#is that him dying and getting transmigrated into a powerful immortal body

[mikkeneko]

Happy birthday to Shen Qingqiu and here's a reminder that while "Shen Yuan in his first life was a chronically ill, twenty-year-old, no-game prettyboy loser" is not canon necessarily, it is nevertheless an interpretation with a strong amount of extratextual support

by now I’ve read a couple of different Identity Reveals in fics but the one thing I haven’t seen yet is for Shen Yuan to express insecurity over the fact that his original body is nothing like as hot as Shen Qingqiu’s, and to wonder if maybe Luo Binghe feels cheated or let down

if only so that Luo Binghe can grab his head, look him dead in the eye, and say “shizun. husband. light of my life. i want you to listen to me very closely. for five years I had this body and it was the worst thing that ever happened to me because you were not in it”

[sunderwight]

SV AU where Luo Binghe answers Shen Qingqiu's "do you want power?" question differently, so Shen Qingqiu cannot mentally justify pushing him into the Abyss, and resolves to just let the System kill him instead. Even though he doesn't want to die, it's probably still better to just get yeeted out of his body than to be brutally dismembered after forcing his favorite disciple to suffer terribly.

However, the System picks up on this philosophical shift in the user, and begins to take counter-measures.

Without-a-Cure ratchets up exponentially. Around the same time, Luo Binghe discovers an ancient record in the libraries that claims some rare compound or other which can only be found in the Endless Abyss, is reputed to cure all poisons, even the most deadly spiritual kind.

When Shen Qingqiu is too weak to even attend the Immortal Alliance Conference, Luo Binghe initially plans to stay by his bedside. But then he overhears Shang Qinghua whispering about a mysterious plot with a being on the other side of a portal, about arranging a demonic invasion, and afterwards, his shishu mutters something about the Endless Abyss.

Luo Binghe returns to his unconscious master's bedside, and begs him to hold on for however long it will take, because Binghe will return with the cure.

By the time Shen Qingqiu's fever breaks, the Immortal Alliance has come and gone, and with it his poor disciple. What's worse, the whole cultivation world seems to have caught on to the fact that Luo Binghe is a demon! That wasn't supposed to come out yet! But without Shen Qingqiu to help shield him, his seal broke early and in front of more than a few witnesses. Cang Qiong has fallen under a lot of unflattering speculation for harboring such a "creature".

Shen Qingqiu supposes he should have known that there would be no escaping fate. And yet, even with the knowledge that Binghe will come back, and that this time he won't even harbor a grudge against his master for pushing him in, that -- in a sense -- Shen Yuan has been spared and this is probably the 'best case scenario', somehow it's not any easier to deal with. Especially not when he knows that his poor disciple doesn't even want the rewards that will follow after it, that he's suffering for nothing except the fickle mandates of some narrative destiny.

Also, he didn't figure out that Shang Qinghua is Airplane, so he has no fellow transmigrator to understand or help him vent. He's just alone in his knowledge, sickly, fretted over and grieving (not that he can admit the latter), while the sect whispers that the Xiu Ya sword is probably not long for this world now. If the poison doesn't kill him, perhaps his disgrace will. Cang Qiong's good name has been dragged through the mud, and Huan Hua Palace is looking to beat it down further. There are even some who claim that Luo Binghe must have been behind Sha Hualing's earlier invasion, and poisoned his own master because of it! Shen Qingqiu can't stand such talk, nor the pitying, condescending looks he receives whenever he tries to defend his disciple's character.

The writing is on the wall, however. If Shen Qingqiu won't die as a scum villain, the story seems to be planning to kill him off as the tragically deceased mentor.

Meanwhile Luo Binghe takes longer to get out of the Abyss this time. Not for lack of motivation, but because he needs to find his goddamn macguffin first! And then he has to protect it, and get both it and himself safely out of the Abyss! Which means he can't just rush through killing everything, he has to take his time to plan and prepare, even though he wants to rush through because every minute he spends in the Abyss is another minute where Shen Qingqiu could be dying.

