#i lied about JGS's death

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. Hii! This is my first time asking for a fic, well cause usually other fans ask the same thing.

Any fic with JC/Jiang Sect bashing in the canon era.

Thanks a lot! I love all the work you guys do! @ffaddictsrn

🧡 All will be well when the day is done by abCEE (T, 76k, wangxian, time travel, canon divergence, fix it, not YZY friendly, not Jiang friendly, butterfly effect, no sunshot, madam lan lives, lan WWX)

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 84k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, graphic depictions of violence, underage, LWJ pov, JC pov, dark LWJ, manipulation, grooming, teen body adult mind for LWJ, happy ending for wangxian, problematic consensual underage sex, blood & violence, insane LWJ, manic LWJ) lwj is BRUTAL to jc

💖 Return to Sender by Thesaurus_with_no_words (M, 73k, wangxian, not JC friendly, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Wangxian Get a Happy Ending, YLLZ WWX, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies AU, Temporary Amnesia, Partial Memory Loss, Literal Emotional Manipulation, Unreliable Narrator WWX, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon typical horror and gore, Slow Burn, WIP)

🔒💖 Resilience. by Vrishchika (T, 7k, wangxian, time travel, not JC friendly, golden core transfer fix-it)

🔒💖 After Truth Lies the Honest Path by Vrishchika (M, 10k, wangxian, WIP, Canon Divergence, Truth Serum, Angry WWX, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Mild Angst, Wangxian Get a Happy Ending, Everyone Lives AU, Getting Together)

🧡 Never Again by Hauntcats (T, 67k, WangXian, WWX & WQ & WN, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Angst, Not JC Friendly, BAMF WWX)

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence)

Go Hiking With a Blindfold On by Hauntcats (M, 12k, wangxian, JC & WWX, WQ & WWX, not JC friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, No Golden Core Transfer)

Lay my body down by tawaen (M, 48k, WQ & WWX, WN & WWX, wangxian, JYL & WWX, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Eventual Wangxian, No Golden Core Transfer, Not Cultivation World Friendly, Canon-Typical Violence, Not JC Friendly, Tagged just in case because there is no redemption arc here, What if WWX saw the first siege of the burial mounds and said Nope to the war, Original Character(s), OC point-of-view for one chapter for plot reasons)

Symmetry by Vir_Abelasan (M, 13k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX, One-Sided ChengXian, One-Sided ChengZhui, Canon Divergence, LSZ is raised by wwx, Wwx still dies sorry, Revenge, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Dark LSZ, Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Torture, Not JC Friendly, JC’s Canonical 13 Years Murder Spree, BAMF LSZ, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, LSZ Gets to Go Apeshit)

🔒 The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 30k, wangxian, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC friendly, Not Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect Friendly, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Not YZY Friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, ,Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gūsū Lán Sect Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WWX Protection Squad) Has both JC being a little shit & the Lans finding out about WWX's treatment during CRSA

🔒 Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, wangxian, fix-it, darker gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way?, golden core transfer fix-it of sorts, not Jiang friendly, or anyone friendly, except wangxian, cultivation world critical, fluff, sunshot, politics, courting rituals, genius WWX, no demonic cultivation, talismans, possessive LWJ, protective LWJ, WIP)

Get it right (mdzs time travel) Series by AmiraAlzilu (M, 85k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts, Canonical Character Death, Temporary Character Death, Fluff, Not JC Friendly, Unreliable Narrator, Unreliable Narrator WWX, Getting Together, Time Travel Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Not Jiang Clan Friendly, Jiāng Family Bashing, Character Death Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Grieving LXC, Grieving LQR, LQR Is So Done, Dead LWJ, Dead WWX) (link in #2)

~*~

2. heyyy thanks for all your hard work! itmf for fics that the lan clan finds out about wwx abuse from the jiang sect. thanks in advance!

🧡 All will be well when the day is done by abCEE (T, 76k, wangxian, time travel, canon divergence, fix it, not YZY friendly, not Jiang friendly, butterfly effect, no sunshot, madam lan lives, lan WWX) link in #1

🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 53k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

🔒 The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 30k, wangxian, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC friendly, Not Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect Friendly, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Not YZY Friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, ,Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gūsū Lán Sect Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WWX Protection Squad) link in #1 Has both JC being a little shit & the Lans finding out about WWX's treatment during CRSA

🔒 Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, wangxian, fix-it, darker gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way?, golden core transfer fix-it of sorts, not Jiang friendly, or anyone friendly, except wangxian, cultivation world critical, fluff, sunshot, politics, courting rituals, genius WWX, no demonic cultivation, talismans, possessive LWJ, protective LWJ, WIP) link in #1

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

Get it right (mdzs time travel) Series by AmiraAlzilu (M, 85k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts, Canonical Character Death, Temporary Character Death, Fluff, Not JC Friendly, Unreliable Narrator, Unreliable Narrator WWX, Getting Together, Time Travel Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Not Jiang Clan Friendly, Jiāng Family Bashing, Character Death Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Grieving LXC, Grieving LQR, LQR Is So Done, Dead LWJ, Dead WWX)

~*~

3. Hello!! Itmf/does anyone know of any canon-compliant fics where when WWX comes back to life it is like no time has passed for him so he still feels and acts like a teenager/young adult? Where he gets along better with the juniors rather than his generation because he still is young at heart? Thank you!

~*~

4. heeyy mods, hope youre enjoying the holidays!!

this is for itmf

A) I recently read audience of one which is basically being XiCheng being sweet babies, so I would really love if someone could rec good XiCheng fics

B) are there any good modern wangxian detectives au!!?? @mercurygirlwt28

4B)

🧡 CSI: Gusu Edition Series by Stratisphyre (M, 39k, WangXian, WWX & LQR, Modern with Magic AU, College AU, Golden Core Reveal, Single parent WWX, Good Uncle LQR, Hospitalization, Allusions to violence and murder)

Moonlight as My Guide by BromeliadDreams (M, 32k, WangXian , Case Fic, Body Horror, Modern with Magic, Academia, (book) canon-typical desecration of the dead, actually far more soft domesticity than the previous tags imply, background/implied xiyao, grey-ace wwx)

~*~

5. hii, tje next Itmf can I ask for fics which feel the song. "dark red" by Steve Lacy.

thank you!!

~*~

6. Hola! for the next itmf, I have two requests please, they are kind of similar.

A) pls rec the good modern aus!! the fluffy, tje ones w angst, anything.

B) modern aus which also deal w depression.

6A)

🔒 Wangxian Tax Universe series by adrian_kres, RoseThorne (T, 5k, wangxian, modern, Getting Together, Americana, Family Dinners, Dysfunctional Family, Family Feels, Announcements, Therapy, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Crack, Fluff)

Extracts from the diaries of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, relating to the case of Lan Zetian (Nov. 4 to Nov. 27) by Accidental_Child (T, 6k, wangxian, modern cultivation, Case Fic, Epistolaryish, Diary/Journal, WWX-centric, LWJ-centric, Slow Burn, (academic), Enemies to Lovers, academic rivals i guess?, Rivals to Lovers, Mentions of Murder, mentions of abuse, mentions of assult)

🔒 Standing By by Prince_kun (T, <;1k, wangxian, WIP, Modern, Mutual Pining, Getting to Know Each Other, Getting Together, Strangers to Lovers, Past WWX/Other(s), Airports, Airports can be romantic and not just meant for the dramatic breakup scene, Rich LWJ, CEO LWJ, Bisexual Disaster WWX, WWX is LSZ's Parent, Fluff, Light Angst, Everyone Lives AU, Developing Relationship)

Lessons in Belonging by Nyatci (M, 12k, wangxian, Modern, Childhood Friends to Lovers, POV LWJ, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canonical Child Abuse, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Homophobia, Good Uncle LQR, background 3zun, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assumed Asexuality, but it’s just an assumption, some mild non-overly-explicit smut, LWJ really wants to put a ring on it, so he does, Domestic Fluff, wangxian adopt a-yuan, 5+1 Things, softer than how the tags make it sound)

The extravagant wedding, the gorgeous brother, and other reasons you should listen to your uncle by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 5k, wangxian, Modern, Kid Fic, Soft Wangxian, Good Uncle LQR, Matchmaking, Fluff and Humor, shark week)

The Art of Communication by mrcformoso (G, 4k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Meet-Cute, Engineering Student WWX, Music Student LWJ, Swimmer WWX, Martial Artist LWJ, POV Outsider, POV WWX, POV LWJ, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Communication Issues, But Wanxian Makes it Work, LWJ has limited words, WWX has too many words, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Love Languages, Requited Love)

Just Ask Me To Stay by mrcformoso (M, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, Former JZ/WWX, Minor NieLan, Minor XuanLi, No Powers, Dancer WWX, Musician LWJ, Roommates, Friends to Lovers, Break Up, Post-Break Up, Recovery, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, Sex as Self Worth Reaffirmation, Fluff, Light Angst, Anal Se,x Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Domestic Fluff, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Has a Breeding Kink, Size Queen WWX, Belly Bulge, Porn With Plot, WWX Has Friends, LWJ Has Friends, Hurt/Comfort, A lot of comfort, Romantic Comedy, Cuter story than the summary makes it out to be, Feel-good)

🧡 Hello, IT. Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again? By overmountainandmeadow (T, 65k, WangXian, Modern AU, Office, Modern office AU, IT Director! LWJ, Graphic Designer! WWX, Father!LWJ, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Juniors as interns, Light Angst, Mistaken Identity, Identity Porn, Rabbits, Cloud Recesses as a company, Happy Ending, Single Parent LWJ)

🧡 Yiling Salon: Hair, Nails and Piercing by TriviasFolly (T, 22k, WangXian, Modern AU, Hairstylist AU, Hairstylist WWX, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Experimental style)

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, wangxian, modern, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic LWJ, neurodivergent WWX, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you've met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the asshole dog, setting out to make the neighborhood safer for your crush and accidentally building community, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation, the chef's assortment of partnered sex acts) (link in #17)

🔒some things go forward by everythingispoetry (T, 73k, WangXian, Modern AU, Hospitals, Teenage Drama, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Happy Ending)

oh brother by lanzhans_rbf (skzinger) (G, 5k, LXC & LWJ, WangXian, Modern AU, POV Outsider, Twin Jades of Lán Dynamics, Twin Jades of Lán Feels)

A Soft Storm by AvoOwO (Not rated, 47k, wangxian, modern, hurt WWX, LWJ pov, protective LWJ, not SS friendly, car accidents, hurt/comfort, heavy angst w happy ending, sexual harrasment, stalking, crying, blood & injury & gore, major character injury, college, slut shaming, insults)

Coincidence is Another Man's Fate by TriviasFolly (M, 164k, wangxian, rape/non-con, modern, ABO, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, WangXian play the long game, UNTIL THEY DON'T, Getting Together, fated pairs, Eventual Attempted Sexual Assult and Recovery, Office au, Mpreg)

I know what my heart wants by yakuso5u (Not Rated, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Father LWJ, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Accidental Child Acquisition, Domestic, Slice of Life, Christmas references)

flight of the birch tree by bleuett (T, 2k, WangXian, Modern AU, liminal spaces, Subways, dreamy vibes, Meet-Cute, kind of)

i know who i want to take me home by ScarlettStorm (E, 16k, wangxian, modern, bartender WWX, drunk LWJ, caretaking, meet-cute, fluff, comedy, smut, minor angst, major shenanigans)

spoke like we meant it by BlackWiresOnHerHead (T, 10k, WangXian, Modern AU, 5+1, Fluff, oh my god they were roommates, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Pining, Cuddling, Accidental Confession, Humor, Abandonment Issues, Light Angst)

Keep Track of Losing Days by giraffeter (T, 74k, WangXian, Modern AU, Case Fic, Police, Missing Persons, Mystery, Getting Together, Flashbacks, Rooftop Conversations, Detective LWJ, antifa WWX, Endgame NieLan, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed, First Kiss, First Meetings, Seattle, Mutual Pining, nonfatal car accident, mafia wens, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers)

6B)

🔒 moonlight falls series by RoseThorne (M, 15k, wangxian, SL/XXC, JC & WWX, WQ & WWX, NHS & WWX, Found Family, Modern, Corporate Espionage, Bunnies, Adoption, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, References to Depression, Anxiety, Blind Character, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Confrontations, Bad Parent LQR, Pre-JC & WWX Reconciliation, Dissociation, Mental Health Issues, Anniversary, Food, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Emotional Constipation, Communication Failure, JC is Bad at Feelings, JC is Trying, WWX Needs a Hug, Implied/Referenced Sex, Food Sex, Friendship, Reconciliation, Psychological Trauma)

