#i don't know where lwj get this suit a part of me thinks that lwj had it made especially for wwx

[llycaons]

ep32 (2/3): sect leader yao: how dare you! murdering innocent people is wrong! wwx: are you FUCKING kidding me-

wwx continuiing to defend himself - HE was the one to get ambushed!

such a cool line his is so hot

the laughing-crying is another EXCELLENT part of this scene. 1. wwx as a character is strongly associated with mirth, but this is a miserable and twisted laughter that conveys and brings no joy, just expresses how far he's been pushed and how close he is to his breaking point. 2. villainous laughter is a part of so many cliches and fairy tales - how many disney movies have you seen with a darkly chuckling villain or cackling megalomaniac? it fits the perception people have of him as an uncaring and malicious demon

this is such a good point! I think for wwx especially, who's had a long life of sacrifice, or unfair punishment, and of serving others, this rankles him particularly. I don't blame him for being sick of it

this is so galling omg sect leader yao being like 'all those people who you killed were innocent! how can you be so callous!" and wwx responding like 'AND THE FARMERS WHOSE LIVES I WAS TRYING TO SAVE WEREN'T???'

and this is so fucking cruel, to wwx who cares SO much and who has such a strong moral compass. this is what myu attacks him with, what jc throws in his face. diminishing and disrespecting his values and his actions. he's not out to be a hero, he's literally just trying to do the right thing and stick to his principles and all he's getting is shit from every single person around him and that INCLUDES lwj he FAILED esp in this episode and he knows it

ASKING TO PROVE A NEGATIVE!! LOGICAL FALLACY YOU BITCH

this is kind of funny. who is this irrelevant bitch. it does open up wwx for one of his greatest lines tho

I wrote a whole post about this because I didn't want it to be hidden but I love this line and I think it demonstrates important things abt wwx's character and outlook that make his relationship with lwj extremely stable

also 'you're so insignificant why would I ever care what side you're on?' lmao

this is was badass I love this so much. IS he keeping himself alive with resentful energy at this point? fuck, who knows?

HELL YEAH THEY'RE BREAKING OUT THE FIREBIRD SUITE. I think. fuck

honestly I find this action scene extremely drawn-out and boring but oh god this hurt me so bad

this was kind of a funny shot where nmj was spinning around then the camera moved behind a post and then it just stopped for a second then went to a completely different shot. thanks for showing us the back of this post I guess

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!! wow the aesthetics here rule. the contrast. wwx is like barely holding on look at how red his eyes are

I wonder if lxc thinks that wwx is so far gone he'd hurt lwj

oof. obviously they don't want to but I don't think wwx in his paranoia and isolation sees another way out

I've complained before about it not making sense that postres wwx avoided lwj (because they were friends in the flahback!), but if I'm being fair, lwj did in fact attack wwx. with his sword. and I can see wwx waking up and being really leery about what lengths lwj would go to subdue him again.

I'm sure he knew lwj didn't want to kill him - after all, they have such a history and lwj did save him, at the very end. but there's a huge difference between wanting him dead and wanting to support and protect and hide him, and wwx wasn't expecting lwj to offer him that. because he hasn't, historically, look, he;s trying to fight him right here. and he's made it clear in the past that his feelings are secondary to his sect and the path of orthodoxy. so wwx is entirely justified in all his reactions, in fact

ALSO it's kind of hard to tell in screenshots but lwj looks extremely distressed in context I promise

JUST SAY A-YUAN IS ALIVE. JUST SAY IT. THREE WORDS. SPIT IT OUT. god. useless boyfriend

[whitenoiseblackknight]

Hi! I hope you don't mind me coming to ask for more help with my Ballet!AU but something that's been on my mind, especially since I was at Swan Lake today, is that The Firebird is extremely short compared to a lot of the other big name shows, at less than an hour, and I'm curious if people are happy to go for that length or if modern versions have been stretched out to fit a longer runtime? It's not a big issue storywise it's just bugging me because it feels like it's very short.

Another thing I was wondering, has the Firebird and Tsarevna ever been played by the same performer, or are they always separate? The reason I'm asking is I want JC to have the most important role in the show, but it seems like the Prince is the lead character, and the Firebird isn't on very much overall - although I suppose the same could be said for Swan Lake 🤔?

I'm just struggling to get a grip on which show is ideally suited to have JC in constant rehearsals with LWJ, who really wishes he was dancing with WWX because he fancies both but has only figured out he's attracted to WWX and resents JC for having WWX's attention, even while being into JC. There is also ChengXian and the story will likely end in ZhanChengXian -- I wanted to be upfront on that in case that ship would make you uncomfortable and if you'd rather I not bother you as a result, just let me know.

I am absolutely here for more ballet!au talk. Firebird is certainly shorter than a three act ballet like Swan Lake, which means it’s usually staged as part of a mixed bill alongside one or two other shorter works. That’s a pretty normal staging so extending the runtime would need some justification, and I don’t think you’d need to.

