#but it does make it kind of weird to me that people think Sizhui and Jin Ling would consider the bond between their parents

[winepresswrath]

What are your thoughts on Zhuiling? I love the ship dynamic (the grumpy, short-tempered one, always making a fuss × the calm, matured one, sweetest boi alive™ - very much like Xicheng lol) but....they're cousins.... And I know some might argue saying they're not actually related by blood but like. Neither are Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. If you consider those two as brothers then you have to acknowledge that they are cousins. You can't just pick one.

I don't really ship the juniors, and if I was going to ship the juniors I wouldn't be into Zhuiling, but why should that stop me from inflicting my thoughts on the internet at large when I have an opinion that will probably annoy everyone?

Jin Ling and Sizhui are children who were born into mess and then raised in a broader context of yet more mess. It's not that they're not biologically related, it's that they're not biologically related and also were raised apart from each other in ignorance of the multiple layers of unofficial adoption and secretly fake disownment that potentially tied them together. If you meet a cute boy as a teenager, develop a crush on him, and then find out that for about a year of his early childhood he was being raised by your dead mother's estranged foster brother (who she and your uncle loved very much and she explicitly considered to be her brother, but you were raised to think of primarily as your father's murderer), the cute boy in question has no memory of this because of fever induced early childhood amnesia, and then it turns out that said estranged maybe-uncle is dating a man who "acted as father and older brother" to the cute boy, that is simply not your problem. That is your uncle's problem, your other uncle's problem, and your prospective uncle-in-law's problem. If you and the cute boy feel it would be appropriate, under the circumstances, to consider each other cousins that's awesome and adorable. If you decide that doesn't feel right to you and you'd rather suck face, that's also fine. If you're living in some fantasy version of ancient China where (please correct me if I'm wrong, I am not an expert) it was in many times and places considered totally fine to date your mom's brother's kids, you can presumably do both if you really want to! But seriously Jin Ling and Sizhui have no obligation to live their lives in accordance with feelings a bunch of messy adults are barely capable of articulating to themselves. As far as we know Wei Wuxian has never told Sizhui out loud with his words he considers him a son! Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian have not officially conveyed to each other that they consider each other brothers! If they were too cousinish for you personally to enjoy the relationship that would be very valid and I would certainly not say you should engage with a ship that grosses you out, but as that is not the case... why wouldn't you just enjoy your ship?

[pack-the-pack]

My (likely) unpopular opnions on Mo Dao Zu Shi.

So I finished the novel, and I'll be only talking about the novel and the novel alone, not taking into consideration any of the other iterations, simply because I didn't finish any of them. This is also just my opinion and because I can't keep my thoughts to myself, so try to not take it too seriously.

!ALSO HAS SPOILERS!

1- Jin Guangyao is my favourite and I love him, I don't care what anyone has to say. I believe almost everything he said in the Guanyin temple, maybe aside from whether his child was conceived before or after he married Qin Su. But I'm inclined to believe him on that too rather than to doubt, because he really didn't seem like he liked causing harm unless he saw it as strictly necessary.

2- That said, that's mostly just going by the book. Idk how canon we're supposed to take the extras to be, but if they're indeed meant to be canon, the extra by the name of "Villainous Friend" kind of makes my love for him waver a bit. But I understand his position, he was ordered by his dad, so refusing or leaving the job half done would probably be bad for him. But dude... He could have spared some mercy for the children (but maybe that'd be a bad idea, having living proof that a grudge fuels insanity and bloodlust sitting right beside him in the form of Xue Yang. So he probably did it as insurance).

3- I still love him tho. And I still love XiYao and want a lot of fix-it fics now :((

4- Jin Guanshan died the death he deserved and A-Yao was 100% right to do it. Everyone that was like "but he was your father" in the novel can go suck a dick cause it's easy judging when you're not in his position. That goes for everything he does actually.

5- I was a bit confused about Xue Yang's end? Like did he die or not? Cause it seemed like he just lost his arm and was a bit hurt and then was swept away. If he didn't die what happened to him? We never get a follow up on that. Did I read it wrong or did he really just got yeeted out of the story never to be seen again? Idk seemed a bit weird.

5.5- I also love Yi City arc, but it makes me a bit confused on what was the point of it? It seems like it could have been skipped entirely and not much would have changed.

6- I'm not entirely sure that Wei Wuxian was actually gay or even bi for LWJ in his first life. You can boo me all you want, but I don't think there's enough information to draw a conclusion here. He could have just been really determined to bother Lan Wangji and make friends with him just because he posed a challenge, given he got rejected all the time. It wasn't really too different from his behaviour with MianMian. Just saying, reincarnation could have very well made him sort of gay, or well gayER.

7- Zizhen didn't have enough scenes, he should have appeared more and have been on those night hunts in the extras.

8- Talking about the juniors, I know a lot of people ship Jin Ling with Sizhui, and a lot of people ship Sizhui and Jinyi, and then Jinyi with Jin Ling. I say we forgo that and just throw my boy Zizhen in the mix and make them all date together. A couple of four. This way everyone gets 3 cute boyfriends. No need to choose.

9- Some of y'all be acting like the incense burner chapters killed your dog and shot your parents. Chill out. They're intense and not everyone's cup of tea, but in their essence there's nothing really wrong with them. It's clearly just two married people who trust each other pushing the bounds of their fantasies and kinks IN THEIR FUCKING DREAMS! And it isn't like they aren't both into what they're doing. Wei Wuxian is more than enthusiastic. There is like one little mishap that happens at the end of the last chapter, a matter of miscommunication and kink-negotiation mishandling, but it's solved right after it happens! Calling it true non-con is a stretch and a bit unforgiving don't you think?

10- I still don't get why Yanli was at Nightless City. She had abstained from pretty much being part of anything like that the whole book. Why all of a sudden go to Nightless City? What could she have done there? Seems a bit convenient.

11- Talking about convenient, what was that throw away line on the explanation of how Wei Wuxian started cultivating the demonic path? He just found a book???? Conveniently like that? No further explanation needed? What?

12- Nie Minjue was a self-righteous hypocritical asshole.

13- Nie Huaisang is not that much better than Jin Guangyao. He used people and did terrible things, even willing to sacrifice teenagers, just to achieve his goal.

14- There is no justice in this book. Not really. Everyone does selfish things (maybe aside from Lan Xichen, the saint) to achieve their own goals and always think themselves to be justified in their actions. To only see Jin Guangyao's crimes as bad is to ignore that everyone did bad, selfish, detrimental things. The people that got a happy ending or a bad ending didn't get them because they deserved it or due to justice. They just got it. Like Xue Yang says "there's no why, sometimes things just happen".

15- Chengmei is far too cute of a name for Xue Yang.

16- Everyone shits on Jin Guangyao, but he was legitimately a good chief cultivator. While the sects generally saw themselves as above helping on insignificant matters, he went and made projects to help the common people. He also worked hard to maintain his sect in line with an ideal of nobleness and discipline as shown by how Jin Ling says in the extras that when he was sect leader no one would be so quick to take a bribe.

17- A-Yao was ambitious, clever, hard working and yes he did love people too. He's not just bad. He had all the odds stacked against him, and even so, at least momentarily, he overcame all of it. Whether his means were justified or not is another story entirely.

18- Wei Wuxian wasn't really a great caretaker of A-Yuan. He was kind of mean and careless. He obviously didn't do it with ill intention, but he's just not the best baby sitter.

19- I don't hate Jiang Cheng for his mean remarks and hatred for Wei Wuxian and his relationship with Lan Wangji. He's just kind of stupid and emotionally constipated. He's not bad, he's just a bit ignorant. And you have to remember that these are their society's norms. He's acting in line with what he was taught.

20- Wen Qing had such a minor role in the story overall. She should have been used more.

21- Wei Wuxian is many times kind of mean to Wen Ning even tho he's so selfless and doing everything he can to protect and respect him. I don't mean it all the time, but he could be kinder to him. Wen Ning in general always gets the short end of the stick and the worse treatment undeservedly.

22- Gusu Lan could have held a little secret cerimony to officially marry wangxian and officially accepted them as cultivation partners. It would have been specially meaningful because Lan Qiren would have sort of being communicating that his Nephew's happiness holds more value to him than his hatred for Wei Wuxian and the upkeeping of sect rules and appearances. I know it's unrealistic but man it would've been nice to see.

That's it. And yea I know this is mostly me just trying to defend my A-Yao, but I regret nothing. Y'all can throw stones and boo, be my guest. This is just my opinion anyway, so you don't have to take it seriously or give a crap about it.

[drwcn]

ok but for fem!wwx au does lan zhan believe the rumours? and if so what does that mean for the whole 'i birthed him with my own body!' cause lan zhan did the maths and was like 'no it was just the once and this child is too old' but if he thinks he was just one in a line does he go back to bm after nightless city to rescue a kid he thinks is wei ying's but with another man? does he spend the three years in seclusion cursing every jin whose name he remembers as cowards only to step out, take one look at sizhui, and have an 'oh. i know why wei ying was so determined to save wen qionglin' moment???

Answer:  Haha, nah, Lan Wangji was fairly sure Sizhui wasn’t Wei Ying’s, for several reasons. One, Wen Yuan was born before the wen remnants even went to the Burial Mount. Lan Wangji saw the small child amongst the escape party that rainy night at the  concentration camp. Also, Wen Ning was several years younger than them, which would make it kind of weird if he were the dad. Before Wen Ning became the Ghost General, everyone just knew him as Wen Qing’s kid brother.  Lan Wangji, however, absolutely believed Jiang Yan to be Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian’s child even before Wei Wuxian was resurrected... 

《the midnight sun》 — 

[original], snippets [x] [x] [x] [x], other posts found under #lanyan or #midnight sun

midnight sun [snippet 7]

When Yan’er turned ten, Jiang Cheng decided it was time for her to accompany him to Cultivation Conferences. Most sect heirs began their training this way; Jiang Cheng still remembered his first time, trailing nervously in Jiang Fengmian’s wake. 

Heiresses, in comparison, were few and far between. Even head disciples were rarely girls. Jiang Wanyin had no children. His head disciple was his heiress, and his heiress was Jiang Yueqian (江月千). 

长烟一空 - when the smoke clears; 皓月千里 - the moon casts a thousand miles of light 浮光跃金 - which dances upon the water, golden 静影沉壁 - the shadow of the moon itself like jade underwater*

A jade underwater indeed.

“Shifu.”

Speaking of the devil, here she comes, walking measuredly down the long stairs of Jinlintai towards Jiang Cheng, the epitome of an obedient, filial disciple. It had only been a day and Jiang Yan already had the world fooled. Only Jiang Cheng knew how impossibly obstinate and utterly uncontrollable she was when her mind was fixed.

"Ah, Jiang-zongzhu, this is..." Spotting her, Lan Xichen glanced beyond his shoulder, the question dangling in the sentence he did not deem necessary to finish.

Unbeknownst to Lan Xichen, the child that made her way over was his niece by blood. Jiang Cheng was acutely aware that Yan'er actually resembled Lan Wangji a great deal, and despite having weighed the risks and gains against each other repeatedly before deciding to bring Jiang Yan along, now he was no longer so certain in his calculations. Lan Xichen was not a simple peasant; what if he detected a trace or a hint of her heritage between the furrow of her brows or the curve of her eyes? What if...

Jiang Cheng turned, raising an arm towards Jiang Yan, an introduction ready, but whatever words he had prepared in advance died on on his tongue when he laid eyes on the girl. Suddenly, he was no longer worried that others would suspect her to be Lan Wangji's child.

There was a red ribbon in her hair.

Yan'er stopped at a polite distance from the two older men and bowed in perfect form.

Jiang Cheng's heart stuttered violently in his chest at the sight of that red ribbon falling sideway over her small shoulder. If souls could travel, his would have left him in an instant. He stood in disincorporated panic, wrestling with the nauseating sensation of being ripped from his reality and tossed so far into the distant past that he felt whole again.

"Shifu, Lan-zongzhu." Yan'er greeted.

Shifu. Lan-zongzhu. In another world, another life, she would not need to be so formal. She could easily bound up to them, carefree, cooing jiujiu and bobo and ask to be bailed out from whatever trouble she caused.

Instead, he was only her shifu, and Lan Xichen, a stranger in her life. It would be laughable, if fate had not dealt them each such a wretched hand.

Jiang Cheng stepped towards her. “Where did you get this?” 

Jiang Yan looked up in surprise, her hand reaching up and making an aborted motion to touch the red ribbon in her hair.

“Qin-shenshen gave it to me. Is it not nice?” 

Qin Su. Jiang swallowed down a sigh of relief. Earlier, the Jin servants had sent word that Jin-fu'ren had baked treats for Jin Ling, and the boy had wasted no time dragging his favourite person - his Yan'er jiejie - to his aunt's place with him. Clearly, Qin Su had seized the opportunity to dote on the girl in place of the daughter she never had. Qin Su meant well. She couldn't have known. She's never even met Wei Wuxian.

In this state, Jiang Cheng could barely bring himself to look at his disciple, but he forced himself nonetheless to kneel and tuck an errant strand of baby hair behind her ear. “Very pretty.” 

Yan'er smiled.

Jiang Cheng could cry.

They'd been lucky thus far. Yunmeng's Jiang-xiao-guniang was born a taciturn girl who did not like to smile or laugh, not even when she was expected to for polite society. Whether she was happy or sad, one would be hard pressed to tell. Only in front of her master Jiang Cheng or her Jin Ling-didi did she elect to reveal the full expanse of her emotions. Yet, whenever Jiang Cheng bore witness to that smile as warm and incandescent as sunlight, he could not help but shudder somewhere deep. Recalling the radiant days of years gone by, he could still see - every time he closed his eyes - his er-shijie smiling at him in the very same fashion.

Aiyo, Jiang Cheng ~

So...they'd been very lucky thus far, that Yan'er was not so like her mother in that way, not so free and generous with her smiles. Or else this devastating secret —Wei Wuxian's only wish — would not be able to withstand the test of time.

"Very pretty, Yan'er." He reaffirmed. "Did you thank Jin-furen?"

