue is captured late in the war, forced to watch his men be murdered, taunted with his father's murder and with being murdered in the same grisly fashion as his father was, and beaten, he's enduring all of this without any idea of that he's supposed to have help in this room with him, that this is anything less than what it seems - pre-emptive torture by qishan's head torturer (because that seems to be meng yao's role, being the man who invented many of wen ruohan's favorite tools of torture)

lets acknowledge that all of those are traumatizing events that could absolutely create PTSD and would cause lasting trauma

only AFTER wen ruohan is dead and AFTER meng yao has done all of this is it revealed to nie mingjue that meng yao was a spy and its treated in both canon and fanon as a gotcha, as if nie mingjue should just not be angry anymore, not even an hour after experiencing all of this, because look! RETROACTIVELY you know this man wasn't going to kill YOU. you RETROACTIVELY know that you were not in real danger from the man who murdered your subordinates in front of you

this is, in my firm opinion, probably the worst things Lan Xichen ever did to Nie Mingjue, especially when the sole explanation for it all comes down to "i did not trust your professionalism as the general who is leading and coordinating our forces to be great enough that you would put the war first and over look that the spy sending us (seemingly*) reliable information is someone who personally betrayed you** and who you witnessed committing murder, but now that he's hurt and traumatized let me use that as a get (him) out of jail free card"

maybe there wasn't another choice in lxc's mind, but this is ultimately one of his huge grey areas pre-burial mounds, his participation in what is absolutely a huge betrayal, and the fact that mere hours to days later he asked nie mingjue to swear brotherhood to him and meng yao is truly something i think we as fandom should discuss more

3zun is complicated on all sides because there is some degree of tension and fucked-uppedness happening everywhere between them.

*= seemingly, because there is a justified reading of canon that nie mingjue's capture was a deliberate ambush facilitated by meng yao and lan xichen, in that information from meng yao delivered by lan xichen says that the area they're going to should be a soft target open for ambush and instead Wen Ruohan was waiting with extra forces, so. probably not a coincidence.

**= in the novel specifically, after beint caught in murder and asked to turn himself in, meng yao stabs himself in apparent suicide for honor. nie mingjue rushes to help him and transfers him spiritual energy and in that moment meng yao paralyzes him spiritually and stands up revealing he'd deliberately stabbed himself non-fatally, and runs away leaving nie mingjue frozen in a recent battlefield. in cql the betrayal is arguably much less personal than that

[trensu]

Episode 48: The One where JGY and SS Host a Pity Party and Everyone Wishes They Hadn't

The show just dunks us right into yunmeng bro feelings again

jc's all should i get on my knees and thank you?

and wwx is like i never wanted your thanks

and now jc is just spilling his insecurities all over the place

Blah wwx was always better than him blah blah everyone liked wwx more blah blah DADDY ISSUES blah blah blah

and wwx just looks more and more hurt as all this bitterness is pouring out of his little brother 😞

i mean even jl was like hey uncle, maybe don't do that???

lwj is glaring at jc the whole time ofc

and jc gets so mad he tries to start a physical fight EVEN THO HE HAS A GAPING STAB WOUND IN THE CHEST

which is actually quite hilarious if you ignore how utterly heartbreaking the yunmeng bros relationship is

thankfully jl and lxc hold him back (not that he could've gone very far bc again GAPING STAB WOUND)

and ofc lwj has to throw in his two cents

lwj: clan leader jiang. Discretion

oh lwj, a man of few words

Oh no, ohno, oh nooooo, jc’s starting on their oath oh god

“YOU SAID THAT I WOULD BE THE CLAN LEADER AND YOU WOULD BE MY SUBORDINATE. YOU WOULD ASSIST ME FOR LIFE”

“SO WHAT IF THE TWIN JADES OF GUSU ARE THERE. WE WERE THE TWIN HEROES OF YUNMENG”

*GROSS SOBBING*

CAN I TOO GET A GAPING STAB WOUND IN THE CHEST BC I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WOULD HURT LESS

OH GOD WWX'S EYES ARE ALL RED

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING. YOU TREAT ME LIKE A LITTLE FOOL."

