#at that point in time jc probably wishes his wwx could have been a little more like jgy

[runespoor7]

I'm thinking about least-carpet's Venn diagram of whether JC ships are about WWX and specifically about mingcheng, and I'm thinking that yes it is about WWX but it's also about NieYao, and I think it could be pretty fun projecting times actually!

So you're a sect leader and you gave preferential treatment to a SIC you trusted really really really a lot and who broke your heart and whom you totally failed to keep in line even after he'd proven how untrustworthy he was. How angry at yourself are you. How angry at someone who made similar yet not identical mistakes as you, and who has the moral backbone of a chocolate éclair.

could be fun hatesex and self-hatesex about JGY and WWX. could turn into less than hatesex after JC is hailed as the hero who saved the jianghu from WWX. could end with JC breaking up because he can't deal with NMJ looking at him less like he's trash because he thinks JC killed WWX.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

tbf, lxc is valid for noticing how one-sided is the wangxian dynamic and it's true that wwx didn't give an f about lwj in his first life... and except for some moments when he went "oh no, he's hot", lwj is the reason people ship them because that ship has no real basis on wwx's part...

In the end, it feels as if he falls for lwj only because he's literally the only one there for him. What's ironic is that he even ponders on how it used to be the other way around and he used to have jc by his side and lwj against him...

MXTX created a mess of a fandom because of all these mixed signals she gives so no wonder there are a lot of wwx / jc shippers. I mean, it's OBVIOUS that she didn't intend for jc to be a love interest at all... but she still made him "ex"-coded. The fact that he's the one wwx made a big sacrifice too for, and not lwj when, on the other hand, lwj sacrificed a couple of important things for a wwx that didn't care about him in their first life, and that won't get the same devotion in return is just. weird.

Well hello there, little troll.

This is certainly a bad/sad understanding of the entire point of Lan Xichen's angry rantings, as the audience was supposed to be exasperated on behalf of all involved due to each one only having their own perception of this entire situation and the ongoing theme on relying on self-biased thought and perception.

Just as Lan Xichen has only his own understanding of one-sided reciprocity(on Lan Wangji's behalf), Wei Wuxian was terrified of being the only one to have thought he was taking his feelings to an inappropriate level that was not reciprocated, mind on the heels and only hours after Jiang Cheng accused them of being more and mocking Wei Wuxian.

1:

In the time they’d been traveling together, he’d gotten the feeling Lan Wangji thought highly of him. That he thought of him differently than he once had. But at the end of the day, he didn’t dare guess how far that “highly” stretched, nor whether “differently” really was the kind of “different” he assumed.

Wei Wuxian had never considered confidence a bad thing and was often smug and frivolous as a result. The cultivation world had once gossiped that the Yiling Patriarch was the sort who frolicked among the peach blossoms, always surrounded by the sweet smell of their fragrant flowers. But in reality, he had never experienced this kind of flustered confusion before. In the past, he had thought Lan Wangji was an open book, but now he found him difficult to read. He was terrified that he was lost in this fantasy all alone; that all of this was only his own wishful thinking and that he was overly confident to presume

otherwise.

2:

Wei Wuxian could not believe that had just happened.

It seemed like a nightmare had intruded on his tender, enchanting dream—one that upended a basin of cold water directly over his head and chilled him to the bone, from head to toe. It was also like he’d been slapped hard across his face, so hard that his ears rang, his heart pounded, and his world spun. He couldn’t react for the longest time. It was with difficulty that he managed to open his mouth, but his voice was hoarse.

3:

One of his worst theories had just been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt. Lan Wangji was indeed very nice to him, but…it was probably not the kind of nice he had been hoping for.

4:

Do not take it to heart?” Lan Wangji echoed again.

He’d initially thought he’d rather have Lan Wangji think him fickle and abominable than endure the awkwardness of knowing his feelings, which would surely make their friendship delicate going forward. But now, he regretted all the foolish things he had just blurted out without thinking.

"...Sorry,” he muttered under his breath.

5:

Wei Wuxian reached out and brushed a hand across two figures with puckered lips kissing on the wall, before trailing up to the words “Lan Wangji was here.” The sentence needed to be cleaned away, but before Wei Wuxian did so, he traced the strokes of Lan Wangji’s name with his fingertips.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The more he traced them, the more he was loath to part.

6:

While leaving Lan Wangji behind and freely roaming the world alone did not seem an impossible thing to consider…

...a voice deep inside Wei Wuxian told him the clear truth: It was impossible.

The nonsense he’d spouted back at Golden Carp Tower had really come true. The Wei Wuxian of today could not do without Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian has only stopped trying to rationalize (comphet) and explain away their close relation as only being friendly, he knows very well his own advances can't be explained as being a joke any longer and, doesn't want them to be seen as such especially by his own self. He is terrified of Lan Wangji seeing this as either a cruel joke or Lan Wangji not feeling the same. He wants it to be reciprocated and always has.

And within the extras we see the blatant proof, while he may not understand he was in the midst of a crush, given he was fifteen and once more, he have Jiang Cheng being nasty, he much exhibited his fixation upon Lan Wangji by mentioning him within Lotus Pier and being happy to discuss him with Jiang Yanli without the excuse of wanting to just mess around with him.

1:

Jiang Yanli sat down between them. “Who are you two talking about?” she asked. “A friend you made at Gusu?”

"Yeah!” Wei Wuxian answered happily.

"You have the cheek to call yourself his ‘friend’?” Jiang Cheng said. “Ask Lan Wangji about that, see if he’s willing to accept you as one.”

"Screw off. If he doesn’t, I’ll just pester him—we’ll see if he caves.” Turning to Jiang Yanli, Wei Wuxian asked, “Shijie, do you know Lan Wangji?”

Yes,” Jiang Yanli said. “He’s the second young master of the Lan Clan, the one everyone says is very handsome and capable, right? Is he really very handsome?”

"Very!” Wei Wuxian gushed.

"Compared to you?” Jiang Yanli probed.

Wei Wuxian thought for a moment. “Perhaps just a tiny bit more handsome than me.”

He held two of his fingers a tiny distance apart to demonstrate. As Jiang Yanli collected the plates, she smiled.

"Then he must be really very handsome. It’s a good thing to make new friends. You guys can drop in on each other to have some fun in the future, when you have nothing to do.”

For the very next extra to make good on this, almost 20 years later and Wei Wuxian to admit he had always wanted Lan Wangji's attentions romantically and poking at Lan Wangji seemingly not sharing that interest, that was dispelled as soon as both were able to out their shared romantic love.

1:

He turned his head and said to Lan Wangji, “When I was at the Cloud Recesses way back then, I kept urging you to come visit Lotus Pier. I especially wanted you to come with me to steal lotus seed pods from him. Do you know why?”

When it came to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji always answered every one of his questions and acquiesced to all his requests. And so, he answered him seriously, “I do not know. Why?”

Wei Wuxian winked at him and snickered. “Because that old man sure was something whenever he hit people with his boat-pole. It hurt way more than your family’s disciplinary ferule. I thought I just had to trick Lan Zhan into coming here and let him take a few beatings too.”

Lan Wangji smiled slightly at this. The cold glow of the moonlight on the lake melted at the sight.

In that instant, Wei Wuxian felt dizzy. A smile also unconsciously rippled its way onto his face.

"All right, I admit—” he began.

2:

Amid smiles and laughter, they grabbed hold of each other and embraced in the water before exchanging a kiss.

After their lips parted, Wei Wuxian raised his hand and continued their earlier topic of conversation. “I admit it, I was talking nonsense. I just wanted to hang out with you back then.”

Lan Wangji lifted him from behind, and Wei Wuxian clambered back onto the boat. He looked back and held out a hand to grab Lan Wangji.

“So tell me honestly, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Wangji got on the boat and handed him a red cord. “Of what?”

Wei Wuxian held the red cord with his mouth as he pulled back his hair, which had come loose in the water. “Tell me if you felt the same way,” he said solemnly. “You know, your callous rejection of me every single time I asked really made me lose face

back then.”

"You can try and see if I would deny you anything now,” Lan Wangji said.

The unexpected statement hit him right in the heart. Wei Wuxian choked for a moment, but Lan Wangji was still as composed as ever, like he didn’t fully grasp the weight of what he had just said.

Pressing his palm to his forehead, Wei Wuxian said, “You… Hanguang-jun, let’s agree that you’ll give me a heads-up before you say sweet nothings in the future. Otherwise, I won’t be able to take it.”

Lan Wangji nodded. “All right.”

"Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian said, “Oh, you…!”

Of all the millions of possible words, there was nothing left to say. There was only laughter and hugs.

As for Jiang Cheng, yes he is jealous, yes he is a homophobe, no there is no mixed signals from Wei Wuxian to anyone other than Lan Wangi. Me, unlike you, understand what logical comprehension is and can read what MXTX meant for her CP. Have fun with your salty Jiang Cheng/Chengxian fic ideas though, save that energy for that instead of bugging me.

[mifeng-xiaojie]

I’m not a medical expert at all, so take this with a grain of salt and do your own research. That said, I believe she could have survived this. Since it was a slash instead of a thrusting of the sword into her, it would be a bad wound, but not nearly as bad because the sword wouldn’t likely hit any vital organs. If it did hit her spine, however, she might not be able to walk again.

The biggest worry here is blood loss and risk of infection. Since she’s on a battlefield with nasty ass corpses, and who knows where that sword has been, she’s at high risk of both. Instead of talking to Wei Wuxian, they should’ve gotten her away from the scene immediately.

Jin Ling would be a little over a month old at this point, so Yanli might still have some healing from the birth, but for the most part, she would have been through the bulk of it. Most doctors give women about six weeks before they can resume normal activities like sexy time, so she was probably at that point, given she was strong enough to run around a battlefield in the first place.

The more I write into this, the more I feel that her death was just stupid. She would’ve been still healing from the baby and attended by nurses and Madam Jin. Why did no one stop her from running after Wei Wuxian? What’s more, I worried so much for her that the Jin would be cruel and extra strict with her because of her association. At the very least, you would think she’d have a guard or something.

And as much as I love Jiang Cheng, I want to punch him because his priority at the point of her wounding should have been to get her away from the battlefield and whatever she wanted to say to WWX she could either say later or never. It wasn’t worth her dying over.

As for Yanli herself, I really don’t know what she thought she was going to do. It was just a pointless death all around and really served no point other than to drive the wedge between WWx and JC and to give them man pain. I wish MXTX had gone a different route here, honestly.

given jiang yanli's lifetime of poor health and the fact that she's postpartum, had she not taken a fatal hit for wei wuxian, would she have made a full recovery from this injury?

[bloody-bee-tea]

To finish this amazing JC Love Month that has given so much joy, could I ask for a final chapter of Lan Quiren being the good dad that little Jiang Cheng is in desperate need of? Thank you so much for that series!! It is all that I ever wanted and more,but I just need a WWX and JY and reacting to YZ and JFM and Lan Quiren interacting. Thank you so much!!! 💛💛

JC Love Month 2020 Day 30

Breathing and Footsteps

Your wish is my command, Anon! Day 30 of JC Love Month brings one last confrontation between LQR and JC's parents, this time witnessed by JC's siblings, who fully support him and LQR taking care of him. This also marks the last day of JC Love Month, so thank you all for sticking with me through it all! Technically it was a free day but I'm very bad with those, so my friend gave me a few word prompts to work with. This follows after Day 23 of JC Love Month.

Jiang Cheng is reading over the material they will cover in class later, when someone suddenly sits down next to him.

Jiang Cheng frowns, a biting remark already on his tongue, but he swallows it down when he turns and sees that it’s Lan Xichen.

“Oh, hi,” Jiang Cheng breathes out and Lan Xichen’s mouth twitches in amusement but when he smiles it’s kind.

“How are you doing?” Lan Xichen asks him, sending a pointed look at his newly cast-free hand.

“I’m doing well,” Jiang Cheng gives back and he’s almost surprised to find that he means it, too. “Doctor Wen says it’s healing well and if I stick to the physical therapy I shouldn’t have any problems going forward.”

“That’s very good to hear,” Lan Xichen says. “Though I think Wen Qing insisted on you calling her by her name.”

“She might have,” Jiang Cheng says and looks down at his book.

He tried, too, but it felt wrong when she was removing his cast and so he decided to stick to Doctor Wen. She had glared at him when he did, but her glare held none of the bite Jiang Cheng was used to from his mother, so she probably wasn’t too bad.

“As long as you know you’re free to call her Wen Qing, it’s okay,” Lan Xichen reassures him and lightly pats his forearm. “Listen, there’s actually a reason I’m here,” Lan Xichen then says and Jiang Cheng can’t help it, he tenses when worry settles in his belly.

“Is anything wrong?” Jiang Cheng asks, his voice low and scared, because most times he still feels like he’s in a dream, as if one day he will wake up and Lan Qiren won’t care about him and Jiang Cheng will have to sleep back in his own huge, empty house.

“Nothing is wrong,” Lan Xichen immediately tells him. “I’m sorry it sounded like that,” he goes on and Jiang Cheng thinks he knows him well enough by now to know that Lan Xichen will consider his words much more carefully from now on.

“What’s going on then?” Jiang Cheng asks, reassured now that it won’t be something bad.

“Uncle is working late today,” Lan Xichen starts and Jiang Cheng nods.

Lan Qiren had told him about the meeting he has today, much to Jiang Cheng’s surprise, because his parents never bothered to tell him where they would be and if they would be coming home that day.

“Yeah, he said,” Jiang Cheng whispers, still almost feeling uncomfortably surprised that Lan Qiren took the time to inform him about his plans.

“Good,” Lan Xichen says, as if it’s entirely normal that Lan Qiren told him. “I thought since you’re doing well with your arm, that I could show you how to cook one of Uncle’s favourite dishes today? I think he would like coming home after that meeting to a home-cooked meal.”

Jiang Cheng has to regulate his breathing at that, because he feels this close to a breakdown in the middle of school and Lan Xichen puts his hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” Lan Xichen lowly says, taking care that no one else can hear them, but Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

“No, I would like that,” Jiang Cheng immediately says and looks at Lan Xichen. “Please, if you have the time.”

“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise,” Lan Xichen says with a smile and squeezes Jiang Cheng’s shoulder once. “I’ll come by later then, alright?” Lan Xichen asks and Jiang Cheng nods.

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng breathes out but Lan Xichen shakes his head.

“It’s my pleasure,” Lan Xichen replies and gets up. “See you later, then, Wanyin,” he says and leaves Jiang Cheng to his reading again.

Jiang Cheng wants to go back to that, but his mind his whirring now, too touched by Lan Xichen’s kindness and thoughtfulness and Jiang Cheng is looking forward to giving Lan Qiren something in return, even if it’s only something small.

Jiang Cheng barely managed to concentrate on his book again, when he hears footsteps coming up behind him and Jiang Cheng turns his head with a sigh.

He immediately straightens up when he realizes that it’s Lan Qiren who is coming up to him.

“Is everything alright?” Lan Qiren wants to know, not looking directly at Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng can still tell that he’s honestly worried that anything could be wrong.

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng very honestly says and Lan Qiren seems to believe him, because he nods once and then finally looks at Jiang Cheng.

“How’s your hand?” he wants to know, as if he isn’t asking after Jiang Cheng’s wellbeing every day but Jiang Cheng smiles at his obvious concern.

“It feels fine,” Jiang Cheng gives back and carefully rotates his wrist to show Lan Qiren that he’s not lying about it.

“That’s good,” Lan Qiren says and then his eyes wander to Jiang Cheng’s book in front of him. “I’ll let you get back to studying then,” Lan Qiren decides and simply marches off without giving Jiang Cheng another chance to say something.