Welcome to the Family series by jiejieaini (E, 231k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, JYL/JZX, modern, Wangixian Get a Happy Ending, LWJ is best dad, Bunnies, London, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Adopted WWX, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Reunions, Hand Jobs, Tears, Gay Sex, Consensual Non-Consent, Dom/sub Undertones, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Christmas, Praise Kink, Rough Sex, Rough Kissing, WWX & LWJ Have a Breeding Kink, First Time, Public Blow Jobs, High School, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Falling In Love, Love, Love Confessions, Birthdays, Blowjobs, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Drowning, Canonical Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Dubious Consent, Rimming, Panic Attacks, Anxiety, A-Yuan is adorable, Marriage Proposal, Weddings, Nightmares, Adoption, Pregnancy)

Lessons in Belonging by Nyatci (M, 12k, wangxian, Modern, Childhood Friends to Lovers, POV LWJ, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canonical Child Abuse, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Homophobia, Good Uncle LQR, background 3zun, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assumed Asexuality, but it’s just an assumption, some mild non-overly-explicit smut, LWJ really wants to put a ring on it, so he does, Domestic Fluff, wangxian adopt a-yuan, 5+1 Things, softer than how the tags make it sound) link in #6A

12 Hours In Hell and Paradise (Or: Lan Zhan’s Distinguished Guide to Seasonal Depression) by demonicsalad (T, 4k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, Modern, Friends to Lovers, Developing Relationship, Mental Health Issues, Neurodiversity, Love Confessions, POV LWJ)

Just Ask Me To Stay by mrcformoso (M, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, Former JZ/WWX, Minor NieLan, Minor XuanLi, No Powers, Dancer WWX, Musician LWJ, Roommates, Friends to Lovers, Break Up, Post-Break Up, Recovery, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, Sex as Self Worth Reaffirmation, Fluff, Light Angst, Anal Se,x Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Domestic Fluff, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Has a Breeding Kink, Size Queen WWX, Belly Bulge, Porn With Plot, WWX Has Friends, LWJ Has Friends, Hurt/Comfort, A lot of comfort, Romantic Comedy, Cuter story than the summary makes it out to be, Feel-good) (Iink in 6A)

💖 you are safe / loved / worthy / enough by everythingispoetry (T, 150k, wangxian, modern, College/University au, Social Media, Mental Health Issues, Healing, self-care, Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, the mortifying ordeal of self-acceptance, Falling In Love, Depression, Slow Burn)

KILF (Knits I'd Like To Fuck in) by ScarlettStorm (E, 168k, wangxian, modern, sex work, fiber arts, 2nd in series)

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

~*~

7. Itmf some fics that are just plain funny! Rec me any fics that made you lol please @peebls

Lan Wangji Gets Harassed by a Pack of Children by hyacinth4maria (G, 9k, wangxian, CSSR & WWX & WCZ, CSSR/WCZ, Madam Lan & LWJ, LWJ meets the Wei family, the Wei family consists of OCs and strays, Modern, High School, Young Love, Fluff and Crack)

rerun from the outside by Eicas (T, 2k, wangxian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, POV Outsider, JC POV, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, WWX has timetravelled! unbeknownst to him so has LWJ!, JC gets to be there for the glorious moment when the penny drops, Mojo's post)

❤️ Wangxian’s Time-Travelling Shenanigans series by pupeez4eva (G, 18k, wangxian, time travel, love confessions, humor, Mojo's post)

The Twelve Days of Christmas, OR, How to Drive Your Brother-in-Law Insane by Following One Traditional Carol by Hobbsy3 (T, 3k, wangxian, modern, Fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Twelve Days Of Christmas, sending someone six geese and seven swans is definitely not an act of love, OR IS IT, Christmas Fluff, JC is So Done, LWJ is a Little Shit) link in #16

Deep Dive by MimiSpearmint (E, 24k, wangxian, JC & WWX, modern, therapy au, twin prides of yunmeng feels, angst w/ happy ending, career ending injuries, counsellor LWJ, eventual smut, crack, discussion of domestic abuse)

Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association Series by Ariaste (M/T, 119k, WIP, XiYao, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, xiyao and wangxian are both already married, Family Feels, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Slice of Life, Discussions of Past Trauma, wwx's canonical kinks, HOAverse) there's a reason it's recced all the time!

To Woo a Yao by Iamnotawriter (G, 8k, WangXian, Some Humor, Investigations, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Secret Letters, Mystery, Crack)

WeHateDogs by trippednfell (T, 3k, WangXian, Modern AU, Inspired by Twitter, Social Media AU, WWX is a professional dog hater, Fluff and Crack)

our own kind of magic. by scarletwanlian (T, 18k, WangXian, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Humor, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Modern AU, Magic, Magical Realism, College/University, Slice of Life!, Witch!WWX, Banter)

~*~

8. Uhm hi. I’m looking for a fic where instead of Jiang Fengmian, Yu Ziyuan was thought to be Wei Ying’s parent. Or where yu ziyuan adopts Wei ying

Hope series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, wangxian, WWX & YZY, WWX & JFM, WWX & JYL, YZY/JFM, JC & WWX, LQR & WWX, LXC & JYL, Madam Jin & YZY, LQR & JFM, LXC & LWJ, Transmigration, Time Travel Fix-It, Illnesses, Family, Scars, Memory Loss, Angst, Crying, Music, Nosebleed, Fear, Recovery, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Flirting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Parent YZY, Referenced Sexual Slavery, Blood and Gore, Monsters, Sexual Tension, betrothal, Arranged Marriage, Grief, Adoption, POV Third Person, POV Alternating, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Good Parent LQR, Clairvoyance, Butterfly Effect, Kid Fic, Epistolary, Food, Secrets, Resentful Energy, Cultivation Sect Politics, Character Death)

~*~

9. Hi! Do you have rec fics where Wwx has a sibling/sister? (This part added to FF) Thank youu!! @gideonmorningstar

We Meet at the Thousandth Step by Admiranda, Rynne (T, 163k, wangxian, CSSR/WCZ, WIP, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, CSSR & WCX Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Different First Meeting, Night Hunts, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Plot, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Everyone LivesAU, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, WWX's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, WWX Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss)

Lan Wangji Gets Harassed by a Pack of Children by hyacinth4maria (G, 9k, wangxian, CSSR & WWX & WCZ, CSSR/WCZ, Madam Lan & LWJ, LWJ meets the Wei family, the Wei family consists of OCs and strays, Modern, High School, Young Love, Fluff and Crack) link in #7

~*~

10. ITMF fics that changed your minds about tropes/settings/characters you had previously disliked? I am trying to try new things but I tend not to pick things for myself outside of plain plain status quo. TY!

mating rituals by detectorist (E, 16k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern AU, College/University, Humour, Pining, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, The Rituals Are Intricate) Never cared about jzx until I read this fic

Coincidence is Another Man's Fate by TriviasFolly (M, 164k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Omegaverse, Alpha LWJ, Omega wwx, Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Getting Together, fated pairs, Eventual Attempted Sexual Assult and Recovery, Modern Setting - Office, Mpreg) This is the abo fic for anyone who’s never liked abo

symmetry by bleuett (M, 44k, WangXian, Space, Science Fiction, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Holding Hands, Blow Jobs, Hand Feeding, Cultivation in Space, Yearning, Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Injuries, Grief/Mourning, Unconventional Time Travel, Burial Mounds) Never liked fics set in space but this one was so good

Twin Demons of Mò by XiaoFeiFei (ArfBarkWoof) (M, 358k, MXY & WWX, wangxian, JL & MXY, XY & MXY, JGY & MXY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Abuse, Death, Twin Demons of Mo, MXY Lives, Major Character Injury, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Minor Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Minor Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Torture, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Canon Divergence, Self-Harm, Found Family, Sexual Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, POV Alternating) Twin Demons of Mo was my first foray into the super heavy angst that can pop up in the fandom, and since I'm very empathetic, heavy angst tends to be difficult for me to read, but TDOM was beautiful and now I can handle fics like Concord with more ease

TAKOYAKI by ariskamalt (E, 3k, wangxian, modern, Established Relationship, PWP, Tentacles, Tentacle Sex, First Time, Semi-Sentient Tentacles, Anal Sex, tentaclejobs?, Podfic Available) please don't let the tentacles scare you😆

~*~

11. hello! i just finished this fic on ao3 called 'like speaking to my heart' by SnowshadowAO3.

it has suibian and bichen as daemons and i've really enjoyed reading it.

i wanted to ask if it's possible to find more fic's where suibian and bichen play a major role either in their sword forms or are like these aus where they take a different form.

(not really necessary but are there any fics where suibian and bichen share a really close bond with lwj and wwx, respectively, too?)

thank you so much!

🧡 Song of Suibian and Bichen: Or, the Greatest (And Only) Furby Master of Demonic Cultivation by moonwaif (T, 64k, WangXian, Fix-It of Sorts, canon adjacent, The spiritual weapons are furbies, Angst with a Happy Ending, The parent trap but make it WangXian with furbies, Mutual Pining, Taking my favorite parts of every adaptation and smashing them together)

~*~

12. hi hi! i'm in the mood for fics where lwj feels insecure over his "bland and stiff" personality and wwx reassures him

~*~

13. Could you suggest some multi-chapter fics of genre Fox Wei Wuxian and Dragon Lan Wangji. @lostsoul234

(Dreaming of) Being Human by Harleydoll (M, 109k, JC & WWX, NHS & WWX, LXC & WWX, LXC & LWJ, wangxian, JYL & WWX, Soft Wangxian, Pining, POV LWJ, Protective LWJ, Oblivious WWX, YLLZ WWX, Fox WWX, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Huli Jing, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, , Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sleepy Cuddles, Literal Sleeping Together, Sharing a Bed, Nudity, WWX is a Lán, WWX is Loved, Gremlin WWX, Shapeshifting, POV WWX, Qíshān Wēn Indoctrination, Not Lánlíng Jīn Sect Friendly, Burning of the Cloud Recesses, Post-Burning of the Cloud Recesses, Explicit Sexual Content, Oral Sex, First Time, First Kiss, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Sunshot Campaign, Fox Spirit WWX, Canon Temporary Character Death, Not Really Character Death)

🔒Due Process by Kytrin, Mslead (E, 279k, WangXian, XiChengSang, Poly Junior Quartet, Modern AU, Foxxian, dragonji, Genderfluid WWX, WWX identifies as male, Organized Crime, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of child abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Found Family, Reincarnation)

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

The early bird gets the worm, the early fox gets the bird. But the dragon wakes the earliest of them all. by sekhmetpaws (E, 52k, WangXian, XiYao, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Royalty, Prince LWJ, dragon lwj, fox wwx, dragonji, Arranged Marriage, but not really, Mistaken Identity, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, Foxxian, slowish burn)

~*~

14. ITMF a fic where wangxian bond over both being Chinese / having similar experiences?. It can just be a small moment in a bigger story or it can be whole story @zerokogane

Ticket to Ride Series by mistresscurvy (E, 21k, wangxian, modern, online dating, road trips, service top, phone sex, dick pics, wedding banquet, shower sex) Also it has a killer meet cute

~*~

15. Hey!! I’m fairly new to the fandom and I’m still trying to navigate through your blog so idk if you’ve already done this ask but can you recommend a fic that follows the junior quad as they accidentally give travel back to Wangxian at cloud recess??

Thank you so muchhh

~*~

16. Hey any Christmas wangxian fics that are not too smutty and just wholesome and pure @veryfoxyfulwuji

The Twelve Days of Christmas, OR, How to Drive Your Brother-in-Law Insane by Following One Traditional Carol by Hobbsy3 (T, 3k, wangxian, modern, Fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Twelve Days Of Christmas, sending someone six geese and seven swans is definitely not an act of love, OR IS IT, Christmas Fluff, JC is So Done, LWJ is a Little Shit)

Ornaments Under the Stars by trippednfell (M, 57k, wangxian, Modern, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, the wangxian Hallmark Movie AU no one asked for, plot and title were randomly generated, Kidfic, Disabled Character, debilitating injury as substitute for missing golden core, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst with a Happy Ending, Guest starring LWJ's sky blue coat, The Coat deserves its own tag, disordered eating habits)

We Wish You A Logical Christmas by little_ogre (M, 9k, wangxian, Star Trek AU, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending, Going to Vulcan for Christmas, WWX is Vulcan, LWJ is human, what could go wrong, Pon Farr)

Christmas Eve at Number 16 by liulans (T, 9k, wangxian, Christmas Fluff, Modern, Getting Together, Mistletoe as an icebreaker, Fluff, neighbors to lovers, Friends to Lovers, Christmas Eve, snowstorm date)

~*~

17. Hi! I recently saw a DIY where they printed out their favorite fanfic and they (did book binding, sorry, I don’t what the English word for this is) so I wanted to ask if anyone could recommend fanfictions wich are 1. long enough (so it makes sense to bind it into a book) and 2. good/awesome/ wholesome,etc enough ( so I will actually want to bind it).

To keep it short, please recommend your favourite long fics. Thank you so much!