Any company is going to be rehearsing more than one production at once, they can’t afford to take a month or more between performances after all, so even if Firebird is the one everyone’s focusing on it won’t be the only rehearsals they’re running. LWJ won’t be rehearsing with JC all the time in practice but that doesn’t mean he won’t feel like it, particularly if he’s dealing with all that. I get your point around stage time but that being said, if you’re looking at on stage interaction Ivan and the firebird are together quite a lot - I’m pretty sure that he spends more time with the firebird than with Tsarevna. I think you could get more than enough mileage out of LWJ getting madder every time he’s rehearsing with JC, that the firebird is where his focus needs to be even though he wants to be looking at WWX. You could put JC & WWX in one of the other dances in the mixed bill to provide additional LWJ jealousy fodder :)

[yunmeng-jiang]

This got a little long, so my thoughts on it are under the cut!

Personality:

"Personality not too strong" (like a lot of these requirements) comes off to me as JC saying "the opposite of my mom." Therefore, I think his idea of a personality that IS too strong is:

talks over you in conversation/doesn't let you get a word in, insists that their view is the right one and they if you disagree you're denying reality

imposes their will over yours, doesn't want to let you make your own choices, doesn't support you in your decisions

nags and belittles you, complains loudly and incessantly about your habits

Lan Xichen doesn't fit that description at all - he's gentle, offers advice rather than demands, is willing to make compromises when needed, and is supportive of his loved ones.

Talkativeness:

I think this falls partially under the first point in the section above, but also involves a willingness to set aside quiet time - this one, I think, is also influenced by Wei Wuxian in some ways. Jiang Cheng is shown to be frustrated by WWX's constant conversation and noise, expressing a desire to be left alone sometimes or at least not be constantly talked at.

Lan Xichen is very good at discerning people's needs and wants, including in conversation; he doesn't overwhelm LWJ by talking too much, and he's willing to just sit and spend time with JGY, or quietly drink tea with his uncle, or just play music on his own. I think he perfectly fits the bill on this one.

Hard-working and thrifty:

We see that he is hard-working in the novel, when he insists on helping Meng Yao with house chores despite his physical state - admittedly, laundry is not his strong suit, but with that plus his dedication to cultivation training to the point where he's considered to be one of the best cultivators in his general, and his efforts to lead his sect well, I think we can say he's hard-working.

"Thrifty" is a bit less obvious, considering that he grew up in luxury, but the fact that he was an efficient and effective leader to his heavily-affected sect during and after the war, and rebuilt Cloud Recesses when it had suffered significant damages (and probably the loss of many sect treasures) while also recruiting and training new disciples and restoring their library, tells me that he has a good mind for budgeting. It's true that JGY did offer him some monetary help with the rebuilding efforts, but that was still a difficult and expensive task!

Must treat Jin Ling nicely:

Given that he's kind even to those rejected by society or deemed too difficult to deal with and generally has a gentle, polite, and friendly demeanor - even towards Wei Wuxian, who he's pretty upset with post-timeskip - I think it's also safe to assume that he'd be good to Jin Ling!

Summary/caveats:

All in all, I think Lan Xichen fits all of Jiang Cheng's requirements except for the one about cultivation not being too high.

Now, it's probable that JC was thinking of women when he created this list, since he cares about his duty to his sect and part of that is producing heirs (though he is unmarried post-timeskip, I would guess that he's either planning on adopting, naming one of his disciples as heir, or just putting it off until Jin Ling is older, or - unlikely but possible - he already has a wife and he just never mentioned it/she never came up,) and it's very possible that he's not attracted to men - same with LXC, if you don't read xiyao, nielan, etc as romantic.

Another aspect of this is that Lan Xichen is also a sect leader. Jiang Cheng obviously doesn't want to give up his sect for the sake of a marriage, and I don't believe LXC would either, so that's a definite hurdle! Maybe they could get together post-canon if Lan Xichen ends up leaving his brother in charge of the sect, but I don't know how likely that is.

lan xichen vs jiang cheng's partner requirements

the image is a screenshot of lan xichen from MDZS Q.

was not too sure about a lot of these so i did kind of guess.

explanations:

naturally beautiful: yes

graceful and obedient: is graceful. also seems much more respectful of authority and tradition than his brother; will try to find a compromise or do as he's told rather than directly oppose you?

hard-working and thrifty: uncertain how thrifty he is given that he comes from a rich sect. then again maybe he learned when hiding with meng yao.

comes from a respected family: yes

cultivation level not too high: no

personality not too strong: tbh idk what this means? he's more willing to hear you out than most of the cast but you probably could not steamroll him in an argument.

not too talkative: idk man he seems to like to chat. but idk man.

voice not too loud: seems to speak at a normal volume.

must treat jin ling nicely: uncertain, we don't really see him interact with jin ling.

[starsxinxthexbluexsky]

Wei Wuxian’s Black Outfit With Shiny V-Shaped Shoulder Pads and Leather Belt | Episode 45 - 46 - 47 - 48

The Untamed | WangXian’s Outfits [24/∞]

[admirableadmiranda]

Hi

This is something I have been seeing on my fyp or I just noticed it cuz it annoys me but what do u think of the take “ the lan clan isn’t really much of an upgrade” even though wwx choose to be there? Lwj would never force him to be somewhere he doesn’t wants to be and wwx likes beings there as we see in the extras . Also it always comes with villain lqr even though that old men is more of a comedic relief than anything else

Well given that I call myself a Proud Lan Stan Who Can Read The Book sometimes in my tags, I don't think it'll surprise you too much anon to hear that I don't think much of that take.

