#but there is a lot of wangxian throughout these fics

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Two

For Xiantober Day Three: Conviction (of a sort)... in which the author temporarily forgets to focus on narrative agency or on Wei Wuxian, in favour of analysing relevant themes and characters that relate to Wei Wuxian. But he does get focus, and again, contextualising him is why i’m exploring these other things, so no harm done.

(Part One | Part Three | Full version on AO3)

It’s Not Just Optimism: Resentment and Self-Definition 

Before we discuss the narrative again, let’s take a break to discuss one of my other favourite aspects of Wei Wuxian. We’ve seen how the narrative treats tragedy, and we’ll soon explore how it reflects Wei Wuxian’s views on tragedy. But what actually are these views? 

Because the thing is – the narrative and plot can emphasise agency and choice all it likes, but focusing solely on that leaves out the character. And it’s Wei Wuxian’s character that deserves the credit for how he defines himself (…in-universe). If someone had gone through everything he had, who could blame them for being unable to keep going, unable to let go of resentment, unable to see anything that was still worth living for, to see any value in altruism?

(Also, I do have to emphasise this: you can have perfectly healthy coping mechanisms, but still get extremely traumatised. Everyone has a limit to what they can take, that limit differs, and that isn’t your fault. It just so happens that Wei Wuxian’s limit is extremely high (and even he reaches it when everything falls apart in such quick succession near the end of his first life!))

This isn’t something that’s ignored in MDZS. We see multiple characters who have gone through similar levels of suffering as Wei Wuxian, or even less suffering than him*, who do react in some of the ways mentioned above. Whether or not the narrative condemns them depends on if they hold onto resentment from their tragedies and use it to harm others – Xiao Xingchen and Qin Su, for example, aren’t condemned for their suicides (nor should they be, suicide/suicidal ideation isn’t anything anyone should be blamed for), because nobody was intentionally hurt as a result. But people like Xue Yang, who was treated cruelly and senselessly lost his finger, but went on to murder an entire clan as a result; or Jin Guangyao, who remembered the slights against him and his mother down to the exact wording of Jin Guangshan’s dismissal of her freedom, which may have justly hurt him but also unjustly lead him to both burn down a brothel and (separately) kill or imprison multiple innocent prostitutes; or Jiang Cheng, whose resentment for Wei Wuxian due to the latter’s actions lead him to harm many others after his death simply because they were similar**, are condemned.

Why mention this? Well, these different reactions show it isn’t just a quirk of the universe that people are more tolerant to pain – Wei Wuxian’s reactions are a deliberate choice on the part of MXTX, not a writing flaw stemming from misunderstanding the severity of trauma***. But more importantly, many of these characters deliberately foil Wei Wuxian, and so they can give us a good insight into what sets him apart from them (or rather, from the characters who aren’t completely broken by their pain, because that way we know it isn’t simply a difference in tolerance but rather one in attitude). And as I’ve discussed, this has to do with accepting events and letting them go, rather than holding onto resentment.

Part of this may come from differences in personality (though that’s never an excuse for hurting others) – but, though Jiang Yanli may claim Wei Wuxian was someone “born with a smiling look” (Chapter 24, EXR), there are two philosophies Wei Wuxian consciously holds onto that have to do with this attitude:

“Let the self judge the right and wrongs, let others decide whether to praise or blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on.” Chapter 75, EXR translation

“Remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don't hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free.” Chapter 113, EXR translation 

And crucially, these ideas directly contrast the actions and mindsets of the antagonists above. All three focus on their ‘gains and losses’, with their suffering at the hands of others being a major motive to harm those others/those affiliated with those others (Xue Yang’s finger; the slights against Jin Guangyao and his mother due to the latter’s job; Wei Wuxian’s ‘betrayal’ and his role in Jiang Yanli’s death, as well as false blame on him for the deaths of Jiang Cheng’s parents, and Jiang Cheng’s inferiority complex). Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng are also very focused on their reputation, or in other words, on whether ‘others decide (…) to praise or blame’ them (according to Chapter 10 of the EXR translation, in what seems to be omniscient POV heading into Jiang Cheng’s, the latter ‘cared about maintaining his reputation above anything else’. Meanwhile, much of Jin Guangyao’s actions were taken to protect his reputation, including the brothel burning, as a part of the aim was to conceal which brothel he grew up in (Chapter 104)). 

Additionally, much of Jin Guangyao’s resentment stems from how others treat (‘blam[ing]’ him, insulting him), compared to how they treat others (‘prais[ing]’ them):

“But do you know what it was that made me lose hope completely? I’ll answer your first question now. It wasn’t that I’d never be worth a single hair on Jin ZiXuan or one of the holes in Jin ZiXun, it wasn’t that he took back Mo XuanYu, it wasn’t that he tried every possible way to make me a mere figurehead either. It was the truth he once told the maid beside me when he was out indulging himself again.” Chapter 105, EXR

Though the other points didn’t make him lose hope completely, the implication is that they did affect him too (as shown by how he speaks about them), with Jin Guangshan’s words about Meng Shi being the final straw. ‘Los[ing] hope’ here of course relates to holding onto resentment, as Jin Guangyao’s loss of hope is what led him to murder out of his hatred.

Finally, both Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng also hold resentment due to holding onto what they’ve done for others, or even onto who they themselves are, without being treated accordingly – and though it makes sense to be hurt by all these things and these reactions are valid, the pain from holding that in your heart and the danger from holding onto it is precisely why MDZS condemns it:

“Why is it that even if I face everyone with a smile, I might not even receive the lowest form of respect, while even though your father was extremely arrogant, people flocked to him? Could you tell me why we were born from the same person but your father could relax at home with the love of his life playing with his child, while I never even dared be alone for long with my wife, shivering out of fright at first glance of my son? And I was ordered to do such a thing by my father as if it was natural—to kill an extremely dangerous figure who could flip out and conjure up a bloody massacre with his corpses anytime! “Why is it that even though we were born on the same day, Jin GuangShan could host a grand banquet for one son, and watch with his own eyes how his subordinate kicked his other son down Koi Tower, from the first stair to the last!” Chapter 105, EXR

(He brings up his role in Wei Wuxian’s downfall due to this as well, in addition to creating any excuse he can to absolve himself of others’ blame – he’s being treated unjustly and hated for something he’s done, even though he was ordered to do that thing by his father and it made sense!)

Jiang Cheng, “Are you stupid? You only counted the time to return and not the time to go there? Let alone the fact that after I got there I had to lead people and search through the entire mountain for the old banyan tree, then dig open the hole that got blocked up by Wen Chao and his people, and rescue you within seven days. Where’s your gratitude?!” (…) He raised his voice, “You killed the Xuanwu of Slaughter together with Lan WangJi, bathing in blood! How great is that?! But what about me?!” He punched his fist into a pillar in the hall, clenching his teeth, “… I have also been running around for days, completely exhausted, with not one second of rest!” Chapter 56, EXR

(And, a bonus to show this being a part of Jiang Cheng’s mindset without stemming from being hurt by a specific event, even when he’s being encouraging:)

“So it seems that both of you killed it together. What’s yours is yours. Why would you give him all the credit?” Chapter 56, EXR

(This moment is a nice display of the contrast between Wei Wuxian’s and Jiang Cheng’s mindsets as well, with the former focusing on what Lan Wangji (‘others’) did for him instead of seeking credit for his role!)

To repeat – of course these feelings are understandable, and I’m not blaming them for feeling this way. What I am placing blame on is letting those feelings drive you to murder many innocent prostitutes, or to let this sense of a debt you’re owed (which is what the philosophy is actually warning away from, because if you hold onto what you do for others, the natural expectation is that they’re indebted to you and should do something for you as a result) turn into resentment towards someone for not acting the way you think they should, leading you to help murder them, even if your sister sacrificed herself specifically to save their life.

This is the danger of holding onto resentment. And are these actions not a choice? Would you, independent of MDZS, absolve someone of a crime because their ‘personality just leads them that way’?

The same is true for acting on these two philosophies, and letting resentment go. And it’s all the more impressive when someone has as much potential resentment to hold onto as Wei Wuxian does.

Of course, Wei Wuxian himself isn’t completely infallible – which further supports the idea that this isn’t just a natural, unalterable quirk, since we see him act contradictory to his usual self as well. But the narrative’s view of resentment in these moments doesn’t change. Importantly, the times he does let resentment drive what he’s doing, during the Sunshot Campaign and Nightless City (as well as him being quick to anger at Phoenix Mountain, etc), it isn’t presented as in the right**** — and though he still lets go of it quickly enough to protect a group related to the one that hurt him (people of the Wen sect, the cultivators who participated in the Siege), it doesn’t prevent the harm done during these times. Additionally, the times he metaphorically can’t control and reign in his resentment in the form of guidao – at Qiongqi Path and, again, at Nightless City – pain is caused to innocents (Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli). This is what his internal thoughts have to say when he comes across cultivators gossiping about him, shortly after Wen Qing and Wen Ning have sacrificed themselves:

No matter what he did, not a single good word would come out of these people’s mouths. When he won, others feared; when he lost, others rejoiced. Chapter 77, EXR

He’s hurt by other people praising and blaming him! Holding onto this philosophy isn’t automatic, that decision isn’t simply encoded within him somehow.

But that brings us to another relevant theme: that these characters aren’t infallible, because they’re not mythical creatures or concepts brought to life. Everyone is human.

However, although he thought that his heart was like a stone, in the end, he was still human, not some emotionless grass or plant. Chapter 8, EXR

OuYang ZiZhen, “HanGuang-Jun, why did Senior Wei collapse?” Lan WangJi, “Fatigue.” Lan JingYi was amazed, “I thought that Senior Wei would never get tired!” The other boys felt somewhat astonished as well. That the legendary YiLing Patriarch could collapse from fatigue from dealing with walking corpses—they all thought that the YiLing Patriarch should be able to settle them with just a snap of his fingers. However, Lan WangJi shook his head. He only said four words, “We are all human.” They were all human. How could a human be tireless? How could they stand forever? Chapter 84, EXR

Even with Wei Wuxian’s temperament, even with his attitude, he’s still human! Just as he’s not immune from being affected by harsh words to do with his past, just as he’s not immune from being affected by exhaustion, he’s not immune to being hurt by or angry at his circumstances. As we see in the Sunshot Campaign and at Nightless City, he’s not immune to dwelling on his misfortunes, to being driven by his hurt and anger and by resentment he holds onto (consciously! At Nightless City, Wei Wuxian deliberately accepts the curses thrown at him, because ‘anger was the only thing that could suppress the other feelings within his heart’ (Chapter 78)). 

But nearly always, he chooses not to. The Wen remnants he saved were innocent, yes, and Wen Ning and Wen Qing helped him previously – but in his second life, he could’ve easily kept holding onto his resentment and left the cultivators who besieged him, who killed him and those under his protection, to die at the Second Siege. But he didn’t! He held true to his own philosophy, to judge the right and wrongs yourself independent of what others do, and saved them.

Because this is what’s important to him, because this is how he wishes to act in the present, and because he doesn’t let himself be defined by the tragedies he went through.

The donkey seemed as if it knew that he wasn’t in a great mood [due to others bringing up what happened in his past], and for once, it wasn’t being loud out of impatience. A moment of silence passed, and it turned around to leave. Wei WuXian sat by the stream, not responding at all. It turned around to look, throwing its hooves onto the ground, but Wei WuXian still paid no attention to it. The donkey had to come back sulkily, biting and tugging on the corner of Wei WuXian’s collar. He could choose to go, and he could choose to not go. Seeing that the donkey had [gone] as far as to use his mouth, Wei WuXian decided to follow him.  Chapter 8, EXR*****

Immediately after this, he’ll continue investigating the puzzle of Dafan Mountain’s night hunt; he’ll come across a ghost, ask where it’s hurt and offer to take a look at it; he’ll rush off to save Jin Ling and the Lan juniors, figuring out the truth behind the dancing goddess and being the only one to do so. Just as it’s more important to the narrative, this – quick thinking, problem solving, compassion, doing the right thing, even seeking out excitement – is what Wei Wuxian finds more important about his own self, and what he chooses to focus on.

Some final questions to end things.

