#and then he suffered and made it a problem for wwx to solve

[dephoraowo]

I feel like some people in the fandom need to go read a dictionary because where on earth does the novel even show Wei Wuxian having a hero complex?

The novel literally shows the opposite:

The suction from within Biling Lake was growing progressively more powerful. While Wei Wuxian’s sword excelled in dexterity and agility, a lack of strength just happened to be its weakness, and it was forcefully pulled to lower and lower altitudes until it was close to the surface of the lake.

Wei Wuxian steadied himself while yanking on Su She with both hands, shouting, “Somebody come help! If I can’t get him up, I’m gonna have to let go!”

And this:

“Stand back,” Lan Wangji said. “You are not needed here.”

Wei Wuxian humbly took his advice and backed off. He backed all the way to the entrance and took a peek outside. Wen Ning was in the middle of stoically strangling Song Lan, lifting the man by his neck and slamming him into the wall, creating a giant man-shaped hole in the process. Song Lan, also expressionless, seized Wen Ning’s wrist and flipped him over, crashing him into the ground. Loud, incessant bangs and booms accompanied the battle between the two stone-faced fierce corpses. Neither side could feel pain, nor were they afraid of injuries. Unless they were cut to pieces, they could keep fighting no matter how many limbs they broke.

“There doesn’t seem to be a need for me here either,” Wei Wuxian mumbled to himself.

If the fandom is so desperate for a guy with a hero complex, they don't even need to worry. We already do! In fact, mxtx was so generous, she literally gave us two!

Wei Wuxian was observing the terrain as he fled around, setting off flames. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his arm. He looked down to see he had been shot by an arrow.

As it turned out, the Lan sect disciple whom Lan Wangji had glared at earlier had found a bow and arrow abandoned by the Wens and tried to shoot at the yao beast. Perhaps because of the beast’s fearsome savagery and agility, the boy’s hands were panicked and unsteady, and the shot had flown astray and pierced Wei Wuxian instead.

Wei Wuxian had no time to pull it out. He struck the ground again, calling forth another surge of flames.

“Back off! Don’t make more work for me!”

The sect disciple had wanted to fell the yao beast with a single shot to its vital spot, in hopes of regaining some of the face he’d lost earlier. Who could’ve thought it would turn out like this? His face flushed progressively paler as he fled into the water.

Let's not forget this scene:

Before walking away, Wei Wuxian repeatedly exhorted him to sit still and not to move. At least they weren’t too short of money—he had a habit of hiding small change in various corners of his clothes, which came in handy now. He walked around and bought food and dry rations to prepare for the long journey ahead. It took him less than an incense time to grab everything, after which he immediately returned to the spot where they’d separated.

But Jiang Cheng was gone.

...

Jiang Cheng struck a palm at him. The strike was so weak and feeble that Wei Wuxian did not even sway.

“Hit me all you want. As long as it makes you feel better.”

“Did you feel it?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Wei Wuxian was momentarily taken aback. “What? Feel what?”

“My spiritual power. Did you feel it?” Jiang Cheng pressed him.

“What spiritual power?” Wei Wuxian asked. “You didn’t use spiritual power at all.”

“I did.”

“What exactly… What did you say?”

Jiang Cheng repeated himself word for word. “I said, I used it. I used all my spiritual power and then some for that strike. So I’m asking you—did you feel it?”

Wei Wuxian stared at him, falling quiet. After a moment, he said, “Try hitting me again.”

“Forget it,” Jiang Cheng told him. “No matter how many times I hit you, the result will be the same. Wei Wuxian, do you know why Core-Melting Hand is called that?”

Wei Wuxian’s heart sank.

“Because his hands can dissolve golden cores and render the victims unable to form new ones,” Jiang Cheng continued. “Their spiritual power will dissipate, reducing them to nothing more than ordinary humans. And an ordinary human in a cultivation clan is good for nothing. They can only live out the rest of their common lives, abandoning all dreams of ever ascending higher.

“Wen Zhuliu dissolved Mom and Father’s golden cores. Once they lost the ability to fight back, he killed them.”

Wei Wuxian’s mind was in turmoil. At a loss as to what to do, he murmured, “…Core-Melting Hand… Core-Melting Hand…”

Jiang Cheng laughed grimly. “Wen Zhuliu, Wen Zhuliu. I want to seek revenge. I have to. But how can I? I don’t even have a golden core anymore, and I’ll never be able to form a new one again. So how am I going to take revenge? Ha ha ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

Wei Wuxian’s legs gave out from under him. He stared at Jiang Cheng, who seemed to have gone insane. Words failed him.

No one knew better than him just how competitive Jiang Cheng was. How much he valued his own cultivation and spiritual power. And with a single strike, Core-Melting Hand had shattered his cultivation, self-esteem, and hope for revenge to smithereens!

Jiang Cheng howled with laughter like a madman. He lay back down on the bed with his arms spread open and abandoned himself to despair. “Wei Wuxian, why did you save me? What’s the point of saving me? To let me live on uselessly while I watch the Wen dogs run rampant?”

...

Though awake, he remained motionless, not even flipping over and asking where they were. He wouldn’t eat or drink. It was as if he was interested only in dying.

“Do you really want to die?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“I can’t get revenge even if I live, so I might as well die. Who knows, maybe I can even turn into a malicious ghost,” Jiang Cheng said.

“You’ve gone through Soul-Tranquilization Rites since you were a kid. Even if you die, you won’t turn into a malicious ghost,” Wei Wuxian commented.

“Since I can’t seek revenge dead or alive, what difference does it make if I live or die?”

After that, Jiang Cheng didn’t speak again.

...

Jiang Cheng’s mind and face were both racked with confusion. “Then why was I able to pull it out?”

“Because the sword recognizes you as Wei-gongzi,” Wen Ning answered.

Lan Wangji stood up, lifting an unconscious Wei Wuxian on his back.

“What do you mean, it recognizes me as Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng snapped. “How?! Why me?!”

“Because the golden core presently channeling spiritual power in your body is his!” Wen Ning snapped back, even harsher.

...

“Your golden core was never restored,” Wen Ning said. “It was completely dissolved by Wen Zhuliu! The reason you thought it was restored was because my jiejie, Wen Qing—the best doctor of the Wen Clan of Qishan—cut Wei-gongzi’s golden core from his body and used it to replace yours!”

Jiang Cheng’s face went blank for a second. “Replaced mine with his?”

“That’s right!” Wen Ning said. “Why do you think he never used Suibian again, and never carried his sword with him when he went out? Was it really because of some youthful indiscretion? Did he really enjoy it when others spoke ill of him behind his back or to his face, saying he was rude and had a poor upbringing? It was because bringing it along would be pointless! You see…if he brought his sword along when he was invited to those banquets and Night Hunts, there would inevitably be someone wanting to duel or spar with him for whatever reason. Without his golden core, he had no spiritual power. If he drew his sword, he wouldn’t last long at all…”

Jiang Cheng stood dumbly rooted to the spot. He looked queasy, and his lips quivered. He even forgot to use Zidian as he suddenly dropped Suibian to the ground and struck Wen Ning on the chest with his hand.

“You’re lying!” he bellowed.Wen Ning was forced a couple steps back from the blow. He picked up Suibian from the ground, sheathed it, and pushed it against Jiang Cheng’s chest.

“Take it!”

Jiang Cheng unconsciously took the sword. He didn’t move but looked at a loss as his gaze turned toward Wei Wuxian. He would have been fine if he hadn’t looked. But when he did, Wei Wuxian’s despondent expression and ghastly pale face—with blood still gathered at the corners of his mouth—was like a hammer smashing his heart. Moreover, Lan Wangji’s gaze chilled him so keenly he felt like he had plunged into a frozen cavern.

“Take that sword and go to the banquet hall, the drilling grounds, anywhere,” Wen Ning said. “Order everyone you come across to pull it from its sheath and see if anyone can! Then you’ll see if I’m lying! Sect Leader Jiang, you…you are such a competitive person. All your life, you have been competing with and comparing yourself to others. But know this—you could never have compared to him!”

...

Out of the blue, Lan Wangji asked, “Is it painful?”

“What?” Wen Ning said.

“Extracting one’s core. Is it painful?”

“Lan-gongzi. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you no, would you?”

“I assumed Wen Qing would have found a way.”

“Before going up the mountain, my jiejie prepared many anesthetics in hopes of alleviating the pain of extracting his core. But later, she realized such medication would be completely useless. If the subject is in a numbed state when the golden core is extracted from the body, it affects the core’s stability. It becomes harder to prevent it from dissipating.”

“…Therefore?” Lan Wangji probed.

Wen Ning pausing in his rowing. “Therefore, the subject of the golden core extraction procedure has to be completely conscious for its full duration.”

He had to be conscious as he watched his golden core be cut from his meridians and extracted from his body. He had to feel his surging spiritual energy gradually subsiding, calming, turning ordinary—until it became a pool of stagnant water that could no longer make waves.

It was a long time before Lan Wangji found his voice again. It was a little raspy, and the words he spoke seemed to tremble. “Its full duration?”

“For one day and two nights,” Wen Ning said. “He remained conscious throughout.”

“At the time, how confident were you of success?”

“About fifty percent.”

“Fifty percent.” Lan Wangji soundlessly drew a deep breath and shook his head. He repeated, “…Fifty percent.”

His hand tightened its hold on Wei Wuxian’s waist, gripping so hard his knuckles turned white.

“After all, no one had ever conducted any sort of core-swapping procedure before,” Wen Ning said. “My jiejie had written essays on the subject, but they were only theoretical. No one would ever let her experiment on them, so the theories remained untested. The sect’s seniors said she was indulging in flights of fancy, that the idea was completely impractical. They knew no one would ever be willing to extract their golden core and give it to someone else—because if they did, they would be fundamentally crippled. They would never reach the pinnacle of their ability but would remain mediocre the rest of their life.

“So when Wei-gongzi returned to seek us out, my jiejie was reluctant to even attempt the procedure, at first. She warned him that writing an essay was one thing, but actually doing it was quite another. She wasn’t even confident she’d have a fifty percent chance of success.

“But Wei-gongzi kept pestering her. He said fifty percent was fine; the chances of success and failure were equal. Even if it didn’t work out and his core was wasted, he wasn’t worried about his future—but that wasn’t the case for Sect Leader Jiang. He was too competitive, too focused on what he stood to gain and lose in this aspect, since cultivation was his life. And if Sect Leader Jiang could only ever be an ordinary, mediocre person, his life would be over.”

Definition of hero complex:

A hero complex, also known as a saviour complex or hero syndrome, is a psychological phenomenon where a person seeks recognition for being a hero. Hero complexes can be detrimental to the lives of others and put innocent people at risk.

A person with a hero complex may:

- Create situations where they can be the hero and resolve them

- Take responsibility for problems that aren't theirs to solve

- Offer unsolicited advice

- Overstep boundaries

- Strive to be the ones to save the day, no matter the odds or situation

In the examples above, we can clearly see that Wei Wuxian knows his own limits. If there is something he can do to help, he will help. HOWEVER! He will not help if he knows that it isn't within his own capabilities because there's a chance that, if he fails, he might ruin the situation further and make things worse than it is! And I know people will be using this as a refute, so I will also say it here. Wei Wuxian will not make risky decisions UNLESS THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE! None of the novel's textual evidence mentions any kind of instances in which he acts "recklessly" with his own life in a situation where any other action other than risking his life would have achieved the same or better results. If there are safer options, he will not make such decisions.

This is the direct opposite of Su She and Jiang Cheng. Su She was clearly trying to save face by killing the Xuanwu of Slaughter, "playing the hero," but he failed, either due to lack of skill or just not in the right headspace, and made things worse.

In Jiang Cheng’s case, I honestly don't know why he distracted the guards. Did he do it out of love, or was he just trying to "play the hero?" I say this because the novel didn't even say that the guards spotted Wei Wuxian. It just says they were patrolling around the area. If he did it out of care for Wei Wuxian, why didn't he take responsibility? If he really did try to save Wei Wuxian from the guards, why was Jiang Cheng not willing to live with the consequences? Did he not expect to be captured by them? He overestimated himself if that's the case. And he made things worse for Wei Wuxian because after that stunt of his, he just wanted to die. Not only that, he literally made his own sacrifice into Wei Wuxian's problem. And how could Wei Wuxian, who had just promised Jiang Cheng's parents to take care of him, let him die like this? So Wei Wuxian was forced to give up his core to give Jiang Cheng a reason to live. (Honestly, Jiang Cheng could still live as a normal person. He could still lead the clan as a normal person since a clan follows bloodline. Doesn't matter if he is competent or not, core or no. We literally have Jin Guangshan leading the Jins for goodness sake, does that man even know how to fight? Jiang Cheng just can't stand being an average dude, which is so ironic because in Wei Wuxian's second life, he literally became an average dude, even with a core. Man couldn't even defeat Jin Guangyao.)

[princess-of-purple-prose]

[ID: First is a gifset from The Untamed featuring Jiang Cheng protecting Wei Wuxian. First, young Jiang Cheng tells Wei Wuxian that he'll protect him. Second, he blocks a blow coming for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian in Guanyin Temple. Third, he throws himself between Yu Ziyuan and Wei Wuxian. Fourth, he stands in the rain, making the choice to distract the Wen cultivators.

