#idk i just think about his yiling laozu days

[waitineedaname]

wwx has bipolar disorder I know this in my heart

[loosingmoreletters]

"Court Drama, where Wei Wuxian fakes his death just so that people end up assuming he was murdered and pin the murder on his new identity."

My first read of that sentence was that he set up the whole thing - and I was trying to figure out what the end game would be. He wants to infiltrate a prison? Trying to uncover some other plot? Then I reread it and...now I think it was unintentional? He tried to fake his death but it got all messed up and now he's on trial for his own murder?

The latter yeah. Also an entirely self-indulgent omegaverse fic though I suppose you could technically write it without.

Uuuh essentially, due to some bullshit kinda shaped like the Wen starting their campaign, we get a wangxian arranged marriage. And Wei Wuxian goes into this under the assumption that he'll have shit to do. Meanwhile, we got LWJ and a guilt complex over landing WWX in this position so he just leaves WWX on his own? Just a whole lot of miscommunication.

And when the Wen do attack, Wei Wuxian decides "okay fuck this actually" and gets out because he's got better things to do than sit around doing nothing all day. So he runs off v much with the intention of faking his death in some form, but also the Wen very much did attack and there's a whole lot of blood and strange-looking talismans so the assumption is that Wei Wuxian is brutally killed, which ends up escalating the war.

And WWX, never idle, decides not to fuck with that perception and hide his identity. He comes across Wen Ning and Qing, some others, and kind of decides to pull a YLLZ.

Sunshot Campaign goes down, and the other sects/kingdoms/dukedoms idk gotta figure that out, are a little sus because WWX did take in Wen, even if he was fighting on their side. And then he pulls something that reminds people of the aftermath of his 'murder' so they end up thinking that the fearsome YLLZ murdered poor Wei Wuxian.

Self-indulgency featured into it because I was fucking around with the thought of a-Yuan as a wangxian baby and WWX partially staying away bc the whole miscommunication left him with the assumption he'd gonna end up like Madam Lan and well, better to run off when nobody knows and is on his case yet about potential heirs, right?

So yeah, idk if I'll ever actually write this bc sometimes my brain shelves anything vaguely omegaverse miscommunication mpreg plot into "this is so cringe, nobody wants to read this Letters, this is daydream material only" category and I feel guilty. Anyway, the summary in my notes is something like:

When the dust settles and the Emperor declares war, the entirety of the jianghu knows this: the Yiling Laozu killed Consort Wei.

[yiifu]

bunch of thoughts on the art styles in mdzs & tgcf visual adaptations:

i think out of all the four visual adaptations in mdzs and tgcf (i haven’t taken a look at anything from svsss yet) i love the art style of the tgcf donghua the most. it’s kinda ghibli-like but still sharp enough to give the characters some really great expressions. so obsessed with hua cheng’s donghua design (especially his true form like ??? just .... screaming over how perfect it looks). i haven’t watched it yet but i’ve seen mvs and edits and i just know that this san lang character design is going to be my all-time fav. a little childish, sly, secretive. you can see it in his eyes and his little smirky smile. very nice. i like it.

mdzs manhua was great overall, i just preferred the style from the first half compared to the second half (or what i like to call the black-haired version vs the brown-haired version). the art style peaked during the yi city arc imo. my fav manhua character versions: lan xichen, nie mingjue, xue yang, song lan (Obsessed with his manhua design), xiao xingchen, wen ning (his chibis are so precious).

mdzs donghua art style is very good for action (somehow it reminds of me those older animes e.g. ghost in the shell or perfect blue), it really grew on me a lot after watching the whole thing. idk how to explain it but the donghua eyes are a lot more fancier than the manhua style. some character designs i liked better in the manhua version - e.g. jin guangyao (he’s my absolute fav in the donghua i love his pre-chief cultivator design so much), jin ling (he became cuter somehow), jin zixuan (they really nailed his brooding temperament very well), in fact most of the major lanlingjin characters were just amazingly done in donghua. also wen qing, madam yu are a lot more imposing when you see them animated. some characters like sizhui, jingyi, huaisang, jiang cheng were equally great for both adaptations. 

i still prefer the yiling laozu and lwj hairstyles from the manhua though (just a personal preference!). maybe cos it looks cleaner? especially for wwx’s yiling laozu hairstyle. in manhua version it’s really sleek and straight. for lwj i just liked the general flow/shape of his hair in the manhua better than the donghua.

also for yi city quartet i’m manhua version all the way. i mean all the other iterations of xue yang are very nice but so far no other version of xue yang has topped his manhua design for me :) 

ok last one is the tgcf manhua this took me a hella long time to get used to it (i’m still getting used to it actually) - it’s very VERY pretty, like a painting. i won’t deny that. but it’s a little harder to see the expressions since everything’s so impressionistic-like. still, everyone here looks so goddamn beautiful so i’m sure as hell not complaining. xie lian looks like a doll i just keep stopping at every panel to examing the details of how they drew his hair and his lips and eyes like ... gaaahhh so!!! pretty!!!! and if hua cheng in donghua version is cute, the manhua version of hua cheng is intimidating as hell. his face is literally perfect i actually wanna cry admiring it. i’d combust if anyone who looked like that even gave me a glance. 

like, if i were to give an analogy, the tgcf manhua is high art, luxury dining, high-class food, something along those lines. the art style just screams rich which is suitable for a story about gods and immortals, it’s just that i’m slowly adjusting to all that gorgeousness and still getting used to it.

also on a side note i am very unhealthily obsessed with this fanmade song for tgcf called ‘pleased god’ that i came across in a compilation playlist and i’ve been looping it pretty much the whole day at work ;-;

[admirableadmiranda]

Hi lovely person! I hope all is well ❤️ Im back again sliding into your DMs lol 😆 I have another question for you: do you believe LXC had been ignorant of “MXY” true identity this whole time before the incident at JGY chamber and Suibian was unsealed? Do you believe he had any suspicions that it was WWX? I mean, it was kinda hinted right simply based on how close his brother was to this man he probably had never seen before? Even Jin Ling had his suspicions from the jump (but that could be bc he knew the real MXY I guess? idk). Thank you in advance! 🙏🏽 ☺️

Thank you kind anon! Unfortunately I am currently dealing with a broken wrist, but I am making things work as I can.

I do actually think that Lan Xichen was caught off guard by the reveal. Wei Wuxian may not be the most subtle about hiding his actual personality, but Lan Xichen and the rest of the cultivation world had pretty much forgotten what Wei Wuxian's personality actually was. That and the way he came back was an old ritual that no one knew Mo Xuanyu had access to until Wei Wuxian found it in Jinlintai.