While I respect that people can have their own problems and not find the Lan to be appealing, there is a certain take that insists that Wei Wuxian would not like it that tends to ignore anything that Wei Wuxian himself says to the contrary, that insist that he's a lot more bothered by certain interactions than we see on screen and that he would be happier off doing something else; usually starting a farm outside of the Jianghu.

I personally believe that those takes are people forgetting that they are not Wei Wuxian and that he consistently shows an appeal and fondness for the Lan throughout the book, masked as it may be in playful complaining. They inflate the things that would make them miserable, claim that Wei Wuxian could not like it there, usually citing the way that he behaves at Lotus Pier or in the Forsaken Battlegrounds, ignoring all the social and fraught dynamics in both of those places and conclude that MXTX did not know that she was doing when she put them with the Lan.

Lan Qiren is definitely meant to be seen as rather pathetic and powerless in the end; think of what he's reduced to. He has an order that no one obeys that is only mentioned once, he throws tantrums for Wei Wuxian having loud sex that Wangxian's solution is to have more loud sex about and Lan Wangji has taken over teaching in the Lanshi now. Wei Wuxian has always handled in him in the same way since he was a teenager and we get Wei Wuxian's textual feelings on him during the second siege, where we can see that he really is just not concerned about him.

I also do find it funny in how socially secure these people must feel to not recognize the vast difference in Wei Wuxian's positions now that he is a part of the Lan Clan, having gotten married to one of their most respected family members. He is no longer the main enemy of the cultivation world, he is no longer alone, he is no longer of a lower rank that they can besmirch him for. It may not be a blissfully perfect happy ending, but that wouldn't suit Modaozushi anyway. What it is, is an offering of security and quiet, where Wei Wuxian can engage with the jianghu on his own terms and have a place to go that he likes, where he is treated well and no one can really fuck with him because his husband is the head of discipline and the Clan Leader's beloved younger brother. Compared to all that he suffered before in the book, I fail to see how it is "not much of an upgrade".

Thanks for the ask, I do usually try to not get involved in Lan debates since most of the Anti-Lan takes do piss me right the fuck off for how easily they can be refuted with actual text and often contain a fundamental misunderstanding of Wei Wuxian himself.

By all means, you don't have to like them. But don't pretend that Wei Wuxian doesn't. Because that's not true.

[k1201a]

As a westerner fan, I can see where people come from when they claim flaw = human. Many books of western literature (being Italian, I have some examples from the Italian literature, authors like Verga or Pirandello whose works are full of characters with flaws and do a lot of mistakes, or Joyce from English literature). I too think that characters with flaws can be interesting if wrote correctly and also sometimes make the character more memorable as well. But on these days YA literature ruined it all. More than flaws = human, is more flaw = excuse.

The authors I quoted at the begging wrote interesting stories because in the end flaws weren't an excuse but rather something that brought doom upon the character, which is either a tragic death or lonely and unhappy life caused by their mistakes, human means also to have consequence of your actions but now YA literature make flaws look like a pride, something that makes them different from the mass but not something that is to be fixed for self improvement. Now anger issues and bad temperament is being little tsundere bean angwy, being an asshole who always has something mean to say to others is sassy, being an inept, spineless and self deprecating is "noooo baby must protect" and shyness is cute (say that to me, a shy person who cannot speak without anon button and is afraid to even ask a question to ask a question to a teacher). This is not being human, this is being a caricature that unfortunately people apply to MDZS too and as far as I see there are plently discussions on the blog about it.

JC is flawed, yes, and I like to think that WWX has some flaws as well. But JC's personality is full of flaws: bad temperament, doesn't take responsibility unless it suits him, doesn't take weaknesses with respect (as we have seen with Jin Ling, and WWX claims that JC made fun of his cynophobia after protecting him) and wants always to put a blame on others.

WWX's flaws are a bit his poor memory and the fact he likes to push people buttons and his prankster nature, as we have seen many times (Lan Qiren, LWJ), but are not major flaws but rather some parts of his personality that makes him endearing.

So not only the flaws have different weight (JC's one being one more fatal) but WWX has good character qualities to balance while JC rarely shows them (the only good thing about him is the fact he cares about his family). But fans simply refuse that, refuse JC's flaws as FLAWS, which is ironic to say the least, and makes him a japanese archetype of character, and excuse his behavior. I'm not sure if it's projection as you often say (I hate to assume things about people based purely on their preferences), it simply ruins fandom experience and simplifies a character to a caricature, it doesn't make him human on any way. Being human also means to get your ass whipped when you do some bs, not only having flaws while crying that society wants you to be perfect but you are not, but they don't know ANYTHING about literature (and no, YA doesn't count) in general but pretend to know by putting big words in their mouth such as "being human" or any other edgy quote you can think of.