Images two and three are sets of tags that read: #just thinking about how of all the pairs of sibs in this show #JC is the only younger sib we see actively acting to protect an older sibling #I don’t mean that the other ones don’t care or that I think they wouldn’t #but the narrative chooses not to show us moments in which they do #(we see their devotion in other ways. Wen Ning demanding posthumous recognition for Wen Qing’s genius #Nie Huaisang waging a years-lot revenge scheme to avenge Nie Mingjue’s murder #Lan Wangji’s tendency to follow Lan Xichen around like a baby duckling) #idk about novel canon but CQL really makes a point of showing us how protective Jiang Cheng is of Wei Wuxian #in big ways that are obvious (trying to stop Madam Yu from whipping/maiming WWX and even physically putting his body between them) #and small (saving a bun for him when he was locked up in a. dungeon overnight) #not to mention all the subtler things that the show elides in the moment or misdirects us on and only makes clear well after the fact #this is notable because from WWX’s POV there is no question that he is the protector in their relationship #gege rights even if he’s not allowed to say it #and I think…JC does not exactly dislike that #he thinks WWX is amazing and can do anything! fix anything! solve any problem! #he always wants WWX around and in fact has fairly intense anxiety about the prospect of WWX abandoning him/leaving the Jiang #so I wouldn’t say he wants independence from gege or wants WWX to stop trying to help him #but he very much wants more equality in their relationship #he wants WWX to trust him the way he trusts WWX #trust me to be able and willing to protect YOU #trust my judgement trust my decisions trust my capabilities #this is such a huge part of why he’s devastated to find out about the core transfer #like threefold #1) in his mind it probably renders meaningless a sacrifice he made willingly and silently so long ago. something he never regretted #was it worth it after all? he has to wonder knowing what he knows now #2) gege was suffering this way ALL THIS TIME. because of JC and keeping it a secret from JC #JC never wants to see WWX hurt! he hates it! this is horrible! #3) it’s like the ultimate gesture of ‘i don’t think you’re strong enough and I didn’t believe you could survive your ordeal without me’ #JC has in fact spent the last sixteen years surviving without WWX and it fucking HURT and it was HARD. #but he did it anyway! he made the Jiang strong again! he is one of the most powerful (and feared) cultivators in the Jianghu!

#picking up where I left off thank you #only to have Wen Ning literally swoop in and tell him that he is NOTHING without WWX’s core #and that all his accomplishments without WWX are meaningless and not really his after all #and then fuckin worst of all is WWX framing this decision as his obligation to the Jiang #rather than the supreme act of love for a brother that it ACTUALLY was #bad enough to be infantalized that way #to be told ‘you are not trusted. you are not capable’ #worse to be made to feel that this was simply something WWX did to repay a favor to Jiang Fengmian #or a disciple’s duty to the sect heir #(we know that is not the case and that WWX loves JC intensely. but JC has also spent the last sixteen years doubting it bc Things Happened) #(and WWX is not saying the right things to make the nature of his decision about his core clear to JC in a way that allows him to accept it #AS the gesture of love that it was) #anyway no wonder JC was so incredibly fucked up by discovering that #all his life he has tried to protect and care for his brother as much as his brother did for him #and this feels like the most profound repudiation of both that drive and his capability to do so #WWX is so firmly invested in beinf Protective Older Brother #and so…insecure about his own right to be loved and protected by his family #that he simply cannot or will not see or accept how much JC tries to take care of him #once again I’ve talked myself into the point where I think he really does need to know about ‘take care’ #he’s missing a vital puzzle piece in their relationship #just as JC was missing a piece when he didn’t know about WWX’s core #the untamed #yunmeng bros #the untamed siblings. End ID]

jiang cheng + protecting wei wuxian “You can also not worry about dogs in the future. I’ll help you chase them away.”

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. I am searching for a time travel fix-it that wasn't on any of the three time travel rec posts. It was short (>2k I think) and didn't deal with how WWX/LWJ changed things but rather the after affects of remembering the way it *had* been before the time travel- the scene I remember is WWX in LWJ's arms having woken from a nightmare and LWJ reassuring him that none of the other timeline's things would happen. Any ideas? Thanks!

FOUND? Memories of a Life Never Lived by donutsweeper (T, 1k, wangxian, time travel, fix-it, hurt/comfort, memories, nightmares)

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2. Hi for the next fic finder I'd really like some help finding this fic - it was time travel i think modern wwx travels back because there was a book sent to him and it said that only wei ying can use (?) it idk how he did but he ends up in a room or so with everyone including people that died. It was a few years after the siege before he was summoned. He wakes up confused cause he sees his husband but not his husband cause of his outfit and hair. I remember a scene where lwj cradled his head because he thought he saw red and his hair was cut and thought wwx was injured but it was actually wwx having an undercut with red hair dye. Then they all talk about what happened years ago and wwx tells them past wwx's pov cause the book was actually his diary/journal. Oh additional scene: wwx gets angry because ayuan doesn't call him baba after he realizes that lsz is his baby ayuan and why he wasn't there to raise him. Thank you! 

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3. Hello, thank you for the hard work. I need help in finding a fic. It is post canon where WWX was kidnapped. LWJ and JWY, and a whole lot of cultivators from different sects where there to investigate. Chenqing was found in his room, in an inn. The room was wrecked, signs of struggles and all. Then people who are close to WWX tried to take his flute, because it rejected some arsehole who tried. LWJ ended up using it to locate WWX, only playing their song. He ended up with chapped lips. @aeszdjie​

FOUND! something wild calls you home by Fleetling (T, 9k, wangxian, kidnapping, injury, rescue, love confessions, first kiss, happy ending, Mojo’s post)

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4. hi!! i rly cant find this fic so its p much set during the cloud recesses study arc but canon divergence? has some ocs as well but the only occurring ones r the lan sect ocs

i dont remember the specifics but lan qiren eventually talks to wei wuxian abt whether or not he feels challenged in his class n when wwx says no, lqr sends him off to a lan tailsman class

(beforehand the teacher of said class tested him n wwx went NUTS. the test was something abt protecting a wifes coffin? but the protection array didnt work at all n it got robbed within x amnt of months n the teacher said essentially what can wwx do to solve the problem of the array)

other prominent plot points are:

- nhs helps wwx at one point to dress up when wwx invited lwj to caiyi town (to find a thank u gift for lqr) n told him to say he forgot his coat n made his waist look smaller w a belt. on the date wx shares an umbrella, ate at a place both jades enjoyed, lwj ravishes wwx when wwx confessed n basically mauled his neck and lwj gave wwx his coat (white coat, blue embroidered cloak) — not in order

- lwj and wwx eventually got betrothed bc lqr caught them getting a lil too frisky in a hidden but public space for a second time (first time was the library). wwx had to publically secede from yunmeng jiang in order for the betrothal to go thru and he suffered a major panic attack bc jiang fengmian pulled him out during the alloted break to basically trauma dump on wwx — saying how he thought he could keep wwx at lotus pier but in the end he was still like his father, leaving him alone. jfm essentially saw wwx as an extension of cssr and wcz (more of the latter tho i think) n not as his own person. after jfm confirms wwx wants to do this and its not a joke he acts cold to wwx n calls him via courtesy name.

- drunk lan shenanigans. wx, jc, nhs and an oc went out to celebrate that wx and the oc r betrothed n wwx/jc/nhs convinced both lans to drink. oc went nuts n starts becoming loud n almost ran off to see his fiancee and lwj jumps out the window w wwx to do something that i dont remember.theres more but im p sure it could be tagged as explicit bc ykno wangxian as teenagers n courting… Yeah… thank u for ur help if u find it!! **I swear I have read this exact fic but for the life of me I can’t remember it :’) ~Mod L**

FOUND! Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 310k, wangxian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, feelings   realization, getting together, fix-it of sorts, not JFM friendly, blood & gore, WIP)

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5. Hello I have been following for a while for recomendations, I have lives many of them, but I can not find this fic that was an Adams Family au. It was si cure and fun and it was wangxian as the parents of an extended family with Minjue as a zombie, Meng Yao doing the business deals, and Xichen being a medium. Do You know it?

FOUND! The Altogether Ooky WangXian Family by FluffyHippogriff (T, 52k, wangxian, 3zun, JYL/JZX, BSSR/LY, Addams Family au, kid fic, comedy, found family, WIP)

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6. not sure if this fic exists or is just a fever dream: Jin prison camp crimes are discovered bc Wei Wuxian is discovered in one— after having been presumed dead since sometime around the fall of lotus pier. Jins basically rolled up all the prisoners the Wen had who they didn’t recognize as being worth returning to someone valuable. Wei Wuxian of course basically adopts Wen Yuan in the camp.

FOUND? ❤️The Third Young Master of the Qishan Wen by KouriArashi (T, 139k, wangxian, xiyao, chengqing, romance, angst w/ happy ending, hurt/comfort, politics, revenge, families of choice, pining, Mojo’s post)

FOUND? ❤️Where the nightingales are singing, and a white moon beams. by Moominmammashandbag (M, 52k, wangixan, jin zixuan & lan wangji, no powers au, grief/mourning, aftermath of war, angst w/ happy ending, reunions, fluff & smut, Mojo’s post)

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7. Hi, I need help in finding a LXC/JGY fic where jgy kinda orchestrates wangxian getting together bc wangji is pining and sad that is making lxc sad and jgy is done TM with wangji pining and wants is husband to be happy and focus on their relationship. He's worried that if lxc finds out his scheming he'll hate him but then lxc reveals that he knew and loves him for it. Jgy was married into Lan and I think he didn't join the Jin before, but if remember correctly jgs asks to legitimize him for political advantages after he marries lxc and he's really mad about it. Thank you!!

FOUND? a micro utopia born as the overture plays by tardigradeschool (T, 18k, LXC/JGY, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, marriage, fluff, scheming, everyone lives au, kid fic)

FOUND? No More Masks by KouriArashi (M, 63k, LXC/JGY, JGY/XY, wangxian, fix-it, angst w/ happy ending, slow burn, redemption, hurt/comfort, dubious consent, implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced prostitution)

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8. Hello, im looking for a fic where WangXian was getting married and it was WWX's pov. All i remember was that LWJ insisted on wearing the veil. In the end, it was revealed that it was because he couldn't stop smiling and didn't want any one else seeing him that happy. @aeszdjie​

FOUND! I think this one is Thinly Veiled by thunderwear (G, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, weddings, fluff, tenderness, love, kissing, intimacy, LWJ smiling)

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9. Hey, I am looking for a modern fic in which lan zhan and wei ying are friends and lanzhan brings Wei Ying to his apartment now and then where he meets lan xichen and they become close. Lan zhan sees Wei Ying and his brother being close and comfortable with each other when he comes home which makes Lan zhan think Wei Ying likes Xichen and Lan zhan is jealous.But Wei Ying later tells him that he loves lan zhan and he had misunderstood Xichen and him.

FOUND! Smile for Me by kuro (T, 9k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, jealousy, fluff)

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10. Idk , if this is right time to ask or not ..even here to ask **Yes, this is the right place and anytime is a right time ^^ MIght take some time for it to be posted tho! ~Mod L** but I have been trying to find this fics for like months A) This have teen wangxian...alpha wangji and omega weiying . When weiying gets pregnant he think that his bf will left him in all this lqr hears this and support WWX  I think this one morden au  B) this one was like arrange marriage thing where the elders lan told wuxian that wangji wasn't sexually active and not wanted wuxian to touch  him and  other hand wangji thinks wuxian was forced to marry so wuxian doesn't come closer to him.. this one may have 4 chapters @selflovingmedj

10A)

FOUND? In which Lan Qiren eavesdrops and gets a new nephew (and grandnephew) out of it by h0peless_oblivion (M, 62k, wangxian, modern, high school au, ABO, teen pregnancy, shotgun wedding, fluff & angst, family feels, humor, family drama, WIP)

10B)

FOUND? a light hidden and singing by occultings (microcomets) (E, 48k, wangxian, arranged marriage, pining, getting together, slow burn, misunderstandings, miscommunication, blood & injury, happy ending, smut)

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11. Trying to find a  fanfic in which wwx was bullied in lotus pier by the disciples. In addition to the bullying, wwx ran errands for teachers and madam yu banned any swordsmith to make him sword. If you have any ideas, I would appreciate it 

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12. I’m looking for a fic where after WWX saves the people from the Qiongqi path and it’s found out that it wasn’t just Wens in there but also people from other sects.

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13. hello! i’m looking for a wangxian fic on ao3 where there was a yiling wei sect leaded by cssr and wcz. wwx was the heir and he had younger siblings. the wei sect and the lan sect were enemies. also all the sect heirs and people were sent to yiling sect for studies. lans kill wwx’s parents when wwx is away and it’s v sad when he comes back… also there is art in the fic. wwx becomes sect leader and wangxian gets together in the end. it’s completed btw. Note: It’s not “Balance” by AnaraneSindanarie

FOUND? Song Unwritten by Kytrin & Mslead (E, 94k, wangxian, temporary character death, angst w/ happy ending, fix-it of sorts, cql meets mdzs, parallel universes, transmigration, yiling wei sect au, YLLZ WWX)

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14. hello! I am looking for a fic, it's post canon I think, where wwx leaves mxy's body and my comes back in his body. I don't remember what happened after that but I think there was a scene where mxy was confused why he was in bed with lwj and lwj called him 'wei ying?' and mxy said he wasn't wei ying. I really hope you can find this fic. @archiiishaaa

FOUND? A New Lease on Life by pearliegloom (M, 6k, wangxian, post-canon, body swap, fluff & angst, established relationship, past abuse, disturbing themes, happy ending)

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15. Hi! I'm looking for a fic for a while and could use some help.  Parallel world setting, with wwx growing up a nei who had just died (sucide?) off screen. The fic takes place when nhs grabs a wwx (coreless, after cliffside sucide), because  wwx is brother-shapped and only, like, mostly dead as opposed to his world's wwx whose soul was, like, shattered? No sunshot war, in this parallel, idthink. ... short fic. Any idea?

FOUND? Chapter 13: Love and Acceptance of Short Prompts by Vrishchika (Nie WWX, dimensional travel, canon divergence, NHS pov)

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[annalacerda17]

Seeing JC stans say JC has the "most realistic" and "most human" reaction to trauma is making me think about how it's become common to equate human nature with violence and anti-social behavior.

It's ironic, especially because the only things we can say for sure is 'human nature' is the instinct to live in community, to have a culture, and the ability to adapt. That's it. Anything else is relative to culture, environment or even personality.

JC is the one character who has shown himself over and over to be incapable of adpating to change. He loses his golden core? He'd rather die than learn to live without it. WWX turned out to be innocent? Blame him anyway! WWX gave him his own golden core? Look for any nonsensical reason to keep claiming WWX owes him! WWX's contributions during war won the Jiang sect a huge chunk of spoils of war and attracted new disciples? How dare WWX make JC's life difficult!