An addition to my ask because my dumbass accidentally send it before adding detail.

If anyone knows a fanfiction with a great plot, good writing or one you think deserves to be a book (because some of them honestly feel more professional than most real books do) I would be super thankful to them <;3 @desperation-is-my-middle-name

Twin Demons of Mò by XiaoFeiFei (ArfBarkWoof) (M, 358k, MXY & WWX, wangxian, JL & MXY, XY & MXY, JGY & MXY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Abuse, Death, Twin Demons of Mo, MXY Lives, Major Character Injury, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Minor Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Minor Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Torture, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Canon Divergence, Self-Harm, Found Family, Sexual Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, POV Alternating)

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, wangxian, modern, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic LWJ, neurodivergent WWX, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you've met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the asshole dog, setting out to make the neighborhood safer for your crush and accidentally building community, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation, the chef's assortment of partnered sex acts)

💖 Magical Marriage Ribbons series by starandrea (M, 1M, wangxian, animal transformations, weddings)

Fallen series by Jaywalker_Holmes (M, 150k, wangxian, major character death, underage, time travel)

💖 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, immortal WWX, slow burn, pining, arranged marriages)

The Scarlet Lotusby rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics)

how to be a heartbreaker by sweetlolixo (E, 122k, wangxian, Sugar Daddy AU, Modern, Sugar Daddy LWJ, Sugar Baby WWX, Dark WWX, Dark LWJ, Pining LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Crossdressing WWX, Seductress WWX, Eventual Happy Ending, Dirty Talking LWJ, They Do Fall In Love and there’s Fluff, Dark Wangxian Power Couple, Off the Charts Sexual Tension, Size Kink, Daddy Kink, degradation kink)

🔒 Silver & Gold  by beeswaxing  (E, 162k, wangxian, post-canon, de-aging, fluff & angst, happy ending, fix-it of sorts, family bonding, established   relationship, non-sexual intimacy, BAMF WWX, pining, protective WWX)

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 84k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, graphic depictions of violence, underage, LWJ pov, JC pov, dark LWJ, manipulation, grooming, teen body adult mind for LWJ, happy ending for wangxian, problematic consensual underage sex, blood & violence, insane LWJ, manic LWJ) link in #1

Meet Me Friday At Seven by craftyTrickster (luoxiaobai) (E, 128k, wangxian, modern, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Friends to Lovers, Blind Date, lots of texting, almost a chat fic, WC and WLJ aren’t evil but they are annoying, Kissing, Masturbation, Anal Sex, romantic sex, Bi WWX, bi nhs, Single Parent WWX, Slow Burn, Unreliable Narrator)

how to fall in love with a catfish: a guide by wei wuxian (disaster rat) by bwyn, Yuisaki (T, 54k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Actors, Multimedia, Online Friendship, Drunken Shenanigans, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Underage Drinking, Drinking Games, Families of Choice, Ensemble Cast, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Catfish AU)

finally safe (for me to fall) by sassybluee (E, 77k, wangxian, modern, sugar daddy au, age difference, sex work, rich WWX, older WWX, service top WWX, poor LWJ, single parent LWJ, sugar baby LWJ, family issues, hurt/comfort, angst w happy ending, slow burn, cockblocking, anal sex, blowjobs, no lube & lube, addiction, compulsory heterosexuality, implied/referenced abuse, wangxian + others)

it rains, it pours by jublis (Not Rated, 130k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Case Fic, Established Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Soft WangXian, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, The Junior Ensemble Love WWX, Protective LWJ, Protective WWX, WWX Needs a Hug, YLLZ WWX, Rogue Cultivator LQY, LQY & WWX Friendship, BAMF LQY, Horror, Friendship/Love, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Ambiguous/Open Ending, for the mystery, Our boys are fine) is dripping with atmosphere, and being able to hold a physical book and read it by the fire on a stormy night would enhance that so well

~*~

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

[robby-bobby-tommy]

there are so much interesting thematical similarities between characters of one family/clan in mdzs.

Like the Nies (the only two characters we know of) are ruthless and they all are bound by the undying desire of revenge. Nie Mingjue waited for God knows how long to take down When Rouhan and later even overcame death to get to Jin Guangyao. Nie Huaisang waited for a whole decade to find his brother's corpse and made a very complicated plot to avenge him. They both weren't afraid to get their hands dirty to get what they want. NMJ killed countless of Wen soldiers, and NHS is responsible for MXY's death, all the deaths in Mo Village, probably for Qin Su's death (tho indirectly). And that's just what I can remember. Anyway, they're shared theme is rage (be it quiet or explosive) and revenge.

The Lans, I think, have this shared passion and undying loyalty. LWJ is pretty obvious. Despite how much everyone hated WWX, despite his clan and family being against him, LWJ never stopped believing in WWX. He even went against his teacher/parental figure/uncle to protect his love. That's the dedication right there. And even when WWX got resurrected (thx NHS) LWJ was prepared to die in the Burial ground (if I didn't mess up the location) with WWX. And he isn't the only one in his family/clan.

Like father like son, Lan papa went against all that he knew to protect the woman he loved so much. Even if it meant he had to spend all his life in seclusion, probably never seeing his sons and the outside world, he was prepared to sacrifice everything for Madame Lan.

LCX was also ready to put his everything on the line for JGY. He was constantly supporting JGY, protecting him from harm (mostly from NMJ), and still giving him a benefit of the doubt after all the crazy stuff was revealed. LXC actually makes me terribly sad, because he was PREPARED TO DIE WITH JGY. HE WAS PREPARED TO USE QI DEVIATING MUSIC ON HIMSELF TO PROVE JGY'S INNOCENCE/FIND OUT TRUTH. WHY MUST HE BE USED SO MUCH BY THE PEOPLE HE CARES THE MOST? (Sorry, I'm still heartbroken) Anyways, he isn't an exception to the rule. But he certainly is the most heartbreaking one for sure.

Even Su She, who was only a student in the clan and isn't connected to the family, he was very loyal to JGY, putting his own life on the line multiple times and getting his hands dirty with no questions asked. Su She wasn't the most brave one when he was young, but his devotion literally made him go against the most powerful fierce corpse. No matter how much he wanted to distance himself from Lan clan, he can't escape the loyalty curse of Gusu™.

The trickiest one is Lan Qiren, cuz he doesn't really show very much affection towards anyone/anything. But I feel like his devotion lies with his family or the rules. Despite being super strict, he tries to get LWJ return to Cloud Recesses to protect him from other clans. (The funniest part is that "lets go back to Gusu" never works). Also LQR's and LXC's little interaction in the conference about Wens in donghua made me smile sm, it was so sweet. The funniest part is that he's always whiny, but will cave in for his loved ones. I literally have no proof of him being loyal to his family, but MXTX's own words in an artbook I believe??

I am not really sure about Yunmeng Jiang or Lanling Jin clans, cuz they don't really have so obvious similarities. Lanling Jin's similarity is being connected to JGS, which is not so unique in mdzs. And Yunmeng Jiang is probably having family issues.

[symphonyofsilence]

I believe that no matter what he did, there was no happy ending for Jin Guangyao.

Whether he stayed with the Nie (he would always wish that he could have been legitimized by his father. [Because of the better social standing it would bring him which was a very big deal actually he would have been miserable unless he was legitimized, because he really wanted his father's acceptance, because he had to replace that horrible last memory of Jinlintai in his mind, because it was his birthright, & most importantly because it was his mother's last wish], he would get bullied & humiliated & get looked down upon every day by almost everyone, he would always wish [& know that with his potential] he could reach much higher and make the changes he wanted to make in the world) or didn't, or join the Lans (the same problems but maybe with less bullying and fewer shit talks because it would have been against the Lan rules and also the Lans owed JGY big time) or the Jiangs, whether Meng Shi survived or didn't (I think JGY wouldn't have told her about that staircase incident, then who knows what lies he'd make up and what he would do to hide that he was not accepted by the Jins from his mother or get accepted by them at any cost and what it would result in) whether NHS planned his downfall or didn't (he still had the head of NMJ in his secret room that he claimed "wouldn't let him go", he still slept in the same bed as his sister, he still had and had lost a son with her that he claimed that "his blood ran cold everytime he looked at him" & whether he did have him killed or not he blamed himself for his death [I've explained here why I think that], he still had to live with the knowledge that no matter what horrible deed he committed for JGS, no matter how hard he tried he was never "worth mentioning" to his father, and had to lose all his considerable filial piety & what was essentially his life's mission to the point that he murdered his father) whether he went to Dongying (he'd have still lost all he built in his motherland, despite years of trying to build himself a good reputation and prove anyone who taunt him wrong, he'd still always be known as the rotten "son of a prostitute" there. And He'd have to start from scratch in Dongying, He'd still had to leave without Meng Shi's body, NHS would never get off his tail, and he'd be separated from LXC and JL [even if they followed him, he likely would feel bad for separating them from their sects and their families. Those were things that JGY himself longed for most of his life. He wouldn't want them to follow him.]) or didn't. & don't even start with him marrying LXC which would make all his problems exponentially worse. It would probably get LXC in trouble too (maybe he'd had to leave his sect) and that would be something that JGY would never want.

Certainly, what happened to him in canon was the worst possible scenario and he might have been less miserable in some of those other scenarios, but there were just no happy endings for him.

[random-mdzs-thoughts-dumpster]

I've often thought about why JGY was so bad at defending himself when LXC was asking him those questions in the temple. But what if it was intentional? After JGY took JL hostage WWX thought this:

So, I decided to look at that conversation with this in mind.

LXC wasn't interested in hearing JGY's justifications at first, but JGY kept talking to him and trying to explain himself.

It's also interesting that the only crimes they were talking about before JGY brought the others up himself were burning the brothel and the second siege. Of course, they knew about the others and WWX had even mentioned Bicao and Sisi before, but no one had outright accused JGY of killing QS, JRS, and JZX. Then he said this:

He already knew that denying killing JGS and NMJ would be useless, but, given the fact that QS killed herself in front of everyone, no one even knew for sure that he had told JZX about the ambush and Sect Leader Yao's words being the only "evidence" that JGY killed JRS, I think he said this to rile people up.

But perhaps the most telling detail is this:

Why would he care about the order of it unless he already had a plan in mind? At this point, JGY still thought he could get away, so he saved talking about JGS's death for last. I assume he did it for these reasons:

LXC thought it was the most outrageous one.

He had the most to say about it (like comparing how differently JGS treated him and JZX, retelling the scene which was the last straw for him), and he needed some time to distract people.

He had to cut himself open and take out the guqin string from his abdomen. He knew the pain would most likely show on his face. If he was talking about a painful memory such as JGS insulting his mother and saying he wasn't worth talking about, people would assume the tears were the result of it.

The entire conversation is a mess because JGY contradicts himself multiple times:

At first, he says he had no choice but to kill JZX, then denies sending him to the Qiongqi Path to get him killed, and finally, he says this:

JGY also says he had no choice but to kill JGS but when the time came to talk about it, he acted quite unapologetically.

I think he admitted killing JZX, so LXC would ask him about it, then said it wasn't his intention, then made it seem like he didn't feel guilty about it, all because he wanted JL to get closer. And he joked about JGS's death to make LXC angry.

And finally, this line and the fact that he's lying here too, sums it all up very well.

Everyone knows JGY's clever and good at lying, so the fact that he paints himself in a bad light several times when he's supposed to be seeking pity should be suspicious on its own.

I also find it interesting that he never mentioned saving Sisi. WWX hid it from LXC for a reason, and I think saying it wouldn't have changed anything is missing the point. He also didn't answer LXC's question about JRS.

We can't be sure if everything he said was true or just a way to distract people. He had to say some truths and make himself seem sympathetic too, so that nobody would suspect a thing. So, I think it's impossible to fully separate the truths from lies at this point.

[lansplaining]

Hi, I followed you because you have a lot to say about jin guangyao and I enjoy reading it. When I first watched cql I thought he was an enetertaining and satisfying villain both to watch and also to watch being taken down in the end. Such drama! Much style! Then I read a lot of meta about him and watched the show again and realised how much he was being set up as a villain without there being much truth there. The more I read/thought about this, the more interesting and sympathetic I found him.

I am still reading more and more points which point out ways in which the ending and jin guangyao's portrayal is misleading - like the post today pointing out that nmj didn't know that jgy had a part in his death, for example. nmj apparently just hated jgy by the end of his life and that was why his fierce corpse kept attacking jgy. I am a little skeptical about that last part - it may be true but I can't help but feel that the hatred was pretty equally shared around which makes blaming any one party pretty pointless.

I really enjoy jgy as a character. I also enjoy nmj and jzx (who you were vague blogging about today) and tbh I love pretty much the whole cast minus a few obvious dickbags like jgs. Before I take what these posts have to say at face value, I guess I wanted to know, how much do you dislike nmj and jzx? Neither the nmj post nor your jzx post come across as though they are characters you (or op) like. I personally love them and as much as I want to learn about jgy and see different sides, I don't really want to read a lot of negative content about characters I love - especially if it's not written in a way that is particularly balanced.