Jiang Cheng smiles slightly when he watches Lan Qiren walk away, and he feels entirely too fond of Lan Qiren at that moment, realizing that this really was just him paying enough attention to Jiang Cheng to have seen Lan Xichen with him and to immediately worry.

He is not used to care like this, but he slowly realizes that it seems to be the norm with Lan Qiren. Jiang Cheng smiles into his book at that thought.

Jiang Cheng schools his face into a frown when someone sits down opposite of him and by now Jiang Cheng is absolutely convinced that he will not get any reading done.

Especially so when he sees that it’s Wei Wuxian who sat down at his table.

“What?” Jiang Cheng snaps out, because he hasn’t seen Wei Wuxian all that much since he moved out of his old house two weeks ago, and he only ever hears from Lan Wangji that Wei Wuxian is alright.

“How are you?” Wei Wuxian asks with a look at his wrist and Jiang Cheng shrugs.

“The cast came off,” he says and Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes at him.

“I can see that. But how are you?”

“I’m okay,” Jiang Cheng says, much more softer at that, because he can tell that Wei Wuxian is really worried.

“Are you in trouble?” Wei Wuxian asks with a frown, and when Jiang Cheng looks at him in confusion, he nods to where Lan Qiren just vanished.

“Why would you think that?” Jiang Cheng wants to know and he nods at Lan Wangji when he joins Wei Wuxian.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time at the headmaster’s office. Are you in trouble?”

Jiang Cheng looks at Lan Wangji at that, who simply shrugs.

“You said not to tell. I didn’t,” he easily replies and Jiang Cheng knows that Lan Wangji doesn’t particularly like him, so he didn’t expect that.

Since Jiang Cheng moved into Lan Qiren’s house permanently Lan Wangji has been a lot nicer during family meals, but they will never be best friends and that’s okay with Jiang Cheng, but to hear that he respected his wishes really touches him.

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng whispers and Lan Wangji only nods.

“What’s going on here?” Wei Wuxian whines when he sees them exchanging looks and Jiang Cheng sighs.

“You know what?” Jiang Cheng asks him and shuts his book. “Come to the house tomorrow afternoon and you’ll see,” Jiang Cheng tells him, because tomorrow they will pick up the last of Jiang Cheng’s things from his old room and Jiang Cheng suspects that Wei Wuxian needs to see that Jiang Cheng left to really believe it.

“You know what, you should bring A-jie as well,” Jiang Cheng says as he stands up. “She should know, too.”

Jiang Cheng felt bitter for about the first week when he realized that neither Wei Wuxian nor Jiang Yanli noticed that he’s not at home, or when neither one of them checked in on him, but he realized that it’s unfair.

Jiang Yanli is just starting her new life with Jin Zixuan and Wei Wuxian is clearly still living on cloud seven with Lan Wangji so of course they wouldn’t notice.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t like it, but he understands. It’s unfair of him to expect to have all of their attention all the time and Jiang Yanli did ask about his wrist.

“What is going on?” Wei Wuxian whines again but this time it’s Lan Wangji who shushes him.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t pay too much attention to him anymore, simply walking away and getting to his class.

~*~*~

Jiang Cheng is nervous when Lan Xichen leaves him to it. He talked him through the whole process of making Lan Qiren’s favourite dish, not actually helping that much and he seemed proud enough with Jiang Cheng’s result that Jiang Cheng shouldn’t fret so much.

But he can’t help it.

He feels like if he botched this attempt of Lan Qiren’s food then he might as well just move back in with his parents and Jiang Cheng is stressing way too much over this.

He wishes Lan Xichen hadn’t left as soon as they were done, if just so that someone was around to keep his mind off things, and Jiang Cheng briefly debates calling Jiang Yanli, but in the end he doesn’t.

If he calls her now, he would have to explain why he is cooking for Lan Qiren and Jiang Cheng doesn’t feel like doing that this evening. He will have to explain enough tomorrow after all.

Jiang Cheng is startled out of his panic when he hears a key in the door and his hands start to sweat when Lan Qiren calls out a “I’m home”.

“Welcome home,” Jiang Cheng gives back and meets Lan Qiren in the doorway to the kitchen.

“What’s smelling so good?” Lan Qiren asks and Jiang Cheng gives him a sheepish smile.

“I cooked,” he says and Lan Qiren’s face immediately falls, and Jiang Cheng feels sick with nerves.

“Why? How is your wrist? Did you overdo it?” Lan Qiren asks immediately and he reaches out for Jiang Cheng’s arm as if he could tell if Jiang Cheng overworked it.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, Xichen-ge did all the heavy cutting, don’t worry. I was careful,” Jiang Cheng reassures him, flooded with warmth when he realizes that Lan Qiren is simply worried for him.

“Is that what you were talking with my nephew about today?” Lan Qiren asks as he looks into the kitchen.

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng admits. “He offered to teach me one of your favourite dishes. I wanted to do something nice for you, for once,” Jiang Cheng whispers and Lan Qiren’s face smoothes out.

“Wanyin,” he breathes out and tugs Jiang Cheng into a half-hug. “Thank you,” he sincerely says and then moves them into the kitchen.

“It smells delicious,” Lan Qiren praises him and Jiang Cheng ducks his head at that.

He’s not used to being thanked or to getting praised and he still doesn’t know how to handle it. So instead of looking at Lan Qiren he busies himself with setting the table while Lan Qiren brings over the heavier pots.

Jiang Cheng keeps quiet as they start to eat, as per the rules in Lan Qiren’s house, and so he’s extremely surprised when Lan Qiren lowers his chopsticks after a few bites.

“It’s absolutely delicious, Wanyin,” he says and Jiang Cheng is surprised enough that he broke his own rule so that he only stares at Lan Qiren until Lan Qiren awkwardly clears his throat.

“I’m glad you like it,” Jiang Cheng finally says and then shoves another bite into his mouth.

Thankfully they spend the rest of the dinner in silence after that, but the praise sits warm and heavy in Jiang Cheng’s gut, warming him through and through.

He’s not used to feeling like this, but he likes it very much.

~*~*~

Jiang Cheng swallows heavily as he looks up at the house in front of him but Lan Qiren is a steady presence at his side.

“We’ll just get your last things and then you won’t have to come back,” Lan Qiren promises him but Jiang Cheng is too nervous to nod, because he spotted his parent’s cars in the garage and he knows it won’t be nice.

It will be even messier, Jiang Cheng realizes with a start when Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli come up to them.

“A-Cheng,” Jiang Yanli greets him warmly and pulls him into a hug. “How is your wrist?”

“It’s all good,” he reassures her but she still checks his wrist for herself. “You won’t see anything,” he says with a slight chuckle but she continues to fuss over him.

“What is Headmaster Lan doing here?” Wei Wuxian asks though he does pull Jiang Cheng into a hug as well.

“We’re getting my things,” Jiang Cheng tells them when Lan Qiren stays quiet.

“Your things?” Jiang Yanli asks with a small frown and Jiang Cheng nods.

“I am no longer living here,” Jiang Cheng finally admits and watches as their eyes go big.

“What?” Wei Wuxian almost yells out and Jiang Cheng can tell that Lan Qiren wants to reprimand him for his volume but then thinks better of it.

“Wanyin is living with me,” Lan Qiren tells them and then pushes Jiang Cheng towards the house. “Let’s get this over with, okay?” Lan Qiren asks and Jiang Cheng knows that he’s looking forward to the family dinner they will have this evening.

Jiang Cheng is too, if he’s being honest.

“You’re what?” Wei Wuxian calls after them, but Jiang Yanli shushes him and follows them as well.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t have a key anymore—his mother took it when they came by the first time two weeks ago—and both his siblings give him a startled look when he rings the doorbell.

His mother flings the door open and she scans the small crowd in front of her with a judging look.

“It took you long enough,” she then says, not looking at Lan Qiren at all, who puts a steadying hand to Jiang Cheng’s back.

“It won’t take long,” Jiang Cheng says and his mother scoffs at him.

“As if anything you did ever went fast,” she mutters under her breath and Jiang Cheng can feel how Lan Qiren stiffens next to him.

“Mother!” Jiang Yanli snaps out and Jiang Cheng flinches he’s so surprised at that.

But their mother doesn’t even spare her a look and simply walks away from them, clearly trusting that Jiang Cheng will show them the way.

They barely made it three steps into the house when Jiang Fengmian comes out.

“What is going on here?” he demands to know when he sees his children and Lan Qiren in his hallway and Jiang Cheng takes a steadying breath before he answers him.

“We’re here to get the rest of my things,” Jiang Cheng tells him and Jiang Fengmian frowns at him.

“The rest of your things?” he asks, but then he gets distracted when Wei Wuxian moves or breath or whatever it is he does to capture Jiang Cheng’s father’s attention so easily.

“How have you been, A-Xian?” he wants to know and Jiang Cheng can’t help the bitter laugh he lets out at that.

“Father,” Jiang Yanli scolds him as well but Jiang Fengmian seems honestly confused about what she is so upset about.

“We know the way, don’t trouble yourself,” Lan Qiren suddenly speaks up and moves confidently down the hallway towards Jiang Cheng’s room.

“What is Headmaster Lan doing here?” Jiang Fengmian asks and Jiang Cheng is surprised to find that he’s not surprised to realize that his father didn’t even notice his continued absence. “Are you in trouble again?” he asks then and his voice is heavy with disappointment.

“He is helping me getting my things,” Jiang Cheng says, with more patience than he actually feels.

“Your things? Where are you staying?” he asks and Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

“As if you really care,” he mutters, and then drags his siblings along when he follows after Lan Qiren.

“A-Cheng, for how long has this been going on?” Jiang Yanli asks him on the way and when Jiang Cheng only presses his lips together.

“Since the fight, right?” Wei Wuxian suddenly asks. “When I told you not to come home.”

“Since the fight, yes,” Jiang Cheng answers. “Lan Qiren brought me to the hospital when mother wanted me to go to work. And then I had nowhere to stay, so he allowed me to come over. I’ve been over a lot and then two weeks ago mother wanted me to get the cast off and Lan Qiren had a few words for her.”

“She wanted to have the cast taken off after four weeks?” Jiang Yanli suddenly asks and Jiang Cheng nods.

“And Lan Qiren didn’t let her?”

“Him and the doctor they took me to.”

“Good of them,” Wei Wuxian says with vehemence and Jiang Yanli nods at that.

Lan Qiren already gathered most of the things Jiang Cheng mentioned he needs and so there is not actually that much left to do for him.

“Anything else?” Lan Qiren asks him and Jiang Cheng quickly gathers two more knickknacks he knows he would miss, but then that’s it.

That’s his whole life packed away in two short trips and Jiang Cheng isn’t actually that sad about it.

“Where are you going?” Jiang Fengmian suddenly asks from the door, a thunderous expression on his face. “Is this why you haven’t been at work?”

“Now you notice,” Jiang Cheng says with a scoff, but when Lan Qiren puts a hand to his arm, he falls silent.

“You will let us leave now. Wanyin will not be back, and if you need further details you best speak to your wife.”

“You can’t just take my son. That’s abduction!”

“And what you’re doing is child neglect at best and active abuse at worst,” Lan Qiren hisses at him, and Jiang Cheng ducks his head.

He objectively knows that Lan Qiren is speaking the truth but it doesn’t make this any easier to take.

“A-Cheng,” Jiang Yanli whispers, clearly horrified but Jiang Cheng shushes her, too concentrated on the look on Jiang Fengmian’s face.

“What are you saying?” he demands to know, but he already lost his posture so Jiang Cheng knows that he will let them leave without further fight.

His father did always shy away from confrontation.

“I am saying that if you don’t want child protection to come knocking on your door you better shut up now,” Lan Qiren says and Jiang Cheng has never heard him speak like this to anyone.

It seems like he has no respect at all for Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Cheng can understand that.

“Wanyin,” Jiang Fengmian tries, but even as Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli clearly gear up to tell him a few choice words, Lan Qiren steps right in front of Jiang Cheng and blocks his view at Jiang Fengmian.

“You will not speak to Wanyin, except to apologize to him and to wish him a good life at my place,” Lan Qiren decides and then nods, clearly expecting Jiang Fengmian’s silence.

“Then get out of the way,” Lan Qiren says and when Jiang Fengmian isn’t quick enough to comply with his wishes, he bodily pushes him aside.

Lan Qiren never struck Jiang Cheng as a physical person, but it seems like he’s entirely fed up with Jiang Cheng’s parents and Jiang Cheng can’t say that he minds it much.

“Come on, Wanyin,” Lan Qiren says over his shoulder and Jiang Cheng sticks close to his side when he starts to walk away.

Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian don’t follow them immediately, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t look back.

He suspects they have a few words for Jiang Fengmian as well, and he’s not too keen on listening in on that.

Madam Yu doesn’t show up when they leave and Jiang Cheng is really grateful for that, because he doesn’t feel ready for another confrontation with her, even though Lan Qiren is a steady and supportive presence for him.

“Can we wait for my siblings here?” Jiang Cheng asks when they are at Lan Qiren’s car and of course Lan Qiren nods.

“Are you okay?” Lan Qiren asks and Jiang Cheng blinks when he realizes that he is.

“Yes,” he honestly says. “Thanks to you,” Jiang Cheng tacks on and then he darts in to quickly hug Lan Qiren, who pats his back when Jiang Cheng can’t bring himself to let go again immediately.

“A-Cheng,” Jiang Yanli suddenly says from behind them and it’s only then that Jiang Cheng lets go of Lan Qiren.

“Oh, A-Cheng, I didn’t know what mother wanted to do,” Jiang Yanli says as she pulls him into a hug herself and Jiang Cheng bites back the bitter reply on his tongue and falls into her embrace instead.

“It’s alright,” Jiang Cheng mutters, and then groans when Wei Wuxian gathers them both up in a hug as well.

“You should have said something,” Wei Wuxian mumbles but before Jiang Cheng can say that maybe they should have realized on their own, Wei Wuxian goes on. “I’m glad you had Headmaster Lan at your side.”

“Me, too,” Jiang Cheng gives back, because he doesn’t even want to imagine what would have happened to him if Lan Qiren hadn’t been there for him.

“We have to go, guys,” Jiang Cheng says when the hug goes on and on, and while he enjoys this, he knows that Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji are waiting for them at Lan Qiren’s place, and he’s actually looking forward to that dinner.

“Alright,” Jiang Yanli reluctantly says and let’s go of Jiang Cheng.

“You’re welcome to visit Wanyin whenever you like,” Lan Qiren speaks up, much to Jiang Cheng’s surprise.

“Thank you,” Jiang Yanli says and then also hugs Lan Qiren.

He doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with that, but before he can figure it out Jiang Yanli steps back again.

“Thank you so much for taking care of my didi,” she quietly tacks on and Lan Qiren clears his throat.

“You’re welcome,” he says without meeting anyone’s eyes and then he gets into the car, clearly looking to get out of this situation.

Jiang Cheng smiles at his behaviour and Wei Wuxian brushes their shoulder’s together.

“Are you really doing alright?” he quietly asks and Jiang Cheng leans into his side.

“Yes,” he honestly says and Wei Wuxian nods.

“I promise to keep better in touch now,” Wei Wuxian says. “I know I was occupied with Lan Zhan, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s alright,” Jiang Cheng gives back, even though he’s not entirely sure it is, but when Wei Wuxian smiles at him he figures they will be okay.

“We’ll be around much more,” Jiang Yanli also promises him and takes his hand in hers. “I promise. I’m so sorry I left you alone with this.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jiang Cheng says.

Jiang Yanli is only two years older than him after all and it really shouldn’t be her job to worry about Jiang Cheng’s life.

“But I will still do better now,” she says and Jiang Cheng believes her.

“Alright,” he says and then smiles apologetically at her and Wei Wuxian. “Listen, we have to go now. It’s family dinner tonight,” he explains and is startled when he sees tears in Jiang Yanli’s eyes.