OH THIS HURTS SO MUCH

that last bit, tho. i can't even hold that against him bc wwx DID lie to him. he DID neglect to trust him and his judgement. 

he took jc's choice away and made it for him, and that's not cool. 

and, like, i get it, I do bc i would probably want to do the same thing wwx did if i were in a similar situation with my own siblings

BUT STILL

jc: shouldn't i hate you? can't i hate you?

WHICH REALLY JUST TELLS ME THAT HE DOESN'T HATE WWX

HE WOULD NOT BE THIS TORN UP, THIS TEARFUL MESS, IF HE DIDN'T STILL LOVE HIS BROTHER AND WANT HIM BACK

this whole time jc is inching towards wwx, getting closer and closer until he's close enough to punch him if he wanted

Jc does make a sudden sharp movement towards wwx 

Which obvs has lwj jolting forward to protect wwx

But wwx IMMEDIATELY puts a hand on lwj's knee

jin ling darts forward to hold his uncle and is like, hanguang jun, my uncle's hurt!!

BC JC IS THE ONLY NOT EVIL AND/OR DEAD FAMILY HE HAS LEFT 

AND EVEN JL KNOWS THAT LWJ IS SO VERY WILLING TO HURT ANYONE WHO HURTS WWX

I AM HAVING TOO MANY EMOTIONS

jc's angry and hurting and is like i'm not afraid of lwj, come at me bro

lwj GLARES at him, brow furrowed and mouth pinched

jc: why? why wwx? why didn't you tell me?

oh god, he's not even yelling anymore, he's just fucking crying and i'm crying and there's just wet icky tears everywhere

wwx takes a shuddery breath and tells him it's bc he didn't want to see him like this

JC: you said i would be clan leader and you would be my subordinate. you would assist me for life. you'd never betray the jiang clan. you said it yourself

HE'S NOT YELLING. HE'S NOT EVEN ANGRY

his voice is weak, and shaky, and weepy and he's just so, so hurt

AND I'M A SOBBING MESS

and wwx swallows passed the lump in his throat but his voice still sounds a bit raw when he speaks

wwx: i'm sorry. i broke my promise.

FUCK 

FUCKING HELL

MY YUNMENG BROS

jc: we've reached this point. i don't need your apology now. i'm not that delicate

STFU JC, YOU BALD-FACED LIAR, "NOT THAT DELICATE" 

YOU'RE AS MUCH OF A SOBBING WRECK RN AS I AM

GET A THERAPIST JC

"NOT THAT DELICATE" I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE IS WHAT I'M GONNA DO. GOD. NOT THAT DELICATE

JC: i'm sorry

*sobsobsobsob* MY YUNMENG BROS

wwx: don't apologize to me. that's what i owed the jiang clan.

here wwx closes the distance between them to place a hand on his brother's arm

HUG HIM GOD DAMN IT, LET MY YUNMENG BROS HAVE A PROPER HUG

wwx: as for this matter, please don't keep it in your heart.

and he goes on to say smth like i know you probably won't let go, but it's water under the bridge, that was all stuff that happened in my past life

AND THEN HE REACHES UP AND GENTLY WIPES AWAY JC'S TEARS WITH HIS THUMB

AND GIVES HIM A SWEET LITTLE SMILE

AND I'M DYING. MY HEART HURTS SO MUCH I'M DYING

I SHOULD'VE KEPT A BOX OF TISSUES NEAR ME, MY SLEEVES ARE ALL SNOTTY AND DISGUSTING NOW, DAMN IT ALL

AND THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST 10 MIN OF THE EPISODE WTF

I’VE BEEN REDUCED TO A SNIFFLING WEEPING MESS IN 10MIN FLAT WTF 

yunmeng bro moment ends (thank god) and we cut to the next scene where nhs is oh so conveniently regaining consciousness

now all the diggers are screaming to remind us that oh yeah, there's like Plot Stuff here, it's not just about the yunmeng bros

ss gives jgy some meds bc he's hurt or smth, who gives a damn

our boys follow jgy back to the dig site for Plot Reasons

and SURPRISE!! we have nmj's no-longer-headless dead body!!

lwj and wwx look at each other like WTF??

