#gege u give me barely anything to work with and yet

[10shadowd]

ive been awake since 5:30am and i am thinking of megumi n tsumiki and i am sooooo fucked up

[sasudou]

right so, i don't have that many strong opinions on side characters tbh, but i really do agree with what the op on reddit said regarding people getting too attached to quirky characters and expecting them to be something big later in the story even though they were never intended that way. i think personally for utahime (i'll get to shoko in a sec) is that majority of her fans want to see more of her simply because they ship her with gojo, even though that pairing has no basis whatsoever nor any proper foundation to make sense in the entirety of the jjk plot. i don't think utahime was created to be gojo's extra or whatever, i think gege created her with the purpose solely to show how gojo is being treated and percieved by those around him, he is annoying, plenty characters react differently to his antics. shippers ofc will treat this differently because tsundere is such a major thing in anime, needless to say i think it's wrong because utahime is an adult who has had to put up with gojo's bs for over 10 years, and regardless what some may say, i don't think they are close friends, or friends even, nothing in the show says this, i think they work together and trust each other simply because they have same positions in the school, same as kusakabe. now i think utahime could do anything in the story, if gege wants her to, but i dont think she's gonna be doing anything big because as the op on reddit said, if she did bare minimum then she'll continue to do so, her and anyone else. perhaps her role was to root out the mole and be done with it, perhaps later in the story she will suffer the consequences if the mole is revealed and for being in cahoots with gojou. other than that, gege just brought yuji and megumi back after almost a year i think? nobara still nowhere to be found, status unknown or know (dead?) manga is fast paced. shoko is supposed to be important because her skill is very valued as she's a rare technique healer, however she's also nowhere to be seen, there are theories that she could be the second traitor but im not sure? she's not in the higher rank nor is she a higher up so? she used to be trio with gojo and geto, they shared some experiences together but all that is just sidelined and exists/ sashisu fanarts are great i love them but i think they are deluding people in how close these three may have been if they even were.

the only female character that i like is maki, she has had the most development but a part of me still does feel like gege doesn't treat her that well either. idk, i wish i could know why but maybe again it's simply because it's shonen. jjk has a very limited cast and mostly what i see some people talk about is which ship is gonna be canon and which characters have most chemistry, i dont think this matters people will always ship no matter what. i just find it hilarious how on twitter people come up with 50 pages of essay trying to convince people why two characters that had the barest minimum of interaction need to become a thing at the end, especially when said characters hadn't gotten along for a decade. gege literally said that he cannot imagine gojo being sincere to any woman/ that alone is enough to confirm that his main character will not have a romantic subplot, at least no more than the one he "had" with Geto i imagine? dunno, the subtext is there. lastly i just don't care, if people wanna ship this or that, the main issue here is character utilization or better yet are they even supposed to be utilized more than what they already did. i think there's also a pretty good chance that many of them will end up dying, gege literally said no one can return to their normal daily lives after shibuya. needless, i think wanting to see a character more in the story simply because of the ship is a petty reason and just somebody having a wishful thinking that desires a wish fullfilment because characters serve as a projection.

idk, i hope this gives u some insight on what i had in mind but well, if u have more to share please do so! i enjoyed reading ur thoughts :)

yeah i don’t think utahime and gojo are that close lol. i don’t think gojo is that close with anyone—at least, not anymore (rip to my man geto). (this also ties back to a post i made previously about the interview you mentioned)

people in fandom will always ship (hell, i ship characters), but i think people need to learn how to enjoy a piece of media without constantly involving them. it’s totally ok for you to like a ship and want more content for it, but it sometimes gets to the point where they completely misunderstand/misrepresent the two characters and stop viewing the manga as a manga. writing is a form of art that has purpose, themes, symbols, metaphors, etc. it’s meant to be analyzed. you can have fun with it as well (shipping is often harmless) but that’s ultimately not what the manga is about. have fun with fandom, have fun with shipping, but remember to take off your shipping or fanon lenses when reading/analyzing the actual material.

i also don’t think utahime is meant to have a big role. her fans wishing they had more content is perfectly fine, but sometimes side characters are just side characters. like i said before, not everyone has a big role to play, and that’s completely normal. the best part about fandom is that you can produce content. write fanfics, creat art, think of headcanons, etc. if you like a character that doesn’t have much content, then make some yourself (which is what majority of utahime stans do, at least from what i’ve seen).

i don’t have an opinion on utahime. if i had to, then yeah i can imagine a situation where she might become relevant again, but i don’t particularly care one way or the other.

oh!! i also don’t think a majority of the characters will be alive at the end of the manga. gege loves his angst, he loves his character deaths, which is an aspect of his writing i love so much. i feel like a lot of manga authors (especially after gaining popularity) are scared of killing off characters or get stopped by their editors. there’s also an interview that states “among gojo and the first years, either one person will die or everyone will die except one person” and i can’t wait to see which one it is.

[alice-in-wonderart]

I have found your blog and I love it!! Good look with it! Can you do headcanons for pregnancy and post-delivery for the juniors? (I see you write about them, and I don't know which other characters you are comfortable to write for). Thnkx~

I write for right about all characters! The Nies, the Jiangs, the Wens, the Lans, even all of the Jins (except Jin Zixun he can go be mean somewhere else) + Yi City power characters are all characters I write for ✌️ (I may have missed a few names) That aside, thank you so much for reading my stuff! I'm glad you enjoy them ❤️❤️ Aside from having 0 time management skills, running such a blog is so much fun! Here is your request about the Juniors being...well- themselves.

Ouyang Zizhen

You're what now?

OYZZ.exe stopped working.

Then he realised three fundamental truths at the exact same time. (if u get the reference, bless ✌️ )

Once the realization of the situation hit, his eyes watered and a loud, yet emotional whail escaped his lips, before engulfing you in a big hug. He was going to be a dad! You two were going to have a baby. And then realization hit him again.