“Go and enjoy your family dinner then,” Jiang Yanli says as she pats Jiang Cheng’s cheek and he blushes.

“I will,” he promises and then he moves away from them, because he actually itches to leave with Lan Qiren now.

“Are you ready?” Lan Qiren asks when he slides into the car with him, and Jiang Cheng nods.

“It’s too much today,” he admits. “But I’m looking forward to them visiting.”

“They truly are always welcome,” Lan Qiren reiterates again and reaches over to squeeze Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng whispers. “For everything.”

“That’s what you do for family,” Lan Qiren replies even as he starts the car, mostly to avoid looking at Jiang Cheng, he knows that by now.

Jiang Cheng smiles at his predictable behaviour and then settles deeper into the seat.

Lan Xichen promised to make Jiang Cheng’s favourite dishes today and Jiang Cheng is even looking forward to see Lan Wangji and he realizes that this must be what family feels like.

It’s a very warm and comfortable feeling and Jiang Cheng hopes he gets a lot more of this now.

But when he looks over at Lan Qiren, Jiang Cheng knows that he will do his best to make sure that Jiang Cheng always feels like this.

Link to my ko-fi on the sidebar!

Next part

[whumpbby]

lunadiane

I want JC to burst into mortified angry tears in front of WWX and for WWX to realise that seeing JC cry because of him SUCKS and that, fuck, he made JC cry! This is the opposite of what he wants! JC runs away angry crying while WWX fruitlessly calls after him, apologising

Yesssss, that's exactly what I want!!! TAT

JC finally FINALLY losing his composure, because WWX keeps pushing him and poking at him and - say, maybe it was a day when the parents of the students visited mid-year to hear how their kids are doing and to socialise/have a mini conference...

And Jiang Fengmian showed up, but he was habitually unimpressed with JC's results. He's a good student, diligent and focused... usually. The note about being easily distracted is what JFM focuses on and points out. JC cannot even defend himself - the other student has it out for him! He's trying to do his best, but...

"Jiang Cheng, a sect leader doesn't look for excuses!"

"But it's true! Wei Ying won't leave me alone!"

"Wei Ying?"

And just like that JFM is going off to search for the troublemaker, eager to confirm whether the boy is who he thinks he is - a son of his departed friends, the boy he has been searching for years!

And what do you know, he is! WWX is a bit befuddled with the sect leader Jiang's sudden interest, but once he hears that the man knew his parents WWX all over him! He wants stories! He wants to know his parents! He cannot believe he's originally from Yunmeng! His mom was a badass rogue cultivator? And a disciple of Baoshang Sanren??? And is dad was a first disciple of Yunmeng Jiang? That's so amazing! So cool! And Sect Leader Jiang is so nice, too! No wonder Yanli and A-Cheng are both so great, with a father like that!

"You know Jiang Cheng?"

(It only vaguely pings that the man didn't say 'my son', but WWX can't focus on that now)

"Yes! We're best friends! He's so grumpy all the time, if it wasn't for me and Huaisang, he'd spend the whole year with his head in the books!"

(WWX thinks it's charming and doesn't quite understand why Sect Leader Jiang grimaces at that)

"He inherited his mother's character, unfortunately."

(Why does it sound like an apology?)

These little doubts are there, but WWX is so excited to have some connection to his parents that he ignores them. He spends the next couple of days in the presence of JFM and has a great time. Sect Leader even spars with him and praises his archery! It's amazing!

...he kinda wishes Jiang Cheng was with them too, but it's okay, he probably wanted to give WWX time to learn about his parents. Probably chose to lock himself up in the library and study, the old grump. It's okay, WWX will tell him everything later!

When the time for the sect leaders to leave comes, WWX is there with JC to say goodbye to heir father and Jiang Yanli, and JFM pats his shoulder, saying that Lotus Pier will welcome him whenever he decides to visit. WWX couldn't be happier! It's just... that Yanli's smile is strained as she says her goodbyes to him. And Jiang Cheng...

Jiang Cheng's serious face looks so fragile... like it's about to crumble.

After the stilted goodbyes are finished, JC turns to leave, steps fast, hands clenched into fists. WWX hesitates for a moment, unsure of what's happening, but - but he can't leave his grumpy friend alone with whatever bothers him! Being a bigger bother always worked, so WWX goes with that.

"A-Cheng, waaait!"

Are they going to eat now? Why the sour face? WWX will miss A-Li too, but there's no reason to despair! Hey, maybe they can ask her to send them some lotus seeds? He can't wait to finally visit Lotus Pier and try their food! Is it good? Is it spicy? Do you think your dad will take us on a night-hunt?

"We're young, but your dad said my swordsmanship is way above my age group, you know? I bet we could convince him to take us! Why the grimace, shidi? Are you afraid? Don't worry, I will protect you!"

Gods, it's not working. It's not working! His shidi's face is getting more and more piched, and he's walking faster, as if trying to escape. He's not even grumbling, not even looking at him. What can Wei Ying so than double down?

"Come on, shidi!" He throws his arm around the boy. "Sect Leader Jiang said you take after our mom! Don't let that pretty face get all wrinkled!"

He wants to get a reaction - he's not expecting that reaction to be A-Cheng pushing him away with a wild look in his eyes.

"Shut up! Shut up and leave me alone!"

"A-Cheng..."

"What will it take for you to leave me the fuck alone?!"

Au where Wei Wuxian was adopted into the Lan.

Lan Quiren, returning from a meeting with Jiang Fengmian, stopped for some reason in Yiling and stumbled upon a small orphan boy eating out of the trash pile... With two young boys under his care already, his soft heart couldn't let him leave the child.

Thus Wei Wuxian grew up as a sort-of a brother to the Twin Jadwd of Lan - except now it's Three Jades of Lan (one a bit cracked, as Wei Wuxian often jokes). Still genius, still unruly, just a bit better at pretending to adhere to the rules.

All is fine until the guest students arrive one year to Gusu and Wei Wuxian meets the serious, surly boy from the Jiang Sect and suddenly cannot stop himself from becoming his personal plague. Can't leave the Jiang Sect Heir alone and in peace. He needs to see the boy smile at least once! They will be friends if it kills him (or Jiang Cheng)!

[julieandthefandoms]

Housefull 2 MDZS/The Untamed AU

HELLO THERE MY LOVELIES! I’M MAKING A WILD TUMBLR REAPPEARANCE AND I BRING WITH ME SHINY NEW SHOWS I’VE WATCHED AND PERHAPS THE GREATEST AU I’VE EVER WRITTEN DOWN! 

Okay, so, I’m going to preface this by saying that I finally watched the Untamed over the past summer and now am slightly obsessed. I am also in the middle of reading the novel and watching the animation, so... that’s something.

Anyway, today, I decided that it would be a good idea to rewatch my favorite childhood film, a little Bollywood comedy titled Housefull 2. Upon rewatching this, I realized that the MDZS characters would fit really well into the convoluted mess of this plot and so I wrote a little bullet pointed AU idea thing. 

(I don’t think I’ll have the time to write this, so if anyone wants to use this concept, pleaseeee tag me/tell me about it. Also, if anything like this is already written, pleaseee tell me too, I need the crack content.) (I’m also desi, by the way, so I don’t know much about Chinese culture, so please tell me if anything is offensive or just plain inaccurate.)

So, without further ado, I’ll be presenting this Housefull 2 MDZS/The Untamed AU! 

-As per canon, JZX is emotionally constipated and couldn’t communicate until after his engagement with JYL got split up. Having made their sister cry, JC, WWX, and NHS (who gets roped into it) plan to crush JZX for hurting JYL. 

-They send WQ to crush JZX by breaking his heart but give her such vague instructions that she accidentally falls for Mianmain. 

NHS: “So... who’re we supposed to use to crush this Peacock. I mean, it can’t be any of us.” 

WWX: “I don’t know about y’all, but I’d be great at this mission.” *wiggles eyebrows*

JC *rolls eyebrows*: “I think you forgot that mom will have your head if you do something like this.”

JC: “Hey, you remember her from university?” 

WWX: “Who?” 

JC: “You know, *her*, the one with the needles who could murder anyone and get away with it” 

WWX: *laughing* “Holy hell, the Peacock doesn’t know what’s coming for him!” 

NHS: “And who might this mystery lady be?” He says, knowing exactly who this mystery lady is. 

JC and WWX: “Wen Qing.”

-All the while, JGS thinks that WQ and JZX are engaged because the Idiot Trio sent an envoy ahead that claimed WQ was a head disciple of Jiang and is a replacement for JYL. JGS has now set the engagement of WQ and JZX in August. 

-They find out about Mianmian/LQY and WQ too late, and now JC, WWX, and NHS send someone else, LWJ, to crush JZX’s heart. 

JC: “You can’t continue to do this, what happened to our deal?!” 

WQ: *death glares* “What our deal said was that I needed to woo someone vaguely in relation to the nickname “Peacock” and happened to be in Lanling as payback for JZX breaking your sister’s heart, I don’t think I’m the one who forgot our deal here.” 

JC: “And your first thought was that Mianmian/LQY was Peacock?!” 

WQ: “She’s pretty and a Jin, so…” 

Before there would be a throw down in this place, WWX interrupted: “Okay, WQ it’s alright that you feel for Mianmian/LQY, but who is supposed to help us teach JZX a lesson now?”

NHS: “I don’t know, but it could maybe be someone who’s already close to JZX.” 

JC: “That sounds like a horrible ide- Wait, that’s lowkey kinda genius. Do you remember him from university?” 

WWX: “Him?” 

JC: “Yeah, you know, him, the one who’s entire vocabulary was the syllable “Mn” and whom you pined after for years.” 

WWX *blushing like there’s no tomorrow*: “We can’t send him, he’ll probably send me off to do 50 handstands” 

JC: “Please, he’s do anything you ask him to” 

NHS: *flutters his fan while knowing to an extreme degree what’s going to happen*

-They send WWX as LWJ’s ‘driver’ for him to make sure the plan is on track, but it just ends in LZ/WY pining. JC is also sent there as a businessman since he needs to make sure JGS doesn’t suspect anything too suspicious. At the same time though, because JGS thinks WQ and JZX are engaged and since LWJ spends most of his free time talking to Mianmian/LQY about his hopeless pining, JGS starts to think that Mianmian/LQY and LWJ are to be engaged and plans another engagement. JGS is quick to inform LQR about this and now LQR thinks that his nephew is married to Mianmian/LQY and that they’re getting married in August. 

-At some point here, LXC is in Lanling to visit his bud Meng Yao and that’s when JC and LXC begin talking and stuff. (This can be platonic or romantic, I don’t have a personal preference). 

-Additionally, this is also when WWX and LWJ begin investigating the happenings of Lanling and discover the extent of an asshole JGS is. They'd probably be reported sporadically and NHS definitely sent this evidence to detectives XXC and Song Lan. 

-So far, no one has gotten to properly executing this plan, and JC & WWX are beginning to question things. Because things couldn’t possibly get worse, this is the moment when Madam Yu decides that it’d be a good idea to visit the Jins in order to remind them of their arranged marriage between JYL and JZX. So now, JC and WWX have to drag both LXC and JYL into this convoluted plot because otherwise everything would go horribly wrong. JC, WWX, NHS, JYL, LXC, WQ, LWJ, and Mianmian/LQY (WQ directly told the boys that if they don’t let Mianmian/LQY in on this, she’ll personally shove a needle where it hurts) are in this room together, attempting to processes the absolute mess that has occurred. (Poor JZX is still living obliviously, his father didn’t even tell him that he’s technically engaged to WQ now. JZX is just vibing in confusion and thinks he’s just being buds with LWJ because LWJ is horrible at flirting with anyone that’s not WWX so his job of breaking JZX is... not going well.) In the end, after being on the receiving end of many of JYL’s disappointed looks, JC and WWX convince her to help them with their plot just this once. (She wouldn’t tell anyone that she was secretly pleased, but hey, JYL kept her vengeance deep, deep down low and deserved to exercise it just this once.) 

-(it is important to note here that in this AU, Madame Yu doesn’t know what JZX looks like) 

-The plan would be that LXC would (reluctantly) pretend to be JZX in front of Madam Yu. Additionally, Madame Yu thinks the actual JZX is NHS (because JC panicked and that’s the first name he could come up with when Madam Yu asked who was that kid if LXC was JZX). This was to drive JGS off their tails as he still believed that WQ is engaged to JZX now. (He did email LQR about this as well who now thinks his nephews are now engaged to JYL and Mianmian/LQY, respectively, and are going to be married that August.) This is the part where WWX and LWJ finally start realizing that their feelings are mutual after a pep talk from Mianmian/LQY, LXC, and WQ (who’s pep talk sounded more like a shovel talk) for LWJ and from JC, NHS, and JYL for WWX. This is also when Mianmian/LQY and WQ grow closer and also decide that the rest of the group is useless and team up with NHS to knock some sense into JZX. Finally, JZX becomes less emotionally constipated and confesses to JYL, and because WWX, JYL, and JC think that an intervention from the scariest trio (WQ, Mianmian/LQY, NHS) is apt punishment, they call an end to their payback. (Also partially due to JZX having character growth as different characters grilled him throughout this AU). While this is great for our mains, it can only cause a bunch of shenanigans because of the way the parental figures interpret this situation. 

-JGS and Madame Jin think the pairings are: WQ/JZX, LQY/LWJ, LXC/JYL, WWX/NHS

-Madame Yu thinks the pairings are: JZX (except it’s LXC’s version of JZX)/JYL, LWJ/WWX, LQY/WQ, and (maybe?) JC/NHS (except it’s JZX who got confused for NHS)

-LQR thinks the pairings are: WQ/JZX, LQY/LWJ, and LXC/JYL

-Meanwhile, the pairings actually are: JZX/JYL, LWJ/WWX, LQY/WQ, and (maybe?) JC/LXC

-In conclusion, they’re all utterly fucked. Therefore, they have to bring everyone into this convoluted plot now, and finally JZX’s experiences over the past months make a little more sense to him. While discussing this mess they’ve created, WWX has an idea. 

WWX: “Okay, so, looking at the actual chart of who everyone thinks is who, the biggest disparity is between Madam Yu and JGS’s viewpoints, right? What if we just removed Madam Yu from the equation, make Madam Jin and Madam Yu have a falling out so that Madam Yu won’t be invited to the wedding so that we can focus on one of the false interpretations of all the relationships happening.” 

JC: “Madam Jin and Madam Yu have been the best of friends, how are we supposed to make them hate each other?” 

JYL: “I mean, we could stage something, a betrayal of some sort.” 

NHS: “I’m liking the way you think.”

-So through this plot and NHS’s concerning amount of connections, our group succeeds in breaking apart Madam Yu and Madam Jin’s friendship. JC and WWX also manage to worm their way into convincing the Jins to let JYL marry LXC to “spite Madam Yu’s wish of combining the Jiang and Jin families.” Because of JGS arranging and emailing parents throughout this fic, JYL, JZX, LXC, Mianmian/LQY, WQ, NHS, WWX, and LWJ are basically set to be married in August, except it’s to the wrong person! Soon enough, the wedding day arrives and the gang has a plan: they’ll dress the exact same and have the most elaborate and disruptive headpieces so that their faces are covered. 

(Note: Instead of NHS being part of the people getting married as it should be, JC is replaces him for the actual ceremony. Since the our marrige folks have their faces covered, nobody really notices that JC replaced NHS and is marrying LXC. This can be either because of a marriage of convenience to combine companies, or out of actual feelings. I’m cool with either interpretation in my head. Meanwhile, NHS is out in the crowd and People didn’t him because of his surprisingly useful camouflage fan.) 