I hope this does not come across as impolite or disrespectful. I think I am feeling a bit defensive but I don't want to be rude or for you to feel upset or angry. The obvious thing to do is for me to say I should agree to disagree and just unfollow if it's too much but that always feels so drastic to me - maybe I am misreading/reading in bad faith!

<3 <3 <3

first of all, i definitely think JGY also hates NMJ by the end. absolutely mutual hatred there, stemming from a range of reasons, justified and otherwise.

i definitely reblog some stuff from people who actively dislike NMJ, so I wouldn't blame you at all for unfollowing me if you don't want to see that! i actually really like him-- i watched CQL first and totally bought it when the Wens lied and said he was dead and was really sad! i think his structural role is so interesting, and in many ways the story only works if he is both a guy you don't know much about, but think is pretty cool from what you do know. then you find out things that paint him in a far less flattering light, but there's a kind of tragedy in that.

i actually quite like jin zixuan as well. again, CQL first, i loved his moment with the swords at evil wen summer camp, this unexpected proof of how his pride could be a good thing, and in fact had some courage to go along with it. i was so so shocked and sad when he died!

what makes me occasionally get salty about NMJ and JZX both (and again, that totally happens, and i don't blame you at all for not wanting to see that) is honestly over-exposure to fanon takes on them, which i feel are overly simplistic and smooth over the things that make them interesting in favor of making them just really nice, stand-up guys. for NMJ in particular, i think you'll often see JGY fans going extra hard on all the things that are bad about NMJ because they/we feel like we're always implicitly pushing back against fandom's love of him with reminders that he did bad things, too.

the JZX thing is just a total personal pet peeve honestly-- i think he's fun and interesting because he's probably not the nicest or most generous person, but he is ride or die for this one lady and, by extension, sometimes her family. but if he was out here wanting to become besties with jin guangyao, he had a whole year+ to do that and... did not do that. that's okay!! he's a more interesting character for being an imperfect guy!!

my favorite characters are lan wangji, jin guangyao, and jiang cheng-- i like my little guys to be an absolute mess and a bit mean and to not make good choices. throw in the desire to-- not exactly defend JGY, but to resist the parts of fandom that paint him as a 2D villain, and the accompanying attempts to discuss/remind people of the ways those characters hurt JGY/are maybe not such good people because of how they treated him, things can absolutely take on a tone where it seems like characters like NMJ and JZX are being disparaged. but for me, i like them more for being imperfect.

(i am kinda Actually Mad at huaisang though)

[zeebiespeaking]

FIC MASTERPOST

Seasons Keep on Marching | AO3 🍃 Jin Ling talks to his fellow sect leaders 🍁 Post-canon ❄️ Very, very soft character studies 🌅 Approx 4800 words

 Inquiring After the Family | AO3 🎵 Canon-compliant 🎵 Lan Wangji meets Wen Qing with inquiry 🎵 Two chapters 🎵 Approx 2,000 words

The End of Me, Talking Like That | AO3 🪢 Xiyao 🪢 Rope bondage 🪢 Sealed meridians 🪢 Extremely light bloodplay? idk how that got there 🪢 Approx 2,700 words 

Meat on her Bones | AO3 🩰Modern day ballerina Jiang Yanli! 🩰Character study/internal monologue 🩰Pork rib soup 🩰Approx 750 words 🩰 Sort of foundational work for a larger au I'll write one day? I HOPE????? 

Just Like That | AO3 🦵this emoji is horrifying wtf 🦵it's about legs tho, so 🦵modern-day ballet au xiyao 🦵approx 660 words

Gold Tonight | AO3 🍶 JFM and JGS walk into a bar 🍶 Meng Shi is there 🍶 Canon typical misogyny/violence 🍶 Approx 2300 words

Her Own Fate | AO3 🟣 Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Yanli, and Meng Shi Have A Bad Time 🟣 MS/JYL but not like, consummated 🟣 It's about the trauma women's social roles 🟣 Approx 3400 words

She Had Done Enough | AO3 🪷 Mature 🪷 Jiang Yanli has struggled 🪷 Last in the Yunmeng ladies trilogy (=￣ω￣=) 🪷 Approx 1300 words

All the Best Lies Have One | AO3 💚 For #SangyaoWeek2020 💚 Essentially canon compliant 💚 What's a little kiss between brothers by proxy? 💚 Approx 1500 words

We Crawled on Our Bellies | AO3 ⚡️ Mid-century China AU ⚡️ Yu Ziyuan and Wen (Zhao) Zhuliu ⚡️ It's in first person??? ⚡️Approx 1000 words

A Heart, Tightly-Strung (一触就响) | AO3 🏚️ Jin Guangyao, but make him Roderick Usher 🏚️ That's it that's the fic 🏚️ Canon typical incest 🏚️ Approx 7400 words

What a Gentleman Seeks | AO3 🛖 Xiling (LXC/JL) 🛖 Post-canon 🛖 Proxies, identity formation and SO much grief 🛖 Approx 7200 words

Dropping this little thread fic here bc I WILL lose it otherwise lmao: You are a powerful cultivator

better add that infidelity tag then lol | AO3 4⃣ Trans JGY 4⃣ Qin Su wants a baby 4⃣ What are sworn brothers for, anyway? 4⃣ Approx 10,900 words

Some Mercy | AO3 👻 Meng Shi and Madame Qin meet 👻 Kinkmeme fill 👻 It's real stream-of-consciousness and weird lmao 👻 Approx 2500 words

A Good Enough Reason | AO3 🩸 Modern vampire au Wangxian 🩸 Vampire!Wei Ying 🩸 Bondage, face-slapping, blood play 🩸 Approx 2300 words

Got sad about Wen torture friends

-Lan Xichen voice- My girlfriends, who live in Canada, | AO3 👅 wlw omegaverse Nieyao 👅 genuinely just fluff 👅 omega Meng Yao in heat 👅 approx 1300 words

peonies  | AO3 🌳 Qin Su/Meng Yao 🌳 Wen war prize Qin Su 🌳 come see the violence inherent in the system 🌳 approx 13,300 words

bloom once | AO3 🌳 Qin Su/Jin Guangyao 🌳 Explicit, but more for violence 🌳 in their bedrooms after the war 🌳 oh my god they're so messed up 🌳 approx 15,400 words sequel to "peonies"

SERIES: like the holes in your heart  | AO3 🚿 Modern Wen war prize Lan Xichen 🚿 Trauma and recovery 🚿 Xiyao into 3zun 🚿 approx 42,000 words with small updates planned 

The Most Important Meal of the Day  | AO3 🛌 Explicit 3zun 🛌 Part of "like the holes of your heart" series 🛌 Somno, spitroasting, d/s 🛌 approx 2400 words

Head to the Cool Tile | AO3 🚽 Explicit Xiyao 🚽 Part of "like the holes of your heart" series 🚽 Emetophilia, impact play, d/s 🚽 approx 4800 words

At the Cloudless Sky | AO3 ⚽️ Explicit NMJ & Wen Xu ⚽️ Part of "like the holes of your heart" series ⚽️ the many violences of wartime ⚽️ approx 1100 words

People Cry During Sex | AO3 🥯 Explicit Xiyao 🥯 Part of "like the holes of your heart" series 🥯 Missing scene from "Always Ebbed Strangely" 🥯 approx 500 words it's vital 2 me that u read the title in the same cadence as "people die when they are killed"

Is JGY going to have his dad raped to death by prostitutes and watch it happen in this au? | AO3 🚿 Major Character Death 🛌 Meng Shi/Jin Guangshan 🚿 Part of the "like the holes of your heart" series 🛌 approx 1000 words

Ash | 扒灰  | AO3 🔥 Xuanli, except,,, 🔥 Dead dove, explicit 🔥 Once again I'm writing about female trauma 🔥 approx 1600 words

Smoke and Fire | 烟火  | AO3 🔥 JYL/JGS 🕊️ JGY and Mme Qin have a talk ☠️ approx 600 words

any of it back | AO3 ✒️ Teen+ ✒️ funky lil JGY freewrite ✒️ epistolary/poem adjacent ✒️ 300ish words "er-ge, forgive me"

Heartwood Coffin | 心材寿材  | AO3 🌲 Explicit (LXC/OC, LXC/JGY, LXC/NMJ, OC/OC) ⚰️ All of my grief for Lan Xichen 🌲 A long life and a good death ⚰️ approx 154k words IT IS SUCH A SWEET RELIEF TO HAVE HER POSTED IN COMPLETION NOW OH MY LORD 

Sloppy and Indecorous (Whatever Weird Thing) | AO3 🎀 Explicit OFC/OFC 🎀 Extra from Heartwood Coffin 🎀 Improper use of the Lan forehead ribbon 🎀 Approx 1500 words HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MEEEEEE

The Urge to Recoil | AO3 🏺 xiyao + qin su 🏺 humiliation play, feminization 🏺 under-negotiated kink 🏺 approx 5k words written for a rainy day for @tellingetienne 🤗

"Scientific studies show that being milked by a partner leads to better, more frequent sex and a higher chance of conception"  | AO3 🐮 Explicit F/F Nielan 🍼 Cow Hybrid Lan Xichen 🐮 Literal Horse Girl Nie Mingjue 🍼 approx 2200 words

"The biological imperative, such as it is."  | AO3 🐴 Explicit F/F Nielan Breeding King 🐮 Cow Hybrid Lan Xichen 🐴 Mingjue Thee Stallion 🐮 approx 4700 words it's a series now 🙈🙈🙈

"There remains a tendency for carnivore parents to have their babies’ tails docked if they would attract the wrong sort of attention"  | AO3 🦊 Explicit 3zun Breeding Kink 🐮 Cow Hybrid LXC 🐴 Mingjue Thee Stallion 🦊 and you know who ;) 🐮 approx 6000 words

I’m your, uh, your husband’s weed guy,  | AO3 🍦 Explicit, Qin Su/Xue Yang 🍦 immovable MILF vs unstoppable weed rat 🍦 Marijuana use, ill-advised sex, no one gets hurt 🍦 approx 3300 words DIRECT from my id into your inbox

Nonconathon Reveal 1: Unmistakable | AO3🪷 Explicit JFM/CSSR 🪷 Drugged somnophilia 🪷 They're both married >:3 🪷 approx 2000 words

Nonconathon Reveal 2: The sick, sure fear | AO3 ☀️ Explicit Wen Chao/Mianmian ☀️ AND Wang Ling Jiao/Mianmian ☀️ Object insertion, branding, exhibitionism ☀️ approx 2000 words

Nonconathon Reveal 3: Ownership Bid | AO3 🅰️ Explicit OMC/OMC 🅱️ Alpha/Omega 🅾️ But no one's in heat or rut 🪦🕊️ approx 5100 words

Filthy Animal | AO3 🐕‍🦺 Explicit M/M 🐕‍🦺 Gun/Pete (KinnPorsche) 🐕‍🦺 Dehumanization, Humiliation, Rape, etc. 🐕‍🦺 Approx 2000 words 🐕‍🦺 for @JudiWench

No Translator Near | AO3 🎷 Explicit M/M 🎷 Relius/Lan Xichen 🎷 Yes you read that correctly (Queen’s Thief/The Untamed) 🎷 Approx 4500 words

[vxensays]

(Adressing both original post and discussion in comments)

WWX canonical murder:

(1) Wen cultivators, who were actual soldiers partaking in a war of conquest in order to put cultivation world under their ideals and censor them and take their freedom, all done ALONGSIDE the cultivation world

"the War Does'Nt WoRk tHis way" hello, it's ancient china, forced labor is not an option[TM]

What was happening to Wens in Jin camps was designed for humiliation, IF we are talking in superman standards here, if one would like, then there should have been war tribunal happening for both Wen Remnants and WWX, BUT OH wait a second, it's almost like it's a point in the story!

