#don't get me started with madam yu

[carrot-felisidad]

What did they say about the thing when parents are awful, the children are very close and protective of one another?

*squints at Yunmeng Trio and Lan Brothers*

(and I feel like if Jin Zixuan gathered his brothers and Qin su, he would be an overprotective Da-ge, too)

[theballadofmars]

I need a fic where the war never happened because I like to imagine that when wangxian starts dating (but only jc, yanli and lxc knows and the rest of the cultivation world think they hate esch other), wwx jokes that if lwj wants to marry him he has to ask first to jiang fengmian and madam yu.

But lwj, bless his heart, actually does it. Also this is the time when yanli and jzx broke their engagement so when people start to talk about the lan clan going to yunmeng with the intention to marry a jiang, everyone thinks that it's yanli and jzx starts to panic.

So, lwj gets to yunmeng, madam yu is looking at him like she's about to kill him if he does something wrong, jfm is at his wife's side but we all know she's the one who takes the decisions.

Madam yu: so, you want my daughter's hand in marriage. Well, you're not jzx, but the second jade of lan is not...

Lwj: sorry, but I'm here to ask for Wei Ying's hand.

Wwx can't take it anymore and starts laughing.

Wwx: LAN ZHAN! I wasn't being serious!! I can't believe you actually did it!!!

Jfm and madam yu are confused, yanli feels sorry for them but at the same time this is too funny, and jc wants to die.

Because holy shit??? What do you mean that lwj, the amazing lwj, wants to marry wwx????? Madam yu and jfm are in shock. They obviously accept but they're like. So confused. Didn't they hate each other???

It gets worse, because a few days later jzx arrives to yunmeng and suddenly yells: "PLEASE LET ME MARRY YOUR DAUGHTER I REALLY LOVE HER PLEASE DON'T MARRY LAN WANGJI" or something like that.

It's pathetic. Jzx is there with only jgy and its obvious that he spent the last days flying as fast as he could to yunmeng, because he looks like shit.

But yanli finds it adorable, and jgy convinces madam yu to accept jzx terrible proposal.

[mxtxfanatic]

Best Shijie Jiang Yanli

I've seen quite a few meta and fics about how Jiang Yanli never cared about Wei Wuxian, how she was either ignorant to his pain or intentionally manipulating him into remaining the Jiang family's punching bag. Now, despite the fact that we don't get a lot of scenes with Jiang Yanli, I can concretely say that this is not true. Here are a few moments in the text where Jiang Yanli actively and decisively supports her didi in the face of others' attempts to diminish him:

Head lowered, Wei WuXian only had a few mouthfuls as somebody tugged at the corner of his sleeve. Turning around, he saw Jiang YanLi pass over a small dish. Inside the dish was a dozen peeled lotus seeds, soft and white, fresh and succulent. Wei WuXian’s voice was soft, “Shijie, thank you.” Jiang YanLi smiled. Those somewhat mild features immediately lit up with color. Yu ZiYuan spoke coldly, “Eat? A few days after this, when they’re at Qishan, we won’t even know if they give them any food. Why not go a few meals hungry starting from now? Let them get used to it!” ... Madam Yu scolded, “Of course you’ll go! Or else would your sister go? Look at her, still happily peeling lotus seeds. A-Li, stop peeling them. Who are you peeling them for? You’re the mistress, not somebody’s servant!” Hearing the word ‘servant’, Wei WuXian didn’t mind much. He had finished all of the lotus seeds in the dish all at once, chewing as the soft, refreshing sweetness filled his mouth.

—Chapt. 51: Courage, exr

As the air thickened with conflict, ready to burst any second, somebody suddenly spoke, “A-Xian!” Hearing the voice, Wei WuXian’s heart softened. He turned around, “Shijie?” Jiang YanLi waved at him, “A-Xian, come stand behind me.” Wei WuXian hesitated. Before he could move, Madam Jin quickly picked up her hand, “A-Li, don’t intervene in their business.” However, with an apologetic smile toward Madam Jin, Jiang YanLi went forth and stood in front of Wei WuXian.

...

Jiang YanLi, “But... It isn’t his fault that others can’t capture the prey.” The person couldn’t say anything back. She continued, “Isn’t the hunt all about true strength? Even if the ghouls are gone, aren’t there also the fays and the monsters? Even if he didn’t keep one-third to himself, or even if he didn’t attend the hunt, those who can’t capture the prey will never be able to. Although the methods that A-Xian used is different from what other people use, it’s still an ability that he cultivated. You can’t call it a crooked path just because others don’t have access to that third of the prey, can you?” The people who gathered around Jin ZiXun had on the same dark faces as he did. Yet, taking into consideration Jiang YanLi’s background, they didn’t dare talk back to her directly. Jiang YanLi added, “Besides, hunting is hunting, so why bring the matter of discipline to the table? A-Xian is a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect. He grew up with my brother and I, and so he’s as close as a brother is to me. Calling him the ‘son of a servant’—I’m sorry, but I won’t accept this. And thus...” She straightened her back and raised her voice, “I hope that Young Master Jin ZiXun would apologize to Wei WuXian of the YunmengJiang Sect!” ... Madam Jin spoke, “A-Li, why are you being so serious? It’s just a small matter. Don’t get so worked up.” Jiang YanLi’s voice was soft, “Madam, A-Xian is my younger brother. Him being humiliated by others, to me, isn’t just a small matter.”

—Chapt. 70: Departure, exr

Madam Yu was even angrier, “How dare you run! Come back right now and kneel!” As she spoke, she let loose her whip with a flip of her wrist. Wei WuXian felt a searing pain slash across his back. He loudly exclaimed, “Ow!” And almost tripped on the ground. Yet, all of a sudden, someone’s quiet voice drifted by Madam Yu’s ear, “Mom, do you want to eat some watermelon...” Madam Yu was startled by Jiang YanLi, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. With the delay, all of the boys had vanished into thin air. She was so infuriated that she turned to Jiang YanLi and pinched her cheek, “Eat, eat, eat—all you do is eat!” Jiang YanLi almost cried from her mother’s pinching, mumbling, “Mom, A-Xian and the others were hiding here to relieve the heat and I came here on my own. Don’t blame them... Do... Do you want some watermelon... I don’t know who gave them to us, but it’s really sweet. Eating watermelon in the summer is great for cooling down and quenching thirst. I’ll cut them for you...”

—Chapt. 125: Lotus Seed Pod Extra, exr

Jiang Yanli loved Wei Wuxian, and it couldn't be any clearer when you read scenes in which people think they can easily bully him in front of her. Because as Jiang Yanli says so undeniably herself, that's her didi!

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Sep 10th

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1. For the next fic finder: I've been trying to find a Modern AU WangXian fic where WWX gets kicked out of the Jiang household (i think because he got pregnant? unsure about that though), he runs off with LWJ, and does not see them for several years. A majority of the fic focuses on Jiang Cheng stalking WWX after they accidentally reunite because Lan Sizhui & Jin Ling start dating? A few pivotal scenes I can remember include jc taking Jin Ling and friends to a concert (which upsets LSZ's parents because he's been stalking wwx) and JC cornering WWX in a car and trying to kiss him. For the life of me, I can't find it anywhere.

FOUND! I think this is the deleted "Meant to be (but not the way I wanted)" by sekhmetpaws. It is partially available on the wayback machine

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2. Hihi! By any chance do you know of a Wangxian fic where I think its the juniors who travel through a portal to the past (I distinctly remember the portal part), and they improve and change everything except future Guanyao finds about the portal and tries to use it, eventually past guanyao finds out the future Xichen is mourning and missing him so he travels through the portal to be with him? Thank you in advance ❤️❤️❤️❤️ @memeismemeismeme

FOUND? And They Lived Happily Ever After… by Morgana_avalon (G, 51k, wangxian, JL/LSZ, Burial Mounds Settlement times, hurt/comfort, fix-it)

FOUND? Time Charm by Jenrose  (E, 141k, wangxian, later queerplatonic LWJ/WWX/WQ, LXC/JGY/2nd Madam Mo, time travel fix-it, post-canon, everyone lives au, genius inventor WWX, BAMF wangxian, first time, pregnancy, childbirth, asexual character, aftermath of time travel, telepathic bond, slice of life)

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3. hi! this is for fic finder. i’m looking for 2 different fics with a similar premise. A) in one, there’s something wrong with wwx’s core and wen qing has to build a framework for a new one, and everyone (lan wangji, lan xichen, jiang fengmian, madam yu, jiang yanli, jiang cheng, etc.) take turns giving him spiritual energy for the new core while wwx lies unconscious on i think an operating room table. i think it’s a modern au.

B) in the second one i’m looking for, i think wwx has reincarnated and is reunited with lwj at the end, but there’s something wrong with his core. jiang cheng, who cultivated to immortality using wwx’s core, gives his core back to him because he was tired of being alive (or something like that, i’m not too sure). i don’t think there’s reconciliation between the two of them. thank you so much! @ieatkitcat

3A)

FOUND! please forgive my most passionate disruptions by pumpkinpaix (E, 65k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Modern: Still Have Powers, stripper!WWX, Graduate School, Internalized Homophobia)

3B)

FOUND!🔒Confusion by Vrishchika (Not rated, 4k, wangxian, time travel)

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4. Hi! I am searching for two wangxian fics if you could help me out! Thanks!

A. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji along with juniors are kind of on a road trip...I don't remember if it was a case fic or not, but I think they encounter Madam Yu's ghost and she scolds Wei Wuxian until she finds out he gave his core to Jiang Cheng and then gives Wei Wuxian a new core. Completed fic.

B. Post Sunshot Campaign Wei Wuxian is prisoned in Qinghe Nie and Nie Huisang is trying to bring Wei Wuxian back to his cheerful self by braiding his hair and bringing him books but he is being threatened by Jin Guangyao to not talk. Jin Guangyao is also intercepting all letters. Jiang Yanli is alive. Incomplete last I read it.

Thanks again!!

4B)

FOUND? Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, NHS & WWX, JYL & WWX, WangXian, Depression, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives, except JZn and JGS, Self-Worth Issues, Slow Burn, Oblivious WWX, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness, Yin Iron, Baxia Saber, baxia as mental health barometer yikes, Pining, everyone is morally grey, life is not fair and that's kind of the whole point of mxtx books)

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5. hiii! help! wwx has ptsd and goes to adpot a rabbit. lwj works in the rabbit rescue and at first thinks wwx won't take care of the rabbits but changes his mind. i think he saw wwx in the cameras woth the rabbits

FOUND? 🔒 silk linked together by theLoyalRoyalGuard (G, 6k, LWJ & MXY, Wangxian, Modern, Autistic LWJ, Cellist LWJ, LWJ, Runs A Rabbit Rescue, MXY Deserves Happiness, Fluff)

FOUND? 🔒Recovery by Unforth (G, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU, Rabbit Breeder LWJ, Veteran LWJ, Veteran WWX, PTSD, therapy animals, Therapy Rabbits, LWJ is an Asshole Sometimes, Doctor WQ, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Former Prisoner of War WWX, LXC is a Good Brother, Gray Asexual LWJ, Anxiety Disorder)

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6. I read a completed Jiang Cheng time travel fix it that I think was multiple chapters. I don't remember much except at the end him and Wen Qing end up together and have a kid.

FOUND? Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Fix-It)

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7. Hi, I'm trying to find a fic where WWX and LWJ were in a relationship but then WWX had to leave after someone threatened him and killed the Wens in a fire. And then years later LWJ is on a night hunt with the juniors and encounters Mo Xuanyu who is actually WWX in disguise. LWJ recognizes WWX because he is playing Wangxian and then after they all go back to their hotel that was selected by NHS. Back at the hotel WWX and LWJ talk and then bang it out. And the next day LWJ and the juniors and WWX in a new disguise go back to Cloud Recesses.

~*~

8. Hi! I’m trying to find a fic I *thought* I had bookmarked but can’t find.

It’s a modern au where American Lan Zhan takes a holiday to someplace in Canada and meets bartender Wei Ying. There’s some reason why WY can’t/won’t return to the US, he’s illegally living in Canada.

They have a little romance, LZ goes back to the US, and later WY agrees to join him I think.

That’s pretty much all I remember. Ring any bells?? TYSM!

