#best boy lan Xichen

[thepurplewombat]

The Sin List

okay, so as we all know, it is vitally important that any character we stan must be morally pure and a good example to emulate in real life.

So I have decided to create a list of MDZS characters and their sins, which everyone can easily refer to in order to make sure that they are not following some horrible criminal or murderer!

This was a lot of work, but I'm very proud of it. Just doing my bit to ensure the moral purity of the fandom!

Wei Wuxian - Necromancy, disrespecting his elders, disrespecting the dead, killed Jin Zixuan, punched Jin Zixuan in the face one time, cannibalism, mind control, deviant sexual fantasies, trespassing, oath-breaking, urged Wen Qing to perform untested and possibly fatal operation on Jiang Cheng without his consent.

Lan Wangji - Defied his elders, broke the Lan Clan rules, sexually assaulted Wei Wuxian, deviant sexual fantasies, GBH (JGY)

Jin Guangyao - betrayed and killed Wen Ruohan, betrayed and killed Jin Guangshan, murder (NMJ), murdered assorted people, disrespecting the dead, assorted Spy Things for Wen Ruohan.

Nie Mingjue - Killed a lot of people during the war, verbally abused Nie Huaisang, burned Nie Huaisang's stuff, attempted murder (JGY), attempted murder (JGY), attempted murder (JGY), murder (JGY), killed the Mo family (well, his arm did anyway). In favor of the genocide of the Wen Remnants

Jin Guanshan: Sexual assault, rape, murder, ordering human experimentation with resentful energy to be done by his sect, played both sides during the war, didn't take responsibility for his children, ultimately responsible for getting WWX killed because he wanted the YTT so bad

Wen Ruohan: Attempted world domination, murder etc

Lan Qiren: has a stick up his ass

Su Minshan: Refused to die for the Lan, supported JGY in his efforts to prevent undead Da-ge from killing him. Also cursed Jin Zixun.

Sect Leader Yao: Weathervane politician

Jiang Wanyin: strangled Wei Wuxian that one time, keeps trying to talk to him but is way too tsundere about it, killed many during the war, didn't immediately forgive WWX for getting JYL killed, threatens to break Jin Ling's legs weekly.

Jin Ling: rude. rude rude rude. Also stabbed WWx one time

Lan Jingyi: not respecting his elders, rude rude rude. Also loud

JFM: shit dad, throw him in a volcano

Madame Yu: Angry mom, beat Wei Wuxian for things that weren't his fault, yelled at JC a lot, didn't appreciate JYL, very mean.

Lan Xichen: killed people during the war. Randomly starts doing flute solos in conversation

Meng Shi: was a prostitute. Told Meng Yao his dad was amazing and he should totally look him up later.

Madam Jin: awful person, she can go into the volcano with JFM. physical and verbal abuse (JGY)

Nie Huaisang: killed cats, nearly killed the juniors, let his sect fall into ruin, traded obscene materials, disrespecting his sect's traditions, lied to Lan Xichen to make him kill JGY

Wen Qing: went along with WRH's plans, performed surgery on JC without his consent

Wen Ning: Was part of the burning of LP

Mo Xuanyu: Summoned Satan to murder his relatives, harassed his brother

Jin Zixun: asshole, rude, broke the Geneva Convention on the ethical treatment of prisoners several times. Useless person

FOR THE SAKE OF SAFETY AND YOUR MORALS YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO STAN THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS

Jiang Yanli

Qin Su

Lan Shizui

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Thanks for listening to my sad backstory. Anyway, here's Wonderwall.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[acequinz]

The audacity of a post from anti lxc tag to show up on my feed. ( I didn't mute it cause I didn't know the tag existed, corrected my mistake damn)

Like begone!!! Nothing these people can say will ever make me hate you lxc. You are too loving for the world (sometimes quite literally) I will whisk you away into the sunset with me.

My babygirl, you have never done anything wrong ever. I love you so much never don't listen to other ugly people who could never understand your oldest sibling from doomed parents plight.

I get you though and I love you!!!

[cloudfoxy]

Friendly reminder that just because someone loves you doesn't mean you owe them shit. even if you love them too, you never asked them to do shit, their discissions remain their own even if they do it out of love for you.

you don't have to accept shit from their family, especially their older sibling who did horrible shit or their uncle who thinks they're a good teacher while hurting poor old people!!