I think what he was hoping for was that his brother was moving on to someone new and had chalked up similarities to his brother having a type. Lan Xichen definitely tends to have blind spots and while he will address them when they smack him in the face, he won't look for them before then. That being said I think he does understand why they wouldn't have told him beforehand and he seems to have decided in the wake of knowing that Wei Wuxian is alive to take the chance to reevaluate what he knows and what he has heard.

As for Jin Ling's suspicions, they likely come from Wei Wuxian having directly summoned Wen Ning in front of him. Even if Lan Xichen heard of it, it would be unlikely without him having seen it for himself to take those words on fact. He didn't seem to know Mo Xuanyu well beforehand and is upset and betrayed when he does turn out to be Wei Wuxian. It probably is for the best that while he has these suspicions he doesn't find out for certain for a while, because he gets to know who Wei Wuxian is underneath the rumors and lies and changes his mind on what he's heard all his life.

One of the things that may not be that apparent on a light reading, because the two people that Wei Wuxian interacts with the most are Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji who both know that it's him from the beginning, is that a lot of people have forgotten who Wei Wuxian actually is. They built him up as a bogeyman fear in their minds, turned him into the demon of the cultivation world and as a result meeting the actual person doesn't make them think of Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Laozu who supposedly killed five thousand Wens and three thousand innocent cultivators, because no one could actually be that person.

I know that CQL somewhat confused things because Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji come off as much closer during his past life, but people really didn't think they were close. Even for those who knew either of them individually, they wouldn't have made the connection and they don't. While those rumors hurt them in the past, it protects him in the present. Even after his name is revealed to the cultivators, most people don't connect the charming man traveling with Hanguang-jun to the fearsome monster in stories.

And why would they? The person who became the monster in the eyes of the cultivation world was the one who pointed out just who they were becoming. The Yiling Laozu of rumor is the reflection of who the jianghu is in the dark. And as much as they'd like to, they can't forget that.

Thank you for your question, kind anon. I hope the world is kind and your days are wonderful.

[wangxianficrecs]

Fic Finder

Time to play Fic Finder, once again, my lambs.

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1.   Hi! I hope you are having a nice day😊 [So far, so good!]  I wanted to ask for your help😖 i have been looking for this ff but i can’t seem to find it. Basically with the help of wwx wangji gets sent into a dream of the past to catch some sort of dream demon ( that turns out to be wwx red ribbon) and he tries to save the original wei wuxian. Oh and at the end wwx destroys the seal oh and wangji almost gets killed by wen ning. I hope you can help me i remember it being an amazing fic 🥺

FOUND!  by @artemisisdiana and @red-everdeen: Crack of Dawn by Shinocchi (E, 91k, wangxian)

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2.   Hey, mojo, I’m looking for a short oneshot about lan zhan’s ridiculous arm strength? I remember a scene where wei ying and a-yuan was sitting on his back as he exercised?? I can’t seem to find it. Thank you, and I hope u have a good day!! :D

FOUND!   Relentless by covalentbonds (G, 1k, wangxian, inspired by this fanart)

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3.   Hello! I’ve been looking for a fic where the yunmeng siblings are demonic cultivators and i think wen qing and wen ning are as well. It’s a tumblr fic if i remember correctly with like 4 or 5 parts? I hope you and your followers can help me find it.

FOUND!  @sssrha and @librarian-at-last believe you are looking for @drwcn’s tumblr fic which is cross-posted on AO3 as The Shadow Beneath the Light by ecorie (M, 19k, wangxian, chengqing, qingli)

FOUND! @amaskinamirror suggests that it may also be Lotuses Are Tenacious Plants by ShaharaWadeTheScumVillain (T, 17k, xicheng, WIP)

SIMILAR!  Running up that hill by Lhaewiel (T, 2k, wangxian, chengqing, xuanli, WIP) - found through the tumblr tag #ymj demonic cultivators

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4.   Okay so idk how to even start searching for this but basically: I remembered a fic that I read, it's a modern au possibly high school? And the school's student have created a website where they write fanfiction about wangxian, lwj and wwx are best friends, they get together at the end and wwx is briefly jealous of wen qing because he thinks lwj & wq are dating or something like that? lwj also wrote a fic about him & wwx (which is basically the mdzs plot?) and wwx stumbles over the site and reads some fics (including lwj's)... he thinks lwj doesn't know about the site. lqr also threatens wwx? he thinks wwx is behind the site or something? this is a lot of details i know but ajsksk i can't remember for the life of me how it's called or tagged!! i'd be so grateful if you could help me, i swear i bookmarked it but apparently i didn't?

FOUND! by @huans who says it’s Fanfiction and Reality by alli12345 (G, 18k, wangxian)

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5.  Most Marvelous Mojo! I really want to read a fic I know you recc’ed, but I can’t find it! I’m fuzzy on the details, but I know LWJ gets hurt/sick/something bad happens to him and WWX goes kind of dark side to save him? Goes all series Yiling laozu on everybody?? It was something like that!

FOUND?  Could you possibly be looking for  A Spark in Dry Brush by mondengel (T, 2k, wangxian, my post)

FOUND!  the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 8k, wangxian) also fits

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6.  Okay I might be going crazy? I read this fic like yesterday and I can't find it, not in my ao3 history and not in my browser's history either!! It was a fic where lwj was a fan of wwx who was a musician? wwx was in a coma and took a pause from his career for like 3 years or so? And lwj & lxc own a book store (pretty sure his parents are alive here?) and one fateful day wwx runs walks so he can escape from fans. lwj & wwx met at a meet & greet once, lwj gave him a song and wwx thought it was cute and gave lwj a armband? I believe he called him "ZhanZhan" too? at the end lwj gets wwx's number? I swear I read this yesterday and for some reason I just... can't find it anymore?

FOUND!  moments later, same Anon:  Oh god wait!! My friend found it (they were the who recced it to me like weeks ago) and it was Firework by Aki_no_hikari!! Ansksk I'm so sorry for bothering you!!  [Hee, hee, hee]

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7.  Hello! Do you know of the fic where LWJ arrives at the Wen Settlement and thinks the worse when he finds the BM empty of people, but it turns out that the Wens and WWX have just moved off the mountain into the city and WWX is now running a charity school? LWJ sends them books and training swords and the school's costs run on donations and JC finds out WWX is still alive (he faked his death) bc WWX never considered the school might need to be paying taxes to YMJ.