This is not normal behavior! This is some self-delusion mixed in with the expectation that his problems should be solved for him, and that this would still be, somehow, a credit to him. If anything, that's what spoiled man-child behaves like. Definitely not how the average human behaves.

JC's behavior, even before any trauma, had always been toxic. He has the disturbing tendency to interpret people's actions, even ones that are unrelated to him, as if they are done to him. WWX is helping others? In JC's mind he's playing the hero and showing off to make JC look bad. WWX exchanged words with JFM? In JC's mind he's trying to show how much better liked he is by JFM than JC! The truth? Completely irrelevant to him. Evidence? Who needs that?! Certainly not JC!

This is not normal behavior! This is a self-centered, spoiled brat who is incapable of empathizing with anyone outside of himself, and is incapable of seeing things from any other perspective.

How is this normal behavior? Like, we wouldn't enjoy reading books or watching movies at all if humans weren't inherently capable of empathizing with others, since that's how we are made to care about characters, and therefore, enjoy stories.

In fact, being incapable of empathy is generally considered a sign that something is wrong. Moreover, there are actual studies that show that suffering makes people more empathetic, not less so.

Most of JC's worst crimes (planning and leading the 1st siege of the BM, murdering the Wen remnants, causing WWX's death, murdering anyone who reminded him of WWX for 13yrs, slandering WWX, etc.) are not an immediate response to trauma. They

calculated decisions made way after the inciting incident has passed.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that JC response to suffering isn't "a normal human reaction", but, in fact, disproportionately violent, and not at all normal. JC's behavior isn't a product of trauma. It's the product of a violent, self-centered and self-victimizing personality.

[robininthelabyrinth]

LXC offhandedly says something about his relationship with NHS that would be totally innocent from *anyone* else, but sounds scandalously filthy coming from *him*. Bonus points if it's around LWJ and/or WWX and they are floored. Double bonus points if he did it on purpose for revenge over having to listen to *them* all the time. - 🦇

Petty - ao3

The first time was an accident.

No, that wasn’t right. More accurately, the first time was entirely Wei Wuxian’s fault.

(Lan Xichen sometimes thought, not very kindly, that many things were, more than Lan Wangji would necessarily admit to. He had not yet settled with himself if those were his actual thoughts or if it was merely bitterness about everything that had happened and in which Wei Wuxian had played chief role, but that was one of the things he was working on, for himself.

After all those years of being deceived, it was important for him to get to know his own mind, his own thoughts, and to be sure about them.)

“It’s good to see you out and about,” Wei Wuxian said warmly to him when they met again, as if Lan Xichen had only been confined at home with a brief illness rather than in strict seclusion for over a year.

Lan Xichen thought, perhaps, that Wei Wuxian was attempting to translate for Lan Wangji, standing beside him, practically radiating welcome and hopefulness and other such things that Lan Xichen honestly wasn’t equipped to deal with at the moment and had been purposefully ignoring. If so, it was not a very accurate translation, and unnecessary – no one knew his brother better than him.

Certainly not his brother’s long-dead lost love, who hadn’t even known.

“Indeed,” he said, not smiling, and Wei Wuxian’s own smile faded a little, as Lan Wangji’s own hope already had. “Nie Huaisang will be coming to visit me, and I plan to host him at the hanshi.”

That might also have been at Lan Wangji’s request, although only obliquely, if at all – even when he had appeared at his weakest, his most fallible and pathetic, Nie Huaisang had always been as stubborn as an ox (as stubborn as his brother), and no one could make him do anything he didn’t want to do.  This included running his own sect, no matter how much they had tried, and it also included actually listening to the people he’d just begged to solve problems for him. Lan Xichen could remember all the countless times Nie Huaisang had sobbed on his shoulder, and Jin Guangyao’s, too, until they’d given him advice, at which point he would thank them effusively and merrily go along and do whatever he felt like doing regardless. He was very good at getting his own way in the end.

As subsequent events had shown.

Lan Xichen could tell from the expression on Wei Wuxian’s face that he didn’t understand why Lan Xichen would choose to break his seclusion to host Nie Huaisang of all people, especially when he had declined all similar efforts by Lan Wangji, but he wasn’t especially inclined to explain.

If he even could.

How to explain that contemplation had shown that he had been the one to fail Nie Huaisang and not the other way around? Long before they’d ever sworn brotherhood, he had promised Nie Mingjue to watch over Nie Huaisang and aid him whole-heartedly in all his endeavors. Nie Mingjue had always worried, first and foremost, that Nie Huaisang not be lonely, knowing that his brother, born with a weak body, had long struggled with finding his place in his martially-inclined sect – everything else was secondary in Nie Mingjue’s mind, even Nie Huaisang’s personal safety. He’d always said that Nie Huaisang was a proper Nie in that fashion, that he would devote every part of him to the things he loved no matter if it meant death, and there was nothing anyone could do about it; all he’d ever wanted, instead, was for Nie Huaisang not to be alone as he did so.

Lan Xichen had sworn to be there for him.

He hadn’t been.

He’d sworn to stand beside Nie Mingjue, too, promised it in his heart and in the eyes of all the world, and he’d even meant it when he’d done so. And then, despite it all, he’d spent nearly half his life supporting and shielding his murderer – he’d broken so many promises. To the Nie, to himself. The only thing Lan Xichen could do to atone for those failures was to try to do better: to learn from what he’d done, to teach himself what he’d lacked, to make up for his deficiencies. To live up to what little remained of those promises.

And so, if Nie Huaisang wanted to see him, he would see him, even if he had seen no one else.

Wei Wuxian didn’t understand that.

Couldn’t, maybe.

Wei Wuxian was his brother-in-law, he made Lan Wangji happy, and Lan Xichen was grateful for that. He was even grateful, in a painful, agonizing sort of way, for Wei Wuxian’s help in revealing the truth about Jin Guangyao and his dark deeds. But Wei Wuxian forgot pain as soon as it happened and believed everyone else ought to be the same: they were together now, so never mind about all those years Lan Wangji spent alone and in mourning; Jin Guangyao had been a murderer, so never mind about all the good things he’d done or the good times they’d shared; Lan Xichen was out of seclusion, so clearly he’d gotten over everything that had happened.

At least for Lan Xichen, pain did not work that way.

“Well, that’s nice,” Wei Wuxian said after a while, when the silence had gone from merely familiar to actively awkward and Lan Wangji was staring at the ground, his hopes dashed to bits, even though that had not been Lan Xichen’s intent. He loved his brother very much, but he couldn’t heal himself fast enough to assuage Lan Wangji’s guilt at winning his happiness at the expense of Lan Xichen’s pain, nor did he intend to try. “I didn’t know he was coming.”

Lan Xichen did not point out that he was Sect Leader, not Lan Wangji, and that his word was final regarding who did and did not have the right to enter the Cloud Recesses at any time. It would be petty.

He was trying not to be petty. It was very hard.

“I hope to spend some quality time together with him,” Lan Xichen finally said, some meaningless filler designed to let them get out of the current conversational impasse, and was bewildered when Wei Wuxian, possibly inspired by the high tension of the moment, burst out in raucous laughter, reaching out to elbow Lan Wangji in the side.

“I bet you will,” he said, his tone almost jeering. “Quality time, yeah? Just the two of you together in the hanshi and everything.”

It wasn’t until Lan Wangji’s ears reddened slightly that Lan Xichen comprehended what Wei Wuxian was implying. That he had left a year’s seclusion because, what, he wanted to hop into bed with Nie Huaisang?

The mere notion was so puerile that it could barely be considered as rising to the level of a joke, the implication not only crude but actively cruel and disdainful of all the work Lan Xichen had done to put himself back together over the past year, and Lan Xichen had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to respond.

He glanced at Lan Wangji, wondering if his brother would say something – apologize, maybe – but he was clearly unable or unwilling to help. Finally, he shook his head and walked away.

That was the first time.

-

The second time – and many of the other times thereafter – were not accidental at all.

Talking with Nie Huaisang had been wretchedly painful but cleansing, necessary, just as his silent and extended contemplation in seclusion had been. They had not wholly forgiven each other for everything that had happened, whether the harms they had knowingly or unknowingly inflicted or for the agonies they had each suffered, but they were on a path to get there together – each one of them agreeing to learn from what had happened, to try to extend trust to each other, real trust, so that neither of them had to continue on their lonely roads alone.

It might be nearly two decades late, but Lan Xichen was determined to make good on his promise to Nie Mingjue, and Nie Huaisang equally determined in his own way to live up to what his brother would have wanted now that it was an option.

One unexpected aspect of this, interestingly, was how the clash between their values – Lan sect rules, Nie sect principles – gave rise to any number of very interesting analytical conversations. Nie Huaisang was a poor scholar for rules that required rote memorization to learn, but he understood his sect’s moral code down to his bones, well enough to be able to fashion himself a path within it. When pressed for his thoughts on any given subject, his arguments were well-fashioned, logical, and difficult to refute.

Lan Xichen had not enjoyed himself so much in years.

Even in the days when he had wholly believed in Jin Guangyao, his former friend was simply too facile to have a proper back-and-forth with: he would always yield, or seem to, or else dance around the main subject until they were on another on which they could agree; he had always prioritized good feeling over intellecutal growth. He’d never understood what enjoyment could be gotten out of standing your ground on some theoretical or philosophical issue.

At any rate, one of the points Nie Huaisang had won, curiously enough, was in regards to the subject of pettiness: bad in large doses, but acceptable in small, in his view. He compared it to venting frustrations or to understanding and indulging oneself in the positive sense – if you’re a petty person, he said matter-of-factly, you can try to improve yourself, but you’re not going accept yourself unless you just admit it. If that’s the sort of person you were, you wouldn’t get anywhere constantly resisting the urge to fight things out in petty, stupid ways.

Sometimes you just wanted to get into it over something stupid because otherwise you’d get into it over something important, and that was, in Nie Huaisang’s view, not a bad thing: if someone got in your face, get back in theirs.

Lan Xichen was, in many ways, a petty person.

“So, how is Nie Huaisang doing?” Wei Wuxian asked when lunch was not entirely over. Etiquette dictated that Lan Xichen had to respond, and family rules that he knew Wei Wuxian knew made clear it was impermissible to talk over meals: the only acceptable solution, therefore, was for him to consider his half-eaten meal as already complete, respond, and wait until dinner to fill up. And all because Wei Wuxian simply couldn’t wait another half-ke to blurt out his question, because he was too free and unrestrained to honor the rules of the family he had married into just because he personally didn’t think they were important. “Where is he, anyway? I would’ve thought he’d be here with us.”

Lan Xichen put down his bowl with just a little extra more force than he should, enough to make it clink against the table, and Lan Wangji’s eyes tightened a little at the unusual display of irritation.

“He’s still in bed,” Lan Xichen said mildly. “I’m afraid I rather wore him out last night.”

Wei Wuxian choked, misunderstanding, just as Lan Xichen had intended him to.

They’d gotten onto an interesting subject of conversation and had ended up talking most of the previous day’s afternoon and evening, as it happened, and Nie Huaisang was still a sect leader, with important business to attend to; Lan Xichen was fairly sure that after he had retired at the usual time for his sect, Nie Huaisang had worked until nearly dawn. Anyway, Nie Huaisang wasn’t much for set meal-times, not even by Wei Wuxian’s lax standards; he’d shared an early breakfast with Lan Xichen before going to sleep.

“Perhaps you can speak with him later, if you need him,” Lan Xichen said, folding his hands in front of him. “I will pass along your regards when I return to the hanshi. Which I should do now, in fact: I have some correspondence I need to attend to.”

Lan Xichen wondered if Wei Wuxian even noticed that his words signified Lan Xichen’s graceful removal of the work of sect correspondence from Lan Wangji, returning it into his own hands. Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji had managed sect business between them during Lan Xichen’s seclusion, and both had recognized that even though he had emerged from that seclusion he was still very much in the midst of his recovery and neither had tried to push him back into the role of Sect Leader. His announcement that he needed to attend to correspondence indicated that he was shouldering that burden once more – moreover, it was, by Lan sect standards, a rather vicious snub to make the announcement of the transition a public one, however subtle the wording, especially when he did not similarly make any sort of announcement regarding the work his uncle was managing on his behalf.

Petty.

Unnecessarily petty, really – it wasn’t Lan Wangji’s fault that he’d married a man who couldn’t even after all this time comprehend that sometimes you valued something because someone else did, even if you yourself didn’t care for or understand it.  

It was, however, his fault in not putting a stop to Wei Wuxian’s rudeness.

It wasn’t actually hard for a grown man to at least try to respect a rule as basic as do not speak during meals, or for that matter the one about not making tremendous noise late at night when you knew everyone else was sleeping. Having previously been in seclusion, Lan Xichen wasn’t aware of how bad it had gotten, with disciples rearranging their living quarters further and further away from any place Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian might be found breaking the rules against excessive promiscuity – and really, Lan Wangji should know better. No one was asking that he refrain from being in love, even extravagantly so, but they did live in a community, and he ought to have basic respect for others, even if it meant occasionally saying no to his beloved long-lost and miraculously reunited lover.

Lan Xichen knew how hard it was for him to say no, of course; he suffered from the same generosity of spirit as his brother. But hadn’t everything that had happened a year ago shown the folly of always saying yes?

-

“Ah, Wei-xiong,” Lan Xichen said a few days later when they crossed paths in the middle of the day. “Are you on your way to the apothecary? Could I ask you to pick up a few items for me?”

Wei Wuxian shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, presumably still aching from the bout of early afternoon delight that he and Lan Wangji had been indulging in over by the cold spring – which was meant to be a place for cultivation for all, not a private garden in which the young master of the sect could frolic like one of his pet rabbits. It would have to be cleaned before anyone else could use it, and Lan Wangji was undoubtedly back there giving those orders now, his forehead ribbon no doubt askew from having been utilized in private activity before being hastily replaced.

“Certainly, Xichen-xiong,” he said. “What do you need?”

“Some ointments of the sort used for stretching and to ease pain,” Lan Xichen said. “Huaisang has been complaining of soreness and stiffness as of late.”

He had, of course – among his misfortunes, Nie Huaisang had been born with something of a crooked spine, and his lower back would sporadically spasm, causing him great pain. Not that that was what Wei Wuxian was thinking of, of course.