FOUND?🔒Stay with Me (Go Places) by LizzyPanic (T, 22k, WangXian, meet ugly, Anxious LWJ, brief discussion of panic attacks, marriage kink, Making Out, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Snowballing, Anal Fingering, Rimming, Body Worship, Coming In Pants, Mild Angst, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Vacation, somehow also a coffee shop au, wangxian go hiking, Tattooed WWX, Outdoor Sex, Phone Sex, Sexual Tension, Whirlwind Romance)

FOUND? Many happy returns. by orange_crushed (E, 25k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Past Suicide of a Parent, References to Depression, Anxiety, Therapy, References to Anti-Depressant Medications, Escort Service, Loneliness, Everybody’s Abandonment Issues, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Moving In Together, Oral Sex, Penetrative Sex, Hopeful Ending, Recovery, References to Escorting/Sex Work but No Actual Escorting/Sex Work)

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9. There is a fic , post canon wwx is mad lwj let him go. It starts with him waking up with mianmian in an inn. Well that's about it . I was so much into wangxian pairing. I dint read that fic then. Can someone find it @poongulali

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10. Hii, I was wondering if you could help me with finding an ao3 fic: I think it takes place during the siege of burial mounds and wangji takes a sword meant for wuxian and he screams and the battle stops and the ground shakes and we read everything happening from xichen’s point of view and wangxian teleport and wuxian gives wangji his heart and they get revenge on the sects during a discussion conference

~*~

11. Hello to fic finder

So I'm looking for a fic where the entirety of gusu lan sect got sent back in time and now it's really overprotective of WWX I remember a scene where wwx lwj nws nmg and lxc are at the rabbit patch and wwx is introducing every rabbit because the rabbits resemble someone they know and he's holding a giant rabbit that resembles nmg @constancebloodstone

FOUND? Cluster of Clouds by Nika_Raven_Celeste (T, 21k, WangXian, LWJ & WWX, LQR & WWX, JC & WWX, WIP, Time Travel, The Lans from Post Canon Time Traveled to Cloud Recesses Study Era, ALL The Lans from Post Canon, The Lans ADORES WWX, Confused WWX, Soft LQR, Soft LWJ , LWJ CAN communicate, Not JC Friendly , not YZY Friendly, Genius WWX, Horny LWJ, but he still has some restraints, Oblivious WWX)

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12. There was this fic where wei ying and lan zhan got pulled into a statue to a cursed room where they were forced to have sex? I think it was a pregxian fic but I can't remember for sure

I do know it was bottom wei ying though and that it's set at a museum in modern cultivation au

FOUND!🔒End Racism on the OTW - The Jade Chamber by raitala (E, 18k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, case fic, pining, angst w/ happy ending, hurt/comfort, getting together, trapped together, there’s only one bed, light bondage, masturbation, oral sex, emotional baggage, ghosts)

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13. Hello! Thank you for helping with our requests. I'm looking for an AU where the Wen Remnants survive. Lan Zhan finds a hidden village that turns out to be where his mother came from. He brings Wei Ying and the remaining Wen there to keep them safe. I think they use bracelets to get in and out. @saharrashadow

FOUND! Arbitrary by devinokaze (T, 137k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, but live somewhere else, hidden society, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, POV Multiple)

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14. Hii this for a fic finder

There was a fic where wwx was imprisoned in the unclean realm, but he was isolated cause jgy threatened him so he didn't receive any letters/ information from the outside, i remember that huaisang kept visiting him tho.

FOUND? Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, NHS & WWX, JYL & WWX, WangXian, Depression, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives, except JZn and JGS, Self-Worth Issues, Slow Burn, Oblivious WWX, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness, Yin Iron, Baxia Saber, baxia as mental health barometer yikes, Pining, everyone is morally grey, life is not fair and that's kind of the whole point of mxtx books)

~*~

15. Hi! This is for fic finder. Its modern au where wwx and lxc is a writer and they fake dating because wwx fans is too wild (stalk him, broke to his apartement, etc) and his manager told him to do that. The endgame is wangxian. I think wwx write porn? Lwj and lxc life together and wwx move in because his fans knows where he lives. Wwx and lxc kissed but no more i think. I think nmj is their publisher? Thats all i can remember. Thanks! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

FOUND! Badreads by arabii (M, 37k, WangXian, 3Zun, Modern AU, Writing & Publishing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Bullying as a Flirting Technique, WWX in WWX's Body)

does lan zhan write scathing reviews of Wei yings writing and they get better as the fic goes on?

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16. Hi, please could you help me

I remember I read a wangxian fic where they have sex surrounded by dead bodies they just killed. But I don't have them anymore on my bookmark.

Please help me asap 😭🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🏼thank you

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17. Yall hi I'm going insane. There's this ff where WWX attempts against his own life and JC is the one to find him locked in the bathroom. He calls 911 and tells them his brother needs help. They get him to the hospital and JYL gets there and LWJ too and they keep an eye on him after so he takes his meds and all. Please someone help!

FOUND? 总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie (E, 76k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pianist, Getting Together, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Hospitals, Overdosing, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note)

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18. For the next FF, musical prodigy WWX! I remember a scene in particular where LWJ or LXC was playing something (clarity? Mending?) with LQR in the room who was surprised when WWX joined in halfway through. We find out that WWX has been playing by ear his whole life because YZY refused to let him learn. @mreisse

FOUND! Dispersing Clouds by dreamingofcake (E, 283k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive YZY, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Canon JC, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics, Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, WWX is Not Oblivious) sounds like what happens near the end of chapter 7 / I think number 18 on September 10ths fic finders sounds like the very popular Dispersing Clouds. The Lans are like "Cool trick bro" don't share the music. Wei Wuxian is like "Chill my peeps. I got you"😀

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19. Hi! I’m looking for a fic I read a while ago about jingyi and sizhui and the beginning of their friendship. It was in jingyi’s pov and he started out not liking sizhui, because jingyi struggles with following the rules and focusing and is jealous of how perfect sizhui is, before they go on a mission together and jingyi learns about sizhui’s complicated family history and the issues he has to deal with and they bond over it. I don’t remember if it was complete or not

FOUND? Why Not Me? by Eleanor_Fenyx (G, 26k, LJY & LQR, LQR & LWJ, LJY & LSZ, LJY & LWJ, good uncle LQR, LJY pov, war orphan LJY, character study, LJY has ADHD, found family, rejection sensitivity dysphoria)

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20. Hii! This is for FicFinder, hope it finds you well.

I'm looking for a fic where wwx is some kind of special creature (kind of spirit, I think). I don't remember much, but I do recall lwj (I think😢) meeting a special fox spirit.

This is super unclear, but I really hope you can find something.

Anyway, if you have recommendations of fics where wwx is a creature of some kind, that'd be awesome 🤩🤩 @untamedlover

FOUND? cloudy autumn heaps the sky by anatheme (T, 23k, WangXian, Fantasy, Universe Alteration, Secret Identity, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Timeline What Timeline, wwx is a little older here, wwx piling gifts on lwj and encouraging hoarding tendencies, Sharing a Bed, Literal Sleeping Together, Arranged Marriage)

FOUND? A Baby Dragon’s Guide To Seducing Your Huli Jing by sweetlolixo (M, 102k, wangxian, Fantasy, But still in the Cultivation World, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Younger LWJ, Older WWX, Fluff, Humor, Eventual mpreg, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Boy A-Yuan)

FOUND? 醉 | drunk; intoxication by sweetlolixo (E, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mythical Creature WWX, everyone falls in love with weiying at first sight…, Besotted LWJ, Romance, Pregnant WWX, Fluff)

FOUND? 🔒💖 Hoards and treasures by apathyinreverie (T, 21k, WangXian, Siblings, Family, not particularly Jiang friendly, YZY Bashing, slightly darker Gusu Lans, LXC being the best brother, Some manipulation, But with the best of intentions, and not between wangxian, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Smitten LWJ, Fluff, perfect happiness, adorable WWX, Romance, Some worldbuilding, courting)

FOUND? To lurk, to lie in wait by trippednfell (M, 124k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Huli Jing, strangers to co-parents to lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Dragons, Kid Fic, teenage juniors, background NieLan, Angst with a Happy Ending, Case Fic, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Not Really Character Death, Fox Spirit WWX, Dragon LWJ, Blood and Injury, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note)

FOUND? 🔒 Turnabout by apathyinreverie (T, 7k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX; LSZ & LWJ, WIP, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Tiger cub A-Yuan, Mischievous WWX, Smitten LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Domestic WangXian, LXC does his best, LQR wishes his nephews had better taste in men, Fluff, Romance, Mpreg mentioned, courting, creature shifts)

FOUND? 🔒💖 Tricks and treats by apathyinreverie (M, 12k, wangxian, dragon LWJ, phoenix LSZ, fox WWX, family, injury, fluff, romance, possessive LWJ, WIP)

FOUND? So You Accidentally Kidnapped A Qilin by Mikkeneko (T, 83k, WangXian, Juuni Kokki | Twelve Kingdoms Fusion, mdm yu’s a+ parenting, Identity Issues, Cultivator Politics, Yin Iron Poisoning, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, WWX Needs a Hug, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, Getting Together, Temporary Character Death, Happy Ending, Pacifist WWX, MXTX Big Bang 2021)

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[spriteofmushrooms]

Wei Wuxian sipped the wine Lan Zhan brought from Gusu in one of Jinlin Tai's many ostentatious peony gardens. He had found a branch in a ginkgo tree that was high enough that no one should see him at a glance where he still had a good view of the moon between the yellow leaves. It wasn't the worst way he could have spent his time at the Discussion Conference. Lan Zhan, for example, had to be xiandu. What could possibly be worse than that?

"Jin Ling, what's the matter now?"

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. Really, Jiang Cheng is such a wronged mother. He plays his part like a grand madam.

"Do you think Zizhen-ge is a better sect leader than I am?" Jin Ling hissed.

"What?" Wei Wuxian looked down. Through the branches, he could see Jiang Cheng's silver lotus guan glimmer with his head shake. "Where did you get that from? A-Ling, sit and explain."

"You complimented him in front of everyone," Jin Ling grumbled, but he flounced onto the bench.

Jiang Cheng folded himself gracefully, careful of the drape of his robes. "It's his first conference. All I did was walk him through presenting himself, like a junior should be treated."

"You liked his proposal."

"You like it, too, brat. Besides, a little support in the beginning keeps the old men at bay."

Jin Ling knocked his shoulder against Jiang Cheng's. "So it's not because you always wanted a poet for a nephew?"

Wei Wuxian couldn't see it, but he could imagine Jiang Cheng's face. But when Jiang Cheng spoke, it didn't match the tone he expected. Sad, but trying to joke. "After the poems Zixuan wrote?"

"A-Die wrote poems?"

Oh, oh, Wei Wuxian wanted to leave.

"Once he became enlightened, he was devout. 'Rain pearls on lotus leaves which bow gracefully/Thoughts of you collect and overwhelm me.' A-jie blushed for weeks." Jiang Cheng sighed. "The Jinlin Tai library should have them all somewhere. Please don't let Ouyang-gongzi read them."

Jin Ling huffed a laugh and threw his arm around Jiang Cheng's shoulder, which is when Wei Wuxian realized Jin Ling was taller and broader now. He hadn't seen them side by side in years. A light breeze stirred the gingko leaves and lifted the scent of peonies.

"Hanguang-jun didn't murder anyone with his eyes today," Jin Ling chirped. "Do you think he's starting to like politics?"

"Don't."

"Jiujiu..."

"He's the xiandu, Jin Ling. What do you think would happen if anyone overheard you disrespect him, especially while hosting the conference?"

Jin Ling groaned and threw his head back dramatically, jostling Jiang Cheng. Briefly, Wei Wuxian amused himself by imagining what Yu-furen would have made of her grandson. Then he gently slapped himself. "You're so boring, jiujiu! It's not like he respects either of us."

Jiang Cheng snapped, "I didn't realize you aspired to be so immature and irresponsible."

Immature? Irresponsible? Jiang Cheng had a lot of nerve! Wei Wuxian would tell him so, but then he would have to admit to hiding in a tree. Jiang Cheng would be so annoying about it, and Wei Wuxian really didn't want to bother!

"Aiya, jiujiu, if I can't complain to you about him, who can I? No one else sees what he's like."