FOUND? [this just came up in the last Mood post] Just as the Snow Melts by draechaeli (T, 67k, wangxian) (@gingermenace confirms!)

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8.  Hi I'm looking for a fic and the o my thing I remember is that it's mentioned that it's a modern au and it mentioned the Wei Ying has spent new years(??) with the lans for 3 years because one time the Jiang's didn't invite him back and LWJ just took him with him also this line "Lan Qiren once put down his cup too loudly and Wei Ying was out the door so fast that he left an after image"

FOUND! by @sssrha who says the part you’re thinking of is in the 5th footnote at the end of Like You Mean It by CoatWrites (T, 6k, wangxian)

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9.  Hi, I was looking for this fic where wxx is a single dad to a yuan and lwj is his kindergarten teacher and I think wxx first dialoge to him was 'will u marry me'.

FOUND-ish by @zensucht who thinks it’s  it’s the little things, you see? by geraldinegrenadine, an author who has deleted their works and account.  (I do not have a PDF of this 😞)

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10.  Hi !! Idk how to really ask this or if this is the right place to ask but I once started a really good Wen!WWX fic where he was saved by WRH who turns out to be his grandfather but I can't find it anywhere ...

FOUND! by @malachite77:  Loneliness Knows My Name by Jaywalker_Holmes, Treef (T, 209k, wangxian)

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11.  Hello! I hope that you are having a wonderful day :D. I am very new here so please excuse me if I make a mistake or anything, but can you help me search a fic? I just remember a bit from it, it was when WWX returns in Mo Xuanyu's body but this time, he lost all the memories of his past life. And then he somehow ends up in Gusu? And then LWJ kinda starts to fall in love with WWX who doesn't remember that he is WWX and takes the identity of Mo Xuanyu. And I think the story centers on how LWJ feels guilty for starting to fall in love and feels super guilty about betraying WWX. PLEASE help me, I have been searching forever

FOUND!  by @malachite77:  Love Song In Reverse by timetoboldlygo (T, 106k, wangxian, WIP)

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12.  I lost a fic! Time travel fix it when WangXian travel back to gusu era, I think they, after already arriving, bring back (with consent!) Wen qing and wen ning. There's a scene where yanli is questioning wen qing about how/why wwx is calling her qingjie even tho they seemingly just met and wen qing is like he's my bro maybe you and the jiang's should love him better... Or something along those lines. It was a wip. Tha k you so much in advance you do great work running this blog!

FOUND!  @gingermenace gives us Nie Huaisang's Ten Steps to Fix The Fucked Up Reality by cosmic_zephyr (ProudHaikyuuTrash) (T, 56k, wangxian, WIP)

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13.  hi!!! do u know the fic where the wens leave the burial mounds?? i remember wwx becomes a teacher in yiling hehe thank u so much have a nice day!!

FOUND! by @supernova2395:   Just as the Snow Melts by draechaeli (T, 67k, wangxian)

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14.  hi!! i read a fic a while ago and I can't find it again i hope you can help me. the only thing i can remember was that when wwx went to save the wens he went back to koi tower with them and said a-yuan was his and wen qing's son to save them. i think he married her later but there was still implied wangxian? thank you so much!!!!

FOUND!  @alovelyocean thinks it’s this tumblr fic by @shanastoryteller

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15.  Okay this is a super long shot so if you don't find it that's totally fine but I'm looking for this fic (or maybe a scene in a fic?) where Jiang cheng learns about the golden core transfer from wwx and they have a super dramatic screaming match about it bc they're the Jiangs and wwx says something along the lines of "I did it because you're my little brother and I love you" and Jiang Cheng just yells at him and goes "YEAH I FUCKING NOTICED." it made me laugh so hard I cried but I can't remember where it's from 😭 if you find it thank you so much you're a legend

FOUND!  @directedby13 says you’re looking for Ch. 3 in decay by antebunny (G, 15k, wangxian)

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16.  Hiiiii I’m looking for a fanfic where WWX first resurrects but Jiang Cheng takes him back to lotus pier before LWJ finds him  [I couldn’t tell if this was a Fic Finder or an In The Mood request]

FOUND?  @supernova2395 says wwx makes his way to Lotus Pier earlier than canon in By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller (not rated, 32k, wangxian)

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17.  hi!! i was looking for a wangxian fic but i rlly cant find it anywhere and i cant stop thinking abt it 😭 it’s a multi chaptered fic (its a long one, at least 50 chapters) where wwx is not a prt of the jiang sect but was raised together with wen qing and wen ning in their own sect where wei ying’s dad is alive and is sect leader. The unique thing abt the fic is that all of the characters’ swords can change into a human form (i remember suibian has a crush on bichen on this one)... they were also looking for wwx’s mum but i forgot the reason why ~ @makkachiin

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18.  hey mojo!! i’m looking for a jiang cheng/nie mingjue fic where jc is nmj’s submissive?? it’s like a modern au thing and i know it’s still ongoing. it’s very heavy in BDSM and deals a lot with impact play (hitting, caning etc.)

FOUND! by @cadencekismet:   Lay your hands on me by hmc73 (E, 108k, niecheng, WIP)

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19.  Okay so... I lowkey need your help? I haven't read this story yet but I saw the summary like uhhh yesterday? It's like a tgcf/mdzs crossover and the summary went like:

"Hey I'm 30!" At least I was born 30 years ago [Wei Wuxian]

"I am 800" [Xie Lian I think?] "Yeah no you don't look a day older than 400" [Wei Wuxian]

I feel like I have hallucinated this but I swear I saw it, I just can't find it!!

FOUND!   Atlas by etymologyplayground (M, 12k, wangxian, hualian, my post)

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20.  Hi! First of all, thank you for helping me find so many nice fics! You literally save me at my hour and a half long commute to work [😊]

Secondly, I have a fic I want to find that despite all of my efforts remain hidden and I wondered if you or one of your followers could help. What I remember from it is that wwx dies, but his body is placed in a glass coffin or something in the burial mounds. The years pass and even though he is dead his body remains preserved in the glass until one day he comes back. And I think he comes back when the entire cultivation society is gathered by his coffin for some reasonable or other. It's very vague but it's all I remember!

FOUND?  @supernova2395 says it could be If One for you, then One for us by KusakabeNAyako (T, 85k, wangxian, WIP) “The soulless body of Wei Wuxian laid upon a bed of silk in a coffin made of black wood and glass, surrounded by [glass] flowers.”

NOT FOUND!  OP says the one above isn’t it, which means there are multiple fics out there with wwx in a glass coffin!  Anyone know of another?