P. S. Sorry for this long rant, feel free to ignore it if you want. Simply I feel a bit safer to express it on this blog rather, and you are also free to not agree on what I said. And I love your metas <3

"Being human also means to get your ass whipped when you do some bs"

Exactly.

I think the problem with people like JC stans is not their views on flaws, their problem is they reject the concept of consequences and reality.

We don't have to put down traits as flaws or virtues, interesting or boring, they can be subjective, and it depends on the execution. What's universally true tho is, actions have consequences. For wwx, the consequences of standing up for wen remnants against the mob and establishment is being targeted by the whole cultivation community, and ultimately death. The consequences for Jc's behavior is people leaving him and avoiding him. For a story to have believability, characters' actions have to lead to consequences. The most unhinged thing about JC stans' "takes" is they don't accept actions should have consequences, they think if they tell a little sob story, they're absolved of consequences. that's rejection of reality.

People overestimate the power of sob story, both in reality and in fiction. People who want sympathy, want their flaws and bs hand waved, need to remember it's other people's power to grant sympathy and leniency. You're not entitled to have your bs excused.

[robininthelabyrinth]

First time submitting prompts, fairly new follower. Love your writing!

NHS and LWJ friendship. Subtle and maybe people other than their big brothers don't see it and it shocks people when they find out. Mostly Canon compliant?

Associates - Part 3 - ao3, pt 1, pt 2

In the end, it was Lan Wangji who went to get Wei Wuxian, rather than wait patiently for him to return of his own free will as he had originally intended.

It had been Nie Huaisang’s idea, after nearly a year of Wei Wuxian travelling – they’d never actually pursued the jealousy idea he’d initially suggested on account of it being a terrible idea, Lan Wangji’s temporary moment of insanity in even considering it aside. It had come up seemingly apropos of nothing, one day when the two of them were working together in Lan Wangji’s study, Lan Wangji filling out the paperwork in his graceful handwriting as Nie Huaisang flittered around solving problems – he preferred pacing as he thought, which perhaps explained his reluctance to work on documents despite his beautiful calligraphy, and all the marching around made him, in some moments, look remarkably like his elder brother, something Lan Wangji deliberately refrained from ever mentioning.

“You need to go pick him up,” Nie Huaisang had suddenly said, in between planning out the next discussion conference and explaining why a seemingly minor dispute regarding shifting the boundary line near the Yuncheng Bao sect by a single li could have catastrophic consequences for the Jin sect’s long-term stability. “I know you’re afraid of giving the impression that you’re trapping him and restraining his freedom, but that’s your problem, not his. He wants to be asked.”

“Does he?” Lan Wangji had asked, finishing the sentence he was on and putting down the brush. Some things took priority above night-fishing rights near a contained Waterborne Abyss, no matter the new head of the Laoling Qin sect might think.

“Mm, yes. He’s been taking a lot of night hunts in the immediate vicinity of Gusu, close but never too close…Lan Zhan, he’s hinting that he wants you to chase him.”

“Pride?”

“A bit, maybe? Mostly I think it was his position in Yunmeng Jiang, where the former Sect Leader Jiang wanted him and Madame Yu didn’t, so his status was always that slightest bit uncertain. Here and now, he wants to know that he’s really welcome…don’t give me that look! He knows he’s welcome, you’ve made that clear, but making you be the one to ask is just another way to ensure that it’s actually true.”

And so Lan Wangji had gone to where he’d heard that Wei Wuxian was night-hunting, flying down on Bichen when he saw him walking with Lil’ Apple along a mountain path – he called his name, and Wei Wuxian had turned and smiled…

Wei Wuxian had come back with him.

More than that – he’d kissed him, he’d said he was staying with him, he’d agreed to marry him, to live their life together from then on.

They were officially engaged now, the auspicious date having been selected, Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling having demanded roles on the side of the bride – Wei Wuxian briefly protested being the bride, then realized that he was marrying into the Lan sect and promptly reversed course, announcing that he wanted all the trappings of being a bride, excluding the dress – and life was very, very good.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks was about as long as the cultivation world could hold off on needing its Chief Cultivator to be more than part time – he’d done a lot of the work in the mornings while Wei Wuxian was still asleep or when he was busy, and of course he had the system of delegation that Nie Huaisang had constructed for him and naturally Nie Huaisang himself helping out through his letters – and regretfully, Lan Wangji had had to return his full focus to his duties.

At first, it didn’t mark that much of a change: Wei Wuxian would bring projects of his own and they would work side by side, Lan Wangji already accustomed to the presence of another through all the work he’d done with Nie Huaisang, and Lan Wangji insisted that Wei Wuxian go out regularly with the juniors for night-hunts even if he himself could not. It all seemed fine, except only that Lan Wangji had the distinct feeling that he was missing something important.

It was only when the first big issue came up – a serious dispute between two small sects – that Lan Wangji realized what that was.

He sent a message to the Unclean Realm and waited.

Nie Huaisang arrived at the Cloud Recesses at the exact time one might expect if Nie Huaisang had received the message and left at once at top speed, accounting for the relatively slow pace he had when flying as a result of his mediocre cultivation.