Jiang Cheng leaned against Jin Ling, but then he ruined the picture by saying, "It's good that most people can't tell. If half of the sects ran to Zewu-jun with complaints about his beloved didi, he would leave seclusion before he was ready."

They were quiet for a few moments. Suddenly, Jin Ling burst out, "Do you really not care?"

Jiang Cheng paused. "About?"

"You know I spend time with—him!"

"You're sixteen, Jin Ling. Your memory should be good enough to remember every other time you've poked at this. And use his name; he doesn't actually appear every time you call."

"Wei-qianbei misses you!" Jin Ling grabbed Jiang Cheng's shoulders and started to gently shake him back and forth, but then Jiang Cheng pushed his hands away and stood.

"As you are clearly feeling better, I will leave first," Jiang Cheng hissed.

Jin Ling zipped in front of Jiang Cheng, blocking his path. "Jiujiu, I don't understand you at all! You want to talk to him, and he wants to talk to you. Why are you waiting?"

"He wants to talk to me so much that I learned about his elopement from gossiping disciples? He wants to talk to me so much that he lives in Cloud Recesses, which he hates? He wants to talk to me so much that he ignores Lan Wangji's hand on Bichen every time we meet?" With each question, Jiang Cheng prowled forward, and Jin Ling backed up.

"I don't think he hates Cloud Recesses..."

That's right; Wei Wuxian didn't. Lan Zhan was there, for one thing. And the juniors!

"That's because you don't fucking know him," Jiang Cheng snapped.

"Oh, and you do? When you won't even talk to him?"

"I was his assignment, Jin Ling. He either played with me or starved; he either trained to be the best or lost his position." Jiang Cheng laughed, dark and mean. "Not that I noticed."

"Jiujiu..."

"Let him live the life he wants, Jin Ling. Let me go to bed."

[robby-bobby-tommy]

Honestly, I can't stress enough how important the theme of family is in mdzs. IMO it is the main theme of the book. Of course romance and devotion is important, but there's something so special about the way families are portrayed in mdzs and how important they are. (I watched donghua and read some of manhua btw)

Let's start with sibling relationships:

The whole plot started because of love for a brother and rage for how unjust his death was. The whole Cloud Recesses arc is an amazing set up for Wangxian etc, but it also shows the complicated yet sweet relationship between WWX and JC. How they both care so much about each other, how they tease each other. IMO JC did see WWX as a brother and loved him as such. Every time he scolds Wei Ying, it's always about Wei Ying's safety. Usually it's not "How dare you use demonic cultivation, you're gonna get our clan in danger", it's " If you keep it up, I won't be able to protect you". Even during the Wen invasion, the they're still together, they sacrifice themselves to save another. And don't get me started about Jiang Yanli, she loves her brothers very much. Despite Madam Yu creating a competition between the boys or Jiang Fengmian's lack of action and even enablement of WWX' dangerous and irresponsible behavior, they still love each other. I can ramble about yunmeng trio so much, but in short despite everything they went through, they cared for each other deeply. After Jiang Yanli's death everything changes, because imo the boys fully internalized Madam Yu's last words. WWX bring pain and destruction to Yunmeng. I think I need to stop, or we'll be here all day.

Or, another example: Nie bros. Nie Mingjue had to basically raise A-sang. They do deeply care about each other, and despite everything they'll be here for each other. Yet the desire to protect NHS from sad reality of golden core and qi deviation, their relationship soured a little. But it's obvious even for an outsider like WWX, that NMJ loves his brother. He pressures NHS, because he feels that he's starting to lose it. He wants to prepare his little bro to be a decent leader and to live without him. And NHS literally makes it his life mission to avenge his Dage even if it means having a blood on his hands.

Lan brothers show a good brother relationship. Lan Xichen supports LWJ in everything he does. Even his love for WWX. He gets protective, when he thinks WWX is laughing at LWJ's feelings. Lan Zhan is deeply saddened when his brother is missing and helps him discover the truth about his best friend's death. They're almost perfect siblings. (Plus they're super funny when drunk).

MXTX deserves an award for writing so many different sibling dynamics. And that's not all, she also portrays this different parental relationship so interesting.

Like, the nephews you didn't want, but care so much about, that you don't want them to suffer like their father did (Lan Qiren and this family drama); the kid of your husband's unrequited love, whom he seemingly loves more than your own children (Yunmeng Jiang happy house), JGS and the myriad of the kids he has ect. I love this variety so much.

I just love so much how MDZS has so much themes. Every time I think about MDZS, I find more and more interesting points and moments that change my perception of the characters. Every character is so humain and has their own motivation, that I can't truly hate some of them (apart from Wen Chao, his mistress and JGS, they suck).

TLDR: MXTX is a queen of writing complex human characters.

[bloopitynoot]

9 Wangxian Coffee Shop Au's

I am back at it with another tried and true rec list! This one is for @aplaceofnonsense and features various ratings, lengths, and plots that fall under the coffee shop au vibe.

I have read and loved all of these fics so they have been pre vetted!

If you would like a personalized wangxian rec list- DM me! I love putting these lists together :)

The request:

wangxian

coffee/tea shop aus!

that's literally it

Here we go!

1 for you, andante (35600 words) by xuanxuanwo

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Musicians, Pianist Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Guitarist Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Kid Fic, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Existential Crisis, Unrelated Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao & Qin Su, Friendship, Romance, Light Angst, Happy Ending Summary: “Looks like he’s taken a liking to you,” Wei Ying says with a huff. Lan Wangji’s world shifts another ninety degrees when he’s pinned with the full force of Wei Ying’s attention. The guitarist perches on the other half of A-Yuan’s seat and slides an arm around the boy, smoothing back his hair before tweaking his nose. A-Yuan twitches, and Lan Wangji practically burns where Wei Ying had grazed against his shoulder. Wei Ying leans over and sets his chin lightly against A-Yuan’s head. There’s a gleam to his eye, silver coins that put all other metals in the world to shame. The boy sniffs again, and slowly, under the hollow of the guitarist’s body, he relaxes. “And who,” Wei Ying continues, “has bewitched my little radish?” -- On a rainy Thursday evening, after his final concert of the season, pianist Lan Wangji ducks into a bookshop, befriends a toddler, falls in love with a guitarist, and, ultimately, rediscovers his passion for music.

Notes: This fic absolutely gives fall energy. The vibes are rainy day nights, casual strolls, smoky jazz bar, and steaming hot drinks. I love this au so so much it really is a soul balm. It does ft a tiny tiny bit of angst, but the ending is solid. It's like the hot chocolate of fics.

2 Pan - we're queer here! (35279 words) by IBurbick

Chapters: 20/20 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Modern AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone lives, Sweeter than caramel sauce on your venti frappuccino, Everyone Is Gay, Because it's a queer café, cooking magic, autistic characters, Trans Character, Don't worry there will be drama, Homophobia, sorry about that, We serve 'het' as well, Lan-food is non-canonically not-bland but always-vegan, non-binary characters, Asexual Characters, pansexual characters, This is starting to sound like a round-up, Food Porn, Eventual Smut, Mental Breakdown, Dissociative Episode, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Music Theory, Verbal Fight, Fist Fight, supportive friends, Bullying, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, Adoptions, Wei Ying is a canonically brilliant dumbass, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Hand Jobs, Pining, Mutual Pining, Mingjue is the best boyfriend Series: Part 1 of Pan - We're queer here! Summary: Lan Xichen owns a sweet little café named Pan where he tries to create his own little safe space where people are inclusive and can enjoy great food and drinks. When his chef Su Minshan suddenly quits he is in desperate need for a new 'culinary artist'. Enter Wei Wuxian who is a literal pastry wizard (no magic, just baking). Stick-up-ass Lan Wangji runs the business side of Pan and has some trouble getting used to the whirlwind that is Wei Wuxian, but of course he cannot but fall head-over-heels for him. !Possible trigger warnings:! - (mentions of) homophobia / bullying - chapters nine and ten feature a panic attack / dissociative episode - due to chapter seventeen, I had to turn the rating from General Audiences to Explicit. There will be smut, y'all. - characters will be getting in a fight, around chapter nineteen. Which is nothing compared to the fights in MDZS/The Untamed, but still.

Notes: I adore the pan coffee shop verse. each fic in the series brings a wholesome joy I did not know I needed. This coffee shop au screams rom com but also found family in community. I love the portrayal of xichen in this fic and I love how desperately lan zhan does not want to fall for wei ying. It's pure magic at pans!

3 Let Me Lose My Shadow (55696 words) by Harleydoll

Chapters: 9/9 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Soft Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, POV Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Has Feelings, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Dating, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sleepy Cuddles, Anxiety Attacks, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Loves Rabbits, Breaking of Gusu Lan Sect Rules (Modao Zushi), Gusu Lan Sect Rules (Modao Zushi), technically its just Lan Qiren's rules, Mentioned Lan Qiren, Sleeping Together, First Kiss, No beta we die like wwx, First Time, Hand Jobs, Kissing, Intimacy, Sexual Content Summary: Lan Wangji has always been good. He is a good nephew, a good brother, a good student. He excels in all of his classes, he obeys the etiquette of his household, and he does not speak out of turn. Good, Lan Wangji has come to realize, is just another word for boring. Or, Wei Wuxian just wants to do cute fall shit with Lan Zhan <3

Notes: This fic is less coffee shop being owned by one of the protagonists and more so coffee shop meet cute. ofc wei ying cannot leave the hot quiet guy with the fancy tea and gel pens alone in the cafe. What starts off rocky soon evolves into the cutest little slow burn. This truly is a fall coffee shop fic; so much pumpkin spice and cozy energy.

4 Made With Love (10900 words) by arekushia

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bakery, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Pining, baker Lan Wangji, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Friends to Lovers, cheese to the extreme, i need to schedule a dentist appointment after writing something this sweet Summary: Wei Wuxian finds a new home within an unexpected place, and discovers that forever is never too far out of his reach.

Notes: The summary is short and the fic only around 10k but I swear it is so cute. It starts with a new cafe that opens without having coffee and turns into the cutest little romance. Wei ying just keeps going back and falling more in love with the cafe owner and baker. Lan zhan just can't stop giving his new customer custom orders and free treats. They are absolutely adorable- this is pure fluff.

5 The tea to my heart (83773 words) by blackmorphos

Chapters: 21/21 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Fluff, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, Lan Zhan makes a friend, A Yuan gets a much bigger part than planned, A Yuan is very cute, Wei Ying is cute too, angst but it in the past, a drunk scene, Lots of Tea, some steam buns, Falling In Love Series: Part 1 of The tea to your heart Summary: A tray being placed onto the table in front of him startled Wei Ying’s attention away from his phone. He looked up with a smile before seeing what the man had brought him.   “You will have tea,” the man said in a low deep voice that brooked no argument.   By the time that had filtered into his brain the guy had already walked away and disappeared out the back. Wei Ying looked down. No coffee, but there was a blue teapot with a small matching cup and a plate with a steam bun on it. Wei Ying blinked stupidly at it for a few moments before deciding it wasn’t worth arguing with the scarily intense man over it, and reached for the bun. It looked so inviting, and it was still warm. Biting into it Wei Ying then realised just how hungry he was, and within seconds the bun had been devoured. It was the best thing he had ever tasted.   A sleep deprived Wei Ying stumbles into a tea shop, meets an impossibly beautiful man, and is served a cup of tea that changes his life in more ways than he could have possibly expected. A modern day meet cute with heaps of Wangxian fluff, mutual pining, and A-Yuan adorableness galore!

NOTES: I love this fic so much because Lan Zhan is aggressively taking care of Wei Ying; the exhausted hot stranger who walked into his not even open yet tea shop. Wei Ying WILL drink the tea and WILL eat the snacks. Eventually Wei ying WILL come over to his house to have his laundry done and a place to relax and he WILL have the things he needs for his "son". It is absolutely so cute. Wei Ying never stood a chance XD. Also the speed in which lan zhan wants them to get together breaks the sound barrier.

6 Three Hundred and Fifty-Five Milliliters (3615 words) by magicites

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Getting Together, Fluff, the trials and tribulations of your barista having a crush on you Summary: “Would you like the usual?” Lan Zhan asks.  “Yes please! Mocha java chip frappe with just a little extra whipped cream,” says Wei Ying. He rolls his shoulders, cracks his neck, and sets both of his hands on the counter. He peers at Lan Zhan until he finally makes eye contact. “Tall. I mean it, Lan Zhan. Just. A. Tall.” - Wei Ying can't finish a venti frappe. Lan Zhan can't stop upsizing his drinks on the house.