"I did."

Jiang Cheng stood and turned back to face Lan Xichen, and realized they were being joined by two others: Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji. The latter of two stared directly down at Jiang Yan, visibly stricken and unblinking, as though he'd just seen a ghost. After all, he had often been on the receiving end of that signature smile once upon a time. It was probably not a smile he'd ever expected to see again in this life.

In hindsight, perhaps Jiang Cheng should have made Yan'er wear her uniform like all the other disciples instead of her favourite indigo robes.

“Ah, Wangji, shufu -” Lan Xichen was quick to react, sensing animosity brewing in the disquiet that stretched taut between his younger brother and his fellow sect master. "Jiang-zongzhu, perhaps you would introduce us?"

The First Jade smiled kindly down at Yan'er. She returned his kindness with a polite nod.

Lan Wangji finally dragged his gaze up to meet Jiang Cheng's, a rarity since their violent parting at Nevernight. The venerated Hanguang-jun had developed a habit of pretending that Jiang Wanyin of Lotus Pier did not exist at all. He probably preferred, dreamed of it even, if Jiang Cheng had been one to fall of the cliff that day. He probably hated himself for not shoving him into the molten abyss when he could to avenge the love of his life.

Love. What did Lan Wangji know of love? Jiang Cheng sneered inwardly. One did not compromise one's love and abandon her, ill and with child, to bleed out alone in a cave tainted by demonic spirits.

One did not watch idly as one's love and her people are reduced to ashes for the power and greed of men either....

Jiang Cheng buried the offending thought, too familiar with Wen Qing's ghost that still haunted him in his moments of weakness. Without breaking gaze, he laid a hand on the crown of Jiang Yan's head and said, "This is my first disciple, Jiang Yan, Jiang Yueqian."

"Yueqian greets Zewu-jun, Lan-lao-xiansheng, Hanguang-jun."

Jiang Cheng watched as the icy fire within Lan Wangji's eyes flicker, fizzle, and extinguish entirely. Jiang Cheng's vague silence had allowed him the space to make his assumptions, and he had assumed the most insane explanation.

Is it so difficult for you, wondered Jiang Cheng. To believe that she could be yours? So impossible, that you would choose to doubt Wei Wuxian instead?

Fine.

Hanguang-jun. The venerated Second Jade of Gusu. That's all you'll ever be. Yan'er will never call you Father.

Jiang Cheng decided he had spent enough time today making nice. "Zewu-jun, it's getting late. If nothing else, I will be taking my leave. The conference continues tomorrow. I will see you then. Yan'er, come."

Yan'er bowed again to the senior cultivators, perfectly well-mannered. A dash of surprise crossed those bright eyes, however, when Jiang Cheng took her hand to lead her away. She followed wordlessly, trusting him, and did not look back once at the Lans she left behind.

Now that Yan'er was out in society, there would surely be rumours. No matter. Rumours were nothing Jiang Wanyin could not withstand. How ironic, indeed, that this was to be his lot in life.

For the first time, Jiang Cheng felt he could understand his father.

Note:

The poem is from the Song dynasty, by poet 范仲淹 from his work 《岳阳楼记》

Jiang Cheng of course is also working off a lot of assumptions about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's relationship. He has his reasons for hating and blaming Lan Wangji, but not all the blame is deserved.

[wangxianficrecs]

❤️The One-Body Problem by metisket

❤️The One-Body Problem

by metisket

T, 29k, lan jingyi & wei wuxian, wangxian

[PODFIC] The One-Body Problem by SeaNoodle

Summary:  The good news is that Lan Jingyi has found a mentor, friend, and constant companion through the difficulties in life.

The bad news is that that’s because he’s been accidentally possessed by the Yiling Patriarch.

My comments:  ohmygod ohmygawd, I spent too much of this story just... laughing out loud and disturbing my cat and my husband. It's a HOOT. the combo of Jingyi and wwx (self-acclaimed shit-stirrers) is just pure effervescence. Of course, there's tons of tragedy, as a matter of fact, ljy gets all of wwx's horrific, tragic life second-hand and spends a good bit of time crying because SAD and it just makes him more determined to make him happy. But. His brain-roommate is dead, so hooking him up with lwj is right out.

They're just, an adorable team and Sizhui goes with it, and it's a partnership ljy is honestly happy to have last forever, but maybe a year is all he'll get....

This is such a favorite. I love it to bits: Lan Jingyi and Wei Wuxian, two of my favorite people.

Excerpt 1:  When Jingyi sleeps, so does the Yiling Patriarch, because apparently they really are sharing Jingyi’s brain in some weird way. That freaks the Yiling Patriarch out, but Jingyi’s not unreasonably tired or headachy or anything, so he decides not to be bothered.

The Yiling Patriarch can also do that “nap” thing, where he blips out totally for a while—though he has to be awake to do it, which seems weird. He says it’s like he’s hiding in a cabinet in Jingyi’s mind. Jingyi didn’t know he had cabinets in his mind. He’s learning all sorts of stuff lately.

…Theoretically he could shove the Yiling Patriarch into the cabinet himself, but he thinks that thought very quietly, and doesn’t plan to do it ever. So far the Yiling Patriarch’s been a very pleasant brain guest. Unless he loses it and goes on an unprovoked murder rampage, Jingyi has no intention of sending him to brain prison.

All things considered, it could be much worse. Like, what if the Yiling Patriarch really was the way he’s painted in class? Man, Jingyi’s body would be a puppet and he’d just be floating in jelly forever.

Excerpt 2:  “Is he ordering you to say that?” Zewu-jun asks, still with the suspicion.

“He’s been begging me not to say a single thing I’ve said so far, actually.” Jingyi hesitates. “Well, that was true at first. Now he’s just kind of crying from embarrassment in the back of my head.”

Zewu-jun’s mouth does a weird thing like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or scream.

“Anyway, he’s a giant mess who can’t admit to his own emotions and has all the self-esteem of seaweed,” Jingyi explains, ignoring Sizhui’s judgmental sigh. “They sure don’t teach you that about the Yiling Patriarch.”

Hey, seaweed might have great self-esteem. You don’t know.

Jingyi wonders if you can perform an exorcism on yourself by banging your head against a wall for a while.

sharing a body, lan jingyi & wei wuxian, humor, really really funny, sharing a brain cell, possession, light angst, ghost wei wuxian, (sort of), friendship, lan sizhui is the best friend, lan sizhui is the best boy, wei wuxian’s avuncular powers, matchmaking, oblivious wei wuxian, lan jingyi & lan sizhui, adorable juniors, teacher wei wuxian, happy ending, feel good fic, fic for a bad day, podfic available, favorite, @metisket

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

[veliseraptor]

CQL Characters Rated by Their Stress Levels

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “Lan Wangji smiling at Wei Wuxian” and 10 being “Lan Xichen at Guanyin Temple.”

Lan Wangji: Varies wildly over the course of the series; see @howpeacefulislwj for detailed rundown. The roundup post averages his peacefulness at 4.2/10. Generally speaking, stress levels middling, between 3/10 and 5/10 with some extreme highs, pretty much all Wei Wuxian related.

Wei Wuxian: One of those people where you’re like “god I hate him, everything’s so easy for him and he can do everything better than me, it’s the worst, how the fuck does he do it” and then years later you find out that he had an epic burnout and dropped off the face of the earth for sixteen years because actually it wasn’t that easy he just made it look that way. 

I mean, he starts the series at about a 5/10 general state (he’s managing a lot but handling it okay) and basically escalates to a relatively consistent 9 or 10/10 for most of the stretch from the Burial Mounds through to his dying. Someone should make a @howpeacefuliswwx chart, I’d be curious to see his average.

Jiang Cheng: Has been existing in a constant low-level state of stress since late childhood and only grows over time. The calmest I think we ever see him is when he’s holding a bunny and other than that it’s mostly downhill. I worry about him getting ulcers sometimes. 8/10.

Jiang Yanli: Jiang Yanli is so used to being stressed that she barely even registers it any more. What do you mean, most people don’t raise two other children when they are also a child? What do you mean, most people take breaks from supporting others to help themselves? Weird. If she was thinking about it she’d be at a 8 or 9/10 but since she’s so accustomed to this way of life that it just feels totally normal she’s more like a 4 or a 5. 

Jiang Fengmian: Avoids being more stressed by generally avoiding his problems, which is one way to deal with it but doesn’t really end up working out most of the time. 3/10.

Yu Ziyuan: Resides somewhere in the vicinity of 5/10 stress levels, 11/10 rage levels, and when the stress levels get above 5 then everyone else’s stress levels better be hitting the roof.

Lan Xichen: Lan Xichen would probably be relatively unstressed if life didn’t consistently come crashing through his relatively chill vibes. Lan Xichen on a good day is, like, 3/10, handling pretty well, but when things start going wrong around him then he pretty quickly hits critical stress levels and will do drastic things to resolve that, such as convincing Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao to set aside their near-murder differences and swear brotherhood, which will definitely work out absolutely fine. Ends up averaging closer to 8/10 because things keep going wrong around him.

Lan Qiren: He’d be fine if his entire family didn’t insist on causing him problems, constantly. Handling it surprisingly well, all things considered. Still 6/10 though.

Nie Mingjue: I mean, does spend a large chunk of time steadily inching toward a qi deviation? That on its own is pretty stressful and also he just seems like generally a high blood pressure sort of person. But the qi deviation inducing saber is definitely not, like, helping. Putting him at a roughly 6 or 7/10 with a median level that just keeps inching slowly upward.

Nie Huaisang: Actually less stressed than you’d expect given how flighty he seems to be! Even when plotting revenge is less “stressed” than “determined.” Pretty good at keeping himself calm most of the time. Generally sits at a stress level of 4/10 or so with a few significant exceptions.

Jin Guangyao: Very stressed all of the time. He has a lot to be stressed about! Between the various complexes and the tendency toward paranoia, Jin Guangyao is definitely among the most stressed in a room at any given time, while doing his best to convey otherwise. But seriously, look at this smile. Does that look like the smile of a serene man to you? 10/10.

Jin Zixuan: You know those high-strung racehorses that sometimes get spooked by, like, a shadow on the ground? That’s Jin Zixuan. Mostly manages to mask his constant low-level “AHHHHH” with a layer of arrogance and/or social awkwardness that looks like arrogance, but it’s there, in the background. 7/10.

Jin Zixun: Shielded from the general Jin neuroses by being an asshole. It’s not fair, but there you are. 3/10 because he does seem to have some inferiority complex issues going on, but that’s not the same thing as stress.

Jin Guangshan: Deserves to be a lot more stressed than he is. Alas, is confident enough to not be terribly stressed. 2/10.

Mianmian: So you know how cheetahs are very panicky animals and so they often in zoos get paired with dogs who will help them figure out that this situation is safe and they don’t need to panic? I feel like Mianmian is Jin Zixuan’s stress meter in their friendship. She will let him know when to be stressed! Because she is not going to spook at her own shadow. Has a sense of reasonable responses to stressors and knows how to remove herself from a bad situation when necessary. Generally a 5/10 because the inherent stress of existing in the Jin Sect is a real thing. 

Wen Qing: It’s hard to be the most competent person in the room most of the time who spends most of her time in very politically precarious positions and with her or her brother’s life at least sort of in danger! Pretty up there for “most stressed” candidates. She’s really having a time of it. Generally hovers around an 8/10.

Wen Ning: Generally not stressed, at least not in the traditional way. Is distressed a lot, but not so much stressed. Ends up at roughly 4/10.

Wen Chao: Like Jin Zixun, gets somewhat shielded from stress by being an unrepentant asshole, though his end of life 11/10 stress via Wei Wuxian kind of makes up for the rest. Averages more of a 2/10 most of the time, though? I don’t think we can let that relatively brief period skew the scale too much.

Wen Ruohan: Does “magic induced losing your mind” count as stress? I mean, he has a pretty stressful job even before that, but he doesn’t project “stress” so much as “incipient madness” during the period where we actually see him doing things. Not sure what rating to give here. It seems like he’s kind of on a different scale.

Wang Lingjao: For the most part seems to manage to get by relatively stress-free, up until things start going completely to shit and she gets haunted to death. Generally closer to a 2 or 3/10, because life as a servant ascended to mistress in a strictly hierarchical society is inherently a wee bit stressful.

Wen Zhuliu: Too sick of this shit and not getting paid enough to really stress out about it. 1/10.

Lan Sizhui: One of those people who manages to appear serene and calm all the time but mostly has just gotten used to functioning at a higher level of stress and therefore can pass for calm even when he is having an Experience of it, which makes his stress levels kind of hard to gauge. But I’d put him at a relatively consistent 6/10.

Lan Jingyi: Wouldn’t call him stressed exactly but he’s definitely very high energy. Kind of gives off the vibes of a very energetic dog who would be stressed if you didn’t keep him busy, but mostly (because I feel like Gusu Lan Sect is pretty good at keeping him busy) hovers around a 2 or 3/10. 

Jin Ling: I feel like Jin Ling isn’t stressed most of the time up until the actual events of CQL itself, where he is both very stressed and very confused almost constantly from the time he first runs into Wei Xuanyu, and it only goes downhill from there. So covering the events of the show I’m going to put him at a 7/10, because he does manage to deal with some wild things with some equanamity and makes it all the way to episode forty-five without breaking down sobbing.

Ouyang Zizhen: Seems like a sensitive soul but doesn’t give off the impression of carrying around a lot of stress, at least not from what we see of him. Probably the chillest of the junior quartet, tbh. Gonna give him a 2/10.

Xiao Xingchen: For most of his life Xiao Xingchen manages his stress very well! He’s actually surprisingly chill. Gets significantly more stressed, understandably, after Xue Yang engineers his no good very bad breakup (the first one) with Song Lan. But in general not that stressed! It is actually part of why he doesn’t handle the stress when it comes very well. He’s not used to it and he only had one pair of eyes to sacrifice. In general a 3/10.

Song Lan: Makes up for Xiao Xingchen’s relatively low stress levels by picking up on the stress for both of them. Still chiller than a lot of people on this list, though, but there’s a lot of very stressed people in this show, so. 5/10.