“I’ve tried using my hands on him,” Lan Xichen added, allowing himself to sound regretful – which he was, as he hated to see Nie Huaisang suffering. “But he says it’s not enough, given the, ah, magnitude of the issue. I want to get him some relief and make sure he’s comfortable…I’m sure you understand.”

He was sure Wei Wuxian did not.

“Uh, sure,” Wei Wuxian said, barely bothering to hide the fact that he was giggling under his breath. “I’ll grab some for you, no problem…you should really ask Nie Huaisang to give you some, uh, books. To provide you with some guidance.”

“He’s provided several,” Lan Xichen said peaceably. Nie Huaisang was extremely fussy; naturally he would ensure that Lan Xichen was well supplied in guides on massage before allowing him to tend to him. “But thank you for the suggestion.”

Wei Wuxian nodded and saluted briefly, clearly ready to move on.

“Oh,” Lan Xichen said, as if only just remembering. “And tell Wangji that he doesn’t need to come to the meeting this evening – I know the two of you have better things to do with your time than having him listen to interminable reports on agriculture.”

Wei Wuxian actually smiled at that, as if the quarterly agricultural reports from the farms that fed the entire Cloud Recesses weren’t one of the most critical duties for Lan clan members to attend to and one that Lan Wangji had been assisting with since the age of twelve.

That task accomplished, Lan Xichen returned to the hanshi, where Nie Huaisang was scowling over the initial reports that had come in from the furthest farms in writing – he’d already offered to supplement any harvest shortfalls with the excess from Qinghe’s own extremely productive fields, but any shortage in one area could lead to shortages in others; no one wanted another famine among the common people the way there had been during the Sunshot Campaign and the hard years thereafter.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked doubtfully when Lan Xichen mentioned that he’d excused Lan Wangji from attending that evening and would therefore be doubly reliant on Nie Huaisang’s recollection of the meeting afterwards. “Lan Wangji may think you’re punishing him for marrying Wei Wuxian, which you’re not.”

“I’m not,” Lan Xichen agreed, because he wasn’t. If anything, he’d encouraged them to get together, and no matter the cost to himself, he was happy that Lan Wangji had achieved his heart’s desire after wanting it for such a long time.

“He may also interpret it as you punishing him for failing to control his spouse.”

“I don’t want him to control his spouse,” Lan Xichen said. “I want him to have some self-respect. Wangji has always greatly respected the rules of our sect and, until now, has always thought carefully before choosing to break them, accepting the consequences for doing so no matter how harsh. If I believed that Wangji truly disagreed with the rules, I would be willing to engage with him on the subject in good faith, but that isn’t what’s happening. He still believes in the rules.”

“He just doesn’t have the balls to tell Wei Wuxian that he wants him to stop stamping all over them?”

Lan Xichen huffed lightly. “I wouldn’t have put it that way.”

“But it’s what you think,” Nie Huaisang concluded.

“It is,” Lan Xichen said. “They’re going to spend the rest of their lives together – is Wangji planning on letting Wei Wuxian to win every argument without fail, no matter the cost to himself? Is he even planning on informing with him what the cost of his actions is? To always give and never take is not an equal relationship.”

“And your increased sensitivity on the subject of keeping secrets from your loved ones for, purportedly, their own good is completely beside the point, I assume?”

“The fact that I’m sensitive doesn’t make me wrong,” Lan Xichen said. “If Wangji is keeping secrets from Wei Wuxian, if he’s unwilling to rely on him or share his troubles with him, if he intends to one-sidedly sacrifice everything for him without even consulting with him as to whether he would be willing to accept such a sacrifice, then what they have isn’t a marriage.”

There was a house filled with purple gentians in the Cloud Recesses that stood as the eternal reminder of what that sort of marriage looked like, a terrible sacrifice that eventually became as much of a shackle on the recipient as it had been on the giver. Lan Xichen wouldn’t allow Lan Wangji to make that mistake.

And as for Wei Wuxian...if he truly oved Lan Wangji, he wouldn’t want it, either.

Lan Xichen certainly hadn’t.

Nie Huaisang sighed gustily. “All right, fine, fine. You know me, I’m always in favor of people standing up for what they think is the right thing even when it’s hard –” This was an almost grotesque understatement, but the friendship they were forging now was in some large parts based on the gallows humor emerging from their shared traumas. “– so I will reluctantly endorse your actions and, even more reluctantly, attend your meeting with you to take notes for later.”

“I appreciate your help. And your endorsement, of course.”

-

“Nie Huaisang has gotten much better at playing the xiao,” Lan Xichen remarked to Wei Wuxian on the day he removed Lan Wangji from the teaching roster and disqualified him from accompanying the juniors in night-hunts. “He’s a very – hands-on learner.”

Wei Wuxian snorted.

“I’ve been demonstrating the proper technique for him. Breath control is paramount, naturally, but of course you also have to know what to do with your tongue…”

Wei Wuxian was full on sniggering. “Oh, I bet,” he said salaciously. “I’m sure you’re a very hands-on teacher, eh, Xichen-xiong?”

“I want him to excel,” Lan Xichen agreed. “And that means plenty of practice…oh, I’m sorry, Wei-xiong. I shouldn’t have interrupted you – you were running somewhere?”

Right in the middle of the main pathways, no less, where the quick footfalls and sudden movement had startled countless people into very nearly raising an alarm before they realized there wasn’t anything to worry about. There were too many of them that remembered the war.

They had taken comfort in the enforced tranquility of the Cloud Recesses, before.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it,” Wei Wuxian said breezily. “Just had an idea and wanted to get back to my workshop as quickly as possible, that’s all.”

“I see,” Lan Xichen said. “I won’t stand in your way, then.”

He actually was teaching Nie Huaisang how to play the xiao, at his request – he’d made some comparisons to it while debating a matter of ethics, and Nie Huaisang was determined to learn just enough to argue back in kind.

Lan Xichen didn’t have any illusions that Nie Huaisang would stick with it any more than he’d stuck with any other type of cultivation – he’d first tried teaching him musical cultivation when he was a child without any success at all, and Jin Guangyao’s example had definitely not endeared Nie Huaisang to the concept – but it was rather nice to discuss music without necessarily focusing on the backdrop of cultivation within it.

Accordingly, he continued the metaphor with Wei Wuxian for several days running. He talked about how energetic a student Nie Huaisang was –“He’s wearing me out,” he said, shaking his head. “Draining me dry…” – and mentioned that they were having an interesting time going back and forth on the subject of fingering, despite Nie Huaisang’s claims that his weak fingers weren’t nearly as suited for quick, assured movement as Lan Xichen’s.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Lan Xichen had said, even as Wei Wuxian had nearly cried from laughter. “His fingers are very flexible, and I get a great deal of enjoyment from his enthusiasm. Skill comes later.”

“Definitely something you have to work on together,” Wei Wuxian said enthusiastically. “It gets better as you go, doesn’t it?”

In the past few days, he had brought alcohol into public places, rather than leaving it in the jingshi where the breach would be a minor one, and tried to encourage the juniors to share it with him, although they’d refused; he’d even tried to bully them into doing so using his superior age and the respect they’d owed him until Lan Xichen had intervened with ‘urgent’ tasks for the juniors instead.

He had loudly speculated regarding one sect elder’s marital affairs after the man had refused to speak with him following a disagreement, breaking both the rules against malicious gossip and those against disrespecting the older generation all at once. He had gone hunting and fishing right outside the boundary line of the Cloud Recesses in clear sight of the disciples, including several who were attempting to practice cultivation based on compassion for all creatures; several others were pulled from their usual tasks to go purify the ground according to their customs, including a careful check of their wells to ensure that the blood and viscera had not seeped into the groundwater that ran so high and near to the surface.

In return, Lan Xichen relieved Lan Wangji of his requirement to go patrolling – “You’re married now, after all,” he’d said to Wei Wuxian, as if it wasn’t a duty shared by adult every sect member, “I’m sure you want the benefit of his company at night. Isn’t that right?” – and revoked his access to the restricted areas of the sect, including the discipline hall of which he had had sole charge since before the age of fifteen. He asked his uncle to resume the full schedule of teaching, including the classes which had previously been shifted in part over to Lan Wangji – his uncle agreed, understanding his motives, although he looked sick to his stomach with anxiety the way he always did when Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji were fighting – and had publicly chided one of the juniors for “bothering” Lan Wangji with questions regarding his cultivation.

“Aren’t you so old already?” he scolded gently, a smile fixed on his face and his eyes firmly on the junior instead of his brother standing beside him. “You can’t go running to Wangji with every little issue that comes to mind. Reflect on yourself, and take pains not to be a burden to others.”

The junior appeared very nearly on the verge of tears, and he was not the only one. He, at least, understood the significance of Lan Xichen issuing the reprimand in public – if the junior in question had truly been pestering Lan Wangji with too many questions, it would have been a tremendous rebuke to him personally; as he had not, and everyone knew he had not, it was a clear order from the sect leader that no one was to bring any questions to Lan Wangji.

“Brother,” Lan Wangji said, his voice low and hurt.

“I know you must be tired, recently,” Lan Xichen said, looking back at him with a steady, unflinching gaze. “I understand that you and your husband have been taking long walks at night.”

Through residential areas, no less, and Lan Wangji knew better. Perhaps their sect was too strict with the rules about waking and resting, strict enough that the other sects laughed at them over it, but the rules were in place for a reason. Even if Lan Wangji himself was feeling restless enough to wander at night, there were places he could go that were designated specifically for that – gardens, mountain paths, what have you – where their wanderings would not bother others who had already gone to sleep.

Lan Wangji hesitated, his shoulders rising to his ears, but he dropped his gaze to the ground and nodded, conceding the point.

He knew better.

He knew better, he cared about doing better, and he let Wei Wuxian walk all over him anyway.

“It must be difficult to go walking at zi hour and wake at mao,” Lan Xichen said. “Perhaps waking at si hour would suit you better.”

Lan Wangji looked stricken. After over thirty years of waking at the appropriate time, he would have to be suffering from true bone-deep exhaustion for him not to rise at mao hour per their rules; Lan Xichen’s suggestion, if he enforced it, would do nothing but restrict him from leaving the jingshi until that later time.

Confinement was not a punishment Lan Xichen inflicted lightly on anyone, least of all his brother. His brother, who had suffered just as much from what had happened to their mother as he had.

“Perhaps you can use the additional time to talk to your spouse,” Lan Xichen said.

Tell him that you don’t like how he ignores all our rules like he’s trying to make a contest out of it, he meant. Tell him that you wince every time he puts his foot in it, every time he offends someone he didn’t have to, every time he disrespects our ancestors and all but spits on everything they cared about. Tell him that you’ll compromise on some rules, the ones that are genuinely hard for him, but that you want him to follow others out of respect for the fact that they mean something to you.

He would do it for you, Wangji. He loves you. You don’t always have to be the one to sacrifice.

Just tell him.

Lan Wangji’s lips pressed together.

Another refusal. It wasn’t that Lan Xichen didn’t know how stubborn his brother could be, especially in matters relating to Wei Wuxian, and he didn’t really want to match wills against him – he never really had, not in all their life. He loved his little brother so very much, and so Lan Xichen always been the one to yield, the one to give in, the one to make up the difference between them. The one to encourage him, the one to look the other way: whatever Lan Wangji had needed or even wanted, Lan Xichen had sought to give him.

Even the dreadful punishment with the discipline whip had been something Lan Xichen had sought to avert, and would have, if only Lan Wangji had not so self-destructively insisted upon it.

He had allowed it to proceed only because he thought that the physical pain would give Lan Wangji some measure of relief from the enormous emotional pain he was suffering from.

But now – this wasn’t just a temporary physical pain that Lan Wangji was trying to choose.

This was the rest of his life.

Lan Xichen was not going to back down over this.

“Si hour it is, then,” he said with a sigh. Nor would he revoke the instruction he had implicitly given to the juniors that Lan Wangji was no longer an acceptable advisor, unable to guide them in the Lan sect rules that he was constantly defying by proxy. “It’s for the best, I suppose. It’ll help habituate you.”

Lan Wangji looked up sharply.

Lan Xichen met his gaze head on. His brother, he reflected, was for once the one underestimating his stubbornness.

“I understand,” he said, his words very slow and very deliberate and very carefully chosen, “that rising at si hour is customary in the Lotus Pier, if a little late. That’s where Wei Wuxian picked up his habits, was it not?”

Lan Wangji’s eyes were wide as if he couldn’t believe Lan Xichen was saying what he was saying.

Perhaps he had become infected by Wei Wuxian’s obliviousness and needed things to be said flat out.

Very well.

“The Cloud Recesses is the home of the Lan,” Lan Xichen said. “Our lives are here, guided by our rules that are laid out on the Wall of Discipline for all to see. It is the life we have all chosen, freely and without coercion – but I know it is not the life for everyone.”

“Brother!” Lan Wangji exclaimed, and he actually looked viscerally upset, the expression clear enough on his face that even Wei Wuxian ought to be able to tell what he was feeling.

“You don’t have to follow them if you don’t want to, Wangji,” Lan Xichen continued, inexorable. He, like most of his sect, disliked this sort of straightforwardness, but he was Nie Mingjue’s sworn brother and Nie Huaisang’s brother by proxy; he knew how to wield his words with the brutality of a saber as well as the grace of a sword or the gentle lilt of the xiao. “But I will not allow you to continue making a mockery of them. Not here.”

Lan Wangji looked as if he’d been stabbed.

No – Lan Xichen had seen his brother get stabbed. He had taken that better than this.

“I will write to Sect Leader Jiang by the end of the week,” Lan Xichen said, and clasped his hands behind his back to keep them from trembling. Tell him before then. Please. “Between the two of us, I’m certain that we can find somewhere to suit both you and your husband, so that you may live as free and unrestrained as you wish.”

He did Lan Wangji the honor of not looking back as he walked away.

He knew his brother wouldn’t want him to see the tears.

-

It was, if anything, a pleasant surprise when Wei Wuxian burst into Lan Xichen’s home less than a day later. Lan Xichen had thought it would take at least three.