If you saw Wei Wuxian, without any knowledge of what happened in MDZS, without any work done by the narrative structure or by knowledge of tropes – would you have expected the backstory he had? Would you expect his parents to have died when he was at an age where he could barely remember them? Would you expect him to have lived on the streets until he was nine years old, or to have been taken into an unjust and extremely volatile household, or to have (chosen to) lose the source of powers he was very proud of – shortly before he was thrown, now powerless, into the equivalent of hell for three months? Would you expect his first life to have ended because protecting innocents (knowingly) led to the entire world crusading against him, because their siege resulted in him being torn apart? Or would you not think of tragedy when it comes to this person who gleefully jokes and teases, who’s so smart and competent and knows it, who doesn’t focus on the negatives, who acts so confidently on his morals, who revels in life so much?

If you only saw Wei Wuxian’s backstory with no context of his character, would you expect him to remain this way?

And, if you saw Wei Wuxian’s actions in the present day, without knowing what tragedies happened in his past, would he feel like an incomplete character?

It’s impossible to answer, of course – even in the present day, you get information about his past.

But I’m inclined to say no.

(Part One | Part Three | Full version on AO3)

—

*But again, let me emphasise – especially in real life, doing the trauma olympics is never good! As I said, everyone has limits, everyone’s limits differ, and just because one person can cope with something doesn’t mean another person can, even with the same mechanisms. And that shouldn’t lead to any judgement!

I say ‘especially in real life’ because in fiction, some characters’ experiences are often made similar or different to others’ in order to parallel or foil them  – in which case comparison is often the point. But trauma olympics (‘this person suffered x amount so the other person should be able to take it!!’) is still bad, guys (especially since, as with MDZS, those parallels or foils are often there to explore the harm they do to others as a result, not simply how much trauma they can take).

**My thoughts on rumours here. Tl;dr, if Jin Ling (someone who’d want to defend him!) is saying he did (and that he “never let anyone go” – Chapter 24), if sources like Lan Wangji and Lan Sizhui act as if this is the case (Chapter 10 – to defend, you could say personal feelings play a role, but Lan Wangji especially is someone who knows not to, and explicitly doesn’t, make judgements without conclusive evidence. Again, see my thoughts on rumours) – and if Jiang Cheng backs up this behaviour (eg by telling Jin Ling to kill every demonic cultivator he sees and feed them to his dogs in his introduction – Chapter 7), it’s probably not a simple unbased rumour. There’s enough evidence to support its veracity.

***However, do note that Wei Wuxian isn’t an outlier, either – Lan Wangji, Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui (once he learns of his heritage) are all examples of other characters who aren’t overcome or twisted by their pain, instead still aiming to make the world a better place. And this is Jin Ling’s whole arc, too!

****I delve a lot more deeply into this here!

*****The role this moment plays isn’t actually something I caught myself – it came from a post about a reread of MDZS’ earlier chapters. I can’t find it myself, but if anybody has the link, that would be great (so I can cite it)!

—

Also, a shoutout to this incredible meta by @righteousinadversity – it’s what made me want to delve into this aspect two years ago! It’s still one of my favourite metas, and you enjoyed this, you’ll definitely enjoy that, too.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

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1. Hello lovely mods! Itmf fics where there is an OC or just another mdzs character with a crush on WWX or lwj. Someone jealous of their significant other or just plain trying to flirt with one of them. But the pairing should be strict wwx/lwj throughout ofcourse. Thank you!

Su She Eats his Heart Out by KizuKatana (T, 16k, wangxian, modern, Guest-starring the belated but incendiary sexual awakening of LWJ, 3rd person pov, SS is hyperfixated on LWJ, LWJ does his best to pretend SS doesn't exist, WWX isn't even pretending he really doesn't notice SS exists, MM exists and is awesome, implied offscreen wangxian sex)

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2. Hello! Thank you for all the work you do in finding and recommending fics!! Presently, I am in the mood for Twin Prides of Yunmeng fics (although specifically ones where Jiang Yanli is still alive, so I suppose I should say Yunmeng Trio to be more accurate) protecting each other and being siblings, or fics that pertain to JC, JY, and WWX trying to protect and support each other from Jiang Fengmian and Yi Ziyuan’s A+ Parenting. Once again thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Fix-It, Lynchpin [PODFIC] by Opalsong, [PODFIC] Lynchpin by Gwogobo)

The worth of a life with no regrets by SnowdropsAndDreams (Not Rated, 21k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Self-Indulgent, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Yúnmèng Siblings Feels, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Post-Canon Fix-It)

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3. good morning and hope you're having a kickass sunday.i was wondering if you bestowe upon this lowly one your magic of "Rec-Finding". A) any type of meaningful apology to Wèi Yīng, after the truth comes out. like something substantial. especially (if not exclusively) w LXC. he victim plamed WWX and im not satisfied w the novel on that part (yay fanfics). I jus don't want to be immediate forgiveness. like i want a time skip that LXC is still being given a cold shoulder. tbc

hi again (rorro im verbose). B) do you have any recs Lan Zhan is more vocal to others, a public scolding of sorts, about Wèi Yīng's sacrifices and plight. but non of out of context self deprivation attitude that does more harm than anyway. ty for your patience. @masticateme

拨云见日 by RoseThorne (G, 1k, WangXian, Justice, Anger, Sect Leader Yáo Bashing, Cultivation Discussion Conferences, Restitution, Self-Indulgent, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Post-Canon) might count

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4. itmf fics where jzx and jyl are alive! I just want things with lots of family feels, like jl getting the support he needs from his parents and wwx and jc having their sis. or maybe fics where jzx actually gets to be the jin sect leader and can make these good changes to the sect. thanks in advance!

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5. could i ask for people's fave wangxian/gen cold read podfics? i adore and appreciate edited podfics obviously, but i was introduced to danmei through a twitch streamer's read-alongs where him stopping and laughing and discussing were a FEATURE ❤️ (also it kinda makes me feel better about having to redo sentences agshdjf) im fine with explicit podfics (but i do prefer canon dynamics if so) many thanks ❤️❤️ oh just to add to the cold read itmf- ive gone through a lot of kisahawklin's lovely work, which occasionally feature one of my fave things (not being able to finish a sentence due to losing it laughing)

[Podfic] Clarity (cold read) by flamingwell (G, 1-1.5 H, wangxian, Canon Divergence, past/present time switches occur throughout the fic, Podfic, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming)

I rec the podficer Dangercupcake! Specifically her podfics of Love, in fire and blood, and Please don't let me be misunderstood! She also does metas and linguistic podcasts/fics that are pretty cool!

podfic of "love, in fire and blood" by cicer by dangercupcake (M, 20h+, WangXian, Audio Format: Streaming, Audio Format: MP3, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Arranged Marriage, Politics, trans reader (podfic), cold read (podfic), no editing (podfic))

Podfic of "please don't let me be misunderstood" by sysrae by dangercupcake (Not Rated, 20-30M, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Past Child Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Car Accidents, Audio Format: Streaming, Audio Format: MP3, cold read (podfic))

[Podfic] Cold read of "a light hidden and singing" by occultings (microcomets) by KeriArentikai (E, 5-6h, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Canon Era, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, brief family abuse, mentions of wangxian's canonical kinks, Misunderstandings, Blood and Injury, Rimming, Outdoor Sex, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, First Time, Miscommunication, Canon Divergence, Happy Ending, cold read podfic, unedited podfic, Getting Together) I haven't listened yet but enjoyed the fic

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6. Hiii I'm itmf a fic where wwx is reincarnated as a female plz

The Housewife's Guide to Causing Chaos by dvasva (M, 123k, wangxian, QS & WWX, NHS & WWX, WWX & LSZ & LWJ, canon divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Functionally Trans Character, Mild Sexual Content, Domestic Fluff, Love Confessions, Transphobia, Good Parents LWJ & WWX, Pining, WWX is a Tease, Grief/Mourning, Body Dysphoria, Fake Marriage, Canonical Character Death, Misunderstandings, Doting LWJ, Arranged Marriage, lying to your family about your demonic boyfriend taking over your wifes body for fun and pleasure, WWX is not in Mo Xuanyu's body, Misgendering, Mild Angst, Assumptions, Comedic Elements, non-sexual nudity, Blood, Discussion of Various Bodily Functions, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, 4 years of mourning instead of 13, The Juniors start a conspiracy board, POV Multiple, Corporal Punishment, Trans WWX, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, pregnancy mention, Warning: JGS, Sexual Harassment, Threats, WIP)

patching the road with vague intentions by loosingletters (T, 18k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Humor, Developing Friendships, WWX Resurrected By Others, Trans WWX, Case Fic, POV WWX, POV LQR, Family, Good Uncle LQR, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal, Slow Burn, Canon-Typical Violence, MXY Lives)

Plans fly out the window by English is my death (Lena013) (T, <1k, JGY/QS, JGY/WWX, LWJ & WWX, JC & WWX, reincarnation, canon divergence, QS does the ritual, YLLZ WWX, impersonation)

To Deserve So Much More by renysen (T, 19k, wangxian, getting together, one big happy family, no angst, getting engaged, family feels, female bodied WWX)

So You Want to Start a War by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 41k, WIP, MY/QS, MY/WWX, WangXian, Reincarnation, Half-Sibling Incest Mention!, QS does the ritual instead of MXY, WWX as a woman, MY Is His Own Warning, Canon Divergence, Impersonation, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Please check the notes before reading a chapter, Timeline What Timeline, WWX Has PTSD)

❤️ Beauty and the Boot by PTchan (T, 44k, wangxian, summoned by f!oc, Canon Divergence, Romantic Comedy, Genderbending, Denial, Fem!WWX, WangXian kids, Crack-ish, WIP)

Femme Fatale by coffeepie (E, 59k, WIP, WWX/WC, WWX/WZ, WWX/WRH, WWX/JGS, Porn, Smut, Possession, Crack Treated Seriously, Humor, Time Travel Fix-It, Penis In Vagina Sex, Anal Sex, Masturbation, Aphrodisiacs, Rough Sex, Minor WangXian, Canon Divergence, Oral Sex, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Strangulation, Object Insertion, Exhibitionism, Voyeurism, Blood and Injury)

No Matter What You Are by LilyFaraday (M, 77k, WIP, WangXian, Female WWX, Genderbending, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Marriage of Convenience)

In Sickness and In Health (And In Strange and Unexpected Times Too) by purplemonster (E, 28k, WangXian, Fem! WWX, Mpreg, well technically not mpreg since he's a woman, Fluff and Smut)

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7. Hi for the next in the mood for are there any good dark Wei Wuxian fics?? I always see dark LWJ but dark WWX seems so cool too @iyo-luv

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8. Hello. I hope y’all are well. Thank you for what you do. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 i was wonderinf if you can recommend fics where The Untamed Wei Ying and Lan Zhan meet MDZS Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. Please and thank you.

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9. Hello ! Do you know any fics where the swords manifest as real people?

Intervention of Spirits by Vrishchika (T, 4k, WangXian, Pre-Relationship, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has a New Golden Core)

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10. Hi I'm itmf angst, can you please recommend fics where wwx just breaks / snaps and people are there to see it/ react to it ? ( could be characters watching memories , and it has that scene) thxx

Enough! by Jeeny271196 (Not Rated, 12k, WangXian, Gūsū Lán Sect Bashing, Jiāng Family Bashing, JC Bashing, LXC Bashing, BAMF WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics)

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11. Hi, I have been reading this completely amazing fics that are inspired by The Great British Bake Off, like "on your marks, get set, bake!" by BlackWiresOnHerHead and "don't threaten me with a good time" by livinginaworldofnoise, they are so fun and entertaining!! I wonder if there are more stories that deal with baking and cooking competitions. I have read the ones in the Reality TV compilation so anything else will be totally welcomed!! Thank you!! Be well!! :) @monicaop21

The Great Chinese Cook-Off by aubreyli, cafecliche, etymologyplayground, mme_anxious (G, 20k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, The Great British Bake Off Fusion, sort of; it's more of a cooking show, because most Chinese people use their ovens for pot/pan storage, Collaboration, Screenplay/Script Format, Humor, Baking, Cooking, Stress)

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12. ITMF Wei Wuxian best uncle to Jin Ling? Anything we get to see their relationship. It can be of any kind but it'd be nice to give it extra attention if JL doesn't agree with JC's treatment towards WWX! But anything goes really. You're doing amazing work, thank you!

hills and rivers by LtLJ (T, 56k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, the family that hunts demons together stays together, and doesn't murder each other, Case Fic, BAMF WWX, Mojo's post)

Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 63k, WangXian, WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Protective WWX, Protective JL, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Reluctant Matchmaker JL)

component parts by perfectlyrose (G, 1k, JL & WWX, minor wangxian, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Really it's angst but make it healing, Minor JYL/JZX, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, A couple of orphans figuring out family, and the legacy of parents)