Shit. He was going to be a father. A father to a baby - his baby. That was a lot of responsibility he was about to take. A lot of work, a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of time and energy. Babies are hard.

And then realization hit him a third time. He was going to have an actual family with you. And you were the mother to his child. YOUR child. He almost couldn't believe it.

Cue OYZZ becoming 70 times more affectionate and careful. You want to go outside? By all means, but let your gentle lover accompany you. Just in case, y'know. You want something sweet? By all means, what kind of sweets does the queen desire? You need new clothes because of the baby bump? By all means, what kind of silk do you want? Colour? Pattern? Style? You want to sleep? 3, 5 or 50 pillows?

OYZZ is a walking panic bomb when it comes to your pregnancy. Conveniently, he also knows how to mostly hide said panic. But you being in pain, having morning sickness and and in general feeling off is not something he signed up for. So, he will dote over you as much as humanly possible.

But then judgement day arrived. And he was out of it. He somehow never considered the fact, that you were going to one day have to give birth to that baby.

You have never seen a more distressed looking man than OYZZ when he finally got the permission to see you. His eyes were puffy, his lips were quivering and he was so pale, he could easily pass for a corpse. It seemed as if he was the one giving birth, not you.

And he immediately dropped to his knees next to your bed, gently taking your hand in his. You were alive. You were alive and argueably healthy and that was what he needed to hear.

But then! In comes the medic, holding your child in pure white blankets, gently letting you take it. And the moment his eyes landed on that baby he knew, that his heart was stolen once more.

"Congratualtions! It's a girl."

Guess who is about to become "Daddy's little princess".

Jin Ling

"Hahahahahhahha. Funny. Oh wait, you're serious?!"

PaniK

What do you mean you're pregnant? When did that happen? When did you learn? How were you sure? Wait, you were how many months in?!

Give him time. It's not, that he isn't happy. He's just panicking like crazy. Of course, once the initial mental breakdown™️ wears off, he'd come up to you and give you the most emotional hug you've ever experienced. He'd hide his face in your hair, as he mumbled into you how incredibly grateful he actually is.

Now, as the Lanling Jin Sect's leader, of course it was expected of him to have an heir, so such news travelled quickly. Immediately this became the gossip of every household and ultimately led to you receiving a metric ton of gifts from all over the place. Jin Ling would also make sure you were living the most lavish, yet healthy lifestyle possible.

The truth is, he was utterly terrified. After all, he grew up without parents, lived only with his uncle and as a result was quite hot-tempered. More than anything, he wanted to be the best dad possible. He wanted his children to grow up in a loving family, with their parents next to them, with a mother to care for them and a father to teach them. And he was afraid whether he was capable of even being a good father. But of course, you knew he was going to be the best father in the world.

Now, speaking of hot-tempered, Jin Ling honestly would throw more hissy fits than you. In fact, he'd get more mood swings than you too. In fact, even when pregnant, you're the calm one. Because if you think he's snappy and over-protective of you usually, wait 'till you see him once he learns you're pregnant. Hoo boy.

He was at work, dealing with the pressures of leading a sect when one of Lanling's servants hurriedly burst into the room, giving him the news that made his tough guy act crumble in seconds - his wife was giving birth.

At the time, he was surrounded by now Sect Leader Lan Sizhui, (idk it's a hc), Nie Huaisang and of course - his uncle, who all ushered him to go see you. Thus, he stormed out, running towards the nursery like his life depended on it.

"What do you mean I can't enter yet, my WIFE is in there." You haven't seen scary until you've seen Jin Ling, amidst an utter mental breakdown, being held down by a few nurses, trying desperately to stop him from going in.

Once they DID let him in, he'd be by your side in 0.001 seconds, only to see you holding not one, but two babies.

"A-Ling, look. They're twins. Say hello to papa, little ones." For once, Jin Ling didn't mind the tears that began falling from his eyes, as he gently held one of his two sons in his embrace. Perhaps, being a father wouldn't be that bad after all. Not with you by his side.

Lan Jingyi

*dramatic gasp*

For once the loud, wild Jingyi was left speechless, unmoving, utterly starstruck by the news. He'd never admit it, but for a while he'd been dreaming of having a family with you. So, when you told him the news, his heart skipped a beat. His dream was coming true.

And then, with the biggest smile on his face, he'd lift you up, carrying you to your now shared room, stating how you shouldn't strain yourself and how he'd take care of everything you need.

"Er-gege, I'm only 3 months in, it's barely noticeable yet, I can take care of myself."

Denial.

Lan Jingyi will be there for you at the cost of right about everything, even if it meant breaking Lan's rules, much to yours and everybody's dismay. Macho man™️ will protect his darling flower. What he wasn't ready for was how complicated pregnancy actually is.

Whenever you're more moody, he'd be quick to anger as well, so small and pointless arguments wouldn't be uncommon. But for every little argument, there is also a sleepless night where he'd cuddle you, whenever your stomach would hurt, or you'd feel uncomfortable.

Now Lan Jingyi is a cool dad. He is a cool dad before he is officially a dad. Whenever you two are alone, lying in bed, he'd lean in to rest a hand on your stomach. And he'd always give a happy yelp whenever he felt his little one move. And gosh, how much he'd talk to the baby. He'd tell your stomach stories of his great adventures, he'd joke around and believe me, he's planned every family outing for next 10 years.

Absolutely everybody thought it was going to be a boy. Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling even bet on it, OYZZ being ABSOLUTELY sure it would be a boy.

Giving birth was a whole new adventure. He'd wake up much too early for his liking with you frantically shaking him awake.

"The baby is coming." "Who's coming?" "The baby." "THE BABY?!"