JGS lied about who the Wen remnants were, then he and his supporters lied about WWX was building an army which is a false accusation and manipulation which turned WWX into somebody who "cultivation world needs to protect themselves from", WWX conveniently "became loose and dangerous" around time when cultivation worlds very own war crimes were about to be exposed

/and no, we can not compare morals of MDZS world with world of Superman (and there whole other story and moral dilemma about that type of no-killing archetypes EVEN speaking specifically abt Superman. Why do you think superheroes fight aliens and stuff in their stories, but don't take action in humans wars? Because there lies moral dilemma that characters in MDZS have to face, and enough for western ideals, they are non existent in this setting. And also there entire series which includes superman and this dilemma, where, wow he actually killed/

(2) Jin cultivators, who ambushed him on his way to a civil gathering + ACCIDENTAL murder of JZX, which is there in the story excatly for the reason to highlight how innocent are hurt by war and power play (in here JZX and WWX are victims in different ways, but for the same reason, come on people, WWX wasn't like "oh, Jins in general and JZX in particular, I hate them, time to go boinks", i repeat, he was in compromised state of mind because of the ambush, they literally brought him onto themselves and JZX was in wrong place in wrong time

(3) Again, cornered into the wall, in compromised state of mind, after he was proclaimed villain for things he had done FOR cultivation world and WITH THEIR BLESSING, he kills in self-defense, even though he doesn't really want to, but this is "kill or be killed" situation + accidental death of JYL happend basically the same way as JZX, except she was there willingly (what a woman, who is not an active fighter was doing there aniways? No one could have forseen her sacrifice)

Points 2 and 3 had been very well discussed in the comments, i don't see there's need to elaborate further again

Jian Cheng canon merdering:

(1) the same Wen cultivators, no questions, #justified ,okay

(2) The Wen Remnants, during the first siege, when he HAD KNOWN that they are innocents, and not an army, he just DIDN'T CARE and that is another point in the story which highlights how the best of cultivation world are not morally right, that the "right" side is not always right, and how rumors (and propaganda) work

No one, not even Jiang Cheng, who visited before in civil and quiet setting, stopped before ruthlessly killing anarmed Wens (in contrast to always armed cultivators, who were agaimst WWX) and also disrespecting their bodies, by throwing them into blood pools, ultimately not letting them rest in peace

(3) Unknown amount if people that he tortured in civil times, without much evidence on them being reincarnation of WWX, which is serial murder kind of shit

And it is where usually comparison to torture of WC, WZ and WLJ pops up. And while both are bad in our modern (and mostly western) point of view, they are percieved differently in frames of the story and its worldbuilding. WWX took revenge, "an eye for an eye", and basically in term of the story just got rid of dangerous criminals, no one except of LWJ cared about the actual way it happend, not even JC.

While all tortures that JC comitted were quite questionable and gained him a reputation of a cruel person among people, they were scared of this rumors. And, most importantly, that was not a decision made in a "heat of the moment" during war, that was a concious choice made by JC mislead by his own resentment.

So, yeah, when actually circumstances are broken down, all this things are suddenly not the same.

I don't like the use of "muderous nutjob" because it oversimplifies the point, but if we would use that:

Murderous nutjob - a person, who is carelessly, whithout a double thought, goes to an extremes in his rampage (even if justified in their mind)

Then its clear, that WWX is not a nutjob he was being painted as in the story by cultivators, and now by some of the fans. While be killed excactly the same way as the rest and also made his mistakes in compromised state of mind, none of this was careless and not thought about, while JC absolutely didn't care about what is not imporatnt personally to him.

So yeah, WWX wasn't murder crazy, he just fought the war by the means accessible to him (besides tortue of WC, WZ and WLJ it wasn't even stated, that he was cruel to these extremes) and kill all the same as the rest, then he again killed in self-defense, where happend unforseen casualties (because they were casualties, JZX and JYL willfully engaged in these dangerous situations, which had gone awfully bad by a lot of circumstances).

What is in reality conveniently forgot (or actually dropped down, to fit the point) that while WWX had no other options to act otherwise, while many other characters including JC could act differently

[Which second-handedly proofed by all the fanfics where JC doesn't act like a blind asshole, and that allows the story progress differently.]

WWX is not morally grey period

Jiang Cheng is asshole blinded by years of build up negativeness and did nothing about it, because he is fine with the way he is, its just everybody else who is wrong

Its fine to like or dislike character no matter what, i just don't get why would one need to post opinion contradictive even to word of an author in a tag that includes word "canon"

Like, MXTX said that WWX is a moral compass. Thats it.

(Repeat again just in case, our modern morals and values are different to ancient China inspired world, they do not apply. Only thing we can do is to judge through the lens of storytelling, and in MDZS its absolutely clear)

“Plenty of other people in MDZS (namely WWX) go through way worse shit than JC and none of them turn into murderous nutjobs.”

Babes, Jiang Yanli died and Wei Wuxian literally committed a massacre, maybe it wasn’t the thousands that they later claimed, but it probably was still a lot. As a response to the Lotus Pier massacre and getting dropped in the burial mounds he tortured Wen Chao, Wen Zhuliu and Wang Lingjiao in such an extreme way that they started cannibalizing themselves and each other for it to stop. Wen Chao had his genitals bitten off. Like, this is not me saying they didn’t deserve it, but Wei Wuxian canonically very much turned into a murderous nutjob himself before he died.

[comehereduck]

I read this manwha called Carrier Falcon Princess, so I thought "hey, this would be a good AU for NHS."

- NHS goes comatose after Xuanwu cave and the Wen keep him hostage to keep NMJ in check. Did this happen because saber spirits? Qi deviation? Magic birds that NHS saved? Who knows 🤷‍♀️

- NHS wakes up in a cage and realizes that he is a birb now but where is he?

-Some dude takes him out of his cage and he takes the chance to escape only to run beak-first into NMJ... only NMJ snatches birb!NHS from the air and tells the falconer to take better care of the messenger falcons because the Wen keep killing them.

- Somehow NHS manages to sneak into Da-ge's tent to find out wtf happened to him and this happens enough for NMJ to get suspicious about this shady bird. Is it a Wen bird? Is it trained to carry top secret missives to Nightless City?

- NMJ keeps a close eye on the bird and tries feeding it, but "Ew! Da-ge, I don't want to eat worms!" Nie Zhonghui suggests that maybe it doesn't eat worms and brings NHS dead mice instead. The bird throws a tantrum until they bring in NMJ's food and they notice that the bird wants to eat that. They feed him cooked meat and breadcrumbs.

- “Where’s NHS when you need him?”

-”SQUAK!!!”

- NHS proves to be a very smart bird, but NMJ is still suspicious, so he sends the bird to a camp near a Wen camp. If the Wen attack the bird then it's not an enemy bird; if it dies, then the missive isn't that important anyway.

- NHS completes his first erand but his wing gets injured. NMJ's suspicions are cleared, and he starts treating the bird better, like a pet.

- NMJ starts talking to the bird but thinks it's ridiculous and maybe it's because he's worried about NHS being comatose, alone, and a Wen hostage, and here is this bird who reminds him of his didi.

- On one occasion, bird!Huaisang flies over a Wen camp and when he returns, he tries to tell NMJ the layout of the camp, and this becomes part of his job.

- NMJ still gets captured but not before he frees the bird. Or maybe NHS was on an errand when NMJ was captured. Anyway, NHS flies to Nightless City, somehow finds his comatose body.

- Maybe NHS returns to his body when the falcon makes contact.

- ... or maybe not.

- Somehow, bird!Huaisang manages to convince NMJ that he turned into a bird, but idk how that happens.

- the banquets happens as in canon but...

- Maybe they need WWX to help them turn NHS back? Which leads to agreements between NMJ, WWX, and WQ.

- and maybe WWX also does somethi ng about the saber spirits.

- wangxian happens because someone needs to play cleansing for NMJ while WWX does his experiments, and while JGY volunteers, LWJ also volunteers because Wei Ying is staying in Qinghe. LXC cannot deny his baby brother his chance at romance, so sorry A-Yao, you can't flex your fresh cleansing remix on NMJ.

- the falcon dies in the manhwa, but maybe it lives in this AU, and NHS keeps it as a pet.

- or better yet, NMJ keeps it as a pet and birds become the Nie bros bonding activity from now on.

- Bonus: JGS dies. Idk how, but he dies; I don't make the rules.

[vrishchikawrites]

What's your take on the Nightless City battle and JYL's death. Is WWX not responsible?

Actions aren't taken and decisions aren't made in vacuum. If you push a person to the breaking point and they snap back, their responsibility diminishes, regardless of the scale of damage that happens as a result.

Let's consider, step by step, what happens.

1. WWX is ambushed by 300 people. He is pushed and pushed, his life is threatened even though he isn't at fault. At this point, he has spent nearly two years in relative peace. At no point has he ever lost control.

JZXun went there with the express intention to kill WWX.

Jin Ling’s full-month celebration just so happened to be near, to which Jin ZiXuan actually invited Wei WuXian. Jin GuangShan wasn’t too fond of this idea to begin with, and so he suggested that Jin ZiXun use this as an opportunity, killing Wei WuXian on his way to the banquet. This way, he wouldn’t have to come to Koi Tower either.

Wei WuXian was Jiang Yanli’s shidi, and the couple was quite affectionate toward each other. Jin ZiXuan told his wife everything, no matter what a trivial matter it was. A few people were worried that he might give the plan away, causing Wei WuXian not to come, and so they had beenkeeping Jin ZiXuan in the dark. This was indeed a bit unfair.

2. He loses control when JXZuan asks him to quietly surrender and sides with his cousin. He rushes at WWX.

Jin ZiXuan and Jin ZiXun were cousins who had known each other well ever since they were young. With almost twenty years between them, at this point, it was indeed difficult for him to defend an outsider. And, in truth, he didn’t like Wei WuXian as a person either.

Collecting himself, he spoke, “Tell Wen Ning to stop first. Don’t let him continue his rampage and make the situation worse than it already is."

Wei WuXian’s voice was coarse, “… Why don’t you make them stop first?”

Relentless shouts and roars came from all around them. Jin ZiXuan raged, “Why are you still so stubborn at such a time? When everyone calms down, you can follow me back to Koi Tower to explain things and answer some questions. With everything clear, if you aren’t the one who did it, of course you’ll be fine!”

Wei WuXian, “Tell him to stop? As soon as I tell Wen Ning to stop right now, the arrows would fly straight at my heart and I wouldn’t even die a whole corpse! And you think I could explain things at Koi Tower?”

Jin ZiXuan, “They would not!”

Wei WuXian laughed, “They would not? How can you ensure it? Jin ZiXuan, I have a question—when you invited me at first, did you really not know about their plan to kill me?!”

Jin ZiXuan paused for a second before he raged, “You! Wei WuXian, are… are you mad?!” Wei WuXian was suppressing a blazing flame of hatred.

His voice was cold, “Jin ZiXuan, move away right now. I won’t touch you, but you’re not going to provoke me either.”

Seeing that he still refused to yield, Jin ZiXuan suddenly lunged forward, as if trying to hold him down, “Why can’t you just back off for once?! A-Li is still…” Just as he reached toward Wei WuXian, he heard a strange, heavy noise.

WWX was right. The intention was to kill him. He had every right to view JZXuan with suspicion as well. They have never exchanged a kind word with each other. WWX is facing an ambush. JZXuan can't promise him safety at all.

Did WWX lose control, yes. Was he at fault? No. Actions and decisions aren't made in vacuum. WE have proof that JZXuan isn't involved in the murder plot because WE know JZXun and JGS didn't tell him.

WWX doesn't know.

As WQ points out, they don't even ask WWX about the rebound curse marks. Not even JZXuan does. They're there to kill and nothing else.

3. After this, we have JZXuan's death and WWX's own reaction to it. We have WN and WQ paralizing him and sacrificing themselves to spare him and the others. The companions he has known for nearly two years, two people he gave up nearly everything to protect, are apparently killed.

4. Jins, as we know, provoked WN into losing control. It was a great tactic to get all sects own board. But WWX knew what was happening in reality to an extent.

He should’ve understood long ago. No matter what he did, not a single good word would come out of these people’s mouths. When he won, others feared; when he lost, others rejoiced.

He was cultivating the crooked path either way, so what exactly did the years of persistence mean? What exactly were they for?”

What he did or didn't do didn't matter in the end.

5. Four Sects and thousands of people gathered at Nightless City to scatter the ashes of an innocent woman they murdered. It was a spectacle. They didn't have a single thing to hold against WQ. No proof that she had killed anyone, no tales of her participating in war, nothing. They killed her because of her name. Without any justice. And all Four Sects witnessed it and only LWJ defended them.

Actions and decisions don't happen in vacuum. The sects had already tried to kill WWX, they had already killed WQ and WN, and now they were pledging to kill him again and his people, thing time with an army and full invasive force.

WWX himself highlights this effectively.

Wei WuXian, “Then let me ask you, Sect Leader Jin, at Qiongqi Path, who was the one being ambushed? And who was the one to kill? Who was the main schemer? And who was the one being schemed against? In the end, just who was the one that came to provoke me first?”

Bravening up, they shouted, “Even if Jin ZiXun was the one who schemed to ambush you first, you shouldn’t have been so heartless and kill so many lives!”

“Oh,” Wei WuXian helped him analyze, “If he wanted to to kill me, he didn’t have to think about whether it was a fatal blow or not, and if I died, it’d be my own bad luck. If I wanted to protect myself, however, I had to think about this and that not to harm, unable to take even a single strand of hair away from him? In conclusion, you all could pull a siege on me, but I’m not allowed to fight back, am I right?”