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13. Hi, For the next itmf -any good fics where everything as in classic timeframe, Sects exist, pining exists, cultivation ethics problems exist, but no Jiangs in the picture. At all

Thank you! @best-before-end

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14. ITMF: A) serenity. I want fics that give serene atmosphere or feelings. Like

(ID: gif of waves gently moving on a beach)

B) fics which have beach in canon era. Or wx / wwx traveling to Ocean/beach place @whateverweilanlovechild

14A)

Of Winter Coats and Snowball Fights by Iggysassou (T, 2k, WangXian, Mentioned WN, Post-Canon, Married Couple, Fluff)

it's your soul by syriala (G, 3k, WangXian, Misunderstandings, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Fluff)

suddenly knowing you’re home by RavenclawLoki (T, 1k, WangXian, Fluff, head empty, no thoughts, only wangxian being married, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, No Plot/Plotless, Post-Canon, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts)

14B)

Linger by the Door (I've Always Been Yours) by piecrust (T, 78k, wangxian, canon compliant, slow burn)

Judge Softly by Chrononautical (E, 32k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LXC, LQR & WWX, Various OCs, Accidental Voyeurism, Masturbation, Non-Consensual Mind Reading, Oblivious WWX, WWX Has Self-Worth Issues, BAMF Wwx, Genius WWX, sex makes WWX stupid, LQR Tries, It may be more accurate to say LQR learns to try, Suffering LQR, Post-Canon Fix-It, Ghosts, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, Teacher LQR, Mutual Pining, Longing, Playful Sex, Use Your Words, Canon-Typical Violence, Switching, Virgin WWX, Love Confessions)

~*~

15. For ITMF, are there any fics where LSZ's time in the Burial Mounds had some effect on him, whether he remembers his time there or not? Whether it's supernatural abilities (like in LSZ Sees Dead People), or being good at 'inventing' things (cause he saw them on WWX's worktable), or random healing knowledge from overhearing WQ lecturing WWX, even if he no longer remembers where he picked up any of that stuff. @thispatternismine

~*~

16. Thank you for all your work!

Itmf fics which actively calls into question Lan Qiren's bias and lax adherence to the lan rules. I want a confrontation or am active argument not just a character thinking about it or speaking about it to someone else. Basically, Lan Qiren gets called out fic. Extra kudos if it's during the cloud recess study arc. Love

Going on charmingly by scribbet (T, 21k, WangXian, Teenage LWJ, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, WWX is BSSR's Disciple, Genius WWX, Petty LWJ, Meddling LXC, Canon Divergence, JFM Doesn't Adopt WWX, Technically pre-relationship, POV LWJ)

Admonishment by bookwyrmling (T, 6k, LQR & WWX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Teacher LQR, Student WWX, POV LQR, Mixed Canon, Gūsū Lán Sect Positive, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Golden Core Reveal)

~*~

17. Hey, thanks for your work as always! I'm sure it has been done before but I couldn't find it and ITMF political intrigue fics! Extra points for fake relationships, scheming bastard coalitions, crossdressing your way to love and happiness or any of those things ☺️.

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[microcomets]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @thychesters! ty kate!!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

80! a nice round number. i actually think i have even more that i eventually anon'ed

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,078,556

3. What fandoms do you write for?

primarily i've written for danmei fandoms the last few years (mdzs/cql, svsss, 2ha) but i kind of write whatever strikes my fancy! in the last year it's been xena, tristamp, bad buddy...just kinda whatever...i used to write for supernatural and merlin

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a turn of the earth (supernatural, deancas)

i'm the one for your fire (mdzs, wangxian)

come home to my heart (mdzs, wangxian)

the heartlines on our hands (mdzs, wangxian)

a light hidden and singing (mdzs, wangxian)

5. Do you respond to comments?

man i wish i could but i fell behind in 2015 and then never caught back up ;___; i definitely read & appreciate every single one!!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

honestly probably something from the early supernatural days. i was obsessed with writing angst as a teenager

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

all of my wangxian fics end happy!! i don't think any one is happier than the other because it usually ends up with them either in love or married :-)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

every so often! luckily the positivity tends to outweigh

9. Do you write smut?

yes! although this was something i had to work on getting more comfortable with throughout my 20s

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written?

the only thing closest to a crossover i've done was two alternate wangxian timelines in "a tide in two seas," but otherwise nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

a few times! if not verbatim plagiarism, then definitely have had entire original concepts/plots lifted & reused that are very identifiable lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! most commonly into spanish and russian, but have also had some translated into mandarin and farsi which is super cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

not formally!

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

i have love for a lot of pairings but wangxian definitely ate my brain the most and for longest.....and there they remain

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

hmmmm....i was about 20k into a giant merthur fix-it time travel fic in like 2018 and gave up on it and i'll never finish it but wish i had!

16. What are your writing strengths?

i've been told i have a nice turn of phrase!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

describing setting.......action sequences.......those are the two i most actively have to work at to make them sound normal and integrated with the rest of the prose lol. i think i can also fall into the trap of gratuitous overdescription pretty easily

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

i think it depends on the context but can be really effective if it's done correctly and respectfully! (if you're a non-native speaker, that is)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

honestly it was warrior cats. followed by twilight fanfiction i submitted to a local newspaper

20. Favorite fic you have written?

i tend to be more critical of past fics than not, but there are quite a few i'm fond of because i admittedly write to my own tastes but i'm especially fond of "make me whole, make me new," which is wlw wangxian!

tagging @yuklaa, @fruitdaze, @englishsub, @dcyiyou, @megafaunatic, @rcmclachlan and whoever wants to do it!

[rainbowsky]

Welcome New Turtle Friends 👋🏻💛.

There have been a lot of turtles coming here from Twitter and other platforms, and since most of you will not really be familiar with me or my blog I thought I would give you some information that might be helpful and serve as a bit of an introduction.

I have been a turtle for a few years now. You can read a little bit about my turtle journey here.

I am autistic, so some of the ways I communicate might not be what you're used to. Please be patient with me. I'm human and doing my best to connect with everyone in a positive way.

I believe BJYXSZD, and like most turtles I enjoy some mixture of candy, fan works, and GG and DD's projects and endorsements. I'm also particularly interested in the political and 'queer issues' side of things, which some people are not comfortable with.

I tag absolutely everything that I post, to make it easy for people to filter out things they do not want to see. Here are a few tags that might be of interest to those who want to avoid certain topics:

'your political disengagement is a weapon against you' - political topics

'let's talk about sex' - mature sexual topics

'off topic' - posts that have nothing to do with GG and DD or with queer issues (the main topics of my blog)

'fandom reflections' - fandom issues and self-examination

'antis go home' - haters and antis

'solos belong to moling su sect' - solo topics

'i'll take homophobia for 800 alex!' - posts about homophobia

Please let me know if there is any particular kind of content that you would like to see more specific filtering around. I'm always happy to add in a new tag if it will enhance someone's experience of Tumblr and of my blog.

There are some posts that might be of particular interest:

My masterlist post - links to some of my past posts, somewhat organized around various categories

GGDD fic recs

Wangxian fic recs

Fandom survival guide

There are also tags that might be of particular interest. That list can be found toward the bottom of my masterlist post. Note: most of my posts are not tagged with typical fandom tags (bjyx, yizhan, etc.). That's just to ensure that those tags aren't overrun by topics that aren't of general interest to all fans.

Please feel free to connect with me via comments/reblogs on my posts, via private message, or through my ask box if you have a question or if you prefer to remain anonymous.

New people can bring new challenges and change. Such things can sometimes require adjustment and adaptation, so I hope that people will be patient with me and speak openly (gently) with me if there's anything they have concerns or questions about.

Throughout this time, I hope we can get along and support each other. Let's try to be kind. We are all living in very difficult times, and many of us are at vulnerable and/or emotional places in our lives. Conflict, hate, and personal attacks are something nobody needs. Please yell into your pillow, throw some plastic bottles against a wall, or go for a jog rather than ever raise a hateful or angry word toward anyone, including me.

I hope that we can be friends, but if for some reason there is an incompatibility between us or you find me or my blog not to your taste, please feel free to unfollow me or even block me. We all must curate our own fandom experience.

I'm looking forward to getting to know some new people and hopefully see some new life injected into the fandom here! Thanks for your interest in my blog. 😊

[akaikali]

Hello! I just finished reading "Are You Mr. Schadenfreude?" on Ao3! And dare i say it is the best fic I've ever read yet, LIKE I'M NOT KIDDING the amount of suspense, thriller and horror.. I was at the edge of my seat and not to mention how well written the whole story is and the lore itself is just so 😩😩😩.. I am not familiar with vocaloid and even the music video (sorry!) itself but I did watch it just after reading the fic and how impressed I was that you came up with your own version and even wrote it in a MONTH 80k words and all, kudos to you <3.

I was having goosebumps throughout reading the fic! I LOVE the dynamic between wonhan and especially I've been addicted their 'This Man' album since it was released and how they were stuck together like glue and the moments they share together was adorable and as a jeonghan biased myself (i have 6 biases actually hehe) i love every bit of it and I fell in love with the characters and the fic itself. Another thing I'd like to point out is the way you portrayed their relationships that can be interpreted as romantic and/or platonic so that readers can enjoy more of the story. Aside from wonhan, i also adored the dynamic each members have with each other and then there's verkwan VERKWAN FOR THE WIN! I was devastated when both of them died and I was awestruck to find out that seungkwan did it to avoid vernon from suffering the same fate with the others and that my friends is love and if that's not love I don't know what is. I was saddened that all of them have met their deaths whether they were murdered or have ended themselves BUUUUUT HELLO THE PLOT TWIST??? I was clearly not expecting for wonwoo to wake up and then it goes back to beginning but then I understand it was his turn to break the cycle like wonwoo was the real mvp here, basically the whole story was supposed to be in hoshi's timeline but man's was sidetracked and ended getting killed earlier in the story (still love him tho but a huge facepalm for him). At the beginning of the fic I was caught off guard that jun had died immediately like it was so sudden but I was pleasantly surprised to find him still alive the end and was working below the church to try and help his friends and speaking of the devil... I really can't put my finger on it but since the beginning I've been very suspicious of minghao, but I did suspect either jeonghan or wonwoo to be the devil but I was more suspicious of minghao and the scream I let out when it was actually him who the was the devil though I have to admit it was pretty conflicting but in a good way lol.

It was fun spotting easter eggs all throughout the fic that connects with gose and for real though the fic was definitely a mix of bad clue, don't lie and ego as the og lore is similar to a mafia game and I absolutely ADORE how you came up with your twist. I'm gonna be honest it was the BEST read, I've been so invested in a fic before like how invested I was in the fic and not to mention the endless roller coaster of emotions I've read throughout, you really did pour all your hard work on this one and I really really appreciate it!!! ('appreciate' is an understatement) There are a lot more words to say but I think I'll stop here, I've been rambling too much lol. Please excuse my English as it's not my mother tongue.

HELLO???? OMG THIS IS SO SWEET IM GONNA SCREAM

I'm so flattered oh my lord I was kicking my feet and giggling as I read this you're SO sweet

I'll be totally honest, there was one specific scene that really made me want to write this and I actually drew it here. This was the catalyst for this whole fic I saw this scene and I was like "wonhan. i need to draw wonhan like this" and yeah here we are. honestly I was NOT expecting it to be like 88k, I thought I'd have barely enough for 30k 😭😭

Wonhan has been a new recent obsession for me (same as you, This Man really made me go OH HELLO WONHAN) their dynamic reminds me a lot of a ship I like (wangxian from MDZS, jeonghan reminds me of wei wuxian and wonwoo reminds me of lan wangji). I actually wrote a wonhan fic based on wonhan (and I'm gonna add a chapter to it soon as well ehehe)

Writing their relationships as ambiguous was so nice as an aroace person who feels strong feelings that aren't entirely romantic but not platonic either. Jeonghan-biases unite, as I was writing it I literally went "if I'm in love with him, everyone is in love with him". Verkwan are sooooo they're so soulmates (in whatever way)

Wonwoo being the one to figure it out is kind of like him in Ego because he figured out almost everything but he just got caught by the time limit. If it weren't for that, I think Wonwoo could have figured it out.

As for Jun, I really love seeing his caring side because he cares SO MUCH for the members. That's why I wrote him quietly helping his friends because that reminds me of him in the early days, even when he couldn't communicate, he was always silently helping everyone.