Xue Yang: Manages his stress by making everyone else very stressed, on purpose. If he’s having a bad day he’ll go and make someone else have a worse day and it helps. At least until there’s a dead Xiao Xingchen and then nothing helps! But as a rule exists at a general 2/10 and honestly he deserves it.

A-Qing: Her life is inherently stressful because she is a street kid trying to make it in a world that is not very friendly to people with no structure supporting them, but she manages to bear it pretty well on the whole. Still, it’s hard being a-Qing. She just makes it look easy. Probably a 4 or 5/10.

Sect Leader Yao: He’s not stressed, but he’s very good at making everyone around him stressed every time he opens his mouth. His presence is a +2 to stress for everyone in his vicinity with the exception of Sect Leader Ouyang, who is for some reason immune. 0/10.

[farmerlan]

A guide to commonly used honorifics in 魔道祖师/The Untamed

OK - so, I’ve actually seen some confusion floating around on specific honorifics commonly used in 魔道祖师 and I figured I will put a post up to address some of this - especially the situations when they get used. Hopefully it’ll be helpful for fic writers or whoever else out there that’s getting turned around by the various translations.

As with most of Chinese vernacular, there’s a TON of similar, but different situations in which it may be permissible to use certain titles/honorifics, so bear in mind this is not an exhaustive guide. Also, I don’t have a PhD in Chinese honorifics or anything, I’m just a Chinese person that watches/reads a fair amount of historical dramas. So if I missed anything/if there was anything that was kind of unclear in the novel or drama, feel free to let me know!

公子 / gongzi/ master

Let’s start with the hardest so I can get this out of the way. You will see this translated in a variety of different ways - master, young master, sir...and they are all correct! Congratulations, you’ve hit the jackpot - depending on the situation, gongzi can be a whole hodgepodge of things.

Master: The most commonly used version in MDZS. This is a separate meaning of master from some of the honorifics discussed below - it is specifically used to address either:

Your literal master if you are a servant in the household

A somebody from a distinguished household in a polite way

General honorific: Gongzi can also be used between strangers/acquaintances as a respectful term. Gongzi is, in some ways, an indicator of respect of the other person’s status. So oftentimes you’ll find two young masters from different sects referring to each other as gongzi politely, but you wouldn’t find two beggars on the street calling each other that. and it’s usually used to address someone younger or a similar age as you. If you‘re talking to someone who is clearly your senior, use 前辈 or 先生.

Because it has the connotation of youth and aristocracy associated with it, oftentimes innkeepers/sellers may use gongzi to address male customers  (particularly youthful men) because it’s a bit more flattering. Kind of like how the modern day shopkeeper calls you ‘美女’ (beauty) or even ‘亲爱的’（my dear - IDK when this started becoming a thing but if you do any online shopping on Taobao you know what I’m talking about) in China. They don’t actually think you’re beautiful/feel affection for you, it’s just a way of addressing the customer to make you feel good about yourself HA. It’s nice to be called gongzi even if you’re not actually a noble.

There’s variants of this - 小公子/ xiaogongzi is typically young master, although I think some translations just directly use the young master for gongzi. It can also mean the younger master if there is an older sibling in question here (e.g. Wen Chao was referred to as 温小公子 as he was the younger son), although you can also use 二公子 （second master), as many do when referring to Lan Wangji. It sounds a little less juvenile.

This term is used for guys - I would say the female equivalent could be 千金/ qianjin or 小姐 /xiaojie.

宗主 / zongzhu/ sect leader

This can only refer to the sect leader - it is a title, and it is passed down. There is typically only one sect leader at any one time, and his eldest male heir will be the successive leader of the sect. I’m going to take this chance to clear up some misconceptions:

Unless Lan Xichen bears no male heirs before his death, Lan Wangji will not succeed him. Lan Sizhui, given that he is not a Lan by birth, will likely never be the Lan sect leader. Yes yes, we all know he’s the adoptive son, but adoptive means literally nothing in the progenical world of Chinese history. Plus, he’s not even the adoptive son of Lan Xichen, so he is a long, long way down from ever being sect leader unless he forms his own, which he would likely never because that’s kind of like betraying your family.

On that same topic, Nie Huaisang succeeded Nie Mingjue because Nie Mingjue died without an heir and Nie Huaisang was the closest blood relative.

For the Jin sect, the succession would have been Jin Guangshan -> Jin Zixuan -> Jin Ling. (y’all I wrote here that it was Jin Zixun first in line but I totally blanked that he was actually a cousin and NOT the son of JGS so ignore that LOL) Since Jin Zixuan died, it became Jin Guangyao - Jin Ling is next in line as he is of the next generation and too young at that time to rule. Honestly, if Jin Ling was older at the time of Jin Zixuan’s death and if this was a Chinese historical palace drama, there would probably be some serious internal political intrigue going on as Jin Guangyao’s claim over the seat would arguably be weaker than Jin Ling’s since he is illegitimate.

For the Jiang sect, Jiang Cheng is the heir even though Jiang Yanli is older because he is male. The question of who will inherit his seat (a very valid question given his luck with dating, although I am sure someone somewhere will eventually warm the prickly cockles of his heart) remains open. IMO there is a less than zero chance that Jin Ling succeeds him unless Jiang Cheng specifically demands for it, but he likely wouldn’t because he is all about decorum and also it would put Jin Ling in an incredibly difficult situation, which is the last thing he would want for his nephew. If he doesn’t end up producing heirs, the seat will likely go to whomever he names as successor, even if non-blood related - maybe the current head disciple.

With that said, although there were generally established rules for succession, actual Chinese history (like all of history) often played out very differently (e.g. Emperor Kangxi stripped crown prince Yinreng of his right to succeed and appointed Yinzhen (Yongzheng), who was the fourth surviving prince, as his successor) so really, even if you were to base sect succession off imperial succession traditions, you could still make the argument that anything goes as long as you have the right people in your corner. HA.

老祖/ laozu/ grandmaster/forefather

I mean, I think grandmaster is probably a fair translation of laozu, which, to be honest, is a harder honorific to translate. It’s definitely influenced by Taoism and not very common at all, but it’s likely derived from Hongjun Laozu (鸿钧老祖), who was a deity and teacher. It does NOT only stand for a senior teacher/master however, because 祖 itself has ancestral connotations, so I think I would personally translate this as forefather. IMO, it’s really only fair to use this on Wei Wuxian and/or originators of a certain branch of study in the MDZS universe - I would consider laozu as the term of respect afforded to people who were pioneers in their fields/sects.

In that sense, Lan Qiren is NOT the grandmaster of the Lan sect. He is an elder - a very respected elder that was basically interim sect leader, but in terms of official title, technically, Lan Xichen could pull rank on him, but he likely wouldn’t unless pressed to because he is also Lan Xichen’s elder.

前辈 / qianbei/ senior/elder

This is kind of an in-between term to politely refer to someone who is your senior, but with whom you really have no formal affiliation with. Unlike 先生, it’s also unisex. A related term is 长辈 /zhangbei, but that is used for people whom you have familial/closer ties with - like an uncle, or someone within your own sect.

师父/师尊/ shifu/shizun / master

Your teacher/master, but not in the servant-master context. Someone who mentors you for years - in the xianxia/wuxia culture, this is a pretty special term because most disciples will only ever belong to one sect and will only ever have one master, and everyone else is a qianbei. The disciple has to ‘拜师’ (to formally request this relationship) and the master also has to ‘收徒’ (to formally accept disciples). So a lot of people went to Yiling in an attempt to 拜师, but Wei Wuxian never did 收徒.

In the wuxia/xianxia context, shifu is technically unisex even though 父 in itself is a male-centric term, although female masters might be more commonly referred to by the gender-neutral shizun instead.

Now that I think about it, shifu doesn’t actually appear in MDZS. Lan Wangji calls Lan Qiren 叔父 /shufu, which is completely different. It means uncle (father’s younger brother, to be exact lol), since that is their relationship.

老头/ laotou/ old man

Wei Wuxian uses this to address Lan Qiren behind his back. It literally just means old man, haha. It’s informal but not a term you would use to refer to someone who is close to you/whom you like, but not exactly a term that is insulting or derogatory, although in Lan Qiren’s case, it is irreverent because it is ill-fitting for the relationship that Wei Wuxian and Lan Qiren have. Meant to be used on men, usually for women it would be 老婆婆/ laopopo (NOT THE SAME as 老婆/ laopo, which means wife. Welcome to the weird wonderful world of the Chinese language!)

师弟/哥/兄/姐/妹/ shi di/ge/xiong/jie/mei/ younger brother/ older brother/ another variant of older brother/ older sister/ younger sister

NOT TO BE USED FOR YOUR ACTUAL FAMILY. This is in the context of the sect only. Your fellow disciples, but with varying levels of seniority. Familial honorifics are a whole different thing.

In the context of the sect, who you call your shidi/ge etc. is usually NOT based on age - it is based on someone’s seniority within the sect. If you have been in the sect/under your master’s tutelage for longer, you are the senior, even if you are younger in age.

With that, I think the novel states that both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are similar in age, so it is actually incredibly hard to determine if the author deliberately went against this convention and Wei Wuxian calls Jiang Cheng shidi because he is genuinely younger than Wei Wuxian, or if it is simply because Wei Wuxian is the head disciple of the sect (and therefore, technically, everyone is his shidi). I actually think it might be the former because he refers to Jiang Yanli as shijie, although now that I think about it, it might be the latter...as a reflection of the level of admiration Wei Wuxian has for Jiang Yanli WOAH.

(Fun fact: there’s a scene in the novel in Yi city where Wei Wuxian was silently weirded out that Xiao Xingchen referred to him as ‘qianbei’ - because Xiao Xingchen is his mother’s shidi, which makes him Wei Wuxian’s senior, but then he quickly realizes it’s because he’s talking to Xue Yang and not Xiao Xingchen.)

先生 /xiansheng/ mister/sir/teacher

In present day, this is literally the most vanilla term you can use to politely address a guy. Can be a stranger, or an acquaintance you want to politely address. Usually older than you, although if you’re both similar in age and you’re not really familiar with each other, you might still use it just to err on the side of caution. In xianxia/ancient China, this is usually used more like ‘teacher/sir’ to address an elder. It’s more scholastic in its implication and less generic than qianbei.

In the Lan sect, by crowd definition, 先生 refers to Lan Qiren unless otherwise stated, which makes sense and shows the amount of respect he is afforded in the sect.

夫人 / furen/ wife/madam

A term of respect for typically older women, or can also be used to refer to one’s wife.

Lastly, let me just add that this is just something that’s meant to be helpful for people as they work through the series - at the end of the day, it’s all fictional/xianxia itself as a genre is fantasy so if you need to subvert any one of the generally held succession traditions or whatnot in order to make your fic work, go!!! Do it!!!

[sunarntarou]

okay but can we talk about a buzzfeed unsolved au-- juniors edition

The juniors start a youtube channel called Cultivation: Untamed

They investigate famous cultivation incidents rumored to be the result of demonic cultivation

It starts as a mini-series of episodes to debunk myths about the yiling patriarch. But then it grows from there

They start researching more incidents and decide to debunk those too

Their channel gains traction, and soon they have their own little corner of the internet

No one dares to say they can't do it because they have way too many Famous People backing them

The energy of them going to haunted places? Unparalleled.

Zizhen: I’ve connected the dots. Jingyi: you didn't connect shit. Zizhen: I’ve connected them

Fairy is their mascot. They bring Fairy with them and inevitably get scared whenever he starts barking at nothing.

Jingyi is adamant that he is not scared at all. “hey there demons, it’s me, ya boy”. He talks big game of making fun of spirits until the flashlight starts blinking. 

Jin Ling is also very loudly not scared, fuck off. He covers his fear with anger in true Jiang Cheng form. “fuck you, goatman, this is my bridge now!!” and he always brings Fairy with him because Fairy is the bestest boy not because he’s scared or anything, of course not

Zizhen is scared, yeah, but less likely to get spooked because he spends less time pretending he’s not spooked. “don’t try it, demons,” he says, pulling out the holy water gun. 

Sizhui is the only one actually chill about the whole thing. Listen, he grew up in the Burial Mounds, it doesn’t get anymore haunted than that. “we’re here for the cult stuff”. He thinks this is a great way of spreading information to the general population on how to deal with this stuff.

Wen Ning is the Adult Supervision and also the camera man

Yanli and Jin Zixuan always comment under the videos things like "love the video A-Ling!!" "So proud!!"

They're definitely old souls who don't know how to use the internet. Jin Zixuan does that weird old person punctuation with lots of periods. The only time they can ever be found online is when they comment under the videos. 

The juniors get permission to investigate the unclean realm because Nie Huaisang is a huge fan. It's the highest production quality video. Nie Huaisang funds it

Sometimes Wei Wuxian guest stars to give "expert advice"

Lan Zhan was in one episode, but only because Wei Ying forgot his flute and Lan Zhan was bringing it to him

No one in the video acknowledges the fact that the Chief Cultivator is there. Someone in the comments section: That's Hanguang-Jun in the background 

Jin Ling: This ain't about him

The comments are just "Hanguang-Jun!" " is that Hanguang-Jun?" "omg that totally is Hanguang-Jun" and the Lan juniors are like "we should see if Hanguang-Jun would be a video. everyone seems to love him" and Jin Ling's like "no because that will take the focus off of the point of the video. it's supposed to be about us" and the juniors are like yeah you're right. Jingyi definitely isn't salty they agreed with Jin Ling, what are you talking about?

Lan Zhan still keeps appearing in the background in like blurry shots because Wei Ying keeps forgetting his flute or his talisman or Sizhui needs something from home or Jingyi forgot to bring batteries for the camera, etc. And they still refuse to officially acknowledge it. So, he becomes kind of a cryptid in the videos

Viewers make compilations of all the blurry screencaps of Lan Zhan in the background. They're obsessed. It's become a whole thing in the cultivation: unsolved fandom

Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng, who once had to drive the juniors to a distant sect and had vowed never to be a part of this again, barges in the filming to bring Jin Ling his little bell because "knowing you, you'll go and do empathy even though i told you not to, but when do you ever listen to me. it's too risky for you to be doing Jin Ling, and if i see a video fo you doing it again, i'll break your legs. so take the bell, but i better not see you using it"

Fans go apeshit.