“What is wrong with you?” Wei Wuxian shouted, slamming his hands down on the table in front of Lan Xichen. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Is it me? If it’s me you have a problem with, say it to my face directly!”

Lan Xichen finished swallowing the tea he’d just sipped. “Not everything is about you,” he said, feeling tired. “This is about Wangji.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes were red-rimmed as if he, too, had been crying.

“You’re not seriously planning on kicking him out of the Cloud Recesses because I broke a few of your rules, are you?” he asked, biting off each word individually. “He’s your brother. He’s a perfect Lan – he ran your sect for a year!”

“Our sect,” Lan Xichen corrected. “Wangji will always have a place here, as will you.”

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms over his chest. “Then why is he convinced that you want him to go?”

Lan Xichen sighed.

“I’m sure his knees hurt,” he said.

“…what?”

“His knees,” Lan Xichen said. “From all the kneeling he’s been doing.”

Wei Wuxian looked truly bewildered now. “Are you – making a sex joke?” he said. “Now?”

“No, though I’m unsurprised you took it as one,” Lan Xichen said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m referring to all the kneeling in penance that my brother has been doing to atone for all the rules he has been breaking on your behalf. You wouldn’t have noticed it, as I assume he’s been deliberately hiding it from you.”

Wei Wuxian stared at him. “He’s been kneeling?”

“Wangji cares very deeply about our sect’s traditions,” Lan Xichen said. “He would never have been made the head of the discipline hall if he didn’t. He knows them backwards and forwards, better than anyone except for my uncle and the sect elders that specialize in it. They’re important to him.”

“But –”

“He keeps track of every rule you instigate him into breaking,” Lan Xichen said flatly. “Every single one, large and small, major or minor, and he tries to do his best to pay for what he’s done because he’d rather kneel all night without getting any sleep, rather hurt his hand copying out rules, rather endure a beating or two if it means he doesn’t have to tell you to stop.”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth was slightly agape.

“Do you remember the story I told you about our parents? I shared that story with you for a reason, because I wanted you to better understand Wangji. We all carry the scars our parents left on us, and he’s no different. He’s so afraid of imprisoning you the way our father did our mother that he has decided to follow in our father’s footsteps by sacrificing everything for you.”

“I don’t – I don’t want him to sacrifice anything for me!”

“I know,” Lan Xichen said simply. “That’s why I said that this wasn’t about you. Yes, now that you live here, you should follow our rules, or at least respect them – and respect means respect, not playing around to see how many loopholes you can find in them. Do you think we don’t know about them? That no one in the history of our sect has ever figured out that ‘do not take life within the premises’ could be subverted by taking a life directly outside of it?”

Wei Wuxian was silent.

“We follow the rules because we want to,” Lan Xichen said. “They’re the rules our ancestors put together and handed down. They are meaningful to us, even when they are awkward or seem pointless. Even when other people laugh at us or belittle us or act like we’re stupid for choosing to behave the way we do.”

Wei Wuxian winced.

“Your conduct would be a problem if you were a guest,” Lan Xichen continued. “But you are not a guest. You are Wangji’s husband, my brother-in-law. You are family. If you do not wish to obey the rules, you do not have to, and you will still be welcome here. But Wangji wants to obey the rules – it is only that he fears losing you more.”

“How long have you been having this argument?” Wei Wuxian asked, because he wasn’t actually stupid, merely oblivious.

“I started taking away his responsibilities on the third day following my exit from seclusion,” Lan Xichen said. “I have steadily escalated it with every rule you have incited him into breaking with you since. And still, he refused to speak with you.”

Wei Wuxian’s hands were clenched into fists. He looked down at them.

“I know how much you love my brother,” Lan Xichen said. “If he had told you that it mattered to him, you would have found a way to reach a compromise with him – of that I have no doubt. But if it wasn’t the rules, it would be something else; some other thing that he would choose to sacrifice, another situation where he would choose to endure agony over having a mildly uncomfortable conversation with you. That was why I couldn’t just reach out to you directly. It had to be him; he had to be the one to tell you.”

“I understand,” Wei Wuxian said. “I don’t…I’d rather find it out over this than have him throw away his life instead of telling me I was being stupid.”

Lan Xichen nodded. That had been his fear as well, and the reason that one of his first moves had been to restrict Lan Wangji from going out on night-hunts.

“I’ll talk to him,” Wei Wuxian said, and scrubbed his face. His eyes had started tearing up again. “I’ll – I’ll talk to him. I’ll make him understand that it’s not – he can’t just do that! He didn’t even ask me if I wanted him to give all of that up for me; he knew I wouldn’t want him to, that’s why he didn’t ask, and he just went ahead and did it anyway. He didn’t tell me that he was suffering, that you were taking away his responsibilities! He didn’t say a single word, and I just blithely carried on thinking everything was fucking all right and all the while he was suffering, and – and he – he…oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”

Lan Xichen blinked.

“I did the exact same fucking thing to Jiang Cheng!” Wei Wuxian exploded. He leapt to his feet. “I’m such a fucking idiot! Lan Zhan and me, we’re both – we’re really well matched, aren’t we?”

He shook his head.

“I’ll talk to Lan Zhan,” he said again, and he looked grimly determined the way he had in the war, the same expression shining through even with a new face. “Don’t worry, Xichen-xiong. I’ll make him understand.”

He turned on his heel and marched out of the room.

Lan Xichen watched him go, thinking to himself that he might have inadvertently done something good for Wei Wuxian as well through all of this. And perhaps it would help Lan Wangji’s own crisis to see Wei Wuxian going through the same – because Lan Wangji’s crisis had already taken place.

He could have lied to Wei Wuxian’s face over why they were leaving. He could have chosen not to tell him that Lan Xichen was forcing him out, cutting him off; he could have kept it secret, hidden, could have come up with some story or just left it all unsaid. If he was truly determined to never let any of his pain onto Wei Wuxian’s shoulders, he could have done that.

He’d chosen to come clean instead.

Maybe now they’d be able to move forward as equals, as partners.

(And, if they were really lucky, maybe finally reaching agreement to stop breaking all the rules all the time would mean that they’d stop having sex on every possible available surface and keep it to the jingshi and a few gardens. No one else needed to see that. Really.)

-

“I see that Wangji-xiong and Wei-xiong are now even more disgustingly in love than ever before,” Nie Huaisang said. “And that Wei-xiong seems to have finally gotten over his obsession with defying authority through violating each and every one of the Lan sect rules. I was only away at the Unclean Realm for three days, you know.”

“I work fast,” Lan Xichen said with a smile.

Lan Wangji had come to him, eyes red, and put his head in Lan Xichen’s lap the way he used to as a child, and they’d talked. For hours, they’d talked, in the slow and halting way they had – where each word was carefully considered, each emotion analyzed, and only a quarter of conversation was said out loud – and at the end of it, they were both completely wrecked, but stronger for it.

They’d talked about their parents, which they had never verbalized before; they talked about Jin Guangyao, and Nie Mingjue, and Wei Wuxian, both past and present. They talked about their ruined expectations, their hopes, their guilt; they talked about the rules that bound them both, the ones that served them as both strength and weakness, the foundation on which they relied in their times of doubt. They talked about love, and fear, and anger.

They’d promised to never to need to have to have this conversation ever again, and they were both very determined to keep that promise.

Lan Qiren had agreed to work with Wei Wuxian regarding which rules could be bent and which ones ought not be – finally giving him the full version of education he’d missed out on when he’d been returned home too early by Jiang Fengmian all those years before, because copying rules didn’t mean understanding them – and Lan Xichen had returned to Lan Wangji all the responsibilities and privileges he’d taken away from him, much to the relief of all the juniors that had been suffering through their fight.

(Lan Wangji confided in Lan Xichen that he was relieved that Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi had been away on a long visit to Lanling Jin throughout the entire debacle, and Lan Xichen wholeheartedly agreed.)

“That you do,” Nie Huaisang said. “Did being straightforward help?”

“More than expected,” Lan Xichen conceded. That had been one of the things he and Nie Huaisang had been discussing these past few weeks, the merits of straightforwardness against obliqueness, and they’d both argued both sides of the issue, given their personal experiences. “I will grant you that it served its purpose well in this situation.”

“Good,” Nie Huaisang said, and put his chin into his hands. “Now tell me, what’s this I hear about you and me being the subject of a series of apparently godawful sex jokes?”

Lan Xichen froze.

Nie Huaisang grinned.

“It was…a metaphor?” Lan Xichen tried. “A means of communicating with Wei Wuxian while not acknowledging the ongoing situation, and a message about paying attention to underlying meaning.”

“Try again,” Nie Huaisang said gleefully. “You could’ve done that without invoking my name.”

“Who else could I invoke? I spend all my time with you!”

All the time he wasn’t being Sect Leader, that was. If there was one good thing that had come out of this entire debacle beyond his heart-to-heart with Lan Wangji, it was that Lan Xichen had been so anxious over Lan Wangji that he had forgotten his own fears about resuming his position, and now that he was back, it didn’t seem as scary as it had when he’d been alone in his room in seclusion.

Nie Huaisang did not appear especially moved by this eminently logical argument. He put his hands over his heart and fluttered his eyelashes, saying in an affected, almost operatic voice, “And all this time I never knew you felt like that, Xichen-gege –”

Lan Xichen choked.

“To think that all of this time that we spent cloistered together, pure as virgins, we could have been doing all sorts of things – using my, what was the term used, ample assets –”

Lan Xichen wondered if it would be possible for the ground to swallow him up at this very second. Failing that, a sect emergency would do.

Possibly an invasion?

“– and this, of course, refers to my extremely large…stock of picture books.”

“Huaisang…”

Nie Huaisang laughed at his face and settled down across from him. “I’m not ready to court or be courted,” he said. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“No,” Lan Xichen said. “I’m not either, I don’t think.”

He was starting to think that he might be one day, though. That there would be a day – a distant day, far in the future, just barely coming into view – where his days would be more all right than not, where he could make decisions and be confident that he was making them for himself and not to cover up some mess of trauma.

And maybe, when that day arrived for him, it would also arrive for Nie Huaisang, who was himself digging himself back out of the deep pit he had made in his soul seeking his lonely vengeance.

“Still,” Nie Huaisang said thoughtfully. “Since Wei-xiong and Lan Wangji are on their way here right now to join us, and given that I’m already crushing your hopes and dreams…”

Lan Xichen foresaw a great deal of mockery in his future, and he was almost looking forward to it.

“…do you want to pretend to be making out on the table that they’ll have to drink tea off until they catch us and plead for mercy?”

Well.

Lan Xichen did always say that he was petty.

[factsilike]

If the author intended for us to think that WWX was not justified or morally wrong, she would not have said this-

Also you clearly need to read the chapter again, because the Wens were not already dead. WWX had come to the pledge to see whether he could get WQ and WN's remains back, and he was already in a very bad mental place, with good reason. And the pledge is where he learns that these 'righteous' clans went back on their word to leave them alone and were planning to annihilate them. That's when he gets truly furious, but he still does not attack them, he does not make the first move.

He tries to talk to them first and de-escalate the situation, he points out their blatant hypocrisy and their expectations that others could hurt him but he was not allowed to defend himself, he tries to solve the problem with words alone. But it was when some random cultivator attacked him, almost killing him, that finally the battle begins. They attacked him, not the other way around. He was not taking revenge, and honestly even if he was, it would not be unjustified.

'Poor leadership?' first you say that MQ and FX do not exist for XL's sake, now you say that it was XL's responsibility to make them get along like a pair of toddlers? He did not force them to come with him, they literally forced themselves into his life after he joined the officials.

Again you haven't shown any passage in the book where XL treats them like servants, or talks to them in a degrading way, or shows that he thinks he's better than them. Where do you get that idea when XL has consistently shown himself to be one of the most humble and resilient people in the novel?

'Due to his own bad decisions' you mean the decisions he made out of desperation for his entire Kingdom's survival? Whose fall was the direct fault of a psychopathic maniac, and not XL's? When he literally was the only one actively trying to help his people, to care about them and look after them, and the other two were dragging their feet constantly yelling at him that his actions were of no use because of some Heavenly bs rules? You cannot say that XL was stupid or made bad decisions because he said, "Fuck the heavenly rules, my people's lives are more important." Yes he did not succeed, but again, not his fault.

'He did not try really hard to get out of it?' He was the one who tried the most, read the arc again, literally one of the things that stood out most to me was his desperation, especially in that disease and the statue scene, when his people were beginning to turn on him. He was literally 17, for god's sake.

Please, you make it sound like XL laid in bed all day while the other two sweated and hassled for him and his parents. Did you forget that XL was being stalked and mentally tortured by that same psychopathic maniac, who later orchestrated that extremely torturous hundred sword stabbing scene? Oh, and one of his lifelong friends betrayed him and joined the heavenly officials, putting his own ambition over supporting his friend through his darkest time, publically humilating him in front of those officials and essentially cutting off all ties with him. Oh, and his other friend has gone off too, so now he's all alone through this pain. Oh, and his parents killed themselves, because they felt like they were being a burden to their child. Honestly, 'one of his low points' is putting it mildly.

'He could not have gone on much longer-' he went on for 800 years, no? That's a tremendously long time, and there is no reason he wouldn't have continued to go on. I don't think you're giving XL's strength and resilience enough credit, just like MQ and FX don't. He's one of the strongest characters in the novel, both physically and mentally.

Sure, maybe there are those people but this is XL's story, and about his suffering. Not those hypothetical other people.

Really tired of constantly seeing posts declaring that everyone in MXTX novels is complicated and 'morally grey' and that's what makes her works wonderfully written, and that everyone else who doesn't see that is stupid, or is 'demonising' characters and bashing them for rightfully criticising their shitty, very much unjustified actions.

And ironically it seems so simplistic to just declare that, because yes her stories are wonderfully written and complex, but not for that reason. You're clearly not reading her works and only spouting what you think her stories say. There are many morally grey characters in morally complex stories out there, but MDZS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

NONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS (i.e protagonists and their male leads except for LBH maybe) ARE MORALLY GREY OR MORALLY COMPLEX.

THEY ARE ALL MORALLY RIGHTEOUS.