oooooh boy, nhs gave jgy the dirtiest look

wwx is being Clever again and pointing out Plot Relevant Things 

ss gets all offended and holds wwx at sword point 

but there's lwj with bichen in its scabbard, one step in front of him and ready to block anything ss sends their way bc lwj is not gonna let wwx get hurt if he can help it

ss is all like wwx you set him up! And wwx’s face is like, i aint even bovvered

wwx: i'm saying this with all modesty, but if i were the one who set him up, i'm afraid he wouldn't have just gotten one arm hurt

HOT DAMN

LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY

and here my sunshine boy is being all Clever again and laying out all the facts and explaining how there's a 3rd party involved in all this

LOLOLOL HE'S REALLY PLAYING THIS UP FOR JGY TOO

he's like, there might be a predator behind you, the guy who's been spying on you this whole time...HE MIGHT NOT EVEN BE HUMAN

oh wwx, so Dramatic™

but hey it's working bc jgy looks spooked as hell

LOLOLOL

HE SEES JGY START FREAKING OUT AND HE LOOKS OVER TO LWJ AND GRINS AT HIM LIKE, HEY LAN ZHAN, SEE WHAT I DID, LOL, I SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS LOSER, DID YOU SEE? 

oh, now wwx and jc are bound by the wrists but not lwj, for some reason? 

Which, rude, why deny lwj the chance to be tied up? Let him try new experiences! What if he likes to be tied up? 

NOW HE’LL NEVER KNOW BC YOU DIDN’T LET HIM TRY IT

jgy and ss have a moment that i don't care about but i have to mention it

bc RIGHT AFTER we see our precious beautiful sunshine boy lean WAY into lwj's space to talk shit about them

like, seriously, just a couple inches more, and wwx would be resting his cheek on lwj's shoulder 

IT'S WONDERFUL AND I WISH HE'D GET EVEN CLOSER

shockingly, lwj is NOT as distracted as i would be having wwx that close 

bc he's studying ss and SUDDENLY SEES HE'S GOT THE HUNDRED-HOLES CURSE ON HIM 

which btw, EWW?? THAT'S THE GROSSEST THING EVER 

I REALLY WISH THEY'D STOP SHOWING IT SO MUCH BC IT MAKES MY SKIN CRAWL

he tells ss to turn around to get a better look and wwx sees it too!! he's like, IT WAS YOU!!!

and for the audience's benefit, nhs goes to lxc and is all what's going on???

lxc and jc gives some exposition about blah blah blah stuff we know about already

amidst all this we keep getting shots of wwx looking stunned and hurt (but still oh-so-beautiful)

wwx: jgy, i didn't do anything against you back then. we were not even that familiar. you wanted to kill jzx. why did you push that on me?

HE LOOKS SO HURT AND ANGRY AND CONFUSED BC WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE HIM? WHY DID JGY HAVE TO USE HIM??

and lwj is watching wwx while he shouts this and god how can he stand watching his soulmate be hurt over and over and over again?? HOW DOES HE COPE?

jgy does a mini Rant of Evil Explanation and ss does a rant about classism

which, if said by literally anybody else, i'd say hm, yes, you have a point 

but bc it's said by ss, a spineless coward who never takes responsibility for his own actions, i'm like STFU SS

omg lolololol

ss: would i have been swept out of lan clan like a pile of leaves [if I were highborn]??

AND ICE PRINCE LWJ ANSWERS ALMOST BEFORE SS COULD FINISH ASKING

lwj: Yes.

AND THEN HE LOOKS SS DEAD IN THE EYE

lwj: betrayers won't be tolerated by the lan clan

HELL FUCKING YEAH

YOU WEREN'T KICKED OUT BC YOU WERE LOW-BORN, SS

YOU WERE KICKED OUT BC YOU'RE A TRAITOROUS COWARD

and like, i need to point out that lwj is sitting cross legged on the ground right now (along with wwx, ofc) and ss is standing over him while ranting

and YET, the way lwj holds himself and the way he speaks, does in no way indicate that he's at a disadvantage here

dude's unflappable. JADE OF LAN, INDEED

ss is like i am so sick of your condescending attitude

then he's like just bc i made that one little mistake you could never forgive me!!