He is pointing out one injustice after another here. But even if he was silent and didn't confront them, even if he slinked back to the BM without venting his rage at the injustice, it wouldn't help. They planned to invade and kill him the very next day.

And despite this, he didn't attack first.

Before he could finish, he suddenly felt something at his throat. A dull ache came from his chest. He looked down to see a fletched arrow in the center of his chest. The head of the arrow was buried between two of his ribs.

BETWEEN TWO RIBS. It was aimed at the heart. It was aimed to kill. If that person was skilled, WWX would've died. Without warning, when his guard was down.

Exactly what do people expect here?

6. JYL's death, when you remove emotion from the scene, is an accident. She stepped into a battlefield. (I don't wanna know how a woman who is canonically so weak that tossing flowers exhausted her managed to travel from Koi Tower to Nightless City just a month after giving birth.)

So, you have a traumatized and despirate WWX. Someone who knows that the cultivation world is punishing and pushing. His cultivation requires emotional and mental stability. For all LWJ says he will lose control, WWX only does that when he is under extraordinary amount of stress. The kind of stress that no one would be able to handle. That would send anyone into qi deviation. Imagine powerful sects plotting to murder you and spin a web around you while you're trying to protect people.

If the stress doesn't happen, he doesn't lose control. From QQ Pass to Nightless City, WWX is pushed to the corner relentlessly.

EVEN then, half mad with all of the strain, HE STOPS when JYL asks him to. The moment his emotional stability is regained, he regains control. And he only loses control again when JYL is killed in front of his eyes.

AGAIN, he is attacked when his back his turned, when he is distracted.

You can't examine this situation isolatedly. Every time, WWX is responding. He isn't attacking first, he is always been attacked first.

Tldr: I believe there are some decisions WWX could've taken to perhaps delay things but the moment JGS and JGY decided WWX should be killed, the game was set. There was no escaping.

The difference is that WWX just didn't quietly submit and let them kill him. He fought tooth and nail to live. Every time he fought to live, they tried another way to compromise him.

WWX was one of the actors but none of this would've happened if JGS hadn't decided that WWX needed to be killed.

I wanna ask again, what was he supposed to do? In hindsight, you can think up 100s of scenarios and ways to avoid things that happened. But in the moment, when faced with people itching to kill him, what was he supposed to do?

If he didn't confront them at Nightless City, the sects would've marched to BMs. If they marched, the Wens would die. But even confronting them and pointing out the hypocrisy didn't help because by that point, it was futile. There was no decision WWX could've taken then that wouldn't have ended in disaster.

Should he have just submitted to death to appease people who were clearly wrong?

[whetstonefires]

Okay so having finished The Untamed--

spoilers now but also, I haven't read the book yet so pls don't get into it with me about it if it's super different--

one thing that's really sticking with me is the parallels between Jin Guangyao and Jin Guangshan's deaths.

Specifically, the way Nie Huaisang's choice of final blow resembles what Jin Guangyao did with his father, and how deeply that underlines the way nhs chose to become his enemy in order to defeat him. In a way the plot-level scheming doesn't really achieve that comparison.

Because, see, the thing about Jin Guangshan's death, about Meng Yao bringing in those women to stage a weird noncon death orgy is--that was just theater. For an audience of basically the two of them, since he killed off most of the witnesses afterward.

Jin Guangyao bought and spent a bunch of women's lives to kill his father in a poetically fitting, humiliating way. A way that only worked because the man was already dying!

Meng Yao had good reasons to kill his father. Arguably his being quicker off the mark and more proactive about it would have made things better for everyone. But no. He waited all that time, until he could have just smothered the man with a pillow and gotten away with it, and then launched this elaborate punishment death for him.

For a man whose treatment of sex workers as disposable was one of the main crimes Meng Yao held against him.

The main irony is not at the old man's expense here dude, what are you doing.

All his other crimes were in service of something! Even if it was something fucked-up and/or lame and awful and clearly not worth it, he had a goal he was working toward and in some cases probably really was telling himself he had no choice--I don't think that's an excuse you'd proffer quite that incessantly if you hadn't been using it internally.

But killing Jin Guangshan like that--that was just for his own satisfaction. Using those women up so he could pointlessly enjoy it.

So then when Nie Huaisang chooses to kill Meng Yao by abusing Lan Xichen's trust--equally, he didn't have to do that.

Meng Yao was exposed and injured and outnumbered and alone. Even if they'd all walked away right then he was likely to die, from blood loss or infection or being caught by the cultivation world and strung up like Mussolini.

Of course, after all this trouble Nie Huaisang would want to be sure. That's why he inserted himself into the scene at all, I'm sure; he probably wanted to see it play out but he definitely wanted to make sure the revenge landed. Of course he wasn't going to risk handing his target over to justice and risking him talking his way out after all, or slipping away and moving to Japan. (Side note: I think it's very funny jgy suggested 'I'll move to Japan' as an acceptable alternative to 'I'll die.')

Nie Huaisang isn't a strong fighter, but Jin Guangyao isn't all that powerful either, as these things go, and he's down an arm and demoralized. Nie Huaisang could definitely have insisted on having him tied up, if he thought he needed the extra edge, created a distraction, and choked his enemy to death with his bare hands, if he'd wanted to. He could have sent an assassin into his cell if the man was sentenced to imprisonment.

He had a lot of options, is my point.

But he didn't do those things. Instead, he used Lan Xichen.

He used Lan Xichen exactly the same way Jin Guangyao had, abused his trust and love to manipulate him into being the instrument of killing his own sworn brother. If Lan Xichen wasn't broken already, Nie Huaisang ensured it, and he damn well knew what he was doing.

A friend of mine argues he did it because it would hurt Lan Xichen as well, as vengeance on him for being the instrument of Jin Guangyao's plot to kill Nie Mingjue. Idk if this is like, something that's outright stated in the text or just A Reasonable Interpretation, but it's not better that way--it's less careless, but it just even more emphasizes that he knew.

He knew who he was emulating.

And that's part of the point of interest to me because it's very clear that Huaisang does know who he's imitating, whose game he's choosing to play back at him. What he's choosing to become.

It's not so blatant in their both using Wei Wuxian because, firstly, he's the main character so we expect him to be at the center of things; secondly, everyone wants to use Wei Wuxian; thirdly, Nie Huaisang's schemes are comparatively beneficial to him.

Wei Wuxian himself has a marked tendency to reduce himself to his utility; it's easy to let it go, as a trespass against him, especially when it literally gives him another chance at life.

When you look at how they both reduced Lan Xichen to a piece in the game, though, leveraged his affection and his trust to make him into a murder weapon--then it stands out.

Obviously they're both schemers but that's just an archetype. Spy-versus-spy beat-them-at-their-own-game isn't inherently intimate like this, even when it's vengeance. Even when it's revenge on someone you used to trust.

And Nie Huaisang knows. I don't think Jin Guangyao ever did. I think he lies to himself a lot and in the end that's a significant element in his downfall, but also he just--doesn't perceive himself with any of the detachment he's able to turn on most of the world. I don't think he ever in his life noticed the ways he'd become his father.

But Huaisang sure as fuck knew what he'd decided to become.

Which is why that endscene tying up his plot thread focuses on his not wanting to be Chief Cultivator--he didn't do all this to get Jin Guangyao out of the way and replace him. He doesn't want to become the new metaplot villain, the way jgy replaced jgs who replaced wen ruohan.

So maybe things will be okay.

This relationship between Nie Huaisang and Jin Guangyao and how nhs' self-awareness of how he's committed to a form of villainy and chooses to restrain himself, which is what promises an end to the abuse cycle on the political stage, ties in really interestingly to some of the other stuff mxtx does with the concept of villainy but this post is already long enough.

[crossdressingdeath]

Sorry if this is a point you already discussed but what do you say about jc capturing and torturing demonic cultivators (if stans get past that those are not just rumors) that he is doing this out of the goodness of his heart?

There are exactly zero circumstances where torturing people to death is being done out of the goodness of the torturer's heart. None. Torture is evil. It is that simple.

Even setting aside the fact that there is zero evidence that any of the people JC murdered were actually guilty of any crime (hell, there isn't even any evidence that they were actually demonic cultivators; the only person we can confirm was a demonic cultivator and committed a crime in the years between WWX's death and resurrection is XY, who JC conspicuously did not go after), torture is just... wrong. If JC killed people who had committed crimes it could be seen as justice, since this is a world where crimes often equal death without trial. But that is not what he does; he grabs "demonic cultivators" for reminding him of WWX (who, reminder, JC knows was defending innocent people) and then tortures them to death. He terrorizes his own people by doing this where people coming to him for the help he owes them as a sect leader will see him. We see from his treatment of WWX-in-MXY's-body before he realizes that "MXY" is in fact WWX that he will attempt this with people whose only "crime" (there is zero evidence that demonic cultivation itself is illegal; XY is wanted for mass murder, not demonic cultivation) is defending themselves in a way that does not harm anyone (JL is embarrassed and angry, but not hurt). He is not doing this to "protect the innocent" or "punish evildoers". He is doing this because he wants to hurt people. He blames WWX, a demonic cultivator, for all the shit that happened. (Shit which was caused variably by the Wens or he himself trying to kill innocent people, but never mind that.) Because of that blame he's decided that every demonic cultivator (and also anyone he's decided is a demonic cultivator; once again, remember that we are never given any proof beyond JC's word that the people he kills were all demonic cultivators, and given he's a serial killer claiming WWX is to blame for things that the narrative will in flashbacks later go into his head to prove he knows were not WWX's fault I really don't think his word counts for jack shit), regardless of whether or not they've committed an actual crime, deserves to die in agony. Forget "the goodness of his heart", this is beyond excessive even for vengeance. It would be excessive even if he was only aiming it at people actively responsible for his family's deaths. This goes beyond what WWX does to WC and his people, who were in fact responsible for what WWX wanted revenge over, and I'd argue it's pretty clear that WWX is later horrified at what he did!

The thing that gets me about this argument is... these people are not suggesting that WWX should've slaughtered all the sects in revenge for the Wen remnants' deaths. They aren't saying that JGY was righteous or even justified in having JGS raped to death (which it was not, but that's beside the point). Those two were (or would be, in WWX's case) targeting the person or people actively responsible for their suffering... and yet the people saying JC is in the right never (as far as I've seen) suggest that those two should've done anything like what he did. Hell, they frequently suggest that WWX is evil for doing what he did to WC and co. But JC slaughtering people with zero evidence of any wrongdoing beyond the word of someone we know has actively and knowingly lied about who's to blame for bad things happening in the past is... supposedly good? Just? Even righteous? I'm sorry, no. If JC has any goodness in his heart, it's reserved for people he deems to be "his". But we shouldn't be surprised, really; JC actively screws himself over by betraying WWX out of petty spite. Why wouldn't he go out of his way to torture people to death?

So basically... there is no argument I've seen that I will even consider in favour of JC torturing people to death out of "the goodness of his heart". He is not swiftly killing criminals in justice for crimes committed before they can harm others, he is murdering people. People are never said to have committed a crime, and even if they have the people of Yunmeng clearly think they do not deserve what JC does to them based on their horror. JC is simply a murderer. There's nothing else to it.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

A lot of cql fans who stan JGY & hate NMJ call the latter a sexual predator who “fantasizes” abt JGY in the empathy scenes. They claim that in the Nightless City throne room he’s “imagining” JGY as a “femme fatale”. They see JGY stroking the sword and leaning into NMJ as “seductive” rather than salacious behavior that foreshadows the way he rapes his father to death. NMJ & JGS are paralleled a lot esp in the way they kick JGY down the stairs, IDK why JGY stans fail to make the connection.

"Femme fatale"

Yeah... the guy who weaponized Mo Xuanyu's homosexuality and lied, is totally a femme fatale.

They don't seem to realize the actual creep of the series are tag team duo YangYao... I do not in any instance have good things to say about how they tried to cutesy up Jin Guangyao because of his actor. Call him cute, and I will block so fast. He weaponizes several people's sexuality and work. He is nothing but a classist little creep with a torture fetish like his bestie.

Nie Mingjue was right, and it's a tragedy he wasn't able to off Meng Yao when he had the chance.

[drwcn]

concubine/sleeper agent!wwx and prince!lwj bullshit continues: 

[story board 1] -  The two empires and the Imperial Lan Family [story board 2] -  WWX, Qishan Wen’s sleeper agent   [story board 3] -  The inner court (harem) of Hanguang Manor, prior to WWX

→ [Story Board 4] - “A-Xian”, the attendant of Jiang Yanli 

Wei Wuxian lived with the Jiangs for 2 years. After he came to Gusu as a 16-yro, he charmed/scammed his way into the Jiang manor, won the favour of Jiang Fengmian, the affection of Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng, and waited.  For a long time, no further instructions were given to him from Wen Ruohan. Then, one day, he saw Zhao Zhuliu on the streets of the Capital. Zhao Zhuliu was the head of Wen Ruohan’s intelligence bureau and incidentally, was also Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang’s shifu.  