Notes: A very short but cute fic- lan zhan is a simp and cannot help but continuously 'accidentally' upsizing all of wei yings orders. They are too cute in this. A small absolutely fluffy fic.

7 Stilettos and Soulmates (4536 words) by Regency_Bunny

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, One Shot, Meet-Cute, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, Soulmates, Stiletto Heels, Fluff Summary: Lan Zhan’s blind date doesn't go the way he expected.

Notes: This is barely a coffee shop au- and really only a coffee shop au because they go to a coffee shop shortly BUT it is an excellent Wei ying rescues lan zhan from a bad situation fic. A very short fic but still cute. CW jin Zixun is terrible and touches lan zhan without consent - does not go very far. But heads up if that is something that is a hard no for you.

8 Milk, two sugars and some cinnamon (14,888 words) by GusuLanSectRules (JuweWright)

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Teen And up Audiences Additional Tags: Background Relationships, 3zun | Venerated Triad Feels, Barista Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CW minor character deaths (in the past and canon compliant), CW mention of cancer, Light Angst Summary: Lán Wàngjī doesn't like coffee shops much. Mainly because no barista ever seems to want to process his custom order...

NOTES: I love a good barista WY fic and this is it. Lan Zhan falls for the barista's competency, navigates a new relationship, and really fucking wishes he didn't have to give his brother relationship advice. a solid fic with some light past angst.

9 Where You Fell (303,010 words) by Sweet_William

Chapters: 144/144 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Homeless, Getting Together, Slow Burn, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, accidental sugar daddy lan zhan, Suicidal Thoughts, Self-Esteem Issues, No beta we die like wei wuxian, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Autistic Character, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Has ADHD, Panic Attacks, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sex Work, Implied/Referenced Substance Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending Summary: Years ago, Lan Wangji was a Senior in high school, readying himself for graduation and the coming years studying at the Gusu Lan Institute of Music. Everything in his life made sense, from his role in his family, to a future as a classical musician. The only thing that didn’t fit was the sudden epiphanies he had about himself brought on by his bothersome and flirtatious classmate, Wei Wuxian. When the growing attraction and friendship was cut short by the other boy’s disappearance, he mourned what could have been, but ultimately had to move on. What he didn’t know was that fate would bring them back together again one day, or the reality of how far apart two lives can diverge, how some can find peace and prosperity, while others can fall farther than he ever imagined.

NOTES: I am not going to lie this fic is rough- as in emotionally intense and filled with characters going through tough things. BUT I swear there is a happy ending. It does not completely feature coffee shops but so much of the plot is dependent on a coffee shop that I think it still counts. This is so much angst my friends, but also a HUGE fic! Read with caution but I do promise the ending is solid and happy.

[fubuwu]

Seeing people call jc an incel will always confuse me because like.... do they understand what being an incel means?

---

Incels despise women because they think they owe them sex and consider themselves too ugly and inferior to be pursued by the opposite sex.

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Jc has never shown any desire to be with the opposite sex. He reads as being ace if anything. He's always been repulsed by the notion of love, romance and pdas and has never once proclaimed that women owe him sex. He doesn't seem interested in pursuing women at all, nor does he blame women for the worlds problems or treat them with disrespect. He blames most of the problems on wwx. He's wwx-ist if anything XD (jk).

---

Honestly, I'd say he's voluntarily celibate. He could realistically get any girl he wants and knows it, but he simply doesn't choose to. I honestly don't think he has any interest in getting wed tbh.

---

As for the marriage requirements, loads of men had those at that time and honestly, they weren't that unrealistic. Plus, I'm pretty sure they were never a main part of the text and just a joke mxtx came up with as to why he's still single. I find it infeasible that a handsome, powerful, rich man like him is single when arranged marriages exist in that universe, as seen with jfm and madame yu. A woman hating, incel would no doubt use that to their advantage and force marriage on any women they desire. Jc has the ability to do that giving his status and yet he doesn't. He doesn't even seek out comfort from women in brothels. Therefore, I can't see him having a hatred and disrespect for women when this notion also exists.

---

Incels also have zero respect for women in general including the ones in their lives. Their hatred often starts with their own mothers in fact. Jc obviously doesn't hate his mother or his sister. He cares deeply for them, in fact. Why else would he mourn them and be willing to stick up for his sister whenever people bad mouth her if he was a vile woman hater?

---

Idk I just think the incel claims are completely baseless. He is not angry and displeased because he is alone and single nor is he angry at women. His anger is all solely on wwx, the wens and dc in the book. It has never been towards women.

[danmeiconfession]

Anyone is free to respond to this post how they like. Again, this is an opinion not a fact so please don't get butthurt over a stranger opinion on how they view these characters.

.....

I couldn't care less or give much fucks about Luo Binghe's past and dilemma, considering the monstrous path he ultimately chose. It's repulsive how a male lead can wreak havoc in both realms, driven by an incessant obsession with their shizun. To witness him inflict widespread destruction due to rejection and then be rewarded for it is simply sickening. Shen Jiu's disdain for him is understandable, despite the abuse he endured the amount of death and destruction is uncalled for Binghe deserves death. Does Luo Binghe exhibit the response of a victim towards their abuser? He crosses so many ethical boundaries, yet some argue that Shen Jiu should have treated him well from the start, even if Shen Jiu was reprehensible he doesn't deserve the torture that is unthinkable.

He should have been treated better what makes Binghe so special is it cause he's a protagonist? Shen Qingqiu, as the shizun leading his peak, should have prioritized improving the attitude, judgment, and addressing bullying among all disciples. He was abused I'm not denying that but he never blackend then he was blackened even before he met Shizun lol.

Comparisons with characters like Wei Wuxian highlight a significant difference. Wei Wuxian remained a good person despite the cultivation world turning against him and Madam Yu abuse on him in his younger years. In contrast, Luo Binghe operates on a whole different level, willingly engaging in fucked up heinous acts in "Proud Immortal Demon Way." It's challenging for me, as a reader, to sympathize with someone who deliberately made destructive choices. Bingmei isn't much better, and Bing-ge's approach to grievances is extreme, seeking to repay a thousand-fold.

He wasn't coerced; Shen Qingqiu can't be held responsible for the way he turned out because, at some point, one has to take control of their own life. Luo Binghe's mindset operates within a black-and-white framework, and while his life may have tragic elements, the current state he finds himself in is essentially the outcome of his own actions. I don't particularly care much after that. Despite having wives, immense power, and genuine love from his partners, he remains fixated on one specific person. His past may have been harrowing, but his present is a self-made hell, marked by unfulfillment stemming from his obsession. And it hit me then, how many lives had he destroyed how many women had he forced and then put them in his harem as just a statistic. If Luo binghe wasn't the main focal point and male lead or was an ugly character we wouldn't give a rat's arse about him because it fucking ridiculous his shizun was under no obligation to love the man who killed the person he dearly held most and rendered him limbless and destroyed everything. No one sane would. If you were in the same situation, would you choose to be with this man? Except for Shen Yuan, who shares an equal obsession with his idol, it's doubtful that anyone would pursue such a relationship.

Luo Binghe's tragedy lies in his psychological imbalance, fixating on a particular person, and the responsibility for this fixation rests squarely on him. It's clear that he wouldn't bother if it were solely about the abuse; he could have just killed Shen Jiu and moved on, a typical move for a protagonist with a vendetta. Consider what he did to the Palace Master – subjected him to pickling, yet he tormented Shen Jiu for years without end how is that fair. Such actions aren't solely driven by hatred; there must be an underlying thread of resentment. After all, the boundary between love and hate is often thin. Binghe's emotional baggage is more complex. His relentless pursuit of Shen Jiu is rooted in the latter's complete lack of care or concern for him. Binghe's focus transcends mere revenge for abuse; it revolves around a deep-seated yearning for care and attention that was never reciprocated.

What truly irks me is the fact that some people become upset just because the male lead in the story is canonically depicted as having been abused/mistreated as a child. It's essential to detach oneself and recognize that not every narrative revolves around personal experiences. Yes, I'm talking to you reader. Having a villain be a child abuser is more personal than being a mass serial killer. Child abusers are depicted to always be plain 100 percent evil what I appreciate from this character is how real he is and how much the cycle of abuse repeats itself. Unfortunately...

Luo Binghe's fate was designed to involve adversity; after all, protagonists are meant to face challenges. Comparing the ethical standards of the 21st century child abuse to the ancient setting of svsss is irrelevant, considering the weak moral framework and how much evil is batted away in that context. Shen Jiu, while flawed, is unfairly singled out when others are wickeder than him. It's important to acknowledge that he could have been worse we know his story. He could butter them up, gain their trust, manipulate Binghe if he were to find out earlier in the story his demon heritage, hell he could have even weaponized how much abuse he stayed as a slave against the Sect Leader but he didn't. The Peaklords, demons, airplane bro, and Mobei Jun, the women all have their disgusting faults too, and it's essential to view the characters within the broader context of the story.

Nobody is entirely virtuous. What perplexes me the most is that Shen Jiu's transgression involves a single instance of child abuse—just one reported case. The strong opposition despite acknowledging his potentially kinder traits raises questions still horrific and how dare we want good things for him. Anytime someone wants to post or want to think positively it's like there is a fixed way everyone must cater to how they see him and I find that boring really. If someone has a certain way they see a character than go for it life to short to cater to a mob. It's a fucking novel on the internet at the end of the day. People shouldn't bully or hurt real people over a novel or for any medium for how they interpret a character because that when the issues start.

While some may view this as "woobiefying," I don't it's essential to recognize the complexity of Shen Jiu's character. Canonically, Shen Jiu can't perform outwardly benevolent deeds because the world setting he is in as the villain seems to discourage it. People aren't simply black and white, and Shen Jiu's nuances go beyond a single act. Can a person with a dark past and abused a disciple also contribute positively to the world as scum? Yes. Human beings are multifaceted, and Shen Jiu's character reflects this complexity. If writers wish to explore positive alternative character traits or divergent life trajectories, especially in a fandom like svsss where creativity is expected, they should feel free to do so. After all, fanfiction is a space for imaginative storytelling, even if it deviates significantly from the original content.

If readers are troubled or have dissatisfactions with the character development and writing for Shen Jiu, or any other character for that matter, consider revisiting the novel. That's the only version you can experience with the original author, after all! LOL.

.

[damiemontclair]

Cover me in sunshine - Complete

It's finally done! At 40,014 words, I present to you my @mdzsbigbang masterpiece:

Chapters: 4/4

Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Qiren & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Nie Huaisang & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian

Characters: Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren, Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Fengmian, Yú Zǐyuān (mentioned), Original Characters

Additional Tags: Fox Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Dragon Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Alternate Universe - Shifters, Cultivators are animal shifters, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Trauma Recovery, Cuddling, Fluff, (in between the angst), Cloud Recesses Study Arc (Modao Zushi), Violence against children - Madam Yu (self-explanatory), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Getting Together, Engagement, Marriage Proposal, Marriage, Sneaky children, Accidental Children Acquisition, technically not their children but the children don't care, wei laoshi tutors them so they're his now, I think I talk a bit too much about food in this fic but its fine, wwx is very food oriented, naps, I totally forgot to add, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Leaves the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Rogue Cultivator Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Gay Panic, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is a Mess, not yunmeng jiang friendly for plot reasons, The Cloud Recesses Rabbits (Modao Zushi)

Summary:

When fox-shifter Wei Wuxian came to Gusu to attend the Lan Sect lectures, he had been looking forward to a break from his rather tedious life as a second-rate disciple at Lotus Pier. What he finds instead is 3000 rules, a jade-like dragon-shifter who is way too fun to tease and an easy acceptance of his supposedly disastrous shift.

In the quiet back-hills of Cloud Recesses and the company of one Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian starts to learn to value himself.

[letteredlettered]

All of your WIPs sound very intriguing. How about Man From Cloud?

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh thank you! For asking!