FUCKING EXCUSE ME??? 

LITTLE? LITTLE MISTAKE??? 

HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED BC OF YOU SS?

HOW MANY DIED BC YOU BETRAYED THEM??

ss continues to rant and starts to go off his rocker

and then wwx starts to laugh but it's not a happy laugh

it is, in fact, a laugh very similar to the laugh we heard in The One where the Moonlit Rooftop Betrays Us

ss is like, what's so funny???

wwx: nothing. i just didn't expect...

AND HE'S GETTING TEARY HERE EVEN AS HE LAUGHS

WWX: i didn't expect you to get so many people killed just for...just for this

HE LOOKS SO DISILLUSIONED

MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY

THE WORLD KEEPS DISAPPOINTING HIM

omg i want to RING JGY'S NECK WITH ZIDIAN

HE'S GETTING ALL UP IN WWX'S FACE

TELLING HIM THAT NO MATTER HOW KIND OR CHIVALROUS HE IS, HE WILL ALWAYS BE BLAMED FOR ANY BAD THING THAT HAPPENS, THAT NO ONE WILL EVER BELIEVE OR TRUST HIM

FUCK YOU JGY I HATE YOU SO MUCH

MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY IS TREMBLING WITH RAGE

bc he knows it's true. ppl really ARE always going to suspect the yiling patriarch.

oooh, jc just defended his brother! sort of.

But it has the unfortunate side effect of drawing jgy’s attention

so now jgy is cutting into jc

god jgy talks a lot. stfu jgy.

wwx has been teary eyed on and off this entire episode so far but hasn't actually cried

but jgy is now belittling all of jc's work, all the effort he put in to rebuilding lotus pier, implying that he wouldn't have been able to do if not for wwx

and that's the breaking point, that's what makes wwx finally shed a tear.

lwj is watching wwx, as always, and sees wwx cry

he must feel utterly helpless

ooooh, MY CLEVER SUNSHINE BOY

EVEN AMIDST ALL THIS TERRIBLE EMOTIONAL PAIN, HE PICKED UP ON JGY'S TRIGGER WORD(S)

wwx: just a "son of a whore" made you talk so much

oooh jgy tries to leave but wwx stops him in his tracks by asking him how he killed nmj

and then he's like "aren't you afraid?"

CHILLS, MAN, I'M GETTING CHILLS AT HOW HE DELIVERS THIS

SO CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED YET TINGED WITH A THREAT

jgy: afraid of what? (lol he whirls around angrily like the Drama queen he is)

wwx leans forward and looks him dead in the eye

wwx: afraid of him coming back to you

AND THE SMIRK HE WEARS

THAT'S THE SMIRK OF THE YILING PATRIARCH 

He smirks and leans back against the pillar, all easy and relaxed while jgy looks freaked the fuck out

and then

THEN

WWX STARTS TO WHISTLE

RESENTFUL ENERGY COMES IN TO STROKE AT JGY'S ARM ALL MENACINGLY

I'M GETTING CHILLS ALL OVER 

THIS IS SUCH A BADASS MOVE ON WWX'S PART

and also, holy shit do i enjoy those close up shots of wwx's eyes and his beautiful beautiful lips

the sound team did a great job making those whistles sound super eerie, btw

i can't get over how cool and confident wwx looks here

he's not worried or bothered AT ALL, this is him doing what he does best

Wait, do i have a competency kink…?

LOL JGY JUST GOT BITCHSLAPPED BY RESENTFUL ENERGY, LOVE IT

wwx has stopped whistling now, which is unfortunate bc that means no more extreme close-ups on wwx's gorgeous features

jgy: yiling patriarch, you're worthy of your title, aren't you?

YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT HE IS!