Cue, Lan Jingyi losing his damn mind. He'd be up and running in a blink of an eye, casually scaring the medics and waking up the entire Cloud Recess in his hurry. Don't run in Cloud Recess? He's not running. He's SPRINTING. Do not shout in Cloud Recess? He's not shouting, he's SCREECHING. Do not speak out of turn? FOR GOD'S SAKE MY BABY IS COMING. And he'd be like that the entire time, until he's allowed to see you. He'll write the rules a thousand times if he has to later. He won't, Lan aren't heartless.

Seeing his healthy little baby, he was right about ready to pass out. He almost didn't hear you joking how your little girl was a loud crier and was about to be just as wild as her dad.

" Wait. It's a girl? We have a little girl!" Cue Ouyang Zizhen screaming in misery, as Jin Ling victoriously smirks his way.

Lan Jingyi on the other hand couldn't have been happier.

Lan Sizhui

QWQ

"This is the best day of my life, I can't believe we're going to have our own family!"

With a bright smile, he'd pull you in for a sweet kiss, shaking with excitement. Honestly, he'd have the best reaction out of all the Juniors. He's a family guy, who gets to witness true love everyday around his fathers, so having a child of his own with you was one of his long-term goals. He was old enough and wise enough to be absolutely ready to embark on an adventure through fatherhood.

Lan Sizhui would be so loving and gentle with you. You'd have him wrapped around your finger, he'd respond to your every beg and call. He'd minimize any work-related travelling to make sure he could be as close to you as possible.

When he wasn't there, he'd assign his cultivation partner and trusty bestie Lan Jingyi to take care of you and look after you. Did you necessarily need it? No. But you understood his worry, so you let him be.

He'd be there for you when you were feeling down, through your mood swings, morning sickness. He never complained, never fought with you, never gave you anything short of his unconditional love.

In fact, he was so SO compassionate, that he'd get pregnancy cravings WITH you. Nothing like the two of you, sitting awake at 2 am, (uncommon for him) eating chocolate-covered cucumbers and apricots.

Similarly to Lan Jingyi, everybody were already 100% sure the two of you would have a little girl. With Sizhui's sweet soft-spoken behavior and big warm heart, having a little gentle flower to spoil rotten seemed like the obvious outcome.

Lan Sizhui, on the other hand, refused to give into all of those "what ifs". Only time could tell. Besides, he'd be just as happy and proud no matter what gender the baby would be.

With his careful planning and skillful avoidance of any travelling, thankfully he was there when the due date was up. On the outside, he remained as calm as physically possible, but oh, on the inside it was a storm. Few could see through his façade, but by the trembling of his fingers, discreet chewing on the inside of his lip and eyes darting all around him, his true feelings came to light.

And when he finally got to see you, you've never seen him more unlike himself. With a worried expression and hasty movements he'd make his way to you, trembling hand reaching out to cup your face. He'd leave a gentle kiss on your forehead, before turning to the newborn in your hands.

"Sizhui. Say hi to your son."

A single tear rolled down his face, carrying the weight of all of his love in it. One look at his child and his heart was pierced by a million arrows. At that very moment he vowed, that he'd protect this child with all he's got, teach him all he knows and love him with all of his heart.

Thank you for reading~

[bettydice]

(Planning the Day) To Meet You

Wangxian, Modern AU, Slow Burn, E-Rated

[READ ON AO3]

Chapter 6

Thursday, Twelfth Day with Wei Ying

Lan Wangji spends a long while (about seven minutes) in front of his wardrobe this morning, wondering which of his clothes would be appropriate playground wear. White trousers are out. Lan Wangji is also not a shorts person, though he can see the advantages of wearing as little fabric as possible that could get covered in sand. He finally settles on light grey trousers he can roll up a little, and a short-sleeved dress shirt that is definitely not playground appropriate. But the fabric is light and incredibly soft, and if he wears it just in case Wei Wuxian might tug on his sleeve again, that is no one’s business but his own.

He debates whether he should go to the library first, but decides it’d be more efficient to work from home this morning. That way he doesn’t have to carry his laptop to the playground later. Those matters decided, he takes a shower and then goes to the kitchen to have breakfast and prepare lunch.

Even though he did some… processing yesterday, he still can’t fully wrap his mind around the fact that his attraction is not one-sided. He’s sure that Wei Ying’s feelings don’t run as deep as his own, but… he’s been flirting. Wei Ying thinks that Lan Wangji is beautiful. And Lan Wangji thinks… that Wei Ying wouldn’t mind kissing him. It was right here in his kitchen, when he thought that they might. The reminder sends heat cursing through his body and he starts chopping the carrots with extra strength and determination.

Lan Wangji wanted to, still wants to. At the same time, he’s glad it didn’t happen. Because his feelings do run deep and the thought of kissing Wei Ying when he can’t have all of him, can’t give him all of himself… He’ll just have to wait for Wei Wuxian to catch up with him. Bribing him with clementines and delicious coffee is probably a good start. Lan Wangji checks his phone. The syrups are supposed to be delivered tonight. Good.

When he arrives at the playground, Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan are already there, once more playing on the slide. He’s barely made two steps in their direction, when Wei Ying lifts his head and spots him, a radiant smile immediately blossoming on his face. Lan Wangji instantly questions his resolve to save kissing for a later time. Right now, he could just… take Wei Ying’s face in his hands and kiss him senseless. Literally sweep him off his feet, like he said he’s waiting for. He’s not entirely certain what kind of logistics a maneuver like that would entail, but he’s sure he could improvise something. He may not have the experience, but his imagination is not restricted by that at all. But no… Wei Ying is right. No need to rush.

“Tall-gege!” A-Yuan has spotted him as well, takes the slide, runs over to Lan Wangji at full speed, until he collides with his leg, wrapping his short arms around it. Definitely a good thing he didn’t wear white trousers again.