They're like "omfg jiang wanyin!!" "omg he's a legend" "he's so hot" etc.

There ends up being a whole Lan Zhan vs Jiang Cheng discourse in the fandom. The juniors are like how did it even come to this? Hanguang-Jun and jiang wanyin don't have anything to do with the show??

The comments blow up, and it goes viral. Jin Ling gets into fights on Twitter because that's his uncle!!!! stop saying stuff about his uncle!!!! Its gross!!!!! And no, the bell is a very serious cultivation instrument!!!!!

Jingyi makes buttons with "team Jiang Cheng" and "team Lan Wangji" as merch.

Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng get into the discourse in the sense that while they think it's stupid, it's also something they can be petty about.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian is trying to get the fans to obsess over him. It's not working

The juniors are just trying to get their channel back to normal, but what even is normal? They can't remember a time before the Lan Wangji vs Jiang Cheng war. It feels like it's been years. It's been two days

No one believes Wei Wuxian is Wei Wuxian. Everyone thinks he's doing cosplay. “Ofc that's not the yiling patriarch that's crazy.” “The ribbon isn't even in the right color, jesus.”

They're like "they think just because they got Hanguang-Jun on the show that we're going to believe that's Wei Wuxian? nice try. we all know he's your guys's uncle so obviously he's going to pretend this guy is Wei Wuxian if you tell him to"

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian is doing all his Yiling Patriarch tricks on the show, trying to get people to believe him. Finally they do believe he's the real Wei Wuxian, but only after he's in an episode with Fairy and nearly faints

The comments are like "yep. that's definitely Wei Wuxian" "no one could fake utter terror that convincingly" "he definitely peed his pants. that's Wei Wuxian"

Wei Wuxian laments to Lan Wangji that his fear of dogs, his fear of dogs, is the reason people believe it's actually him now? how embarrassing

But now Wei Wuxian is a sensation in the fandom. Gifs and photos of him being scared of the dog are now widespread. 

Jingyi and Jin Ling make merch of it together. It's the first time they've been civil since the whole Hanguang-Jun thing started. Zizhen makes one of those remixes of Wei Wuxian screaming in fright. Sizhui (reluctantly) accompanies it on his guqin

It spreads beyond the fandom. He's now more famous than Lan Wangji vs Jiang Cheng. But at what cost?

Buzzfeed makes a compilation of "20 times the Yiling Patriarch nearly fainted." Jiang Cheng sends him links to every article about it sometimes 

Jingyi will just smirk at him and Wei Wuxian knows he's thinking of the memes

A merch mug appears in the Jingshi but neither Lan Wangji nor Lan Sizhui admit to shit

Lan Qiren has no idea what's happening, but he gets one mug too. Just because it makes Wei Wuxian go apoplectic. 

Lan Qiren smiles at Jingyi once in passing

He also plays the remix in the background on an almost silent volume. Wei Wuxian can't tell where it's coming from. It's driving him crazy. Lan Qiren thinks this might be what finally makes Wei Wuxian leave Cloud Recesses. 

Lan Qiren makes Zizhen an honorary lan disciple. No one knows why. It's because of the remix

Jin ling isn't jealous about that, of course not

One time, Jin Ling visits Cloud Recesses with Fairy. Wei Wuxian is suddenly nowhere to be found. Lan Qiren makes Jin Ling and honorary Lan disciple and tells him to visit whenever he wants

Jiang Cheng hears about it and immediately adopts all of them as Jiang disciples and Wei Wuxian just to one up Cloud Recesses

After all this shit goes down, if people hadn't heard of Cultivation: Untamed before, they sure have now.

[stiltonbasket]

For the renouncement verse I’d love to see a continuation of the one with Xichen and Lan Qiren, with pregnant-with-a-girl wwx being gently coerced to be lazy for once in his life by, apparently, the entire lan clan

(author’s note: double prompt this time! and please please reblog if you can, since that’s how we get prompts for future chapters!)

Anon 2: helloooo for the renouncement verse, do you have anything during wei ying's pregnancy, like lwj fretting over wwx bc i feel that wwx would still do crazy experiments even whille he's pregnant?

__

Wei Wuxian is not particularly good at sitting still.

In fact, everyone who knew him at Lotus Pier when he was a child—and everyone he met at the Cloud Recesses, too—knows that he prefers scaling little cliffs and swimming and climbing trees to resting, even under a physician’s orders; and that never really changed until the last four years of his first life, which were riddled with barely-hidden illness after the loss of his golden core.

But his resurrection returned him to full health, and full strength, so that even the strange fits of nausea that began soon after his wedding (which Wei Wuxian naturally blamed on the bland cuisine of his married home) turned out to be a baby instead of some weird kind of mountain plague. Lan Zhan hasn’t been worrying any less since they found out about the little one, of course—if anything, he seems to be worrying more—but the point is that Wei Wuxian is well into his fourth month, which means that his sensitive stomach is back to normal again, along with his dislike for staying in bed.

And since Wei Wuxian is only with child instead of actually sick, why would he stay in bed when he could be up and causing trouble? He wouldn’t, and he won’t, which is why he cheerfully disregards all of Lan Xichen’s warnings about rest and spends the fifth day after the healers give them the news experimenting in the jishi.

With fire talismans.

And smokescreens.

And a great many other things that horrify Lan Zhan past the point of speech when he comes crashing into the workshop, and get Wei Wuxian bundled right back into bed with Xiao-Yu keeping watch to ensure that he remains there.

(He also set the jishi’s chimney on fire, which was probably why his husband broke the door down instead of lifting the locking talisman, now that he thinks about it.)

“You cannot take such risks,” Lan Zhan says hoarsely, cradling Wei Wuxian’s flushed face in his hands and pressing their brows together. “Wei Ying, xingan, anything could have happened if you had breathed in the smoke, or if you grew lightheaded while the door was locked, you—my darling, please, please leave such dangerous things for after the baby is born. It is not safe for either of you.”

“It was only a little fire,” Wei Wuxian protests, before Lan Zhan leans in and presses a fervent kiss to his lips. “And I had purification talismans in the room to keep the air clean, anyway. I’m fine.”

“Suppose they had failed?” his husband counters, tracing the curve of his cheek with a finger that shakes so much that Wei Wuxian nearly bursts into tears at the sight of it. “Suppose the fire spread from the hearth, and you could not put it out in time? What would I have done then, Wei Ying, with my heart’s beloved and my child in danger?”

“Well, I suppose...”

“No more experiments,” Lan Zhan tells him. “At least none that you cannot safely perform in the jingshi with Xiao-Yu and myself close by. Please, sweetheart.”

Wei Wuxian promises to stay out of his workroom, since he still hasn’t quite worked out how to say no to Lan Zhan yet; but he does refuse to keep off his feet, because that suggestion comes from Lan Xichen instead of Lan Zhan.

“Find something safe for me to do, then!” he complains. “I’m not an invalid, Xichen-ge! In fact, I feel stronger than ever. I’m going to go swimming tomorrow, just wait—”

“You will do no such thing!” Lan Xichen cries, horrified. “Suppose you catch cold? It is nearly winter, a fever of the lungs this late in the year could kill you!”

And then he tells Lan Zhan, the traitor, and gets Wei Wuxian banned from entering any body of water except for Zewu-jun’s hot spring until the baby arrives. He isn’t even supposed to bathe there without supervision, because the warm water might make him dizzy enough to drown without someone there to watch him even if it does wash the tension out of his back and shoulders.

Even Lan Qiren seems to be determined to keep both Wei Wuxian and the little one in the best of health, which he discovers when he stalks over to his uncle-in-law’s house in the sixth month to tell him that Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen are being tyrants.

“I’m not allowed to mess around in the jishi anymore,” Wei Wuxian grouses, counting on his fingers as Lan Qiren sighs and fills up his plate with braised pork and plenty of healthy greens, seasoned strongly enough that even Wei Wuxian wouldn’t mind eating a full serving of them. “I’m not allowed to go swimming—” and here Lan Qiren pours him a cup of sweet soymilk and pushes the dish of warm potatoes closer to Wei Wuxian’s side of the table— “and I can’t even teach anymore, since I lost my balance and sprained my wrist in the lanshi just one time!”

“You are heavier than you used to be,” the older man observes. “If you had not caught yourself in time, the fall could have seriously hurt you, let alone the baby.”

Wei Wuxian lays his head down on the table—as well as he can, that is, with the baby in the way—and groans. “I know,” he says, aggrieved. “It’s not that I want to put us in danger, but I’m so bored, and I have to be useful somehow.”

Lan Qiren freezes with a cup of tea halfway to his lips. “Useful?”

“I’m the Chief Cultivator’s husband, xiansheng. I can’t just sit around doing nothing,” Wei Wuxian huffs. “If I can’t work on my talismans, and I can’t teach, and Zewu-jun won’t let me do any of the sect work because he’s afraid I’ll get tired, what can I do?”

The teacup thumps back onto the table with a sharp clattering sound. “Wei Ying. Nephew, that is enough. I will hear no more of this.”

Wei Wuxian lifts his head in surprise. “Ah?”

“You are not here to be useful,” Lan Qiren says severely. “We are your family, and this is your home, and you may do whatever you please in it. Have you been so poorly treated here that you must sit here before me, scarcely three months from your confinement, and fret about doing nothing when you ought to be resting and preparing for the child’s arrival? Because I will have words with Wangji if so, make no mistake, and—”

“Lan-xiansheng, no!” Wei Wuxian cries. “That’s not what I mean, it’s just…”

He has the rest of the denial on the tip of his tongue, but a tear rolls down his nose and plops onto the steaming lotus roots before he can say anything. 

It hardly makes sense to him at first, because he truly does love tinkering with spells and talismans in his workshop, making cultivation as accessible to people without golden cores as he can, and he loves teaching the baby disciples and going on night-hunts with his own faithful little flock of juniors; but his body has made its exhaustion very clear in the past several weeks, and sometimes all he wants to do is curl up in Lan Zhan’s arms and sleep the day away with his childrens’ voices keeping him company from the next room. 

And Lan Zhan wants him to rest and let him dote on him more than anything, so why does Wei Wuxian keep fighting it?

“It’s not his fault,” he murmurs, dimly aware that the plate of hot-and-sour potatoes looks suspiciously damp. “It’s just… me, I guess.”

“Eat your food,” Lan Qiren tells him, sounding suspiciously gentle as he puts a sweet bean cake into Wei Wuxian’s bowl. “And make sure you finish your tea, I put strengthening herbs in it.”

__

His uncle-in-law comes back to the jingshi with him after lunch, along with Lan Xichen, and the three of them have a very long talk with Lan Zhan while Sizhui and Jingyi babysit Xiao-Yu; Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren offer him and Lan Zhan advice, and Lan Zhan pulls Wei Wuxian into his lap and comforts him without bothering about the impropriety of it, until he can finally nod off to sleep when the two of them are alone again. 

“I’m really not a bother to you, Lan Zhan?” he whispers, tucking his face against his husband’s chest and listening to his heartbeat. “You don’t—mind, that I can’t do very much with this baby?”

“No, never,” Lan Zhan chokes. “Wei Ying, why didn’t you just tell me you were feeling this way? You cannot imagine how much I want—how I need—”

“Need what?”

“Let me look after you, sweetheart,” his husband pleads. “Let me look after you both. Give me the privilege of satisfying my beloved’s every wish, and soothing your fears when your heart is heavy, and keeping you and our little one well. Please, xingan?”

(Upon further reflection, perhaps it is a good thing that he never learned to say no to Lan Zhan, after all.)

[ibijau]

How to woo a Lan pt2 / On AO3

Jin Ling takes a walk with his dog, reminisces on the past, and gets a brilliant idea

It took Jin Ling the better part of two weeks to remember the idea he had nearly had that night, after he’d accidentally insulted Lan Sizhui. He’d just been so busy that entire time, with more problems arising from that haunting they’d dealt with (Jin Ling had to write to Wei Wuxian, who in turn sent word to the person who had initially reached out to them). Then there had been councils, and bills for a change, and some trouble with a disciple who’d tried to take advantage of his position to harass some girls in town, and just about a billion more things that had kept Jin Ling impossibly busy.

Even that particular afternoon when the idea returned to him, Jin Ling was supposed to be working. He was trying to see if there was any way to reorganise the way Lanling Jin was run so certain people who had profited a little too much from Jin Guangyao’s less savoury decisions would be pushed aside, and that meant gathering a lot of proof of their suspected corruption (bills, mostly. It always came back to bills. Jin Ling was in hell). Jin Ling was trying his best, and he’d been very serious all morning, but by lunch time he had a raging headache and decided he deserved at least a little bit of fun.

The most fun Jin Ling could think of having on a bad day was to spend time with Fairy, so he went to get her. The poor old girl barked happily at him when he came near her pen, and ran around him for a few minutes when he freed her. The man in charge of Lanling Jin’s spiritual dogs wanted to order her to stop and behave, but dared not to so when Jin Ling himself was delighted by his dog’s happiness. So what if Fairy wasn’t always as serious as expected? She was a good girl who had more than proven she knew how to behave when it was really important. Other people might say she was spoiled, but they said the same about Jin Ling anyway, so at least they were well matched.

When Fairy had calmed down, Jin Ling went out into the gardens with her, figuring they could both use the chance to stretch their legs. While walking, he gave her orders in and there, just so he could say he was training her, should anyone bother him. But in all honesty, he just wanted to relax a little and have fun with the one friend he had who didn’t care that he always said the wrong thing.

Although their walk didn’t have any particular aim, Jin Ling soon realised that they seemed to be heading toward the aviary. He hesitated for a moment, fearful Fairy might scare the birds, before deciding it would be excellent training. A good spiritual dog had to know how to ignore distractions… and Jin Ling liked the birds well enough, if only because he’d heard his father used to keep some, back in the days. Jin Zixuan, he’d heard some people whisper when they thought he couldn't hear, had been the sort of person more at ease with animals than people. Nobody would actually say it directly, but Jin Ling strongly suspected that he’d inherited his people’s skill from his father... though at least Jin Zixuan had been universally liked in spite of it, or so he'd been told. Jin Ling wasn't so lucky.