FOUND?  @x0-r wonders if you could be looking for Alexandria by LilyMaxwell (T, 24k, wangxian)

FOUND?  Glass Coffin by odirin (not rated, 19k, jiang cheng & wei wuxian, 

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[My ko-fi.]

[farmerlan]

A guide to commonly used honorifics in 魔道祖师/The Untamed

OK - so, I’ve actually seen some confusion floating around on specific honorifics commonly used in 魔道祖师 and I figured I will put a post up to address some of this - especially the situations when they get used. Hopefully it’ll be helpful for fic writers or whoever else out there that’s getting turned around by the various translations.

As with most of Chinese vernacular, there’s a TON of similar, but different situations in which it may be permissible to use certain titles/honorifics, so bear in mind this is not an exhaustive guide. Also, I don’t have a PhD in Chinese honorifics or anything, I’m just a Chinese person that watches/reads a fair amount of historical dramas. So if I missed anything/if there was anything that was kind of unclear in the novel or drama, feel free to let me know!

公子 / gongzi/ master

Let’s start with the hardest so I can get this out of the way. You will see this translated in a variety of different ways - master, young master, sir...and they are all correct! Congratulations, you’ve hit the jackpot - depending on the situation, gongzi can be a whole hodgepodge of things.

Master: The most commonly used version in MDZS. This is a separate meaning of master from some of the honorifics discussed below - it is specifically used to address either:

Your literal master if you are a servant in the household

A somebody from a distinguished household in a polite way

General honorific: Gongzi can also be used between strangers/acquaintances as a respectful term. Gongzi is, in some ways, an indicator of respect of the other person’s status. So oftentimes you’ll find two young masters from different sects referring to each other as gongzi politely, but you wouldn’t find two beggars on the street calling each other that. and it’s usually used to address someone younger or a similar age as you. If you‘re talking to someone who is clearly your senior, use 前辈 or 先生.

Because it has the connotation of youth and aristocracy associated with it, oftentimes innkeepers/sellers may use gongzi to address male customers  (particularly youthful men) because it’s a bit more flattering. Kind of like how the modern day shopkeeper calls you ‘美女’ (beauty) or even ‘亲��的’（my dear - IDK when this started becoming a thing but if you do any online shopping on Taobao you know what I’m talking about) in China. They don’t actually think you’re beautiful/feel affection for you, it’s just a way of addressing the customer to make you feel good about yourself HA. It’s nice to be called gongzi even if you’re not actually a noble.

There’s variants of this - 小公子/ xiaogongzi is typically young master, although I think some translations just directly use the young master for gongzi. It can also mean the younger master if there is an older sibling in question here (e.g. Wen Chao was referred to as 温小公子 as he was the younger son), although you can also use 二公子 （second master), as many do when referring to Lan Wangji. It sounds a little less juvenile.

This term is used for guys - I would say the female equivalent could be 千金/ qianjin or 小姐 /xiaojie.

宗主 / zongzhu/ sect leader

This can only refer to the sect leader - it is a title, and it is passed down. There is typically only one sect leader at any one time, and his eldest male heir will be the successive leader of the sect. I’m going to take this chance to clear up some misconceptions:

Unless Lan Xichen bears no male heirs before his death, Lan Wangji will not succeed him. Lan Sizhui, given that he is not a Lan by birth, will likely never be the Lan sect leader. Yes yes, we all know he’s the adoptive son, but adoptive means literally nothing in the progenical world of Chinese history. Plus, he’s not even the adoptive son of Lan Xichen, so he is a long, long way down from ever being sect leader unless he forms his own, which he would likely never because that’s kind of like betraying your family.

On that same topic, Nie Huaisang succeeded Nie Mingjue because Nie Mingjue died without an heir and Nie Huaisang was the closest blood relative.

For the Jin sect, the succession would have been Jin Guangshan -> Jin Zixuan -> Jin Ling. (y’all I wrote here that it was Jin Zixun first in line but I totally blanked that he was actually a cousin and NOT the son of JGS so ignore that LOL) Since Jin Zixuan died, it became Jin Guangyao - Jin Ling is next in line as he is of the next generation and too young at that time to rule. Honestly, if Jin Ling was older at the time of Jin Zixuan’s death and if this was a Chinese historical palace drama, there would probably be some serious internal political intrigue going on as Jin Guangyao’s claim over the seat would arguably be weaker than Jin Ling’s since he is illegitimate.

For the Jiang sect, Jiang Cheng is the heir even though Jiang Yanli is older because he is male. The question of who will inherit his seat (a very valid question given his luck with dating, although I am sure someone somewhere will eventually warm the prickly cockles of his heart) remains open. IMO there is a less than zero chance that Jin Ling succeeds him unless Jiang Cheng specifically demands for it, but he likely wouldn’t because he is all about decorum and also it would put Jin Ling in an incredibly difficult situation, which is the last thing he would want for his nephew. If he doesn’t end up producing heirs, the seat will likely go to whomever he names as successor, even if non-blood related - maybe the current head disciple.

With that said, although there were generally established rules for succession, actual Chinese history (like all of history) often played out very differently (e.g. Emperor Kangxi stripped crown prince Yinreng of his right to succeed and appointed Yinzhen (Yongzheng), who was the fourth surviving prince, as his successor) so really, even if you were to base sect succession off imperial succession traditions, you could still make the argument that anything goes as long as you have the right people in your corner. HA.

老祖/ laozu/ grandmaster/forefather

I mean, I think grandmaster is probably a fair translation of laozu, which, to be honest, is a harder honorific to translate. It’s definitely influenced by Taoism and not very common at all, but it’s likely derived from Hongjun Laozu (鸿钧老祖), who was a deity and teacher. It does NOT only stand for a senior teacher/master however, because 祖 itself has ancestral connotations, so I think I would personally translate this as forefather. IMO, it’s really only fair to use this on Wei Wuxian and/or originators of a certain branch of study in the MDZS universe - I would consider laozu as the term of respect afforded to people who were pioneers in their fields/sects.

In that sense, Lan Qiren is NOT the grandmaster of the Lan sect. He is an elder - a very respected elder that was basically interim sect leader, but in terms of official title, technically, Lan Xichen could pull rank on him, but he likely wouldn’t unless pressed to because he is also Lan Xichen’s elder.

前辈 / qianbei/ senior/elder

This is kind of an in-between term to politely refer to someone who is your senior, but with whom you really have no formal affiliation with. Unlike 先生, it’s also unisex. A related term is 长辈 /zhangbei, but that is used for people whom you have familial/closer ties with - like an uncle, or someone within your own sect.