As for Myungho, I wanted to channel the energy he had in Bad Clue because the final confrontation between him and Mingyu was sooooo like it had me SWEATING. But at the same time, I couldn't make him ACTUALLY want to hurt his friends, Myungho would never do that. Hence the binding ritual ending I came up with. But I'm so glad you like my plot twists!!

The Easter eggs were my favorite part everytime I wrote one I was giggling a little bit.

Thank you so much, seriously, I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much, especially since I think this was probably one of my favorite fics I've written, so it makes me so happy that you like it so much!!

(Idk how much svt I will write other than my ongoing kpopfic Only You and adding a chapter to my wonhan fic, but I'm glad you enjoyed this!)

[gravitywonagain]

Pls tell about the Definitely Not a Queer Eye fic!!!

hahahaha! yes, okay, thank you <3

so wife and i were watching a ton of queer eye for, like, happiness reasons. and i, as i do, started formulating a queer eye au. but i told her i wasn't gonna write it! and i wasn't! but then... and she shares access to my wips folder because she does all my editing. so that's why i named it that.

but it very much is a queer eye fic, in which wwx is a software engineer who has a lot of money but never takes care of himself. he's just moved himself and a'yuan into a split family house with wen qing, wen ning, and wen popo in the other half, but he's done absolutely no decorating in his house except for a'yuan's stuff. also he runs a community garden. also he's 33 but he still dresses like he's in college. also he has abandonment issues and struggles to believe he's worthy of love unless he's doing something for someone else. anyway, you get it.

so, wen qing and wen ning nominate him and the fab 5 come in and do their thing! it's not complicated. just sweet. and there's hints of wangxian throughout. karamo gathers all the friends at one point to do that thing where they sit in a circle and tell wwx he's loved. wx will probably finally kiss at the episode ending house warming party thing. lwj will definitely check out wwx's ass in his new jeans. but it really is all about getting wwx the self-love he deserves. and to make him prioritize himself for once.

but because i told wife i wasn't going to write it, it's basically just an outline with a few dialogue snippets, so i don't have much prose to give you... but here's a moment from the wens' nomination interview:

WEN QING (Friend/Nominator) and WEN NING (Friend/Nominator) sit together at an oak dining table. Family pictures cover the wall behind them. Wei Ying features in many if not most of them. WQ: How would I describe Wei Ying as a person? WN: Ying-ge is... a very giving person. WQ: Giving? He's the fucking Giving Tree! I once saw him literally hand a man the shirt off his back.

i kind of envision it in the style of After the Final Rose by azurewaxwing where i do the episode, but also some extra bits to kind of round it out some more :)

thank you <3

WIP Ask Game

[sophia-sol]

Recs round-up for the month of March, 2024! This month below the cut we have:

1 Nirvana in Fire fanwork

2 TGCF fanworks

3 CQL/MDZS fanworks

5 SVSSS fanworks

1 academic article on the gendering of trans voices

2 short stories

1 novella

1 Nirvana in Fire fanwork:

Go Forward Slowly, by burnt_oranges

a post-canon jingyan/mei changsu nif fic in which jingyan discovers that mcs survived after all…and never let jingyan know.

jingyan is uh. not handling it well, the loneliness and responsibility of being emperor. and this only makes it worse!

anyway it's a venue for lots of real good angst, and I definitely cried at one point!

I also really appreciate the use it makes of various secondary characters who are also important figures in jingyan's life

many feels. I love these characters. there IS a happy ending.

31k words in length

2 TGCF fanworks:

Never Look Away, by dkwilliams

hualian fanvid of the TGCF donghua set to Vienna Teng's "Never Look Away"

ahhhhh it's just very feelings!!!!

audio is song-only

youtube video includes lyric captions

3:16 in length

Ten Feet Behind, by thetrickisnotminding

tgcf quanyin canon divergence au where quan yizhen finds the coffin containing the guoshi fangxin

a fun look at a different way for xie lian and hua cheng to meet again, and for quan yizhen and yin yu to meet again!

9k words in length

3 CQL/MDZS fanworks:

in the tall weeds, by cordial

sangyao fic set during the qinghe era of jgy’s life

a look at trans man meng yao and his experience of his gender, and nie huaisang experimenting with transfemininity

a beautiful look at the complexities of identity, the precarity of position, and the connection between jgy and nhs

1k words in length

A Good Fit, by nirejseki

canon divergence fic where young Meng Yao goes to the Lan Sect to learn cultivation as a guest, instead of trying to be accepted into Jin

I had a lot of fun with the route this fix-it took!

and I enjoyed that it included friendship between Meng Yao and Su She <3

5k words in length

Practical Mythology, by metisket

a fun cute look at a cql wangxian time travel fixit au, where wwx is the alarming immortal who fixed the burial mounds and will grant wishes to deserving people, and lwj meets him for the first time at 8 years old and decides he'll marry him

I enjoyed the look at how this au has changed things for all sorts of different people across the cultivation world, and the ways in which wwx both is indeed extremely powerful and also is someone who still has his blind spots and emotional vulnerabilities

lots of different povs throughout the fic which is fun too!

17k words in length

5 SVSSS fanworks:

Oversharing is Caring, by Prudabaga

bingqiu fic where during the trial in jinlan city, sqq is given a truth serum that comes with a side of lowered inhibitions

nobody is prepared for the kinds of truths sqq wants to share (thoughtful and detailed list of who's hottest)

or, tbh, for the truths that come out by the wayside

funny and cute

4k words in length

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This, Prudabaga

another bingqiu fic about the jinlan city encounter going differently, this time because lbh has visited sqq's dreams

and sqq has a Totally Very Straight Of Himself tendency to have sexy dreams about lbh

hard for lbh to believe that sqq wants nothing to do with him after that! (he's still very confused tho)

love this for them

26k words in length

right from the start, I gave you my heart, by nex_et_nox

sqq is hit by an obedience curse! uh oh, it's time for the mission to jinlan city!

fun sqq & sqh interaction, and sqq's first meeting with lbh post-abyss going very differently than in svsss

sqq absolutely out here making his own life harder on a regular basis

lots of fun with this trope!

11k words in length

cleanse your life of me, by ambrorussa

svsss au where sy transmigrates into yqy instead of sqq

the fic is in two parts: first, from sy!yqy's pov as he tries to change events within the parameters the system allows him, and then the second from og!sqq's pov follows where the first part left off, with sqq trying to deal with the fact that yqy is so different now from the one he remembers.

the two parts are different in tone and both excellent, both really fitting the kind of character and person the pov character is, and what it is they want the most. I loved it!

endgame ships: liushen & qijiu

11k words in length

Scenario: Fix-It Fic, by lettered

bingqiu fic where due to System shenanigans sqq travels back in time to when he first encountered lbh in jinlan city post-abyss

sqq does his best to make things go differently this time, within the parameters of the genre "h/c fic" which the system tells him he is now in

I'm just! so delighted by so much about this fic!

and I love how the fic plays metatextually with its own fourth wall in ways I haven't really seen much in svsss fic before!

fic is a WIP; as of my initial rec on mastodon there are 14k words; satisfying to read as is

1 academic article:

"Transgender voices: Insights on identity, embodiment, and the gender of the voice" (2018, Language and Linguistics Compass)

this free-to-read academic article is an overview of the features of a voice that lead people to read that voice as a particular gender

it pushes back against the traditional view of male vs female voices, of pitch being the main deciding factor in gendering voices, and of a voice's gender being immutable

it's a pretty accessible read, IMO!

16 pages in length; 12 pages if you discount the list of references

2 short stories:

The Three Thousand, Four Hundred Twenty-Third Law of Robotics, by Adam-Troy Castro

really more of a prose poem than a standard short story

about the experience of being a robot given unfair orders under unbreakable laws

a satisfying read and I loved the structure

2k words in length

Afflictions of the New Age, by Katherine Ewell

A sci-fi short story about an elderly woman hundreds of years old, making use of every life extending treatment she can, but her grasp on time and on memory is no longer good

Focuses on her relationship with her family, with her home aide, with her fear of death, with her experience of the confusion of past and present

Evocative melancholy wistful tone, really effective!

At the end of the story I'm left with many questions, but in a good way

4k words in length

1 novella:

On the English Approach to the Study of History, by E. Saxey

huh, in the end I'm not entirely convinced I LIKE this novella but it's odd and compelling and interesting for sure

about the academic study of history in a context where a very specific subset of people have access to a very specific subset of historical figures to ask them directly about what they remember

asking questions about who's an insider vs an outsider in academic study, about the values of different approaches to history

ultimately I think it turned too much into a story about the fantastical elements in the narrative and didn't engage as deeply with the themes as I thought it would at the beginning

but it's still a very interesting and well done story and I'm glad I read it!

22k words in length

[soshhy]

I don't usually post personal stuff but hey... Storytime: how wangxian saved my Christmas.

It's a couple of days before Christmas 2020. The Alpha strain of covid is spreading across the UK. London is on lockdown, my plan to see my family for the first time in 6 months is dashed by the sudden new regulations. My flatmate doesn't do Christmas. The rules for meeting people from other households say you can see one person at a time, outdoors, at a distance of two metres, for exercise only.

I'm feeling pretty down.

I'm sitting on a bench in my local park, in the freezing cold, with my giant coat on and my laptop on my knees because I can't be stuck in my flat for another minute. And I'm writing.

I'm writing about the park with its weird straw sculptures, and the birds on the little lake, and the cafe (currently closed because of covid but wow, their cardamom buns are amazing) and how on a wintery day it's quiet and empty.

(It's not quiet and empty. It's bustling with people because there's nowhere else to go. But it should be.)

And because The Untamed has been my lifeline throughout the pandemic, I'm writing about wangxian.

I write about Wei Ying and Lan Zhan walking the paths around the lake, getting coffee at the cafe, reading the signs about the water birds, and feeling all the excitement and nervousness and joy of a first date with the person they don't yet know will be theirs forever. I write the cutest, fluffiest, most romantic, least angsty story I've ever written. (I write a lot of fluff, so that's saying something.)

Suddenly it's not so bad.

I write that story in the park, and I write it at home on my lonely Christmas day. It's the second part in a series of cheerful silliness. When I post it I think about putting an author's note saying how it was written, how miserable I was, and how it helped so much. But I don't. Because out there are people who need exactly what I needed - a fluffy escape from all the shit going on. I just put a little note about how the fic is dedicated to my local park. It's my secret how when I'm walking round and round that lake because there's nowhere else to go, I'm looking at the cafe where wangxian got coffee, and the place where they fed the ducks, and the place where Wei Ying got scared by a dog - the same place they had their first kiss. And it's really not so bad.

My friend loses her dad to covid the day after New Years. Thousands more people lose their lives, pointlessly, meaninglessly, alone, with nobody but nurses to hold their hands. I find myself thinking about death the whole time. I go back on anti-anxiety meds. I'm struggling.

Over the next few weeks I write three more ridiculously cute, fluffy fics in that series, and I get comments with squeals and awws. The world is miserable but sometimes I'm not. And I'm helping a few hundred other people out there not be miserable too, just for a few minutes.

So now it's Christmas 2022. I'm visiting my family. Covid isn't over but the world seems to have forgotten. And it feels like it's time to tell the void what those stories meant, how having the escape of fanfic was such a huge support. I'm so glad I didn't write that author's note. I can reread those stories and not remember unless I want to. The only reminder I have is that when I walk around the lake, when I pass the signs about water birds, when I go to that cafe, I get a little bit of the happiness that I felt in a really hard time.

So, thank you fanfic. And thank you to all the people who commented and kudosed my Love Cats series two years ago. If you read this far, maybe you'll have some idea how much you meant to me.

[drpanda99]

5-4-3-2-1 Fic retrospective + 2023 Things

I was tagged by @dragongirlg-fics - please go and check out her writing and translations! =D

Post the following: -top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular) -your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year -your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year -your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year -and your number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year!

Answers under the cut.

Top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022:

Collateral Circulation; and other protective factors: This was my WIPbang fic that I spent almost the entirety of 2022 working on. This is my longest piece of writing ever and something I'm extremely proud I wrote! One of my friends was worried because of how ambitious my plans for this fic was at first, but I managed to do exactly what I set out to do! I imagined it kind of as one of those medical shows where you follow different characters and cut back and forth between their lives. I imagined the hospital as a living, working thing filled with all these characters with their individual lives and problems; we get to follow wangxian closely, but everyone else has their own backgrounds etc going on. Maybe one day I'll write a commentary on what everyone's backgrounds and stories are!