I don't think I'll ever finish this one but I'm in love with the concept. I wanted to write wangxian with either WWX or LWJ deaged, but I wanted all the angst. And I think that WWX is such that if you just de-age him into a kid post canon, you just get this happy go-lucky kid who seems like nothing's wrong. And he might say things that would hint at there being some very wrong things (either about living in the streets or about the Jiang household, depending on the age you pick), but I just feel he would not engage on that? Like maybe LWJ would be pretty sad about it, but WY would shrug and want to play. Meanwhile, post-canon de-aged!LWJ would be a very sad kiddo, but I don't think adult!WWX would engage with that either. He'd just spend all his time trying to get little LZ to crack a smile and avoid talking about any of the things that he knows are sad about LWJ's childhood until LWJ gets aged up again.

But if LWJ were to go into the past, into WWX's childhood, and actually be there witnessing Wei Ying on the streets or Madam Yu's treatment of him, we'd see a lot more because LWJ would be so protective and defensive and angry in a way he would not need to be if de-aged!WWX was happening in the present post-canon. Likewise, I think WWX would feel both furious and helpless at the way little Lan Zhan's feelings get shut up and repressed if he was at Cloud Recesses in the time when LWJ was actually a child, in a way WWX wouldn't be if LWJ was de-aged in the present post-canon. Basically, if either of them is de-aged post-canon, they get to be in the protecting and loving environment the other would create for them, when what's sad about their childhoods is the difficult environments they each had.

But I really didn't want to do time travel, because things changing in the past changes the present, and that wasn't what I was interested in. I just wanted them to be able to witness each other's childhoods.

So, post-canon, they encounter some kind of demon that seems to have trapped WWX in his own mind, but LWJ can enter his mind to save him. This puts LWJ in WWX's memories of childhood and witnesses WWX in the streets, WWX running from dogs, WWX getting found by JFM, etc. At first, LWJ thinks he can only passively watch the memories, but kid!Wei Ying inside the memories notices him, and LWJ realizes that he can talk to Wei Ying and interact with Wei Ying. He can thus change the memories--to an extent. No one else in the memories can see him or interact with him, because the living WWX exists in these memories but the other people are static memories in WWX's head. So, for instance, LWJ can pick up Wei Ying and take him away from the dogs, but the dogs don't react as though LWJ is there at all. LWJ can stand up to Madam Yu and say that she's treating Wei Ying unfairly, but Madam Yu can't hear him.

But Wei Ying can, and Wei Ying isn't aware he's inside his memories. To him, LWJ is this magical cloud prince who just shows up sometimes and is very pretty and nice and kind to him. They progress linearly through the memories until 15yo!WWX meets 15yo!LWJ, then WWX realizes who the magical cloud prince is and begins to figure out that he's somehow trapped.

But wait! In fact, WWX was never the one trapped in his own mind by a demon, it's been LWJ all along, except LWJ wouldn't let WWX inside his memories to help him out of the curse, so WWX opened up his own memories to let LWJ travel through then, thinking along the terms of "I showed you mine; now you show me yours." It works, and WWX is finally able to travel though LWJ's memories in the same way as LWJ traveled through his, and then they break the curse.

It's from WWX's pov but starts in Wei Ying's pov when he's 6 or 7 (which is suuuuuuuuper difficult to write btw) and he just sees this pretty gege appearing at random times and calls LWJ in his head "man from cloud."

I didn't write much. Sadly, as much as I love the idea, I don't see myself continuing it. I love the idea more than the idea of executing it! Thank you for asking! <3

[wutheringheightsfilm]

I'm wondering how the progression of wx will look in odd geometry compared to canon (as in, they get together sooner? different dynamics?), and if/how the elemental magic is used in complementing each other. sorry this is super specific im just like. what about the wangxian 👀

HOT DOG. well :) let me crack my knuckles here this is gonna probably be a long answer!! i'll go bit by bit here...

to be honest, odd geometry is a huge divergence from canon. i have four fundamental things that change the story in absolutely huge ways, being:

elemental magic (obvi)

wei wuxian wasn't raised in lotus pier/as part of yunmeng jiang

wei wuxian doesn't die at the siege of the burial mounds thus isn't dead for 13/16 years and have to be resurrected

i have the sunshot campaign begin later than it does in canon. at the start of the story, all of the characters are slightly older; as in, i've aged all of wei wuxian's generation up to be closer to my age (most of them are in their early 20s) and adjusted their older siblings/the older generations accordingly (so, for example, jiang cheng is 20, wei wuxian is 20, and jiang yanli is 22)*

*so this means that classes at the cloud recesses still would have happened when everyone was 15, but the sunshot campaign just doesn't begin until jiang cheng, wei wuxian, and lan wangji are 20

which, it is so fun to play around with the implications of all that but it's also challenging. SO, how all of this impacts wangxian...

so just by virtue of what's going on here (namely wwx not being dead for over a decade) they definitely do get together sooner. since wei wuxian wasn't raised in lotus pier, he doesn't attend the classes at gusu when everyone in his generation were teens, he doesn't meet lan wangji until they're both 20 at the wen indoctrination camp (which through a series of events, wei wuxian gets roped into sneaking into attend).

as for their dynamics, there's layers to this!

because of how wei wuxian has grown up, there are two things: 1) his personality is not the exact same as it is in canon--how could it be, when he's grown up in such different circumstances?--however, his core traits are the same: he's still inventive, clever, and creative, he's still extremely compassionate and cares deeply about justice, especially for those who are disenfranchised, he still has an extremely strong (to the point of, at times, it being debilitating) sense of duty and a habit of putting others before himself, and being secretive and at times repressive about his emotions. he just doesn't act as...idk, childish? as he might in the show or the novel. he's a bit more grounded, a bit more serious.

because of that, i think it's maybe a bit easier for lan wangji to be more open with wei wuxian, or to accept his friendship sooner. they aren't such polar opposites as they seem in early in the show/in the novel.

2) there are slightly different class dynamics here that actually make a huge difference: wei wuxian didn't grow up in lotus pier and was not raised within polite cultivation society. no matter how much of an outcast madam yu made wei wuxian feel by trying to alienate him from her "real" family, he still was generally accepted by Society at large and was looked at and mostly treated with respect. he still gets called gongzi, and within yunmeng jiang called da-shixiong,--though, of course, coming from some people it can be read as sarcastic... i highly doubt wen chao was calling him wei-gongzi out of any sort of respect--and is overall accepted. of course, people still try to ostracize him for his status, but the cultivation world at large doesn't actively bully him much (and in all honesty, they don't really bully him at all while jiang fengmian was still alive) until he does something they don't like. apart from a few scenarios, wei wuxian wasn't given the disdain that you might expect the son of a servant to receive---honestly, i sort of wish class was talked about more in regards to mdzs and cql because it really does fascinate me. wei wuxian occupies such an interesting space within the cultivation world and i wish people discussed it more.

in my fic, though, since he wasn't raised within lotus pier and was never brought into the yunmeng jiang sect, he doesn't have the fallback of jiang cheng and jiang yanli being able to officially call him their brother--not yet, anyway. he doesn't have a sect leader to point to and be like, "i've been accepted by someone of experience and reown" and have the support that can come from that. he and lan wangji have been raised in very different spheres, and it changes how they interact with each other. there's an extra layer of formality that they now have to chip through. it's no longer lan wangji being extra formal towards someone of exactly equal standing towards him, there's now an extra layer that they have to reckon with. of course, wei wuxian is still lan wangji's equal in every way that matters--they are still the same age, they are still both incredibly talented with their areas of cultivation and respective fighting styles, they both have a mutual respect (and eventually love) for each other etc etc, they just don't belong to the same circles of society and this has to be dealt with.

of course, when the sunshot campaign is over and wei wuxian will have assisted the rebellion against the wens in winning, his status changes. he will be respected, if not feared, because eventually the cultivation world will figure out what he's able to do and fear it being used against them.

which brings us to their elemental magic and how that affects their dynamic as well !! AHHH!!!

so, wei wuxian can control qi (i can clarify any questions you or anyone else might have about this if needed) and lan wangji's affinity is water. at the beginning of the story, wei wuxian pretends to also have an affinity with water, and claims he heals with it--this backfires on him hard during xuanwu cave, when he has to heal lan wangji's broken leg and obviously, as someone with an affinity for water, lan wangji would know what healing someone using water is like and this is not it.

ultimately, wei wuxian is a healer. that is his favorite thing to do, it is what he prefers to do---despite having the powers he does (which, for a while, even he doesn't fully understand), and the demonic cultivation he will be able to do, he doesn't actually enjoy using his qi controlling abilities negatively on people much. he will do it if he has to, and will definitely enjoy using it to enact revenge on people who deserve it, but at the end of the day, he just wants to help and heal people.

i honestly think this suits lan wangji's temperament quite nicely--they would make a very good team, what with lan wangji's habit of going "wherever the chaos is" and helping people out with resentful spirits and night hunts.

even in the original odd geometry from 5 years ago, they were never opposing elements--though that would certainly be interesting LMAO!!!

as a reward for getting thru all of that... i shall leave you with... A SNIPPET <3

(from chapter 5, time is the movement of grief. context: this is at lotus pier, post xuanwu cave) He looked up, and saw Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian moved over on the dock to make room for him to sit, which he did, cross-legged so he wouldn’t get wet. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the crickets. The golden light of the setting sun made Lan Wangji look devastatingly beautiful. It took Wei Wuxian’s breath away. When Lan Wangji turned his head and met Wei Wuxian’s eyes, there was nothing Wei Wuxian wanted to do more than kiss him in that moment. It was a startling thought. He looked away as calmly as he could. 

THANK YOU FOR ASKING COR I REALLY LOVED ANSWERING THIS!!!!!

[tejoxys]

Hi hello there PLEASE tell me more about JC/ZZL-isekai'd-into-Zidian? 👀

I FOUND IT [x]

I HAD TO TRAWL THE DEPTHS OF MY MDZS TAG BUT I FOUND IT

I'll reblog it in a sec, too, for good measure. 2nd addition is my tag, preserved by my bestie. but yeah anyway - I don't know what possessed me, but it suddenly seemed very funny to me to have poor ZZL's spirit get sucked right out of the SVSSSverse into zidian, where he can idk feed off whatever demons or resentful energy JC is vanquishing with it, slowly regaining strength, until one day his spirit is strong enough to start talking to JC, who of course is freaked out beyond belief that his tragic family heirloom is TALKING TO HIM. it would develop from there.

my ulterior motive, though, was to line it up so Maigu Ridge coincides with the sacking of Lotus Pier, and have the two worlds exchange ZZL and Madam Yu, so I can slash her with Qi Qingqi.

[jaimebluesq]

ship ask! Yu Ziyuan/Wen Zhuliu and/or Yu Ziyuan/Jin-furen

also xisang

Yay!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! I very very rarely get any of these ships in ask games, so I'm going to answer them all (because it's my blog and I can :-p).

Yu Ziyuan/Wen Zhuliu

Ship It

What made you ship it? - We know there is a history - he's the only person to ever refer to her as something other than YZY and Madame Yu. What is the story behind the Violet Spider and the Core Melting Hand??? Like, okay, MXTX probably didn't intend it to be sexy, but damn, when you look at YZY's marriage, the idea of her having some secret past before JFM where she really got to live, but gave it up for duty... That's the kind of thing I eat up!

What are your favorite things about the ship? - THE NAMES. Seriously, Violet Spider with a sexy purple whip, and hand that could crush your golden core, two seriously dangerous people that one-on-one you would NEVER want to mess with!!! *Sighs* yeah, definitely sexy.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? - Are there any *popular* opionions about them? /s When I think about it, I guess it would be that they would be no better for each other than YZY and JFM, that there is a reason their history is history, having much to do with the sects they ended up in, and they were never a "meant to be", just a "could have been, maybe, had the world been different".

Yu Ziyuan/Madame Jin

Ship It

What made you ship it? - Because there is a history between them we know so little about, two women who were so close they pledged their firstborn children into an arranged marriage (and you know Madame Jin would have had to fight JGS tooth and nail to arrange it, because logically JGS would have wanted to choose the most politically/economically advantageous option, and while the Jiang had some political clout at that time, I'm sure JGS would have preferred an alliance with someone like the Wen). And because I think they'd be sexy together :D

What are your favorite things about the ship? - To a certain degree, the ship is a blank slate because we know so little about Madame Jin (including her effing name), but what we do know is that both of them are strong, opinionated women who can be vicious in their own ways, particularly when they believe they're protecting their children, even if they don't always show it in healthy ways (this is fiction, who cares about healthy ways lol). And again, the actresses in CQL are gorgeous and remind me I'm bi over and over again.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? - That, personally, I find them more interesting and engaging than any other femslash pairing in the fandom? Because I can enjoy various groupings of Mianmian, Wen Qing, and Jiang Yanli, but to me they just don't have that tooth, that bite that the older ladies do. But that's just a personal opinion - I'm very ship and let ship so enjoy your ships :D

XiSang (for this one, I'm going to borrow a format I saw on one of @fortune-maiden's responses to one of these).

