#for people who want a lan who should learn not to trust blindly

[cqlfeels]

Not to rant or anything but...

(Rebloggable - under the cut for length)

You know, I GET why this fandom thinks LXC should've suspected JGY sooner (especially if we're talking CQL rather than MDZS) but the hill I'll die on is that actually no, he shouldn't.

Based on the evidence he has access to, there's no strong reason to suspect JGY has done anything out of the ordinary for a man in his position - secrets are to be expected for a sect leader, as are frankly immoral compromises. Let's remember LXC - whose formative experience as a young man was to turn his back on children and elders burning to death so he alone could escape unharmed - knows better than anyone that powerful people literally cannot keep their hands clean indefinitely.

And of course, there's a long history of people being cruel to JGY for classism and other isms, so he's right to take rumors with several grains of salt, no matter how many people agree the rumors just have to be true.

Having said that, the instant LXC does come across an accusation that has any credibility, he actively encourages investigation even as he admits that he doesn't think it'll go anywhere, and also makes sure to help as much as he's able, even though it's pretty clear that it's not what he'd emotionally like to do.

By Guanyin Temple he definitely doesn't trust JGY unconditionally anymore, but he still gives him chances to explain himself because like... Putting aside all shipping. If your closest friend of 20 years turns out to be awful, the right thing to do isn't to say "oh okay, my bad, I think someone should kill you right now immediately without delay" but to ask questions to make sure that there's no misunderstanding, that there are no attenuating circumstances, etc. It demonstrates strength of conviction, not naivety. Especially because there's no such thing as due process in the CQL/MDZS world! JGY won't get another chance to explain himself if LXC doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt right then and there!

So like, it's not even that "Being Too Kind Is Better Than Being Too Cynical" - it's just that objectively, LXC isn't being too kind, he's being fair. He's assessing the situation based on the evidence he has while remaining open to new facts. It just so happens that the evidence he has access to is overwhelmingly favorable towards JGY 🤷‍♀️ (I suspect that's the part that trips people up.)

All of this doesn't mean that JGY is a little angel uwu, just that LXC's belief that he's largely good is pretty logical and justified. And that belief changes as he learns more! You can see LXC's trust wearing away as he gains access to new info! But you can't hold LXC accountable for not acting sooner on information he didn't have sooner!

Imho LXC, who's often accused of blind trust, might be one of the characters you could most easily make a case for attempting to be impartial. So like. Unless that sparks you lots and lots of joy, give the gullible cinnamon roll trope a break maybe? It's just fanon, it's not canon that has to be followed religiously!

[annalacerda17]

I don't understand how some ppl can read MDZS and come out of it thinking WWX was a war criminal, a villain or morally grey, somehow. I know a lot of ppl have talked about this before, but I still want to say a few words, so: the cultivation world was wrong and their opinion of WWX can't be trusted.

Like, MXTX isn't subtle about it. She structured her narrative in such a way as to make it clear what should be believed and what should be doubted from the very beginning. Even though the full truth only comes out later on in the story, MXTX will usually show us when the information isn't trustworthy by contradicting it in some small way right away.

The first thing we learn about WWX is his reputation, which is immediately put into question as soon as he wakes up in MXY's body. MXY thinks he's summoned a vicious ghost to take his revenge, but we're told right away that WWX was actually a very well behaved ghost who never harmed anyone and never sought revenge. Then we learn that if doesn't kill the Mo family, he'll die painfully and his soul will be destroyed - and WWX not only doesn't kill them, he saves the Lan juniors (when we know the Lan clan was one of the clans that contributed to his death) and aids them in their attempts to save the Mo family.

At this point, we readers should know that the rumors about WWX shouldn't be blindly believed. Even if we haven't seen exactly what happened in the past yet, we should know it couldn't be exactly how cultivation world said it. The more time we spend with WWX in the present, the more we should doubt everything we've heard about him from the rest of the cultivation world. I'd also like to point out that WWX is never prortayed as regretful and torn up by guilt. This is not a redemption story, as WWX was in the right from the beginning.

The flashbacks only further cements this, as each one deconstructs some of the rumors about WWX's first life.

The same is true for other characters. Like, we're told LWJ was WWX's enemy, but WWX himself says it wasn't so bad immediately after, and one of the first things he does on page is defend WWX from JC after he saw WWX controlling Wen Ning with a flute. So, naturally, we should doubt the veracity of such a rumor.

It's the opposite with JC, for example. The first thing we learn about him is that he had a role in WWX's death, and his first appearance confirms his intention to see WWX dead again even after he already died once.

In the flashbacks, that knowledge is supposed to color how we view his character. His behavior is toxic even as early as the first flashback, and we're supposed to treat it with due gravity, as we know it'll eventually get worse to the point of killing WWX and hunting down people he suspects might be him (and killing them even if they are proven to not be WWX). And MXTX is even more blunt when it comes to YZY. She outright says that what YZY says makes no sense but everyone just has to suffer her temper. Why does any reader still believe this woman's words about WWX?!

With LWJ as well. We know from his present interactions with WWX that he couldn't have disliked him as much as his past actions indicate if we take them at face value. For example, LWJ's jealous moments in the past could only be interpreted as such with the knowledge we have from the present storyline.

So, this isn't a redemption story or a story about grey morality. WWX was always good and righteous, and the narrative slowly disproves all the rumors about him. We, as readers, aren't supposed to come out of it believing in the mob. MXTX does an excellent job showing us that they have zero critical thinking ability and are all too quick to shove responsibility for anything on anyone but themselves.