[Podfic] I Don't Want to Debut! by Countingcr0ws: This was my first big podfic and I spent many, many hours working on it. I upgraded my setup once in the middle and had to re-record the first two chapters to match the audio! This was also my first time incorporating music throughout a podfic. I also transcribed Chuang 2021's theme song into Ableton so I could have the midi track! That was something I was very worried about, but it turned out well in the end.

Five Shades of Home: This was my piece for the Chinese Diaspora event. I had actually forgotten what I had written, but I recently went back to reread it and I was surprised by how well I was able to intertwine the themes of family, grief, and different kinds of love into the fic! I wrote it around this time last year, so i had forgotten so much about it. But yay for cooking with your family and difficult conversations about grief!

root your love a little deeper: I wrote this as a pinch-hit with like 3 days?? for a remix event. It was my first time writing sci-fi and I had to come up with a bunch of worldbuilding as I went, but I ended up really happy about the overall fic and how I kept the themes of the original while putting my own spin on things. It was one I've read back a few times and still enjoy a lot!

your heart of shadows, your eyes like stars: This was the first fic I ever posted as a WIP (because I have a terrible fear of not finishing a fic I started) and it helped me get over a lot of anxiety around expectations/my working speed/etc. I was super surprised at how many people like it! It started out as a horny short scene, but then i had to fill in the backstory to get to where I wanted to go. It developed a much bigger plot than I anticipated, but I'm proud I pulled it off in the end! I'm also glad I got to explore some of the interesting parts of omegaji and the juiciness of LWJ's character against societal expectations of gender roles, love, and duty. I haven't read back over it yet, but it was a really fun experience (and I didn't have to edit the entire fic all at once, which was nice).

Your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year:

Secret bottomji big bang fic: Ooooh I'm so excited about this! I'm about 20k into it with an expected word count of around 60k. This could likely balloon because the plot got more complex, but that's ok! It's still a secret, but let's just say it incorporates some of my fave AU elements and I'm going way too hard on the structure of the fic lol.

Modern cultivation/poetry AU: This was my Nano project in November for a lack of other things to work on, but I'm hoping to release it this year! This started out as a modern with cultivation AU that would be released simultaneously with a "book" of poetry that LWJ either writes or studies from. I love the idea of making the reference material for within a fic and it isn't something I've seen that often! I don't know if I'm explaining it well, but it's me working on a fic + a poetry collection as LWJ at the same time. The cultivation part has taken over it, so I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna write myself out of this hole but oh well, I'm the author!

Wangxian incense burner CNC fic: set in a dream of the Cloud Recesses era where LWJ does WWX exactly as hard as he deserves lol. Inspired by maotuan's uncensored panels and WWX's talk about "why didn't you take me back then, you should have held me down and forced me, etc."

A non wangxian secret exchange fic: My first time (in this fandom) writing a non-wangxian main pairing! Details are still a secret, but I look forward to stretching my fingers into exploring other characters and dynamics.

Your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year:

Biggest is writing at all! I had not written prose for fun in over a decade when I rejoined fandom in late 2020, and I had barely started writing again. Fandom, writing, and podfic helped pull me out of a few months of really bad depression early in the year and it's given me comfort that I can make it through even the hardest of times. I've managed to keep writing despite other things in life going wrong and I'm super proud I've kept this up because writing was one of the first things I ever loved!

My dialogue writing has gotten way better! I struggled with it so much in late 2020 and everything felt awkward and stilted. I still struggle with it at times, but I've been able to make it sound more natural than when I started!

Using an outline: I thought I was a pantser, but I never managed to finish any longer prose works I started in the past. I started actually outlining my ideas and writing in plot details, which seemed to be the secret for solving my never-finishes-any-writing self.

Your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year:

Figure out how to make transitions less awkward/use fewer time skips. If I'm using timeskips, make them feel suitable for the tempo of the work.

Manage time a little better - plan out which events/fics I'm gonna release rather than jumping on anything that looks good! And also finishing drafts in time so I don't make my betas work so hard (deep gratitude for everyone who has beta'd my stuff lol).

Your number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year!

Ok a little cheating, but I'm putting in the entire paragraph with my fave line (aka two lines lol) highlighted. This is from chapter 14 of Collateral Circulation and is from Yu Ziyuan's letter to Wei Ying. I love Yu Ziyuan as a character; I find her so emotionally complex and compelling. She may not be someone I like, but I think she serves to highlight how multifaceted one person can be.

Yanli loves you dearly. Jiang Cheng does too. Both of my children, whom I fought for tooth and nail, love you as if you were the centre of our family. Unlike Jiang Cheng, Yanli is soft and loving, more than I could ever be. She’s been the perfect mother despite her youth. I see so little of myself in her that I wonder if she’s really mine, and then I see her stubborn love and I know that she is exactly like her mother. If I could excise the love from my heart, I would. She nurtures it instead.

And that's a wrap. Thanks for reading if you've read it this far! =D

[i-sveikata]

✨ 👀 ⌛ ❌ hoping you’re feeling better!

Thank you!!! ngl this flu really took me out i've been in bed for days but am going to try and do my favourite walk this morning!

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it

ah man still not good at this one but I guess I do really like how I manage to intersperse humour throughout all of my stories. i like that there are moments that aren't afraid to be silly no matter what genre I'm writing especially if it makes someone else laugh

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

omg lol just one???? i'm planning on writing a fix it necromancy fic for the teen wolf movie (I signed up for that fix it writing challenge) but since people mostly knew about that already I'll mention another one. I think i want my next fic to be for a new fandom and I've already got a couple wips for mdzs, Harry Potter, Cobra Kai and a lot of other drama shows I've watched and loved over the yeas.

But for mdzs first one pops to mind is my drunk naked koala wangxian fic (yes it is literally titled that in my docs lol) but its basically wwx getting drunk and always disappearing from the party/wandering over to where the guy he likes to argue with in that one class at uni all the time lives, lwj. And basically lwj being a nice person, keeps letting him in to sleep off his drunkness whilst also fending of any handsy or ridiculous behaviour. Kind of an oblivious wwx to his own attraction/interest in lwj story where it keeps coming out of him when his inhibitions are lowered by alcohol fic!!

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

hmmm depends on the many different factors tbh. How productive I'm feeling, how much spare time I have, how much i'm intending to actually write for the story i.e is it long or a short fic? (mine tend towards long lol), whether there's an outline already set forward for what needs to happen in the chapter etc. it takes longer when i don't have ideas yet of what I want to happen.

like for my current kinnporsche fic for example, I had already written a huge chunk of it before i started and not all of those scenes connected seamlessly into a full story yet. But for this new chapter most of it does includes scenes that were already written so I just need to add in the 'filler' elements that would connect it together into one flowing piece, then of course upload to ao3, do the final edit and then post. I reckon i'm going to have the next chap up by the end of the week, fingers crossed! being sick put me back a bit cause i couldn't concentrate enough to write which is always sad

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Definitely student/teacher that one is not at all my jam, squicks me a bit too much to read it either.

[lynpheas]

Tag game: Tag nine (9) people you want to get to know better

Tagged by: @stellasolaris – thanks for the tag :D !! <3

Three Ships:

percy/annabeth (percabeth)!! they're the forever blueprint and my love for them has been reignited thanks to the pjo tv show!! wei wuxian/lan wangji (wangxian)!! they're my actual parents & lowkey such a formative ship for me. & i've recently been sucked back into fic for bakugou/todoroki (bktd) from bnha lately even though i haven't been invested in my hero since 2020.

First Ship:

man, probably flora and helia now that i think about it?

Last Song:

water from wine - amaarae

Last Movie:

my cousin vinny (1992) dir. jonathan lynn

Currently Reading:

afterparties by anthony veasna so

babel by r.f. kuang

off the top of my head.. but i'm honestly in a bit of a reading slump so i haven't really touched these in a while.

Currently Watching:

god, i think the last show i fucking watched was the ted series. i HATE the ted movies with a burning passion but ted (2024) the limited series was unfortunately very funny to me.

Currently Drinking:

idrk what this means lol... i drink water and orange juice a lot throughout the day. and recently, premier protein drinks because i've been saddled with two entire boxes of them for a bit of a convoluted reason.

Currently Craving:

a life without deadlines... cucumber tea sandwiches... A Break...

Tagging:

umm, honestly i always feel very awkward about tagging so maybe ? @floralovebot @alwayswriting101 @judamn ?

[dontbesoevil]

I posted 7 875 times in 2022

I tagged 7 873 posts in 2022

#magiqueuement - 5 731 billets (that's my queue tag)

#bad buddy - 852 billets

#not me - 606 billets

#kinnporsche - 521 billets

#eurovision - 428 billets

#esc 2022 - 422 billets

#art - 356 billets

#mdzs/cql - 339 billets

#the eclipse - 323 billets

#who rules the world - 276 billets

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#given how much thought is put in things like cinematography in this show i wouldn't be surprised if the costuming had got the same treatment

My top posts in 2022 :

n°5

My sad and tired brain decided over lunch that I could do nothing else that write Bai Lang being sad and tired and unable to sleep from episode 7 while we wait for episode 8 so have a second fic for this fandom.

💫Title: Don't flirt if you don't mean it

💫Fandom: My Tooth Your Love 

💫Bai Lang/Jin Xun'an, but really only Bai Lang, 1.4K, Insomnia and Overthinking my beloved

On Ao3

7 notes - publié le 24 novembre 2022

n°4

tia’s CQL fanvid recs - wangxian #7

Nothing better for wangxian than some bittersweet and heartbreaking vids so here have some!

(If you want more information on the project, you can find that here.)

Please go and give some love to the videos on youtube (and to the vidders on tumblr for those for which i could find a tumblr) and leave a comment.

The Untamed – Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian – Tether Me (FMV) by Earl Hatter Music: Tether Me - Galleaux Mood: “they’re spinning me out of control. tether me” Strength(s): different colourings for past and present, a nice use of the lyrics (“for a moment I was gone” *shot of wwx falling* I am fine) and of selected of dialogues to show their relationship and underscore the images, an editing to the beat and showing the parallels throughout the show.

--

The Untamed MV || Would you still love me? by Anabelle Music: Burn – Nathan Wagner Mood: “why can’t I trust now…not a single soul” Strength(s): So this vidder really knows how to create a story and choose the moments that both tell a devastating story and tell it in a way that feels true to the way it is devastating in the show Notes: tw images in very quick succession at one point in the video. In the words of the vidder: “I have seen plenty of videos about how much Lan Zhan and Wei Ying loves each other, that they're alway there for each other, and they can win every battle with their love. So, what about a song, when Wei Ying has doubts about that if Lan Zhan truly loves him?”

--

Wei Wuxian & Lan Wangji (WangXian) | Without You by Bright Moon Music: Without You - Ursine Vulpine & Annaca Mood: “I will watch the world burn without you” Strength(s): The edit is almost constantly on the beat and the use of the lyrics is very nicely done to tell a story about those two with parallels and memories (wwx remembering his time in cloud recesses at the same time as lwj remembering their dates). Notes: It is a very long song to vid, but contrary to some other vids with it, I did not felt like it was too long because of the story it managed to tell.

--

Wangxian || Sacrifice (The Untamed) by Mrseclipse555 (on tumblr @redxblueihateloveyou / @redxblueihateloveyou​) Music: Sacrifice – Zella Day Mood: so many sacrifices, so. many. Strength(s): A deep colouring with speeding and slowing down effects to fit the beat of the music, a good use of the lyrics to tell their story! Notes: People keep putting one after the other the lotus pier golden core scene and the nightless city scene and it hurts, but also it works you know!

--

Can’t help falling in love | Wangxian but Wangji suffers (The Untamed FMV) by Polish edition Music: "Can't Help Falling in Love" Cover [DARK VERSION] (feat. brooke) - Tommee Profitt Mood: oof Strength(s): A dialogue-heavy fanvid focused on wangxian from lwj’s perspective and uh, it hurts. A selection of all of the most painful moments for lwj’s in this show and there are a lot of them. The edition of them together (lwj pointing his weapon at wwx/jgy at the temple mixed with lwj doing it at nightless city – oof) is here for maximum pain Notes: I mean the title of this one is just oof and perfect you know.

18 notes - publié le 30 septembre 2022

n°3

He looks like me the first time I went to a gay club, overjoyed to be here and with way too much glitter.

- Swedish commentator about Romania

26 notes - publié le 12 mai 2022

n°2

please someone who knows how to do gifsets, i need a comparison gifset of darcy’s confession and sangwoo’s confession. the "against my wishes and better judgement, i'm afraid i like you" vibes are through the roof and i need it!