When Binghe finally gets out, it's to find that the righteous sects, headed by Huan Hua Palace, are conducting a formal investigation into Cang Qiong Mountain, specifically into the allegations of consorting with demons and the corruption of the Qing Jing Peak Lord. He hurries to the palace to intervene, though by what means even he's not sure.

He arrives just as the Huan Hua Palace disciples are removing Shen Qingqiu's nearly-lifeless body from the water prison.

Just in time for the expected stirring final words of his old shizun, Shen Qingqiu thinks. Imagine his surprise when Luo Binghe force-feeds him a weird potion plus like a liter of blood. Binghe, this is not the dignified end that your shizun had planned!

[tragcdysewn]

was that bai lu? oh no no, that was just li susu, a canon character from till the end of the moon. they are twenty six years old, use she/her, and are aware that they are not actually from washington dc. too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

how long has your character been here:

about two months now

what is your character’s job:

she’s working as a private security agent

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom:

right now, the first episode, right after time traveling, but that will probably change in like a week when the finale airs so

has any magic affected your character:

just taking a chunk of her memories away

bonus info:

okay so li susu has got some TRAUMA babey. she comes from an immortal sect in the mountains, and watched basically the entire sect, including her father and uncle, be slaughtered by the devil god, tantai jin. during the final fight, she found an artifact said to be able to lead to his destruction, left behind by the god of time. using that artifact and some other ancient magic, she goes back in time 500 years to destroy the source of his power and kill him, transmigrating into the body of ye xiwu (this is only possible because ye xiwu is actually her too, but we’ll get to that later) who, as it turns out, is both the worst person alive, and tantai jin’s beloathed wife. she proceeds to immediately make some incredibly questionable decisions, such as seeing that ye xiwu forced her husband to kneel in the snow for days and just leaving him there because she’s pissed he's going to kill her family in the future. she does, however, eventually realize that ‘hey maybe he went apeshit not bc of destiny, but because everyone just treats him like absolute shit’ and shows him the first bit of genuine kindness man has gotten since like... infancy. she lies to him that she’s fallen for him and that’s why she’s different now, and then actually does fall for him and is kind of pissed off about it. 

they proceed to not communicate at all about anything ever because they’re both idiots, culminating in her shooting six spikes into his heart on their wedding night because she thinks he committed some murders he did not commit and is truly irredeemable. she does not manage to actually kill him this way, he’s understandably pissed the fuck off, and she ends up in confinement, where the actual murderer confesses and causes her to have the biggest ‘i am a moron’ realization ever. she eventually dies to take tantai jin’s evil bone (i swear to god that’s what it’s called they keep talking about his bone being in her and i’m too immature for this shit) from him so he doesn’t have to become the devil god.

upon dying, she transmigrates back into her real body, in a much different future than the one she left, and realizes that while she did fix that problem, she still has the evil bone in her (lol), and needs to find a way to get rid of it. surprise surprise before she can do this tantai jin shows up like hello i have actually been looking for ur soul for 500 years, and she has a whole breakdown. it’s then revealed she’s adopted and is actually the daughter of the lord of evil and a phoenix goddess. she handles this better than literally all of her other drama, even though objectively it’s the one i think i would be the most upset about. and with how phoenixes work, their soul needs to go through trials before they can be fully born, hence ye xiwu being the worst person alive, as she was all the worst parts of li susu. 

she’s an absolute icon who fights with a HARP (that’s actually her dead mom’s spirit but we’re not touching on that it’s complicated) and while she can be a complete and utter moron sometimes, she’s always determined to do what she thinks is the right thing, even if it will hurt her in the long run. she’s very much a ‘for the greater good’ kind of bitch, but mostly only when ‘for the greater good’ involves self sacrifice she definitely struggles with the ‘kill one person to save many’ part of that ideal. i will finish this when the show is done but she’s a badass and an idiot and i adore her while also constantly questioning every choice she makes

[foundmywei]

Liushen Fanfic Recs Part 1

Here are my favorite liushen fics. Mostly older ones bc I haven't read any recently. Enjoy!