Just take a closer look at their actions compared to the actions of literally everyone else around them, it's not that hard to see.

Not to mention that MXTX herself literally says that WWX and LWJ are both morally ideal and that ahe hopes her readers can be like them, but people seem to have no respect for the word of authors in the name of their self projection onto the characters being contradicted nowadays 😒

(also saw someone dismissively say that HC may think that the world revolves around XL or whatever, but others don't and they're right??

First of all, did you even read the novel? HC made his judgement based on how others treated him versus how XL did when he was a CHILD. And how XL continues to treat others to this day. He is well within his rights to think the world of XL, especially since XL suffered more than every other person and still doesn't succumb to evil, despite having every right to do so, miles more than others. He all but regards XL as his moral compass, because he's proof that truly good people do exist in this world, and not ONE other person in the novel is shown to be as good as him.)

One of the reasons why I really don't like the Xianle Trio is this; neither FX nor MQ seem to regard XL as his own person with his own agency, who is capable of making his own decisions initially as HC does, and only near the end of the novel do they let up a bit when their asses had to be saved by XL multiple times. (especially considering what fools they made of themselves in that spiderweb cave lmao)

Both of them try to enforce XL ALL THE TIME ("Your Highness don't do this or don't do that or don't say this or don't go there or don't talk to him"), as if XL has not survived perfectly well on his own without them FOR 800 YEARS.

The difference between them and HC is clearly spelled out when FC asks HC about why he is not stopping XL, and HC replies that while he may not agree with some of XL's decisions, he would never force him to do what he thinks is correct, something both MQ and FX are CONSTANTLY shown to try to do.

Like please. Xianle Trio who? More like suffering XL and his pair of nuisances who think themselves to be his babysitters. And most of the time he's the one babysitting them.

Another thing that irks me is that their frequent arguments are often played off for laughs, but XL is truly a saint, because if my friends were constantly bickering over petty things all throughout our dangerous journey and giving me nothing but headaches, especially in survival situations, I'd given them the boot a long time ago.

[gusu-emilu]

miscellaneous MDZS/CQL fic recs (AO3)

broken into sections: Character Study (-esque), Wangxian, Jiang Cheng ships, Yi City (or Yi City-adjacent), Humor/Crack, and Other

Character Study (-esque)

Wei Wuxian

my eyes got used to the darkness by @curiosity-killed (M, Sunshot Campaign era, 4.4k): The funny thing, the thing that makes his lips curl in a grin and his hands shake with laughter, is that all these cultivators with their lofty principles and noble ambitions can’t even notice the ghost among them. Sure, they shiver at his presence and flinch from his cold hands, but not one of them puts it together. Lan Wangji chases him with healing music and Nie Mingjue frowns solemnly at his dancing corpses—and he laughs and laughs and laughs because they just don’t get it. Emilu's commentary: CW for mild body horror.

Jiang Cheng

in our respective ways by @veliseraptor (T, Sunshot Campaign era, 5.7k): Jiang Cheng has his golden core back. But he seems to have lost Wei Wuxian.

You Know I've Fallen, but I Know How High by villainais (M, Post-WWX's death, 2.7k): Jiang Cheng loses both of his siblings in Nightless City. Minutes apart. He trudges home to Yunmeng with one body, holds a private funeral with a single coffin, and allows himself to wear his mourning robes for ten days—permits himself not a single day more. He is still too young and inexperienced, an unfledged boy to the cultivation world, and he is rebuilding Lotus Pier on his own. He will not gift the other sect leaders the satisfaction of seeing him vulnerable. Propriety be damned. Hanguang-jun emerges from his seclusion wearing white. He does not stop.

Nie Huaisang

it deepens like a coastal shelf by @wolffyluna (M, Post-WWX's death, 21.6k): When Nie Huaisang meets Mo Xuanyu, he realises two things quickly. One, this kid is so doomed. Two, this kid would be a great unwitting spy in his plans to bring down Jin Guangyao. It would be so easy to get into Mo Xuanyu's confidences, and so easy to get him to tell him anything he needs. ...only thing is, that wouldn't be very good for Mo Xuanyu's life expectancy. But he'll do it anyway, if it helps him avenge his brother. A fic about man handing on misery to man, the parallels and cycles in the relationships between Jin Guangyao and Nie Huaisang and Mo Xuanyu, and the lengths these characters will go to meet their goals and if there are lines they won't cross.

Lan Xichen

an old man in dried mouths by @tenacious-minds (T, Post-Canon, 3.3k): Xichen thinks. The tea had always stained the crockery red. Emilu's commentary: Lan Xichen and Jin Ling talk about Jin Guangyao.

can you be a quiet man? by @basket-of-loquats (Unrated, Post-Canon, 70.7k+) But something inside him snapped at Guanyin Temple-- and Lan Wangji watched it happen, saw the exact moment that Lan Xichen went from broken to shattered, when he buried his sword into Jin Guangyao’s chest, when his sworn brother stared up at him with wide eyes, blood dripping from his mouth, when he pulled himself closer and closer and closer-- When he whispered "Why don’t you die with me?", and Lan Xichen hadn’t argued. Emilu's commentary: Lan Xichen / therapy with a side of Wangxian.

Wen Ning

breathless (but i'll pretend to breathe for you) by swordsainted (T, Burial Mounds Settlement era, 4.1k): Wei Wuxian is silent for a long minute, and then he looks at Wen Ning, something raw and open and hurting behind his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he says again, softer this time, and Wen Ning shakes his head, still smiling. “You’ve protected everyone. How could I hate you for that?”

Mo Xuanyu

stand at the pit's mouth by @eldritch-elrics (M, MXY's death, 9.3k): The dreams and regrets of a man on the edge of oblivion. Emilu's commentary: Surrealist/absurdist screenplay.

Wangxian

I would wait for a thousand years by bleuett (T, Immortality Post-Canon, 10.4k): During the worst of winter, a traveler comes to stay at Lan Wangji's inn. He wears a red ribbon in his hair. “Do you see the rabbit?” Wei Ying asks and points at the moon. “That’s the moon rabbit, he helps make Chang’e more immortality elixir. He keeps Chang’e company.” “I do not wish the rabbit for company,” Lan Wangji says tightly. “You are the one I want by my side.” “And I’m here, Lan Zhan. If you go to the moon, I’ll follow you, I’ll always be here now.” Emilu's commentary: Lan Wangji meets Wei Wuxian centuries later and does not remember the past. There is also an excellent podfic by @forgotten-envies

Look Not With The Eyes by Spodumene (G, Post-Canon, 28.1k): Wei Wuxian returns from his travels to join Lan Wangji on a routine night hunt, but when things take an unexpected turn, Wei Wuxian will have to fight for what he's really looking for. Emilu's commentary: Case fic.

All In A Good Time by bigboobedcanuck (E, Post-Canon, 8k): Lan Zhan is struck by a curse that brings him intense physical pain unless he's being touched. He is stoic and tries to hide his suffering. Wei Wuxian is worried and protective. Perhaps they will finally admit their feelings?

Across a Lake of Glass by Zizzani (E, Figure Skating AU, 92.2k+): Each year, Gusu Skating Club runs a camp for only the most elite athletes of each region. This year brings a new skater from the Yunmeng Club who wears skates lined with red and a smile made for war. He skates like a demon. Figure skating au featuring lots of healthy rivalry, pre and post-competition bonding, and an inexplicable fall from grace through the eyes of the media.

Jiang Cheng Ships

Chengqing

display my heart for you to see by @souridealist (M, Post-Canon Wen Qing Lives AU, 5.5k): Jiang Cheng has his own secrets. Some of them are part of the unburied past; some of them are about how long it's been since anyone has touched him.

while I'm in this body by @souridealist (E, Post-Lotus Pier Massacre, 3.9k): For just a few minutes, alone in her office, Wen Qing allows her self-control to slip enough to cry. It's just her luck that that's when Jiang Cheng comes looking for her. Emilu's commentary: Femdom.

Chengning

it may be that it doesn't matter by @wildehacked (T, Post-Canon, 6.6k) “Are you crying?” Jiang Wanyin asks him, and Wen Ning frowns. Pats his cheek with one hand. “No.” Emilu's commentary: Holy Grail of Chengning.

Whatever It Is by morau (E, Post-Canon, 20.5k): It starts, as with a lot of things, with a very poorly thought out prank, courtesy of Wei Wuxian. Emilu's commentary: A LOT of sex and even more emotions lol

won't run away (we're here to stay) by @qi-ling (T, Post-Canon, 3.5k): "Please don't feel any pressure to accept this, and you can take as much time as you need to think about it." It's a set of robes, in shades of deep purple, complete with leather bracers. Cut in a different style than that of the disciples or household staff, closer to the understated robes Wen Ning typically wears. He reaches out to feel the fabric. His deadened nerves can't sense delicate textures well, but even he can tell it's of a quality on par to Wanyin's own wardrobe. This is startling enough coming from Jiang Wanyin, but then Wen Ning notices the belt. In particular, the silver bell in the shape of a lotus affixed to it. Only recognized members of the Jiang sect may wear the clarity bell. Or, Jiang Cheng has an invitation for Wen Ning.

Zhancheng

By Proxy by @veliseraptor (E, Post-WWX's death, 12k): Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji, looking for comfort in all the wrong places. Emilu's commentary: Hate sex that made me cry

Yi City (or Yi City-adjacent)

Songxuexiao

Heaven Has A Road But No One Walks It by @silvysartfulness (M, Post-Yi City arc Canon Divergence, 123k+): One of the most complex spells of demonic cultivation the world has seen is brought to fruition, and Xiao Xingchen draws his first shaking breaths in over seven years. This, it turns out, is only the start of his problems. Emilu's commentary: Pretty sure everyone already knows about Silvy's happy songxuexiao road trip fic but it has to be here.

Xue Yang & Lan Xichen

Hours On Empty series by @lady-of-the-lotus (M to E, Post-Canon, 57.8k+): AU where Wei Wuxian never came to Yi City and Xue Yang is still running around post-canon disguised as Xiao Xingchen. "Fractured Ice" - Xue Yang whisks a nihilistic Lan Xichen off on a murder roadtrip to raise Xiao Xingchen and Meng Yao from the grave. Because that will solve all of their problems, right? "Control" - "Fractured Ice" retold from Xue Yang's pov. "A Thousand Miles In Its Light" - Alternate ending to "Fractured Ice" and "Control"

Songxiao with Xuexiao Flashbacks

Nothing Beside Remains by @eldritch-elrics (T, Post-Yi City arc Canon Divergence, 21.9k): And Xiao Xingchen is dressed in dark clothing that is not his, and his sight is all of a sudden sharp in a way that it has never been before, and Xue Yang is not here. “He wouldn’t,” he breathes. “No, he wouldn’t do that. He’s too—” “He’s too what?” Wei Wuxian steps a foot closer, face hard-set. “Too cruel? Or too kind?” Or: Xue Yang uses the Sacrifice Summon on Xiao Xingchen. Xiao Xingchen lives with the consequences.

Humor/Crack

The Hangover: A pre-wedding Dramedy series by natcat5 (M, Modern AU, 51.6k): It is not a bachelor party. That was made clear on all the invitations. It is a congratulatory get together for Jin Zixuan, attended by his family, the family of the bride, and the young masters of the other two families in their circle. The gathering is not to go later than midnight, everyone must drink in moderation, and no one is allowed to be hungover tomorrow. Wei Wuxian had promised Yanli, three fingers in the air. Jiang Cheng had rolled his eyes, but promised as well. Saturday morning, Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng wake up alone in a hotel room, missing shoes, phones, and almost all their memories of what in the world happened last night. Also missing: Wei Wuxian, brother of the bride, Lan Wangji, esteemed guest, Lan Xichen, esteemed guest, Jin Zixun, cousin of the groom, Jin Guangyao, brother and best-man, Jin Zixuan, THE GROOM, who is due at his bride-to-be's house in six hours. That's plenty of time to find everyone...right?

Jiang Cheng Loves Jar Jar Bombad Mui by @lady-of-the-lotus (G, Post-Canon, 1.7k) Jar Jar Binks washes up on the shores of Lotus Pier. Can he win the lonely Jiang Cheng's proud heart? Neb neb answer is yesa. Emilu's commentary: There's also a podfic by @aowyn. Yes, with a Jar Jar voice.

Other

Nie Huaisang & Wen Ning

By Name by nirejseki (G, Post-Canon, 1.3k): After the traumatic events in the now-collapsed temple, Wen Ning lingered behind and unexpectedly saw Nie Huaisang, the undisputed victor of an all-around terrible evening, sitting on the steps of the temple, looking exhausted and miserable, as if he’d won nothing at all. Wen Ning found himself drifting over to him.

Jiang Yanli & Nie Mingjue

utility by magicites (G, Arranged Marriage AU, 2.3k): Jiang Yanli and Nie Mingjue's wedding is a political one — a gesture of unity between their Sects. A way for her parents to finally get some use out of the plain-faced sham of a cultivator they call a daughter. “Jiang-guniang,” Nie Mingjue says, and the formality in such a setting as intimate as their wedding chambers startles her, “I don’t wish to bed you. Or any other woman, for that matter. It isn’t fair for you to live alone because of my own preferences.” She rests her hand on his arm, cool relief flooding her body like water on a summer afternoon. “If it helps, I don’t feel desire for men,” she whispers.

Jin Guangyao / Nie Huaisang

Pulling Strings by @eldritch-elrics (E, Post-WWX's death, 5k): Nie Huaisang, quite drunk, turns up at Jin Guangyao’s door one night with an unexpected request. Emilu's commentary: Nie Huaisang knows Jin Guangyao killed Nie Mingjue. This interaction is more symbolic than anything else...

[crossdressingdeath]

v annoying standard jc stan claim is that he always "picks up the pieces" after wwx, but you also see ppl insisting that lxc does that for lwj (saw kind of a weird post about that earlier) which... really isnt the case? like BY INFERENCE lxc *maybe* had personal involvement in raising lsz, but he's only able to do that bc lwj saved lsz; he probably did have to run interference w the sect after that; BUT during the canon timeline the "picking up of the pieces" he does is actually just him being manipulated by jgy - not his FAULT, but he isn't HELPING, so it's just weird to me that ppl keep insisting that the protagonists somehow caused more problems than they solved? and i can’t help but notice that the ppl they attribute the real solutions to the problems “caused by wangxian” (eyeroll) always just HAPPEN to be the ppl you might read as their more socially privileged, heterosexual counterparts.