40 notes - publié le 10 mars 2022

Mon billet n°1 en 2022

Voir l'intégralité du billet

307 notes - publié le 20 novembre 2022

Obtenez votre année 2022 en revue sur Tumblr →

[antique-forvalaka]

For mdzs i can also definitely rec the @wangxianficfinder blog, they have well sorted rec lists for all kinds of moods, though obviously mainly focused on wangxian.

But some of my favourites are:

We're starting at the end: MDZS (has some show influence, but that's negligable – i say this never having watched the show either.) Wwx travels back in time without realising, at the moment of his expected death. He goes a bit more insane and splits off from the main war effort pretty early. It's a non-typical time travel fic as well since it deviates very quickly and signifcantly and doesnt rehash a lot of canon plot points. Has some amazingly intense twists and wwx has to live with the consequences of them for the rest of his life.

What Is Inevitable: MDZS, WIP, again a very well done non-typical timetravel premise: Nie Huaisang finds a way to send himself back in time to before the death of his brother, before the start of the war even, and spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to kill Jin Guangyao/Meng Yao, and yet is left unsatisfied again and again. Really fucked up tbh but i love it. (The author is also really good about finishing their WIPs, and just finished the 3rd part of a very very good Word Of Honor fic series. I havent read the last chapter of that one yet, so i'm unsure if they're taking a brief break atm. They'd honestly deserve it)

A Corpse Called By Name: MDZS, modern AU, during a zombie apocalypse Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng find the walking corpse of WWX, he appears to somewhat recognize them.

decay: MDZS, short, gusu lan agrees to take in the Wen Remnants under the condition that wwx submits himself to a cleansing ritual and eschew his new cultivation - a death sentence for wwx because of the severe damage his body sustained in the burial mounds, and which could only be temporarily mitigated with resentful energy

You are what you eat: MDZS, this one isnt angsty per se, i'd rate it as a comedy mostly, but WWX comes back wrong from the burial mounds and appears largely unaware of human customs, all the while casually admitting to ie eating Wen Chao and having seemingly developed a hunger for flesh. 17k words; but since it's fast paced and humorous it feels shorter

An Easy Lie: SVSSS, WIP, Shen Jiu – older brother to Shen Yuan – gets transmigrated into PIDW and Shen Qingqiu instead; there is some delicious angst about past and future lives, remembering cruelties you inflicted etc. It's pretty long but also still getting updates on a semi regular basis

Heart + Bone: TGCF, this one is again not all that angsty, however i still decided to include it because Hua Cheng is kind of conflicted throughout – HC is unable to remember Xie Lian, and thus more aimless and callous, as he nonetheless grows to be fascinatrd by a strange cultivator in white.

Anyways. It's basically the middle of the night for me, i might think of some more recs when i'm properly awake

MXTX fic rec request

hey so MXTX fandoms are really big and i cannot find what i want. the problem is basically:

these books are all really gleefully fucked up

most of the fic i find is fluff, possibly bc ppl are getting the fucked up content they need from canon, or possibly bc i'm bad at finding things

do you have suggestions for non-fluff fic? I've read SVSSS, MDZS, and I'm reading TGCF as the official translation so I'm not all the way thru but I know all the big reveals. SVSSS is my favorite of the 3 but i'm desperate for MDZS and TGCF fic also. i haven't watched the Untamed bc i'm under the impression that it's less fucky than the book and also i'm allergic to long tv shows.

i like the canon pairings, but also original Shen Qinqiu/Yue Qingyuan, Zhuzhi Lang/SQQ, anything with Jin Guangyao (my beloved), and please i need messy Jun Wu/Xie Lian/Hua Cheng to live. i am also v easily persuaded on other characters and pairings. thank you!

[sweetpollyolliver]

Polly Olliver’s Fabulous Fic Recs

I can feel things cooling down just a little with regards to mdzs and the Untamed. Before that happens, I wanted a record of all the fics I really love. So this is the first of a few rec lists.

This one is devoted to the Juniors ❤️  Some are romantic and some are gen - those with romance in are starred. A lot of these are considered fandom classics but you may not have heard of all of them and, hey, I want them here for posterity. If you have any recommendations that you feel should be included, please add them on.

The One-Body Problem by metisket

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.

This is Jingyi at his very best, saying exactly what he thinks exactly as it comes to him. It's funny and punchy and warm, much like Jingyi himself. I just adore it and I have re-read it several times.

this storm that should not be by TheDameJudiWench

When Wei Wuxian is trapped during a night hunt, Sizhui goes to Lotus Pier for help.

Or, a story about the homes we make for ourselves.

This is really a story about the people that make up Wei Wuxian’s home post canon, but it is told from the point of view of Sizhui and Jiang Cheng. It’s got some really great Yunmeng bros content as well as a focus on Sizhui’s relationship with Wei Wuxian. I am going to add a content warning for a detailed description of drowning. Spoilers - no one dies but it’s a near thing. It’s just the right kind of gut-wrenching and cathartic.

*A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste

“And,” said one of the pompous ministers, “there’s the matter of a marriage to consider as well!”

Jin Ling, who at the beginning of that sentence had expected to slam into the very last wall of his patience and lose his temper entirely, paused. “A what?”

Thing was… it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui

What fic rest list about the Juniors wouldn’t include this one? It’s fluffy and wonderful. Jin Ling is a darling who can do no wrong. I both cackled and cringed with second hand embarrassment throughout but he makes it through okay in the end. Also featuring a flustered Lan Sizhui, a doting Wei Wuxian, an incredulous Lan Wangji and a Jiang Cheng full of well meaning and also terrible advice.

your name, safe in their mouth by astrolesbian

“Hush,” Wei Wuxian says, in a low croon, like someone quieting a baby. Then he blinks, and looks away, awkward. “I mean—you shouldn’t speak. You’re tired. Rest if you need to.”

Lan Sizhui gets sick on a night hunt. Wei Wuxian comforts him. They both have a lot of feelings about it.

This fic is laced with longing and full of hurt-comfort. Definitely a go to comfort read and I can’t recommend it enough if you are having lots of feelings about Lan Sizhui and Wei Wuxian.

a symbol to remind you that there’s more to see by paperminds

For as long as Jin Ling can remember, he has been immune to the majority of supernatural hauntings that plague the cultivation world.

Or: what if Jin Ling had received his first-month birthday gift.

A very excellent study of Jin Ling’s changing view of Wei Wuxian, featuring a Jiang Cheng who has many emotions about it all!

*best friends forever by varnes

It happened like this: Jin Ling was a sect leader now, which was, and Jingyi really meant this, fucking hilarious. There were few things funnier, in his honest opinion.

Because he was young, and inexperienced, and also — it had to be said — a real shithead, there was apparently some belief amongst his advisors that the best way forward, to promote the picture of a stable, mature sect leader who absolutely did not cry at the drop of a hat, was for Jin Ling to get married.

OR: Jin Ling and Jingyi get engaged.

Things spiral from there.

Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui, all the juniors are a little in love with each other

A marriage of convenience/friends to lovers fic that did make me chuckle. It kind of derails towards the end there but it’s ful of Jing Ling and Lan Jingyi bickering, teasing and snuggling eachother and who can really turn away from a good convenient marriage trope? Besides I do like to see Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling being protective of each other and you get a lot of that thrroughout this.

Five Dogs, One Cat by Ryfkah

“If you’ve ever believed me in anything, believe I want what’s best for Jin Ling,” the first line of the letter reads.

Jiang Cheng has to stop and take a moment before he continues on to the next line:

 “You must come to Carp Tower as soon as you can and lavish praise on the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen.”

Featuring many uncles being doted upon by their many nephews. I did laugh a lot.

One Eye Upon the Heaven Renounced by violettressed

“I’m serious," Jin Ling presses. "You think Lanling Jin can survive another scandal? Another horrible sect leader? I have to be perfect! That’s what this entire conference is about!”

“I thought it was about fostering inter-sect harmony,” Lan Jingyi deadpans, which, damnably, is a direct line from the invitation.

-

A year after the fall of Jin Guangyao, Jinlintai opens its doors to prove there is nothing to hide. Jin Ling is just trying to survive the week.          

A study on the political aftermath of the events at Guanyin Temple, focusing on Jin Ling as a brand new sect leader, grieving for Jin Guangyao while also trying to distance himeself from him as much as possible. Featuring Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng being very good uncles and even working together. There’s some really juicy political scenes that feel very cathartic too.  

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

The Sculptor

Chapter 10 - The Gift of Fire

[Final main chapter! I'll post the epilogue shortly and then this fic is done ♥ And please don't forget to check out @ceru-draws!! This fic wouldn't exist without their incredible piece The Sculptor (but Wangxian), and I seriously can't recommend their art enough, go give them some love! Follow them here, or on Twitter, or on Instagram, whatever you prefer, but just do it!]

[Masterpost] [AO3]

-/-

“How was the party?” Lan Wangji asks Wen Qing when she arrives home on Saturday afternoon, and he can tell the moment she walks through the door that something’s up. He looks beyond her shoulder to spot Luo Qingyang following her in, and he relaxes. He likes Luo Qingyang, truly and genuinely, and though he’s not typically fond of unexpected visitors, how could he be upset to see her? “Mianmian,” he greets, more warmly than he would greet anyone else who isn’t his wife or Wei Wuxian.

“Hi Wangji,” she says with a sweet smile up at him. “I hope you don’t mind-”

“You know you’re always welcome in our house, don’t ever apologize,” Wen Qing reminds her before Lan Wangji can say precisely the same. “We have news for you,” she then says to him, and he can’t help but blink at the barely-restrained aggression in her tone.

He reaches out to take the shopping bag from Luo Qingyang’s arms with an inquisitive noise in the back of his throat. The pair of them follow him into the kitchen, and when he sets the bag down with a rustle of paper and a glance back at them he catches them in the middle of communicating something between them with nothing more than sharp glances in his direction and thinned lips.

“What happened?” he asks with no small amount of alarm - considering the panic he’d felt over the party in the first place, he’s not inclined to think that any news they might have to give him together the day after will be anything good.

“Wei Wuxian is definitely gay.” Wen Qing says it like ripping off a bandaid, sharp and quick, and Lan Wangji so thoroughly appreciates his wife and her no-nonsense attitude in that moment that he can hardly breathe. “Mianmian’s Family - they’re the painters he shares Yiling Collective with, the theater director at the performing arts center in town, and Wei Wuxian.”

“He was there?” Lan Wangji asks when he feels like he can breathe again. He’s not sure what he would have done if he’d gone to the party with them and seen Wei Wuxian sitting there, surrounded by part of their little underground community in such a way that there could be absolutely no doubt as to his place in it, but it likely wouldn’t have been very dignified.

“No,” Luo Qingyang says apologetically and Lan Wangji exhales carefully. “But Uncle Xingchen had to run out to the studio for something and he said A-Ying was still in his side of the studio moping around. Uncle invited him to come but he said he didn’t want to show up at the party all sad and accidentally spoil our coming out. He started telling us about the piece he saw on the workbench, and when he described it to us Qing-jie knew for sure that my ‘cousin’ he kept mentioning was your Wei Wuxian. I didn’t even realize you were down there working with him until last night!”

Lan Wangji stares into the space between their shoulders and just..tries to think.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes come to mind first, laughing and intense in equal measure, heavy whenever they rest on him for any reason. His hands, never straying but…lingering, on the rare occasions Wei Wuxian finds a reason to touch him. His blushes, his praises, the way each image he’s made of Lan Wangji yet has been done with so much delicate care that it makes him want to blush just to think of them. 

He’d mentioned the end of their allotted time together twice within roughly 30 seconds of each other yesterday, and the reminder had settled uncomfortably under Lan Wangji’s ribs and stayed there, sharp as a razor whenever he breathes even today. Had it made Wei Wuxian just as upset? He’d seemed alright when Lan Wangji had left, but if Xiao Xingchen, who must know him well, had seen him just hours later and reported him back as ‘moping’ then what could have happened in the interim except Wei Wuxian thinking about their parting conversation?

“A-Zhan?” Wen Qing prompts quietly, and Lan Wangji forces himself to take a deep breath in. Hold it. Exhale slowly. “I want you to pursue this,” she tells him when he looks at her, her face as serious as it ever gets. “I want you to be happy. We can stay married, we can adopt A-Yuan, we can do everything we promised. And you can keep Wei Wuxian.”