Neutral Ship

Why don't you ship it? - I'm trying to put my finger on it. Because I HAVE read a handful of fics, and I can appreciate the stories and the writing, and it's a perfectly fine ship! How can I not appreciate a love for NHS and LXC. I guess it just comes down to me not feeling it. They don't reach into my chest and grab my heart and scream at me that their story needs to be told in every variation possible.

What would have made you like it? - I dunno, really. As I said, I've read a few fics and tried, so I'm not sure what would shift it over from neutral to ship. I can see the potential, it's definitely there, I just kind of... *shrugs*

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it? - The biggest one is the shippers - a lot of the people I started following on Tumblr when I first got into the CQL/MDZS fandom were XiSang shippers, and they're all such awesome people that I will defend the ship on their behalf at the first sign of attack ;) And the characters are both ones I enjoy (NHS more so, he's my MAJOR BLORBO), and I can at least see the potential in the ship! It's one of those things where all the ingredients are there and correct, but it's just not the cake I want to eat.

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Apr 12th

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1. For the ficfinder: In the last "In the mood for", no 8 reminded me of a fic but I cant recall the one. Wwx is travelling by himself, writing letters to LZ, he stays in a town and it ends up cursed. LZ and the juniors arrive to solve the case. Wwx is acting weird and hides his letters. The juniors read the letters and find out wwx is angry and full of resentment about how he's been treated. They find out the curse resonates from him. They talk it out to resolve matters. It was written really well. Any idea? @kesterling

FOUND! i found it myself, it kept bugging me. The fic is sadly deleted but on the wayback machine: Dock of the Bay by Haysel.

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2. Hi! This is for Fic Finder. All I remember is the ending, where Yu Ziyuan had her arms cut off, and that there was a part that mentioned that this was punishment enough as she would have to live her life with no pride. Also, she had an affair with Jin Guangshan, and Jiang Cheng was his child, and she had to become his concubine, I think. Hope someone knows which fic this is!

FOUND? sounds like the deleted "OOC!" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It's avaiable on the wayback machine.

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3. Hi, once again.

I’m looking for a fic that I seriously can’t find, at all.

So it would really be a great help if you could.

Wwx was brought to cloud recesses for healing after madam yu had whipped him so bloody he couldn’t move and wa sin active danger of dying.

The disciples who brought him there did so on a donkey I think?

Anyway they asked LZ to please befriend Wwx.

The healers weren’t sure if Wwx would survive. He does.

And joins the lan, befriending LZ oh and he can’t fight with his sword anymore because of the damage and something about his heart having been weakened.

That is all I remember.

Have a nice day/night. @ravenwithwings

NOT FOUND!🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

FOUND! 🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly)

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4. Hi!! I'm looking for a fic I can't remember the name of, a modern AU, possibly set in the UK where lwj is part of some sort of anarchist/ community activist group and wwx joins. Most people in the group already know wwx and are reallly good friends with him but lwj is super skeptical about him. Also at some point I think wwx goes missing and lwj is super worried??? I can't remember anything else... thank you in advance🙏🙏🙏 @kavlobebeki

FOUND? now to begin the road by detectorist (E, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pining, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Getting Together, Light Angst, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Activism, Politics, Rooftop Conversations)

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5. Hi, I'm wondering if anyone else remembers a fic similar to leading tone by silencemostofall, and pastel by antebunny, but that's set in the canon era while they're at Cloud Recesses? A few details I remember was that the coloured mark that indicated Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's relationship started to fade, and that Jiang Cheng was allowed home to celebrate his birthday, while Wei Wuxian's was completely ignored by the Jiang Sect and so he spent it drinking and was caught by Lan Wangji. Apologies that I don't have more! @flaxenhairedsamurai

Hi, I was number 5 on the fic finder on April 12. Just letting you know I found the fic I was looking for! It was Mark Me With Your Devotion by an orphan account. Thank you, and I've bookmarked it so I don't lose it again!

FOUND! Mark me with your devotion by orphan_account (M, 18k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, soulmate AU with a twist, The twist is not a curse though, I'm sorry but everyone is kind of toxic in this, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, A-Yuan is adorable, First Time, Canon-typical Sex, Cultivation Partners, Fluffy wangxian, Nothing else is all that fluffy, Night-hunting together, Their studies are different that's why they keep going on missions and not staying in Gusu much)

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6. There was this fic on ao3 I don't remember, much, but it had this part, where lwj refused to go near his child(/children??) Because when wwx was pregnant he slowly grew ill or I dunno I think there was some complications (?) and when it was finally the time of delivery, wwx fell into coma I think. And lxc was angry with lwj for not even looking at his child / children when both wc were so excited for the baby.

There is a similar wx comic on Twitter. Can you please find both of them? The ao3 fic and the Twitter comic too please?

FOUND? I don’t know the Ao3 but I do know the comic similar to the description which made by AlasseTassir in twitter and they post it on their pixiv.

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7. A while back I found and lost 😥 a fic where WangXian, I think, were smuggling Wen Ning (and probably Wen Qing) across a border somewhere and they put a fake mustache on one of the two and people kept complimenting them on how nice it looked. I think people even copied the mustache after that? Maybe even the bad Wens? That's literally all I can remember about it. I've tried every tag I can think of and haven't been able to find it. Hopefully someone will know. TIA! @lilyinthesnow

FOUND! Bloom where you are planted by luckymoonly (M, 44k wangxian, MM/WQ, Canon Divergence, Fix It, courting, Mpreg, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Happy Ending, getting together early, Romance, WWX giving birth in the middle of the war? Most likely than you think!, Yúnmèng Siblings Feels, Smut, Drama, Blood and Violence, Minor Character Death, There Is Only One Bed, No Fall of Lotus Pier, Crossdressing, Shotgun Wedding, Mention of miscarriage (not WWX), wangxian Have a Breeding Kink, Giving Birth, Soft granduncle LQR)

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8. hii i need help finding a fic. I remember it is ongoing it is a time travel one where wei ying travels back to the past decides not to join the jiang sect but to be rouge i remember he stole gold from the sects which made the economy go to shit the emperor got involved and disbanded the wen sect wei ying is now rich he is studying to pass some exams he has a nice house with a mini farm meets lan zhan and they fall in love and we find out from lan qiren that wei ying is a royal bc his father was a prince but he ran away to be a servant to the jiang sect and sometime near the last chapters the emperor gives permission to wangxian to marry and to take with him some princes and princesses to raise away from the palace. @wangxian4evermdzs

FOUND? Starting Over by SplitGirl28 (M, 69k, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Back to Childhood, Change his life, Different lifestyle, But WWX is still gifted genius, Unrestrained WWX, Living his ideal life)

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9. Hi all! 👋 I am so sorry to bother you if you’ve already found this fic but I’ve scoured across the internet all day and decided to go ahead and ask anyway! I’m looking for a fic that has Wei Ying being adopted into the Lan clan as a child, he was scared to be kicked out and became rather solemn and a perfect lan clan member, on the other hand Lan Zhan has grown to be shameless and flirts with Wei Ying every chance he gets. There’s also some Jiang Bashing, OCs, and maybe some time travel? Help🥹

FOUND? could be the deleted "Uno Reverse" by A_flower_in_the_snow. It's on the wayback machine.

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10. Hello!! I swear I just read it and now I can't find this fic- but it's supposed to be an AU where wwx stayed behind during Lotus Pier's attack and Madam Yu and JC escaped but wwx stayed to fight, and lwj heard wwx was missing and he rushes to help wwx and he runs in JC and JY also trying to save wwx? Thank you in advance!

FOUND? for as long as he will let me by RavenclawLoki (T, 8k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt WWX, Love Confessions, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, First Kiss, BAMF JYL, WangXian Get a Happy Ending)

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11. Hi, thanks so much for all your efforts!!

I’ve been looking for a fic and hope it hasn’t been deleted. Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli were mermaids but were also semi-amphibious? They could go on land for short periods and they helped fight the Wens during the Sunshot Campaign. Wei Ying is married off to Lan Zhan and he lives in the Cloud Recesses. Most of the story is centered around Wei Ying adjusting to his life on the surface amongst humans and navigating the relationship with his new husband.

FOUND? you’re a bird in the water / i’m a fish on the ground by plonk (Not Rated, 8k, WangXian, Merpeople, Canon Era)

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12. Hi, can you help me find a fic . The story goes somewhat like Lan Wangji was in a nighthunt and had taken shelter in an inn . There was a storm, and Wei Ying came to that inn seeking shelter with a few orphan kids . Those kids and Wei Ying were both from the same, and they escaped from being sold ? I think Wangji was a bit older than Wei Ying. Also, Wei Ying could use his cultivation powers without any medium like swords or instruments. 🙏

FOUND? ❤️ Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, case fic, no sunshot, kid fic, dadxian, strangers to lovers, found family, LWJ pov, pining, fake/pretend relationship, first time, falling in love)

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13. Helppp! looking for a fic I read awhile ago and it just wont leave my mind, So basically Wangxian had an age gap LWJ was like 16 or 17 and WWX in his 20's but like "the cloud recesses" is some sort of mansion and the lotus siblings visit them in cloud recesses. I think it was tagged E if that helps

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14. Hi! For Fic Finder. Thank you very much for your help. There’s a fic I thought I bookmarked but can no longer find.

The first fic is a dark Lans fic set during the Cloud Recesses arc. WWX and JC are betrothed in this universe. But LWJ and WWX fall in love. LWJ manipulates the environment and JCs insecurities to break them up. I believe it’s in a two part series.

Thank you!

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15. Story of Yanxi Palace based fic. WY is the empress/consort who hides in a box from Sizhui. LZ knows he's inside the box, and as a prank/punishment, he uses the box to play a boardgames with Sizhui

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16. Hi! I really am looking for this story in AO3 and still can't find it. It was about Wei Wuxian who got married to Wen Chao but Lan Zhan couldn't take it so he plans to take Wei Wuxian back by claiming Wei Wuxian each time he got (even in the wedding night of WWX and WC) and destroying the company of the Wens. As they (LWJ & WWX) continued the deed, WWX ended up pregnant and LWJ is more than determined to take WWX back. I do hope you can help me find this story. Thank you in advance!😘 @gegegeeee

FOUND? 姻緣 | this marriage was always predestinedby saccharinings (E, 43k, wangxian, Cheating, Infidelity, not between wangxian, WWX is married and LWJ persuades him to cheat on his husband with him, Dark LWJ, A/B/O, Feminizing Language, Exhibitionism, Size Difference, WagnXian Have a Breeding Kink, Stomach Bulge, Possessive LWJ, Manipulation, WWX Wears Lingerie, Rape/Non-con Elements, for one part, Hair-pulling Kink, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mirror Sex, Vibrators, Phone Sex, Rimming, Edgeplay, slight choking kink, Light Bondage, Inappropriate Use of Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, LJY’s Big Fat Crush on Milfxian, Pregnant WWX, WangXian Endgame, Spanish Translation)

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17. I'm looking for this fic that's basically a bunch of drabbles in one. Each chapter title is one word and serves as the theme for that chapter. I remember it having quite a lot of chapters, but I only remember one titled "kneeling" where Wuxian kneeled before Wangji (if you need a better picture, imagine that one scene in CQL where Wuxian kneeled and put his head on Yanli's lap in that one episode) @mindaneacc

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18. Hey, I'm looking for a fic where LZ and WY are already married and living in Gusu. But they get separated from each other due to an illness/curse going through the Wen Sect, so LZ leaves to give medical aid. In the process, he ends up adopting Wen Yuan. There is a sweet connection between WY and Lan Qiren. But most importantly Wen Qing managed to assassinate Wen Ruohan. @mother-of-pigeons

I remember 18, though I can't find it either. The sickness/curse in question made people burn from the inside; it was contagious from breathing in the ashes of the people dying. There was a honestly touching scene with Wen Chao dying while Wen Ning kept him company. Wen Qing assassinated WRH because she was treating him for the illness, for which they'd finally found the cure, and he announced that he therefore would use it as a weapon against the other sects, by deliberately infecting them and holding the cure hostage. The only ones they'd allow to have the cure are the Lans, because they're the only ones who came to help. He also intended to marry WQ, as he'd lost both his sons and needed new ones. I think it might have been part of a series, with the first part showing how WangXian got together.