Letter still crushed in his hand, he swept into the jingshi in his usual manner, all high drama and flash, wailing, “Lan Zhan! You betrayed me! You, of all people! My oldest friend!”

Lan Wangji, who had been expecting this, rolled his eyes.

Wei Wuxian, sitting in the desk he’d claimed as his own, looked up, startled. “Nie Huaisang?”

“Oh, hi, Wei Wuxian, congratulations on your engagement, has Lan Zhan shown you the present I sent? Probably not, he never does – Lan Zhan! Don’t think I’m letting you distract me with Wei Wuxian! You answer for this right away!”

He waved the crumbled letter at Lan Wangji.

“There is nothing to explain,” Lan Wangji said. “I requested your assistance in my capacity as Chief Cultivator.”

“You called me a spineless, gutless coward!”

Wei Wuxian made a choking sound.

“I sought to accurately characterize your recent behavior,” Lan Wangji said, and noted that Wei Wuxian’s choking noises got worse, although he did not actually appear to be in need of air. “Do you object?”

(There was something about Nie Huaisang’s company that reminded Lan Wangji irresistibly of being a child again, he had found, and it was only recently that he had begun to remember that as a child he had once had a tendency to bite. A pleasant rediscovery, even if the sharpness of his teeth were now expressed via paper and ink rather than through physical attacks.)

“You were the one who took a month off,” Nie Huaisang complained, a blatant lie given that Lan Wangji had been on partial duty for no more than two weeks, but dropped into his usual place at Lan Wangji’s side obediently enough. “Lan Zhaaaaaaan, don’t make me do work –”

Lan Wangji was going to say something about how it wasn’t like Nie Huaisang was doing any less work by doing his part in the Unclean Realm rather than being physically present in Gusu for consultations, he was just doing it less efficiently, but that was when Wei Wuxian coughed into his hand.

“Sect Leader Nie,” he said, with too much formality, but Nie Huaisang waved his hands at him querulously, clearly disapproving, and his shoulders relaxed a little. “Ah – Nie Huaisang. Since when do you call Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan? I thought you called him Lan-er-gongzi?”

“Oh, no, it’s been Lan Zhan since I was – what, seven or so?” Nie Huaisang said. “I wasn’t joking about him being my oldest friend, you know. We were just fighting back then, when you came for the lectures.”

Wei Wuxian blinked rapidly and turned to look at Lan Wangji, who nodded in confirmation.

They’d failed each other rather thoroughly back then, neither one being there for the other when they could have been. Nie Huaisang had not been wrong to observed that simply because he had always been free and open with his affections, Lan Wangji had assumed they would always be there to be resumed at a later time, without any need for maintenance – playing hot and cold, offering and receiving comfort and support at certain times, totally distant at others…it wasn’t until much later, when Lan Wangji emerged from seclusion, that he had needed Nie Huaisang again, and realized what he’d lost in the blank and disinterested glance of the boy he’d once thought of as his friend, who now seemed to visit the Cloud Recesses only in search of his elder brother.

They’d spoken in those intervening years, but it had always been light, superficial. Lan Wangji could have reached out a hand at that time, sought to resume their relationship, but he was consumed with his own grief, his own troubles, and out of respect for the face of his sect he had refused to share them; perhaps if he had, Nie Huaisang wouldn’t have done what he had done, would have relied upon him instead.

Perhaps things would have been very different.

It wasn’t until he’d finally swallowed his pride to ask Nie Huaisang for help with the overwhelming work of being Lan sect leader and Chief Cultivator both that they had broken through that distance once more. It had been difficult at first, readjusting their long-lost patterns to their adult behaviors, but they had slowly but surely fallen into a comfortable dynamic that suited them both.

“I had no idea,” Wei Wuxian said blankly. “You spend much time together?”

“Nie-xiong assists me in my duties,” Lan Wangji interjected before Nie Huaisang could spout something stupid about eloping, as he was sometimes wont to do. “He has been critical in ensuring that I am not overwhelmed.”

Wei Wuxian mouthed ‘Nie-xiong’, but what he said was, “You, Lan Zhan? Overwhelmed?”

Lan Wangji nodded. “My brother went into seclusion,” he explained. “As sect heir, I became responsible for the duties of sect leader of the Lan sect, and I had also accepted the post of Chief Cultivator.”

“And he didn’t have anyone else to help, so he came to me,” Nie Huaisang said cheerfully, ignoring how Wei Wuxian’s eye twitched. “I hope you don’t mind. It was very convenient a trade: I know plenty of things about being a sect leader – more than you’d think, I swear! – and Lan Wangji, as Chief Cultivator, can help me whenever someone tries to make something out of that awful business last year.”

There had been a few unfortunate sequelae to those events. Nie Huaisang’s role had never been officially confirmed, but somehow word had gotten out regardless and sects throughout the cultivation world were looking at Nie Huaisang in suspicion – less out of concern for Jin Guangyao, although there were a few that had especially benefited from his rule that were disappointed, than with an eye towards the future. The wise ones were afraid of his patience and planning, but far more were simply greedy, looking for a chance to finally uproot the notorious Headshaker now that his best protection, his brother’s two sworn brothers, were not there to defend him.