“He’s single,” Luo Qingyang adds before Lan Wangji can attempt to get his feet back under him and he narrows his eyes at her - they’ve clearly coordinated this attack, but Luo Qingyang just smiles at him, falsely guileless. “And he told Huaisang forever ago that he was going to quit going down to the Corner Bar because hookups just aren’t what he wants anymore, he’s looking for more but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to find it.”

Lan Wangji wants to give him so much more that his knees nearly buckle under the weight of it, though of course only he knows just how close he is to losing his iron-clad control.

“Go sit down,” Wen Qing orders. “That’s a lot of information for 2pm on a Saturday, just go think about it, alright? We’re going to make Mianmian’s cookies to take across to Margaret, we’ll set some aside for you.”

Lan Wangji frowns a little at that, startled out of his spiraling thoughts by the utterly uncharacteristic decision from Wen Qing to not only bake cookies for someone, but specifically for a woman she claims to barely tolerate. As far as distractions go, it’s surprisingly effective. It’s Luo Qingyang who clears that up for him too, still smiling sweetly.

“I think Peggy’s one of us,” she says with a wink. “I’ve seen her snooping around the outside of the Corner Bar one too many times for her to have been ‘just a little lost’, I want her to know we’re here for her if she needs people to talk to.”

“Right,” Lan Wangji manages, and the only thing that keeps him from mumbling it is all his uncle’s comportment lessons as a boy. “That is…good. Mn.” He drifts out of the kitchen in a daze to return to his spot on the couch, mind churning uncomfortably through so much new information that he was in no way prepared for. He can hear Wen Qing and Luo Qingyang chatting quietly in the kitchen as they bake, occasionally breaking into laughter, and it soothes him to hear his best friend and her partner free to be themselves. Happy.

This is what he’d promised her. He’d sworn to her that they’d keep each other safe, that she could be herself with him and he would be there for her. Encourage her. He’s only realizing now that he’d never truly anticipated she would need to uphold her promises to do the same for him. He’d been so certain that he would spend his life entirely celibate, too afraid of being hurt, being in danger, to ever pursue a partner for himself. He had accepted that. But now, with the possibility of not having to accept it in front of him, it feels like his entire world has been flipped upside down. It’s terrifying. It’s uncomfortable.

But he knows Wei Wuxian. He trusts him. He, if he’s being honest with himself, loves him already. Desperately, in his own quiet, hidden ways. If pursuing that love means he has to feel like he’s falling up into space then he hopes he never finds his footing again.

“What are you going to do?” Wen Qing asks him quietly on Monday morning when he comes downstairs for breakfast, dressed for the day as usual in one of his most comfortable suits. “Will you tell him?”

“I do not know,” he answers honestly. He’s had a day and a half to think about it, and though he knows he wants Wei Wuxian, wants whatever the man will give him, he has utterly no idea how to go about actually getting it. Wen Qing had come to him on her own to ask him to start ‘dating’, and had proposed their marriage to him as well in her usual no-nonsense way. He has never once, in his entire life, practiced going after the things he wants like this, and certainly never with so much at stake.

Wen Qing, mercifully, leaves him to his thoughts without sharing any of her opinions on the matter (though he’s sure she has plenty). She sends him off at the door at the usual time with a reassuring squeeze to his hand and he appreciates it, the quiet reminder that no matter what happens he still has her. They’d promised - support and companionship. Security. He can be safe with her, even if everything else falls apart. 

When he arrives at the studio it’s to find Wei Wuxian only just arriving to unlock the door, his shoulders a little slumped and his hair tied up sloppily in a red ribbon, much brighter than the faded maroon of his shirt. Lan Wangji thinks of Luo Qingyang saying that he’d been ‘moping’ on Friday night, and he wonders with a pang if that’s still the case.

“Wei Ying,” he greets, and the man turns to look at him over his shoulder, already grinning at the sight of him.

“Lan Zhan! Right on time as always. Sorry I’m not already set up, I slept in this morning.”

“No need, Wei Ying deserves to rest.”

Wei Wuxian just chuckles at that and steps into the studio. The first thing Lan Wangji notices when he steps inside is that the place absolutely reeks of cigarette smoke, and he glances automatically at the ubiquitous little cardboard box that had taken up residence in Wei Wuxian’s pockets a few weeks ago. He hasn’t actually seen him smoking, but now he supposes that’s just because Wei Wuxian does it on his own rather than because he doesn’t actually do it at all.

“Ah…I’ll just. Open the windows,” Wei Wuxian says sheepishly with a little wrinkle of his nose that’s unfairly adorable.

“Mn.”

Lan Wangji shuts the door behind them and begins undressing. After having done it so many times he barely hesitates at all, even when it comes to removing his trousers which is still such a new development. His hands are shaking today like they haven’t since those first few days of undressing here, but he knows that at least this morning it has very little to do with baring himself for Wei Wuxian’s gaze - which, now that he can be honest with himself about his feelings, had thrilled him just as much as it had terrified him when Wei Wuxian mentioned it during that very first meeting.

“So - before you get comfortable on the sofa for the day,” Wei Wuxian starts with a smirk to invite him to join in the joke that is ‘comfortable’, as his pose is far from it, “I want to let you know that since I’ll be moving onto the final piece now I need to take some um..measurements. Well a lot of them, actually. To build to scale.”

It hardly takes any consideration at all for Lan Wangji to see the logic of that and he nods easily, unsure why Wei Wuxian is blushing about it.

It takes roughly two minutes more for Lan Wangji to understand the reason for that too.

He’s been measured for suits his entire life, stood on many a tailor’s podium with his feet spread shoulder-width apart and grit his teeth until the process was over. He has never once had a handsome man’s hands on his bare skin, measuring every conceivable part of his body. It’s a very different experience, and one he has no interest in ending any time soon. 

Wei Wuxian’s clever, lovely fingers skim across shoulders, ribs, down his arms, circle around his wrists…his neck. He finds a robin’s egg blue silk ribbon somewhere in all his many scraps of fabric and uses it to tie Lan Wangji’s hair up for him when it proves to be too inconvenient to ask him to hold it up out of the way in a loose bun on top of his head, and somehow the gentle hold of it at the back of his head, the bottom two thirds of his hair still hanging loose to drape over his shoulders, leaves him feeling more exposed than if it were all still gathered neatly out of the way.

He stands still in the middle of Wei Wuxian’s studio, in front of a mirror he’s never seen before but that Wei Wuxian seems to be using to help with the measuring process, and he settles into the low-simmering arousal of being naked for Wei Wuxian as the man, fully dressed, circles him slowly. Touches him, polite and businesslike but reverent in the same way he’s been every single time he’s ever touched him. Lan Wangji glances down on instinct when Wei Wuxian stops in front of him to measure the breadth of his chest from shoulder to shoulder and his next inhale catches when he sees Wei Wuxian’s sturdy leather boots so close to his own bare feet, a large fold in the stiffened skirt of his apron a hairsbreadth from brushing against his thigh.

Wei Wuxian has forgone his usual clay-stained overalls for the day, dressed instead in worn trousers and a sinfully soft short-sleeved button up, sleeves cuffed over the strong curves of his biceps, all of it haphazardly protected by a softened denim apron that does actually brush Lan Wangji’s skin in the next moment when Wei Wuxian steps just a centimeter too close. Lan Wangji’s hands are practically aching with the desire to push it all off him and strip him down as well, even as he thrills at the power dynamic of being so vulnerable in front of Wei Wuxian, still completely put-together and in control of Lan Wangji’s every movement.

Wen Qing’s question pings helpfully in the front of his mind again when he looks up from the narrow space between them to meet Wei Wuxian’s wide, dark eyes.

What are you going to do?

Wei Wuxian’s fingers twitch on his chest and he swallows once before he leans back to scribble messily in his notebook balanced on the edge of his workbench, the furniture shoved aside for the moment to accommodate the mirror and give them room for Wei Wuxian to circle around him easily. They continue on in silence like that - nothing but their breathing, the occasional creak of leather or the wooden floor, and the slither of the tape measure through Wei Wuxian’s fingers to break it - for almost half an hour before Wei Wuxian finally takes a step back and studies him, color high in his cheeks.

“I have a few more to do,” he says, which Lan Wangji had expected considering he hasn’t even done his legs. He nods and follows easily when Wei Wuxian sits down on his stool sandwiched carefully between the mirror and the overladen table that Lan Wangji has spent hours looking at over Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. He’s meant many times to ask him about the family of statues on the top of it and is tempted to ask now, but whatever’s happening between them right now is..fragile in a way he can’t explain, but that he knows he doesn’t want to break. He stands silently beside the mirror as Wei Wuxian leans over - stretching out the lean line of his body for Lan Wangji to savor - to drop his tape measure on the workbench and swap it out for a pair of wooden calipers. Lan Wangji can’t resist raising an eyebrow when Wei Wuxian clears his throat and gestures vaguely at his hips.

Not that he needs permission, Lan Wangji would give Wei Wuxian anything, but he nods anyway and offers the man his usual quiet but firm, “Mn.” The familiar gesture makes Wei Wuxian smile up at him and Lan Wangji slides his hand up the side of the mirror to curl his fingers over the corner of the sturdy wooden frame - he’s afraid his knees will give out from under him if he doesn’t.

Wei Wuxian’s hands are visibly trembling as he adjusts the calipers a few times anxiously without bringing them anywhere near Lan Wangji’s cock (which is not nearly as soft as would be appropriate in a professional setting, though it’s thankfully not hard either) - and then he suddenly reaches into his pocket to draw out a brand new pack of cigarettes to pull one out and pop it between his lips.

What are you going to do?

Lan Wangji reaches out before he can think twice about it to take the lighter from Wei Wuxian’s shaking hands. As Wei Wuxian looks up at him, startled, he maintains steady eye-contact as he flicks the lid back on its hinge.

Spins the wheel under the side of his thumb with a metallic ring. 

There’s a nearly inaudible whoosh as the flame catches, hot and bright in his hand, and then Lan Wangji holds it out at hip height, mere inches from his own pelvis.

If Wei Wuxian wants a light, he’ll have to lean in close to get it.

They spend an endless moment blinking at each other, and Lan Wangji thinks in that moment that an understanding of the sort they’ve been dancing around for two months, since the moment they met, finally passes between them. Wei Wuxian lounges sideways slowly, ankles crossed next to Lan Wangji’s bare feet, elbow resting on the back support of his stool. His calipers dangle carelessly from his relaxed hand as he raises the other hand to hold his cigarette steady between his index and middle fingers as he leans in, in, in - and holds the tip of it to the flame cupped in Lan Wangji’s fingers.

Lan Wangji tucks one ankle carefully in front of the other and settles in with a relieved little sigh, the weight of years lifted from his shoulders in the moment between Wei Wuxian lighting his cigarette and flickering his heated gaze up to meet his, eyes glinting with the warmth of the flame. 

Lan Wangji flips the lid of the lighter over to snuff out the fire with another metallic little click, fingers clutching tight around the cool metal of it nestled in his palm. Wei Wuxian breathes deeply, takes the cigarette from his lips, and turns his head to the side to exhale again.

“Lan Zhan-” he chokes, his gaze fixed on the bare expanse of wall beside them. “I can’t-”

“My wife is a lesbian,” Lan Wangji blurts, panic moving him to speak bluntly. Heated glances and mutual understanding, one queer man to another, are all well and good, but he also knows that Wei Wuxian is a good man, a righteous man - he won’t step anywhere close to what he sees as an unforgivable breach of trust, but Lan Wangji can’t lose him. Not now, not ever. He can force himself to speak clearly for the sake of something so vital. Wei Wuxian will keep him safe.  “She had her coming out just recently. Friday evening.”

Wei Wuxian looks up at him again sharply, eyes wide with quick understanding.

“Mianmian?”

“Wen Qing’s girlfriend of three months, as of this week.”

Wei Wuxian exhales shakily and takes another fortifying drag off his cigarette - and the moment he does he seems to remember just how it was lit, and by whom, and his cheeks flush the deepest red Lan Wangji has seen on him yet.

“And you, Lan Zhan?”

“Pleased that my wife has found a lover to make her happy. And…” Lan Wangji swallows down years of shame, embarrassment, longing for something he’d never hoped to have in order to add, “I believe it is time I allowed myself to find my own.”

Wei Wuxian stares up at him for a breathless eternity, and then in quick succession he tosses his cigarette down to the floor to grind the lit end between his boot and the wood, jerks to his feet, and then his hands are on Lan Wangji again, firmer than before and without the excuse of the tape measure to mask his intention. Lan Wangji releases the mirror and the lighter clatters to the floor beside their feet in favor of having his hands free to reach towards the other man, to cup Wei Wuxian’s jaw, both hands curled tightly against that beloved face so he can pull him in and kiss him with barely-controlled hunger. There isn’t an ounce of hesitation left in either of them as their mouths meet, parted and perfect.