师父/师尊/ shifu/shizun / master

Your teacher/master, but not in the servant-master context. Someone who mentors you for years - in the xianxia/wuxia culture, this is a pretty special term because most disciples will only ever belong to one sect and will only ever have one master, and everyone else is a qianbei. The disciple has to ‘拜师’ (to formally request this relationship) and the master also has to ‘收徒’ (to formally accept disciples). So a lot of people went to Yiling in an attempt to 拜师, but Wei Wuxian never did 收徒.

In the wuxia/xianxia context, shifu is technically unisex even though 父 in itself is a male-centric term, although female masters might be more commonly referred to by the gender-neutral shizun instead.

Now that I think about it, shifu doesn’t actually appear in MDZS. Lan Wangji calls Lan Qiren 叔父 /shufu, which is completely different. It means uncle (father’s younger brother, to be exact lol), since that is their relationship.

老头/ laotou/ old man

Wei Wuxian uses this to address Lan Qiren behind his back. It literally just means old man, haha. It’s informal but not a term you would use to refer to someone who is close to you/whom you like, but not exactly a term that is insulting or derogatory, although in Lan Qiren’s case, it is irreverent because it is ill-fitting for the relationship that Wei Wuxian and Lan Qiren have. Meant to be used on men, usually for women it would be 老婆婆/ laopopo (NOT THE SAME as 老婆/ laopo, which means wife. Welcome to the weird wonderful world of the Chinese language!)

师弟/哥/兄/姐/妹/ shi di/ge/xiong/jie/mei/ younger brother/ older brother/ another variant of older brother/ older sister/ younger sister

NOT TO BE USED FOR YOUR ACTUAL FAMILY. This is in the context of the sect only. Your fellow disciples, but with varying levels of seniority. Familial honorifics are a whole different thing.

In the context of the sect, who you call your shidi/ge etc. is usually NOT based on age - it is based on someone’s seniority within the sect. If you have been in the sect/under your master’s tutelage for longer, you are the senior, even if you are younger in age.

With that, I think the novel states that both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are similar in age, so it is actually incredibly hard to determine if the author deliberately went against this convention and Wei Wuxian calls Jiang Cheng shidi because he is genuinely younger than Wei Wuxian, or if it is simply because Wei Wuxian is the head disciple of the sect (and therefore, technically, everyone is his shidi). I actually think it might be the former because he refers to Jiang Yanli as shijie, although now that I think about it, it might be the latter...as a reflection of the level of admiration Wei Wuxian has for Jiang Yanli WOAH.

(Fun fact: there’s a scene in the novel in Yi city where Wei Wuxian was silently weirded out that Xiao Xingchen referred to him as ‘qianbei’ - because Xiao Xingchen is his mother’s shidi, which makes him Wei Wuxian’s senior, but then he quickly realizes it’s because he’s talking to Xue Yang and not Xiao Xingchen.)

先生 /xiansheng/ mister/sir/teacher

In present day, this is literally the most vanilla term you can use to politely address a guy. Can be a stranger, or an acquaintance you want to politely address. Usually older than you, although if you’re both similar in age and you’re not really familiar with each other, you might still use it just to err on the side of caution. In xianxia/ancient China, this is usually used more like ‘teacher/sir’ to address an elder. It’s more scholastic in its implication and less generic than qianbei.

In the Lan sect, by crowd definition, 先生 refers to Lan Qiren unless otherwise stated, which makes sense and shows the amount of respect he is afforded in the sect.

夫人 / furen/ wife/madam

A term of respect for typically older women, or can also be used to refer to one’s wife.

Lastly, let me just add that this is just something that’s meant to be helpful for people as they work through the series - at the end of the day, it’s all fictional/xianxia itself as a genre is fantasy so if you need to subvert any one of the generally held succession traditions or whatnot in order to make your fic work, go!!! Do it!!!

[palebluemelody]

why is nobody talking about how lan wangji must've felt when he saw wei wuxian slowly turn into the yiling laozu. the soulmate that promised not to take crooked paths into demonic cultivation, the soulmate that he made a promise with to protect the weaker people and stand with justice, the soulmate that he was finally opening up to, turn into the grandmaster of diabolism.

wangji (even lan xichen) had always seen wuxian as a happy-go-lucky and a joyful person who carried the sun on his shoulders, brightening everyone's days with small jokes and little smiles everywhere he went.

but during the damned war at nevernight city, when lan wangji and wei wuxian were standing at the roof and wei wuxian said, "Lan Zhan, I already knew that one day the two of us would have a real fight," nothing extra happened, they just fought but i really cannot stop thinking about how lan wangji had to go through all those bad feelings of losing his soulmate to demonic cultivation, while wei wuxian was playing his flute to stop lan wangji and bichen, idk about you guys but personally feel like lan wangji's eyes expressed a lot of sadness then, sadness that he couldn't show to others.

okay i will shut up bc i cannot express myself well.

ps. lan wangji lost wei wuxian twice, once to demonic cultivation and then the great gay fall.

[crossdressingdeath]