Lan Wangji stares down at A-Yuan’s head and then at Wei Wuxian, who is laughing so hard, he almost topples over.

“Hello, A-Yuan,” Lan Wangji awkwardly pats his head in greeting.

A-Yuan, apparently content with how this went about, lets him go and immediately runs back to the slide, as fast as his legs can carry him. Before Lan Wangji can follow him, Wei Ying approaches, traces of laughter still on his face.

“Lan Zhan, you really came.”

“Of course.” How could he not?

And then… Wei Ying slowly drags his gaze over Lan Wangji’s face and his lips unfurl into a wicked smile. He steps even closer, until they’re almost touching and Wei Ying has to tip his head back a little to keep up eye contact.

“Mhm, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you. All night.” And then he winks.

Oh no.

“That was me flirting with you, Lan Zhan. Did you notice?”

“Yes.” He noticed it with his entire body.

“Ah, great. Now that you know, please honour my efforts!” Wei Ying looks incredibly pleased, dimples deepening and eyes glinting.

“How...,” his voice comes out rough and he clears his throat, before he tries again, “How would you like me to honour you?” He’s certain he can come up with a multitude of ideas, but he’d like to hear Wei Ying’s preferences first.

Wei Ying simply stares and stares, maybe thinking about his answer, and Lan Wangji waits patiently for him to respond. As he waits, he sees a flush begin to spread over Wei Ying’s cheekbones. Is this what Wei Ying looked like after Lan Wangji sent him the picture with him and the bunnies? Was he this speechless?

“Lan Zhan… are you flirting back?”

“... am I?”

Wei Ying hides his face behind his hand, shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Aah, what should I do with you… stealing all my thunder and you don’t even know it! You unleash this deadly weapon unknowingly… Lan Zhan, my poor heart!”

Lan Wangji can’t help but feel a little - more than a little - smug, seeing how flustered Wei Ying seems to be. He’s not sure he can replicate this ‘flirting’, but if simply telling Wei Ying his honest thoughts brings a flush to his face, he will happily continue doing that. He still hasn’t gotten an answer though.

“Wei Ying… please let me know your prefered way for me to honour your efforts.”

“Oh my god, Lan Zhan, stop it! I’m already defeated!” Wei Ying simply laughs him off and then grabs his arm and drags him over to their bench.

The morning passes quickly and happily, and the closer lunch approaches, the more Lan Wangji’s anticipation grows. They haven’t discussed yet whether A-Yuan will take his nap at Lan Wangji’s apartment again. He’d gotten out the guest bedding this morning, just in case.

They do go to his apartment after lunch again. A-Yuan is only sleepy, not asleep yet, but he still allows Lan Wangji to carry him. Once he’s dusted off and nestled into bed, Lan Wangji makes coffee and tea for Wei Ying and him and they sit down on the couch.

This time, Lan Wangji does not feel uncomfortable at all. Wei Wuxian happily chatters a long, as usual, and occasionally puts his hand on Lan Wangji’s knee or his arm. It’s all very casual, but this time, he likes the thought that this is just an ordinary day for them, that it could be like this every day. He feels… deeply content.

(Well, there is one uncomfortable bit, because Wei Wuxian spots his guqin and Lan Wangji suddenly remembers that he’s left the sheet notes on the table he’s been working on yesterday and the title of the song may or may not be ‘incriminating’ and so he may or may not end up giving Wei Wuxian the impression that he’s uncomfortable talking about his music. But that’s something he can rectify in the future, when he isn’t running the danger of getting found out for writing sappy love songs. He does find out that Wei Ying also plays an instrument - the flute - and Lan Wangji already has ideas for duets they could play.)

After A-Yuan wakes up, he brings them to the bus stop and picks up some groceries on the way back. He’s making lunch for three people now, after all.

In the evening, he receives another message from Wei Ying.

Wei Ying Lan Zhan, I really want to see and hear you play. Will you play for me one day? Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase???????

Lan Wangji Maybe.

Wei Ying Aah, don’t tease me!!! I’ll play for you, too!

Lan Wangji I’d like that.

Wei Ying Or I could draw something for you! How about I draw your bunnies????

Lan Wangji I’d like that.

Wei Ying Anything else I could bribe you with?

Lan Wangji immediately knows what he wants to ask for. His neck flushes at the thought. He almost doesn’t, but somehow, cocooned in the darkness and his blanket and in the distant intimacy of their text messages, he finds the courage.

Lan Wangji A picture.

Wei Ying What kind of picture?

Lan Wangji Of Wei Ying.

Wei Ying Hahaha, Lan Zhan, flirting again? ;) Alright! Sugar or spice?

Lan Wangji Either. Both.

Wei Ying Ooooooooooooooooh Gimme a sec Enjoy~

The photo that Lan Wangji receives shows Wei Ying sitting on his bed (presumably). He’s smiling sweetly into the camera, but he’s wearing another one of those very well-worn, very soft sweaters. This time, his entire left shoulder is exposed, as well as that collarbone. He wonders whether Wei Ying tugged his sweater down himself or whether he simply always looks like that. It’s getting very hot under his blanket.

Wei Ying Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan, did you get this? Spicy enough? Should I add more chili? ;) ;) ;)

Lan Wangji Beautiful. Wei Ying is beautiful.

Wei Ying 123123zgugAHBD23g7q12e31 No u

Is Wei Ying blushing right now? If he is, Lan Wangji is sad he missed it. The image of Wei Ying’s flushed face from this morning is still clear and fresh and tantalising in his mind. He wonders whether Wei Ying’s blush ever spreads to other parts of his body… Mhm, that picture clearly was very ‘spicy’.

Lan Wangji It is spicy enough.

Wei Ying Lan Zhan!!!!!!!!!!111112313 Don’t wait to say these things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or I’ll think that you’ve been thinking about it and…

Lan Wangji Thank you for the picture.