FOUND!🔒Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by Titans_R_Us (T, 11k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Mutual Pining, Temporary Separation, BAMF WQ)

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19. Hello!! Here I am again looking for a wangxian fic. It's one that I read through here but never found again, anyway, the things I remember from the fic are: the sects transform into animals, being shapeshifters, the Lan are dragons like WWX, I also remember that the transfer of core occurred but the core has a mind of its own and it goes back to WWX's body, WWX faints and Wanji makes a soulmate connection... Those are the only things I remember!!

Note: I think Ao3 should have category filtering in our subscriptions, because I think I subscribed to the story but I already looked and couldn't find it... @sweettiebah

FOUND? sounds like "Revealed Truths Against Dragon's Fire" by Preludian_Staves. It's hidden on AO3 but avaiable on the waback machine.

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20. Hi! I'm looking for a fic with a red string of fate au where wwx jumps off the cliff, but has a moment of weakness when he looks at lwj and end up tying himself to lwj before dying... And when he wakes up he discovers lwj kept the string bc when he wakes up as mxy he can see it connecting him to lwj. He flees and tries to put as much distance as he can between them but lwj still finds him at dafan mountain... It's a multi chapter (I think) with a happy ending. Help please? 🥺

FOUND? 💖 a trail of blood to find your way back home by blackelement7 (T, 19k, wangxian, JC & WWX, what if a soulmate string au, but without the soulmates aspect of it, a reflection on the nature of marriage, WWX is full of regrets, so is LWJ, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, JC & WWX Reconciliation, JC is trying his best but words are hard and his brother is stupid, Siblings, Canonical Character Death, but it’s just WWX, accidental 3zun feels, WWX as the most unreliable of narrators)

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[soyforramen]

Apologies, my brain has latched onto a new fandom and just. Cannot process until I vomit this out. So buckle up babes, it's a long one. All apologies in advance.

Complete change of timelines where Madam Yu is the one to find Wei Wuxian, or rather her maids do. They're sent out to Yiling for like... cultivation things, night hunt, secret assassinations, or whatever. They find him very soon after his parents die, early enough that he's just barely on the streets for a few months. Jinzhu and Yinzhu hear about the death of a cultivator who trained under Baoshen Sanren and that her child was recently kicked out, such a shame, but who can feed any more mouths the winter after a bad harvest?

So Jinzhu slips out, finds the kid and they abscond back to Lotus Pier. As they show up they're like, wait out here kid, we've got work to do. And as he's waiting, Jiang Yanli comes up with tea for her mother and is like ??? And Wei Ying imprints on her the moment she gives him a few biscuits and tells him she makes him laugh. So when she goes into the room, Wei Ying follows her in and Jinzhu and Yinzhu are like.

Oh. Right. We found this kid and his mom is supposed to be that lady you really didn't like back in the day, what do you want us to do with him? And Madam Yu at first is like,

But then she sees how starry eyed he is over Jiang Yanli and Madame Yu has a light bulb moment of seeing him waiting for Jiang Yanli to tell him what to do and is like. Wait. And looks betwen Jinzhu and Yinzhu and is like. Wait.

She tells them she's going to adopt him and immediately goes and gets that done. When Jiang Fengmian finds out she tells him to go find his own orphan and just shuffles Wei Ying over to stay with Jinzhu and Yinzhu. (It's not like he's stopped her before, and it's not like he can now. Besides, she found him first. Don't you have a sect to run?)

So now Wei Wuxian is going to be raised alongside Jiang Yanli rather than Jiang Cheng. The twins start to train him and raise him, and eventually he tries calling Jinzhu Mom and Yinzhu Auntie in public and they're both like.

Don't call me that. We are not related. But inside they're all.

It doesn't help that he's quick to learn and sweet, and they're quick to praise him and correct him in an age appropriate way even though they're still really strict and seemingly cold to him. (Wei Wuxian had to get it from somewhere is all I'm saying.) But also they make sure he's fed and clothed and has proper training and an education.

It's constantly impressed upon him that Jiang Yanli is his sister and that he needs to protect her and she'll take care of him in return. Madam Yu especially does her best to make sure they bond, because if her daughter is to marry into Jinlintai, she's damn sure going to have more protection than just a coterie of maids and random Jiang disciples. Especially since it's becoming clear to everyone that there's something wrong with Jiang Yanli's overall health, and there's some chronic pain and fatigue that hits her every so often. So if she had someone who knew her best and could take care of her throughout her life...

Since Wei Wuxian is only five and Jiang Yanli is only a few years older than him it will be similar to how the Meishan Yu heirs are raised alongside their own bodyguards. (I have this image that the Meishan Yu Clan is like a snake, in that they move quietly and lurk in the shadows until they strike, which would also explain a lot as to why Madame Yu is called the Purple Spider.)

As he grows up, Wei Wuxian is still an absolute chaos demon, only this time the first time he tries pranking anyone and he's caught, the twins make him do twice the amount of training and subtly imply that the reason he's being punished is not the fact that he's being silly with harmless pranks, but the fact that he got caught at all.

So they train him in the Meishan Yu way, which is far more covert and focused on getting in quick and dealing with things, and in the Jiang swordplay, which is focused on speed and agility. Meaning he's good with a sword, much better than good, but he's not at the same level as he is in MDZS OG. But he's also got an extensive collection of daggers, stilettos, hidden talismans, and fighting dirty and shamelessly.

Jiang Cheng is jealous that Jiang Yanli now has another brother, and that Wei Ying is monopolizing Jiang Yanli, but both his father and his mother are focused on his training and education in becoming a sect leader, and Madam Yu isn't constantly comparing the two since they're not 'competing' against each other like she seemed to think in cannon. Instead when Jiang Cheng gets too frustrated about not figuring something out or is too hard on himself, Madam Yu throws Wei Wuxian at him to train with.

As they get a bit older, Wei Wuxian is like, but is jiejie learning all this? And Jinzhu has to tell him that no, she's got a small core, besides she has you. Wei Wuxian thinks that's stupid, and says so loudly, so he goes to teach her at least the basics so she can defend herself with hidden daggers, terrifying hair pins, and talismans at the very least.

It's at that point that they realize how adapt he is with talismans, so they make the decision to send both him and Jiang Yanli off to Meishan Yu for him to train with their masters. Jiang Yanli meanwhile is sent to her grandparents and aunts to learn more about political manipulation training, management of sects, trade, logistics, etc.

It's at this point that they get the invitation to Gusu, and Madam Yu insists both her kids go. Which also means Wei Wuxian, professional rule breaker, also goes along with them. During the day he's as perfect as Jinzhu and Yinzhu could ever dream, but he immediately breaks curfew the first night because a) Emperor's Smile, and b) jiejie's in pain again, and the medicines they were sent with weren't working right, and jiejie's dorm mate said that these herbs from Caiyi could help...

Anyways, Lan Wangji is totally able to win against Wei Wuxian in strength, and breaks one of his wine jars again, but since Wei Wuxian was always told to make sure to never get caught, at least this time he had a mask on. So technically Lan Wangji can't say for 100% certain who it was who broke curfew. (Discretion, always, might have been tattooed on his forehead by Yinzhu.)

But like. Lan Wangji is like. Bro. My man. Dude.

Thus beginning his utter fascination with Wei Wuxian because of course the Head of Discipline can't let any infraction go, cause denial (whomp whomp).

Wei Wuxian is thrilled to get such a response out of someone so poised and stoic, especially since he's never been able to do that with his mom or aunt or even Madam Yu. Jiang Yanli thinks it's absolutely hilarious, immediately pegging Wei Wuxian's interest as a crush, and when Wei Wuxian dismisses that, she has to be like

Sir. I know you. I helped raise you. This is a crush. So she's super encouraging that they spend time together, and shows her true colors as an instigator when it comes to her didi. But Wei Wuxian pushes back since they won't be there long enough to form any real long term attachments.

(Actual video of Wei Wuxian during this conversation)

Anyways, Gusu Arc is similar to last time, only Wei Wuxian isn't technically a student, but he does sit in on the classes and surpringly draws 0 attention to himself, making Lan Wangji's suspicion of him even more suspicious to Lan Xichen.

This time, Jin Zixuan isn't punched. Jiang Yanli gives him a cold bow and walks away, but that night Wei Wuxian definitely makes sure that Jin Zixuan knows that that wasn't cool, cause like. It's Jiang Yanli, she's the best why wouldn't you think that? Wtf sir, why would you say anything like that? And oops, look how sharp this dagger is, and oops my talisman slipped. Again.

Needless to say, the next day Jin Zixuan has a healthy respect for staying far away from Jiang Yanli or even thinking about her, and if he doesn't even look Wei Wuxian's way? Well, no surprise there.

MianMian is totally Wei Wuxian's BFF now, though, since she's never seen anyone be able to handle Jin Zixuan so well, and that includes his mother. Lan Wangji is, obviously, jealous, Jiang Yanli continues to instigate meetings between them, and the day of the Waterborne Abyss Wei Wuxian is finally like.

Oh. That's what Jiang Yanli meant about Lan Zhan. And Wei Wuxian is just like,

This leads to further shenanigans between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian to the point that even Lan Qiren is like. Lan Wangji, just ignore him. We have three weeks left, it's fine. But Lan Wangji is like, he gave me rabbits? But also broke 82 rules in less than 10 minutes? And also he's annoying? But why is he paying more attention to Luo Qingyang?

Anyways, they finally go home, Cloud Recess is attacked, and the Wens are like. Time for the worst summer camp ever! Jiang Yanli begs Wei Wuxian to go to the Wen Camp with Jiang Cheng to keep an eye on him. Wei Wuxian refuses until Jinzhu steps in and uses her mom voice, telling him in no uncertain terms he's going, and Jiang Yanli will be in Meishan, as far from the Wens as she can be right now.

Turtle Time! All of the disciples are essentially going:

the entire time they're there. The arc goes basically the same, only more Wangxian cuddling, teasing, and Wei Wuxian being a shameless flirt to Lan Wangji's horror.

Jinzhu and Yinzhu travel back with Jiang Cheng to save Lan Wangi and Wei Wuxian, and for the first time Jinzhu and Yinzhu show in public that the familial connection with Wei Wuxian goes both ways. The twins insist Lan Wangji stays until he's healed because they owe him a debt for saving Wei Wuxian, but mostly because they're nosy as shit about him. Wei Wuxian would not stop talking about him in his letters and when he returned, so they're like who is this?

Then they meet him, and are all. Ah. Fellow Introvert. Amazing.

We will still kill you if you do anything to our surrogate child/nephew.

Lan Wangji is like. Fair. But also what are you talking about I totally didn't write him a romantic song or anything.

Things tighten down all over the cultivation world after that, and Wei Wuxian is sent to Meishan Yu where Jiang Yanli is, and they miss out on the Lotus Pier attacks. When they get news of what happened, Jiang Yanli has to keep Wei Wuxian from immediately going back, since they both know that if Lotus Pier burned then their parents died defending it. A few days later, Jiang Cheng shows up, along with a badly hurt Jinzhu. Madame Yu forced Jinzhu to go with him since she knew Jiang Cheng would immediately be like. Nope, gonna go back to Lotus Pier to my death the minute Zidian released him.

Both of them are going through major surivor's guilt, but Jiang Cheng sneaks off to get his parent's bodies at the very least, and Jiang Yanli sends Wei Wuxian to chase him down. When they get there, Wen Ning finds them and shows them where the bodies have been moved to.

(Wei Wuxian sees his aunts body and has a major trauma moment, realizing that he's lost what basically amounted to his second mother, and almost lost his first. He decides he's not going to lose either Jinzhu or Jiang Yanli, and he'll do his best to keep Jiang Cheng around either.)