[vrishchikawrites]

LAN XICHEN AND JIANG CHENG:

JC stans want Jiang Cheng to end up with Lan Xichen because he is the First Jade of Lan, while Lan Wangji, who is Wei Wuxian’s husband, is only Second. For once in his miserable life, Jiang Cheng will get the better end of the deal than Wei Wuxian, right? But the thing is, as far as the narrative goes, nobody can beat Hanguang-jun other than Wei Wuxian- his own brother included. We are repeatedly given evidence that Lan Wangji is stronger than Lan Xichen, is more of an expert at the guqin than Lan Xichen, is more skilled in Clan Techniques than Lan Xichen, is more righteous than Lan Xichen, etc. etc. Nobody but Lan Wangji could have survived the 33 whip lashes, fought 33 well-trained Elders while also protecting his dying beloved, undertaken dangerous night hunts in desolate areas with no expectations of repayment, and end up Hanguang-jun. When one hears of the name ‘Lan’, one thinks of Hanguang-jun, Lan Wangji, the Second Jade of Lan, and then, Lan Xichen, his brother, the First Jade. Lan Wangji did have more freedom than Lan Xichen, but it is not that much more, and thus we can attribute his values and his morals as his own. Where does Xicheng come in? We know that Jiang Cheng does not care about pesky qualities such as honour or integrity, to say nothing of his homophobic tendencies, but if he were to become a “disgusting” cut-sleeve, he would not settle for anything but the best, which Lan Xichen is not. Jiang Cheng is also extremely jealous and vindicative, easy to offend and anger, and can absolutely never handle being below anyone. Lan Xichen might not be as talented as his brother, but he is still leagues better than the “Wielder Of His Own Damn Sword”, Jiang-Zhongzu. They would not mesh well together. But we know all this. Let us talk about Lan Xichen. Rulers should be good to their people and their primary strength should lie in being able to detach themselves from their personal feelings in kingdom-related matters and take a professional approach. In the book’s context, a Sect Leader should be cold and practical in the matters involving the Sect. Jiang Fengmian fails to do this with his wife, and ends up getting most of his Sect killed due to his cowardice. Lan Xichen does this with A-Yao. As Sect Leader, Lan Xichen’s warmth causes less diplomatic incidents, since he is good with pacifying and mollifying prickly Sect Heads, but he can be easily swayed by weakness, real or feigned, and such beliefs work to his disadvantage. One more thing I would like to point out is that Lan Wangji, after losing the love of his life and being whipped 33 times (with a Spiritual Weapon) for treason, only remained in seclusion long enough to heal his body. If he could function in such a painful situation, all the while caring for an orphaned child and watching his brother happily interact with the person most responsible for, why could not Lan Xichen? He wasn’t even physically impaired! Oh boo-hoo, my most trusted friend of 20 years betrayed me and killed my Sworn Brother? Yes! Yes, he did, and it was a most traumatising thing to do, but he did not do it without your own help and encouragement! It is not Lan Xichen’s fault for being taken by a Master Manipulator, of course, but it is his fault for being passive and taking the easy way out 2/3 times in order not to upset his Sworn Brothers and the rest of the elitist Cultivation World! There are metas that state that once Lan Xichen is given confirmation of ill-will and misdeeds, he does not hesitate to choose the path of righteousness and conviction, but it is the time that he takes to obtain such confirmations is what irks me. He makes no moves of his own, does not go out of his way to investigate events he himself was suspicious about until his brother encourages (read: forces by showing unignorable evidence) him to, and spends most of his time after the Siege sitting on his hands (other than rebuilding his Sect, I will give him that) and entertaining A-Yao! *Sigh* This is quite a cruel take on him, and if we view him through the same lens we do

our favourite characters many of his faults will fizzle out quickly, but I just think he should not be let off as scott-free as he currently is being let. If I have misunderstood something, or mentioned anything wrong, please do not hesitate to correct me! It will help with my understanding of his character and help me write better fics.

Dee - This was a submission not an ask - my reply under the cut off

I try not to say much about LXC and maintain a neutral POV on him because he is, from what I read in the novel, a good character. Not perfect and certainly not as wise as he's often made out to be, but good. Honestly, to me he comes across as someone who is somewhat naive, unaware of his own prejudices, but willing to pursue the truth when prompted. He also seems to be a bit stubborn and is very confident in his own judgment. I believe all of that can be attributed to the fact that he's a Sect Heir and a Sect Leader later. He needs to have that solid belief in his judgment to lead.

To me, LWJ and LXC present interesting parallels. Both loved (platonic in LXC's case, love is love) people from lower social classes, both were confronted with somewhat unsavory characteristics. The parallels are very striking, tbh.

LWJ loved a morally strong man - LXC loved a morally weak one.

LWJ's love for WWX enlightened him - LXC's love for JGY blinded him.

LWJ took WWX to task on every mistake - LXC covered up or made excuses for JGY's red flags.

WWX's taught LWJ to challenge and question everything - JGY taught LXC to trust blindly and accept excuses.

LWJ learned to fight, even if it meant disrupting peace - LXC learned to look the other way in order to maintain peace.

It wasn't until LXC was pushed by LWJ and WWX that he took action but he still took action. Arguably, it would've been just as painful for LXC to suspect JGY as it would've been LWJ to suspect WWX. When you love someone and their character sinks to the gutter, the hurt is immeasurable. It is nearly the worst betrayal you can face. I don't blame LXC for wanting to avoid it.

Also, LXC had a lot of reasons to act the way he did. As readers, we have the benefit of hindsight but when people are confronted with difficult situations and insufficient information, they act differently. So yeah, it is a bit dissatisfying that he doesn't get called out for some of this foolishness, but honestly, it is a minor thing.

As for LXC and JC, I agree. It is definitely a way to one-up WWX with the 'better' Lan. We don't really know how skilled LXC is and how he can stand against LWJ or WWX. I'm rather certain he's stronger than JC at any rate. JGY was able to fight and defeat JC but he had to trick both LXC and LWJ into sealing their powers. His cultivation is strong. He's just not as sharp and intelligent as LWJ and WWX are but they're exceptional.

[drwcn]

... I must say, it's really nice to know it wasn't only I who found book!LWJ's attitude unnerving. He was shown a posessive there, I think? The funniest thing that TGCF I actually liked, because despite one of 'merry couple' fangirling for another for years, he still gave him free space and trusted to make his own decisions.