Wei Ying Literally my pleasure Good night, Lan Zhan

Lan Wangji Good night, Wei Ying.

Friday, Thirteenth Day with Wei Ying

Today, Lan Wangji is the first one to arrive. He feels a bit awkward, sitting on the playground by himself. The wait until Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan arrive seems to stretch on for much longer than the fifteen minutes it takes. Wei Wuxian isn’t carrying A-Yuan in his arms, instead he’s almost being dragged onto the playground, A-Yuan pulling excitedly on his hand. As soon as he spots Lan Wangji, A-Yuan yells “Tall-gege” and then lets go of Wei Ying’s hand and… proceeds to run in circles across the sand, laughing.

Wei Ying walks over to Lan Wangji and sinks down onto the bench with a heavy sigh. Then he slides down until he can rest his head on the back of the bench and his sigh turns into a groan.

“Wei Ying?”

“Lan Zhan… can you make sure that my radish doesn’t eat too much sand and doesn’t climb anything he shouldn’t climb? My eyelids are stuck together,” Wei Ying whines. And indeed, his eyes are still closed.

“Mn.”

“Thank you, Lan Zhan is the best.”

“Are you… sick?”

“Ah no, just fucking tired. Worked on this idea I had all night, might turn it into my final project for uni, had to scrap it and redo a bunch of code though, didn’t get any sleep and-” Wei Ying yawns and rubs his eyes. “I think A-Yuan stole all my energy. Look at him” Wei Ying, eyes still closed, points in A-Yuan’s general direction, who is currently running around a tree while singing a song Lan Wangji is not familiar with. The melody is very catchy.

“Coffee?”, Lan Wangji offers, in lieu of a better idea.

“Mhm, already had a bunch… '' Wei Wuxian opens one eye and glances at Lan Wangji. Then he closes it again, shuffles and adjusts his position, until his head is resting on Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “Lemme just borrow your arm for a while, okay?”

“Mn.”

Wei Ying hums quietly and then wraps his arms loosely around Lan Wangji’s arm. It is as though Lan Wangji’s arm has found a new purpose as Wei Ying’s pillow. He doesn’t mind at all. Wei Ying can borrow anything of his that he’d like. Lan Wangji tries his best to be a good pillow, not moving at all, so Wei Ying will borrow him again in the future.

Wei Ying’s soft breath caresses his skin on every exhale and it is easy to wonder whether it would feel like this if they were to wake up next to each other. He thinks about his dream, the one where Wei Ying fell asleep on top of him, head resting over his heart. This is… very close. Lan Wangji smiles.

“Lan Zhan…”, Wei Ying murmurs, as though he’s halfway in a dream. “Feels so nice.”

“Mn.”

Lan Wangji suddenly wishes… wants to try something. And because this feels so comfortable, feels so right, he finds the courage to try. He slowly moves his unoccupied right arm and then gently rests his hand on top of Wei Ying’s left hand.

Wei Ying doesn’t react at all at first. Lan Wangji wonders whether he actually fell asleep. However, before he can take back his hand and his courage, Wei Ying turns his hand and intertwines their fingers.

They sit like this for a long time, holding hands, Wei Ying’s head on his shoulder. A-Yuan has finally stopped running and gotten out his shovel and bucket, to go do some important construction work in the sand. It is peaceful and quiet. The only sound Lan Wangji can hear is the beating of his own heart.

Nothing disturbs their intimacy, until…

“Wei Ying.”

“Mhm, Lan Zhan.”

“Did you put duct tape on your flip flops?”

“Ah… Yes. Are you admiring my creativity? Why throw something away, when you can simply fix it!”

“What is your shoe size?”

“Huh?”

Lan Wangji has already gotten out his phone and is searching for his preferred clothing store.

“Lan Zhan, what are you doing?” Wei Ying lifts his head from his pillow and leans forward, so he can look at the screen of Lan Wangji’s phone.

“Wei Ying needs new shoes.”

“Wei Ying will buy his own shoes! … Eventually.”

Lan Wangji ignores him and simply bends down, grabs Wei Wuxian’s ankle and lifts his leg, so he can look at his shoe size.

“Forty-four.”

He nods, sits upright again and goes back to his phone.

“Black?”

“The hell? Lan Zhan, don’t buy those, they’re way too expensive.”

“I don’t mind.”

He’s about to press ‘Order’, when Wei Ying puts his hand over Lan Wangji’s to stop him.

“Alright, I’ll buy new ones… Happy?”

“...“ Not happy, no. He’d really like to buy them for Wei Ying.

“Fine! I’ll order them right now!”

Wei Ying fishes his phone out of his pocket, right arm still curled around Lan Wangji’s and unlocks it. Lan Wangji only catches a short glimpse of the lock screen, but it is long enough to see…

“That’s me,” Lan Wangji states the obvious. His mind is too occupied with the monumental realisation that Wei Ying likes his pictures, likes Lan Wangji so much that he doesn’t mind looking at him on his phone, every day, many times… it is… Almost too much.

“Oh… ah, haha, yeah…” The flush is back on Wei Ying’s face and Lan Wangji would like to touch it. With his fingertips or with his lips.”Uh, well, it’s a really cute picture, isn’t it… with the bunnies… A-Yuan likes it too, so… anyway, let me go order some flip flops… mhm… there we go… 70 Yuan instead of 500! Bought!”

Wei Wuxian hurries to put his phone back in his pocket, then demonstratively squeezes his eyes shut and puts his head back on Lan Wangji’s shoulder.

“Nothing wrong with duct tape,” he huffs out. Lan Wangji smiles fondly, despite the exasperation he feels. “500 Yuan… ridiculous…”

After lunch time and nap time, once Lan Wangji is alone in his apartment again, the first thing he does is make Wei Wuxian’s ‘spicy’ picture his lock screen background. He thinks Cloud and Jade will understand why he replaced them.