Okay yeah, i guess i have a competency kink now, THANKS A LOT WWX

FUCKING SU SHE JUST TRIED STABBING WWX

LWJ TO THE RESCUE, HELL YEAH

OUR MAN HANGUANG JUN LEAPS TO HIS FEET AND NOT ONLY BLOCKS THE STRIKE

HE FREAKING SLICES SU SHE'S WEAK ASS SWORD IN TWO 

THEN FOLLOWS UP WITH A SLICE AT SU SHE'S WRIST

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN

Lwj calmly goes over to wwx and slices off the ropes that were keeping his wrists tied and does the same to jc

wwx goes up to jgy (who's held at sword point by lxc) and calmly takes his weapons

wwx: jgy, hand it over. it's not of much use in your hands.

with a deceivingly dainty clink, Plot Device 3 rolls out of jgy's sleeve and into his hand

then he lets it fall to the ground bc he's a petty bitch that way

we get to see wwx being all Smart Detective and revealing just how long jgy has been planning all this 

jgy’s all like even between me and xy we could only create Plot Device 3 half as powerful as Plot Device 2

LOLOL THAT'S BC THE TWO OF YOU ARE WORTHLESS HACKS.

WWX HAS MORE SKILL AND TALENT IN HIS PINKY FINGER THAN THE BOTH OF YOU COMBINED

man there's a lot of Plot Exposition happening and lxc is having Feelings about it.

DON'T FUCKING LOWER YOUR SWORD LXC WHAT ARE YOU DOING

look lxc, i don't mean to sound cruel or heartless or whatever, but omg i do NOT CARE about your complicated Emotions right now

NOT WHEN IT'S GIVING JGY THE OPENING TO MANIPULATE AN ESCAPE

jgy is now being like "oh, i was wrong" and acting all pitiful and TOTALLY PLAYING LXC FOR A FOOL (AGAIN)

wwx: hey, jgy, can't we stop talking? let's just fight? can we just start killing each other?

LOLOLOLOLOL 

HE TOTALLY SAW THAT JGY WAS MANIPULATING THE SITUATION AGAIN AND IS LIKE, NOPE, NOT DOING THAT AGAIN

LESS WORDS MORE SWORDS PLZ

LIKE, MY BOY IS JUST DONE. HE IS DONE WITH THIS. LET'S GET TO THE FIGHT NOW THX.

jgy ignores this and keeps talking to lxc AND OMG WWX'S FAAAAACE IS CRACKING ME UP 

GOD WORDS ARE NOT GONNA DO IT JUSTICE

HE JUST LOOKS AT JGY FOR A SECOND LIKE, SRSLY BRO? BEFORE ROLLING HIS EYES AND SCRUNCHING UP HIS EYEBROWS LIKE "CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THIS GUY, JFC"

IT'S SO FREAKING FUNNY OMG

meanwhile jgy continues to throw a pity party that no one likes and the episode ends

There really wasn’t much wangxian time in this episode, fucking jgy and ss decided to HOG ALL THE SCREEN TIME, THOSE PATHETIC WHINY ASSHOLES

but we got a lot of Yungmeng Bros which was painful but waaaay better than anything jgy or ss has to offer

Return to Masterpost

[trensu]

Episode 24: The One where LWJ Starts to Question Everything (except his sexuality)

The episode starts like a bad PSA about peer pressure and consent, courtesy of JGS being an utter douchebag

But since this is a wangxian guide, we’re not gonna get into that!!

I will say, tho, that the yunmeng sibs tag-teamed this scene excellently bc hell yeah, DON’T MESS WITH YUNMENG JIANG, BRO

Blah blah boring banquet blah blah

Jgy invites everyone for a sleepover at Carp Tower later with fun party games here.

This is Important for future WangXiantics

Plot plot, jgs and jgy being sneaky power hungry assholes, plot plot

STFU NOBODY LIKES YOU

Lotus Pier Time!!

Stuff happens here

The only fun part was JC using his Zidian (FOREVER THE COOLEST OF ALL THE SPIRITUAL WEAPONS) to smash down the wen crest over their home

I want a zidian. someone Give me a snakey electric whip of my own plz

Oooh, here we get a little morsel of WangXiantics courtesy of the lan bros

Lwj is playing Magic Music in his room at the cloud recesses

He’s practicing! He’s very focused!

Lxc interrupts him

Lxc: rumor has it that you went to the library and checked out ALL the Magic Music books and have been practicing like an obsessive crazy person

Lxc: yeah, so just dropping by to see if that’s true…*pointedly looks at the two stacks of Magic Music books lwj has*

Lwj, in typical little brother behavior, does not acknowledge the questioning

Lwj: I want to enter the forbidden chamber in the library.