I mean, you could argue that LXC picks up the pieces from LWJ’s messes, or more accurately helps with cleaning them up; he supports LWJ after WWX’s death, he hides WWX from the sects after Koi Tower... but like. he’s LWJ’s brother, and he’s clearly happy to be of help to him. And LWJ spends just as much time helping LXC with the fallout of his choices; he does take over at least part of the running of the Lan sect while LXC is in seclusion, after all. And with JC... name one time JC actually cleaned up one of WWX’s messes, rather than being a major part of it or just yelling at him afterwards while not doing anything to fix it. And no, betraying WWX and leading the army going off to kill him and the civilians under his protection does not count. If anything it’s the opposite; it’s WWX who takes the fall when JC breaks the rules (remember, the second time WWX gets caught smuggling alcohol it was for JC and NHS, not just himself, and neither of them get punished in the book), he takes the hit to prevent JC from breaking rules when it’s clear JC will if he doesn’t (fighting with JZX), he plays pawn so that JC comes out of the Sunshot Campaign looking important and valuable (don’t try to argue that JC and the handful of disciples he managed to recruit made the Jiangs a valuable ally, it was just his access to the Yiling Patriarch), he’s the one to suffer in order to uphold the debt he and JC both owed to WQ and WN... WWX takes the fall for JC’s actions or lack of action every time, I really don’t know where this “JC always cleans up WWX’s messes!” thing comes from.

I’m... prepared to accept that the fact that the people offered up as “solving” the “problems” created by Wangxian being their more (only slightly more in LXC and LWJ’s case, but still) socially privileged and (canonically) heterosexual counterparts is just a coincidence (especially since the stans don’t actually seem to realise that JC is more socially privileged than WWX), but you’re right. It’s... certainly interesting.

[aspiringprofessionalnerd]

Wei Wuxian and the Trauma of the Burial Mounds

Sorry folks I am officially In My Feels after therapy this week, and then I came online this afternoon to see that @hunxi-guilai has knocked it out of the park with their analysis again. I love to see that people are talking about the portrayal of WWX’s trauma on a larger level, and I wanted to add my two cents:

Pre-Resurrection

First of all, I want to acknowledge that WWX is far from the only person who experiences trauma throughout the course of CQL ahem Jiang Cheng . Even WWX endures various types of trauma throughout his first life. But what I’m so impressed (and gutted) by is the way in which the show establishes that it is WWX’s first stint in the Burial Mounds specifically that breaks him (or, at least, catalyses his breakdown). 

We know WWX has had a difficult childhood and teen years. He lost his parents at a young age and had to survive on the streets for an unspecified amount of time, facing physical and logistical hardships like running from dogs and battling starvation (no cultivation training yet, so no opportunity to train inedia) as well as the grief of losing his parents. Yet, remarkably, aside from his lingering fear of dogs, these incidents don’t seem to leave too many lasting physical or emotional scars. WWX is able to jump around and play with his adoptive brother on his first night at Lotus Pier, and when we see him in his teen years at Cloud Recesses Summer Camp he is a warm, bubbly individual with no reservations about physical contact (on the contrary, he’s more gung-ho about it than LWJ would like). He remains open to new experiences and new people, and even though he uses humour to obfuscate at times, the people close to WWX can still see through to his deeper intentions (take, for example, Yanli reminding Jiang Cheng that WWX is serious about the important things). Moreover, once the Jiang siblings and WWX return to Lotus Pier, we gain a greater appreciation for the past things WWX has survived, including years of verbal abuse some awkward family dynamics. Madam Yu’s words obviously hurt him, but even so he bounces back almost immediately and diverts his attention to comforting Jiang Cheng despite the fact that he is still recovering from Teenage Mutant Murder Turtle injuries himself. I think there is an important distinction to be made here: it’s not that criticism and harsh conditions just roll off of WWX. He DOES process and internalise them, but he keeps going and maintains his faith and openness in spite of having these negative experiences. Clearly, he is a remarkably resilient person. 

After the massacre at Lotus Pier and Jiang Cheng’s loss of his golden core, we see WWX wrestle with more complex emotions: grief, guilt, and concern. It’s obvious that Wei Wuxian is suffering acutely, but he’s still doing it in a way that’s very true to his character as we know it. He’s crying. He’s seeking physical comfort from Yanli. He’s proactive, looking to plan and problem-solve. Yes he balks a little at what JC’s core recovery will involve, but his overall reaction is primarily one of satisfaction and relief. 

We don’t see too much of WWX between the mountaintop ordeal and his dropping into the Burial Mounds, but I think we have enough material to say that he is still in command of his own mind and maintains his sense of agency. You can tell that our Wee Sweaty Boi has been through the wringer, but he’s still quite animated and even cheeky when facing off against Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu in the teahouse. That dog speech? Damn. Classic WWX. He might die, but he’s not going down without getting the last word. It’s only when they are all riding swords to the weirdest and most out of place glam rock score in the entire series wtf over the Burial Mounds that we see an inkling of genuine horror cross WWX’s face.

Take now, by contrast, WWX’s reactions and interactions post-Burial Mounds. His flinchy moments inspired such a visceral reaction in me. I’m a repeat trauma survivor as well, and when I saw the way that WWX jerked back from NHS’s hand, it was deeply uncomfortable to watch precisely because of how familiar it was. This is an instinctive, almost animalistic response to touch, and it’s a FEAR response. Moreover, this isn’t some rando about to bump into him; this is one of his best friends from childhood. This is the reaction of someone who has survived by believing that the only possible safe space he has is within the confines of his own body; if anyone touches that, it will shatter. Wei Wuxian’s logical mind can tell him that NHS is not a threat, but his trauma-brain can’t turn off the panic simply by knowing that. (And why should he trust his logical mind, anyway? As we get glimpses of in the first few moments of the Burial Mounds, it’s as much the voices of people he knows and loves as the voices of unnamed resentful souls that prey on him during those three months. The psychological trauma in the Burial Mounds was not just the introduction of external threats, but the convoluting of things WWX knew and loved into instruments of torture so that even once he returned to the world, he could not shake those negative associations.)

We get an equal-but-opposite illustration of WWX’s trauma in instances like his reunion with JC and LWJ or his soup session with Yanli. There’s a deadness behind the eyes, an uncanny stillness. Wei Wuxian is in survival mode, going through the motions of what ‘should’ be his return to normal life but wondering why it doesn’t feel right this time. Wei Wuxian had told himself in the Burial Mounds that all he needed to do was survive the Burial Mounds themselves and then everything would be alright: he would go back to Lotus Pier, JC would be healed, and he would make up a new version of the plan that had been shot to hell (I’m convinced that WWX DID originally have a plan for how to navigate life in Lotus Pier post-golden core; however, he never got to put that plan into place because he got dumped into the Burial Mounds before he could enact it). But Wei Wuxian returns, and what he’s told himself isn’t true, because in all his planning for returning to Yunmeng he didn’t account for the fact that what it took to get there would fundamentally alter him. As a result, Wei Wuxian doesn’t fit anymore--not because the world has changed, but because Wei Wuxian has changed. And he can’t talk about that with anyone.

Why not? Sure, in part it’s because he feels bound to keep the secret about Jiang Cheng, but I think there’s another aspect here that’s been significantly overlooked: namely, that Wei Wuxian is the ONLY person to survive the Burial Mounds in any kind of living cultural memory. The problem isn’t so much that he can’t tell people as it is an issue of no one being able to understand or relate to his experiences even if he did share them. After all, how do you convey to an outsider what it was like to survive for three months in a place where every single bit of torture was customised to draw on YOUR individual, personal fears and hurts? Significantly, this is also the point in the story where we see Wei Wuxian begin to answer questions by in turn asking, ‘Would you believe me if I told you...?’ The question is rhetorical: he doesn’t expect people to believe him (although it still hurts when they don’t), but even if they do believe, it’s still not enough because they don’t understand. IMO, the rest of WWX’s issues leading up to the cliff at Nightless City stem from him trying--and failing--to come to terms with the loneliness of that knowledge.

Post-Resurrection

After WWX comes back, we see a shift in him. He’s no longer focused on the fact that no one will understand him; he’s decided that having someone (namely LWJ) believe him is enough. This resolves many of the auxiliary issues that had been plaguing WWX before his death, but it does NOT resolve the original trauma of his first experience in the Burial Mounds. WWX continues to have nightmares, and what are they about? Not Lotus Pier. Not Qiongqi Way and his sense of guilt. Not Shijie getting stabbed right in front of his face. Not his final, distraught moments with LWJ and JC. Nope, his nightmares continue to revolve around falling into the Burial Mounds all those years ago: an experience for which even death and rebirth are insufficient to ease the pain. 

I’m convinced that even at the end of CQL Wei Wuxian still has a LOT of healing to do, and I think this healing is not something that can happen through Lan Zhan’s love alone. Thank goodness for fanfic and headcanons, eh?

**Gentle reader, this turned out to be more like 50 dollars than two cents. Thank you for reading to the end if you’re still with me!

TL;DR I believe Wei Wuxian’s turning point moment in the story is his dumping into the Burial Mounds. It’s easy to get swept up in how many terrible things happen to him AFTER that in the lead-up to Nightless City, but I genuinely think he could have endured the loss of his Jiang family, the censure of LWJ, and society turning against him if he had not been psychologically broken during his first three months there. The writers, directors, and Xiao Zhan give us a very raw, real version of what trauma looks like with their depiction of post-Burial Mounds WWX, and it is utterly harrowing.

[trensu]

Episode 22: The One with ANOTHER Other Moonlit Rooftop Scene

WE’RE ON A ROOF, GREAT START! 

THERE’S MOONLIGHT, GREAT START!

BC WE ALL KNOW THAT THE BEST THINGS HAPPEN ON MOONLIT ROOFTOPS (except for that one time that we’re not gonna talk about rn bc it’ll give me the Sads)

OUR BOYS ARE SITTING TOGETHER ON A ROOF IN QINGHE

TOGETHER!! ON A ROOF!! IN THE MOONLIGHT!!!

WE LOVE ROOFS AND MOONLIGHT IN THIS FANDOM

Wwx: does this seem familiar to you? Weren’t we chilling on a roof like this together back in the cloud recesses during Ancient Fantasy China summer school?

And lwj is like, no, we were fighting with swords and stuff

Wwx: right, right, you caught me breaking curfew!

HE LAUGHS, REMINISCING. HE LAUGHS!!

Wwx: too bad there’s no emperor’s smile

Get help wwx, problems are not solved with copious amounts of wine

Oh god, and he just slouches back on the roof, leaning on his elbows and SPREADING HIS LEGS LIKE A SCARLET WOMAN

WWX WHAT ARE YOU DOING

MAKING YOURSELF LOOK ALL ENTICING LIKE THAT

And lwj has an iron will apparently bc he’s still sitting upright in a meditation pose

Oooh, now they’re going to have a Serious conversation

Lwj: things change. How could it be the same as before?

And wwx gives him this sad little smile

Wwx: lan zhan, thank you

Lwj: for what?

Wwx: thank you for not telling shijie

And then HE SMILES AT LWJ

SINCERELY. THAT’S A SINCERE SMILE ON HIS FACE

Like, okay, it’s not as big and bright as his usual sunshine smile BUT IT’S STILL THE HAPPIEST SMILE HE’S DIRECTED AT LWJ SINCE THE BURIAL MOUNDS

Ofc lwj goes and ruins the mood (why does he keep doing this)

Lwj: these tricks harm your body and mind as well

Wwx: i know, but i’m not using wicked tricks, i learned CRAFTY tricks

Lwj: crafty tricks?

Lwj’s tone changes here! It has a hopeful edge to it rather than the solemn note it carried before. THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, GUYS

Wwx: that’s what i learned in that sunless dingy place for three months

ah, guess i spoke too soon...wwx gets this faraway look on his face like he’s back in that awful place anD IT MAKES ME SO SAD

Wwx: anyway, i have to thank you for Lan clan’s Temperament Technique bc my crafty tricks require

HE USED LAN CLAN TEACHINGS TO DEVELOP HIS NEW CULTIVATION

LAN CLAN!!

LAN!!!!

EVEN AT HIS LOWEST, HE STILL CLUNG TO LAN WANGJI. LAN WANGJI STILL WAS ABLE TO HELP HIM EVEN THO HE WASN’T THERE

AHHHHHHHHH

And lwj is just watching him here, yearningly like always

Wwx: with my bamboo flute, everything can be controlled~! *twirls the demon flute*

But lwj is not gonna be distracted by his fancy flute twirling here

Lwj: do crafty tricks rely on the spirit?

Wwx nods in response

~Their Song~ starts playing in the background (the flute version of it, even!!)

Lwj: mastering it by mind is like taking a grain of rice from a fire. If not done carefully you risk falling into demonic cultivation. The consequences will be unimaginable

Okay, 1) pretty sure that’s the longest string of sentences lwj has made in the entire show so far, so kudos to you lwj. You used your words!! I’m so proud!!

And 2) THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE UNIMAGINABLE?? LWJ DOES NOT WANT TO IMAGINE THOSE CONSEQUENCES FOR WEI YING. HE DOESN’T WANT TO THINK OF HIM SUFFERING THAT WAY. BC HE LOVES HIM

Wwx: i know. Lan zhan, i understand your concern.

OUR BOYS OUR COMMUNICATING. 

LOOK AT THEM!! 

COMMUNICATING ALL OVER EACH OTHER!!!! 

THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER

And here wwx does HIS LITTLE SCOUT’S HONOR THING AND HIS VOICE PICKS UP A CHIPPER TONE AND IT’S SO CUTE AND SO REMINISCENT OF BEFORE

Wwx: i, wei ying, promise you that i will never degenerate into demonic cultivation

STOP MAKING PROMISES YOU WON’T KEEP WWX

Wwx: do you believe me?