(～￣▽￣)～

[darlingpwease]

distracting from yan nergal, I want to say that among all the leaders of the clan, LAN XICHEN is the only one who really deserves to have his pussy eaten & breed because my little pathetic meow meow must also be corrupted NEEDS to have heirs so it's a FORCED NECESSITY and the fact that his pussy drips & feels very pliable and expanded is the FULFILLMENT OF A DUTY AND—

[dashofanxiety]

So I've had this picture just sitting and staring at me recently so I've decided to finish it!😄

And now for the fic!

TW- bullying, wounds, cuteness that doctors says may cause diabetes, mentions of temporary character death (you know the character 🤣)

Little noses twitch as the grass sways in the breeze, long ears are laid back to show their relaxation but something causes the rabbits to startle and run to find a hiding place.

A little boy in the Gusu lan robes was on his way to visit the house near the rabbits, he normally isn't allowed to go by himself but he really missed the man in the building.

A-yuan was quietly smiling to himself as he headed toward the little house that housed his father. The little boy preferred to be with the older man since most kids his age would tease him for being an illegitimate child to the famous Hanguang-Jun, the Lan Wangji. The little 6 year old didn't fully understand what that all meant but it hurt so much because it made him think that he was never truly welcomed among his classmates or family.

Little a-yuan sees the house in the distance and couldn't stop himself from running the rest of the way to the wooden building, his safe haven.

Lan Wangji was sitting carefully on the porch with his Guqin, playing a sad melody for his beloved one who can not hear it.

"Baba!" A-yuan called out as he walked up to the porch, "Hi, baba!"

"Mm." The soft reply came, his father was mourning but even then he still tried to show that he loved a-yuan.

"I am all done with school." Now that the little boy was in front of his father he was a little bit more quiet, "Baba's gege says I got high scores on writing." The boy was excited to tell his father about his day but he was also careful not to be loud.

Lan Wangji looked at the boy with an affectionate gaze, even though the boy was not his he still felt the need to show this child the love that he was not given when he was a child. This little 6 year old was the last thing Wei Ying left for him and he refused to fail Wei Ying again.

"What were you playing baba?" A-yuan asked with a tilt of his head now that he was done going on about his day and everything else that had happened, "Can I listen?"

Not many things made the great Lan Wangji tear up but the way this tiny child had so many qualities of Wei Ying without remembering who the demonic cultivator was just caused the mourning man's heart to shake.

"What do you wish to hear?" With those words also came the silent invitation for A-yuan to sit on his fathers lap, which the little boy instantly did.

"I wanna listen to what baba wants to play." A-yuan made sure to be careful as he got comfortable in the wounded mans lap.

That was how the two enjoyed the rest of their afternoon. Pretty soon A-yuan had to go.

"I promise to come back tomorrow baba. I'll bring you a treat too." A-yuan grinned at his father from where he stood at the bottom of the steps.

"Mn. Tomorrow."

With hearing the agreement the little boy began walking back the way he had come a few hours prior. A-yuan knew this path quite well since it is the path that he has taken everyday since he arrived at Gusu, which also meant it was easy to find the child.

When the child got to the edge of where the rabbits were when he heard laughter, he knew the laughter since he had heard it so often from behind him when he was in class.

The boys were all much older than a-yuan since most of them were just beginning to cultivate a golden core. A-yuan liked to learn so he was smarter than most kids his age which meant that he was with older kids, the 6 year old wasn't able to write or read the bigger words but when it's read to him he understood exactly what everything was. Lan Wangji believed that it was because of who he was with at the beginning of his life that caused him to be so intelligent but with the lack of books for education it was why he wasn't able to read as much as kids his own age.

"Do you want to hear what my niáng says? Hanguang-Jun only took the boy in since his mother was from one of those houses, that's why no one knows who she is." One boy says from behind a-yuan.

"My a-die says that the elders don't approve of taking in this street rat." Another boy giggles.

A-yuan kept walking but then the little boy was pushed, "ow!" Was the only word that the little boy said but it was enough to make the group of boys laugh at him.

"What? Can't handle a little dirt?"

A-yuan slowly stood up and tried to dust off the dirt and grass stains but before he could begin to clean himself off the boys began to push him around their circle, laughing the whole time.