As he had promised, Lan Wangji had defied any attempts by others to do anything of that sort.

As he had promised, he would not change his mind or withdraw his support, no matter what Wei Wuxian said.

His shoulders tensed as Wei Wuxian looked over at him, his expression thoughtful. “I’m going to need to talk to Jiang Cheng,” he remarked, seemingly unrelatedly, and then said, “Well, I trust Lan Zhan’s judgment.”

Nie Huaisang had covered his face with his fan and was looking over it at Wei Wuxian. “You do? And here I thought you didn’t associate with evil…”

“Those are from Lan Zhan’s sect rules, not mine,” Wei Wuxian declared. “If he doesn’t judge you to be evil, who am I to say otherwise?”

Nie Huaisang smiled.

“We should talk more, sometime,” Wei Wuxian continued. “And hey, Nie-xiong, I don’t know if you still collect those books –”

“Oh, of course, Wei-xiong!” Nie Huaisang said enthusiastically. “Though you don’t need to ask for them from me. Lan Zhan’s built up quite a collection over the years.”

Lan Wangji sighed, even as Wei Wuxian spun to look at him with a predatory look in his eyes, not unlike a sighthound that had just fixed on its prey. “You do?”

“Nie-xiong has gifted me with many art pieces over the years,” Lan Wangji admitted. His ears felt as though they were on fire; they were undoubtedly red. “You may peruse them at your leisure.”

“At our leisure,” Wei Wuxian murmured, his eyes deeply intent. “I can’t wait to see what spring books you like best, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Wangji averted his eyes, feeling hot.

Nie Huaisang giggled and snapped his fan shut. “You don’t want to see the art I sent, Wei-xiong, trust me,” he cackled. “You want to see the pieces. Just ask!”

Wei Wuxian grinned and shook his head. “I think that’s a private discussion! Anyway, I’m going to go talk to Jiang Cheng – you two work on your Chief Cultivator stuff.”

“Your insight would be welcome,” Lan Wangji said, but Wei Wuxian waved a casual hand.

“Later, later,” he said breezily. “I don’t know either of those sects, I couldn’t possibly say anything intelligent – maybe next time you have a question. I look forward to working with you, Nie-xiong.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Lan Wangji watched them smile at each other – still a little wary, but both clearly willing to attempt a renewal of their own friendship, even after everything – and his heart felt light.

The only thing, he reflected, that would make this perfect would be if Lan Xichen came out of seclusion.

But with Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Nie Huaisang on the job, they’d be sure to figure out a way to do that soon enough.

He was sure of it.

[crossdressingdeath]

I know you'll probably disagree with me, but i rlly hate the Cloud recessess ending. It's just....

Those elders killed wwx. The Lans were 100% ready to murder both at Qiongqi path but also at the siege. They see him as the guy who corrupted their precious jade. They all preach righteousness, but the whole madam Lan thing is iffy at best and i do not believe that everyone there fully believes the rules. Hell, i have a special bone to pick with the " do not gossip" rule, seeing as gossip had been the main info route for women in patriarchal societies.

I just don't think that after wwx killed Lans in the siege they'd be all that willing to forgive him and take him in w open arms. The juniors and kids love him, yes, but people who saw the war....

Not to mention the whole " do not speak to WWX " rule. I've seen ppl say it's a joke but it's On The Wall. It's supposed to be followed. Even if it was intended as a joke - which i don't believe - it's very cruel for someone w rejection and trust issues.

I also hate it from a very personal perspective. I see Wwx as ND, and, as an ND myself, all those rules terrify me. From the no running and the proper posture ones, i can pretty well imagine they forbid stimming. The Lan curfew would fuck anyone with insomnia and there's smth deeply ucked up abt the " do not grieve in excess". I get that they're supossed to be a paragon of the best things at all time, and that LJY is very UnLan like, but for someone w anxiety who CAN'T follow those rules, it would be a nightmare.

...Some points:

First, the Lan elders did not kill WWX, nor did they attack him unfairly. They weren’t looking at him as the man who corrupted LWJ, either, or at least that wasn’t their primary concern (I will never forgive CQL for suggesting they were or it was); they were looking at him as a traitor to the sects who was raising an army to destroy them. Remember, that is the information the Lans had. Every source they had except for LWJ (who the people he would have gone to would have known was biased and who presumably everyone knew had recently been in close contact with WWX where he could have been manipulated or enchanted in some way), sources which included multiple sect leaders (one of whom was WWX’s brother) and LXC’s dear friend, swore up and down that WWX was a major threat, and let’s face it, WWX didn’t do much to dissuade people from thinking that! Acting like the Lans were maliciously targeting WWX is doing them something of a disservice, I’d say. They acted based on the knowledge they had available; note how the Lans are the first to offer WWX their help once they’re given reason to believe he may not be a villain! And even aside from that, saying they killed WWX (and not JGS and JGY’s manipulation or JC’s army) feels a bit like scapegoating, honestly. Of the four sects, the Lans are quite possibly the least responsible for WWX’s death. If it would hurt him to live with or around anyone who held any responsibility for his death his only option would be to live as a hermit, which would be far worse for him. And yeah, the Lans aren’t perfectly righteous all the time and some morally dubious things have been done by Lan sect members; they’re human, after all! Some of them will only be as moral as their sect leader demands they be! That doesn’t mean the sect as a whole is bad, especially with LXC, LQR and LWJ in charge. Certainly I’d say they’re still better than the other sects, all things considered. One ambiguous situation that may or may not have involved some members of the previous generation doing some fucked up shit doesn’t mean WWX would for sure be mistreated! 