Hi anons! :)

This post is gonna get kind of wanky, so be warned. If you don’t want wank, well don’t read this post. I really don’t like to answer wank asks because only positive vibes for my blog please and thanks (but don’t worry anons, I’m not mad, I’m just gonna put the three of you together so I can talk about some of mdzs’s problems once and for all).  Also disclaimer: my opinions are my own, I could be wrong about some things. I have only dabbled in the novel, some chapters here and there, and I really couldn’t finish it. I went ahead and read the original text, which is actually quite well written all things considered. The translations are fine, but it just doesn’t quite hit the spot. Thus, if I said some things which are factually incorrect, I am not opposed to being notified.  

First and foremost, for the anon that asked “what’s wrong with mxtx?” The short answer is nothing is wrong with her. She’s an author who writes popular online novels with a wide readership. Clearly people are receptive to what she’s putting out there. Good for her, you know. It’s not easy to be that well received. 

But in terms of her novels, there are several things that I personally don’t like. I’m just gonna list some of the things she’s said about MDZS/CQL. I have not consumed any of her other work. 

First, her treatment of her female characters. In an interview, she literally said that most of the men in her MDZS novel are single because she didn’t want to come up with names for their wives. Like....what the fuck. Take from that what you will. Also, look at her female characters. Seriously, what kind of fates did they have? According to another OP, all the female characters’ lines in MDZS added up to 50 sentences. Don’t quote me on this, I did not fact check. This is just what I heard. But even within the narrative itself, let’s do a body count. Jiang Yanli died for plot. Wen Qing died for plot. Qin Su existed and died for plot. A-Jing existed for 45 seconds and then died for plot. Baoshan exists in narration only. Madam Yu was a raging asshole. Madam Jin treated Jin Guangyao like trash. Cangse Sanren: dead. Mama Lan: (no name lol) dead. Where are the fucking women? Where? Let’s not forget all the other women that existed purely as plot device: Sisi, Bicao, Meng Shi. Mianmian is the only one who lived, but she literally had to - quote Eliza Hamilton - “take myself out of the narrative” to do it. 

Second, and this is a well known thing: mxtx claimed that the only canon gay relationship is wangxian, everyone else is straight because she doesn’t think it’s likely that there are that many gay people. If we interpret other male characters as couples, we’re free to have our own interpretation. ... ..... .... I’m fucking speechless. But also laughing because LHK and ZZJ literally ignored canon, and straight up made LXC and MY have a meet cute in class in front of everyone. 

Third, but not least, let’s talk about book!Lan Wangji. The following will strictly be talking about book!Lan Wangji and not show!Lan Wangji. Show Lan Wangji is very nuanced and WYB’s micro-expressions are great. (You’re doing amazing sweeties, don’t ever stop).

 What, pray tell, is book!LWJ’s personality? Silence is not a personality. book!LWJ is what we critics in the drama world call “高冷霸道总裁”, which is a trope in and of itself. And there’s nothing wrong with tropes, except a lot of viewers are getting...kind of sick of it, because it’s getting a little repetitive. 

高冷 = arrogant and cold, but like... in an admirably good way. Or as I like to call it, a stick up the butt and no communication skills. 

霸道总裁 = The Big Boss.  Attention: lemme use some heteronormative language here for a second because most of cdrama is written this way. The Big Boss is the fictional counterpart to the real life 高富帅 (gao fu shuai: tall, rich and handsome, the moniker for an ideal husband) that many aunties and mothers wish their daughters could marry. This kind of character is tall, rich and will swoop in to save the damsel-in-distress - erm, I mean the strong independent female character - when she’s in trouble. Because even though she’s a strong independent character, and sometimes even the main character, somehow her fellow male lead still has to play her knight in shiny armor. Not like, he’ll sit down and listen to her talk about her problems, no, no, he has to pay for her expenses, bail her out of trouble, save her life, sacrifice himself, go against the world for her... sounds familiar??? 

Yeah. 

And like, some novels do “the big boss” trope better than other. They give the “the big boss” a human side, let him interact with side characters, allow him to have friends, build on other relationships, such that he is 3D and can stand on his own. Eternal Love of Dream’s DongHua Dijun is a recent example which I think did a pretty good job of writing a male character that doesn’t let him revolve around the love interest 24/7. 

book!LWJ doesn’t work for me because what exactly is his character growth? He serves to back up Wei Wuxian and.....????? He’s so flat in his character built. He loves Wei Wuxian and....that’s it. What else is there? If there’s other character traits y’all picked up on that I didn’t, please let me know because I find him so boring and at times disturbing (in terms of the nature of his physical relationship with Wei Wuxian). 

In CQL, we saw Lan Wangji change as a character, we saw him struggle with morals and values, struggle against tradition and family and societal expectations. We watched him witness the death of Wei Wuxian and move on to face life afterwards. We know through the actions of Lan Sizhui that he helped raise a child who didn’t just follow rules blindly. When Wei Wuxian came back, we saw a matured Lan Wangji who had come into his own and was comfortable in his own skin. And in the end, when the dust settled and the truth was revealed, he rose to the occasion. Jin Guangyao’s death left a power vacuum, and Lan Wangji filled it. Someone once wrote an excellent post about Lan Wangji being attracted to Wei Wuxian’s sense of justice (recall Wang Yibo’s change in expression when Wei Wuxian prayed during the lantern ceremony). I think that is exactly right. For two individuals with such different personalities, their bond in my opinion lies in their ability to see right and wrong beyond rules and laws and customs.  

In the book, canon ended with the two main character going at it in the grass, and I guess...yeah that’s cool. Happy ending right? But what they did learn? What was the point? Lan Wangji had lived 13/16 years without Wei Wuxian. He knew who he was. But for Wei Wuxian, he came back to life in another person’s body and went through a gazillion different revelation within days. He needed to find himself again, discover who he is, what he wants in this new life. That is a process he needs to do by himself, without external influences and pressure. He needs to be given a chance to decide that Lan Wangji is who he wants in this life, not in the last life, and when he does Lan Wangji will still be here, waiting for him, as he has always waited for him. Lan Wangji is the rock, the constant, the home that Wei Wuxian could always fall back on. He is not a prison, not a master, not the dictator of Wei Wuxian’s life. Theirs should be a partnership of respect and understanding. They are soulmates not only in the romantic sense, but because they understand each other better than anyone else. 