The boys pushed him but as they pushed him they would pinch him and flick his forehead with the little spiritual force they had. A-yuan cried as he tried to get away from the circle, his cries slowly grew louder when the pinching started to go from fingers to using nails.

"Hey!" It was an adult voice that seemed to scare the boys into stopping.

A-yuan began to fall but then he felt strong arms catch him and pull him into a strong chest. The little boy slowly opens his eyes to see his father holding him while glaring at the group of boys, "baba...?"

A comforting hand was on A-yuan's back to tell him that he was safe. The little boy knew that he was safe even without his father having to put his hand there but that was the thing that caused the boy to begin to sob loudly.

It was almost like the parents knew what had happened since they were there within seconds to grab their children and apologize to Hanguang-Jun.

"Not me." Lan Wangji shakes his head as he motions toward the crying child in his arms. The man was comforting A-yuan the best he could.

"Oh. Of course. We sincerely apologize to lan yuan." The parents bow deeply and force their children to do the same, "we will make sure they do handstands." Then the parents were scrambling away with their children trapped in an angry hold.

Lan Wangji sighs to let out the tension he had and looks at his son, "baobei...hush now." He says gently as he turns so he can begin the walk back toward the building he was using to heal. Lan Wangji was refused to be in the Jingshi to heal since it was to far from the healers so Lan Xichen put him in a temporary room to help with the healing, his older brother also knew that Lan Wangji needed the slight seclusion to mourn but it was also near the rabbits so his brother could watch the rabbits whenever he needed.

"Sorry baba!" A-yuan sobs into his father's shoulder, he never wanted to tell his father about the bullying because the 6 year old thought he could handle it but he also didn't want to be anymore of a burden to his father.

"No need. I am not angry nor will I punish you." Lan Wangji opens the door to his house and walks in, "Would baobei like to stay here for the night?" As he asked this he began to help the child out of his clothes and into the warm bath that was there. Lan Wangji was supposed to clean his wounds every day but the warm water agitated the marks so he would go to the cold springs to bathe.

Pretty soon A-yuan relaxed in the warm water, "Baba wants A-yuan to stay?" The little boy stares up at the older man with his big puffy eyes.

"Mn. Would love for a-yuan to spend the night." Lan Wangji softly confirms as he begins to help the child bathe, making a mental note to have the tiny boys dinner and some clothing sent over.

"Baba....baba wants to keep a-yuan around?"

"Mn."

Then the sweet and innocent grin lit up the little boy's features, "Ok! I'll stay with baba tonight."

After Lan Wangji made sure the boy had no open wounds and was thoroughly cleaned did he flag a passing junior down to get lan yuan clothing and to bring their food. A-yuan was wrapped up in Lan Wangji's towel which was far too large for the little boy so he was practically swimming in it, but he was happy and warm.

When the two were ready for bed that night a-yuan snuggled into his father's side, "thank you baba."

"Mn. Now sleep."

And for the first time in a long time the two slept soundly with no threats of nightmares or pain because they had each other and that is what helped them survive.

Years down the line when Wei Wuxian is revived, Lan Xichen would tell of how he found his brother asleep with the little a-yuan.

So when the nightmares were too much for the teenager, he would go to both of his fathers, after making sure to knock very very loudly, and he would be snuggled between the two knowing that no one can hurt him or his father.

[jiangzongzhu]

Had a dream that I was single handedly responsible for making someone on here fall in love with Lan Xichen and that was such a nice dream. I should talk more about the good most beautiful boy who deserves the whole world more to spread my “love Lan Xichen” agenda

[fandom-aleatoire]

I was in the shower, having shower thoughts. Because that’s where all random ideas come from and I was thinking about which of the major sect leaders was the best leader. Not the most ambitious, not the nicest, but which one led their sect the best.

Because the most ambitious? Absolutely, JGY. The best human? LXC. Hands down. Best cheek bones? Our boy JC. Best puppy owner? JL. Best at being a nasty old man?JGS. Etc, etc, etc.

But being a leader is different and I know that I have my own bias so who do y’all think is the best one? 

Please explain your choice, I really want to understand other peoples viewpoints, thank you!