Wei Ying Lan Zhan, A-Ning is feeling better He’s excited to spend the weekend with A-Yuan

Lan Wangji Alright. I’m glad he’s feeling better. Will I see Wei Ying on Monday?

Wei Ying Yes! Library again! Unless… Do you want to meet us for ice cream tomorrow? Only if you’re not busy of course

Lan Wangji Yes.

Wei Ying !!!!!! :) I’ll text you tomorrow with time and place

Lan Wangji I’ll look forward to it.

Wei Ying thank you for being my pillow today vVery comfortable

Lan Wangji Always.

Wei Ying ❤❤❤

Lan Wangji ❤

Wei Ying !!!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Saturday, Fourteenth Day with Wei Ying

Lan Wangji’s first impression of Wen Ning (after the picture that made him think he was Wei Wuxian’s husband) is… he’s quite intimidating. Wen Ning is tall, looks even taller because A-Yuan is sitting on his shoulders. His long, deep black hair is not decorated with braids today, but wildly frames his very pale face. He’s wearing a black t-shirt with very spiky letters and a skull and a black collar on his neck, studded with spikes. It doesn’t help with the nervousness coursing through Lan Wangji. It is really important to him that this man, who is an important part of Wei Ying’s life, will like him.

The three of them are waiting next to a fountain. Wei Ying keeps dipping his hand in the water and then flicking his fingers, spraying water droplets over A-Yuan, who laughs every time this happens. A lot of those droplets seem to land on Wen Ning’s face, who endures it all with a gentle smile.

Lan Wangji takes a deep breath, pulls back his shoulders and approaches them.

“Lan Zhan! You came!”

Wei Ying still sounds surprised about that every time and Lan Wangji wonders why. Of course he’s here. Of course he’ll go where Wei Ying is.

Wen Ning smiles and nods at him. Lan Wangji returns the nod.

Then he lifts his head a little to wave at A-Yuan, who… bends over, hands stretched out towards Lan Wangji, yelling “Tall-gege!”

He’s going to fall down, oh god. Lan Wangji quickly lifts his arms, so he can catch him before anything horrible happens. Wen Ning is still holding on to A-Yuans legs, maybe used to things like this, and now A-Yuan is awkwardly being held by both of them, arms around Lan Wangji’s neck.

“Got him?” Wen Ning’s voice is muffled by A-Yuan’s belly.

“Yes.”

Wen Ning releases his hold on A-Yuan’s legs and Lan Wangji carefully lifts him over Wen Ning’s head, until he can carry him safely in his arms. A-Yuan has been laughing through all of this, oblivious to Lan Wangji’s bone-deep horror. A panicked look in Wei Ying’s direction shows he’s laughing too. But from Wen Ning he receives an understanding nod.

“Lan Wangji, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” Lan Wangji manages to say while struggling to keep a hold on a squirming A-Yuan, who is trying his hardest to touch the water from the fountain.

“Mhm, I doubt you heard about me in the same manner,” Wen Ning murmurs, glancing at Wei Ying. Before Lan Wangji can think about what that means or ask him to elaborate, Wei Ying steps between them.

“Ahaha, A-Ning, so funny. Hilarious. A-Yuan, stop being a monkey, monkeys don’t eat ice cream.”

“Radish!”

“Yes, exactly. You’re a cute little radish and radishes get all the ice cream.”

“Yay, ice cream!”

“Yay!” Wei Ying plucks A-Yuan out of Lan Wangji’s arms and then leads them to the ice cream parlour.

The multitude of flavours on offer overwhelms Lan Wangji. He rarely eats ice cream or any sweets at all. On the weekends, he occasionally indulges in a piece or two of dark chocolate, but usually his sensitive Lan stomach cannot handle much more. Oh well, he’ll just have to power through. He orders last (a scoop of lemon sorbet) and pays for everything before Wei Ying can stop him again.

They take their ice cream outside, sitting down on a stone wall facing the fountain. A-Yuan’s face is already a chocolatey mess and Lan Wangji is a little relieved Wei Ying is sitting next to him, serving as a possible buffer in case sticky hands go exploring. Wen Ning sits on the other side of A-Yuan but keeps throwing glances at Lan Wangji. Even though they don’t feel threatening or disapproving, his anxiety ramps up again all the same. He should talk to Wen Ning, but… Lan Wangji has always been better at ending conversations than starting them.

“Wei Ying said you play the guqin?” Wen Ning suddenly inquires. Lan Wangji feels Wei Ying tense up next to him.

“Ah, yes.” With a reply like that the conversation will immediately fizzle out and die, he knows, but what else could he say?

“That’s cool! Did you know that Wei Ying and I are in a band together?” Lan Wangji is grateful that Wen Ning keeps the conversation going, but it also feels that the comment is mostly meant for Wei Ying’s benefit, who’s not just tense, but has started squirming in his seat, glaring at Wen Ning.

“I did not.” But he immediately wants to know more, wants to hear songs, wants to see pictures.

“Hey, Wen Ning! We were in a band! Were! Past tense! Why are you talking about that now?”

“I want to know about the band,” Lan Wangji says to Wen Ning, ignoring Wei Ying’s indignant squawk.

“Yiling Laozu forever!” Wen Ning balls his left hand into a fist and punches the air. Wei Ying drags one hand across his face and groans.

“I… excuse me?” Lan Wangji has never heard that expression before.

“Yiling Laozu is our band! Wei Ying is the lead singer and of course plays his flute and-”

“A thing of the past! We disbanded!”

“Not officially, just because your brother-”

“ANYWAY, Lan Zhan, you don’t want to hear about my embarrassing teenage experimental metal electronica project, let’s all just never mention it again and-”

“I would like to hear it.” Lan Wangji is not at all familiar with the genre Wei Ying described, but since it is Wei Ying, it must be wonderful to listen to. He has such a nice voice, it will be just as nice when he’s singing.