As for gossip... there’s a difference between sharing information and gossiping. There’s no evidence that the Lan women are blocked from... y’know, freely communicating and sharing information between themselves. We have no reason to believe they are reliant on gossip. Also they presumably go out night hunting just like the men? Men and women are kept separate in the Cloud Recesses, but I get the sense that that’s more like... school stuff than anything else. The women aren’t exactly locked up, they can be cultivators! The society is still sexist, but that doesn’t mean they’re kept from going out and doing things. And I need to make this clear: there is a fair chance that the rule against gossip saved LWJ’s life, because it kept word of him defending WWX from the sects from spreading to people who would not be willing to let bygones be bygones. Gossip sucks! It hurts people! A lot of this story (and more to the point the suffering of the characters within the story) happens because of gossip! The Lans banning gossip is pretty clearly supposed to be a good thing, I’d say.

And yeah, maybe after WWX killed a bunch of their sect the Lans wouldn’t accept him with open arms as if nothing ever happened! And that’s fair! I can’t imagine where WWX could go where that wouldn’t be the case, unless he and LWJ chose to abandon the cultivation world forever. But you know what else the Lans won’t do? Try to execute him. Or from what we see in the extras even dwell on the past that much. No, the Lans aren’t going to immediately forgive WWX and bring him into the fold without a moment’s hesitation, but you know what? They accept his marriage to LWJ! They let him supervise the juniors on night hunts! They consider him part of their sect! Honestly, that is all WWX can really ask and far more than he’d get from any other sect. There are consequences for what WWX did, even though he wasn’t the villain or necessarily trying to hurt anyone, and frankly people not being entirely comfortable with his presence is very much reasonable.

The “do not speak to WWX” rule may not be a joke, but it’s also pretty clearly not a serious rule. No one takes it seriously. The juniors (the only people WWX really talks to anyway aside from LXC and LWJ) only pay it the minimum lip service of talking to him off the path. WWX himself sure as hell doesn’t care! He clearly finds it pretty damn funny. And I don’t think a guy who has never liked him once again proving he does not like him (in a way that is clearly temporary given how later LQR invites WWX to the Lan family banquet with... reasonable amounts of grace, thereby implicitly accepting him as LWJ’s husband and therefore his own family by marriage) counts as a rejection or a breach of WWX’s trust? Like, LQR has literally always hated WWX. He isn’t preventing WWX and LWJ from spending time together or shutting WWX out of the Cloud Recesses or even making a concentrated effort to keep people from talking to him; he’s venting his frustrations, but if he really intended to block WWX from taking part in life in the Cloud Recesses he would’ve done a hell of a lot more than just make a rule who no one WWX likes follows anyway. It’s a temper tantrum, that’s all, and clearly that’s what WWX takes it as. I mean, if nothing else you can’t ban people from talking to the sect heir’s spouse indefinitely. That’s just not sustainable.

As for the rules... banning people from running in the Cloud Recesses and demanding proper posture during lessons doesn’t suggest to me that they wouldn’t allow stimming? ‘No running’ at least is a common rule... most places. It’s distracting, and can be dangerous. And the rule about sitting properly doesn’t mean “Don’t move at all ever”; it means... well, “sit properly”. Don’t slouch or sprawl across the floor. I see no reason why that wouldn’t preclude means of stimming that wouldn’t be disruptive (and given this is in a classroom environment “not disruptive” is kind of important). I mean, those rules certainly don’t suggest that they’re any worse than other sects, and given this is the sect that has magic music for calming people’s minds if any sect would give allowances for neurodivergence it would be this one. Also I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a song to put people to sleep, or medication that can help; this is a world with magic, after all, and if there’s a song that can put spirits to rest there are probably songs for human medicine and care. And of course there’s an element of conflicting needs; maybe the rules would screw you over, but frankly firmly enforced rules keeping people from running around or sprawling out of their seats would’ve been a godsend for me in school, given how much trouble I had focusing with people making noise around me. At the end of the day, is it guaranteed that the Lans would make allowances for people with needs that conflict with the Lan rules? No. But I’d argue it’s more likely that they would than any other sect. This is ahistorical fantasy ancient China, too; you can only expect so much in the mental health department. Still, a sect that literally invented magic music for calming the mind actually seems like the best choice for people with anxiety and such. There’s a reason why there are multiple fics that essentially set the Lans up as mental health experts in the setting!