It was nice, in the aviary. A little noisy, sure, and the smell took some getting used to, but it was very quiet and there was rarely anyone there these days. Jin Guangyao hadn’t been very keen on animals, so he had kept only enough birds to show status, and the person in charge of those birds had other tasks to keep them busy, so the aviary was often empty of any humans. It had made it a good hiding place, when Jin Ling had been younger and slightly more temperamental than he currently was.

When Fairy started whining and growling at the birds, Jin Ling ordered her to stay put and continued walking alone among the cages.

He used to hide in that place a lot, back in the days. There were a few good spots, like between those two high cages… Jin Ling remembered getting in that little dark space when he wanted to avoid all adults, and sitting among the birds for a shichen or two until everybody was too worried over his disappearance to think of scolding him anymore. And he wasn’t the only one who had noticed what a good hiding place the aviary was, because one time…

Jin Ling gasped as the memory returned to him.

He’d been… ten, maybe eleven at most. Jin Ling couldn’t remember what trouble he’d caused that time, but Jin Guangyao had been particularly cross because they’d had guests, and Jin Ling had been his usual temperamental self, but in front of a whole bunch of sect leaders. Except Jin Ling hadn’t meant to cause a scene (he rarely did, even then) so he’d been upset at being scolded so harshly when he didn’t understand what the big deal had been… and he’d run away after shouting something awful about hating his uncle.

The aviary had been a good place to hide, as it so often was. Jin Ling had gotten into his nice little dark spot unseen, and prepared himself to wait however long it would take for everyone to calm down about what happened.

After a little while, two people had entered the aviary. Jin Ling hadn’t seen their faces right away, but cold sweat had run down his back when he’d recognised their voices.

“I really don’t think Jin Ling will have run here,” he’d heard Lan Xichen say in a very odd tone, quite different from the usual way he spoke.

“Really?” Nie Huaisang had replied, half laughing. “But I think it’s worth checking anyway, gege.”

Lan Xichen had laughed too. A real laugh, not just something polite.

It had been so odd to hear those two laugh, Jin Ling recalled. Back then, Lan Xichen had barely seemed like a real person to his childish mind. He was the mighty Zewu-Jun, practically an immortal already, aloof and always calm, and he didn’t just laugh like that. As for Nie Huaisang, he was always sad and pitiful, nothing at all like this laughing and teasing young man Jin Ling could hear but not quite see at that point.

Jin Ling had hesitated to leave his hiding spot to check if it really was them, or demons having taken their form… but if it was them he would have been punished, and if it was demons they’d have eaten him, so staying hidden had seemed more prudent.

He’d heard movement then, the rustling of fabric, and Lan Xichen gasping.

“Huaisang, not here,” Lan Xichen had said, trying and failing to sound scolding. “If someone were to come…”

“No one ever does,” Nie Huaisang had retorted. “I know, I used to come hide here when da-ge dragged me to conferences. It’s just us, gege, and I haven’t seen you in so long…”

“We’re meant to look for Jin Ling, A-Sang,” Lan Xichen had complained, sounding almost whiny.

Nie Huaisang had laughed again, and now he was coming into view for Jin Ling.

It might have been better to not see that, Jin Ling had thought at the time.

Because what he’d seen, then, was Nie Huaisang smiling widely, walking backward, pulling Lan Xichen by the collar. And Lan Xichen, who surely could have resisted if he hadn’t liked this, was following willingly, eagerly even, his eyes burning until he suddenly grabbed Nie Huaisang by the waist and he…

And they…

Jin Ling remembered crying out in surprise.

He hadn’t been used to adults kissing, or anyone at all really. His uncles had both taught him to be careful about showing affection, because of his status as sect heir, and they’d both made it clear to him that only married people should kiss.

Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang weren’t married, Jin Ling had known that. He hadn’t always paid enough attention to the lives of grown-ups around him, but Lan Xichen had been in Jinlin Tai all the time, and Jin Ling had heard both Jin Guangyao and Qin Su offer to help their friend find himself a suitable bride. They’d also offered the same to Nie Huaisang, and talked sometimes between them of how it might help lift the permanent gloominess of character that had taken over him since his brother’s death.

“Oh, shit,” he’d heard Nie Huaisang say, and somehow that had been the last drop for Jin Ling who had broken into tears.

It had taken Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang great effort to get him to calm down, and more still to convince him to get out of his hiding spot. But by that point they’d been back to their normal selves, Nie Huaisang a pitiful, panicky mess, Lan Xichen radiating calm to the point it became contagious.

“Jin Ling, will you do me a favour?” Lan Xichen had asked when the little boy had been standing in front of him. “What you saw just now… can you keep it a secret?”

Jin Ling had hesitated, still sniffling a little.

“It’s forbidden to do that,” Jin Ling had said, remembering his weird bastard uncle, the one they’d kicked out some years before. “Only married people can, and two boys won’t marry. Are you going to be punished if I tell on you?”

“Cut-sleeves aren’t allowed in Jinlin Tai?” Nie Huaisang had gasped, going from pitiful to angry until Lan Xichen motioned for him to calm down.

“There was an incident a while ago, that Mo Xuanyu boy,” Lan Xichen had explained to his friend, before looking back at Jin Ling. “But Mo Xuanyu wasn’t punished because he liked boys, it was for being forceful about it. You understand the difference, A-Ling, don’t you?” Jin Ling had nodded, more to please that kind man than out of real understanding. “You are a good boy. To answer your question… no, we wouldn’t be punished, not really. But it would make some people unhappy, and we need more time to prepare for that. You understand, right?”

“Like when I break something and I don’t want to admit it right away, but if I calm down then I can tell jiujiu or shushu?”

Lan Xichen had nodded, smiling so gently that Jin Ling had been a little flustered.

Come to think of it, he’d always been a little weak to that kind smile the reallygood Lan had. So weak that he had promised to keep Lan Xichen’s secret, and had done so for years now, never thinking much about it again, never catching any sign of these two being more than friends. Maybe it had just been a fling between them, and that was why they hadn’t wanted to go public about it.

Considering everything that had happened, Jin Ling hoped for them that it had never been serious.

Still, as he walked among birds and reminisced about that incident, Jin Ling finally remembered that idea he’d very nearly had two weeks before: if he wanted to seduce a Lan, he needed the help of someone who had done it before. This meant either Wei Wuxian, who was awful and unbearable and hadn’t realised Lan Wangji liked him until Jin Guangyao told him while holding him captive, or…

Or Nie Huaisang, who hadn’t seemed to be having any trouble figuring out on his own how to get a Lan to like him, judging by what had happened some years before.

With the beginning of a plan forming at last, Jin Ling returned to Fairy's side to give her all the petting she deserved. If his hunch was the right one, then he'd be even busier than before in the weeks to come, so better give his dog a lot of affection while he could.

[guqin-and-flute]

Inane child argument of the week heard between Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui, and Jin Ling: whose uncle has the best fashion sense. There is Much Dissention.

Return of the Uncle Rankings

Lan Wangji gets docked a ton of points from both Jin Ling AND Lan Jingyi because he wears just white. Sorry, A-Yuan, they’re nice robes but he never changes them up. I know it’s a Lan thing, but we can accessorize! Okay, fine, yes, he has interesting textures sometimes and some of his stuff has more structured shoulders. Yeah, sure, extra bonus points because his hairpiece is tall.  5/10

Lan Xichen is very fashionable, they can all agree and has the best hairpieces. Very elegant, lots of different looks, lots of blue and silver, some white. Generally has soft fabric, very nice. Awesome sleeves, great to hide in, though sometimes they are close fitting and that versatility gets him extra points.  10/10

Jin Zixuan isn’t actually as fancy as a lot of the other Jin people. His belts are small, his robes are monochrome and they’re always gold and his hairpieces are really plain. Oh my Gods, Jin Ling, I’m not saying they’re bad I’m just saying that he never--yeah, I agreed Uncle Wangji never changed it up, but you’re not really one to talk! Stop whining! At least he’s shiny! Okay, fine his sword is very fancy! 5/10

Jin Guangyao knows how to accessorize. Yes, the hat counts as an accessory!  Okay, he definitely gets points for the scabbard belt, that’s the coolest. He does cool layering things with colors, sometimes with white or gold or that cool seafoam one. Usually has nice embroidery and he does change it up between white and cream and gold. His robes always kind of make him look a little small--stop hitting me, I wasn’t insulting him, he’s my uncle! I was just saying!! 7/10

Mo Xuanyu always does cool things with color on his face. Some grownups think it’s weird but A-Yuan thinks it’s cool. Well...we’re not going to argue with that. His robes are sort of plain and uninspired, though. 3/10

Nie Mingjue always looks like his shoulders are going to eat someone and that’s always very cool. His braids are always neat and elaborate and have great ornaments. He has lots of shiny embroidery and has grey and black and green and gold and silver. Plus his sabre is g i g a n t i c. Good layering, good fit, very intimidating. Extra points for fancy epaulets. 10/10

Nie Huaisang arguably changes up the colors the most and sometimes wears light colors and sometimes dark, so extra points for that. Lots of patterns, lots of colors, sometimes shiny, sometimes not. Also has fancy Nie braids, which are always very cool. Use of fan instead of sabre is very confusing and not as cool as his brother’s Baxia, even if they are fancy fans. 7/10

Jiang Cheng does have some really cool outfits. Like, really cool. Lots of gold and blue and purple and teal, lots of textures, lots of patterns, always very different. Very dramatic, just like him--well he is, you can’t say he’s not! Just like Jin Guangyao’s sword belt, having Zidian as jewelry is inspired. Sometimes he has bracers and sometimes he has giant sleeves, we like versatility. None of his outfits look as comfy as Lan Xichen’s, but they are always very interesting to look at and sort of give you something to look at while he’s yelling at you. 10/10

~Post-WWX return~

Wei Wuxian sure wears a lot of black but, boy does he know how to wear it. Always has close sleeves, which is an interesting choice. Accents of red or purple or gold always make an impact amid black. Simple silhouette, nice use of textures, likes to change up shape of the layers, but wouldn’t it get so hot in the sun? Chenqing is cool and creepy. He doesn’t wear any fancy headpieces, really, and that’s a bummer. I’m not saying it’s, bad, Sizhui, I’m just saying a ribbon is kind of plain. No, I know it’s a statement piece! I’m just saying-- 8/10

[gusu-emilu]

To Sit Outside Your Door

Ship: Jiang Cheng / Wen Ning

Rated M, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Non-Explicit Sex, Feelings of Inadequacy, Demisexual Jiang Cheng

read on AO3 or on Tumblr below

* * *

The progress of Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning's relationship has been slow.

Too slow, Jiang Cheng is afraid.

Despite the time that has passed, everything still feels new. Jiang Cheng still feels uncertain of himself every time he sees Wen Ning, still struggles to believe that despite the mistakes he made in the past, Wen Ning actually...cares about him.

And although nearly everyone knows Wen Ning is living near in Lotus Pier and has been gifted his own personal garden, Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning have made no public display of their status. Jiang Cheng would feel less guilty about that if he could just manage to be more affectionate privately.

It seems like Wen Ning is always the one initiating, and it eats at him.

Wen Ning will slip into Jiang Cheng's quarters while he is standing at his bookshelf sifting through the titles, and Wen Ning will give him that look that means he's waiting for approval. So Jiang Cheng will blush and nod, and Wen Ning will wrap his arms around him, rest his head on Jiang Cheng's shoulder and smile smugly while Jiang Cheng tries and fails to continue sorting through his bookshelf.

On walks together at night, when they stop to look out at the lake and no one is around, Wen Ning will give another of those looks, and Jiang Cheng will let him intertwine their hands. Suddenly it'll be hard for him to start a new conversation, so Wen Ning will just mumble softly about what he's done during the day.

Even when they sleep together, it's always Wen Ning who comes to his room, always Wen Ning who asks, always Wen Ning who is the first to slide off a layer of clothing or lean over to kiss or huddle close for them to rest in each other's arms.

And despite all of Wen Ning's asking, spoken or unspoken, he seems to know not to ask to have sex.

After all, Jiang Cheng can barely initiate the small things. He just...freezes up. Gets nervous. Wen Ning must know not to push him.

But it's not like Jiang Cheng isn't trying. And he does get better at it eventually. The first time he is the one to suddenly lean in and kiss Wen Ning during a lull in the conversation, and Wen Ning is so surprised he can barely stammer out a response, Jiang Cheng swells with pride and warmth and, dang, maybe he's been missing out. He could get used to this. Normally it's Wen Ning making him speechless and then gently teasing him about it. It's...kind of nice to be on the other end. Not easier. But nice.

They progress a bit more, privately and publicly, and now sometimes when they go to the night market in the town near Lotus Pier, the villagers will see them with their shoulders touching, or see Wen Ning place his hand on Jiang Cheng's arm (one time it was the small of his back, and Jiang Cheng blushed so hard and shot him such a look of panic that Wen Ning had to hold in his laughter and decided not to try that in public again).

So, although it's going slow, Jiang Cheng thinks he's getting better at this whole...relationship thing. He still feels utterly inadequate, but maybe a bit less than before. And Wen Ning doesn't seem to mind the slow pace. In fact, he insists that he doesn't mind, says that he never expected to have a relationship like this because of what he is now (and then Jiang Cheng grumpily reminds Wen Ning that he is a who, not a what), so Wen Ning is already beyond satisfied with anything Jiang Cheng has to offer.

Of course, that doesn't stop the nagging voice of inadequacy.

In fact, Jiang Cheng is growing frustrated with himself recently. He's started having thoughts he hasn't had about anyone before. Urges, even. He is sure Wen Ning has them too, but Wen Ning has not asked to do anything more than sleep together half-naked, and Jiang Cheng is still not at the point where he can ask for even that much, despite wanting it every time anyway.