Lwj nods

AND OH, THE SMILE WWX HAS IN RESPONSE

IT’S ALMOST LIKE BEFORE

ALL OF THIS IS ALMOST LIKE BEFORE

Now wwx does a little floaty jump thing off of the roof (it doesn’t look ridiculous for once!! It actually looks pretty neat here!!) and starts to walk away

Lwj elegantly stands up (still on the roof!!) and says “Let me help you.”

Wwx freezes in his steps for a moment, not quite turning back, and says “okay.”

He says that AND HE SMILES AGAIN

Lwj is left standing alone on the roof

ALL THIS AND WE’RE ONLY 5MIN INTO THE EPISODE

MY HEART, MY HEART

GOD I MISSED MY WANGXIANTICS.

IT’S BEEN SO LONG, MY LOVE, I’VE MISSED YOU SO!!

Oh, and now it’s daytime

Plot Things are happening

Nmj is giving a rousing speech to the troops, very imposing, very stern, very soldier-y

AND TOTALLY DOES NOT MATTER SO WE’RE MOVING ON

Everyone’s leaving Qinghe for plot reasons. Jc and jzx go ahead on their swords but lwj and wwx are traveling by horse

They’re on horses!! Idk why that makes me happy but it does!! I don’t even like horses that much??? 

Wwx is twirling his flute!!

Lwj: why didn’t you go ahead with them?

Wwx: i don’t want to join in the fun with jc and that colorful peacock

Lwj: aren’t you the one who prefers to join in the fun?

GUYS, GUYS LWJ SAYS THIS WITH A TEASING TONE (well, teasing for him; it’s a very subtle change BUT IT’S THERE, I SWEAR!!)

HE’S TRYING TO BE PLAYFUL WITH WWX!! IT’S SO CUTE!!

OMG, OMG we get a brief moment of Jealous!LWJ. Courtesy of NHS, of course.

Nhs is at the top of a tower in qinghe waving goodbye, right? (he’s adorable, i love him)

BUT HE CALLS SPECIFICALLY TO WWX

Nhs: wwx, wwx, take care!

and lwj lets his eyes drift a little towards the voice but HE DOESN’T EVEN DEIGN TO LOOK AT NHS DIRECTLY before his eyes flicker to face forward

it’s such a disdainful little movement; IT HAPPENS SO FAST

BUT THE JEALOUSY IS SO POTENT HERE, OMG OMG

chill out lwj, nhs is just a friend!!

Ugh, evil wen lair time

WE DON’T CARE ABOUT THE PLOT DEVICE OR WEN RUOHAN

Oh, now we’re in the middle of a battlefield but no lwj or wwx in sight, how boring

Battle battle battle

Fight fight fighting

Ooooh demon transformation. That was interesting for like, two seconds

Gotta say, the makeup/costuming they use for those demon things actually looks pretty decent, all things considered

Actually, most of their group fight scenes are pretty good

UGH MORE EVIL WEN LAIR TIME?? Plot plot Meng Yao is revealed to be a wen flunkie suddenly plot plot 

Back with the good guys now! At soldier camp!! (or whatever those are called, listen, i’m not a war general, terms escape me)

Plot plot nmj, jzx, jc are inspecting puppets blah blah don’t care don’t care

OH WAIT, LWJ AND WWX SHOWED UP

THEY LOOK VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PUPPETS. I SUDDENLY CARE ABOUT THE PUPPETS

Nvm, we’re back at a boring strategy meeting blegh

Blah blah invinceable puppets blah blah kill wen ruohan blah blah

Nmj: I WILL SNEAK INTO NIGHTLESS CITY AND KILL WEN RUOHAN

I’m sorry nmj but you don’t have a sneaky bone in your entire body

That is a terrible plan. Jzx agrees with me.

Nmj: if i die, lxc can just take charge nbd

Suddenly lxc shows up with a Sneaky Map

Everybody’s excited about the Sneaky Map

I AM NOT

I AM NOT EXCITED ABOUT THE SNEAKY MAP

THIS IS BORING

LET’S MOVE ON NOW PLZ

Ah, we’re back with wwx and lwj who are inspecting the Suddenly Interesting Puppets

They’re being all clever together!! I love it

OH NO, SOME RANDO JUST INTERRUPTED SAYING JYL NEEDS HELP

WWX TAKES OFF IN A FLASH, OBVS

We’re at jzx’s tent!! WHERE JZX MADE HER CRY

I DEMAND BLOOD IN RECOMPENSE

Wwx: what happened? Don’t cry!

Wwx: was there someone who bullied you??

Omg his words are like, dripping with venom as he says this and turns to glare at jzx

POOR JYL IS SOBBING, OUTRIGHT SOBBING

Jyl: i’m fine! Let’s go, come on, come on

SHE SAYS THIS THROUGH HER TEARS. SHE’S HEARTBROKEN

I DEMAND BLOODSHED

Mianmian shows up to explain the situation

Details don’t matter

What matters is that we see Lwj about to join them in the tent

Like, he’s one step in and everything

But once mianmian starts talking, he steps back out? And just loiters in front of their tent thing?

HE DOESN’T WANT TO INTRUDE ON A FAMILY MATTER

BC LAST TIME HE DID, WWX SNAPPED AT HIM AND PUSHED HIM AWAY

AND THAT SHIT HURTED

WE DON’T WANT THAT AGAIN

We find out that jzx was a total utter DOUCHEBAG to jyl and HUMILIATED her in public BECAUSE HE’S A DICK AND DOESN’T DESERVE HER

YOU’RE LUCKY I’M NOT THERE RN JZX BC I’M READY TO MURDER

Oh look, wwx is ready to murder too

he punches jzx right in the chest AND SENDS HIM FLYING, HELL YEAH

then uses his demon flute TO SMACK DOWN THE JIN DISCIPLES with resentful energy

then goes and DECKS JZX RIGHT IN THE FACE

YESSS!!!!!!

HIT HIM HARDER WWX

But nooo, mianmian and jyl have to be decent people and try to hold wwx back

Lwj hears them cry out and rushes into the room!!

He grabs wwx’s arm, which was already poised for another punch

Lwj: wei ying, calm down

DON’T TELL HIM TO CALM DOWN LWJ

JZX DESERVES WHAT’S COMING TO HIM

DON’T YOU SEE YOUR SISTER IN LAW CRYING???

But it seems that lwj’s words cut through wwx’s rage (even tho he didn’t raise his voice at all!!) bc wwx lets his arm be lowered by lwj’s grip

He looks at lwj’s concerned face and turns to walk out of the tent

We cut to some Sect Leader Time featuring NMJ and LXC

Nmj: soooo, how’d you get the Sneaky Map

Lxc: ...I know a guy

Then they go on for awhile and i get the impression that they’re trying to Flirt but are doing it Badly

HA, losers! (they say, even tho their OTP consistently fails to communicate their Emotions well)

We’re on a battlefield again!

Kinda sucks how our guys get possessed and turned against us.

What a bummer

MORE BORING PLOT STUFF

Blah blah, nmj disappeared, blah blah our guys are forced into a trap blah blah

Oh wait, there’s a bit here

Wwx asks lxc who gave him the Sneaky Map and lxc is all “a good friend” and wwx is like oh okay and walks off

As he walks away, lwj turns to ~gaze longingly~ at him

It was kinda weird, bc contextually it doesn’t make sense for there to be a longing gaze here

BUT WHO CARES!

SINCE WHEN DO WE NEED A REASON FOR GAY YEARNING??

IT JUST IS, MY FRIENDS, AND WE LOVE IT

More evil wen lair time (at some point we watch nmj be a badass at this lair, but we’re not here for him. Sorry nmj, still love ya tho!)

MoVInG alONg

Battlefield has moved to the Nightless City

For real for real, these group battle scenes are pretty cool. I like them.

AHHHH!! AHHHHHHH!!! WWX NEARLY GETS A SWORD TO THE THROAT

BUT LWJ NOTICES IT AND IS BLOCKING THE HIT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

THE WAY IT’S FRAMED MAKES IT LOOK EVEN MORE AWESOME!!

Bc he just swooshes into the frame from the right, all fluid movement and elegance

BLOCKS THE HIT LIKE NOTHING

And ends up on the opposite side of the frame, not even looking at the baddie he just blocked; he’s all straight-backed and regal

I am Shocked wwx didn’t swoon right there and then

WWX AND LWJ ARE NOW BACK TO BACK

FIGHTING TOGETHER

I AM IN LOVE

Ugh, we’re back at the evil wen lair

Gross

Can we not? Nobody cares.

BACK ON THE BATTLEFIELD!!

Everything stops suddenly, and lwj and wwx are side by side

Bc ofc they are

They’re soulmates!!

Uh oh, some of their guys get Literally pulverized

Aaaaand, here come the massive amounts of puppets

Wen ruohan - creator of the world’s worst puppet show

Omg, we just keep getting shots of lwj and wwx standing next to each other, or standing back to back

They’re not even doing anything AND IT’S STILL AMAZING TO WATCH

UGH, JUST HAVING THEM BE NEAR EACH OTHER ON SCREEN MAKES ME SO HAPPY

Wwx: lan zhan, what method can we take now to escape?

Lwj: Fight.

Wwx: *smirk*

GOD I LOVE MY BOYS

And the cameras give us close-up shots of their faces in that exchange and it’s amazing

THE EXPRESSIONS, MAN

GRIM DETERMINATION

LIKE, WE’RE PROBABLY DEAD, MIGHT AS WELL GO DOWN FIGHTING

THAT’S WHAT THEIR FACES SAY

I! LOVE!! MY!!! BOYS!!!!

They just look so awesome fighting here!!

Lol wwx is just whacking people with his flute

Very intimidating, wwx, very scary

One of the demon things just tried attacking wwx aND GOT BICHEN THROUGH THE CHEST FOR THEIR TROUBLES

THAT’S WHAT YOU GET, DEMON THING!!

And then lwj goes and blocks another blow meant for wwx

Lwj is so awesome in battle??

I feel like shang from mulan trying to compliment lwj

“YOU...YOU FIGHT GOOD”

i mean, come on, he literally just now took out a demon thing with a BLAST from bichen

BICHEN DIDN’T EVEN TOUCH IT? 

AND THE DEMON THING WAS COMING FROM BEHIND HIM??

HE DIDN’T EVEN TURN AROUND TO LOOK!!

HE JUST HAD BICHEN BLAST SOME SPIRITUAL ENERGY BEHIND HIM TO KNOCK OUT THE DEMON THING

WHAT A BAMF

Uh oh

Wwx just did his floaty jump thing and perched on a winged creature statue overlooking the battlefield

Lwj has his eyes on him

He’s watching him all worriedly

WWX STARTS TO PLAY HIS DEMON FLUTE

listen

listen

i know the demon flute and resentful energy is bad for you or whatever

BUT HE LOOKS SO DAMN COOL HERE

ENSHROUDED IN BLACK SMOKE

HIS FACE A PICTURE OF CONCENTRATION

Meanwhile lwj is cutting down enemies left and right AND STILL MAKING TIME TO THROW WORRIED LOOKS AT WWX

WAIT A MINUTE, wwx has just TAKEN CONTROL of the demon things

Bc he’s BADASS

And the music gets INTENSE here

THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!

LWJ still looks so concerned even tho the demon things start fighting for them rather than against them

Bc he doesn’t care about the demon things or the battle

He cares about how this will affect his wei ying!!

And the episode ends with wen ruohan throwing a hissy fit bc his demon things aren’t under his control anymore

WE DID IT GUYS, WE FINALLY MADE IT TO AN EPISODE WITH QUALITY NOT-COMPLETELY-HEARTBREAKING WANGXIANTICS

OUR BOYS WERE NICE TO EACH OTHER!!!

ON A MOONLIT ROOFTOP!!!

AND THEY FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE!!

IT WAS ALL SO BEAUTIFUL

Return to Masterpost

[crossdressingdeath]

I think that the thing that gets me most in the dis-core-se is that JC fans get mad at any attempt to explain it that isn't "WWX is an awful person" as if WWX fans were personally invested into WWX sacrificing himself in this way and wanted it to happen bc it benefited to WWX in some way. But imo when people speak of WWX making many mistakes, his only and biggest one was giving his core, it made things so much worse for him, and he was really going over his duty. He usually saved people1/2

from being attacked or harmed by others (LWJ, Mianmian, the Wens) but here he was trying to save JC from *himself* as I’m pretty sure WWX wouldn’t have done it if JC wasn’t actively letting himself die. And he really didn't have too, if JC decided that his life wasn't worth living like this, it's his own decision to take and own up to (haha, I guess as someone who suffers from chronic pain, I'm maybe more comfortable with the idea of suicide due to poor quality of life than regular people)2/2

It’s because if the reason for the transfer isn’t “WWX is an awful person” JC’s response to the transfer is entirely indefensible. And yeah, I agree that sacrificing his golden core did more harm than good at the end of the day. I can understand why he did it (that’s his brother who he loves and one of two remaining members of his family and both his foster parents told him to protect JC as their last request, he couldn’t just let him die; he decided that if JC didn’t think life was living without a golden core he’d give him a golden core and solve the problem that way), but at the end of the day... it wasn’t his responsibility, and in the end a lot of people got hurt and killed as a result of this choice. He vastly weakened himself (WC probably wouldn’t have been able to capture him if it wasn’t for the surgery slowing him down), doomed himself to a lifetime of being called arrogant for refusing to carry a sword, and hamstrung all his future attempts at helping people; he would’ve been a lot more effective at helping the Wens if he had spiritual cultivation and demonic cultivation, as an example, if only because him being able to use inedia would allow them to stretch their supplies out farther. WWX caused himself so much pain and gave up so much power that he could have used to help people to give it to someone who only ever uses it to hurt others. This is why in my extremely vague plans for a time travel AU feat. WQ she outright refuses to do the transfer to the point of lying to WWX’s face and telling him it’s impossible, because unlike WWX she is capable of doing the math even with lives on the line and knows that letting JC regain cultivation at the cost of WWX losing his will end up with a lot of people dead for the sake of keeping one sect leader who won’t even use his power to protect his own brother, much less strangers.