Could you imagine if as LWJ was leaving BM the first time that A-Yuan looked really sad and started crying and begging LWJ to stay and he goes "but a-die you have to stay" and LWJ turns right back around is like "ok I live here now" and WWX goes "you can always leave later when he's asleep or tomorrow morning or something" but LWJ who very much knows what its like to feel abandoned by his parents and never get to see the parent he loved most is horrified and offended and he's like "NO I MUST STAY FOR A-YUAN AND BE THE A-DIE HE WANTS ME TO BE" and A-Yuan beams at him and the next day LWJ sends a letter to LXC telling him that WWX and him adopted a child and live together now in BM and LXC is just like "I knew something like this would happen but I didn't expect it to happen like this?!" So of course he has to go to BM to meet his nephew right? BUT LQR and NMJ refuse to let him go alone so they all roll up to BM ready for a fight and are greeted by the most adorable child who takes one look at them and goes "🤷🏻‍♂️ those are free uncles" and what are they all gonna do say no to A-Yuan?! Can anyone say no to him?! LQR may not be fond of WWX but now that he has a kid with LWJ that means they have to get married. Plus seeing that the people under his care are innocent he decides that he will accept the Wen remnants into his care as well as having all of WWX's be given merit to the Lan sect (but obviously stay under WWX's name they just get first dibs on them). WWX accepts the offer because the safety of the Wen is most important and he has a sense of duty right? So he tells himself he is only marry LWJ for the Wen and for A-Yuan (we all know the truth). Anyway they get married and WWX sees LWJ in wedding red and his heart is flying through his chest. Most of the cultivation world is like "ah Hanguang-jun truly is so honorable to do whats best for the cultivation world and take control of the evil Yiling Laozu" meanwhile WWX is like "ah yes 👍 👀🥵 LWJ has completely control of me". They are both so in love and happy. WWX gets to go to JL's ceremony and no one dies. He sees JYL again and she has a twinkle in her eyes cause she KNOWS. WQ and WN revolutionize medicine together. WWX invents all sorts of things. A-Yuan gains a bunch of siblings because WWX and LWJ see sad orphan kids and go "I guess we'll adopt them" and A-Yuan is like "free sibling". The junior quartet become bffs a lot sooner cause WWX and JYL are like "our kids will be together all the time." JZX and WWX surprisingly become good friends and they talk nerdy stuff all the time (look JZX may look like a prep but the dude is a total awkward nerd at heart). NMJ doesn't go I to qi deviation because WQ invents a way to reverse and prevent it. Eventually LXC marries NMJ and they are super happy. JGS dies under mysterious circumstances but no one is sad about it. With JZX as sect leader he promotes JGY to his right hand man because he thinks his brother has a good mind and good plans. The two of them bring the Jin sect into a new age. JGY doesn't have to worry about his place in the world or the sect because anyone that messes with him answers to JYL and really are you going to upset or disappoint her? (I sure as hell won't). Idk about JC maybe he dies of envy and jealousy? Maybe he is a whiney cry baby? Who cares he doesn't matter anyway.

Can’t believe that A-Yuan whining that he doesn’t want his new rich friend to leave unlocked the golden ending.

[agendratum]

hey @tootiredtoosadtooangry i tried to answer your 6 weeks old ask, but as i saved it as a draft to check the formatting and all that, it just fucking disappeared, cause tumblr is a website. it may magically come back later, but idk if it will happen. good thing is that i saved the text of that ask separately, cause i’m a genius and i wasn’t gonna lose this essay *wink wink* to this fucking website

ok, so it's been 6 weeks

it's basically 5-7 business days, right?

so 6 weeks ago i made a gif, and under that gif i said that i might write an essay about some things (wei wuxian), but then some other things happened (word of honor) and i kinda got distracted. but now i have my glass of whatever this alcohol that i'm drinking is, and i think i'm ready to talk a bit about our depressed necromancer who in that gif just came back to life. mostly about:

1. the specific flashback he's having in that moment, the one about seeing lan wangji for the first time

2. the general concept of being back to life 16 years later and getting using to that new world around him

so, first of all, what i find really interesting, is that upon seeing sizhui's clothing pattern, wei wuxian remembers, of course, lan wangji. but the thing is, being just back to life, his last memory from being alive is him falling down the cliff with lan wangji's face fading while the distance grows. that is not what he remembers. his memory goes back to the very first moment they met, the moment before literally anything happened, including all the things that went wrong.

because think about it. even tho i'm going here by the live-action canon, if we go back just a little bit to the novel canon, wei wuxian doesn't actually remember lan wangji fighting by his side in that final battle. when he comes back to life, he believes that he's remembered as the terrible yiling laozu by everybody. and that includes lan wangji. by the end of wei wuxian life he became everything that lan wangji warned him about, and everything he said he wouldn't become. so he believes that if lan wangji would find out that he's back to life, it wouldn't make him happy (oh how wrong he is)

when wei wuxian sees lan sect juniors for the first time, there seems to be a bit of hope - "is *he* also here?" but later we find out, that he doesn't actually want lwj to be here, cause he thinks that their meeting will not look like a friendly reunion (it will look like a very romantic reunion, but that happens later). and i think that when he has that small flashback to their very first meetings, the sadness that overcomes him is caused by the realization of that enormous gap between them when they just met and them after all the terrible things that happened. wei wuxian wants to see his old friend, a person who once at least tried to believe in him, who is also still alive, which can't be said about a lot of people he knew, but there is this huge barrier that he believes cannot be crossed. and he crossed that point of no return himself in his previous life, and he is now undeserving of lan wangji's trust and friendship.

and that's of course isn't true. but there is a difference between what we know, what lan wangji thinks and what wei wuxian believes and remembers.

there is no smooth transition i can think of to get to the second point, so here we are. 16 years. 16 years is a lot. it's a whole fucking life. a human can be almost fully formed in that time period (which is perfectly represented by both fully grown up sizhui and jin ling, who, when wwx died, was a one month old baby) in 16 years a lot can happen to a person. a person can grow to change their whole world view, their believe system, some of their principles, become comfortable with their identity and finally figure out what they want from life. a person can grow from a child to an adult, who's carefully and patiently initiating a plan they've been cultivating for years, while playing a role and hiding their true face from everybody. a person can take their enormous grief, their rage, their pain and direct it all towards achieving their goals, actually fulfilling the impossible, while managing to raise a child and not completely ruin them from the inside, but actually letting the child know that he's loved and safe.

and then wei wuxian who died 16 years ago before any of that happened, comes back to this world full of people he used to once know. but he doesn't anymore. and we can see it in everything, from little details to big very important conversations. the most obvious is him trying to play and flirt with lan wangji the ways he used to when they were teens, and being so confused by lwj's reaction. because lwj grew past that so long ago, while wwx just didn't have a chance to get this out of his system. that part is him getting to know lwj again, from the beginning, because he meets a new man. but at least with lwj, wwx is willing to get to know him and lwj is willing to let him do that.

then there is jiang cheng. there was always a certain level of misunderstanding between yunmeng bros, but at the same time, wei wuxian used to know jiang cheng pretty well. when jiang cheng was upset or something was going wrong home, with his parents, wwx mostly knew what to do or what to say or how to distract him and make light of the situation. he used to be able to look jiang cheng in the eyes and lie, and jiang cheng would believe that. and when wei wuxian comes back, he thinks it's the same jiang cheng. but the thing is, it's not. jiang cheng grew in not the most healthy ways, but he still grew up. there are so many moments, where instead of making the light of the situation, wei wuxian's actions escalate it. it's both jc just being a new person and wwx not knowing anymore how to act around him. the most important scenes showcasing that are lotus pier fight and the conversation in the temple.

there is also nhs, who's fooling everybody around him easily because he always did. even if it was just about school work. but isn't it fucking sad, that he's fooling even he's best friend. wwx isn't really surprised in the end, of course, when we find out that nhs has been behind all these deeds, but still he doesn't really suspect him. like at all, if i recall correctly? and they used to be on the same page of fooling everybody to think that these two boys are just some lazy fools. they're clearly not on the same page anymore.