Lxc: what for?!?

Lwj: ...to study Magic Music

HE WANTS TO STUDY FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC

BC THE NOT-FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC ISN’T HELPING WWX!!

HE WANTS TO HELP WWX BC HE LOVES HIM AND THEY’RE SOULMATES!!

Okay so that happened and suddenly some Lan person interrupts them to let them know that their uncle wants to see them dun, Dun, DUUUUNNNNNN!!

Lan fam time!!

They’re mostly talking plot here, SO BORING

But we do get a tidbit of almost-wangxiantics

Lqr looks at lwj while talking Plot and says to him, “I’ve heard about wwx.” (re: wicked tricks, i’m assuming, if his expression is anything to go by)

And lwj’s face says “oh shit.”

But, like, in a subtle way bc this is lwj we’re talking about here

Blah blah more plot blah

Here’s a painful wangxian-adjacent scene bc this show exists to HURT US

Lqr: lxc, you go cleanse the battlefields with Magic Music. Lwj, you’ll stay here with me to copy the lan clan rule books bc they were damaged or smth 

Lqr: totally not a punishment

Lqr: completely not doing this to keep you away from wwx

Lqr: copying the books is SUPER important for Reasons

And lwj is a good boy so he accepts the BIGGEST FREAKING RULE BOOK I’VE EVER SEEN that lqr hands him

Just as lqr is walking away, lwj just DROPS TO HIS KNEES with no preamble

LITERALLY FALLS TO HIS KNEES, EYES LOWERED IN RESPECT

Lwj: grandmaster, i want to enter the forbidden chamber

HE’S PRACTICALLY GROVELING

Lqr: oh, have you finished all the books in the Not Forbidden Library?

WHAT A DOUCHE

Lwj: i want to enter the forbidden chamber

He’s still on his knees! Still respectfully lowering his gaze. STILL HOLDING THAT HUGE HEAVY BOOK THAT LQR GAVE HIM IN OUTSTRETCHED ARMS

(Take a moment here to admire the incredible arm strength required to hold out your arms while carrying something that heavy)

Lqr: if you haven’t, then there’s no need for you to be there

And then lqr just walks past lwj? Who’s still kneeling and practically frozen at the rejection?? Like, you can see him shut down emotionally

HOW COULD YOU DO THAT, LQR. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR NEPHEW WHO NEVER ASKS FOR ANYTHING AND ALWAYS DOES HIS DUTY??

Lwj doesn’t move until his brother pats him on the shoulder and EVEN THEN it takes him a minute to react

Lwj and lxc turn to leavE

Lqr: lwj…

Lwj turns around, his face going soft with hope for a split second!! BC MAYBE HIS UNCLE CHANGED HIS MIND AND IS GIVING HIM PERMISSION???

Lqr: do you understand why I’m not letting you go with lxc?

And then lqr doesn’t elaborate??? HE JUST DISMISSES THEM??

WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT??

GETTING LWJ’S HOPES UP FOR NOTHING!?!?!

Lwj wants to get Forbidden Magic Music bc his soulmate needs help

WHY WON’T YOU LET HIM HELP HIS SOULMATE, YOU BASTARD

We cut to Lotus Pier briefly to see JC do sect leader-y things and his sibs are super proud of him

Then we’re back with LWJ who’s on a patio sadly reading the GINORMOUS lan clan rule book

He’s in deep thought

“Eradicate evil, set up laws, and then Goodness is everlasting.”

Ah, yeah, this isn’t foreboding AT ALL, it’s not implying anything about the future of our ship AHAHA

Plot plot lotus pier time plot plot sad wwx & jc time plot plot

Oh, and now we’re in a wine house in yunmeng and wwx just invited lxc for a drink!

Wwx: *watches lxc knock back two shots like a boss*

Wwx: wow. You hold your liquor much better than lan zhan. Are you secretly drinking at the cloud recesses like i did~?