-And so, the group sets NHS as their distraction while JC pretends to be NHS for the wedding ceremony. NHS basically knocks into the most expensive vase he can find so that most of the parental figures turn around, giving the group getting married the opportunity to switch places with one another until they’re in the right spot. So, a bunch of stuff happens, Madam Yu barges in to yell about how disgraceful it is for the Jins to go on with this marriage even though they broke the engagement in the first place and betrayed the trust of the Jiang corporation. Madam Yu also just, airs out JGS’s dirty laundry in a real badass way. 

-It’s all chaotic. Hell breaks loose. JGS goes batshit crazy and starts bringing our firearms. And so, basically, everyone ends up hiding behind pillars and stuff, though, eventually, after everyone has to run out of their hiding spot’s because Su She cannot shut the fuck up and keeps getting the other’s exposed, they all pile behind JGS in the world’s worst game combined game of Hide & Seek and Slither.io. It all finally ends when JGS gets arrested for a shit ton of crimes, and everything finally ends with a joint wedding between 8 people, except this time it’s with the right partners. 

So, yeah, that’s the AU that I wrote in a dazed craze in the past 2 hours. I hope it was at least partially understandable. I hope y’all have fun with it! Again, if you know of a fanfic that’s got a similar energy or want to write something similar, please tell me, I need more fanfiction. Also, that last scene is basically a direct copy of this scene from the movie Housefull 2. (I’m sorry though, I can’t find an english subbed version of the scene. :(

[chnqin]

My Epic MDZS/The Untamed Daemon AU

I’m sure other people have already done Daemon AUs, but this idea wouldn’t leave me alone. I have been working on this for like three weeks now.

I just wrote down my first instinctive thought for most characters, and then researched* further into subspecies etc. What I found for a lot of the animals made me agree with my first opinion even more, although all of these are obviously just my own opinions. I also decided to stick to non-mythological animals. (some characters have been given a lot more consideration than others, I’m sorry)

Wei Wuxian: beech marten Beech martens are quick and clever. The are nocturnal, omnivores, and skilled swimmers. They move through paths made by larger animals such as hares in the snow. {further notes under read more}

Lan Wangji: white hare More solitary animals. They have an association with the moon, which I tend to associate LWJ with. {f/n}

Jiang Cheng: osprey Aquatic birds; good hunters. {f/n}

Lan Xichen: white stag {f/n}

Jiang Yanli: asian black bear {explained in detail under the read more}

Jin Zixuan: lion Ngl it’s probably because the Persian pokemon reminds me of him

Jin Guangyao: domestic cat {f/n}

Nie Huiasang: pangolin {f/n}

Nie Mingju: wolf {f/n}

Wen Qing: Chinese sparrowhawk {f/n}

Wen Ning: black Formosan mountain dog (tuguo) {f/n}

Lan Sizhui: Xiasi Quan dog or red panda or badger {f/n}

Jin Ling: lion {f/n}

Lan Jingi: monkey They’re respected animals but also have a mischievous side

Ouyen Zihzen: capybara No, they’re not native to China, but this is what I imagined him as and I couldn’t get it out of my head or find a perfect substitute

Xiao Xinchen: swan He just gives me major swan vibes, possibly something to do with Swan Lake (as do some Lans but they’re not graceful in the same way or tragic in the same way)

Song Lan: oriental hobby falcon or black horse He struck me as some sort of raptor, but I also liked a horse for him 

Luo Qingyang/Mianmian: lynx

Lan Qiren: sheep Symbolise filial piety. Also follow other people without question (*cough* the Lan Sect elders)

Jiang Fengiman: otter Spends a lot of time around the water, just what popped into my head

Yu Ziyuan: snake Because Zidian

The Jiang Sect favour animals who live near or on the water, some even possessing daemons which are fully aquatic, and thus are unable to leave Lotus Pier

The Lan Sect usually have herbivore animals for daemons and favour swift, elegant animals.

The Jins tend towards lions and panthers, but also flashy, rich birds like pheasants and peacocks (which makes WWX’s nickname for JZX even more funny).

The Nies often have pack or herd animals. Wolves and mountain lions are very common, but also a lot of horned animals like oxen, mountain goats and sheep (bighorn sheep and ibex are common), and also wild boar.

The Wens were typically birds of prey (the Dire Owl becomes Wen Chao’s daemon) or mountain cats.

The Yus often have daemons which take reptile form. Wildcats also common.  I quite like the idea that the Yus are a sect which has cultivated the ability to separate themselves from their daemons.

~Further notes on why I picked these animals, Daemon settling, angsty AUs of my AU, and research disclaimer under the cut~

Story & Research Notes:

(I’m going with the idea that trauma can make a daemon settle into a particular form)

WWX A marten was the first thing to come to mind for WWX, I have no idea why, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. They’re really inquisitive, playful, and cute, but are also predators and will fuck you up if necessary.  A crow was another obvious choice because they’re curious and inventive, but with a bit of a dark connotation. However, in my version at least (I’m not great on His Dark Materials canon), Daemons usually settle in the early teens, and at that point WWX really didn’t have as much darkness in him as he develops later. 

I think WWX was one of those people whose daemon changed with every thought and feeling of his, whose daemon changed so rapidly and so repeatedly that people would complain of motion sickness watching it. His daemon’s most common forms were a martin, a magpie, an otter (which drove Madam Yu nuts), and (after JYL’s settled) very occasionally a bear.

When WWX comes back most people don’t realise anything is wrong because Mo Xuanyu always hid his daemon (I think it was probably something like a field mouse although how funny would it be if Little Apple was actually his daemon and WWX unknowingly inherited her along with the body), so they just think his has settled into something too big to hide now. However, his beech martin is the other reason Lan Wangji knows who Wei Wuxian is (WWX’s daemon hides from Jiang Cheng at Dafan Mountain, so JC only suspects it’s WWX). (Angsty AU further down)

LWJ I know that arctic hares aren’t native to China, but I want you to pretend that something like that does exist because I need lwj to have a white hare daemon. They are also bigger than other hares and cuter (they look slightly less cursed than some hares do). I’m imagining a lot of the daemons being slightly bigger than their real-life animal counterparts would be, so imagine the ears coming up to a normal person’s hip-height when the daemon is sitting. Rabbits can also apparently symbolise hope, and that suits someone who is known to go where the chaos is, bringing hope and light in the darkness. 

As a child, LWJ’s daemon was expressive in a way he never could be. It liked to take snow leopard form a lot, which was seen as excessively violent to the Lan sect, who preferred non-carnivorous animals, and often snarled at people. His daemon always took snow leopard form when visiting his mother so it could curl up with her tiger daemon. 

LWJ’s daemon settled exceptionally early, shortly after his mother’s death, into an acceptable hare form. Lan Xichen always wondered if LWJ himself made his daemon settle, if she was not supposed to have been a snow leopard all along, and so always looks upon LWJ’s daemon with a bit of sadness because he feels like it was LWJ stifling - almost killing off - a part of his personality (spoiler: it was) in order to fit into the Lan sect.

(More on that in an angsty AU below)

JC Ngl, I wanted to make Jiang Cheng a goose because they’re always angry but I didn’t. Jiang Cheng shifted mostly between a hunting dog and a mouse as a child, both of which infuriated Yu Ziyuan (honestly what she wanted her children’s daemons to be even I don’t know). Jiang Cheng’s daemon settled very late (another thing his mother wasn’t happy with). In fact, it didn’t settle till the attack on Lotus Pier and the death of his parents, when it took the shape of an osprey (because he wanted to be able to fly away and pretend none of it ever happened). 

Even more angsty: One Chinese poem has the Osprey as a symbol of marital harmony and fidelity. Upon seeing his parents death, finally united in a way they hadn’t been in life, JC’s constant wish for his parents to love each other (and, by extension, him) physically manifests itself in his daemon.

JYL I know what you’re thinking. Why the hell did you give Jiang Yanli a bear of all people. Well I’ll tell you. For two reasons: one, because I can do what I want, and two, because I would say one of JYL’s most central characteristics is her wish to look after people. She’s not physically strong in the way most other cultivators are, however, and she’s always having to keep the peace at home - and so I can see her daemon becoming a physical manifestation of that need to protect (bears are known to be protective, particularly mothers), and a physical example of her inner strength which is so often overlooked.

Yanli shifted between a dove, a crane, and a maritime striped squirrel for most of her childhood. She favoured the squirrel and dove (incredibly mild animals) over the crane, which disappointed Madam Yu.  It’s one of the reasons Jin Zixuan never saw her as a potential match, her daemon too small and docile to match his almost constant lion daemon.

When Jiang Yanli was around fourteen Madam Yu took things with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng too far one day, and Yanli saw it. Her daemon suddenly shifted into a bear, a form it had never taken up to that point, and jumped on Yu Ziyuan’s snake daemon. WWX and JC always remembered Yanli standing in the doorway, her expression placid while her huge bear daemon growled with absolute fury and menace. Everyone expected Yanli’s daemon to go back to its usual squirrel or dove form, but it never did. It remained a bear, and remained the biggest daemon of pretty much anyone in any of the sects.

I had already picked a crane as one of JYL’s potential daemons because of its connection to water and positive symbolism in China. Upon further (hopefully accurate) research, I saw that cranes depicted with lotuses in Chinese art symbolise purity and longevity, and I liked making her daemon a bear even more, because her daemon took that form to protect WWX and JC - years after her death, they both wondered if, had her daemon had taken crane form, maybe she wouldn’t have died. From what I found, “crane” is also a homophone for 合 hé “peace, harmony”, which is a quality Jiang Yanli had much of, and tried to inspire in others.

LXC I think its LXC’s hairpiece which always makes me think of deer antlers (even though it’s a dragon?), so that’s probably why I immediately thought of a stag for him. But stags are also very noble and refined looking animals which don’t tend towards violence, but also have horns for a reason. Obviously, like with LWJ, it’s a white stag because aesthetique. Upon further research, I discovered a (hopefully correct) source which says 鹿 lù (deer) is a homonym with 璐 lù (precious jade), and the character for deer is used within the character 丽 lì ‘beautiful; elegant’ - both fit LXC very well.

JGY Cats are sneaky little fuckers (I say this with love). The ultimate predator in small unassuming form. Many of the main Jin family have big cat daemons so this is kind of another smack in the face for JGY - so close to being a real part of the Jin family, but still kept apart from them - and something people like to bring up along with his mother. However, many Jins are also birds (including JGS), and cats prey on birds.

NHS I thought a fox was a bit on the nose. Also I like the way pangolin’s just drop and curl up in defence - it’s a viable form of protection, but to the outside appears cowardly. However, their scales are sharp and can cut predators who come after them. Also I didn’t want him to fit into any of his sect’s typical animals. Also also imagine how cute it would look being carried around everywhere by NHS because it’s too lazy to walk, absolutely adorable.

NMJ A wolf was what immediately came to mind for Nie Mingjue. Wolves are apparently sometimes associated with greed, self-interest, and lechery, but I think the pack elements and the carnivore/hunting nature of the wolf really suits NMJ and the Nie clan in general, so I decided to overlook that aspect (although I did briefly consider making JGS a wolf, but I like them as animals too much in real life to do that to them and also he doesn’t have a soul, so he doesn’t get a daemon).

WQ I always saw Wen Qing as some sort of hawk, I just think it suits her very well. The Chinese sparrowhawk is quite small and very beautiful. It has white, red and grey colours. They are good hunters and swift flyers. 

WN I knew I wanted Wen Ning to be some sort of dog because he’s very loyal, and also (angsty) when the Jins call the Wens dogs I wanted that to hurt even more. He’s very unusual for a Wen, none of the main sect have dog daemons - it is very much a thing that is specific to their branch of the Wen family. The mountain dog I picked for him is an endangered breed, which I also felt fitted WN well. From what I found, dogs symbolise watchful wisdom, honesty, and loyalty, which all fit Wen Ning. 

This was all perfect till I remembered WWX’s all-consuming fear of dogs. I decided to get round this by cheating and saying that for some reason daemons are different and he’s not scared of them (because they represent a part of someone’s soul, rather than being a real animal? I guess?? Please do not look too hard at this delicately constructed card tower) 

Angsty version: when Wen Ning becomes a fierce corpse he loses his daemon, another reason people are unsettled by him and another thing WWX feels guilty about.

LSZ I think Lan Sizhui was the hardest to pick. I couldn’t decide which way to go: should he follow a “Lan approved” daemon pattern; should he have a bird like Wen Qing and a lot of other Wens? Then I saw the Xiasi Quan and it’s white and fluffy and cute but it was also a hunting and a guard dog, which seemed right for him. And I liked that it gave LSZ and WN this one very tangible connection. It is also endangered.  However, I also liked a red panda and a badger for Lan Sizhui too. I really couldn’t decide between the three. I like them all, why is he the hardest to choose for? (I’m still not 100% happy with this, let me know if you have any alternative suggestions)

Again, please suspend your disbelief at the fact that WWX’s child has a dog daemon and he’s fine with this (it would have looked so cute as a little puppy running around the Burial Mounds though).

When he was younger his daemon liked to take on the forms of those closest to him. So you’d often see a bby marten running after WWX’s daemon, a tiny bird perched with Wen Qing’s sparrow-hawk, a puppy following Wen Ning’s dog around, and a tiny bby rabbit in Cloud Recesses. As he got older it shifted between the dog, a red panda, and a badger. (maybe I’ll just say his hasn’t settled yet and that’s why I can’t decide)

JL Jin Ling definitely also had a daemon which shifted because of a) his loved ones and b) his mood, and he hated it. As if his own explosive temper didn’t give him away enough, his daemon always showed his exact feelings. When he wanted nothing more than his mother to be there it would be a bear. When he was feeling defensive about his parents it would turn into a lion (this happens when he and WWX first meet and any time people talk about his parents’ deaths). When he was younger his daemon spent a lot of time as a cat and a bird, although different types to what his uncles had. 

Jin Ling’s daemon still hasn’t settled when WWX is resurrected, and he is absolutely mortified the one time it decides to turn into a beech marten like WWX’s. Eventually it will settle into a lion, and WWX will pretend to be grumpy that it didn’t choose a bear instead.

Angsty AUs:

Daemons are linked to golden cores Jiang Cheng loses his daemon along with his core. When Wei Wuxian’s core is removed it’s more like when daemons and humans are separated in the books. His daemon stays with him, but can move about freely - this is part of what causes WWX to rapidly destabilise, not just resentful energy. Jiang Cheng always feels weirdly aware of WWX’s daemon after that but doesn’t know why. WWX’s daemon is technically connected to JC too, and also finds this weird. JC also can’t work out why his daemon never came back with his golden core, and that loss is part of why he’s so angry and isolated.

The effect of trauma on Daemons Another angsty au is based on the idea that, if trauma can make your daemon settle early, then trauma can also make it change.

When Wei Wuxian is thrown into the Burial Mounds, he wishes so hard to be able to fly that his beech marten turns into a crow (because I do love a crow for him too). I kind of like the idea that after the Burial Mounds WWX’s daemon almost un-settles itself, and can change between a marten and a crow. This really freaks people out and is another reason people say he’s dangerous.

Similarly, after Wei Ying’s death and the Lan sect’s punishment, Lan Wangji wakes up to find his daemon has shifted from its hare to snow leopard form. In his soul, LWJ feels like if he had been less passive and actually stood with WWX then his soulmate would still be alive. His daemon changes from a more passive hare to the more aggressive snow leopard.