wwx comes back to the world full of people who look like people he used to know or remind him of people he used to know, but they aren't them. meanwhile he didn't have the time to grow or change or just have some peace. wherever he's been while being dead, he was just out of it. his path of growing and figuring himself out stars with him coming back. but he's years behind. and with someone like lan wangji, we know that he's willing wait and he gives him space and he gives him love and home and warmth. but then, for example, jiang cheng's frustration is visible in the air, because he had years to overthink everything went wrong again and again, and wei wuxian comes back and it seems like he just want to ignore and leave "the past in the past" and it's infuriating for someone who couldn't let go of it all for 16 years. but it's understandable for someone who just came back and now the weight of everything they did multiplied by 16 years is suddenly being thrown at them.

and he has to get to know all these people from the beggining, if they will be willing to get to know each other at all. and the growth, that getting to know himself, it's a journey he has to take on his own. that's why i'm such a big fan of that trip he takes in the end by the way. but still it's a trip he takes alone, and there are still huge chunks of life he missed. and he will never get them back. he missed all those years when sizhui and jin ling were growing up. and it will always be there. they will be sharing their childhood stories with him, and the lack of wwx in their lives will be so obvious. he will continue to learn new things about lwj, about his old friends, about the world, because it's been so long, and it will be noticeable that he was not there.

i would say that all the characters of their generation (that survived) are lonely in their own way. but for wei wuxian it's the loneliness of being dead and just completely not present on the lives of his loved ones.

i don't know where i'm going with it now, so i think i will just stop here and maybe come back to you 6 weeks later with another terribly messy emotional take influenced by me drinking alcohol.

[ouyangzizhensdad]

MDZS: Canon divergence fic idea

I will never write this fic, but I am sharing it in case someone else feels game.   WHAT IF... when wwx is first taken to the Cloud Recesses after being brought back to life, he overhears gossip. Maybe elders, maybe servants, talking about how Hanguang-Jun has brought back another unexpected guest--last time, it had been his bastard son! 

Of course, wwx doesn’t take gossip at face value (duh), but he’s definitely intrigued. Did lwj really do something so outlandish? The mere thought of it sounds far-fetched--he can’t imagine lwj abandoning a woman who is with his child, even if it had been the result of a single night of passion (lz? a night of passion? Pfft!) 

But, you know, wwx keeps thinking about it. And so, when Drunk #1 happens, instead of asking lwj whether he’s in love to test how honest his answers are, he asks him about having a son. wwx is stunned not only by the answer, but by the soft smile on lwj’s face (because lwj thinks of a-yuan as his son and adores him and you cannot tell me otherwise).  Throughout the events leading to the resolution of Yi City, wwx sometimes thinks about how lwj could remain unmarried (he didn’t meet or hear of a wife! so lwj has to be unmarried!) and yet have a son. He starts imagining a super tragic  story (didn’t he think lwj looked like he had lost a wife the first time he had seen him after being brought back to life?). wwx also wonders what lwj’s son must be like (he jokingly wonders if ljy is lwj’s son and nearly dies laughing--even lwj looks worried for a second).

Drunk #2 happens, but the fight between the juniors is slightly different than in the novel. While arguing, jl also accuses lsz of acting all high-and-mighty because he’s Hanguang-Jun’s son and under his protection--yes! He knows the shocking truth, because he’s a sect leader and sect leaders know all the gossip! (ljy LOUDLY defends lsz’s honour and ouzz is like how could you do this to your FRIEND?!). wwx is shocked--but then, he finds it all makes sense (and he can’t help admiring lz even more--he’s too good, to have brought up such a good kid). Fast forward, back in the inn, after the kiss, wwx wonders whether it was lwj’s first kiss and then reminds himself that 13 years have passed, and that lwj even has a son! He’s not sure if he should feel better or worse--he didn’t steal someone’s first kiss, but he kissed a man mourning the love of his life (at this point wwx is convinced that lwj fell in love with someone his clan disapproved of, eloped, but that his wife tragically passed--probably an illness, Hanguang-Jun would have been able to protect the woman he loves from any threat!!!!--and then that he went back to the Cloud Recesses with his only child, the surviving proof of their shared love). 

(later on, when his thoughts get a little dark, he starts wondering whether she was killed by the Yiling Laozu).

The next day, while he’s talking with with lsz and ljy, instead of asking about forehead ribbons, he tells lsz he’s heard what jl said because he wants him to know he’s aware of something lsz seemed unwilling to share openly. wwx jockingly asks at some point why lsz calls his dad Hanguang-jun and not a-die, and just when lsz is going to explain he’s adopted--gasp! nmj’s corpse is there and the conversation comes to an halt (so that wwx can continue misguidedly thinking lsz is lwj’s bio son). 

Then for the rest of the novel, everything that happens is tainted by the fact wwx is convinced lwj is mourning his wife and that lsz is his bio son. Cue more freaking out about his feelings and whether lwj returns them (lz can’t be a cut-sleeve! how shameless does he have to be to fall for a widower), cue inserting lsz in his retirement fantasy (they already have a --well, kind of big--small one!). 

How much would it change the events of the novel? IDK, I am bad at plot.

So please, anyone, write this. 

[xueyangs-pinky-finger]

👀👀 maybe I'm someone else though

I'm so so so so sorry about that mess up! I turned anon on but then had to put down my phone for a bit and when I got back, it has switched back to non-anon and I didn't notice until right after I hit Send. But wow, your detective work!!!

The sheer CHAOTIC GREMLIN ENERGY of Too Many Spirits!!! This has become my Saturday comfort watch.

Ohh yes I was just recently talking about Ye Ben with someone and yesss it plays in alllll the saddest scenes: after lotus pier is murdered, the nightless city cliff, the golden core reveal, when song lan is walking away on his own after the yi city story... Just hearing the music now is enough to make me want to cry.

Ooh the good place AU sounds so interesting! And it would fit them so well: xue yang as Eleanor, starting out not so good but growing as a person as he receives love and support... I can't wait to see your fanvid!

I don't write fics. I tried when I was in school but it makes me cringe whenever I think about it 😅. And no, I haven't tried any other work by mxtx although I keep hearing so much about them! Maybe I'll give tgcf a try once my work schedule gets a bit less crazy...

What was your favourite storyline in mdzs/cql? (If it was the xue yang storyline, then second favourite? 😝) And your least favourite? A storyline which you wish you could rewrite/would happen differently? And finally, a cql storyline that you liked which wasn't in mdzs, and vice versa?