More days pass, and finally Jiang Cheng feels like he might be ready. He wants Wen Ning in a way that is more than just someone to talk to about sect politics and nephews and childhood stories, or someone to kiss in a boat on the lotus lake, or someone to curl up next to at night. For once, he will be the one to ask for a new step in the relationship.

He just needs to work up the courage.

Surprisingly, he gets it from the juniors, of all people.

It happens on a night hunt when he overhears one of their conversations. Jin Ling is absent, as he has some clan business to deal with, and Wen Ning is off visiting Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, so Jiang Cheng is left by himself to watch over the remaining three juniors. (After all, Lan Sizhui is now just as much Jiang Cheng's kid as Jin Ling is, although Jiang Cheng would never admit that beyond a few words.)

From what he overhears, apparently Lan Jingyi has a girl he is interested in and is looking for relationship advice. Why he is asking about something so frivolous on a night hunt, Jiang Cheng has no idea, but the hunt has been boring enough that he lets it slide. Besides, he's not supposed to be hearing this anyway.

Ouyang Zizhen immediately goes into romantic mode (he read a poem about this exact situation!) and tells Lan Jingyi that he should find out what the girl likes and ask her on a date full of things that will make her happy.

"But what if I get it wrong?" Lan Jingyi complains. "It's all just guesswork!"

"If she returns your feelings," Lan Sizhui tells him, "she'll appreciate your effort, no matter whether the date is perfect or not. If the relationship is meant to happen, it will be you she truly cares about, not what happens on the date. She would be happy that you've decided to come forward with your feelings."

Upon hearing that, Jiang Cheng just...sinks farther into the underbrush and tucks the words away for later, furiously denying to himself that he is taking advice from children.

The next day, Jiang Cheng finds some time in between his work to do a bit of...ahem...research. This isn't something he's thought about before. But if he is going to do this, then goddammit he's going to do it well. By the time he's finished his surreptitious research session, his palms are a bit sweaty and his face is a bit pink, but he might have a handle on how this is all supposed to go.

Then he sees Wen Ning carrying cargo for a villager and looking incredibly sexy while doing it (he's just carrying crates, why does he look like that?), and Jiang Cheng is sent hurtling back to square one.

Didn't Wen Ning used to be awkward and nervous when he was younger? Why does he always seem so steady and sure of himself?

Jiang Cheng decides to focus on what he knows he can do right. He knows which stories from his childhood make Wen Ning laugh (he's an awful storyteller—they always come out stilted and unembellished, but for some reason Wen Ning likes them), he knows which candles Wen Ning thinks are pretty (those stupid ones shaped like flowers), he knows which of his night robes Wen Ning thinks look best (he wishes he didn't, but Wen Ning is a bit too bold about sharing the little things he enjoys and it drives him insane).

He also knows that he can catch Wen Ning at sunset in his garden where he usually checks on the plants before going inside, and that if he follows Wen Ning to his quarters and hesitates in the hallway before letting him close the door...he will definitely come to Jiang Cheng's room later that night.

So Jiang Cheng gets all of those things ready.

And sure enough, Wen Ning shows up at his room. A bit earlier than usual.

What Jiang Cheng doesn't know is how to stop his nerves from jumping at every movement, but Wen Ning is nothing if not a calming presence (when he wants to be), so it's...okay. So far.

Wen Ning is in the middle of telling an animated story about a ghost sighting during his visit with Wei Wuxian, and there is one part that is apparently so important that Wen Ning needs to stand up and act it out. He's in the center of Jiang Cheng's room, smiling and making stiff, oversized gestures, and it's such a bizarre combination of endearing and awkward and attractive that Jiang Cheng can't focus on the story anymore.

Suddenly Jiang Cheng realizes that he's on his feet. Wen Ning stops and blinks at him questioningly.

And Jiang Cheng just...stands there. Staring at Wen Ning. Heart racing. He looks like an idiot, he's sure of it.

By some grace of the gods, Wen Ning doesn't seem to find it weird. Instead he steps forward and wraps his arms around Jiang Cheng and gives him a kiss that is much too short. "You interrupted me," Wen Ning says.

"...I know that." Wen Ning gives him a smirk that is just barely teasing, and it ignites something inside Jiang Cheng. "Got a problem with it?"

Wen Ning grips him tighter. "I do." He gives one of those looks, waiting for approval, and once he finds it he kisses Jiang Cheng again. This kiss is much longer, soon becomes much rougher. Jiang Cheng matches it, and suddenly everything feels a lot easier. This is like he has something to fight. He knows how to fight.

They kiss until Jiang Cheng is short of breath—which isn't fair, because Wen Ning never gets short of breath—and soon they wind up on the bed, Jiang Cheng on his back and Wen Ning straddling him.

Once Wen Ning pulls away and looks down, his hair slightly messy and falling onto Jiang Cheng's chest, where his hands are now wandering and sending shivers through Jiang Cheng's body, suddenly everything feels a lot more difficult again.

The farthest they usually go after this is to take off some of their robes and kiss longer and eventually settle down to cuddle.

How can he ask for more?

Can he even give more?

Wen Ning leans down and kisses him again, this time soft and slow and gentle, like he has a secret he is passing through Jiang Cheng's lips. When he pulls away, his expression becomes hazy, as if he is lost. His eyes focus on Jiang Cheng's lips.

He cups the side of Jiang Cheng's face, the pressure from his fingers unsettlingly light, sending a tingle all the way down Jiang Cheng's neck. Slowly, he traces his thumb over Jiang Cheng's lips.

By the time he lifts his thumb, Jiang Cheng wants to melt into the mattress and disappear. Or maybe jump up and run away.

Actually, he wants Wen Ning to do it again.

And Wen Ning does, gently brushing his lips a second time. Heat surges through Jiang Cheng, and he catches Wen Ning's thumb between his teeth.

Wen Ning's eyes widen. He freezes.

This is—this is—holy shit why did he do this Wen Ning's fucking thumb is in his mouth—

In a split second, Jiang Cheng's mind functions enough for him to realize he has two choices: let go, or do something more. It does not seem like he is going to be able to rely on Wen Ning to take the next step this time, because Wen Ning actually looks broken. He's staring down at Jiang Cheng with a mixture of terror and amazement, his lips twitching, his free hand pressing firmer into Jiang Cheng's chest, his fingers starting to dig into Jiang Cheng's robes.

A voice at the back of Jiang Cheng's mind tells him that this next move might very well get him killed—if not by Wen Ning, then definitely by his own heart malfunctioning—but he can't stop himself. He runs his tongue over the pad of Wen Ning's thumb.

A short gasp escapes Wen Ning. "Don't do that," he whispers.

Maybe the months of Wen Ning's gentle teasing has finally gotten to Jiang Cheng, or maybe he has a death wish, or maybe he is just possessed, but he runs his tongue over a longer path this time.

Wen Ning jerks his hand away. Jiang Cheng's heart is pounding. This feels like the calm before the storm, as Wen Ning glances back and forth between his hand and Jiang Cheng, his expression beginning to harden.

"I said not to do that." Wen Ning's voice is shaking.

Jiang Cheng swallows.

A sharp jolt as Jiang Cheng's back is shoved deeper into the mattress. Wen Ning has him pinned by the shoulders. "Tell me to stop."

Jiang Cheng bites his lower lip in as he stares up at Wen Ning, their gazes locked. There is a hunger in Wen Ning's eyes he has never seen before. He doesn't know if he is enough to satisfy it.

"Tell me to stop now."

"I'll decide when you stop," Jiang Cheng says through his teeth.

Wen Ning's eyes round, and suddenly his expression softens, the pressure on Jiang Cheng's shoulders lightened. "You...you will?"

Jiang Cheng's gut sinks. This is the part he didn't want to get to.

A strained tension returns to Wen Ning's face as he grips Jiang Cheng's shoulders tighter. "Then...then ask me start."

"Do I look like a beggar to you?" Jiang Cheng's nerves are at the point of snapping, adrenaline coursing through him. He would rather try to strangle Wen Ning than ask for this.

Wen Ning leans farther over him. His voice is stern. "If you don't tell me to start, I won't do anything."

Jiang Cheng was already hard before this point. Now his cock is throbbing. His breath is heavy. "Fuck you."

The curtain of silky black hair slowly falls on Jiang Cheng's chest and neck as Wen Ning lowers, drawing close to the side of Jiang Cheng's face. His lips just barely brush in front of Jiang Cheng's ear, softly stroking his cheek as if Wen Ning is mouthing words, but no sound comes out.

Finally, his voice a tangled breath, he whispers into Jiang Cheng's skin, "What does that mean?"

There is no way out. No alternative. He knows how stubborn Wen Ning can be.

He shuts his eyes tight. "...Fuck me."

With a sudden force, Wen Ning grabs Jiang Cheng's wrists and pins them to the bed, then buries his face in Jiang Cheng's neck, scrapes his teeth all the way down to his collarbone. Climbs back up to Jiang Cheng's lips and kisses him while fumbling with his robes, beginning to open them.

They've barely started, and Jiang Cheng is already overwhelmed, each touch sending a rush through him. Wen Ning seems to want to do everything at the same time, and Jiang Cheng feels a pang of guilt as he wonders how long Wen Ning waited for this.

That thought is wiped away when Wen Ning lifts up from Jiang Cheng and begins carefully untying his robes, glancing into Jiang Cheng's eyes once in a while as if to check that he can continue. Meanwhile Jiang Cheng does his best to avoid Wen Ning's eyes.

Once Jiang Cheng is fully naked, his already-obvious erection plain to see, while Wen Ning is still clothed, he realizes that this really was a death wish. His entire body is burning.

Wen Ning strokes his cheek, trails his hand all the way down his torso, comes to a pause. "I'll be right back." He hesitates, then gets up from the bed and disappears.

The wait is agonizing. If Jiang Cheng's body was on fire before, now he feels like he is slowly freezing into ice as he lies on his back, alone, mind racing.

When Wen Ning returns, there is a small bottle in his hand, and his robes are...gone.

Well, fuck.

It's not like Jiang Cheng hasn't seen Wen Ning shirtless before. He has.

But now he can see how the black veins stretch over his lower abdominals, over his hips, like dark trails begging Jiang Cheng to dig his fingers into them, and he can see how Wen Ning is bigger than he expected...

The rest goes surprisingly smoothly. Wen Ning tells Jiang Cheng exactly what to do (which sends Jiang Cheng's thoughts wild with the implication that Wen Ning might have experience?), and Jiang Cheng manages some garbled noise of assent at each step.

The one problem is that they're facing each other, and Jiang Cheng doesn't know if he can handle being this seen for much longer.

"You feel so good," Wen Ning murmurs.

Jiang Cheng's breath gets stuck in his throat, and he makes a noise that definitely does not sound like a sect leader.

Wen Ning runs his hands along Jiang Cheng's sides, his chest, his hips. There is a deepness in his eyes, and Jiang Cheng feels like he is being pulled into it. "I...I like how you feel."

He sounds so sincere that it sends a rush of warmth from Jiang Cheng's face to his fingertips to his cock and nearly sends him over the edge.

He instantly flushes with embarrassment. He can't come already, they've barely even started—

Wen Ning slows his movements, almost pausing, and opens his mouth as if he is going to say something else.

"Shut up," Jiang Cheng snaps.

"You're—"

"Shut up."

"You're so perfect—"

Jiang Cheng's cock throbs. His face is on fire. "Shut up and get on with it!"

Wen Ning does not get on with it. Instead, he just stares at Jiang Cheng, the corners of his lips turning up into a smirk.

"Don't fucking smile at me!" Wen Ning's smirk grows wider, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Jiang Cheng can't take it. He hides his face in his hands. "Goddammit, Wen Ning!"

He feels Wen Ning dotting kisses over his stomach. He presses his hands harder against his face and shuts his eyes tight.

The rest is...fucking good. Sometimes Wen Ning says a few more things that make him want to go hide at the bottom of the lake, but thankfully he only uses them sparingly, and at last both of them are spent.

They lie on their sides facing each other, long-held tension released from Jiang Cheng's muscles and his eyes beginning to close with the lingering weight of release. Wen Ning tucks a strand of hair behind Jiang Cheng's ear. "I like seeing you this way, when you're tired. Relaxed."

"Stop looking at me."

A soft laugh. "Okay." He scooches closer and places his hand behind Jiang Cheng's head, gently guiding him forward to curl up in Wen Ning's arms.

"...That was...nice."

"I think so too." Wen Ning hugs him tighter. "I'm glad we could share this."

Jiang Cheng melts farther into his embrace and closes his eyes.

"You know...I'm happy whether we do this or not."

Jiang Cheng pulls away to meet his eyes.

"Really." Wen Ning's gaze is gentle. "Even if we never did, I'd still be happy."

A smile tugs at Jiang Cheng's lips. He buries his face in Wen Ning's chest to hide it. "We...could do it again. Maybe. Sometime."

"Only if you want to," Wen Ning says softly. "Just holding you is more than enough already."

He pulls Wen Ning closer.

Enough.

He might not feel this way tomorrow, but right now...he might believe it.

* * *

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this story, you can be a supportive sibling like Jiang Yanli by visiting me on AO3!