Basically, a lot of your arguments seem to be issues that WWX would have in any sect. Unless he wanted to give up on the support of a sect altogether, they’re all things that he would have to work through or come to terms with. And of course... the most important point is that WWX is happy in the Lan sect. The extras make that clear. He has a home, duties that he enjoys performing, the love of his family and the support of his sect. He’s happy. I just... I do not understand why people keep feeling the need to try to make it angsty when the novel makes it clear that he genuinely enjoys his life in Gusu, and more than that that if he ever decided he didn’t enjoy it he could leave at any time. You have to remember that: if WWX wanted to leave... he would. He and LWJ would just go, and only come back occasionally so that LWJ could visit his home. Hell, LWJ would insist on leaving for WWX’s sake. So like... the Lan sect wouldn’t suit everyone, but WWX is quite content there and doesn’t want to leave. He’s happy and free to come and go as he wishes; there really isn’t anything to be concerned about there.

[yilingradishfairy]

Ooooooh lemme try!

Okay, I don't really know how many people love this character, but I know that while watching CQL, I was taken in by Jiang Fengmian. Probably because he is introduced as a kind, genial Sect Leader. And because his wife is introduced as a vitriolic shrew. So a lot of the blame for the Jiang Family dysfunction is laid at her feet. But for all that her actions have caused so many problems, Jiang Fengmian's inaction has enabled her actions and caused problems not their own. (I had a whole essay typed up, but Tumblr ate it so 🤷‍♀️). Basically, I'll never forgive him for his part in their proxy war with their sons and also his utter failure to teach JC how to be a sect leader, specifically the politicking portion. As shown in ep 12, where YZY and WLJ are fighting with words, Jiang Cheng has no understanding and no skill in following the balance of power in a conversation or turning it to his wishes. His version of negotiation is yelling and threatening to "break your legs!" and as father and Sect Leader, JFM really should have caught that and worked on that by that point.

I don't really ship NingXian. It could be because Wen Ning struck me as Ace, so I didn't code his behavior towards WWX as a crush. Even looking at it as a crush, I just don't really feel comfortable with the dynamic, because of how much Wen Ning looks up to WWX (and how WWX low-key treated him like a servant at Burial Mounds). Sorry, just not my cup of tea.

I'm in love with the marketplaces they go to. Just happy and bustling and colorful and I just really wanna be there talking to the ppl, ya know?

Ugh, so many. I feel like a new idea sprouts everyday. I'm actually really proud of myself because I posted FOUR fics for LWJ bday week and one for JZX bday, but everything since then has just .... festered inside my brain.

My favorites to daydream about writing one day are Lotus Pizza: Order the Impossible Delivery Boy!WWX who has gotten a staggering amount of orders from one LWJ in the past week

Time Travel Fix it featuring WWX, LWJ, JC, MianMian (and maybe others) except it goes wrong and they end up in the wrong bodies (specifically WWX → Mianmian so he and JZX can get along and LWJ → JC so we can see his reaction to their home life). And also MianMian being a queen as she ought to be. Very important.

Post-canon or modern AU (can't decide) where WangXian just like ... really softly touch each other a lot and have lots of Feelings™ but WWX thinks they're just not moving very fast (for reasons which may or may not involve a specific deadline after which they can announce their relationship publicly - not that it's not already obvious) and LWJ is convinced that WWX is just going along with this until *deadline* after which he will leave but LWJ can't bring himself to care because a little WWX is better than nothing.

AU which takes place in mdzs setting where JFM dies and YZY becomes the regent sect leader person and like ... Actually makes the effort to prepare Jiang Cheng to be sect leader. Of course, JYL just learn everything as well because it will be useful to her as the future Jin furen. Unfortunately, YZY uses her position to foist WWX off onto the most dangerous and furthest away nighthunts (where he coincidentally meets and falls in love with LWJ, but that's background), but that means he's also moving about relatively free in the world and building relationships that will be important to Yunmeng. Jiang Cheng figures out that he actually doesn't want to be Sect Leader, he's not suited for the politics of it, and he discovers that he really loves teaching his juniors instead (because he just wants to important to people) and JYL figures out that she DOES and she would rock being sect leader. So at JC's crowning ceremony or whatever analog that would be, he defers the position to his elder sister and finds freedom from his parents expectations and his own worries about not being good enough.

5. Um, definitely JGY antagonist speech at the end of the show. I dunno, the whole time he's going on and on about his nefarious plan, I just wanted to yeet LXC out of there as fast as I could. Also, the specific action of LSZ hugging WWX leg. I get it was a callback to his habit as a child, but it was awkward to watch him do it as a man.

Sorry it got so long, but that was really fun! Thanks for sharing!

my MDZS/CQL crowd

I saw someone else make one of these and it’s such a great idea because I wanna know everyone’s opinion on like everything (Idk if you noticed but i love meta so much)

Anyway, send me an ask or just reblog the thingy with your answers if you’re interested

This is what I wanna know about YOU

Character everyone loves and you can’t stand? Why?

Pairing everyone loves and you can’t stand? Why?

Favorite location from either cql or mdzs (novel or donghua) (talk to me about pretty places omg)

Be honest, how many WIPs have you started/finished since getting hooked on The Untamed? what are they about??

Did any character in the live action give you second-hand embarrassment? Who was it? What did they do?

I could’ve posted like three hundred more questions 😂 but if people actually wanna do it, I can make out one of these like weekly or whatever :)