Book!LWJ does not give us that. What it does give us is a badly written sexual intercourse that gives me the heebee-jeebees. Sometimes I think it’s even weirdly dub-con without intending to be dub-con. The truth is I can’t even begrudge mxtx for it, because she is not the only one to write in this way. I’ve read other c-novels and many many of them are like that. And here is where we’re getting into the discussion of cultural understanding/acceptance of sex, relationship, consent, gender roles and the what is taught to young adults in school. That is a rabbit hole I won’t go into. 

So that’s it. My thoughts. 

[bloody-bee-tea]

Inktober for Writers 2019 Day 29

Injured - Life/Death

I really have a thing for Xicheng in a modern setting. It’s gonna be a problem. This is over 2.1k, so there’s a read more.

“Are you out to meet Xichen-ge?” Wei Wuxian asks and Jiang Cheng bristles with the familiarity that name implies.

“Yes,” he presses out and Wei Wuxian laughs, high and loud on the other end of the line.

“No need to be jealous, you know Lan Zhan is the only one for me,” he teases, and Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes.

Wei Wuxian knows him well enough to know that he’s doing it, even if he can’t see him.

“I’m not jealous,” he gives back, because one, he knows Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian only have eyes for each other and two, there isn’t even anything to be jealous about.

He and Lan Xichen are friends. That’s it.

“Sure, sure,” Wei Wuxian says, and Jiang Cheng wishes he could reach through the phone and strangle him.

“We’re friends,” Jiang Cheng stresses, and he might hate that word more than he admits, even to himself sometimes.

He should count himself lucky to be called Lan Xichen’s friend. Lan Xichen is the CEO of his families’ company and one of the most influential and important businessmen in their country.

There aren’t a lot of people who can say that they are Lan Xichen’s friends.

“Of course you are,” Wei Wuxian says on the other end of the line and Jiang Cheng can hear how much he doesn’t believe him.

“I have to go now,” Jiang Cheng ends the conversation rather rudely and simply hangs up on Wei Wuxian.

Immediately his text alerts start blowing up and he puts the phone away with a deep sigh. He only slightly perks up when he reaches the café he’s supposed to be meeting Lan Xichen at and finds him already waiting at their usual table.

Jiang Cheng tells his treacherous heart to quit beating so fast, no matter how often they meet here, it will never be a date.

Lan Xichen surely has better prospects in his life than Jiang Cheng.

Just friends is enough, he reminds himself. It’s hard to believe, even for himself, when Lan Xichen visibly brightens when he sees Jiang Cheng.

“Jiang Cheng,” he greets him with more enthusiasm than a mere meeting between friends maybe warrants and Jiang Cheng drops into the chair opposite of Lan Xichen.

“Hi,” Jiang Cheng says and then scolds himself mentally when he tacks on a ‘Xichen-ge’ in the privacy of his head.

He is being ridiculous.

“Wei Wuxian?” Lan Xichen wants to know, because he knows Jiang Cheng well enough by now to identify a headache brought on by his brother.

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng says with vehemence, making it clear that he does not want to talk about it.

He grimaces in apology right after, because there is really no reason to snap at Lan Xichen like this, but Lan Xichen waves him off.

“No need to apologize, I’m pretty sure I gave Wangji very similar headaches in the past.”

Jiang Cheng doubts that, actually, because not only is Lan Xichen the most gentle person he knows, he’s also nothing like Wei Wuxian.

No one can be as annoying as Wei Wuxian.

He conveys his disbelief with a raised eyebrow and Lan Xichen laughs.

Jiang Cheng feels himself warm up at that sound and he has to lower his gaze because looking at Lan Xichen while he laughs is almost too much.

“How is business?” Jiang Cheng asks once he deems it safe to look at Lan Xichen again, only to see his face contort in displeasure.

“Let’s not talk about it. Tell me about Jin Ling. I heard he got himself into trouble again?”

It’s enough to kickstart an entire rant from Jiang Cheng, because Jin Ling had indeed gotten into trouble again, and even though Jiang Cheng had to punish him for his own stupidity, he was also immensely pleased that Jin Ling had come to him in the first place.

Not that he would ever admit that.

“I told you again and again that the boy loves you,” Lan Xichen tells him when Jiang Cheng is done and Jiang Cheng can feel his cheeks go hot.

He wonders when Lan Xichen learned to read him so well.

“He likes me well enough, I guess,” Jiang Cheng admits, trying not to sound too bitter, because of course the boy adores Wei Wuxian and thinks he hung the sun and moon.

“He trusts you. He might see Wei Wuxian as a playmate,” Lan Xichen says with a teasing smile, “but he knows you’re the one to come to when there’s trouble and he needs help. That is so much more important.”

Jiang Cheng takes a minute to think that over and then nods. Maybe Lan Xichen is right.

“What’s his punishment?”

“Fairy stays with me for a week. Jin Ling seems to be unable to take care of himself, I doubt he can take care of the dog.”

“Fairy is with you?” Lan Xichen asks, and he sounds positively delighted.

“Yes. For now,” he amends, because he knows he’ll give her back to Jin Ling sooner or later.

The kid loves the dog too much for Jiang Cheng to truly separate them.

“And you didn’t bring her?”

“I wasn’t sure—,” Jiang Cheng trails off because he’s not used to the fact that the dog might be welcome.

Wei Wuxian screams every time he so much as catches a glimpse of her, Lan Wangji hates the dog because Wei Wuxian is afraid of it, and Nie Huaisang doesn’t care for dogs at all.

“Can we go for a walk with her? I like Wangji’s rabbits, but they are just so small and delicate,” Lan Xichen tells him, and he seems so eager, Jiang Cheng can hardly say no.

Not that he wants to.

“Sure, she’s due for her walk soon anyway.”

“Perfect,” Lan Xichen replies, and Jiang Cheng somehow expects him to clap his hands together like an excited kid.

They are already almost at Jiang Cheng’s apartment when Lan Xichen bumps their shoulder’s together.

“I really enjoy our time together,” Lan Xichen tells him, and Jiang Cheng’s heart misses a beat, or maybe five.