[marzaid]

Time travel AU where post canon Lan Qiren travels back in time to when Wei Wuxian is 4 and has just lost his parents. Lan Qiren may hate the man (now boy), but he still follows the rules strictly and will not kill. Instead, Lan Qiren finds a 4 year old Wei Wuxian cowering in an alley hiding from dogs. He protects the boy because the rules tell him that it is his duty to do so.

There is a spiteful part of him that wants to send this boy far away. However, he reconsiders when he thinks of how the Wei Wuxian in his previous life created Demonic Cultivation when left unattended. The best way to keep the boy in line, Lan Qiren figures, is to raise him himself as a ward. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer, they say.

So that is exactly what Lan Qiren does.

Wei Wuxian is brought back to the Cloud Recesses and raised as a ward alongside Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. Lan Qiren would prefer otherwise, but he doesn't trust anyone else but himself to control Wei Wuxian.

As time goes by, Wei Wuxian proves to be the same and different to the one that Lan Qiren knew previously. He's energetic and mischievous, carefree, with a love for teasing others. Every bit as genius and inventive as Lan Qiren knew of the boy in his previous life. However, there was a strong sense of justice that he didn't notice the last time (or refused to see, but it would take years for him to admit to himself).

And Wei Wuxian thrives in a way that Lan Qiren didn't expect. He knew that Wei Wuxian was powerful and intelligent, yet he did not realize just how so. As much as the boy loved to tease and joke around, he could also be found in the Library Pavilion studying whatever random topic caught his interest. Talking everyone's ears off on what he learned or ways that certain things can be improved upon.

It infuriates Lan Qiren to no end because many times, Wei Wuxian is right. Many times, Wei Wuxian just needs guidance to find the right direction or a different perspective. Since Lan Qiren was raising him alongside his own nephews, the people that Wei Wuxian goes to the most are them: Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen, and Lan Wangji. The latter two always happy and excited to discuss the myriad topics, while the former confused as to the feelings he's having for the boy.

Lan Qiren's sister-in-law passes, and Wei Wuxian kneels next to Lan Wangji in the snow for hours silently in comfort. It's the first indication that the boy is secretly kind and compassionate (not so much if had he paid attention the last time and rid himself of clouded judgments). It's the event that causes the two boys to be inseparable. Of course Lan Qiren is worried but, he tells himself that he will not let them marry. He will not let Wei Wuxian turn into that evil man he ended up being.

Years keep going by, and Lan Qiren finds himself slowly warming up to Wei Wuxian. He's there for many important firsts (losing his teeth, golden core formation, getting his sword, etc). He will never admit that his heart squeezed when the boy accidentally calls him A-die without thinking because he's so excited about something he's learned.

Jiang Fengmian comes to the Cloud Recesses when he finds out that Weo Wuxian is there. Desperately, he tried to convince Lan Qiren to let the boy become a part of Yunmeng Jiang. But Lan Qiren is adamant in his refusal. The boy was raised there the last time and look at how he ended up! He doesn't know that this fundamentally changed Wei Wuxian's destiny. From a tragic hero given a second chance to a free boy allowed to be happy.

The Jiang sect leader mentions during this visit that Wei Wuxian owes Lan Qiren a life debt. It's something that hadn't crossed Lan Qiren's mind. Not really. He had been raising the boy selfishly to change a horrible future. Sure. However, it was against the rules and his own morals to demand a child pay reparations to be allowed to live. He has felt the same way when Lan Sizhui, his good perfect Lan Sizhui, had been adopted into the family. To Lan Qiren, it was unfathomable to demand payment from a child in such ways.

And anyway, Wei Wuxian's genius was already making itself known. If the boy invented even half of what he came up with in his previous life (Lan Qiren crossed his fingers for no Demonic Cultivation), then the Lan Sect would be paid in full from the proceeds.

Still, years continued to creep by, and Lan Qiren began to feel pride in Wei Wuxian. He followed the rules decently well, received his punishment with little protest, and had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. The boy could be seen at any given moment debating an array of topics with seniors, elders, and peers.

When Wei Wuxian started going on night hunts with Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji, the three became known as the Three Jades of Lan. Pride bloomed even more in Lan Qiren's heart. He had successfully turned Wei Wuxian into a good and polished man. What he didn't realize was that he gave structure to a boy who needed it and didn't make him feel guilty for existing.