[tangledinmdzs]

you belong to me, junior quartet hcs

junior quartet soulmate headcanons (modern au)

these are a bit long, but i hope you all don’t mind (also i hope you won’t mind the little formatting things i’m working on hehe)

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Lan Sizhui

the timer

the moment that Lan Sizhui met you, he knew that you would be someone important to him

when his parents had become friendly with the family down the street and had introduced him to your smiling face, there was no turning back from there

he’d always adored you, long before the timer appeared on your 12th birthdays

and even after that, when the craze of estimates and soulmate countdowns swept through your school he still felt the same lingering ease of being beside you

Sizhui was fine with the mystery of the very big digits on his timer but you had been curious and had dragged him along on the estimation and soulmate guiding journeys that all the kids were crazy about

with some math, he figured out that his timer was set for only 6 more years from now, when he would turn 18.

you were more than jealous, because you had to wait a whole 4 years after him, destined to meet your soulmate at 22

“ahh that means it could be anyone in high school! you’re going to have your first love be your soulmate! that’s so romantic” and you would go on and on and on about all of that, young love and such things

he’d just laugh at you but let you immerse yourself in whatever you wanted to your heart’s content

high school years pass and go like a short rainstorm. 

you and Sizhui grow up together, laughter together, stay together despite all the world’s turbulences

Sizhui doesn’t meet anyone that stays longer than a week, even as his time drops day by day

the years pass by faster than you would imagine and on a wintery January morning, Sizhui wakes up on his 18th birthday to notice that his timer is counting down hours instead of days.

he’s a little shocked, a little scared

what if he met/was destined with a complete stranger

could that happen?

the smallest part of him hopes that isn’t the case

and then that small part of him is reassured by the fact that he would at least be spending some part of the day with you

out of the many traditions that you both have made, you always promised to celebrate each other’s birthday together

the little cute gifs and texts won’t cut it

just the thought of you eases his anxiousness and he anticipates the night that you guys have together

but as the evening gets later and you show no sign of showing up he begins to get worried, then fearful, then anxious

and even though it’s his birthday he ends up pacing by the front door when every call and text that he sends to you is left unanswered

his dads are worried too, you’re not usually like this and they hate seeing their only son so worried

they end up calling your parents only for them to be confused on your whereabouts and now everyone is worried

Sizhui can’t imagine anything happening to you and his fear is heightened by the late hours that’s approaching

he’s too worried about your well being to really notice that the timer on his wrist only has minutes left instead of hours

it is nearing 11:47PM and Sizhui is hurriedly shrugs on a winter coat and scarf, ready to just go looking for you himself

his dads are against it, one lost kid is already a enough of a worry 

but he doesn’t listen, can’t listen 

you’re his best friend for god’s sakes it’s not like he could just leave you

and he’s ignoring his parents commands and pulling the front door open just as the timer on his wrist runs out

in the snowy backdrop of early January five minutes to midnight, you stand with rosy cheeks and a bright smile with a big bag in your arms and a warmth in your eyes

“i was waiting on line for the release of this and i didn’t realize people took so long to wrap things and then the creators ended up being there so i had to fight some people for their signatures... but i’m here! i didn’t miss Sizhui day!” you explain in tumble of words and shove the bag unceremoniously into his shellshocked arms

“i know they’re your favorite game series! so this is all for you” you tell him, smiling widely at his face

he blinks at you, the incessant ticking at the back of his mind finally silent after so many years

Sizhui puts the bag down without even opening it 

without another word he pulls you close to him, holding you tight

his timer has finally ended

but your countdown steadily ticks on | || ||| [pt 2]

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

Lan Jingyi

writing on skin

you didn’t know who your soulmate was, but whoever they were must be the biggest cheater you’d ever meet

almost as early as you could have been able to contact your soulmate, your skin had been littered with writings of all different kinds

it had started off as little occurrences that slowly got heavier as you both continued on your academic careers

at one point the notes had gotten so bad that you had to resort to wearing long sleeves just to cover up the array of words that were on every inch of your arms  (even the occasional stomach)

all your friends always wondered why you never contacted this soulmate of yours

some acquaintances recommended the idea to you like you couldn’t have thought of it yourself.

of course you wanted to contact this person; tell them to lighten up on the writing a little bit

but was there even any room to write? would they even be able to tell the difference between your handwriting amidst all of the chaos of their notes?

besides this person also seems incredibly sly to be able to get away with such methods of learning for a long time

so you go along with it until you can’t

in your final year of college, the sleeve of words that don’t belong to you almost cost you your diploma

you’d been accused of cheating from your professor and had to go through a deep and painful trial to plead your innocence

it was something that lasted nearly a week, since plagiarism and lack of academic integrity were the highest of offenses at your college

your truth was finally realized when the higher ups on the board realized they couldn’t wash the writing off your arms and you provided the evidence of different handwritings

the trial had been so demanding and draining and it wasn’t even your fault!

and in your anger after the whole ordeal, you don’t think

you return to your dorm room, take out your big blue sharpie and retaliated to your soulmate for the first time by writing STOP on your left arm and  CHEATING on your right. 

you leave the large letters on for a the rest of the night, even when you get weird looks from your roommate for it

that night goes on normally until you’re about to go to sleep and you look down at your arms to realize that the sleeve of tiny scribbles are scrubbed clean from your skin

al that’s left aside from your blue sharpie is a single answer on your right arm, written in the handwriting that you had come to know better than your own for the past few years

i don’t cheat

you huff a disbelieving laugh at that and seeing that your arms are mostly clear go and wash off the blue sharpie

when your soulmate’s answer still remains, you answer them even though the night is late

what does a person do with so much notes on their arms if not to cheat?

your response is written in dark black, neat handwriting despite the fact that you’re writing at an awkward angle and place on your arm

after a few moments, words begin to appear

it’s so weird seeing words appear randomly on your skin, especially when they happen before your eyes

taking notes on the body saves paper

the answer truly makes you have a loss for words and knowing that you were awake, your soulmate probably felt the awkwardness from the silence that lapses for a bit afterwards

it just helps me concentrate better

but i’m assuming you’re not a big fan

and from that you guys start a conversation long overdue, years overdue

you learn that his name is Lan Jingyi and despite the unconventionalities of his work ethic, he had a bit of a charm when he was writing to someone with an answer

morning comes to both of you before you realize

and this time when your arms are filled, it is with many answers, instead of just questions

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

Jin Ling

with one touch

you had never gotten a bruise in your life

which was a kind of funny considering that you were had been training in your father’s dojo since you could walk

then again in your world, only when you touched your soulmate would that purple greenish ugly color come up 

and since you were the star pupil of your father’s martial arts dojo, it’s not like it was ever easy to land a punch on you anyways

anyone that ever did never was you soulmate

and they’d be dead meat ‘immobilized’ (if not by your retaliation or your sibling’s overprotectiveness or your father’s judgement, the possibilities were endless)

but the point was, you had never gotten a bruise in your entire life, so you definitely didn’t know what it even looked like until you were changing out of your gi and your older sister pointed out the large bruise on your shoulder

you’re surprised

you hadn’t even felt any pain from it

but as you stand with your back to the mirror looking at it back and forth you wrack you brain for every person that you had come into contact within the last few days

the only person that comes to mind is one of the newest recruits to your father’s dojo, an aggressive punk by the name of Jin Ling

he’s not a good fighter as much as he just fights a lot

but you vividly remember being pushed hard when you had to break a fight between him and another student the other day

you hadn’t realized that he had actually pushed your shoulder then

you figure that you’ll know for sure when he comes to the dojo for practice tomorrow

the next day arrives and when you’re setting up the mats for everyone else, Jin Ling ends up being one of the earlier arrivals

and since no one’s there yet, you end up asking him to do something that you don’t usually ask people

but it feels like the only way to know for sure if he is your soulmate or not

“spar with me” you invite him when he returns to the main room with his uniform on

he’s more than surprised; he’s the new kid on the block, you’re the seasoned veteran and the sensei’s kid

when you sense his hesitation, you egg him on with “nothing to be scared of; i’ll go easy on you”

and when you look at him, you notice how his eyes darken at your jab

even though you’re a brown belt and he’s just teetering around yellow

the dojo ends up welcoming the next batch of students that come in with a very bruised up Jin Ling

you’re a little bit better off, though your hands are a little battered up

there’s no pain, luckily, just the ugly color of the bruise of a soulmate touch

and even when Jin Ling glares at you as your father goes through the forms for the day’s lessons, you know that he can’t deny the marks on him can only be made by you

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

Ouyang Zizhen

first words tattooed on your wrist

Zizhen’s always been a bit of a romantic 

living in a society where all the movies play out picture perfect scenes of confessions has given Zizhen all of the back up that he needs in order to be prepared for his soulmate

he’s one of those people that make you read a specific quote he’s set out before initiating conversation (he’s just that prepared)

but what he isn’t prepared for is what he’d be saying to his soulmate

so one dreary autumn morning, when he walks into the cafe you’re working at bleary eyed and sleep deprived

 Zizhen is not in the state of mind to be meeting his soul mate

when he comes up to the register, he begins ordering his usual chai tea latte with all the specific condiments as you listen in

as he’s talking you feel a little tingling on your wrist and don’t think much about it, not even asking him anything else when he quietly hands you his credit card to swipe

you’d always been a quiet person, and your boss was always on your back for not going through all of the employee procedures but you don’t pay that any mind

but anyways, only when you’re in the middle of making his order do you finally realize

you sleeve slips up a little bit as you’re making the tea and you notice a little paragraph written in beautiful swirling script on your wrist

you’d almost burned yourself at the fact and put one and one together

some dude just placed a whole order as your soulmate quote

and you’re angry

when you’ve finished making the chai latte you hold onto the drink tight as the guy from before comes back for his order

but just before he gets it, you snatch the drink far from his grasp and pull down your sleeve showcase your newest soulmate quote

‘i’ll have a medium chai tea latte, light on on the cream with two pumps of vanilla, no water and switch out normal milk with soy milk. also with extra cinnamon”

when Zizhen realizes that you’re his soulmate his very actual soul wants to leave his body because:

the moment that he’s been waiting for has finally come

also you’re so cute!!!

but you face looks stormy and sullen... i mean who wouldn’t be, you just got an starbucks order as your soulmate quote  (and only a very very specific group of people would find a blessing in that and you were not one of them)

you wanna just call him ‘dickhead’ and make it even, but even that seems light in comparison to the entire chai tea latte order that he places on your wrist   

f o r e v e r

but you’re in for a treat, because, Zizhen’s always been a too much of a romantic

you take some time off from your shift to make a plan with this dude, because there was no way that you were gonna read the cheesy soulmate quote that he wanted and have everything be dandy

you learn that Zizhen is his name and that he’s much too romantic; so romantic in fact that he proposes a solution in comparison to your soulmate quote right away

“do you have a favorite recipe or something that you like to eat? you can read the recipe to me so that i’ll have it on my wrist, and i’ll know how to make it!”

he sounds so excited that it lightens the order on your wrist a little

the gesture softens you a bit (read a lot)

but you’re also mildly peeved that every time you look at your wrist its a beautiful beautiful calligraphy of a specific order of chai tea latte

so when you guys begin dating, you give him the silent treatment on your first few outings together

but through every date together, from movies to restaurant, you learn that Zizhen is a very easy going and compassionate guy, easily filling in for the empty space that would have been your voice

similarly, Zizhen wonders and lingers on the sound of your voice, but also finds himself falling deeply for your laugh

it’s amazing the vibe that you guys create together and this is without you talking yet!

after a few weeks of going out together, you’re sat across from him in a small homey cafe when you say your first words to him

in the end, there is no big recipe written on his wrist; you read the exact quote that he wants to have

because you know how much it means to him to have that on his skin

when you’re finished, Zizhen realizes that what he was searching for wasn’t even the perfect quote to be said

it was the fact that the person he had grown to love had said it to him

and even though there’s no recipe etched onto his skin, he has the rest of eternity to remember all of your favorite recipes to the depths of his heart

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

[winepresswrath]

re: lwj needing friends, does it ever strike you as kind of problematic and/or weird how some mdzs fans love to depict lwj as like having no friends or interests or really any personality outside of being obsessed with wwx and wanting to top him?? like i know this is FAR from the most problematic or homophobic thing about how lwj and wangxian are often depicted, both in the novel and cql, but it just kind of bothers me and i was wondering if you had a take on it 😬

I guess I think that canonically Lan Wangji is pretty isolated, both by circumstances and inclination. The closest things he has to friends in canon are his brother (he counts!) and a bunch of teenagers who hero worship him (they do not count). He’s always been set apart, both by his status and his talent, (not to mention his family drama) and on top of that he seems like someone who struggles to connect with other people and isn’t very motivated to try, most of the time. He has some non-Wuxian interests- teaching, music, ghost hunting, and he definitely has a personality, but he does seem like a pretty lonely person to me, and none of those interests really come close to his passion for Wei Wuxian. That he gets to a place where he would give up everything he has for Wei Wuxian is a pretty important part of the character, though you can make some arguments about the extent to which that’s true (would he really give up his relationship with Sizhui? He certainly risks it, but I think it’s a calculated risk and I like to think he wouldn’t).

There’s also fic that really highlights and amplifies this tendency, and I wouldn’t call it homophobic or problematic so much as it is very much not my scene. I think the thing that appeals to people about that take on Wangxian is the idea of having this very absolute, complete devotion where you’re always the number one priority and you’re loved so intensely there’s no way for you to doubt it or lose it, or even worry that you’ll lose it. All the people who were mean to you in high school get to watch you suck face with a rich hottie who thinks you’re amazing and would do anything for you. I think that’s a pretty common fantasy across every possible combination of genders. Which doesn’t exempt it from homophobia! But while I can’t speak for other queer people, it doesn’t ping that way to me. It’s just that it doesn’t really leave much room for Lan Wangji to be a character is his own right beyond that devotion, and that makes it boring to me personally. I’m also just not very into absolute devotion/let me lovebomb some self esteem into you, and they often go hand in hand.

[unsolicitedopinionsfreelygiven]

Your name, safe in their mouth By astrolesbian

Wangxian & Sizhui/The Untamed/MDZS

Length: 10,500

Rating: G

Situation: On a night hunt, under Wei Wuxian’s supervision, Sizhui gets hurt and Wei Wuxian takes care of him like he did when he was a kid. This prompts Sizhui to consider what they really are to each other, and what he wants them to be.

Review:  *long deep inhale* FINALLY. SOME GOOD. FUCKING. FOOD. All I EVER want to talk about is the family dynamic of these three post canon, and I express my endless gratitude to astrolesbian for addressing it.

[SPOILERS]

Writing: This writing is the perfect balance between things happening and character introspection that is necessary for a really well done character study. The author takes this inciting incident that intensifies the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and uses it as a jumping off point to really delve into the inner thoughts and insecurities that they are BOUND to have in such a ridiculously complicated family dynamic. Dude, I seriously think the entire Wangxian & A’Yuan plot in The Untamed is one of the things that really transcends this story and makes it capital M Matter, but I remember thinking at the end of the show, there’s no fucking way it was that easy. I just love the dynamic between the three of them so so much and this fic hit all the unanswered questions in such a lovely and in-character way. I also really loved how the POV switched between Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhui to kind of show their parallel insecurities about each other, it honestly just makes me tear up to think about this fic.