He’s criticised by the elders for it, but they shut up when his daemon flattens theirs, while LWJ’s face remains an impassive mask but his eyes promise murder. WWX is really sad when he comes back to see LWJ’s hare gone and blames himself for causing LWJ so much trauma his daemon changed. (personally if I were writing a Daemon AU this is what I would have happen, because I love LWJ with a snow leopard daemon - they symbolise bravery and martial ferocity, while rabbits are virtue and gentleness, and I feel like these two both accurately represent the two sides of LWJ. I really feel like LWJ has a huge shift in himself after WWX’s death which would be represented in his daemon. It also is, in a way, a return of a core part of himself which was lost after his mother’s death)

Sword/Instrument substitute Mixing Daemons with sword sprits - the animal becomes a physical representation of the spiritual tool. Some people could therefore have more than one daemon (for example, LWJ could have Bichen - his rabbit sword daemon - and Wangji - his snow leopard guqin daemon)

Angsty version: WWX actually does die in the burial mounds and Suibian, his beech martin, dies/changes into Chenqing, a raven/crow.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.  .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. 

If you are reading this you have made it to the end of this post, well done.

 I wanted to make it shorter but I had too many ideas and wanted to explain my reasoning for my choices and decided just to put it all in one post rather than lots of little ones.

*Disclaimer: I know only the smallest amount of Chinese, and have taken all my information about imagery, word meanings, and homophones etc from web-sources, and so it is very possible I have made mistakes. Though I have, to the best of my abilities, attempted to check on the cultural/artistic meaning, if any, that certain animals have in Chinese culture, the internet lies and I can’t get any decent books on it atm as the libraries are closed, so I’m really sorry if there are errors and I hope people will forgive any mistakes or blunders I might have made. 

[mistakenvilliany]

Episode 7

This and episode 6 are a the first of several times where I just went on a binge in my first watch (probably watched like 8 in a row?). BUT you kinda have to them together, and I was already so invested that I said "what is time anyway?" Anyway, details below! These get long, and they only promise to get longer, just remember, I did warn you.

• Lan Yi's been in Cold Pond Cave long enough that her girlfriend raised kids, who've had kids. She's so pleased but also sad. She's probably done the "what is time" thing too. I hope those bunnies have been half as entertaining as this show

• And she somehow knows of Baoshan Sanren's seclusion? But didn't seek her out for shame? She's trapped in the cave, this makes total sense. No, no it doesn't. I have questions! How is this done? Who is capable? It's one freaking line, and I'm already wondering on the implications

• Lan Yi: "nope, didn't bring you here, I guess someone else is fucking around with the other Yin Iron pieces, sorry" Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian (teenagers): "We will fix this! We are completely qualified!"

• Here's where you can really tell that this plot point got shoehorned in, the Yin Iron is the "spirit of heaven and earth, which can't be eradicated" and yet later after the defeat of Wen Rohan, those pieces are suddenly gone. "Nothing to see here folks! We destroyed/suppressed them more successfully than our ancestors even though we know less about them!"

• I love that we hear Wei Wuxian shouting before he and Lan Wangji fall through a cliff face. What was WWX doing that made LWJ mad this time? Winding that ribbon closer? That's my guess anyway.

• "We've been gone how long?!? Oh what a long story to tell, it would be so boring! Of course, here are some minor distracting details - it was cold! Well! Let's all head back shall we?" I feel like everyone should know that Wei Wuxian is lying here, or at least leaving something out. Wen Qing gets that something is missing, but the person that should absolutely know better, Jiang Cheng, just decides - brother re-aquired, return to sister.

• I have to laugh so hard at this - we're in a private lesson essentially that bad things are happening because of this piece of "universe" and our probable enemy has one too. WWX response is that "we use that one to find all the others!" And LWJ thinks that it's a GOOD IDEA! These are just over eager children.

• Jiang Cheng is such a petulant little brother! "Now you're close with Lan Wangji, stay here I don't care" I'm not really sure how close they actually are in age, but Jiang Cheng really knows how to be the baby. As a certified youngest sibling myself I can attest that it is his God given right to be dramatic.

• My baby! Don't worry, wwx isn't rejecting you, he just doesn't think he could follow all the rules, and he really really can't. It will be okay.

• Xue Yang is so happy to get permission to murder people. I get it, I too would like to smite my enemies. My only concern is - dude why are you waiting for the okay to do so? He doesn't actually do what Wen Rohan wants him to anyway, so ?? Kid's got issues.

• Oh Wen Chao, what to do with you? Wen Rohan who is the current Cheif Cultivator, and currently acquiring more power through dubious means of Yin Iron, has a separate chamber to put you in rather than face you to speak to you, and your response is "I'll do what I want, there will be no consequences to that" such arrogance, I am so happy you die.

• WWX so happy: "you smiled" LWJ's immediate reaction (internally): uh oh, I smiled and he he saw! Now I must kill him it's the only reasonable response

• I feel bad for Nie Huaisang's lantern getting burned, they are finally doing something that he's good at and he doesn't get to show it off. Also - "it cost so much, you'll never be able to replace it" is amazing! Jiang clan obviously has money, but WWX must always be running out.

• Then Nie Huaisang's wish is to finally pass, please please let me pass! Such a slacker wish. Kid, I love you, but just study.

• Upon hearing the succinct wish of Wei Wuxian's only ambitions in life, Lan Wangji can't help it - falls in love even more. And his immediate reaction is of course "and I will do this Yin Iron quest by myself to see that WWX has a world where he can live his dreams"

• The fight between Jin Zixuan and Wei Wuxian must have gone on for awhile and obviously Jin Zixuan got the worse end of it, my baby is a powerful cultivator and probably also fights a bit dirty. I can't say that I blame him for it, with the nature of dynastic marriages it had to be a huge insult to the Jiangs that Jin Zixuan publicly declared he didn't want to marry (my beloved treasure) Jiang Yanli.

• My baby was really initiating conversation!! I'm so proud of you! Okay, so Wei Wuxian isn't actually crying or anything, but! No baby! Don't storm off! Shoot.

• And we learn for 100% positive that the only way that Wei Wuxian knows how to interact with things he finds cute is to poke at it. LWJ could have learned something if he just stuck around. (And oh lord! I have to leave the comments of on his knees alone, there's way too much there)

• Jin Guangshan walks in - yuck

• Jiang Fengmian - "Wei Wuxian is at fault, so I take responsibility" Jin Guangshan - "no, no, my son is at fault, so I take responsibility" Lan Qiren - "Don't worry I have already punished them appropriately"

• Again we have a dynastic marriage problem, Jiang Fengmian isn't really a great politician here, he doesn't want his daughter with someone who won't respect here but his response should have been something else to tie the clans closer together, not as good as marriage, but really the assurance of "how could it?" is not reassuring

• I am not exactly clear on what upsets Jiang Cheng. His sister will be sad? The political situation is not good for them? His mother will be angry? Running to spill to WWX is a certified little sibling move. And then Wei Wuxian runs off to check on Jiang Yanli, and finds her basically setting down all her hopes and dreams for the life she was going to have.

• Lans meeting with Jiang Fengmian: Don't mind us! Just a very visible silencing ward, nothing is the matter, don't pay any attention. We're definitely not discussing taboo Yin Iron topics or speculating on the Wen involvement, nope just having tea.

• LQR just gets finished telling Jiang Fengmian to be stricter with WWX, and then he just shakes his head at WWX's and JC's antics later. He barely even tries to stop them

• I love how it is severely implied that Wei Wuxian went and saved the rabbits and now doesn't know what to do. It's the establishment of a pattern for my baby. And it's only then that he figures out that LWJ is leaving him behind! Baby, honey - you just gave him a head start.

[crossdressingdeath]

I don’t think LWJ visiting the Burial Mounds breaks the plot because he only visits after WWX has been declared a traitor. Speaking up would basically be declaring two Sect Leaders of the major sects are lying (which would be a political nightmare) and call into question of the intelligence of everyone who blindly followed them. (1/4)

There’s also the fact that WWX can create hallucinations and illusions (he has only ever used those tactics to torture people he was really, really pisses at, but he can still do it). LWJ had no proof so no one would listen to him. (2/4)

Even if his brother did believe him, without any proof, it would be a suicidal move to help, especially against a Sect that had suffered almost no casualties in a war and secured an alliance with the other Sect that was against WWX for betrayal. (3/4)

Maybe LXC could have gotten NMJ to reconsider a little bit (while I do think he’d be a bit stern on the older members, I think he wouldn’t use the “doing nothing was the same as supporting them” on a literal toddler), but again, no evidence and this was WWX and Wens vs the Jin and Jiang sect. (4/4)

Yeah, that makes sense; honestly I forgot when exactly LWJ ended up visiting the Burial Mounds, so the fact that he’d already been declared a traitor by that point didn’t occur to me. And I suppose there’s nothing saying that the fact that he didn’t believe LWJ about WWX once and caused his beloved brother no end of grief as a result didn’t play a part in his decision to help protect WWX after his stabbing; given how pissed he was at WWX he probably wasn’t in the mood to apologize for it, although if that was the case I do wish it had been mentioned in the extras or something. But yeah, given WWX had already been declared a traitor by the time LWJ would’ve had a chance to tell LXC the truth, whether LXC wanted to do something or not speaking up really would have caused serious problems for his sect, because at that point there was no way to pass it off as a misunderstanding or something done without the relevant sect leaders’ knowledge; to defend the Wens LXC would’ve had to accuse JGS and JC of lying about the Wens and WWX, which neither of them would take well. I still think he should’ve said something, to NMJ if nothing else, but I’m a lot more sympathetic towards his position than I am towards JC’s.

[ibijau]

Asdsks your Worst Engagement AU is the best!!! Especially with how nhs's superpower is Making Good Friends. I can't stop thinking about lxc making nhs cry tears of frustration at some point, maybe even during sunshot, and wwx + jc being almost as ready to throw down as with the yanli/zixuan soup debacle. This is my give-nhs-ride-or-die-friends agenda.

Worst engagement AU // on AO3

Not quite what you asked, and oops, it’s jc and jzx instead of jc and wwx, but... nhs having protective friends who love him! here we go!

not fully sure where it stands in the timeline. Either nhs and jzx are still in their short friends-with-benefits phase, or it takes place shortly after. Either way, wwx isn’t around because he’s been sent back to Lotus Piers already :D

warning for mentions of animal death

However much Nie Huaisang has decided that he gets to do as he pleases this year, it is the first time that he appears to have simply missed a lecture. When Lan Qiren mentions it to his nephew at lunch, Nie Huaisang is still noticeably absent. Lan Xichen gets the message: his fiancé, his problem to solve.

His first idea, of course, is to check with the other two Nie disciples. After some probing, they reluctantly reveal that their young master received a letter from home. He seemed unhappy about the content and sent them ahead, saying he'd join them in class. He obviously lied but they don't think too disturbed by that. Just like Lan Xichen, they have gotten used to Nie Huaisang being somewhat unpredictable this year. To them, this is just another new oddity.

To Lan Xichen, it is concerning. Whatever else has changed, Nie Huaisang is still careful not to make Lan Qiren too angry at him, which means he wouldn't skip lessons without a good reason.

More alarmed than he would care to admit, Lan Xichen decides to look for his fiancé and figure this out. He goes first to the Nie disciples' cabin, but isn't surprised to find it empty. No traces of Nie Huaisang at the Jiang cabin either, nor the Jin one, but since Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan were both in class that was to be expected. Having eliminated the obvious, Lan Xichen starts looking everywhere he can think of, asking anyone he meets if they have seen Nie Huaisang. The answer is always negative.

It is already mid-afternoon when Lan Xichen, just as he was about to give up, finally finds the other boy.

Lan Xichen cannot say what attracted him to this particular garden, but as he walks around trees, he ends up noticing a muffled noise that grabs his attention. In a place with so many children, Lan Xichen knows what it sounds like when someone is trying to cry without being noticed. He doesn't even need to think about it and just goes straight for the source of that noise. Lan Xichen expects to find a child, or some young junior who perhaps got scolded.

Instead, sitting on a bench, curled up so tight that his head touches his knees, he finds Nie Huaisang sobbing.

“Nie gongzi?”

The instant he hears his voice, Nie Huaisang jolts and sits straighter, trying in vain to wipe away the tears that won't stop spilling.

“Nie gongzi, what's wrong?” Lan Xichen asks, striding toward his fiancé. “Did someone hurt you?”

Nie Huaisang furiously shakes his head. “I'm f-f-fi... I'm fine. I'm. D-don't bother.”

“You don't look fine. Is something wrong?” There was a letter from home, the other Nie boys said. “Did something happen in the Unclean Realm?”

That appears to be both the right and the wrong question to ask, because Nie Huaisang starts crying harder until it seems like he might choke if he doesn't calm down a little. Lan Xichen has seen people cry before, but never quite like that, because Gusu Lan disciples learn early on that they must learn to control their emotions rather than be controlled by them. Seeing Nie Huaisang so upset is distressing, and Lan Xichen just doesn't know what to do about it.

When Lan Wangji was little, he liked to have his back rubbed if he was upset. Lan Xichen isn't sure it will work in this case, but he has to try something.

The instant his hand touches Nie Huaisang's back, the other boy screeches.

“Don't!”

Lan Xichen removes his hand instantly. Before he can try to think of some other way to help, an angry voice rises behind him.

“What's going on here?”

Lan Xichen startles and turns around, only to be pushed aside by Jiang Cheng who sits on the bench, far closer than probably necessary. Just a few steps behind is Jin Zixuan, and isn't that an unexpected duo. They weren't far when Lan Xichen spoke with the Nie disciples, maybe they became intrigued by this and their friend's absence and decided to follow him. If so, Lan Xichen really must have been distracted to not have noticed them. His uncle would be disappointed in him.

“What did he say to make you cry this time?” Jiang Cheng asks, scowling at Lan Xichen who feels slapped.

This time?

Lan Xichen won't deny that things have been less than perfect between Nie Huaisang and him, but anything that might have caused his fiancé to cry happened before Jiang Cheng became friend with him. Did Nie Huaisang complain to his friends about being left behind by his mean fiancé and his big brother every time they've had to spend time together? If so, it brings new meaning to the way Jiang Cheng so often ends up putting himself in front of Nie Huaisang when Lan Xichen approached them. He had just assumed it was Jiang Cheng trying to take responsibility for whatever mess they were that time, the same he did with Wei Wuxian, but it might have been more than that.

And it's not just Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen realises. Jin Zixuan, who came to sit on the other side of Nie Huaisang, is calmer but still throws Lan Xichen dirty looks.

“Tell us what happened,” Jin Zixuan orders.

“It's, it's my birds,” Nie Huaisang sobs. “T-they, at home, they had c-captured a beast for the juniors to, to fight against, but it...” he pauses, a few heavier sobs escaping him. “It escaped, and it, it got to the place I k-keep my birds and it, it killed them, almost all, and those it didn't kill are wounded, and, and...”

The tears become once more too strong for Nie Huaisang to speak through them, and he hide his face in his hands. Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng exchange a cautious but equally worried look, while Lan Xichen carefully kneels before his fiancé and brushes his fingers against his hand.

“Nie gongzi, I'm so sorry.”

Nie Huaisang tears his hand away and glares at him.

“D-don't lie! I know you think it's stupid that I have pets!” he hisses. “I know, I, I know I couldn't have kept them anyway, not after the m-marriage, I know, I know! But they're dead, and I loved them and... even my nightingale, sh-she was the best bird ever, she was so sweet, and sh-she's dead now!”

Jiang Cheng wrap an arm around Nie Huaisang's shoulders to comfort him, while Jin Zixuan awkwardly pat his knee.

“You can visit me in Lanling,” Jin Zixuan offers. “We have peacocks in the gardens, and my mother keeps some songbirds. I'm sure she would be happy to let you see them.”

“You think?” Nie Huaisang sniffles miserably.

“At worse, you can come to Yunmeng,” Jiang Cheng intervenes, glaring at Jin Zixuan. “We can steal some eggs from a wild duck and hatch them. Wei Wuxian has done it before, it drove my mother mad that the ducks followed him everywhere for weeks.”