The Wens came and tried to burn the Cloud Recesses down but didn't succeed. Between Lan Qiren, Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen, and Lan Wangji, the wards were strengthened, and the books copied and protected. The Sunshot campaign took longer to fight because Wei Wuxian had learned long ago of the dangers to the mind and body that it caused. He had also learned that he shouldn't rip himself apart to help others. Lan Qiren had implored the boy to never try and had used the boy's love and adoration for Lan Xichen and especially Lan Wangji to convince him.

After the Sunshot campaign, Wei Wuxian comes to Lan Qiren about the innocent Wens cultivator and noncultivator alike. By this point, Lan Qiren can agree that innocent people should not die because of selfish greed and blind prejudice. There are years of trials completed by a multisect jury. The Wen sect survives but becomes a minor sect by the time the trials and reparations are completed. Under Wen Qionglin, they focus on medicine and archery.

Wen Qionglin swears brotherhood with Wei Wuxian. It doesn't surprise Lan Qiren in the least bit. Had it been a lifetime ago, it would've infuriated him yet with all these years and direct dealings with Wen Qionglin, he respects the boy. Admires the gentleness that hides a fierce strength and sense of justice. Especially admires Wen Qing, who Lan Xichen ends up falling for and marrying. Again, had it been a lifetime ago, he would've lost his mind. Now, Lan Qiren can see Wen Qing for her genius, her directness, strictness, and her advancements in medicine.

After Lan Xichen and Wen Qing marry, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian approach Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen to ask about marriage. There is no denying them at this point because he knows that the Wei Wuxian of his previous life is nothing like this current Wei Wuxian (he is but Lan Qiren has no one to admit it to). And anyway, he knows the two will simply elope if denied.

It's several years later, when Lan Qiren finally sits Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and Lan Xichen down and tells them a story from a lifetime ago in a forgotten timeliness that may exist somewhere out there if you believe in multiple universes (not surprisingly Wei Wuxian does). They patiently listen as Lan Qiren details everything. There is silence for a long, unbearable moment when he's finished speaking.

Eventually, it's broken by a hug from Wei Wuxian, "Thank you, A-die, for giving me another chance in this life."

"I should be the one thanking you, A-Ying," Lan Qiren says softly, himself grateful for his second life.

[whetstonefires]

The reason I keep banging the Jiang Fengmian drum so hard is not that he did nothing wrong--he's definitely in contention for best parenting in this book but that bar is in the ground--but because most of the takes I see about him are so extremely bad.

If you want to slag him off for trying to make choices that would hurt no one, and winding up properly protecting no one as a result, that's valid! That's an interesting and text-based critique, which opens into his parallels with Lan Xichen!

If you want to blame him for being weirdly over-invested in Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng being bffs, that's fair, that definitely contributed to the weirdness between them. If you want to say he was a poor communicator, that he fundamentally misunderstood his son, that he failed to be emotionally available in a way his kids could get much use out of, even that he should have figured out a way to stop Yu Ziyuan from creating such a hostile environment, all of that is fair game!

If you want to tackle how the worst thing he did to his kids was die I am so interested in how Wei Wuxian went on to abandon A-Yuan by going to his death, and how that might be tied to how his primary adult role model tied him to a boat and went off to a fight he knew he was going to lose.

After his parents had already left him like that once before, presumably less intentionally.

But no, instead I keep seeing that Jiang Fengmian didn't care. That he never expressed affection. That he actively participated in Yu Ziyuan's fucky game of forcing proxy conflict onto the boys instead of constantly trying (and failing) to shut it down, or that he ignored her bad behavior because it didn't affect him, or that he fought with her constantly, or that he was too much of an unmanly coward to stand up to her when she wanted something.

All of which are directly in contradiction to every scene he's in, and several of which manage to invert or erase the actual conflicts between him and his wife that were the source of all that tension.

And which are really interesting, because some of the most intractable elements are ideological--Yu Ziyuan is fundamentally a conservative and Jiang Fengmian seems to want to be an egalitarian, which ofc matched poorly with his hereditary authority as patriarch of a large sect.