-🎵🦄

i hope you don’t feel bad about it bc it’s rly fine!! if anything, i was just amused, self-satisfied since i guessed correctly (even tho that was rly just dumb luck 😝), and happy it was you ^^

omg, i know, i watch it w/ my mom and sister and they love it too. also i’m pretty sure shane reached his final form when he started cosplaying as krampus aldfk.

yesss, ye ben always gives me goosebumps!! also i just realized ren sheng is the one that plays during the rain scene, so now that one has more of an effect on me as well :’(

thanks; i can’t wait either, lmao. it took me 2 hours to edit a mere 20 second segment and now i’m rly sympathizing with youtubers who spend full days every week just editing—

same, same, like we just gonna leave that shit in the past… 🙈 occasionally i still get emails from ao3 saying someone left kudos on one of my fics and i’m just like oh god no why alskdf.

i rly enjoyed tgcf! hualian are rly… it’s like you don’t even have to worry about censorship with them bc you simply Cannot; their every interaction is flirtatious asdklf. they differ from wangxian in that way, bc i feel like they both were aware of their feelings for each other earlier~ so it’s fun bc it’s something different :)) (also the bamboo hat rain scene was rly… that shit kinda hit hard, ngl. life b like that~) aw sorry you’re so busy :((

low-key the answer’s probably yi cheng arc for the first three questions 🙃 it’s fave bc we finally see more of xue yang, and i’d loved him since that very first scene of him in ep 3~ also i was sure he rly did care about xxc and it proved me right, and i loved seeing that other side of him… but least fave bc his and xxc’s demises quickly follow 😔 if i could, i would give them a reincarnation sequel series where they get a happy ending :’) low-key while i was reading tgcf i liked to pretend hualian were xuexiao reincarnated bc i felt like there were a lot of parallels there

other than that, tho… lsz being a-yuan for fave? he’s one of my favorite characters, and bc i was a big dummy on my first viewing, i did not see them being the same person coming at all 🤦🏻‍♀️ the reunion w/ him and wn and him and wwx made me teary (i didn’t full-on cry at all on my first viewing of cql, tho i have done so many times since aha); it was just rly touching and i loved that they were each other’s happy endings~ also, the yiling laozu… painful as it is, it’s also just So Good… xz rly flexed them acting skills, and i love all the tea wwx spills during that final confrontation 👌 the cloud recesses shenanigans are also iconic ofc… the golden core reveal and overall change in behavior of lwj after wwx comes back... mastermind nhs taking everyone (including me) for a fool... idk there’s so many wbu 😅

idk about the cql v. mdzs storyline q bc i haven’t read that much of mdzs and i haven’t noticed that many differences? so i’ll have to get back to you on that ^^ oh, i believe cql added the bit about drunk lwj with the roosters? so that was pretty great haha. & i appreciate mdzs xue yang bc we get the full context of his background story~

[fantasiavii]

Okay. Okay. Some mdzs questions. This is just a ramble of things I’ve been thinking about lately.

People seem to think spiritual energy transfers don’t work on Wei Wuxian anymore because he doesn’t have a golden core. Fine, maybe they don’t. But everyone, even non-cultivators, has some amount of spiritual energy right? Wei Wuxian still has spiritual energy, just not much, so wouldn’t the energy transfer help somewhat? Like if it didn’t help at all after Jinlintai, wouldn’t Lan Wangji have been really concerned about that? Unless he thought it was a normal post-resurrection demonic cultivation-induced reaction idk. I guess the most telling thing is that after he learned Wei Wuxian doesn’t have a core, he didn’t attempt another transfer even though Wei Wuxian was injured...hmm...

Also, so, a lot of people (from what I’ve seen in fic) think the golden core transfer was some kind of surgery (which I agree with to be clear) but I just reblogged that post where someone was talking about how because the golden core is not an actual physical organ in the body but instead a pooled resource of qi developed overtime, the transfer probably looked more like a massive spiritual energy transfer than actual surgery. Which. Maybe, I guess? When Wen Zhuliu melts cores in The Untamed he just kind of touches people with the intent to melt cores...I think we see it happen once? But in the donghua, he reaches inside people if I remember correctly. And then there’s that scene where Wei Wuxian literally blows through him and pulls OUT his golden core, a physical object, which he then crushes in his hand. Maybe it’s because I watched the donghua first but I’ve never really imagined the golden core as an organ per se but I have imagined it having a physical aspect, even if it’s only like super-condensed qi or something. So the surgery might not involve cutting Wei Wuxian open but it definitely has to be more complex than a spiritual energy transfer, right? Especially if Wen Qing has to be there to do it. Especially since Wen Ning tells Lan Wangji how painful it is.

Back to point one about spiritual energy not affecting Wei Wuxian because he doesn’t have a golden core. The other thing about this that I don’t get is that spiritual energy does affect things that don’t have golden cores...like spiritual energy is used to disperse resentful energy all the time if you think about the fact that it takes spiritual energy to wield a sword or play a spiritual instrument or use a spiritual tool (other than the Yin Tiger Amulet). People often say the spiritual energy transfer doesn’t work for Wei Wuxian anymore which I could accept but there’s often an accompanying belief that neither does Lan Wangji’s music. But Lan Wangji uses the music to disperse/attack resentful energy and resentful beings all the time???? Why should it be any different with Wei Wuxian? (Not that Wei Wuxian is a resentful being......but isn’t he, a little? Especially in his Sunshot Campaign/Yiling Laozu days.)

I know in the scene where Lan Wangji plays for him after the final battle of the Sunshot campaign, it sure looks like Wei Wuxian is faking feeling better afterwards, but consider—he has to have resentful energy inside him to be able to do anything. He doesn’t want the music to work. It’s in his own interest to pretend like it’s worked when it hasn’t so that he can get Lan Wangji to stop playing. If Wei Wuxian sat there and took it, the music would probably disperse all the resentment and then Lan Wangji would definitely figure out something was wrong if Wei Wuxian couldn’t do anything anymore. Wei Wuxian’s not avoiding Cleansing/Clarity because it’s ineffectual, he’s avoiding it because it is. At least, that’s how I’ve always understood it.

That’s it, that’s the post! So many questions and idk if there are answers lol. Maybe there’s something in the novel that proves me wrong but I haven’t read it so I’m going with what I know. But there’s so much varied opinion in the fandom that I don’t expect that there are clear answers in the novel lol. But what do I know, this is just my confused ramble.