Through his tears, Nie Huaisang manages a weak laugh.

“He must have loved the attention,” he chuckles, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. “I'd love to see that. I hope I can come, both to Lanling and Yunmeng. It'd be fun.”

“I can even ask my mother if she'd take in the birds that you have left, after your wedding,” Jin Zixuan suggests. “That way, you'll still get to see them often. Lanling is closer to Gusu than Qinghe.”

Nie Huaisang nods, and even smiles. Next to him, Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes.

“Jin-gongzi, who knew that you could be so considerate.”

“Ah, no arguing!” Nie Huaisang pouts. “I'm still sad for now! You can argue when I'm better, for now you have to take care of me.”

Jiang Cheng frowns and removes his arm. “You! Next time, I'll let Lan Xichen console you!”

Even Jin Zixuan can't help laughing at that threat, as if all three have forgotten that Lan Xichen is right there, kneeling in front of them. He is becoming used to being unwelcome among Nie Huaisang's friends and does not mind it too much anymore, but this time it still stings. He was the first to have found Nie Huaisang, the first to have tried to comfort him, and yet... but he probably deserves that. And it doesn't matter who comforts Nie Huaisang, so long as he is comforted.

“I see Nie gongzi is in good hands,” he sighs, startling the other boys. So they really had forgotten he was there. “I really am sorry for your loss, Nie gongzi. I know how important those birds are to you.”

He turns around, already preparing himself to explain to his uncle that these three won't return to class today, and wondering how to do it so Lan Qiren won't demand a reason. This really is important to Nie Huaisang and he deserves time to grieve and friends to help him, but Lan Qiren won't understand that. He barely understood when he nephews grieved their mother, after all.

Before Lan Xichen has taken two steps, he feels a pull on his robes. Glancing behind, he sees that Nie Huaisang has grabbed the fabric and is looking up at him with an unreadable expression. It is almost painful to see him like this, his eyes reddened by tears, his face splotchy, his hair a little messy from trying to wipe his face clean. He looks more like the boy he was last year, and that's an unpleasant thought. How much pain was Nie Huaisang in back then, if he only looks that way again at the height of sadness?

“Thanks,” Nie Huaisang mumbles sullenly. “For trying.”

“I wish I could do more,” Lan Xichen replies. “Since I cannot, I will leave you with those who can, and do my best to ensure you are not disturbed today. You will have to return to class tomorrow, though. I doubt I can get you more than a day of respite.”

“Thanks,” Nie Huaisang repeats, a little more sincerely this time. “I'll have this under control by then.”

He probably will, knowing him. Lan Xichen suspects that if he hadn't found him like this, he would never have even known that some of his birds have died. It's likely that Nie Huaisang would have preferred it that way too. In fact, since he went to hide like this and didn't tell anyone, Lan Xichen wonders if Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan too wouldn't have been kept in the dark.

Lan Xichen really is glad that these two apparently followed him.

Maybe he can't help, but he's glad somebody can.

[trensu]

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

The show just dunks us right into yunmeng bro feelings again

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

and wwx is like i never wanted your thanks

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

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

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

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

lwj is glaring at jc the whole time ofc

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

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

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

and ofc lwj has to throw in his two cents

lwj: clan leader jiang. Discretion

oh lwj, a man of few words

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

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

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

*GROSS SOBBING*

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

OH GOD WWX'S EYES ARE ALL RED

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

OH THIS HURTS SO MUCH

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

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

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

BUT STILL

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

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

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

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

Jc does make a sudden sharp movement towards wwx 

Which obvs has lwj jolting forward to protect wwx

But wwx IMMEDIATELY puts a hand on lwj's knee

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

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

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

I AM HAVING TOO MANY EMOTIONS

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

lwj GLARES at him, brow furrowed and mouth pinched

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND I'M A SOBBING MESS

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

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

FUCK 

FUCKING HELL

MY YUNMENG BROS

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

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

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

GET A THERAPIST JC

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

JC: i'm sorry

*sobsobsobsob* MY YUNMENG BROS

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND GIVES HIM A SWEET LITTLE SMILE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

lwj and wwx look at each other like WTF??

oooooh boy, nhs gave jgy the dirtiest look

wwx is being Clever again and pointing out Plot Relevant Things 

ss gets all offended and holds wwx at sword point 

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

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

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

HOT DAMN

LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY

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

LOLOLOL HE'S REALLY PLAYING THIS UP FOR JGY TOO

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

oh wwx, so Dramatic™

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

LOLOLOL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

omg lolololol

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

AND ICE PRINCE LWJ ANSWERS ALMOST BEFORE SS COULD FINISH ASKING

lwj: Yes.

AND THEN HE LOOKS SS DEAD IN THE EYE

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

HELL FUCKING YEAH

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

YOU WERE KICKED OUT BC YOU'RE A TRAITOROUS COWARD

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

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

dude's unflappable. JADE OF LAN, INDEED

ss is like i am so sick of your condescending attitude

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

FUCKING EXCUSE ME??? 

LITTLE? LITTLE MISTAKE??? 

HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED BC OF YOU SS?

HOW MANY DIED BC YOU BETRAYED THEM??

ss continues to rant and starts to go off his rocker

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

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

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

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

AND HE'S GETTING TEARY HERE EVEN AS HE LAUGHS

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

HE LOOKS SO DISILLUSIONED

MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY

THE WORLD KEEPS DISAPPOINTING HIM

omg i want to RING JGY'S NECK WITH ZIDIAN

HE'S GETTING ALL UP IN WWX'S FACE

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

FUCK YOU JGY I HATE YOU SO MUCH

MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY IS TREMBLING WITH RAGE

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

oooh, jc just defended his brother! sort of.

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

so now jgy is cutting into jc

god jgy talks a lot. stfu jgy.

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

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

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

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

he must feel utterly helpless

ooooh, MY CLEVER SUNSHINE BOY

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

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

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

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

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

SO CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED YET TINGED WITH A THREAT

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

wwx leans forward and looks him dead in the eye

wwx: afraid of him coming back to you

AND THE SMIRK HE WEARS

THAT'S THE SMIRK OF THE YILING PATRIARCH 

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

and then

THEN

WWX STARTS TO WHISTLE

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

I'M GETTING CHILLS ALL OVER 

THIS IS SUCH A BADASS MOVE ON WWX'S PART

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

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

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

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

Wait, do i have a competency kink…?

LOL JGY JUST GOT BITCHSLAPPED BY RESENTFUL ENERGY, LOVE IT

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

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

YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT HE IS!

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

FUCKING SU SHE JUST TRIED STABBING WWX

LWJ TO THE RESCUE, HELL YEAH

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

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

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

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOLOLOLOLOL 

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

LESS WORDS MORE SWORDS PLZ

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

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

GOD WORDS ARE NOT GONNA DO IT JUSTICE

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

IT'S SO FREAKING FUNNY OMG

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

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

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

Return to Masterpost

[wangxianfics]

helloooo! have you read any fics where either of them are put in an arranged marriage to someone else but of course, end up with each other anyways? Thank you in advance, and I love your blog so much, it helps my hunt for more wangxian almost on a daily basis❤️💙

Hello nonny! 

Here’s a “Non-Wangxian Arranged Marriage” masterpost with Wangxian as the endgame ship. 

Please, read the tags to know between who the arranged marriage is. Also read the notes carefully as some of the fics are not purely Wangxian so that’s a heads up for everybody!

Burning Bridges by Keysmashed (12+K, Explicit)

(Arranged Marriage between WWX & LXC, Misunderstandings, Pining, Love Confessions, Emotional Sex)  @keysmash

For many years, Wei Wuxian had been in love with Lan Wangji, craving what little attention he could get from the stoic young man. Dismissals and rejections never mattered until one last push made him believe he was never going to earn Lan Wangji's affection.

When a letter from Gusu arrived in Yunmeng asking for Wei Wuxian's hand in marriage for the First Jade of Lan, a broken-hearted Wei Wuxian accepted the proposal in hope of forgetting his first love.

*** WangXian Arranged Marriage AU, with a twist.

@keysmash

Almost, Almost Mine by minttcm (1+K, General)

(Arranged Marriage between WWX & LXC, Angst With a Happy Ending)

Lan Wangji does not know why it irks him so. Because the ring on his brother's finger was just too damn shiny and the preparations were too damn grand and his fiancé, oh heavens, his fiancé. He was too amazing for Lan Wangji's own good.

Brash and loud yet so tentative and calculating. His name was Wei Wuxian and he almost wishes his brazen behaviour would one day become his undoing.

But he is running out of days, as the wedding strikes near and he can tell that they don't love each other as much as he could love Wei Wuxian and yet nobody says a damn word.

Caught staring at his brother's betrothed on the dinner table, Wei Wuxian just had to notice. Wangji doesn't know why he smiles so coyly even then when he whispers such shameless, scandalous words.

"Staring at me? My, Wangji if only you were your brother."

It was just all too cruel. And he was too. -

Wei Wuxian is set to marry Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji finds himself more displeased than he'd care to admit.

the trophy boys from here to if and when by ThunderstormsandMemories (4+K, Teen)

(Arranged Marriage between WWX & NHS, Canon Divergence, Crack Treated Seriously)

in which Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian get friend-married for political reasons (but mostly to mess with people)

OR, “Probably just how amazing you are, and how jealous they are of you and your wonderful marriage,” Nie Huaisang said, patting Wei Wuxian’s cheek lovingly, because what was the point in being married to your best friend, partially for political reasons and partially to piss off stuffy people like Sect Leader Yao, if you weren’t going to be as obnoxious as possible just because you could get away with it.

Three Worlds, One Life by limedumplr (10K, Teen)

(Arranged Marriage between WWX & WQ, Angels & Demons, Pining, Fairytale AU)

Out of all the celestials, it figured that Wei Wuxian would lose his celestial robe to a human.

When news of this disaster spread, everyone in heaven talked. How could a god lose their robe?

But no one particularly cared that the miscreant Lesser God Wei Wuxian was missing. It was only natural that someone with no regard for the rules would get duped by a human. After a few months, heaven seemed to move on from this development.

Lan Wangji could not move on.

Rebound Betrothal by mondengel (1+K, Not Rated)

(Arranged Marriage between LWJ & JYL, Angst, Fluff, Humor)  

Jiang Fengmian takes the opportunity of a broken betrothal to strengthen ties with Gusu Lan.

@mondengel

Necessary Alliances by lonesomewriter (3+K, General)

(Arranged Marriage between LWJ & JYL, Slight Angst) 

After an arranged marriage is set with the Jiang and Lan families, Wei Wuxian steps in as a bride to save his sister from being forced into a loveless marriage.

@lonesome-writer​

Neatly Arranged by thunderwear (46K, Teen)

(Arranged Marriage between LWJ & JYL, Hurt & Comfort, Pining)

Betrothed. Lan Wangji was six the first time he heard that word. He wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but his mother didn’t seem to like it, so he decided that he didn’t like it either.

Betrothed by lil_apple (13+K, General)

(Arranged Marriage between WWX & one of the Lan bros, A/B/O, Alpha!LWJ, Omega!WWX, Meet Cute)

Wei WuXian is in Gusu, not only to study but also to be courted by the Lan brothers and to choose one and get engaged. OR Where I keep the initial plot of Mo Dao Zu Shi intact but insert a bit of extra romance and protective Lan Wangji.

Locked Away by SilverPenGoldLetters (5+K, Not Rated)

(Arranged Marriage between LWJ & OFC, Post-Canon, Love Confessions)

“Which one of the Two Jades of Lan is getting married?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but it just came out cold and emotionless. He gritted his teeth, willing to regulate his breathing that was steadily becoming irregular and shallow.

“Ha … Hang … Hanguang-Jun …”

Two Months Married by mondengel (2K, Teen)

(Arranged Marriage between LWJ & OFC, Angst, Adultry, Divorce)

Lan Wangji was married to a fine woman of the Lan clan when a flute warbled out the song of his heart.

(LWJ is married to an OFC before WWX comes back.) @mondengel​ 

The light of you will stay by Lakritzwolf (Mature, 46+K, WIP)

(Arranged marriage between LWJ & OFC, Angst, Hurt & Comfort, Implied Het Sex because Pregnancy, OFC, Original Child Character)

Lan Wangji lost everything, and has only himself to blame. What remains are the memories, and a little boy who Lan Wangji swears will never forget how to smile. He wouldn’t have fought, if it weren’t for him. He wouldn’t have tried to hold on, if not for the silent promise he made in the darkest moment of his life.

As much as he wants to be with Wei Ying again, his promise keeps him bound here.

After flogging, repenting, and seclusion, Lan Wangji faces the next ordeal, also designed to bring him back onto the right path: to give the Lan Clan legitimate heirs. He sees no point in resisting, and resumes his duty to sect and family with the same stoic acceptance that brought him through everything else.

He hopes that one day, kinder fates may reunite them again, and that Wei Ying will be able to forgive him. And until that day, he treasures the memories of a smile that is forever lost to him.

(LWJ is married to an OFC and also has a child with her.)

Marry Him, Not Me by Wuxian_Biscuit (8K, Mature)

(Arranged marriage between LWJ & JC, Royalty AU, Pining, Secret Relationship, Courting Rituals)

To bolster alliances, Prince Jiang Cheng has been arranged to marry Prince Lan Wangji. However, Jiang Cheng only has eyes for his already engaged older brother, Lan Xichen, and Lan Wangji for Jiang Cheng's knight and guard, Wei Wuxian.

@wuxian-biscuit

Unexpected by nanodayolo (68+K, Teen)

(Arranged marriage between LWJ & MXY, Princess and the Pauper AU, Impersonation, On the Run)

When the Lanling Jin sect runs into financial trouble, a marriage between the third son of LanlingJin, Mo Xuanyu, and the Second Jade of Lan, Lan Wangji is arranged. But before the two can even meet, Mo Xuanyu is kidnapped.

Wei Wuxian has to pretend to be Mo Xuanyu, all while spending time with Lan Wangji, while Mo Xuanyu tries to find his way back home with the help of the street smart Xue Yang.

None of them could have possibly foreseen the outcome.

[by-mana]

Commissions Redux

Hi Folks!

This has been copied from my main blog and cleaned up a bit, since I’m trying to separate the fan stuff from the main to keep something like a semblance of an order. Commissions are therefore moved from Mana-chan’s Corner to here. They are still open and perfectly free, just read the rules, please. In case you wish to support me, you can do either of these things:

» Leave a Tip

» Buy Me a Coffee

As I am currently jobless (thank you Corona) every bit is appreciated. 

» Full Update

For a long time I didn’t take any commissions because the fandoms and pairings I have inspiration for is a limited fraction of my active fandoms (i.e. the fandoms I engage with via reading fic, commenting, enjoying content, reblogging, etc.) and I didn’t want to disappoint. 

Recently, in an unexpected strike of utter genius (which only took me like... 5 years to work out), I had the epiphany to compile a list of fandoms+pairings I’d be more than happy to write as you desire.

» Commission Rules/FAQ. Please read before commissioning.

» For full list of available fandoms/genres click below.

» Fandoms

» The Untamed | Mo Dao Zu Shi

The most recent fandom, also the one that currently dominates my mind. 

Including: CQL, Novel, Movies. I haven’t read a lot of the source material, but I’m intending to and I already did some research. For now I think I prefer a mix of canons. 

» Pairings

» Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

» Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian (mostly gen, but I believe I could do something sexual/romantic as well, but please ask first if you have any specific ideas)

» Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing (please read the rules)

» Jiang Cheng/Wen Ning (tentative)

» Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian

» Nie Mingjue/Lan Xichen (tentative, though I mostly see myself as writing them on the side)

» Any version of the 3zun (same as above)

» Lan Xichen/Wei Wuxian

» Jin Zixuan/Wei Wuxian

» Specific Canons / Prompts

The Untamed basically exploded over my head and didn’t leave me alone. In the past few months a few plotbunnies developed which I’d all love to write at one point. You can chose to prompt me either of these or pick any general prompt, or anything you’d like to read, as long as it aligns with what I can write.