Part 2 , Masterpost

Deus Ex Machina by qikiqtarjuaq

(6,399 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-divergence, marriage of convenience

In hindsight, Shen Qingqiu shouldn't have been surprised that marriage was a legitimate get-out-of-jail-free card in this world's illogical and badly constructed justice system.

The Woes of Growing Pains by CheckersXIV

(26,495 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-divergence, teen peak lords

No one has ever had a successful time acclimating to transmigration.

At least, that's what Shen Yuan tells himself after he accidentally breaks The System. It doesn't help that he wakes up as a teenage disciple inside of the bane of his existence- Proud Immortal Demon Way. He's trying to take precautions to avoid all the death flags that this stupid villain's body of his is going to get him into, but some other disciple really seems to have it out for him...

Fire in Bloom by qikiqtarjuaq

(5,498 words | Teen and Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-divergence, LQG stays suspicious of SQQ for longer

Liu Qingge was certain that Shen Qingqiu was up to something.

Lean On Me A Little by MonroeKnox

(1,711 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-compliant, sickfic

Liu Qingge gets a fever and refuses to take care of himself. So Shen Qingqiu is forced to take up the job.

Drunk Sincerity by Suspicious_Popsicle

(3,293 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon universe, established relationship

Liu Qingge put Shen Qingqiu strongly in mind of a stray kitten he'd once taken care of. It had been cute as could be, but it was feral and skittish, the sort of cat that had learned humans might be good for a bit of food sometimes, but shouldn't be trusted. It had taken months of consistently feeding it, staying nearby as the kitten ate, and speaking softly around it before the little beast had even deigned to sniff his fingers.

Ever since preventing Liu Qingge from dying because of a qi deviation, Shen Qingqiu had thought about that cat a lot.

a thousand, eight hundred and twenty six battles by whytte

(9,455 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-compliant, open ending

A battle for each day without him.

Shen Qingqiu has too much power over a War God by poison_dart_frog

(16,891 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 5/5)

canon-divergence

Liu Qingge is hopelessly in love with Shen Qingqiu, unfortunately Shen Qingqiu is the only one who is unaware. This leads to Liu Qingge sending an uncountable amount of courting gifts to Shen Qingqiu, in the hopes he will get the message, all the while Shen Qingqiu thinks he hates him--a vicious cycle of suffering for Liu Qingge.

Many an Ill to Cure by Asymptotical

(8,092 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-divergence

The system abandoned him with nothing but a cryptic message. It took Shen Qingqiu days to realize that it was referring to a single throwaway line in a filler chapter.

He could have done with a bit more warning about being married.

When tea becomes ritual by rinsled05

(4,651 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon-compliant, post-abyss

“I’m in the middle of training,” Liu Qingge says in a clipped tone.

“That’s all right,” Shen Qingqiu says, flicking his fan in the air. “Go train, I’ll wait.”

Liu Qingge stares at him. “Wait?”

“Until you’re done, of course,” Shen Qingqiu says, as if it’s the most obvious thing. “I’ll find us some tea.”

Liu Qingge could have told Shen Qingqiu that his training would last all day. He could have informed him, brusquely, without care, that he dislikes having his rituals interrupted, that Shen Qingqiu would be waiting for the sun to cease its rise and fall, the mountains around them to crumble and fade.

Instead, he lets out a rush of air through his nose. “Fine. I will join you when I’m done.”

Shen Qingqiu’s face lights up, soft and pleased.

In which Liu Qingge's rituals are interrupted by Shen Qingqiu, and he learns that he doesn't mind that one bit.