Lan Wangji may take a long time to make up his mind, but when it’s made he does nothing by halves; now that he knows what it feels like to have Wei Wuxian melted against his chest, lips soft and open in eager permission for Lan Wangji’s clumsy, amateur kisses, he knows he can never live happily without it again.

[sophia-sol]

Over on mastodon, someone I follow started a thing where for each day in December you post a rec for something. I decided to join in! And now that it's the end of December, I'm crossposting all my recs here in one big long list. It's all mxtx fic, mostly mdzs and svsss but a bit of tgcf, and of a wide variety of tones and ships. I hope you find something in here to enjoy!

for #DecRecs I'm going to be going through my bookmarks from when I first started reading fic for mxtx fandoms, and rec a fic for each month I've been in the fandom(s)! We'll start day 1 with the first untamed fic I ever read: "and they were roommates..." by harriet_vane. It's a modern au, rule 63 femslash wangxian. Super charming and delightful, and it was a great way to get me introduced to the characters without having to know a lot of context! https://archiveofourown.org/works/21400138

for day 2 of #decrecs is "to the act of making noise", by words-writ-in-starlight - an untamed fic from Lan Sizhui's pov, about family and grief and his relationship with the song Inquiry. It's incredible and made me feel many feels! https://archiveofourown.org/works/22944457

for #DecRecs day 3, a fic I first read in Apr 2020, still very early into my forays into  untamed fandom! "the soft animal" by cafecliche is an exploration of wwx's relationship with mxy's body post-canon, figuring out how to make a home in it, and I was fascinated! I love how this canon allows for different kinds of explorations of embodiment, and I love how steadily lwj supports wwx throughout this fic too. https://archiveofourown.org/works/23640610

ooh already time for #DecRecs day 4! Moving to a fic I read in Sept 2020, "Call and Response" by x_los is from lxc's pov about his relationship with his parents and his brother, and his parents' relationship with each other, and how lxc sees those reflected in both himself and lwj. It starts with lcx & lwj's efforts as children to learn the truth of their mother's imprisonment and it continues all the way to the end of canon, and it's excruciatingly good the whole way https://archiveofourown.org/works/25216897

let's be emotionally devastated some more with today's #DecRecs day 5! "the final cut" by wildehack is nie huaisaing/mo xuanyu!!!! I love how it portrays the complicated mix of emotions and motivations that nhs and mxy have, and the way everything leads inexorably to this horrible and perfect end. I was riveted throughout. https://archiveofourown.org/works/25494802

ok for #DecRecs day 6 let's move on from devastating to FUN AND INTERESTING with a modern-au-with-cultivation for the untamed! I love the premise of the au of "I feel like I win when I lose" by so_shhy, which turns cultivation into a sports drama - but cultivation can still be real, and dangerous, and not just a game! I adore it when people turn modern au's into a chance for having fun with worldbuilding. And then of course wangxian prove love is real ahhhhhhhh. https://archiveofourown.org/works/27197516

#DecRecs day 7, where we get to the point where I was reading enough untamed fic to go to a rec for each month of my fandom history, for the rest of my recs! "best friends forever" by varnes is a super adorable next-gen fic about jin ling and lan jingyi getting engaged for political reasons. I love EVERY ONE of the juniors in every possible permutation, and this whole fic just embodies the feeling of grinning delightedly from every pore. https://archiveofourown.org/works/27779227

#DecRecs day 8! "Gathered Herbs & Sweet Grasses" by hansbekhart is about Lan Sizhui and his experience of being parented by Lan Wangji, and does an incredible job of evoking a tone and mood, and the quiet delicate complexities of emotions. Masterfully done, and many feelings! https://archiveofourown.org/works/22687075

ok for this day of #DecRecs I'm reccing a vid instead of a fic, but I needed to! because this vid!!! "a love that won't sit still" by Ari is about lwj's experience of his love for wwx, to the song Stray Italian Greyhound, and it's suuuuuuuuuuch a good use of the song, like, I love how the vidder manages to include the layers and pain and complexities that come with loving wwx, even while it is ultimately a good thing. https://archiveofourown.org/works/22973692

For #DecRecs day 10, a modern au about wangxian as larpers! "Mud and Canvas" by StormsBreadth. I loved how much this fic is a love-letter to larping, how clearly the author knows and understands the hobby intimately and shares that with the reader, and I also loved seeing how things were translated from canon in terms of what was IC and what was OC for the folks in this story/in their larp. A totally delightful read. https://archiveofourown.org/works/29645175

At this point in my #DecRecs series, where I'm going through my history in the mxtx fandom, we reach April 2021, when I finally discovered the joys of svsss! So today I'm reccing "SV Wishes" by Feynite, the fic that started it all for me - an epic length au where the novel that Shen Yuan transmigrates into is a gay harem drama. It's so much fun! It's so long! I've read it multiple times! https://archiveofourown.org/series/1285562

#DecRecs day 12. Just one month later, May 2021, I read my first tgcf fic. It took me a while to get into tgcf, but I was possessed by beefleaf since this moment regardless! I just reread "like a siren that can't swim anymore" by LuckyDiceKirby, now with canon knowledge, and I am dying, I am murdered, I love it so much. 5 times they almost kiss and 1 time they do! The author calls it the opposite of angst with a happy ending, and like, yeah. The beefleaf experience!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/25453030

For #DecRecs day 13, only a little late, here's "Advanced Self-Saving" by kitschlet! An svsss bingqiu fic, where where sqq dies and goes back to the modern world, and lbh gets there to join him the long way. I am endlessly delighted by sqq's ability to not recognize his own feelings, and it is perfectly done in this fic! Also I love every single detail in the author's notes at the end omg. https://archiveofourown.org/works/31790119

And for #DecRecs day 14, let's return to the untamed for more about Nie Huaisang having emotionally complicated relationships with men whose lives he ruthlessly alters, because I will read about EVERY possibility here! Today's is "跟天书一样 / Gēn Tiānshū Yíyàng / Like Heavenly Script" by monsteraa and it's gen (with a frisson of sexual tension, for flavour) in which Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang talk post-canon about their unresolved issues with each other. Delicious! https://archiveofourown.org/works/25364701

It's #DecRecs day 15, and I have a svsss fic to recommend, this one moshang! It's "Save Point" by Neery. I love amnesia fic and this one is such fun: a post-canon, happily married sqh loses his transmigration memories and is stuck trying to interpret what's going on when the tour guide to his new life is man-of-few-words mbj. It's an absolutely delightful read, and you can see how hard mbj is trying, even as sqh assumes the worst possible interpretation of everything! https://archiveofourown.org/works/33495178

#DecRecs day 16! Today' s "Why Paradise Defer" by violettressed, an untamed fic from Lan Sizhui's perspective about wangxian, with wwx travelling in the summers and returning to Gusu in the winters - then one winter, wwx isn't back when expected. A lovely look at a mature, well-negotiated relationship, and also at Sizhui and the other juniors and their relationship with each other and the adults in their lives. It's soooooo good, many feelings! https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518661

For #DecRecs day 17, a svsss fic that's difficult to describe! It's a post-canon fic about cumplane being basically soulmates, even as moshang and bingqiu are each very happy together. It's kind of... weirdly wistful and lovely, and both sad and happy at the same time, and also a comedy? It's basically magic. "Invisible Strings" by tyleet! there's a sequel too, also extremely worth reading! https://archiveofourown.org/works/34402579

#DecRecs day 18! "the heart's reasons seen clearly" by Lirazel is a gorgeous look at a Jiang Yanli/Wen Qing au where Jiang Yanli goes with her brothers to Nightless City and ends up a patient of Wen Qing. It's about chronic pain, about hard choices, about being an eldest sibling, and about what it means to be a good person. I definitely got teary-eyed at the end! https://archiveofourown.org/works/30986741

#DecRecs day 19! "the act of just being here" by Euphorion is an svsss bingqiu fic where sqq is forced into the realization that the plot is over and he lives in a normal world with real actualized people around him, including both himself and binghe. and then has to handle this idea through the means of sexy roleplay because he can't actually admit to himself that he can be a person with wants and desires and for that to be okay; it's both very funny and very tender! https://archiveofourown.org/works/36003646

#DecRecs day 20, and tiiiiiime for another fic about nhs having complicated relationships with men whose life he irreparably alters! "I am not there; I do not sleep" by lianhua_lianzi is about wwx and nhs going to mxy's hometown for the Ghost Festival to mourn him, and end up talking to each other about mxy, and about choices made. It feels very true and appropriately complicatedly painful for all involved! https://archiveofourown.org/works/36590410

#DecRecs day 21! "friends from the same hometown" is a fic by kitschlet wherein the svsss version of Ning Yingying gets caught in a wifeplot with Luo Binghe and they have to be Honest about their feelings for each other! Which means talking about the complexities that have hindered their being able to be friends after lbh's return from the abyss. I loooooove fic that takes friendship seriously as an important relationship and this one does it so well! https://archiveofourown.org/works/35689654

#DecRecs day 22! "Say So" by FeelsForBreakfast is a wangxian fic where wwx gets hit by a curse where he has to have sex or die! A good classic trope. But I love the, like, pacing of the emotions reveals between them over the course of the fic? they love and trust and understand each other so WELL ahhhhhh! https://archiveofourown.org/works/32433184

#DecRecs day 23! Today let us ponder the joys of four iterations on the theme of moshang. "a case study of four great beauties" by 1littlerabbit1 is really four fics in one, but they read together beautifully, and the reading of it is just suffused with a feeling of earnest happiness and it's so lovely!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/38024938

#DecRecs day 24! and ooh it is rarepare time today! "it may be that it doesn't matter" by tyleet is a wonderful post-canon Jiang Cheng/Wen Ning fic, and I love how it portrays the complex emotional history between these two, colouring their interactions! https://archiveofourown.org/works/28496277

#DecRecs day 25! Aw yisss it is time to rec the wangxian fic where lqr is cursed to be mind-bonded to wwx, hearing his thoughts and feeling his sensations! I love getting outside pov's on characters I like, and it's so fun how this is from lqr's pov AND wwx's pov at the same time, because lqr is experiencing wwx's life! (the fic is not just fun though, it's also feelings!) https://archiveofourown.org/works/39277557

#DecRecs day 26! "blue night" by fruitys is a modern au wangxian fic, and the author says in one of the fic tags that "the Softness is the plot actually" and like YEAH actually! Which is REAL COOL how that's done, and honestly I don't know how else to describe it? it's so GOOD. It creates a mood and a tone so WELL. and the softness IS the plot! https://archiveofourown.org/works/31476176

oops I missed yesterday! Here's #DecRecs for day 27: Cumplane Forums AU, by euphorion in collaboration with a bunch of other people. It was originally written on twitter as I understand it, a grand "let's have fun together" experience of a bunch of twitter friends, and it blossomed into a full and proper story which was eventually put on AO3. It's a #cumplane no-transmigration au where they meet on a roleplaying forum and literally everything about it is a delight! https://archiveofourown.org/works/36296563

and now TODAY'S #DecRecs, Day 28! "Taking Responsibility" by Violent_entertainment is a completely delightful #svsss fic starring Liu Qingge/Shang Qinghua. I adore their dynamic in this!  https://archiveofourown.org/works/37841869

#DecRecs day 29! Yes more #svsss! This time it's Yue Qingyuan/Original Shen Qingqiu. I love these two and how much of a disaster they are. In "these shadows keep on changing" by WhenasInSilks, they prove that true romance is haunting each other for eternity! Love this for them. https://archiveofourown.org/works/42610716

#DecRecs day 30! In "Tucked inside the heart of every nice girl" by phnelt, it's time for some modern au Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan in which they are t4t! I love seeing the complexities of jyl's relationship with gender here, and I am always here for trans girl jzx. https://archiveofourown.org/works/39102777

And for my last #DecRecs, day 31, it's "Infinite First Dates" by pallas_rose! An svsss bingqiu fic where during the 5 years of sqq being dead, lbh is able to access a dream-world bubble where sqq is trapped (as his sy self), and every time lbh accesses it, sqq's memories are reset. I love seeing their interactions in this, how fully both of them are their insufferable (complimentary) selves, and everything about the fic is delightful. And then the ending is SO funny! https://archiveofourown.org/works/43736436