The fact that the bit where we get to actually see him failing to parent Jiang Cheng consists of him gently and firmly trying to correct Jiang Cheng's ethics when what was actually needed in that moment was reassurance for the well-founded insecurities that were causing him to be a little bitch, only for Yu Ziyuan to charge in and make everything fifty times worse, is so much more interesting than literally any version of this family dynamic I have seen in fic. It's to the point I'm relieved when writers kill Jiang Fengmian off, because it means they probably won't feel the need to character-assassinate him too badly.

The number of people I've seen come right out and say some variation of 'men can't be abused' is killing me here. No, Yu Ziyuan wanting to hurt her husband does not constitute sufficient proof that he abused her first and deserved it! That's not how anything works!

[anotherdescentintomadness]

I just had a long convo with my girlfriend about how Jin GuangYao is actually *not* evil, but just as grey as every other character in this damn story that I can’t stop thinking about. And the character as portrayed by Zhu Zanjin? MASTERFUL. I mean….

I have so much more empathy for JGY and his circumstances/choices than the first time I watched it. And most of that is due to @thatswhatsushesaid and their tireless defense of YaoYao. ❤️

Listen, Past Me watching CQL for the first time: every single character in this story makes questionable decisions and JGY’s aren’t worse than anyone else’s. No one is all right or all wrong here. And that’s what makes it so nuanced and layered and beautiful. Buckle up, Past Me, this show is going to change your life.

Hi there, I love your JGY-centered content and read it voraciously. I finished CQL for the fourth time today (watched with my mom this time, who firmly declares that she will consider all MM relationships in this show “brothers in arms” 🙄💀) and I must say, I cried my eyes out yet again at Baby JGY with his mama and the hat. The first time I watched it, I hated JGY, but that Baby JGY flashback tugged at my heart a little. I followed your account to get a new perspective on JGY, and I love hearing your takes on everything. It’s given me just what I needed to see things in a different light. About to finish a 5th watch with my dad and as of now, I think the saddest stories in this overarching narrative are XXC/SL and JGY/LXC. Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful content and the care and time you put into your answers, posts, and shares. I love your blog. Thanks again!

waaaahhhhh man I need you to know that I have been Going Thru It recently for a number of reasons, and this ask in my inbox just made my day. maybe my whole month. I'm so, so, so glad that my unhinged keymashing about our special little guy has helped to change your opinion about jin guangyao, and I absolutely agree with you re: xxc/sl and xiyao (naturally of course). the tragedy is so visceral and that's what makes revisiting their stories over and over again so compelling.

argh I'm all misty-eyed and emotional now!! tl;dr thank you for this very lovely comment!!

[thepurplewombat]

Character headcanon ask: LXC + JGY!

Okay, so it's finally cooled down enough that my computer has stopped making distressed noises whenever I turned it on, PLUS! we even have power for a few hours today, so here goes:

Lan Xichen

Sexuality Headcanon:

I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't give a lot of thought to characters' sexuality, at least not in terms of having headcanons for them. In my head, LXC is probably some flavor of bi, except that in practical terms, he's A-Yaosexual.

Gender Headcanon:

I think I've read one fic where LXC was actually a woman - not in the sense that he any flavor of trans, at least that was not the impression I got, he was biologically and emotionally a woman, but he was presenting male because of Political Reasons, and I thought that was quite interesting. But in general, I think he's a cis male.

A ship I have with said character:

Oh I don't know, I just don't know, who could I possibly ship the incomparable First Jade of Lan with - it's Jin Guangyao. Like, I'm not going to say that xiyao is canon and everyone who disagrees is wrong (even though they are) because everyone is allowed to be wrong on Beyonce's internet, but any version of Lan Xichen that isn't in love with Jin Guangyao is a Lan Xichen who is so wildly out of character to me that I just don't know what to do with him.

A BROTP I have with said character:

I think he'd get along really well with Jiang Cheng as friends - like, among the reasons that I don't think they work as romantic partners is that I think Lan Xichen would find being in a relationship with JC utterly exhausting. As a romantic partner, you feel somewhat responsible for managing your partner's moods, in a way that you don't necessarily feel the need to do in a friendship. I just think that the distance of a friendship would give him the opportunity to enjoy Jiang Cheng's cunty tendencies and temper, while not making him feel in any way responsible for managing Jiang Cheng's moods.