» The First Witness

Genre: Case Fic, Modern AU, Canon retell, Drama, Tragedy, Romance, M/M

Pairings: WWX/LWJ

Includes: Forensic Medical Examiner Wei Wuxian, Inspector Lan Wangji, Single Dad Wei Wuxian, Wei Sizhui / Wen Yuan, the dead ones are dead, Badass Grandmother Baoshan Sanren, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Businessman Jiang Cheng, Murder Mystery, Pining, Getting Together, HIV positive character, past off-screen rape (mentioned only). It’s basically what it says, a canon retell wrapped in a modern day case fic. It was the first thing that I had inspiration for.

» Nurse Wei Wuxian slice of life Modern AU

Genre: Modern AU, slice of life, recovery, drama, tragedy, adoption, M/M, hurt & comfort, getting together, romance, fluff

Pairings: WWX/LWJ

Includes: pediatric nurse Wei Wuxian, pediatric nurse MianMian, elementary school teacher Lan Wangji, pediatrician Lan Xichen, intense care nurse Jiang Yanli, intense care doctor Wen Qing, teacher’s aide Wen Ning, Yunmeng reconciliation, only some are dead, Wen family+WWX living together. 

Premise: Former convict Wei Wuxian, fresh out of nursing school, applies for a job at Dr. Lan Xichen’s pediatric practice. Lan Xichen (who sometimes takes pro bono foster children abuse cases) isn’t quite sold on the idea of a former felon turned nurse attending to already traumatized children, but upon interview decides to give WWX a chance. Not only does he never regret it, it turns out it’s to be the best decision he’s ever made, not only in regards to his practice. Meddling ensues, love blossoms, truths are revealed, happy end. Probably the fluffiest story on the list.

» ABO Yunmeng Shuanjie Fake Marriage AU

Not what you think. Does not involve pseudo-incest (at least not for a long time, haven’t decided on the end results yet). First ABO I’ve ever considered writing, but all the more exciting, since I know now what I want of it.

Pairing: WWX/LWJ (temporal, non-endgame - so far, platonic), WWX & JC (gen, ruling partners)

Includes: fake marriage, extra marital affair, male pregnancy, abo (mostly non-traditional, I think?), not actual pseudo incest, adoption, canon divergence, not everybody dies, Wen Chao being a monster, sexual assault (interrupted), golden core loss, NO golden core transfer, misunderstandings, complicated political situations, the Wens are saved and live in Lotus Pier, a-Yuan is still adopted, “sometimes love is not enough”

Premise: shortly after concluding the studies at Cloud Recesses LWJ starts courting WWX. Engagement is discussed between the two clans, but the Wen indoctrination and the burning of the Cloud Recesses gets in between. When LWJ refuses to lie in order to save WWX from Wen Chao’s assault, JC steps in and pretends to be the one engaged to WWX to save his brother from a forced bond. To prevent this from being debunked and to ensure a future marriage (which will now be more challenging to achieve, given the state of Cloud Recesses), LWJ and WWX mate and bond in the Xuanwu cave. Then Lotus Pier is sacked, JC loses his golden core, the Jiangs are dead and the Yunmeng siblings flee for their lives, find refuge in Yiling, etc. Plays out as in canon except they find out WWX is pregnant and transferring the golden core would cause an abortion. WWX still says do it, but changes his mind in the last minute, leading to JC finding out about his plan upon waking up and remaining coreless. They flee to Meishan and marry to protect WWX’s reputation (since a marriage would now be impossible for a long time on both sides - Gusu and Yunmeng, AND JC needs WWX more than ever and WWX is not abandoning his little brother) Sunshot happens, WWX invents the control tower & still saves the Sunshot campaign. The sixteen years that follow are utter chaos.

» Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian arranged marriage AU

You know what this is inspired by. 

Pairing: Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (unfullfilled, for a long time)

Includes: arranged marriage, some characters die, Nie Mingjue dies but later, revenge, wwx adopts a-yuan, canon divergence, slow burn, learning to love, the Wens live, political intrigues, wwx and nhs teaming up against jgy

Premise: To save the Wens and himself from qi deviation Wei Wuxian marries Nie Mingjue (in spite of being in love with LWJ). Slowly some truths are revealed and feelings blossom but some tragedies cannot be prevented. NMJ realizes the feelings that are between WWX and LWJ, but they both marry regardless. Later WWX realizes that NMJ is similarly in love with Lan Xichen. With time they learn to love and respect each other, NMJ learns about what WWX did for JC, WWX learns clarity to play for NMJ when JGY nearly succeeds killing him (WWX suspects but he has no proof). NMJ still dies (disappears) and widower WWX spends the next decade or so seeking revenge and searching for his husband’s body so that he can rest in peace. It’s all very bittersweet, but there’s a happy ending.

» Hakuouki + Extended Universe 

The longest active and steadiest fandom. I know exactly what I’ll write and what not.

Including characters from: Urakata, Toki no Kizuna, the most recent overhauls (Kyoto Winds, Edo Blossoms). I’ve seen all three anime seasons, played a few routes of Kyoto Winds and read some walkthroughs. I’m not completely done with all of them, but I’ll take the time to research if the commission demands it.

» Pairings

» Harada Sanosuke/Nagakura Shinpachi (I lovingly refer to them as my naval battle cruiser)

» Harada Sanosuke/Shiranui Kyou

» Shiranui Kyou/Takasugi Shinsaku

» Kondou Isami/Hijikata Toushizou (tentative)

» Hijikata Toushizou/Saitou Hajime (tentative)

» Nagakura Shinpachi/Saitou Hajime

» Saitou Hajime/Toudou Heisuke

» Yukimura Chizuru/Sen-hime

» Ibuki Ryuunosuke/Kosuzu (please read the rules)

» Specific Canons / Prompts:

I’ve had a number of inspirations for this, which I’ve never written, but would love to delve into. You can chose to prompt me either of these or, of course, pick a general prompt.

» Fabulous Family Series

The one in progress, you can check it out on AO3. You can prompt me in this, if there’s something you’d like to read.

Pairings (current and planned): Harada/Nagakura, Kondou/Hijikata, Okita/Chizuru (casual), Heisuke/Saitou, Takasugi/Shiranui, Chizuru/Sen-chan, Ibuki/Kosuzu, Ibuki->Saitou (one-sided crush), Saitou/Chizuru (temporal)

Tags: adoption, modern AU, lgbtq+ issues, M/M, genderfluid character, disabled character (future), teenage pregnancy (future), slice of life, sexual assault (future), child abuse (future reveal), romance, ace/aro character, casual sex, underage sex, 

» Gender Swap AU

Main Ship: Harada/Nagakura

Side Ship: Ibuki/Kosuzu

Summary: Sannan secretly tests a version of his experimental Ochimizu on a few of the captains. The result is that the new day dawns with some drastic changes to their bodies that have nothing to do with white hair, glowing eyes or bloodthirst, but with a whole other set of complications. 

Premise: Original story was supposed to be about Shinpachi developing and unexpected attraction to Sano, them “experimenting” together and Sano falling pregnant. While the others manage to turn back to their original bodies, Sano doesn’t and it is all very complicated. Eventually he does (after giving birth), but instead of it being a good thing it just makes things more complicated. In the end, he choses to live in a female body instead of death and marries Shinpachi. Would include trans issues, gender dysphoria, friendship vs. love, the nature of attraction, respect, feminism and female issues. I wanted to write it as a multi-chapter, but never got around to it. But I’d love to put it out there in any form I can.

» Prince of Tennis

Tentatively putting this down as one of my oldest fandoms. I never wrote for it as cosistently as with other fandoms, but a few years back I rp-ed it for quite a while and could probably still write for it, if the pairing’s right. 

Including: ShinTeniPuri characters up to Pirates and Black Holes (I haven’t read much further, but I’ll probably catch up at one point? I always do.)

» Pairings / Characters (mostly Shitenhouji and Higa centric)

» Oshitari Kenya/Shiraishi Kuranosuke

» Oshitari Kenya/Chitose Senri

» Oshitari Kenya & Oshitari Yuushi (gen, ask me about cest)

» Shishido Ryou/Oishi Shuuichirou

» Oshitari Yuushi/Kikumaru Eiji

» Oshitari Yuushi/Hirakoba Rin (this relates to that rp)

» Kai Yuujirou & Hirakoba Rin (both gen and slash)

» Kite Eishirou/Hirakoba Rin

» Watanabe Osamu/Sakaki Tarou

» Higa gen

» Shitenhouji gen and casual relationships (ask me about specific ones)

» Hara Tetsuya/Taira Yoshiyuki

» Mori Juuzaburou & Hara Tetsuya (mostly gen, but I probs could do casual slash as well)

» Ochi Tsukimitsu/Mori Juuzaburou

» Marui Bunta/Hara Tetsuya (you will never get this, but it derives from that rp I did and would still def write it if people are interested)

» Tango Pair (Sanada Genichirou/Atobe Keigo)

» Specific Canons / Prompts

Most of what I had in my head has faded but a few things remained. Of course you can also come with your own prompt at me.

» College AU, future fic

Premise: Everyone has grown up and moved on. The Oshitari cousins are now rooming together, both studying medicine at Tokyo University. They’re upper neighbors with Shishido Ryou (paedagogy) and Oishi Shuuichirou (medicine), who both miss their doubles partners, but have seemingly moved on from their middle school days and broken hearts. No such thing can be said about Kenya, who can’t get over his break up with Shiraishi following their graduation, or Yuushi, who seems to hold secrets of his own.

I haven’t developed much for this, most of it are scattered ideas, but I’d love to explore it. I’ve thought of some pairings for it, but none of them final. It would also leave a lot of room for casual stuff or one-night stands. It’s actually an ideal prompt premise, from that standpoint.

Pairings (at start, no necessarily final): Oshitari Kenya/Shiraishi Kuranosuke (past), Oishi Shuuichirou/Shishido Ryou (current), Oishi Shuuichirou/Kikumaru Eiji (past), Shishido Ryou/Ootori Choutarou (past), Oshitari Yuushi/Kikumaru Eiji (current, secret), 

» It takes two to Tango / Tango towards Destruction

An old fic that was supposed to be a series which I never finished, but could pick it up and remaster it. It’d be a nostalgia project. 

Pairing: Tango Pair

Premise: Atobe’s father finds out about him and Sanada dating and threatens to disown him if they don’t break up. In the original Atobe runs away, but I’m thinking now he simply might not take it seriously enough and then it would escalate. He ends up moving in with the Sanada family. Your typical rich boy loses everything and struggles through poverty, finding meaning, building a life for himself, coming off age. 

» One Piece

A fandom older than even TeniPuri it’s been with me the longest. Unfortunately it doesn’t inspire me anymore the way it used to, but I’d still be able to write some things for it, if the right muse struck me. I kinda want to. Nostalgia, you know.

» Pairings

» Zoro/Sanji

» Ace/Zoro

» Ace/Sanji

» Luffy/Law (tentative, like, I ship them hard but I don’t know if I’d be able to write something for them? Oh but I’d like to try)

» Mihawk/Shanks

» Mihawk & Zoro & Perona family dynamics

» Zeff & Sanji adopted family dynamics

» Usopp & Yasopp gen

» Izo? I’d like to try an Izo.

» Canons

» Canonverse

Set in the original canon of the fandom.

Including (not limited to): backstory - past canon, present canon, future fic (please specify), canon divergence

» Modern AU

Including (not limited to): no powers, modern with magic (potential, please ask), slice of life, mystery, case fic, ‘job AU’ (coffee shop, doctors, idols, etc., please specify/ask)

» Sci-fi AU

Including: original sci-fi canon, Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, Dune (tentative), Hyperion (tentative), for everything else ask. I know a lot of sci-fi, but not enough lore for each of them to set a story in. I might be interested but it'd necessitate research.

» High Fantasy AU

Including (not limited to): original fantasy canon, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Witcher, but overall I’d prefer if you ask about this. I haven’t read/seen a lot of the most recent and popular franchises (mostly because I’m writing my own high fantasy and don’t want it to be too influenced by other things, and someone already told me it sounds like Game of Thrones, so that one’s a big no. Sorry...)

» No Powers, other than modern AU

Including (not limited to): everything that doesn’t fall under the modern AU list, but has no powers in it, i.e. historical AU (specify time & culture), future AU (near & far), cyberpunk dystopia (possibly), post-apocalyptic (possibly). I don’t write zombies.

» Superpowers / Hero AU

Including (not limited to): X-Men, Avengers, Wildstorm Universe, original superhero canon

» Genres

I do mostly serious stuff, like drama, tragedy, intrigues, arranged marriage, tragic backstory, etc. I like to put my characters through a lot of suffering. I always joke that it’s very easy to spot my favorite character by the amount of torture I put them through. I feel that it makes the happy ending weigh even more. Sometimes I even prefer a bad ending, if it gives the story more meaning (I mean, imagine LotR trilogy have a happy ending. It would totally take away all the development and the lessons the characters went through.) I wish I could write light stuff but so far I have not succeeded. I use a lot of sarcasm and irony though? 

My shorter fics tend to be fluffy and sweet rather than funny, if full of playful banter and teasing. Relationships are usually depicted in a naturalistic rather than romantic way (I’m ace/aro myself, and I have lots of opinions about the nature of love and attraction, and how a functioning relationship ideally looks like and it tends to seep into my writing). Instead of traditional romance I like to write a non-traditional one. Slow burn, instead of love on first sight. Learning to love instead of falling hard. But it also depends on the pairing. I can write most things if I put my mind to it, so don’t hesitate to prompt me and I’ll let you know whether it works for me or not.

I’m not shy of dealing with child abuse, assault, suicidal ideation, trauma, disability and other difficult topics in my writing, so if you wanna request any of these or something similar I’m a-okay with it, as long as you discuss it with me. I’m not knowledgeable in everything so it’s likely I’ll need to do research, but I’m more than alright with it. Honestly, it’s very probable that I’d love to try. 

» Kinks

I’m okay with most stuff. Where I draw the line is the really hardcore stuff like scat and kinks involving feces, some forms of humiliation, zoophilia, necrophilia, mutilation, stuff like that. 

I’m alright with both dub-con & non-con (although I refuse to depict is as normalized, or glorified), bondage, s&m, dom/sub, light bdsm (ask me about the harder stuff. I’m not against it, I’m just not always in the mood or right mindset for writing it), omorashi (tentative, ask me), daddy kink, breath play, age play, spanking, verbal humiliation, dirty talk, edging, come eating, orgasm denial,... all the good stuff. 

[ouyangzizhensdad]

i feel like the younger jc that people fixate on (much like how ppl fixate on pre sunshot era in general lol) can probably be simplified and written off as a tsundere style character which people are very into and very into uwu-ing. like the whole being gruff and mean but 'twin prides of yunmeng!!11!!' even if his personality later on leans more into the tsun tsun and entirely lacks the dere dere lmfao

(tsun tsun and lack of dere dere  dfgdfgdfgdfgfdgfdgfddg golden)

IMO, I think it is important to differentiate younger JC (before the whole LP burning down and losing his core) and the JC that comes after. Younger JC is incredibly flawed, and has a lot of things that he should address, but he’s a little bit at this point like Jin Ling: he’s still where we could see him choosing to self-reflect and grow as a person. 

The JC that comes after, and especially the JC we meet 13 years after WWX’s death, is a man who burrowed deep into his flaws and got stuck in a negative feedback loop that made him into a not great person (something that is compounded by the fact that he is a man who holds an extraordinary position of power and benefits from unimaginable privilege within the society he inhabits which thus gives him a wild berth to be cruel and violent towards others if he so wishes). 