“Oh trust me, you don’t. Lan Zhan should only ever listen to beautiful music.”

“Wei-gege, do you not like our music anymore?” Wen Ning sounds sad, his eyes wide and pleading but Lan Wangji gets the feeling that it is mostly for show.

“A-Ning, that’s not what I’m saying at all.” Wei Ying sighs, shoves the rest of his ice cream cone in his mouth and then continues talking while chewing. “Yiling Laozu is just… very, veeeeeeery niche and uh… “

“Lan Wangji, you should come visit us one day. I’ll play you some of our songs.” Wen Ning’s smile is a little too innocent, but it doesn’t take away from the invitation feeling genuine. Lan Wangji likes him.

“Thank you. I’d like that.”

Wei Wuxian sighs, drawn out and full of suffering, and puts his hand back over his face, murmuring to himself, “I bet this is Wen Qing’s fault, making her innocent little brother torture me like this.”

Wen Ning huffs a laugh and then A-Yuan demands everyone’s attention because he’s finished his ice cream and he’s not happy about it. Wei Ying gets out wet wipes to clean A-Yuans face and hands. He’s even less happy about that. However, his mood drastically improves as Wei Ying scoops him up into his arms and then carries him over to the fountain, pretending over and over that he’s going to drop him into it.

The packet of wet wipes appears in his view and Lan Wangji looks over to Wen Ning, who offers them with a smile. He nods his thanks and cleans his hands and finally feels himself relax. Wei Ying’s and A-Yuan’s laughter is bright and carefree, echoing across the square and Lan Wangji… Lan Wangji is so grateful Wei Ying sat down at his table that day in the library and wasn’t chased away by Lan Wangji’s frown.

Wei Ying Thank you for the ice cream So delicious~

Lan Wangji It was. Thank you for inviting me.

Wei Ying please forget about Yiling Laozu

Lan Wangji I want to hear Wei Ying’s music.

Wei Ying Lan Zhannnnn :(

Lan Wangji I’ll play the guqin for you, too.

Wei Ying I thought you were going to do that anyway!!! I bribed you with a picture! I’m gonna draw the bunnies for you! You can’t suddenly go back on your promise!

Lan Wangji You’re right. How can I bribe Wei Ying then? Spicy picture?

Wei Ying Oh no Lan Zhan you are a menace FINE I’ll play some of that weird shit for you You’ll regret it Don’t say I didn’t warn you

Lan Wangji I’m looking forward to it

Wei Ying You really shouldn’t

Lan Wangji When would be a good time for me to visit?

Wei Ying Oh, you want to…. YES Let me just Wen Qing says you should come over for dinner Monday?

Lan Wangji That would be lovely, thank you.

Wei Ying !!!!! great!

Lan Wangji Good night, Wei Ying.

Wei Ying Good night! Hey… Where’s the spicy picture? Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan! !!!!!! Hey! Did you go to sleep? ??????????????????? Don’t tease me! I can see that you’re reading my messages! Alright, alright, don’t worry, I’ll let you off the hook. Good night, Lan Zhan ❤

Lan Wangji Does this contain enough spice?

Wei Ying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LAN WANGJI Is that one open button I spy??? SCANDALOUS Aaaah You kill me

Lan Wangji Good night.

Wei Ying YOU THINK I CAN SLEEP NOW??? ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Sleep well

[rqs902]

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ah hyt’s issues with being too passive and not wanting to speak up about problems bc he’s worried about hurting other people’s feelings reminds me of what happened to jin fan on snzm this week :\ except hyt had to figure it out on his own bc no one else noticed and he didnt say anything about it to anyone. jin fan was urged to speak up but hyt had to mull it over in his head and stress over it until he could come to the decision that he needed to do something to help his team.

i respect that he came to that decision on his own and acted on it. as someone who’s relatively passive and conflict-avoidant myself, i think that takes a lot of resolve and courage. 

aw im happy xiao li got to sing too bc i really like his voice. what a talented boy! i think hyt is lucky the two of them give off the kind/gentle vibes so that he can pull them together. i dont know much about him, but i wonder if gem is right that hes had bad experiences with communicating with teammates (and aligning their hearts, as he said) before that’s led him to be more scared to be honest now. the 2 kids are like optimistic but you can tell hyt is so worried with their score ouch. 

wu xing’s voice is nice. im a wind player but with my limited knowledge of string instruments I feel like pengpeng’s playing is okay but not amazing. fsc’s bass is questionably out of tune?? or is it just me? something feels weird about his bass playing, it sounds kinda scratchy and sticks out to me too much, in like a weird way :\ but maybe its just because im used to hearing bass in classical music and not like this

LOL qiang ge being the buffer between jym and zk, are you sure youre gonna be okay child? the more i see qiang ge, the more smol he seems to me, like a cute child, who just happens to play the most blaring instrument LOL he seems very insecure about belonging on this show. he didnt want people to choose him unless they were absolutely sure in the first round, and then in the second round, he was so scared of ruining the next group that chose him and so grateful that they were willing to choose him and that they gave him so much encouragement to join their group. the fact that he needed that much encouragement and still felt undeserving is telling. the matching photo tshirts he custom ordered are cute! what a nice friend, to spend money on this to make everyone a little happier. i think its mature of him to encourage jym by saying he should think of the worst possible happening and try to accept it, to lessen his pressure. its still weird for me to realize people call zzn “nan ge” because he just seems so young in my mind lol but then you realize there are even younger kids on this show.

zhao ke’s rap was pretty good, i respect it. with that score i bet qiang ge’s gonna feel like it’s all his fault. i wonder if he blames himself or the instrument more for the fact that he was criticized for being too unvaried, but i feel like either of those is bad bc i feel like he should be proud of his instrument. 