Basically it's the same progression, only this time Wei Wuxian's loyalty isn't to Jiang Cheng, but to Jiang Yanli, so he drags him back to Meishan. There, Jiang Yanli begs for something to be done to help her brother, but the healers are all at a loss.

Jinzhu, meanwhile, only wants to get revenge even though she's still really weak from the attack. All she wants to do is go on a suicidal mission to take out the Wens and Wei Wuxian is Not Having That. He refuses to let her go alone, and Jiang Yanli refuse to let Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng out of her sight. She knows Wei Wuxian would definitely sacrifice himself for Jinzhu, but he's her brother. They're far close than Jiang Cheng because they spent almost every waking moment together due to the circumstances, and by their own choice.

Jiang Yanli starts openly calling Jinzhu her aunt, putting her on the same level as her mother's sisters, and Wei Wuxian calls her mother in public, even though she fights it at first.

Eventually it becomes obvious that neither Jiang Cheng nor Jinzhu are getting better, so Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian decide to seek out Wen Qing, who had grown close to Jiang Yanli when they were at Gusu, and ask for her help. They come up with a plan where Wen Qing and Wen Ning are 'captured' by the remaining Jiang disciples, and brought back to Meishan.

There, Jiang Yanli finds out about Wen Qing's research into golden cores, and begs Wen Qing to transfer Jiang Yanli's to Jiang Cheng. After all, she's never been able to do anything to it due to her illness, and even as weak as it is it's still enough for him to cultivate.

Jinzhu is still trying to sneak out, and Wen Qing finally sits her down and tells her she still has a family, even though her sister and mistress are gone. The best thing Jinzhu can do now is to watch over Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli and her own child rather than trying to stay in the past. Jinzhu is not happy about this, but Wen Ning speaks up and says that since Jinzhu helped raise them, if Jinzhu left it would be like losing another parent all over again.

This, and Wen Qing's locking down of her core, make Jinzhu calm down and think long term rather than emotionally. Once Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, and Jinzhu are healed enough, Wen Qing and Wen Ning are 'released' and go back to the Wens.

The Sunshot Campaign progresses in much the same way, only Jinzhu and Wei Wuxian work together to gather intelligence, while Jiang Yanli works closer with the sects in strategy and logistics behind the scenes. Jiang Cheng is still an angry butterball at this point, but Wei Wuxian isn't doing demonic cultivation, which creates problems, but they somehow manage to struggle through.

Jiang Yanli works to make sure the Dafan Wen get 'captured' very early in the campaign who have to look at the rest of the sects and be like. Y'all. They hate Wen Ruohan just as much as us. But also.

Free Healthcare.

In a war.

(NMJ is still against it, but he's overruled by literally everyone else.)

When Lan Wangji is away from the camp, Jiang Yanli and Jinzhu are both like, no, no moping Wei Wuxian. And they throw a bunch of paper at him and tell him to go do something useful. He ends up making new talismans that help with the war effort, and some that just make life easier, and hands them out to as many people as he can.

Once the Dafan Wen reach them, Wei Wuxian, once again, latches onto the orphaned A-Yuan. Jinzhu takes one look at them and immediately thinks,

and sets off to try and figure out how to adopt a grandchild. Lan Wangji is just thinking 'Yes. Perfect Husband Material' when he sees Wei Wuxian with A-Yuan.

Jiang Yanli has to be the one with the brain cell, pointing out to Wei Wuxian that he cannot adopt a child during a war. And especially not if he's still single. Seeing how Lan Wangji is looking at Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli seeks out Lan Xichen and tells him, this is what we're doing. Don't ask any questions. But your brother is going to marry my brother, so make sure neither of them die. Thanks.

Once they get close enough to Nightless City through the strength and power of Nie Mingjue's mustache and (insert epic war arc here), Jinzhu and Wei Wuxian sneak into Wen Ruohan's palace, and Lan Wangji invites himself along for Reasons.

When they share the logistics they've found out (time tables, the fact that Wen Ruohan is having health issues, the lack of cultivators within the walls of the city) with the rest of the war council, Wen Qing (invited there by Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng, specifically), points out to the rest of them that the medicine's Wen Ruohan takes are healthy in small doses but are also. Hella Poisonous.

And the rest of them are like, ok? Cool? But what does that have to do with us?

And Wen Qing just looks at them. You captured me, babes.

So Wen Qing 'escapes' back to Nightless city and because she looks absolutely awful (again, she knows what herbs and medicines to take to make her look tortured and miserable), and Wen Ruohan sees her and is like, my niece! You have returned to me, even though I no longer have your family to blackmail you! You do like me!

And she's like, yes, of course I do. I also brought the Jiang Sect Leader with me, and you could totally lock him up in the dungeons, or you could just. Let me keep him and experiment on him, that would be awesome?

And Wen Ruohan is like,

(Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng is the one sending information back to the Sunshot Campaign through lights in the window at night.)

Anyways, Wen Qing ends up being Wen Ruohan's doctor, again, while the fighting goes on outside, and rumors start to go around about one or three spies being inside Nightless City. Wen Qing says that they've got to rout the spies out or we'll lose this war.

Meanwhile, Meng Yao is just

Paranoia grows rampant as Jiang Cheng uses Wei Wuxian's talismans to make it seem like the spies' activities are increasing until Wen Ruohan only lets Wang Lingjiao and Wen Chao supervise and bring him his meals. So its a THING when he ends up bedbound with a poison that only Wen Qing can treat him for. And since Wang Lingjiao and Wen Chao were the only two who could have tampered with his food, and Wen Qing is above reproach being the prodigal son doctor (and the spying and the evidence of it was going on before she got there), Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao are executed.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch Sunshot Campaign:

Jin Zixuan is still being stupid about Jiang Yanli, and he lets the same woman take all the credit for Jiang Yanli's food, and he confronts her when she tells him that no, that's from me. And Jiang Yanli just bursts into angry stress tears - but no one other than her knows that - and Wei Wuxian snaps. Jiang Yanli takes him down before he can get to Jin Zixuan, though, quicker than anyone but Hanguang-Jun has been able to.

(Jinzhu pointed out all his weaknesses to Jiang Yanli long ago, and Jiang Yanli Does Not Hesitate.)

And everyone else is just looking at her like, wtf? Then Jiang Yanli proceeds to dress Lan Zixuan down and his only thought is

Nie Mingjue continues to be a bear of a warrior and wins skirmishes and takes out Wen Xu. At this point Jiang Guangshan is looking at it and being like, ah yes. I help. Here's two more cultivators. And generally continuing to be The Worst.

Jin Zixuan and his contingent of MianMian and other cultivators collectively roll their eyes.

But Nie Mingjue's story is a completely different story with grand, overarcing themes of brotherhood, trauma, war and glory, and family trauma, but that is not what we're on about today folks.

Flash back to Nightless City where Wen Ruohan is losing his shit and Wen Qing keeps on gaslighting him, because she is a chaos demon on the same level as Wei Wuxian when given a chance. Wen Ruohan decides he can only trust like, two people besides Wen Qing, and the rest of his sect is just waiting for him to show any weakness.

Wen Qing very gently tells him that he hasn't been sleeping well, that's why he's so paranoid, and makes him some very strong sleeping droughts. She warns him not to take too much all at once, though, because when taken in large doses it's deadly. Only he doesn't realize that not only does it have a strong depressants in it, it's also full of stimulants that don't let him fall asleep.

After only a few days, Wen Ruohan is hella hallucinating and it gets to the point where his liver just. Fucks off. and he dies brutally. And since he's executed all of his remaining line, Wen Qing is the next in line for sect leader.

Immediately her first decree is that the Wens are surrendering and she throws open the doors to Nightless City and orders the remaining Wen soldiers to stand down. Jiang Chang comes out and is like, can I go home now? And Wen Qing is like,

The Jin are still like, the Wen have to pay we lost sooo much to them, wah wah wah, but this time even Jin Zixuan is like Bro-Dad. Chill.And Jin Guangshan kind of has to since he isn't able to claim Jiggy's killing of Wen Ruohan this time around.

So everyone fucks off to rebuild their sects; Jiang Cheng works on his 'new' core; and Jiang Yanli works to rebuild the sect, forcing Wei Wuxian to do a lot of the work because she's tired, man.

Eventually, Lan Xichen gets tired of Lan Wangji moping about and sends him to Lotus Pier under the guise of intersect relations, along with a letter outlining a marriage proposal because at this point even Lan Qiren just wants to marry Lan Wangji off to put him out of his misery.

Side Story: Wei Wuxian absconds with the rest of the Dafan Wen who have all looked at Nightless City and been like, nah. I'm good. And Wen Qing is like. Same. Especially since

So the Wen are disbanded as a sect officially as a condition of surrenduring (and she didn't want to lead the remaining Wen soldiers, they super suck).

Instead she goes to Nie Mingjue, since the Nie's were the only sect who didn't have majorly damaged land during the war, and Nie Huaisang and her got on famously, and rolls up like, Yo. NMJ. I want to build a medical pavilion, and he's like. No.

And NHS is like. Bro. Please, let me handle this. Wen Qing here's a nice spot just outside our home, and here's some money to train medics and learn about our terrifying cultivation methods, thanks.

Side Story Time!

Wen Qing and Nie Mingjue end up in a hate/fuck relationship, playing a long game of chicken until they end up married. Wen Qing is able to cut back on the resentful energy of the Nie Cultivation methods through a combination of Wen medicine and Lan musical cultivation to extend his life in a 'You can't die yet, I need more funding,' sort of way, and Nie Mingjue agrees to her methods because 'I'm still suspicious of you."

Everyone else is like, please use better silencing talismans Sect Leader we are begging you.

Nie Huaisang is currently commissioning three seperate plays dedicated to Wen Qing Alone.

Back at the plotline: The Phoenix Mountain Hunt still goes on as planned; Wei Wuxian still throws a flower at Lan Wangji; only this time he spends the entire opening ceremony at Jiang Yanli's side, who is there more in an official pseudo-sect leader capacity rather than at Madam Jin's invitation.

Madam Jin is still like, My son's a dick, yes, but marraige maybe?

Wei Wuxian snarks at this underneath his breath, and Jinzhu discreetly stabs him with a hair pin and reminds him to behave. Jiang Yanli tells Madam Jin that the Jiang Sect is willing to honor the marriage if the Jin are since their sects are so close, but only on the condition that Jin Zixuan is the one wanting to enter the marriage. Otherwise, if he is still against it, they should dissolve the marriage since the Jiang's have already taken so much insult from him personally.

Before Madam Jin can protest too much, Jiang Yanli steers the conversation with the other sect leaders around them to matters of trade, adeptly putting to use the more intensive training of a sect she received at Meishan to use.

A few hours into the hunt, Wei Wuxian gets fidgety, and Jinzhu chases him off to check on Jiang Cheng to keep him out of trouble. On the way, he 'finds' Lan Wangji and at some point in their walk, Lan Wangji looks as if he wants to confess something, but they're interrupted by Jin Zixun's appearance, along with Su She and a few other reprobates.

Wei Wuxian manages to be polite enough, and waits until he and Lan Wangji are walking off to slip a few talismans Jin Zixun's way so he can't reasonably be blamed. Su She, ever the sycophant, still blames him, claiming that he saw Wei Wuxian do it. And Lan Wangji is like, I was right right next to Wei Ying and I saw nothing.

Jin Zixuan stumbles upon them, along with Jiang Yanli, presumably on a walk together, with Madam Jin and Jinzhu behind them. Jin Zixun whines about it to his cousin until Lan Wangji pushes him for proof of a talisman. Surely there would have been a paper or ashes or something left to prove that there was ever a talisman to begin with.

(Knowing full well Wei Wuxian has come up with a talisman that leaves no trace.)

When Jin Zixun turns to Jinzhu, thinking that surely one of Madam Yu's maids knows just what Wei Wuxian gets up to, she just turns to face him and stares, letting the numerous scars on her face scare him off of it.

As they return to the pavilion, they all have to watch as Jin Zixuan is awkward and weird around Jiang Yanli, and Wei Wuxian can't help but make faces about it. Jiang Yanli catches him and points out, to his utter embarassment, that he's worse around Lan Wangji, and since she's had to deal with it for the last ten years, he can deal with it for one hour.

That's more than enough to keep him quiet until the banquet that night, though it doesn't help to keep Lan Wangji from looking too smug about it.