— “Shifu, does bixia finally have an assignment for me?”  — “He does. Jiang Yanli is set to marry Lan Wangji. You are to find a way to accompany her to Hanguang-fu and get close to him.”  — “Close to him as in...?”  — “Any means necessary. He has a harem already, so you will not be the only one vying for his attention. Do think you can handle it?”  — “Well I don’t know, shifu,” responded WWX coyly. “ Word on the street is that this Hanguang-wang prefers pretty men. His ce-wangfu Jin Ziyan is famous for his handsomeness, and that mianshou Mo Xuanyu he keeps around is a looker too. Do you think I’ve grown pretty enough?” — “You seem very aware of his household, I’m surprised.”  — “Bixia sent me here to observe and learn; I’ve not been idle.”  

Wei Wuxian knew Jiang Yanli was set to marry Lan Wangji before she even knew herself. This was not a coincidence. Originally, three years ago, when Lan Wangji was first choosing members of his harem, Jiang Yanli had been considered, but at the time Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan were already engaged to be wed. Jin Zixuan had promised Jiang Yanli that as soon as he passed the imperial scholarly exam and secured a position for himself in His Majesty’s court based on his own merit and not on the influence of his father Jin-guogong (Duke Jin), that he and Yanli would marry. It was a marriage that his late mother had arranged with her best friend Yu Ziyuan, and both Yanli and Zixuan were amenable to it. However, when Jin Zixuan finally passed the exam and ranked 6th in the national polling, he chose to take a position far away from the capital and left without a word of affirmation regarding the engagement. The position was an important one given to Jin Zixuan by Emperor Lan Xichen himself and so in some ways, it was understandable that he could not refused. After Jin Zixuan left the capital, Jin Guangshan went to his “old friend” Jiang Fengmian and “apologized” profusely on his son’s behalf, spewing all sorts of words about how a young man ought to make his way in this world and such. However, this left the Jiangs in an awkward position. Jiang Yanli was 21 yrs old, already older than any unwed noble lady should be. The Jiangs were angry with this outcome, but given the politics of it, they could not say much...and that was when Lianfang-jun Meng Yao revisited an idea that had been put aside three years ago. — “Hanguang-wang...desires to marry A-Li?” Jiang Fengmian was somewhat flabbergasted. “But...” — Meng Yao smiled, “Jiang-houye*, three years ago I came on behalf of er-di to broker a marriage between our two families, but you and Yu-furen both refused on account of her engagement with Jin-xiao-gongye. But I must say ling’ai* is a fine young woman, eloquent and mild-mannered and would make a fine wangfei* some day.” — “Wangfei? but -” — “Yes, Hanguang-wang did say he would choose his own princess or prince consort, but as you can see, even with Jin Ziyan as he ce-wangfu, Qin-fu’ren and Luo-fu’ren at his side, our prince has not shown any desire for any of them to be his legal spouse. He is still waiting, searching, and who’s to say Jiang-gu’niang is not equal if not better than the lot of them?” 

What the Jiangs didn’t know was that Jin Guangshan was a traitor and had already sold his loyalty to Wen Ruohan, who promised him to make him a fanwang* when Qishan eventually annexed Gusu. JGS was a mole inside Gusu’s government secretly helping to further Wen Ruohan’s agenda. Nevertheless, Wen Ruohan wanted Wei Wuxian to get close to Lan Wangji, because as helpful as Jin Guangshan was, he was never fully trusted by the royal family and did not know their inner workings. Breaking Jiang Yanli’s marriage with Jin Zixuan was just a matter of convenience. Jin Guangshan was not fussed regarding a simple marriage when the reward would be much greater. As per WRH’s instruction, he used his influences in court to maneuver Lan Xichen into giving Jin Zixuan a position far away from the capital, thus removing his son from the dangerous political atmosphere and freeing up Jiang Yanli as a potential concubine for Lan Wangji. Then, Jin Guangshan sat back and allowed Meng Yao to finish the game that he started. Meng Yao was not a willing participant. He loved Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue but Jin Guangshan held the secret to his past and thus a noose around his neck. Everyone in court knew that Lianfang-jun Meng Yao was once a lieutenant in Nie Mingjue’s army and later became his personal secretary. He was known for his wit and silver tongue and the charming dimples on his cheeks whenever he smiled. However, not many knew that Meng Yao was the bastard son of Jin Guangshan and a prostitute. Meng Shi’s hope was that one day her son would be legitimized by his father, but alas her hopes were in vain. A child born to a whore would be condemned to a live in the “jian” caste unless otherwise freed. It was Nie Mingjue who chose to raise Meng Yao above his station and respected him as a person for the first time in his life. When Nie Mingjue and his long-time sweetheart the crown prince Lan Xichen were set to marry, Meng Yao thought his days of freedom would be over. To his surprise, Nie Mingjue opted to bring him back with him from the borderlands where Nie Mingjue’s battalion was stationed and introduce him to court and to Lan Xichen. It seemed almost impossible that Lan Xichen would love him as unapologetically as Nie Mingjue, but somehow he did. Meng Yao became the only concubine person in Lan Xichen’s harem other than Fengjun Nie Mingjue. Life was perfect, so perfect in fact Meng Yao even entertained the idea of coaxing Lan Xichen to take on a lady or two to be his concubine so that the palace could be filled with little ones. Of course he’d be a little jealous...but they would have children...and Lan Xichen loved babies.  Then of course, Jin Guangshan found out who he was, and from that point on, Meng Yao was no longer a free man. Every single moment of his life, his father threatened him with exposure. If anyone were to find out just how unseemly his origin had been, how not only was his mother a prostitute, but he himself had been nearly no different (given to the Nies as a gift by a stupid pandering official), his life would be over. At the very least Lan Xichen would be forced to banish him, at the worst, he’d be dead. Oh there would be no public announcement of course, but it would be said that he had taken ill and succumbed to his frail health, and with his death the smear on the Lan imperial family would be cleansed.  Meng Yao didn’t want to die, so he did as Jin Guangshan asked, even when the ask became Nie Mingjue’s life. (But NMJ isn’t really dead...Meng Yao was nothing if not a fighter. He could not let the father who’d cursed him to a less than hellish existence take away from him the first man who’d ever shown him love and kindness.)   — “Jiang Yanli must marry Lan Wangji.” Jin Guangshan instructed. “And you must ensure that when she does, the boy goes with her.”   — “What boy?”  — “The ward of Jiang Fengmian: Wei Wuxian.” 

So when Meng Yao came to speak with Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan, naturally he brought up the subject of Lan Wangji’s “preference.”  “The Qin family did very well in this regard. They were quite clever in allowing Mo Xuanyu to serve Hanguang-wang; the boy is too low-born to be of any threat. Even if Hanguang-wang’s harem of today becomes the imperial harem of tomorrow, Mo Xuanyu would not be more than a mianshou. His success, on the other hand, would ensure that Hanguang-wang’s favour stay with the Qin family. As we can see, their effort was not in vain. Qin Su became with child rather swiftly. Little Kaisong was born more no later than three months after Jingyi.” Meng Yao explained the delicate nature of the situation to the Jiangs. “If Jiang-guniang is to marry Hanguang-wang, forgive me for my boldness, but she would be wise to bring a male attendant of her own. Wangji is kind and would honour her as his concubine, but the man cannot control his inclinations, as none of us could.”  Yu Ziyuan exchanged a look with Jiang Fengmian. Yanli was older now; waiting for Jin Zixuan to keep his promise had delayed her and possibly ruined her prospects. If this marriage to Lan Wangji were to succeed... he is an honourable man who treated all his concubines equally and with respect. If he grew to like Yanli enough to make her his legal spouse as Meng Yao seemed to think is possible...then one day she would be Empress.  — “Hanguang-wang’s preference is men. Would he not prefer to have a wangfu instead of a wangfei?” Jiang Fengmian was still hesitant.  — “Indeed I’m sure he would, but politics being what it is...” Meng Yao sighed. “I’m sure Wangji understands that having the mother of his heir be his wangfei and his future empress is the best course of action to ensure the stability of the nation. We certainly have no shortage of examples to learn from in history: a shuchu prince with competing shuchu brothers walks a perilous road.”  — “Lianfang-jun is wise.” Yu Ziyuan nudged her husband. “Which young man do you suggest we include in the bridal party?”  — “That I have not decided, which is why I’ve come to see you today. Jiang-fu is a large manor, surely there must be some servants worthy to catch the eye of our Hanguang-wang. Yu-fu’ren, why don’t you assemble them, and we can have a pick?”  — “Lianfang-jun, that is a delightful idea.” 

Wei Wuxian was not surprised at all when all the young men of Jiang-fu under 21 and above 16 were assembled in a courtyard. He scanned the crowd; there were about 20-ish of them. One by one, they were beckoned forward, and when it was his turn, he walked with his head bowed towards the man sitting under the eave on a luxurious wicker chair, holding a fan. The fan was very expensive, drawn by an artist in the previous dynasty. An antique. This must be Zewu-di’s* only concubine, Meng Yao.  — “Greetings to Lianfang-jun.”  — “Raise your head, boy, let me take a good look at you.”  — Wei Wuxian obeyed. Meng Yao looked him over once, appraising and evaluating, before making a pleased little noise. “Hm. Your name?” —  “Wei Wuxian.”  —  “Wei...Wuxian?” Meng Yao gave a pretty laugh. “A rather boastful name for so young a person. My, but you are a lovely thing. Tell me, what is your age?”  —  “Eighteen.”   —  “Eighteen, excellent. It’s unfortunate that your name isn’t something a little more humble. What does your family call you?” —  “My family calls me A-Xian, dianxia.” — “Well A-Xian, if I were to tell you that you’ve been chosen to accompany Jiang-gu’niang to serve Hanguang-wang, what say you?”  — WWX thought *I’d say Lan Wangji better sleep with one eye open*, but said with a gracious and deferring bow of his head, “That would be my honour.” 

[next]

Note: 

houye - marquess ling’ai - a formal way to address someone else’s daughter  wangfei - princess consort  fanwang - a type of high-ranking prince with their own region/land to govern and possibly even their own army to command under imperial rule.  Zewu-di - emperor zewu. 

[vermillioncrown]

I was thinking about Yunmeng!ZYX again: Do her eardrums survive her reunion with Yunmeng Shuangjie? How wildly hypocritical does WWX get about self sacrifice? What do they do about the evil Jinternships in the basement of carp tower once there's a lull in JC's bellowing?

ass. blasted. tinnitus for the rest of her natural life (no gc, no preternatural healing)

yu lin just waits out wwx’s “how could you?”’s and “why would you lie??”’s, eventually pulling out a small bronze mirror, holding it to wwx’s face and tells him “please repeat the lecture, shixiong.”

“you guys didn’t need me. it was my job, and i did it. it worked out well, didn’t it? yunmeng jiang is flourishing.”

jc: “the hell with that shit. you’re family. i’m not losing any more of that.”

JINTERNSHIPS BAHAHAA

they have to let it go when they first find yl. between jyl on the surface, yl underground, wwx+jc on the outside, they have to slowly crack the golden exterior of llj, come up with plans to tempt jgs &/or jgy into overstepping. it’s a delicate game - bc the one time they almost gave up the goat too soon, xue yang nearly tortures yl to death

(she stays alive courtesy of her knowledge being too advantageous)

(the next time the yunmeng shuangjie see her, it finally hits them - the magnitude of her sacrifice. she looks like she’s unable to even lift a stick, let alone a sword. they can hardly believe she used to be able to keep pace with the two of them.)

=

jyl musters all her power at being the delicate, overlooked decoration that the cultivation realm considers her and takes in the situation at carp tower. jgs isn’t greedy for greed’s sake - lanling is a cesspool of power struggles, and jgs is merely trying to establish the biggest leg up he can.

which elder is vying for what? which subordinate clans are happy, which are not? where does mme jin stand? there has to be other jin bastards out there... maybe one or two more will be enough to finally drive her new mother-in-law into action...

=

“a-cheng, hold the fort.”

“i’m sick of being left out and lied to. you’re not doing this without me!”

“jiang cheng, you’ll do your best by acting like the grump that you are! scare the crap out of everyone! don’t let them think anything otherwise!”

jc, made to play politics. setting up ymj to be... enough in jsg’s way, not unreasonably so, but with the characteristic stubbornness that his mother was known for.

=

wwx, still close to nhs since there’s no pulling away due to gc transfer, hangs out at unclean realm occasionally. and lwj stalks him, ofc. and... 

y’know, some pining and drama and sneaking around and accidentally overhearing shit

lwj forgoes beating the shit out of wwx (he was trying to not attack via mouth again, to wwx’s ignorance), and grips wwx’s arms while pulling him away. “that is not correct”

“what’s? not correct?? lan zhan, hey - lan zhan!”