“I do, too,” he mumbles to the ground, since he’s pretty sure all of his most likely unwanted feelings are going to tumble right out of his mouth if he even so much as glances at Lan Xichen right now.

“Jiang Cheng, actually I meant to ask you something,” Lan Xichen starts, and Jiang Cheng can hear the uncertainty in his voice and it’s enough to bring his gaze back up.

It’s the only reason he sees the man with the gun behind Lan Xichen.

He doesn’t think; can’t think because Lan Xichen’s life depends on him not thinking as he pushes Lan Xichen to the side just as the gunshot rings out.

He has enough time to hope that Lan Xichen will be quick enough to run away before a pain so blinding erupts in his chest he almost immediately loses consciousness.

~*~*~

The first thing Jiang Cheng notices when he wakes up is the pain in his chest. He groans before he blindly grabs for his chest, trying to figure out just what the hell he did to be in this amount of pain.

“Please don’t,” a voice suddenly says and carefully grabs his hand, pulling it away from his chest.

“What?” Jiang Cheng groans out and finally makes the effort to pry his eyes open.

It’s harder than it should be.

“Jiang Cheng,” Lan Xichen says, and for a split second Jiang Cheng wonders if he is still asleep.

Why else would Lan Xichen sit by his bedside and look all disheveled and like he didn’t sleep in a few days.

“What happened?” he croaks and is shocked to see Lan Xichen’s eyes go teary even as he holds out a cup of water for Jiang Cheng to carefully sip from.

“Couldn’t you just have confessed your feelings like a normal person? Was this really necessary?”

Jiang Cheng has no clue what the hell Lan Xichen is even talking about when it all comes back to him in a rush. Their walk back to his home, Lan Xichen meaning to ask something and then the man with the gun.

“Are you—?” he means to ask but Lan Xichen immediately shakes his head.

“I’m fine, nothing happened to me,” he reassures him and Jiang Cheng melts back into the pillows.

“Did you get him?”

“We did,” Lan Xichen tells him and squeezes his hand. “Never do something like this again.”

“He was going to shoot you,” Jiang Cheng argues but goes silent when Lan Xichen bows his head and presses his forehead to Jiang Cheng’s hand still in his grasp.

“And instead he shot you,” Lan Xichen says and Jiang Cheng is startled when he hears the desperation in Lan Xichen’s voice.

When he looks back up his eyes are still wet.

“It’s been two weeks, Jiang Cheng. Two weeks, and for the first few days they couldn’t even tell me if you would live or die,” Lan Xichen says.

Jiang Cheng is speechless, because it doesn’t feel like two weeks to him. It also doesn’t feel like it was a life or death situation.

“Never do something like this again,” Lan Xichen says again and this time he presses his lips to Jiang Cheng’s hand. “I’m not ready to lose you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not ready to lose you either,” Jiang Cheng snaps back and then takes a shallow breath when his chest reminds him that he has just been shot. “You didn’t even see him. He could have killed you then and there.”

“He almost killed you,” Lan Xichen lowly gives back and Jiang Cheng can hardly stand to see him that sad or scared.

“Almost, okay? I’m not dead,” he reminds him.

“Let’s keep it that way, okay?” Lan Xichen asks and Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes at him.

“If you don’t make any more enemies. Who was he, anyway?”

“Su She. I fired him a few weeks back because he sold company secrets to Jin Guangshan and even though I didn’t get the police involved, I guess he has been holding a grudge ever since.”

“Well, I hope he gets what he deserves,” Jiang Cheng mutters and carefully prods at his chest with his free hand.

“Stop that,” Lan Xichen reprimands him and gently slaps his hand away. “It’s still healing.”

“Do things like this happen a lot to you?” Jiang Cheng wants to know, and he curses lowly when Lan Xichen’s face falls at that and he releases his hand.

“I’m sorry I put you into danger,” Lan Xichen tells him without meeting his eyes and gets up. “I’ll make sure it will never happen again.”

He turns around, no doubt to leave, and Jiang Cheng can’t let that happen. He still didn’t get to confess his feelings properly!

“Don’t leave,” Jiang Cheng calls after him and beckons him to come closer when he turns around.

Lan Xichen hesitates for the longest moment before he finally comes back to Jiang Cheng’s bedside.

“I never learned to express my feelings properly,” Jiang Cheng starts and gives an indignant yelp when Lan Xichen has the audacity to laugh at that. “What?”

“Except anger and irritation,” Lan Xichen tells him, but he is still smiling, and Jiang Cheng can’t even be mad at him.

“Except that, maybe,” he agrees and then takes a deep breath before he goes on. “But what I meant to say is that maybe this is all the confession you’ll get from me for now. I’ll work on actually saying it, eventually, but I—you know.”

He can’t quite bear to meet Lan Xichen’s eyes and so he’s startled when Lan Xichen leans forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

“I know. But I’m not quite at a loss for words, so. Jiang Cheng. I really, really like you. Would you please stop doing stupid shit until I get the chance to take you on at least one date?”

Jiang Cheng is too surprised to hear Lan Xichen swear to protest the implication that this was somehow his fault, so instead he just nods dumbly.

“I—you know—yeah. Same,” Jiang Cheng stammers out and he can’t even find it in him to be embarrassed when Lan Xichen laughs at that.

“Please never change,” he says once he calmed down and he cups Jiang Cheng’s cheek in his hand.

Jiang Cheng wonders if his sudden breathing problem is due to the gunshot wound or if maybe Lan Xichen just has that effect on him.

“I’ll try,” Jiang Cheng promises and Lan Xichen chuckles at that.

Jiang Cheng can’t wait to find out what his happiness tastes like.

[omgkatsudonplease]

恭喜发财, how do they finally figure out jgy's a scumbag

When the high of Lan Wangji’s return fades a little, they turn their minds forward to other matters. 

“Have you heard from shijie?” asks Jiang Cheng one morning. Wei Wuxian looks up from his breakfast, brows furrowed.

“She’s not in Lanling?” he asks.

“She came to Yunmeng with the box,” says Jiang Cheng. “Considering Jin Zixuan showed up at Yiling, she must have been successful in reattaching his head. Where is she now?”