TBH, I see a lot of people portraying younger JC as a villain, and it is always a little bit difficult for me because all I can think about is “based on your criteria y’all would say that my relationship with my siblings was abusive and horrible 😬” and believe that the only dénouement our relationship could have would be to have us become estranged, lmao. Basically, based on my experience, I sort of feel like I get the dynamic that I think MXTX aimed to portray with younger JC and younger WWX? 

My siblings and I fought all the time, physically and verbally (that’s literally how I learned to weave an argument because we were arguing with each other all the time). My little brother and I fought literally everywhere: our mom couldn’t take us shopping together because we’d end up wrestling on the ground in the middle of the aisle of the dollar store. We’d hit each other all the time if one of us said something dumb or mean or irritating (and that’s not even touching upon the fact that I was getting into fights with boys at schools and in afterschool activities). We threatened bodily harm or death based on the slightest inconvenience. We called each other names, and would find any occasion to belittle one another. When I was about four years old, I thought I was adopted since I didn’t look like my siblings or my parents, and was so thoroughly convinced of the idea that I was treated worse as a result that I ‘ran away’ from home all the time (neighbours would find me wandering in the streets or in the woods, or even hiding in their homes). My sister and I were jealous of the fact that our parents were incredibly lenient towards our younger brother, my sister was incredibly jealous that my brother and I had gotten more attention from our parents, and my little brother used to be jealous of the fact that my sister and I were more accomplished and used it as proof that he was the stupid sibling that was not made for school (spoiler alert: he was just not trying and got better grades than both of us in uni). And yet, we just thought that this was how siblings acted toward one another. When, during a family gathering, I tried to catch my brother’s attention by yelling “oi, you fucking halfwit!” and scandalized one of my aunts, my brother was the one to shrug and tell her that it was just how we talked to one another and that she was the one being weird for overreacting. Honestly, compared to how we were, JC is fucking tame. I was more violent with random boys than younger JC is ever shown to be. And yet, my siblings and I are close, and yes, we still love to argue and make fun of each other. Part of that is because we had time to grow and mature. But part of it is just that, although our relationship was far from being perfect, we sort of knew that underneath it all we loved each other in our own weird and dysfunctional way, and never doubted it. To us, calling each other names like “giant cunt” or “shitty bastard” was a way of showing endearment, to belittle one another was a demonstration of our closeness--we grew out of that phase, as we should, but we never really doubted that it meant something at the time. So I feel like I personally get what MXTX was doing with the portrayal of their relationship as teenagers. 

Of course, I need to point out that JC and WWX’s relationship is a little bit different, because they are not actually siblings, and their social positions are different. But to me the breakdown really happens once JC becomes a worse version of himself and lets himself be consumed by his negativity and his flaws, refusing growth and self-reflection and empathy. It would have been possible for JC to grow and self-reflect, and to develop a more mature relationship with a WWX who still understood that, although JC was not perfect and ended up hurting him at times because of these flaws of his, they had a relationship that was worth preserving and nurturing. That is no longer the case after everything that takes places and all the choices JC makes, and by the end of the novel WWX considers that it is better to leave it all in the past, both the good and the bad, both the affection and the hatred. 

[farmerlan]

Farmer Lan’s Rewatch Guide to The Untamed - Episode 2

SPOILER CAUTION APPLIES.

Alright buds we are going to get right into it - no time to waste!

[WWX hangs out by a river/well with XPG (Little Apple aka Xiao Ping Guo aka XPG from now on), cultivator scene with the demon compass argument happens (cute), A-Yan gives WWX an apple and she’s clearly not mentally all there, mountain top A-Yan dance scene with her mom disclosing her tragic story and father’s death to WWX.]

Differences from the novel:

There’s some minor choronological and setting differences between here and Chapter 6. A-Yan was not the person who gave WWX the apple, it was a random girl. There were two separate scenes with cultivators trying to use the compass in the novel, but it was condensed into one in the drama.

WWX bumps into A-Yan in the town at the foot of DFS and hears of her story from townspeople. A-Yan’s story is essentially the same in both versions, but the novel also includes an additional story about how a slovenly/good-for-nothing oaf became seemingly wealthy and suddenly wanted to get married and settle down, except he died on the night of the wedding. This would later be used by WWX to further support his narrative of what’s behind the ‘soulless people’ cases when he explains it to the Gusu disciples.

[Cut to WWX in a forest, A WILD JIN LING APPEARS! Man, I forgot what a little shit he was when he first arrived <3. WWX and JL runs into each other, except JL thinks he is MXY, banter ensues, WWX traps JL with his paper man and drops that awful YOUR MOM line to JL.

Banter continues until JC brings his posse and incredibly sharp jawline to the scene. Seriously, damn. Things are about to get physical before LWJ arrives. Shade is thrown between JC and Gusu & Co., JC literally looks like he is in pain and why oh why does nothing ever work out for him as his subordinate reports that all the spirit nets have been destroyed. JC decides against picking a fight and tells JL he better BRING HIS A GAME TO THE HUNT before dismissing him. LWJ dismisses the rest of the disciples and walks away, leaving WWX alone. Cut to WWX remembering JC + JYL by the river and then he overhears JL’s true parentage and feels baaaaaaad man.]

In the novel, there is further discussion of the LLJ sect and especially JGS in Chapter 7. Seeing JL’s reaction to him as MXY, WWX then correctly deduces that MXY is actually the illegitimate son of none other than JGS, who was known for his philandering ways.

It was also clarified in the novel that locked within the ‘paper man’ WWX sic-ed on JL was the ghost of a man who had died from gluttony, hence why JL could not get up. He was basically being sat on by a really fat man.

A bigger deal is made in the novel of how LWJ is someone who “appears where there is trouble” – JL says this to him in a sarcastic way, but it’s a common theme that runs throughout the novel, that although he can be considered an extremely prominent figure, he takes the time to help or show up no matter how ‘low level’ the situation is. It’s a sign of his strong moral character that nothing is too beneath his attention.

The situation of the night hunt itself is also explained a little bit more in detail – JL is turning sixteen this year, and this night hunt at DFS is basically a debutante ball for him as you have to be past a certain age to participate in hunts. So, in order to make sure he claims the top prize, JC made sure to come with him and also set up the spirit nets. Aww, they ruined his present!

Fun fact: JC very nearly came to blows with LWJ in the novel but chose not to do so because a) he had to consider sect relations between Gusu and Yunmeng and b) he wasn’t sure he would win since they’ve never fought before. HA.

[Gusu disciples run into old man grave caretaker, these are Wen graves! He asks them to go visit the Tiannu Temple and they move on before he can tell them that the goddess statue moooves. Spoopy. WWX also happens upon the Wen graves. Scene between him and WQ and he realizes it’s the statue stirring shit and JL is about to step in the shit that has been stirred.

Scene in the temple with Gusu disciples and JL, shit starts going down, WWX and Gusu disciples gather outside. Gusu disciples realize they ran out of flares and WWX is all like haha prepare to be punished! WWX clarifies the difference between soul-eaters and the goddess status, links it to the ongoing issues with A-Yan. LJY calls him out – he’s only pretending to be CRAZY! ]

There’s no old grave caretaker in the novel and there’s no Wen graves scene. There are ancient tombs around the area that the Gusu disciples explored, but it was only mentioned in passing as part of the larger conversation around what exactly was plaguing the mountain. What happens in the novel is – WWX encounters a spirit dressed in fancy burial clothes, realizes something is wrong because that kind of spirit (the spirit of a corpse) should not be on DFS, puts two and two together and goes off to find JL.

The scenario of WWX explaining what exactly ‘it’ is to the Gusu disciples closely follows that of the novel, except he also adds the explanation around the slovenly oaf’s story. Basically, oaf prays to the goddess statue to be wealthy, the goddess granted him his wish but took away his soul on the night of the marriage. Hence why WWX encountered the wealthy corpse spirit - essentially the goddess split open his grave and gave the oaf the funeral/afterlife offerings that were buried within it, displacing the spirit in the process.

 Also the goddess statue ate some humans in the novel but this was probably too graphic for the drama lol.

[JL shows up with the statue hot on his heels, WWX is like but wait we sealed the statue off before! WWX then builds and plays a makeshift bamboo flute. LJY changes his mind – MXY is still crazy after all, and on top of that he’s also a garbage flute player, ha. WN shows up and WWX is all ???, illusion is revealed, WWX posits whoever did this wanted lure out WN, a mysterious man in black scuttles off in the background.

Men rush WN, WN is like, uhm, y’all ain’t shit. WWX then plays WangXian to suppress WN’s rage, draws him towards himself and then we have THE REUNION – eyes meet, lovey-dovey wrist-gripping scene ensues.]

Interestingly, the drama shows JL being thrown to the ground and trying to scurry away/flinching as the statue advanced on him. In the novel, he actually stood right within reach and thought, “If I can’t kill her right here and now, I’ll die – but so what?!” Basically, he was 100% ready to kill the statue or die trying before WN showed up.

In the drama, we weren’t specifically clued in to the fact that WN is currently unconscious due to the nails in his head. In the novel, WWX realizes this instantly because Wen Ning was not capable of sentient thought and had to rely on WWX’s orders.

The drama hints that the whole thing was staged by the mysterious man in black caught scampering away – in the novel, this is not the case. There was no other person ‘operating behind the scenes’, this whole incident with the statue was not an illusion.

The reunion scene is as it happens in the novel, gripping of wrists and all. Ha. I love you directors.

[WWX is outed as the person who summoned WN and JC is like well well well, Shady’s back. LWJ tries to protect WWX, WWX tries to run away but gets whipped and decides to play crazy as JC wonders why Zidian didn’t work.

WWX appears to faint and wishes to go back to the time to 16 years ago, when he was at Lotus Pier and we start our flashback arc. Cute scene where he gets a sugar rabbit (HA I see you) for JYL. They decide to rest in a tavern. JC bickers with WWX and grouses that JYL and JFM always defends him and is reminded that being free-spirited is considered a virtue by the YMJ sect.]

The confrontation between JC, WWX and LWJ follows the novel partly (the whipping, the face-off between JC and LWJ), but the novel goes into more detail.

For one, LJY is like, ‘wait didn’t YOU kill WWX? Why are you saying he’s back?’ to JC in the drama. In the novel, no one claims that JC was the one who killed WWX in the novel – only that he was present at the battle at Nightless City along with the Yunmeng Jiang sect.

Also, in the novel, someone in JC’s sect basically tells says that there’s no way MXY is WWX because WWX would have chosen someone cooler. WWX was flirtatious with girls and a good-looking dude and MXY is a gay lunatic riding a donkey. And also, his flute skills are so, so subpar compared to WWX. Ha. WWX secretly grouses that he would kneel to anyone who’s able to play a nice melody on a dollar-store flute after not having practiced for 13 years. Touché.

In an attempt to get both JC and LWJ off his case, WWX tries to disgust the both of them by going, “JC is NOT my type but you know who is my type? LWJ uwu he’s so attractive” but it totally fails because LWJ does not take the bait. Instead, he says “Well then, I’m taking this man back to the Lan sect with me.” And that’s the end of Chapter 10. See comments on the flashback/timeskip in the summary section below.

The last conversation JC and JYL shares is very interesting. It’s not in the novel, but it really plays into the narrative that “WWX embodies more of Yunmeng Jiang’s values than JC even though he is not a Jiang”, which is also a theme in the novel and kind of a sticking point for JC obviously. One can say that JC takes after his mom, and WWX takes more after JFM.

Overall Thoughts

This is where the divergence from the novel plot line begins to get a little more serious. The novel employs a series of flashbacks scattered throughout the book whereas the drama is essentially one long flashback from Episode 2 through Episode 33. It obviously makes more narrative sense to arrange it that way in a drama series in order to make it less confusing, especially since they’re using the same actors for past and present WWX/LWJ, but just keep that in mind.

With that said, I will stop at Chapter 10 for the purpose of comparing it to Episode 2. Chapter 11 and 12 have essentially both been removed from the drama besides for the cold springs scene, which was also modified. I will discuss these two chapters when we get to Episode 33 (wow, will we ever get there??). Episode 3 picks up at Chapter 13, which is the beginning of the Gusu arc. Chapters will start jumping around (in the novel, the Gusu arc is only Chapters 13-18, and then the Wen Sect/Tortoise of Slaughter is a separate flashback from Chapters 51-59)  so I am going to try my best to match them up lol.

Ending the summary on another cute note, in the novel LWJ’s presence is often described as being accompanied by the light scent of sandalwood, which is what WWX smelled before bumping into him in the novel.

[elenirlachlagos]

Nie HuaiSang headcanons

Maybe not the TED talk I promised, but a few headcanons I have about our adorable little shit.

(We’ll see how many of those will be disproven by Fatal Journey...)

- He can actually fight with his saber. You bet his brother made him practice. He just prefers not to. It’s not his thing, and also he fears the conqequences. But just like his brother made him go to Gusu until he finally passed, he made him practice saber fighting until he’s not a complete embarrassment anymore.

- I believe he secretly invented a way to cultivate using fans. If you can cultivate with sabers instead of swords, why not with fans? There are forms of Tai Chi using a fan. So he’s not actually weak in cultivation. His Golden Core is strong. He’ll probably be the first Nie Clan Leader to die of old age instead of qi deviation.

- He has a fan made of steel which he takes with him into situations that might become dangerous and he is entirely capable of warding off an attack on himself with the fan. But it never comes to that (in public) and no one has a clue (and no one who’s seen it lived to tell the tale). Just looks like an average fan, after all.

But all attempts on his life fail for some reason...

- His fighting style, if he has to, is more a redirecting of force.

- I genuinely think that he did not become suspicious until he found his brother’s arm. Only then did he get the idea that maybe not the usual qi deviation killed his brother and then he started to investigate. But at the time when his brother was still alive and at the point where he died, he had no reason to suspect Jin Guangyao.

- He really liked Wei Wuxian. They had been good friends. And he misses him.

So when he comes across a problem that is just down the Yiling Patriarch’s alley, he wishes he would still be there. And then when a chance presents itself that he could bring him back, he takes it. And he is happy when it worked, not only because of his plan, but also because he has his old friend back.

- He’s bisexual.

- He appreciates beauty (e.g. LWJ). He’s somewhat of an artist himself, but more so he’s a vivid collector (of fans, of birds, of porn, and much more). He likes to go to the theater. He’s propably a patron to quite a few artists, actors, maybe prostitutes.

- He genuinely loved Meng Yao when he was young and considered him family. Which is why it hurt even more to find out the identity of his brother’s murderer.

- He didn’t kill the cats. (I just want to believe that, ok?)

He’s proficient in finding human corpses; dead cats should be no problem.

- Unlike Jin Guangyao, he did not plan things ahead too much. That just makes the plan inflexible and prone to failing. He plans some, and then makes sure he’s there to push things in the right direction if needed.

- He has a network of spies. But not all spies know that they are spies.

- He kept the Nie Clan amongst the most powerful clans for decades after his brother’s death (outwardly with the help of  Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao). He had to hide his wits to not become suspicious, but I think he gradually shows his true colours after Jin Guangyao is dead.

- When Hanguang-Jun is Chief Cultivator, Wei Wuxian will accompany him to cultivation meetings with the Sect Leaders. Nie HuaiSang would invite him for a drink, for old time’s sake. And he’d invite Jiang Cheng, too, who would not dare to decline because NHS is a clan leader after all. And if the alcohol is unusually strong, I mean, that can happen even to the official supplier of the Qinghe Nie sect... (In which NHS reconciles WWX and JC because he wants to have his friends back and is unstoppable once he sets his mind on something)