Lxc: *gives him a Look*

Wwx: ahaha, jk jk

Lxc: actually, i get rid of the alcohol using my golden core so it doesn’t count as drinking

(Uhh, pretty sure that’s not how it works, lxc. But whatever helps you sleep at night, i guess)

Wwx: so you’re cleansing things, huh? Lwj does that sort of thing too. Why isn’t he with you here in yunmeng, near my home, where i would be able watch him longingly from afar

Lxc: he was ordered to stay home to copy the lan clan rule book(s)

Wwx: !!!

Wwx: but there’s so many rules!! It’s unbearable!! HE’S PRACTICALLY IMPRISONED

Wwx: BUT HEY, i don’t have much going on, i’ll go with you to gusu! That way i can supervise lwj while he copies stuff like he did with me back in the day! It’ll be much more fun this way *cheeky grin*

Lxc: well….if you’re coming over, why don’t you listen to lwj play some Magic Music he learned? 

Lxc: you wouldn’t happen to know why he’s suddenly learning all the Magic Music do you?

And here wwx immediately goes on the defensive

It’s super frustrating

Wwx: your clan sure likes sticking their noses in other ppl’s business, huh?

RUDE

THAT WAS REALLY RUDE, WWX

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU INVITED YOURSELF OVER TO BEGIN WITH

Lxc is too polite to rise to the bait

Lxc: lwj is my brother, i know him better than anyone. Even if you don’t want to listen, i have something to say to you

LXC LOVES HIS LITTLE BROTHER SO MUCH. HE’S SO CONCERNED FOR HIM

Lxc: if you were the only person in the world, you could do whatever you want without consequence. But you’re not the only person in the world. The people you care about are affected by your actions.

Aka YOU’RE MAKING MY LITTLE BROTHER SAD 

Lxc: if you trust me and lwj, please come to gusu so we can help you pick up the sword again

Aka PLEASE COME VISIT MY LITTLE BROTHER SO HE’S NOT SAD ANYMORE

Obvs wwx shuts that down real quick (and is cocky about it in a not-adorable way)

It was a good try, lxc. Better luck next time.

Yunmeng Bro Drama Happens

We’re ignoring this bc it makes me Sad and also has no wangxian stuff

Blah blah blah Stuff Happens more

Now we’re in the ancestral hall with jyl!! She and wwx have a super adorable moment

Well, okay, it’s kind of emotional at first where jyl is all do you not wanna live with us anymore?? And wwx is like NO, this is my HOME, we’ll be together FOREVER

*HYSTERICAL SOBBING* IT’S A LIEEEEE

And we’re gonna take a moment here to admire wwx’s hands. He’s got nice hands. Almost nice enough to distract from the future heartbreak!

Anyway

Wwx acts SUPER CUTE HERE, OMG

He rests his chin on jyl’s knee and whines about being a hungry toddler WITH A LITTLE POUT AND THEN A GIGGLY SMILE

HOW ARE YOU SO CUTE WWX

Oh, oh, here’s the wangxian bit THAT WE LOVE

Wwx: i have a question i want to ask you, jyl

Wwx: why would a person like another person? I mean, to like them so much? Asking for a friend

Jyl: why are you asking this suddenly? Do you have someone in your heart~? (jyl knows whats up, she’s our captain)

Wwx: NO, NO I’M NOT AT ALL CRUSHING ON ANYONE

He says, you know, LikE a LIaR

Wwx: there’s no need to like a person that much. Isn’t that like haltering your neck?

Idk why he’s even bothering with this

IT’S TOO LATE, WWX, YOU’RE ALREADY IN LOVE WITH LWJ

THERE’S NO GOING BACK

Now all three yunmeng sibs have a moment

Nothing super important happening

BUT THEN we cut to LWJ at the cloud recesses

We see that HE’S BROKEN INTO THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER

He’s reading FORBIDDEN BOOKS IN THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER

This, my friends, is the first time we see LWJ deliberately break the rules for wwx, the first time he questions an order and decides to go against it

AND IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST‼️

And that’s all the WangXiantics for this episode

They were all second-hand WangXiantics, tho

People talking around the subject rather than addressing it directly and our boys didn’t share screen time at all.

I’m giving it 6/10. Mostly bc wwx was adorable asking jyl that question and lwj takes his first foray into delinquency!

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