A NOTP I have with said character:

That being said, Jiang Cheng is not actually my NOTP for this character. I remain convinced that chengxiyao is a viable ship that just needs the right story to take off, and I'm sure that if I were to read a really good x!cheng fic, where Jin Guangyao is not demonised or erased, I would probably enjoy it.

No, my NOTP is Nie Mingjue. Mainly because I think he's an abusive jerkweed who reminds me of both my murderous ex and my late father (although to be fair to the Great Old One, he never tried to kill me) and I don't think that someone who is incapable of understanding that maybe other people have different priorities and points of view, is a good fit to be in a relationship with anyone who doesn't precisely share his values.

Oh and also Nie Huaisang. Just no. NOPE.

A random headcanon:

Not long after the end of canon, Lan Xichen disappears from his house of seclusion and is never seen again, because he's given the entire jianghu the middle finger and fucked off.

General Opinion over said character:

When I finished the book he was my favourite, and I was initially drawn into thinking more about Jin Guangyao because I was looking for stories where Lan Xichen has a happy ending, and a lot of the time, a happy ending for Lan Xicnen requires a happy ending for JGY as well. In the months since, he's been somewhat supplanted by JGY - it's not that I love him less, it's that I love JGY so much more (send help I am genuinely unwell about Jin Guangyao).

More general opinion - I think Lan Xichen should have the opportunity to go absolutely feral.

Jin Guangyao

My lovely boy, my sweet cheese, my rotten soldier, I love him so much.

Sexuality Headcanon:

I mean, canonically he loves both a man (LXC) and a woman (QS) so, bisexual?

I do think he has a complicated relationship with sex, because of his mother's profession and his father's...everything, but I think that like most of his traumas, he pushes it into a box and never ever thinks about it.

Gender Headcanon:

I think that when he was a small boy, his mother went on her knees every day and thanked all the gods and ancestors that he was a boy, because at that point she must have still hoped that JGS would come for them.

So I don't think that JGY has ever actually thought about his gender beyond 'thank the gods I wasn't born a girl'. Like, he could never allow himself to even consider anything other than being a man, because he was his mother's son, you know?

A ship I have with said character:

Xiyao. They're just so *clenches fist* I love them, your honor. Like, they just so obviously love each other - it's more obvious in CQL, but it's not exactly subtle in the novel either, and I just...my heart breaks for them and I love them so much.

I can also be convinced about Chengyao, because I think that Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao have got some things in common, and the ways in which they differ are very complementary.

A BROTP I have with said character:

I think that he and Wei Wuxian could have been great friends, if the stars had aligned properly.

A NOTP I have with said character:

Obviously it's a free internet and everyone can do what they want, but personally I can't ship my blorbo with someone who tried to murder him three times and hated him so much that even without knowing that JGY had killed him, he became a fierce corpse and escaped the grave to come after him. Just nope.

A random headcanon:

I don't think that JGY would have left the temple that night. I think he was genuinely trying, because at base he's an engine of survival, but honestly I think when push came to shove and he had to leave Lan Xichen and never see him again, I'm not sure he would have done it.

General Opinion over said character:

I love him. he's my favourite character in MDZS, and he's near the top of my list of all time favourite characters.

[hannigramislife]

Nothing confuses me like being in the mdzs fandom.

Sometimes, I feel like I misunderstand the story completely by some of the takes I see. As if my interpretations of the characters are backward completely.

Like, y'all do understand that one of the reasons Jin Guangyao never harmed Lan Xichen is because he simply never had cause to??? Lan Xichen was always in his side, but let me be absolutely clear, if he had become as much of a problem as Nie Mingjue was, I don't doubt Jin Guangyao would have sacrificed him for his personal safety as well. Not because Jin Guangyao didn't care, but because his whole thing is that he'll do what it takes to survive.

In addition, Wei Wuxian is not innocent in all that mess. He is not a misunderstood hero who was turned on because society didn't accept his cultivation ways or whatever. Wei Wuxian died because in his first life, he did what he thought was right...with absolutely no pre-planning and no care for consequences whatsoever. He never thought past his own perspective and didn't realize how his actions could affect others, and he definitely didn't realize he doesn't live in a vacuum. Lives were lost to his arrogance/ignorance.