“Maybe Jin Zixuan will know,” considers Wei Wuxian, tucking back into his food.

“He doesn’t,” says Jiang Cheng. “He’s been sending search parties for her, too.”

Wei Wuxian purses his lips. “I’ll ask around,” he suggests, before he returns to smearing bean curd on his mantou.

Turns out, his shijie’s not the only person missing. Lan Xichen has also been reported not back in Gusu just yet, either. Wei Wuxian doesn’t really want to know where he is, but at the end of the day he’s still Lan Wangji’s brother, and Lan Wangji is as concerned as he is. 

“He might have gone to confront whoever gave him the music,” he says, in between bites of congee. Wei Wuxian considers it, shrugging.

“The question is: is that the same person that my shijie is convinced murdered her husband?”

Lan Wangji hums. “When you have eliminated the impossible,” he begins, and Wei Wuxian laughs.

“Yes, I suppose,” he concedes. “Where would he go, then?”

“There was a deed,” says Lan Wangji, frowning. “Guanyin Temple, in Yunping.”

“That’s also in Yunmeng,” says Wei Wuxian, clapping his hands. “Let’s go pay this temple a visit, shall we?

Paying that visit is easier said than done, it seems, as the grounds are crawling with well-armed monks. Lan Wangji pulls them into the shadows to try and avoid detection, slipping them through the ranks of the guards into the heart of the temple where there stands a large statue of a goddess who looks shockingly familiar in a way Wei Wuxian can’t quite place. 

There come the sounds of struggle. “… Utterly despicable!” a woman’s voice hisses. “Unhand me. You wait until we get back to Koi Towers – I am your Regent!”

“Shijie –” breathes Wei Wuxian, but Lan Wangji puts a hand over his mouth. Wei Wuxian’s fingers clench against Lan Wangji’s arm from where they stand in the shadows of the room.

“More light,” says the voice of Jin Guangyao. Lan Wangji is swift in response, slipping behind the statue as the monks bring in more candles. “Madam, I must say I am amazed that even in this part of the world our paths still cross. How did you come to know about my mother’s temple?”

“The resemblance is uncanny,” says Jiang Yanli coldly. More struggling, but this time it’s suddenly cut short. 

“I wouldn’t protest too much, my lady,” says Jin Guangyao. “These threads may not seem like much, but the wrong move from you… and they will slice your skin. Would you like a demonstration?”

Wei Wuxian can hear hatred in his shijie’s silence. The monks lead her footsteps towards the statue.

“There, there.” Jin Guangyao sighs. “It’ll be all over, sooner or later. You might even join your husband, if the Master of Shadows takes pity on you.”

“You disgust me,” spits Jiang Yanli. “Not because of the status of your birth. I would be the last person in the world to judge that, considering my brother – but because of the way you have treated your family and loved ones.”

“Family and loved ones?” scoffs Jin Guangyao. “Typical of a woman to value those above all. You are fortunate your parents saw value in you, to pawn you off to ours in a game of political chess. As for me, my father kicked me down the steps of Lanling Koi Towers the instant he saw me!”

“That still does not justify the other murders you have committed,” snaps Jiang Yanli. “Your wife loved you beyond reason. Your son was murdered in his crib.”

“Do you know, my lady, the true extent of my connection with A-Su?” wonders Jin Guangyao bitterly. “Did you know that her mother… and my father…”

A pause. “And yet you still married her,” breathes Jiang Yanli, disgusted.

“I had no choice.”

“You were desperate for approval from a man who never respected you. That’s entirely different from having choices, A-Yao.” Jiang Yanli’s voice is weary. “But even then, what about my husband? A-Xuan treated you like his true brother. Gave you titles and power you clearly do not deserve. Trusted you to do what was right for us and our people. And like a wild dog, you still tore him to pieces.”

A mournful silence pervades the room, broken only by Jin Guangyao’s slow pacing in front of the statue. “My lady, do you know the last thing your brother said to me… was to remind me that everything in my life I owed to him… and that without his support, I would be nothing more than a ‘backstabbing whoreson’?”

“That’s your justification for proving him right?” wonders Jiang Yanli.

“No,” admits Jin Guangyao. “I regret what I did that night. I have regretted it, all these years.”

“Liar,” mutters Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji puts a finger to his lips, but it’s too late. 

“Someone else is here,” says Jin Guangyao. “Search the room.”

“No need,” says a new voice, and Lan Xichen steps into the temple, his hands up in a placating gesture as the monks train their weapons on him. “Xiaodi, I was told you were visiting your mother.”

“You could have waited in Lanling for me,” says Jin Guangyao, his eyes narrowed. “What brings you here instead, er-ge?”

“I came to return this,” says Lan Xichen, pulling out the demonic inquiry sheet music. “It has fulfilled its purpose. I no longer require it.”

Wei Wuxian stifles a gasp into Lan Wangji’s hand.

“It was a gift,” says Jin Guangyao. “I trust it has served you well?”

“Better than expected,” another voice cuts in, as Nie Mingjue also arrives in the temple, his saber drawn and expression thunderous. “The music you have given him has done nothing but invite resentful energy into him. It’s caused him to suffer qi deviations!”

“How would you know that was the music’s fault?” wonders Jin Guangyao. “After all, resentful energy is so unpredictable. Even if you only meant to enquire after it, it could still linger afterwards.”

“It was still you who gave him the score,” snaps Nie Mingjue. The ferocity in his stance is enough to cow several of the monks, who take some uncertain steps back towards Jin Guangyao.

“Are all of you useless?” demands Jin Guangyao. “Go stop anyone else from coming in!”

The monks bow and run off immediately. Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue barely spare them a passing glance.

“What about me, Master Jin?” asks Su She’s voice from beside Jiang Yanli. Wei Wuxian grits his teeth, remembering their last encounter at the Burial Mounds. Lan Wangji steadies him, putting a finger to his lips once more. 

“Guard her,” snaps Jin Guangyao. There’s a hiss as Hensheng slips from around his arm. “I must have a word with my brothers.”