“that piece is part of the gusu lan repetoire. but -”

“... it’s been played incorrectly? ... are you implying deliberately?”

cue wangxian cornering nhs

“nhs... i think jgy’s trying to kill your brother”

that’s the outside way into the jin conspiracy

[inalandofsadclowns]

OHHHH so this nmj/qs perspective is a new one for me but I love it!

First of all, I also don't think Qin Su would find this kind of drama appealing. Her reaction at finding out about years of lies and about Rusong was not under natural conditions. "Innocent, to the extent of seeming a bit dense" yeah no, not the type to crave reputation, especially not this kind. She might go as far as to cancel the wedding herself, the Qin family taking the responsibility on themselves.

Unfortunately, canon Nie Mingjue indeed wouldn't stir shit up for himself to keep Jin Guangyao's name clean, when the latter could also just be honest and bear the consequences. He'd rather help arrange jgy's fake death first lol.

Lan Xichen is an interesting option. He wouldn't ask jgy to reveal the truth to the world of course. He empathises with his past struggles too much to ever ask him that. He can't drag his own clan into a scandal either. He would certainly not do nothing, in fact, he would be the only grown-up and hold jgs responsible – the one who should actually be cleaning up this mess, and have him call the wedding off after a series of aggressively polite and politely aggressive private discussions..

Jiang Cheng though... honestly, made me think of his partner requirements: "naturally beautiful, graceful and obedient, hard-working and thrifty, coming from a respected family, cultivation level not too high, personality not too strong, not too talkative, voice not too loud and must treat Jin Ling nicely." Sure we don't know loads about Qin Su's personality, but honestly? Might as well fit into the criteria. No let me rephrase – might as well have been written about her.

I can see how if no one can/is willing to stop jgy and qs's marriage, then especially not Jiang Cheng. Who btw prioritizes his family even at the expense of others so why would he give half a damn about saving face for jgy? What if he does it for himself and for Jin Ling though, while benefitting jgy, who is kind of pactically family now?

Now hear me out HEAR ME OUT this is very good!

Since jgy is jl's uncle, obviously qs would have a close relationship with him as well. Even before the marriage they both spend a lot of time with jl, occasionally in jc's company as well. jc notices the complementary qualities of the lady (did I mention she treats Jin Ling well? Well she does.❕❕) Given that qs is let in on the secret (as she deserves), jgy and qs are just still looking for the right way to cancel the marriage, but the two have already given each other the emotional freedom of falling in love with whomever they wish. Following one of jc's visits at Koi Tower: Qin Su points at the grumpy pathetic sexy purple man like "I want that one." And um...do you see what I'm getting at?

AND AS A BONUS

Xue Yang appears at and interrupts the wedding ceremony and just fucking kidnaps Qin Su (not revealing his identity). Qin Su's gonna be fine of course, but now she can say that it was her kidnapper who impregnated her.

It was all plannes out of course. I'm not yet sure how, but Su Minshan is in it, too. I just can't imagine jgy not involving him, that's all.

i know i’m late to the party but: thoughts on nie mingjue/qin su? not specifically “do you like/dislike it”—just in general! (including platonically or maybe an emergency marriage of convenience inconvenience)

(i think that nmj finding out that something is janky before jgy’s wedding—but not knowing not exactly what—would really throw a wrench into things, and i think there are some interesting possibilities to explore :3x )

HMMM YEAH

Nie Mingjue is absolutely someone who would act if he learned about the Qin stuff prior to the wedding-- unfortunately, his version of acting probably be along the lines of 'threaten JGY into cancelling the wedding/telling everyone, or he'll do it himself.'

i WANT the world where NMJ is the type of person to find out what's going on and have the tact and political savvy to recognize that stepping in and demanding to marry Qin Su himself is literally the only thing that could stop this wedding while not causing a life-ruining scandal for everyone. there would absolutely be a scandal, but that's why NMJ is literally the only one who could get away with doing this, because he can whether any gossip, because he doesn't care. people would gossip about JGY too, but it would presumably be sympathetic, and he can handle that. JGS would be annoyed at the embarrassment, but he hates NMJ already anyway. what's Qin Cangse supposed to do when a leader of one of the great sects demands to marry his daughter? everybody would see it as NMJ throwing his weight around and recognize that no one else really had a choice.

poor Qin Su, though-- I can't imagine anyone who falls in love with JGY/Meng Yao taking very easily to NMJ. however, he'd at least definitely explain the situation to her, and maybe she'd be the type to learn how to make the best of an arranged marriage.

it's really a perfect example of MXTX's great writing in terms of boxing characters into a corner based on their own world and personalities. one of the great sect leaders stepping in could fix this with a relative minimum of embarrassment for everyone, but LXC can't because of his sect's reputation, NMJ wouldn't because of his personality, and Jiang Cheng both could and would, but he doesn't know JGY or the Qins well enough to care.

[nillegible]

Not Death, but Sleep

(A 3zun fix-it fic)

‘Not death, but sleep,’ the story went. The little well spirit, too weak to break the death-curse that a greater dark spirit that had placed over the innocent baby, had pressed her hand to the infant’s forehead. She had poured all her soul into a single blessing, all her strength for one thing only; that the child would sleep, not die.

“Why couldn’t she practice and grow stronger?” Meng Yao would ask, and Mother would laugh and poke his cheek and tell him that well-spirits are very small, but she tried her best. The story always sat wrongly with Meng Yao. Back then it had, at least. It was not fair that the well spirit couldn’t fix what was wrong. It wasn’t fair that the princess had been cursed as a baby, before she’d done anything to deserve it. It wasn’t fair that the queen couldn’t find anyone but a forgotten little well-spirit to try to save her child. “It’s not fair,” he’d tell her, each time the well-spirit blessed the infant and fell short of her desire, and each time his mother would smile.

“Ah, my precious A-Yao, you are right. But the world is not fair, and she could only do what she could do.” Mother would say, smiling in that soft way of hers, pinching his cheek lightly, before she continued the story. “Because it seemed hopeless, the king demanded that every spindle in the land be…”

Meng Yao Jin Guangyao likes the story no better now, but he understands more than he did back then. Jin Guangyao was also too weak. “She could only do what she could,” Mother would say, and he now understands the heartbreak of that being not enough.

“I want you to kill Nie Mingjue,” Father had told him, two weeks ago, now. His voice had been low but pleasant, like he’d only been asking Jin Guangyao to pour him more tea.

“Father, I’m trying to get him to stop asking about Xue Yang, I’m sure that I can–”

“I have given you time. And it is not just that boy. Nie Mingjue grows troublesome in other matters as well, he seeks to destabilize me at every turn. You will remove him.” His voice had stayed pleasant. His eyes had glittered coldly with warning: Jin Guangyao was far less valuable than a Sect Leader, and would be far far easier to dispose of.

“I understand Father. I will take care of it,” Jin Guangao had said, and has not had a moment’s peace since.

*

It doesn’t take him long to decide on a method.

Or rather, it’s not long before the ideal method is dropped straight into his lap. Er-ge requests a favor, asks him to please learn Cleansing, a powerful Lan sect technique to clear resentment and settle an unquiet spirit. Nie Mingjue’s temper and health were in decline, and Er-ge wants Jin Guangyao to help him heal. His hope – that this would give them an opportunity to mend the broken trust and friendship between them – was transparently obvious, but Jin Guangyao has never found place in his heart to deny this man anything.

“We can help him, A-Yao. We must. Da-ge is not himself, and we need to… We cannot lose him.”

Lying is no harder than speaking, for Meng Yao, but this time the lie tears into his lungs. “Of course, Er-ge. His brothers will support him until he is well again.” I’ve been asked to kill him, Er-ge. Why would you trust me with this?

It does not matter that he does not want to do it. Jin Guangyao practices Cleansing at Qinghe under Lan Xichen’s careful tutelage. At Lanling, he spends sleepless nights perfecting a darker, foreign melody, meant to tear someone’s sanity apart.

His heart is troubled, and he doesn’t know if it’s because of the lack of sleep, the discordant notes he coaxes from his guqin each night, or the cold, lingering gaze of his Father that seems to ask, have you begun? Will he die?

The answer is yes. Yes, Jin Guangyao will kill him, because he has been asked. Because when it comes down to it, he is the dark spirit that had lost its way, and would destroy someone who was undeserving of the malice. Someone who was loved.

The first time that Jin Guangyao plays the piece for Nie Mingjue, his heart pounds in fear while his hands elegantly play the butchered, chimeric tune. He’s afraid that his eldest sworn brother would notice the difference in the song, would notice that it felt wrong, even after the last note is played and lingers in the room as he looks up to meet Nie Mingjue’s eyes. But Nie Mingjue, even tenser and more ill-tempered than he was before Jin Guangyao started to play, just nods and thanks him shortly and walks away.

It’s terribly rude; Jin Guangyao would be injured by such treatment on any other day.

Today, he has begun slowly killing the man. He will not take insult.

*

Jin Guangyao spends his time after returning to Lanling terribly nervous, unable to focus as usual. Perhaps Nie Mingjue had not confronted him immediately, but would reached out to Lan Xichen with his suspicions?

His fears are unfounded; a letter arrives for him a week later from Sect Leader Nie. Could he trouble Jin Guangyao to return and play for him soon? He did not wish to disturb their second brother, who was still busy with the rebuilding of his sect.

Jin Guangyao promptly sends a response: He would be honoured to help, he would make the time to visit as soon as possible. (His fingers do not tremble on the guqin strings as he practices the song alone, in preparation. He wonders at the monster he’s become.)

It’s while he’s playing for Nie Mingjue the second time that it happens. His eldest sworn brother is doing his best to relax – there’s incense, and the tea they were served has calming properties – but Jin Guangyao’s music is doing as intended, and Nie Mingjue’s face is visibly tense, his jaw locked, and the longer it goes on the worse it gets.

It’s partly the music, partly the frustration that he isn’t calming down as he should be. Jin Guangyao imagines that it is not unlike the panic that insomnia brings him, the desperate desire to just fall asleep making him anxious enough to drive any semblance of rest from him as he lies awake in the dark.

His fingers fumble on the strings and he stops, startled. Nie Mingjue’s eyes open and he looks to him questioningly. “Is something wrong, Meng Yao?”

It’s the wrong name. Always the wrong name. But at the moment, for what he wishes, it may just be the right one. Nie Mingjue has wronged Meng Yao many times, but Nie Mingjue was also the one who had defended him from cultivators who taunted and mistreated him. Nie Mingjue was the first person to value him, to give him a chance to prove his worth, and then acknowledged that he did well.

It was because the queen had swept the well-spirit’s forgotten shrine, Jin Guangao remembers. That was why the well-spirit stepped up to divert the curse.

He stares a moment longer at Nie Mingjue, long enough that he frowns, and this time Jin Guangao imagines his brows are creasing in worry not anger. “Are you alright, you’ve gone pale.” His voice still betrays his temper; a barely contained inferno, but Jin Guangyao is partially to blame for that.

“Forgive, me, Da-ge. May I start again?”

“If you need a break, you can have one. You can play for me later,” Nie Mingjue says.

“No, please, close your eyes again. I merely realized something.”

Still looking faintly suspicious, Nie Mingjue does as asked and shuts his eyes.

Jin Guangyao sets his fingers to the guqin and plays again. This time the music is simple and clear, lifting and rejuvenating. When Jin Guangyao plays the last notes and looks up, the anger has melted away from his sworn brother. He’s smiling faintly, and Jin Guangyao’s eyes catch on the softness of it.

When Nie Mingjue opens his eyes, and sees Jin Guangyao watching, the smile doesn’t fade. “You figured something out, didn’t you? This time felt so much better.”

“Yes, Da-ge. I was a poor student, Er-ge will not be pleased with me for taking so long… but I understand now.”

“Xichen will never be displeased with you, that you play it so well without the Lan’s rigorous training is a credit to your skills. And I thank you,” Nie Mingjue says. He breathes deep, as if enjoying that he can. That faint smile has still not vanished. “I am much improved.”

Jin Guangao knows. The spiritual power of Cleansing is considerable, and when played correctly and regularly it could bolster Nie Mingjue’s spirit and life for decades longer.

“You’re welcome Da-ge. I promise. I promise to do what I can to help you.” And this promise is not a lie, not a vow he means to break.

Father wants Nie Mingjue dead, and Jin Guangao does not have the means to stop him.

But he can divert the curse.

Not death, but sleep.  

That, Jin Guangao can do.

[Author’s Note: The particular form of the sleeping beauty story used here I got from Vathara’s fic Embers! It’s a gorgeous version and I love it. 

Somehow an old post of mine, where I said I should write a fic about MY hiding NMJ away and faking his death to appease JGS popped back up? I’d completely forgotten about it. But well, it’s a lovely idea, so I thought I’d start on it!  I hope you liked the fic!]