I have other hot takes, some of which I've talked about before; like how Jiang Cheng is actually a phenomenal character, how Xue Yang's actions are the easiest to understand despite their nature, how Lan Wangji's fatal flaw is his righteousness and how Nie Mingjue did not at first judge Meng Yao due to his birth status—

However, I feel like that might be a can of worms I'm unwilling to open, battles I'm not willing to fight.

...

What remains an undisputable truth however, is that Jin Ling is the best boy, who has done nothing wrong in his life, ever—

[acequinz]

Me: lxc probably comes out of seclusion at some point to continue being the sect leader so LWJ and WWX can run around.

Also me: I hope lxc never comes out of seclusion unless there's a big big emergency and maybe passes just like his father.

[elrondsscribe]

That wasn’t me but it shoulda been!! Whoever said that was right, he IS a fantastic elf-king face-cast! Even if in temperament he’s closer to Finarfin.

Ye I love both the Lan brothers a lot and I’ve been on an LXC binge lately :)

*eyes you popping up in my notifications* omg do we have another blorbo in common?? 🤣

I'm guessing from your icon possibly Lan Xichen? If so, certainly :) I am delighted by how much attention Xichen is getting from the elf-friends. Was it you I saw yesterday saying he was their face-cast for Fingolfin? I was like 'yeah, good taste! Very fitting that he should be a Noldor High King' :)

[shanastoryteller]

Happy pride!!

Fem MXY WWX pls!!!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

They're back to riding, only a couple hours away from Jin Tower, and Wei Wuxian is happy to be off his feet, but he can't even focus on that.

He's too busy feeling desperately sad for Mo Xuanyu.

She lived as a pauper in a family that despised her, had a father that ignored her, was so lonely that she named her sword Friend, and killed herself rather than marry Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan would have been nice to her. It took him a while to warm up, but he's trying now, to do his duty as a proper husband. Which is inconvenient for Wei Wuxian, but probably would have meant the world to Mo Xuanyu.

She didn't have to die. If she'd been able to hold onto hope for just a few more days, instead of giving in to revenge and despair, then she could have lived out her life out from underneath the thumb of other people.

"Are you okay?"

He startles out of his thoughts, looking up to see Sizhui has pulled his mare up beside his and is peering at him in concern.

He forces a smile, because he's put Sizhui through enough today, and he's a good boy that doesn't deserve to be involved in any of this. The worst part about dying again is going to be leaving behind Sizhui. He's such a sweet boy who loves him so easily and he just knows that it's going to break his heart when either the cultivation or the curse mark has run its course. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just thinking."

Sizhui looks unconvinced, but nods before looking up towards the front of the procession, where Lan Xichen and Lan Zhan are talking about something while Jin Guangyao pretends to be interested. He reaches into his sleeve. "I found some of these in town when I went looking for you."

He pulls out a small bag of the sweet, spicy pepper candy that Wei Wuxian likes so much and hold it out.

"You're the best!" he says, taking the bag and also pausing to squeeze his arm in thanks, only not pulling him into a hug because he's not sure how tolerant the horses will be about it.

The food in Cloud Recesses is ass and he can't cover everything with chilli oil because the only person he'd met who liked food as spicy as he did was - well, no one. So having Mo Xuanyu like spicy food had seemed like edging a little too close to obvious.

He'd been so happy when Sizhui had brought pepper candy back for him for the first time and had sworn him to secrecy to how how much he loved them.

Wei Wuxian pops one of the candies in his mouth, sucking on it to more quickly get to the firey pops of pepper, which is his favorite.

There's about five seconds of deliciousness and then his stomach rolls with nausea. He tightens his grip, trying to ride it out, but the taste of the candy he loved turns sour and he's seriously worried he's going to hurl, which Lan Zhan would never let him hear the end of.

He spits the candy out onto the ground, rubbing at his mouth.

"Lady Xuanyu?" Sizhui asks startled. "Is - sorry, did I get the wrong one?"

"No, no, it's perfect," he assures, internally sighing in relief as his stomach starts to settle. "I guess I shouldn't eat them on an empty stomach! It ruins the flavor. Who knew?"

He's eaten them on an empty stomach a dozen times before and never had an issue.

"Okay," Sizhui says slowly. 'Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Sizhui, don't worry," he says, and means it, even though he sort of wants to cry.

The pepper candies were one of the only things he could get his hands on that he enjoyed eating, and now even that's gone?

At least the Jin go all out on the banquets.