He doesn’t get far, though, before the melody of a qin begins to play. Wei Wuxian slams his hands over his ears at the discordant notes; Lan Wangji, too, looks pained as he holds Wei Wuxian back. 

With the qin comes the thundering noise of a heartbeat, pulsing like a rapid-fire drum. Heavy, laboured breathing echoes through the room. And then, with a roar, Lan Xichen draws his sword.

“Brother!” he screams, lunging towards Jin Guangyao, who leaps out of the way. Blindly, Lan Xichen swipes and slashes through the air, spiritual energy toppling several of the candles in the room. Jiang Yanli screams, when his blade comes dangerously close to her face but only cuts a part of her veil. Wei Wuxian wants to leap into the fray, to stop Lan Xichen’s madness, but he is still being held in the shadows by Lan Wangji.

The melody continues to reverberate, as Lan Xichen’s sword finally meets Nie Mingjue’s saber. The two begin to fight, though Nie Mingjue’s platitudes to try and calm his sworn brother back down seem to fall on deaf ears. 

“Lan Zhan,” whispers Wei Wuxian. “Stop the melody.”

“En,” agrees Lan Wangji, and reaches for his own guqin, only to find air where it should be.

Fuck, Wei Wuxian thinks. Lan Zhan broke his guqin when he won control over the Stygian Blade corpses back at the Burial Mounds!

“You think you can wield Bichen?” he asks. Lan Wangji’s brows furrow, but he nods. “Stop Master Su. He must be the one playing.”

“And you?”

Wei Wuxian takes out Chenqing. “I learnt from the best,” he says, and begins to play ‘Rest’.

At first, his own playing is weak, quavering from infrequent practice. But the memories are still there – evenings spent learning the tune in Yiling to help Lan Wangji dream better, mornings spent calming Jiang Cheng down whenever his temper flares. Wei Wuxian pours his love into the music, hoping that it will overpower the discordant notes driving Lan Xichen insane.

There is still good in you, too. This is not who you are.

Lan Xichen catches Jin Guangyao again, but when he attacks, Jin Guangyao side-steps him easily, and with a sickening crunch, Shuoyue is driven into Nie Mingjue’s chest instead. 

A flash of darkness, and the strings that Su She had been playing – strings just breaths from Jiang Yanli’s face – snap mid-chord. He himself is knocked back to the ground, eyes going cross-eyed as Lan Wangji presses Bichen close to his nose.

“Go ahead,” sneers Su She. “Kill me.”

“No,” says Lan Wangji, and breaks his legs instead. Su She’s screams catch Jin Guangyao’s attention, whose expression contorts into a mask of fury as he sees Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji on the scene.

“One job!” he snaps, Hensheng flashing as it comes to meet Bichen. “You had one job, Su She!”

Wei Wuxian continues to play, but years of resentment and anger cannot be tamed with just one song. Lan Xichen’s eyes flash as he pulls the sword from Nie Mingjue’s chest, and makes to slash his head off – 

“No!” screams yet another voice, as Lan Jingyi’s sword comes to meet his sect leader’s. “Hanguang-jun, catch!” 

A parcel flies through the air, landing in Lan Wangji’s arms. It’s his guqin, repaired painstakingly by the juniors, imbibed with pure new strings woven by Lan Jingyi himself. Lan Wangji plays, and the melody flows strong and sure, rendering almost everyone in the room into limp relaxation. 

The guqin and the dizi’s songs meld together, until the madness ebbs from Lan Xichen’s eyes and his sword clatters to the ground as he stares in horror at the blood blossoming from his sworn brother’s chest. 

“Da-ge!” he breathes, making to rush to his side, but is blocked by Hensheng’s cruel gleam.

“He deserves this,” spits Jin Guangyao. “He’s hated me all this time, ever since the Sunshot campaign.”

Lan Xichen’s gaze is only sorrowful. “Your hatred has ruined me, xiaodi,” he says, and pushes him out of the way. “I betrayed one brother. I will not betray another.”

Saying that, he presses his hands to Nie Mingjue’s chest, giving him his spiritual energy, trying to heal his wounds. Jin Guangyao’s jaw clenches. Hensheng rears up, flying towards Lan Xichen’s back – 

“Lan Huan!” shouts Lan Wangji.

Shocked, Lan Xichen looks back just in time, and rolls out of the way of the sword that now stabs into nothing but the temple ground. Jin Guangyao pulls the blade back out, but before he could attack again, the temple suddenly begins to shake.

Then Jin Zixuan bursts into the room, eyes white with feral anger.

There are already arrows sticking out of him like a porcupine, suggesting he’d already fought his way through the monks outside. His Sparks Amidst Snow regalia is stained with blood that clearly isn’t his own. With a roar, he lunges for Jin Guangyao, seizing him by the collar.

He’d never been this strong in life before. Being a fierce corpse has made him truly fearless. Despite Jin Guangyao’s best efforts, he can’t escape the corpse’s grasp, and tries instead to whistle, to wheedle, to do anything to try and calm his brother down.

Jin Zixuan, unrelenting, pulls an arm back as if he would plunge it into his brother’s chest and tear out his traitorous heart. But just as he’s about to do so, there’s the sound of barking and rushed footsteps.

“Baba!” shouts Jin Rulan’s voice. 

“Jin Ling!” screams Lan Jingyi, from where he’d been helping Lan Xichen give spiritual energy to Nie Mingjue’s still form. “Jin Ling, no –”

Wei Wuxian screams, too, as Jin Rulan’s spiritual dog comes rushing into the temple. Chenqing clatters to the ground as he leaps into Lan Wangji’s arms, fear and adrenaline coursing through him at the sight of the husky. Seeing that, Jin Rulan whistles an order to his dog, causing Fairy to retreat. 

“Baba,” says Jin Rulan, turning back to face his father. “I told you not to run away.”

The feral corpse of Jin Zixuan pauses, white pupils fading into black. He loosens his grip on Jin Guangyao, which is all the other man needs to kick him down.

“A-Ling, get out of the way!” screams Jiang Yanli, as Jin Ling dives out of the way of his father and uncle, moving to free her from her ropes. Wei Wuxian, too, squirms out of Lan Wangji’s arms, rushing to his shijie’s side.