Plot: The actual plot is pretty unimportant except for the fact that it acts as the catalyst for this discussion of feelings. Basically, Sizhui gets seriously injured on a night hunt and Wei Wuxian comforts him which sparks Sizhui’s thoughts about missing WWX and desperately wanting him to be a part of his life again. On WWX’s end, this also makes him think about how much he wants to be Sizhui’s father again, but he thinks that that would be crossing the line for Sizhui. So basically they dance around eachother, both interpreting the other’s hesitation as rejection until Lan Wangji is finally like, dude you guys gotta just fucking talk to eachother I’m begging you. 

Characterization: FUCK THIS CHARACTERIZATION IS SO GOOD. This is a character study, and so the entire fic is basically delving into the characters and how they are really feeling. The way I would describe how exactly this author does this is that they expand on the human-ness of these characters. Lan Sizhui is presented as this very kind and open and well mannered kid in the show, with a dash of bravery and righteousness. But to me I always wanted to see more from him. Can you fucking imagine how insane it would be to have your dad from when you were a baby who died for you and your people be resurrected and then marry your other dad???? Bitch???? Like that is bound to bring up some complicated emotions, and this fic really lets Sizhui have those emotions. He feels the apprehension of not really knowing what they are to each other, and then also this guilt for wanting more from Wei Wuxian. I absolutely loved that this Sizhui was allowed to be angry and sad and confused about this INSANE situation because he’s literally a fucking child!!!!!!!! Like that base upset of wanting something so badly, especially a parental figure, and being unsure if they want you back is just so beautifully done here. Wei Wuxian is also really well done. I loved his characterization because it brought up a lot of the questions I had when the Sizhui reveal happened such as what if he doesn’t accept WWX as his father after all this time? What if that’s too weird for someone who doesn’t really even know him? It was so beautiful to see WWX trying desperately to be the adult about this and try to protect Sizhui from his own sadness and feelings, even though that ended up being misplaced. GOD I just loved how this author let these characters be flawed and human and let them work through some of that confusion together.

Cons: My only con is that Lan Wangji wasn’t in this more, which, as usual, is just a me thing. He was VERY well done in this fic the few times he showed up, and especially his interactions with Suzhui and WWX were just stunning. Although I do recognize that this ain’t about him.

Why It’s On That Good Shit: I seriously just needed some closure about this whole family thing. Like I said, that was one of the parts of the show that really solidified for me that The Untamed really is some next level shit, and it was so gratifying to read a story that addressed all of the unanswered questions about this dynamic. I really loved how it was messy, just like it would be in real life.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

Please explain LXC/Wen Qing and Wen Ning/Jiang Cheng because I have never read anything about them and now I very much want to

Okay, listen, I understand that Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng is the Popular Ship, but I’m just not particularly grabbed by it.  It’s fine, I’ve read some thoroughly charming fic for it, but I like a ship with some drama to it, and therefore: what if we got Wen Ning the most complicated boyfriend(s) possible.  This is an incredibly spoiler-heavy rant, so if Tumblr decides to work with me it SHOULD be under a cut.

Lan Xichen/Wen Ning

The short version: Lan Xichen needs clarity, Wen Ning needs compassion, they’re both very fucked up by Jin Guangyao’s actions, they could heal together.

So from Lan Xichen’s side of things, he’s lost...the whole world.  Not really.  Not literally.  But he lost Jin Guangyao, and in losing Jin Guangyao he lost his solid ground, because Jin Guangyao is not who Xichen believed him to be.  That lie destroyed Xichen’s memory of his sworn brother, sure, but it also ruined Xichen’s sense of self.  He’s been defending Jin Guangyao against his detractors for a long time, he trusted him implicitly, he left Nie Mingjue in his care, he comforted Jin Guangyao over the death of his son, he backed Jin Guangyao against Wei Wuxian--the things that Lan Xichen has unintentionally been complicit in are numerous.  But most importantly, for the issue at hand, Lan Xichen stood by and let the Wens be massacred, because he trusted Jin Guangyao and wanted to keep the peace.

Lan Wangji couldn’t have stopped the massacre of the Wens--he might be well respected and revered, but he’s one man, and in the wake of the Sunshot Campaign...well.  One person’s voice probably wouldn’t have changed much.  But Lan Xichen?  Leader of the Lan Sect?  If the Twin Jades had stood together to defend the Wens, if Lan Xichen had believed Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing about the prison camps, if he had spoken on their behalf when Wei Wuxian was denounced as a liar and a murderer...things might have been different.  Lan Xichen chose to be silent because he wanted to keep the peace, and because he chose who he was going to trust, and now he knows he made the wrong choice.

And Wen Ning suffered for it.  Wen Ning fucking died for it.  Wen Ning is every mistake Lan Xichen ever made, walking around in the sunlight.  But Wen Ning is still a deeply kind person, who dotes on Sizhui and is endlessly loyal to Wei Wuxian and protects people who hate him because he doesn’t want to see more bloodshed.  In a lot of ways, Wen Ning actually is what Lan Xichen always believed Jin Guangyao was--self-effacing, loyal, trustworthy, determined, gentle, kind.  He’s also dead because Lan Xichen trusted the Jin sect too much to check up on their prison camps.  Tell me about how THAT shit goes down, when Lan Xichen starts to come out of seclusion and runs into Wen Ning visiting Wei Wuxian.

More than that, Wen Ning was used for sixteen years to advance Jin Guangyao’s agenda after having a lot of people he loved killed indirectly by the man himself.  I don’t know, I feel like he and Lan Xichen might be good for each other, in that capacity.  

Jiang Cheng/Wen Ning

The short version: Jiang Cheng needs someone who will call him on his shit without getting shredded in the process, Wen Ning could really stand to have someone fight for him (and push him to fight for himself), it would be combative and unfriendly for a while but they have potential to grow a lot together.

I talked a little in the tags on this post about this, but now I don’t have a migraine and am far more cogent so let’s take this one again.  That post features the best explanation I’ve ever seen of Jiang Cheng, which is that he’s essentially an emotional savant: he’s incredibly emotionally intuitive, but only when it comes to bespoke cruelty.  The rest of the time, he’s floundering, out of his depth just by existing.  It’s not his fault, he is what he was made to be, but it’s a huge part of the reason that all his relationships tend to look very combative and trend toward spectacular breakdown--even when he’s being kind, it’s being filtered through this reality that he only really understands people when he’s looking for a place to hurt.  He can avoid those old wounds, like he does with Jin Ling (he’s genuinely trying his best to be a good uncle and he’s definitely a big part of the reason Jin Ling is as functional as he is), but that’s about the best he’s got in his arsenal.

Which, of course, is why Wen Ning pretty consistently throws him off his game.  What’s he going to hurt Wen Ning with?  Guilt?  Wei Wuxian, in his grief and madness, already did a better job than Jiang Cheng could ever dream.  Shame?  Wen Ning, of the Qishan Wen, the Ghost General, has been heaped with every shame the world could create for him, and he kept walking because he had no choice.  Loss?  Wen Ning’s entire family is dead.  He’s just like Jiang Cheng in that way, except worse--Jiang Cheng lost his parents and his sect and his siblings, just like Wen Ning did, except that Wen Ning also lost himself, in every imaginable way.  But Wen Ning, killed in a prison camp and only barely rescued from a mass grave, has already hurt as deeply as a person could--Jiang Cheng can’t rip open that wound any further than it has been.  Wen Ning, in a weird sort of way, is immune to Jiang Cheng’s particular brand of cruelty.  It stings him to be denied entry to Lotus Pier, but he’s neither surprised nor upset, just resigned to the reality.  He’s only angry when that cruelty is turned on someone else.

Jiang Cheng can rant and rave all he wants, and Wen Ning will sit there and look him dead in the eye and say “no amount of cruelty is going to make you anything other than what you are,” and I dunno, man, I think that would be good for Jiang Cheng, to be totally honest.  Also, once he’s been exposed to Wen Ning for long enough to wear down some of that raw edge and realize that...actually, the Ghost General he’s spent all this time hating is just a somewhat tired man who drew most of the same short straws Jiang Cheng did, I think...

I think Jiang Cheng has real potential to start turning that sharp tongue on people in Wen Ning’s defense.  He’d hate it, the first time someone hesitantly asked if the Ghost General was allowed inside now (”of course he is, I invited him, didn’t I” Jiang Cheng snarls, and then pointedly ignores Wen Ning for the rest of the evening like that’s going to make up for it), but he hates being called out on having emotions at all.  And it would be good for Wen Ning to have someone who would step up to the mat for him, teeth bared and ready to fight.  

TL;DR I wound up on both of these because I wanted to think of the most angst-ridden potential romances for Wen Ning, but the more I thought about them, the more I realized that they’re both actually a really good match.  Like, they’re not just interesting ships, the characters would actually improve each other, in ways that would probably make them happy together.  Now THAT’S a functional ship, baby.  

[miyu-hyperfixates]

Random post-canon MDZS headcanon #2

WWX and NHS’s relationship post-canon is truly weird and complicated. No one quite know if they get along or hate each other guts [not even them]. But whether they are friend or not, at each gathering without exception one of them would seek the other out. [Sometimes they don’t even need gathering, one of them would randomly pop up at each other’s place]

Then will ensue a conversion full of passive aggressiveness where taunts in the forms of veiled flattery would made, where vague barbs and pointed comments would be thrown around, and laughter would also come up at weird instance. In other words the tones and mood of their conversation could change at the drop of the hat. [Sometimes it would even swing widely in the space of less than an incense]. 

That’s because since WWX and LXC got closer to each other once WWX started to live in Cloud Recesses, WWX actually witnesses how depressed LXC is. And he can’t really forgive or forget that NHS was like 66% behind this.

NHS feels really guilty about it, but didn’t have the courage to go see LXC yet.

Another feature of their relationship is that since WWX discovered that NHS had a knack for digging up dirt, any time one of his ducklings happened to need information, WWX would make a point to tell them “Go ask Nie-zongzhu, I am sure he doesn’t know anything about it.”  Cue super confused ducklings. But since they are dutiful they still obeyed and went to ask NHS .

And because NHS still feels like he owes WWX a debt, he would grudgingly give the information. If it’s something that he truly doesn’t know, then he’ll send one of his disciples to do search and dig out the information. [NHS: Wei-xiong, you wouldn’t happen to know why the juniors keep coming to me to ask for information? WWX, *straight face*: No clue. NHS: That’s a shame... I’d really appreciate it though if they stopped doing that. If you out who they are would you pass the message for me? I really hate the extra work. WWX: Sure.... *Five minutes later, after one of the junior wonder about sth very inconsequential like where the fruits they ate come from or where is the best shop to buy whatever* WWX, without hesitation: Go ask Nie-zongzhu .]

 Speaking of the Nie disciples and juniors...      

 Officially there are some of them, but their cultivation level are average at best so no one really pay attention to them.[Like they were there the whole time, even during pre-canon and canon events... they just have a very low presence, think kuroko from KnB]

But… they are everywhere. NHS has started a really complicated and throughout spy networks comprised of orphan kids and street rats that he had trained himself to be as innocuous as possible… Some might know each other, but only NHS really know how many and who they are.

WWX is aware of their existence and that prompted the game of “Catching the Canary”: Just to piss off NHS, he’d start to randomly pick some kids to accompany them on Nigh Hunts… He says it’s a teaching experience for his ducklings to protect the civilian (NHS says freaking bullshit, as eight time out of ten, it is actually one of the NHS spy that is getting picked)

No one knows how WWX does it, but what is actually scarier is LSZ… Somehow he can always pick up the spy… (truth is… Sizhui is just naturally kind and wouldn’t dismiss anyone even very low presence people, but because NHS spies are paranoid they think that he knows… and so they’ll be like “I’ll do better next time” and LSZ thinking that they’re talking about cultivation or something always nods “Good luck, you can do it” and then endeavor to remember them so that he’ll know if their path cross some others time…. (which is the opposite of what they want…) and the other juniors had taken their cues from LSZ so all of them are starting to do it too [with more or less success...]. (WWX thinks it’s hilarious, while NHS is starting to think the juniors are actually his natural enemy or something)  

And because of LSZ reputation of always noticing the NHS juniors, even if LSZ pinpoints a kid that isn’t part of the Nie Sect, the other Nie spies think that the kid is… because well, even they don’t know everyone for safety issues, but if LSZ noticed them then they must be an NHS’s spy… SO they’ll give a report to the random kid… who’ll be super baffled and say “But I don’t know you???” “yeah, yeah and I don’t know you!” “No I really don’t know what you’re talking about!” “Look I’m in a hurry so if you could report back to Zongzhu as quick as possible it would be great!” “O…kay?” “Great” Most of the time, the random kid doesn’t dare to go seek an audience with a sect leader (no matter how bad his reputation as a slacker) just for such a weird thing. But some are actually more brave and dutiful so they’ll actually go and then NHS would look at them and be like “Who?” [He’ll actually take some of them in as disciples, because why the hell not? ]

NHS would complain about it to WWX during one of their Passive Aggressive friendly chat. Like whoa they have refined passive aggressive conversation to a whole new level: sometimes their entire  conversation were made of metaphor, quotes, insinuation and imagery... So much that eavesdroppers would be like “What kind of language is this? Are they cursing each other??”  

It happened to LSZ and LJY, who had gone with WWX to visit NHS…. They were completely baffled with the whole conversation. Though when they related it back to Jin Ling who had pretty much learned the language “Passive Aggressiveness”  through sheer osmosis. [Come on he grew up in Jinlintai, Passive Aggressive might as well be the native language. And he was raised with an uncle who couldn’t talk without seeming passive aggressive or plotting something and another uncle who always default at being at first super aggressively passive and then just outright super aggressive after some time]

He’d just scoff and be like “What are you talking about? They’re obviously having fun.”