aw maomao’s message and ljt’s response hahahhaha 

LOL ljt playing “who” and cutting it off abruptly. gao xin tai LOL 

ljt’s group’s perf def felt more complete. his voice is so nice, i still love it. i will say, i remember zhao tianyu sang this song on mrzz. i wonder if ljt remembers that too. 

hmm i really liked kxy’s singing voice, i thought it was really good, nicer than mz’s LOL but honestly i feel like i also understand from the teacher’s point of view, that he wasted their time and just didnt take their advice when they were trying to help him. hmm he seems likes hes very stubborn in doing what he believes, which isnt bad, he’s standing up for what he wants, but also then he immediately started crying when questioned about it. which makes me think hes not very confident in his choice and/or feels victimized/attacked for just doing what he wants. either way, kxy has shown he cries very easily lol. but i have mixed feelings about whether he’s handling criticism well. im not sure how old he is but he seems young 

LOL muji and swh just being like DELETE to wjy and being like straight up “it sounds bad” HAH im glad at least having two of them on the same page can put wjy in his place more LOL 

during the perf was muji holding the pick in his mouth? lol muji is such a 寶藏 with the bass guitar along with all his unique talents. this was a pretty epic perf, i thought theyd get a better score than that.

hm interesting that the uptown funk people told them tencent they needed to pay them more and tencent DIDNT, but they were still nice enough to approve their use of the song anyway bc of their “sincere” messages. wtf tencent. im pretty sure they have money to pay them more lol.

i kinda think yrz still seems a bit stiff to me onstage, like look at xiao zhi, hes literally so comfortable and free and hes so enjoying playing his bass guitar hes like having so much fun and is super into the music. at first i wasnt sure how well him and zy would mesh but wow hes really owned up to the avocado name LOL i feel like him and zy are really really caring older bros to yrz and hopefully yrz is super grateful bc he got super lucky. 

LOL TYLER FREAKING OUT OVER YRZ’S SMILE 

“NA GE XIAO RONG!!!!” 

HAHAHHAHAHAH 

i think it does say a lot that this perf got everyone like on their feet and grooving along, i see why they ranked 1st! 

kinda sad wsh was like yea no ones gonna notice us and then tencent proceeds to give them 5 seconds of practice room footage and the mentors are all shocked by the lowness of their score

hm :\ i kinda wanted to hear more about how they resolved the conflict between rainbow feeling too restricted by da xi’s more methodical approach to music. i think thats an interesting discussion, because i think both sides have their merits, so what kind of blend of a compromise will they come up with? and it does say a lot about their personalities. rainbow also feels similarly hesitant to reveal his feelings because of his friendship with da xi, which reminds me of hyt yet again but then this group got 5 seconds of footage in comparison so we dont really know how any of this got resolved. also how do they deal with mty sleeping and disappearing all the time?? i do think its kind of cute how mty seems to bend down and really direct his speaking towards the audience when talking to them. i really like their performance, this music style and fun-ness!

LOL the way ruiyang and yingge look at tyler is literally with such adoration wtf hahahahahaa and tyler buying them the bunny hats wtf this is so cute. feels very parental LOL theyre so supportive of him and helping him shine and tyler’s just like a child bringing them happiness LOL i think its notable that yingge says he feels like theyre all using their strengths in this perf bc thats #goals 

why do i feel like tyler and ruiyang ave absorbed yingge’s fashion LOL

THIS AESTHETIC 

i think u can tell like they (yingge?) put a lot of effort into communicating with the production team about their stage design. its not just about the music for them. lol this perf is shot like a music videoooo

ok im hesitant to comment on tyler’s trumpet playing bc it’s not very clean sounding to me, but you can tell hes putting a lot of effort into the small details still. and if hes been practicing a ton, i know it can be painful to try to play into that kind of mouthpiece cleanly with tired lips. he has yet to amaze me but it seems like he’s working hard so i respect that. hes also very lucky to be in a group with two supportive geges. like ps said, i think it is notable that ruiyang is doing so well in a genre of music he wasnt previously into. and yingge’s personality must be some kind of strong to really influence the other 2 so much 

aw tyler crying out of happiness and ruiyang just bursting out laughing and pats tyler’s head with a “早講嗎!" bc he was worried about tyler being sad hahahahaha he just sounded so taiwanese there it made me happy. aw tyler must be really well loved by all the geges who crowd him with hugs when they see him crying like xiao zhi ahahah

oof samhar being brought to tears when gem notes how hard he worked on the composition. (oo xiao zhi helped him! - that’s it, im curious how old he is, so i went to his weibo and he’s just a little older than me! born in 95. but then i saw he and zy have made some conflict-confronting posts today and im like .-. what happened? not sure whats up, but it seems like theyre generally okay, fans seem mad tho) 

actually tbh totally makes sense to me why xiao zhi, rainbow, and yingge’s groups are the top 3 in that order, like their stages were really good and memorable. 

ouch qiang ge feeling all the guilt and like he doesn’t have the skills to do better :( why is the show ok with jym acting this way? why is there a lack of communication that leads him to not understand what’s going on with the votes? they chase after him, he’s moping, they just film him and are barely encouraging enough to get him to come back at the very last minute. im sure he’s very frustrated but its also unprofessional and disrespectful of him to leave like that. how does that make his group mates feel that hes just gone? this is all very questionable to me. 

wait i havent been keeping up with their current rankings but wtf the kids who are like super worried are like ranked super high??? like im assuming they’ll be fine?? like jym and hyt’s group members are all relatively high... (I realize now why hyt got so much screentime LOL hes #1....) im surprised tyler is so low and i wonder if he’ll get more popular after this ep lol 

anyyywayyy so it looks like they’re having a party and elims next week so im sure thatll be an emotional roller coaster... and snzm is having elims next week too so thats just great... double the disaster