“Has he hurt you?” he asks her, checking her over for any injuries.

“Nothing that won’t heal,” she replies, rubbing at her chafed wrists. 

Su She makes a token protest, but Lan Wangji merely puts a foot over his neck.

Meanwhile, Jin Guangyao has managed to wrestle down Jin Zixuan, pinning him down and pulling out a banishment talisman from his robes. “Let’s see you come back from this,” he snarls, but before he can slam it onto Jin Zixuan’s head, there’s a sickening slice and a thud.

Nie Mingjue, using the very last bits of his energy, has sliced Jin Guangyao’s arm off. Blood spurts everywhere, as Jin Guangyao stumbles back in wide-eyed shock – 

– onto the sword of Lan Xichen.

Lan Xichen’s eyes go wide. He pulls Shuoyue out in horror, as Jin Guangyao collapses into his arms. His Gusu robes are now more red than blue, more dark than white – a bloodied similarity to Lan Wangji’s own robes. 

“Brother,” gasps Jin Guangyao, clutching onto him with his remaining arm, his fingers feeble, his breaths laboured in pain. “How could you…”

“I –” Lan Xichen’s face shines with tears. “I thought –”

“What did you think?” wonders Jin Guangyao, looking away from him, around the room. Jin Zixuan has recovered, rushing to his wife and son. Lan Wangji still has his foot on Su She’s neck. Lan Jingyi is tending to Nie Mingjue, who has fallen unconscious. “Out of everyone in the world, you were… the only one who saw me with respect. I only ever wanted to help you.”

“I’m sorry,” sobs Lan Xichen. Wei Wuxian wants to slap some sense into him. How could he, even after being faced with proof that Jin Guangyao had done nothing but use his desire for justice to evil ends, apologise like this to him?

Jin Guangyao says nothing more, though. His hand falls slack against Lan Xichen’s arm, his head lolls back. Lan Wangji lowers his gaze, stepping away from Su She’s whimpering, pained form and venturing closer to his brother, Bichen sheathing at his side. 

Lan Xichen looks up at him, tears running down his cheeks. “Lan Zhan,” he says, his voice wavering, “I’m sorry.”

[swordofsun]

Rand al’Thor

Rand al’Thor is probably my favorite male character ever.  Across all mediums.  There are other passing fancies.  Characters who grab my attention, temporary or long term.  But not surpass Rand al’Thor long term.

So reasons I love Rand.

1. He never runs away from things.  He may take a bit to accept them because they are just too big and scary.  Most of tDR is Rand coming to terms with being the Dragon Reborn.  In the simplest and most straightforward way possible: prophecies say the Dragon Reborn takes Callandor, therefor he goes to take Callandor. Running away from things was what was killing him at the beginning of the book, he felt like he’d taken on this responsibility and was then ignoring the implications of it by leaving the men to fight and die in his name.  

So, yes, doesn’t run away.  Finds out he can channel and then makes plans to limit the harm he’ll eventually do when he goes crazy.  Doesn’t deny it.  Doesn’t pretend he didn’t do it.  Accepts it and starts to focus on the next problem.

2. Takes as much control of his destiny as he is able to.  Confirms he’s the Dragon Reborn and immediately sets out to learn just what the Dragon Reborn is actually supposed to do.  He doesn’t just blindly trust other people to tell him the prophecies and the approved reading of them.  He reads and comes to his own conclusions.  For good or ill.  He may have this awful and scary place in history, but it’s his and he’ll own the hell out of it.

3. Rand al’Thor is a stubborn jackass.  I don’t really need to expand on that, but in a place where everyone is stubborn Rand out stubborns them all.  And it causes problems and makes things harder for him than they necessarily need to be, but it also helps him.  He is able to push past things that would fell other people just by sheer force of will. 

He also causes a number of huge political blunders and almost screws everything up with the Sea Folk by being a jackass.  Things with Cadsuane  were about 1000 times harder than they needed to be.  Although Cadsuane is just as responsible for that as Rand.

Double edged blade.

4. Boy doesn’t go crazy in half measures.  It’s interesting to watch his crazy set in on multiple re-reads.  His temper.  His weird fixation on not hurting women.  His rampant paranoia.  His quick as lightning mood changes. They all ramp up subtly long before he starts hearing Lews Therin’s voice and remembering things he shouldn’t.  

Really though the fact that he holds it together as well as he does should be noted.  Just the pressure of being the Dragon Reborn would be enough to drive anyone insane. Between the prophecies, the end of the world, trying to make the most amount of people possible survive the end of the world, the people convinced they can finagle a better piece of the post-end-of-the-world pie, and the people convinced that if they kill Rand the world can’t possibly end (he has to be there to fight the Dark One, if he’s not there the Dark one has no one to fight), it’s a lot of pressure.  Add the taint and let’s thank his stubborn jackass self that he held it together enough to do what needed doing.

5. Deep down he just wants to be a person that Tam al’Thor would still call his son.  He thinks about Tam all the time.  It’s only at his darkest moment that he gives up on the idea of Tam and all Tam stands for.  Tam is the one person Rand needs to be seen as a good person by.  It would kill him to lose the girls’ love, but it almost destroyed the world when he thought he lost Tam’s. 

6. His relationship with Lan.  Lan taught Rand how to face something too big to comprehend and live with it.  

‘Duty is heavier than a mountain, death lighter than a feather’ Lan showed Rand through his own actions that death was easy.  The easy thing for Lan would’ve been to ride into the Blight and die in his endless war.  The hard thing was to live and fight in a bigger battle.  But it was the right thing.  

That and  ‘There is  one rule, above all others, for being a man. Whatever comes, face it on your feet.’ It goes with everything else Lan taught him, but it mixed well with Rand’s personality.  Don’t hide from the things that come.  Face them.  This is something that Rand just does as the series goes on.  No matter how painful it is or the problems in front of him, he just keeps walking.

That and Lan’s calm acceptance of who and what Rand was.  The way he never judged him.  In the later books their calm and easy understanding of each other.  I love their friendship.

Anyways.  I love the crazypants.