Love Interest 'Liu Qingge' by liuniverse

(17,095 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 7/7)

canon-divergence

“There’s a secondary storyline?! System, why didn’t you say so before?! Activate it! Activate it!” Shen Qingqiu hurries to say, not really thinking about it. If there’s a way to avoid throwing an innocent teenager in that place, of course he’ll do anything!

System: [‘Secondary Storyline’ has been activated. ‘Seduce and marry Liu Qingge’ is now available. Thank you for choosing us.]

Seduce and WHAT now?!?

Or, Shen Yuan transmigrates into an alternate version of PIDW where liushen got married

say it again and again by nk009

(15,640 | Mature | Chapters: 4/4)

canon-divergence, time-loop

“So, you’re saying,” Shen Qingqiu says, sitting opposite him at his tea table, peering around the entire room except Liu Qingge as if expecting someone to jump out and prank them, “you’ve been reliving the same day – that is, today – over and over again.”

“Yes,” Liu Qingge grits out for the third time.

“And nothing you’ve tried has broken the cycle?”

“I’ve tried–” Liu Qingge thinks about all the antics he’s been through the last pseudo-month, “everything.”

Liu Qingge finds himself stuck reliving the same day without an end in sight. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to fix it.

a kiss for every scar you got for me by liuniverse

(27,625 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 10/10)

canon-divergence

“Shidi—”

Wait, he wasn’t meant to call him that.

Fuck- fuck- fuck- fuck- where is that damn fan to hide behind when you need it? Did I lose it?

“What did you call me?” Liu Qingge is trembling. Did he anger him that much?

A rewrite of the second half of SVSSS where Shen Qingqiu stays in the body made by the Sun-Moon Dew Mushroom and falls in love with Liu Qingge.

Fate Line. A Crescent Moon. A Swallow by Moontwyrine

(16,329 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 5/5)

canon compliant

Shen Qingqiu has a plan.

In a little more than 3 years a very powerful and pissed off demon lord will come back for his head (well, his legs and arms and tongue and eye...really, too gruesome!) and Shen Qingqiu didn't die in his original world just to die in this one as well.

So, what to do?

It appears that, by sheer dumb luck, Shen Qingqiu has saved the only person that could, probably (hopefully) fight against said pissed off demon lord without dying in the first ten seconds of battle.

Shen Qingqiu wants a bodyguard and Liu Qingge owes him his life! It's only fair that it would be him.

The Pain in my Lovesong by theinkquiry

(5,089 words | General Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon universe

But the worst thing, the thing that caused nights like this where Liu Qingge could do nothing but lie there and ache, was the way Shen Qingqiu looked at him.

Liu Qingge used to think Shen Qingqiu was taunting him.

Even if that was still the case, there was nothing Liu Qingge couldn’t tolerate anymore.

There's nothing like staying up in the suffocating heat on a summer night to get some feelings to surface. Shen Qingqiu opens his eyes and Liu Qingge dares to hope.

the stages of [...] by tennssi

(47,373 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 9/9)

canon-divergence, MCD (not liushen), dealing with grief

Despite all efforts, Luo Binghe died before the abyss event, and the only thing that saved Shen Qingqiu from being transported back to his world were the points he painstakingly accumulated to prevent Binghe’s blackening.

Stuck in a state of mourning that he himself is unaware of, he finds an unexpected comfort from a certain Peak Lord, who despite everything, never left his side since.

Here may the happiness you seek by rinsled05

(10,685 words | Explicit | Chapters: 1/1)

royalty AU

The boy stands with his back straight and his face stern, looking very much like a little adult. His eyes roam the store, taking in the clothes and fabrics on display, ponytail swaying with the turn of his head. His own clothes are neat and clean and not at all wrinkled the way Shen Yuan’s is, and Shen Yuan can’t help but stare at him in wonder from behind his mother’s robes.

Or, Liushen royalty au, in which Liu Qingge, son of the emperor, and Shen Yuan, son of a seamstress, meet and grow up together as childhood friends. Only, Shen Yuan has no clue who Liu Qingge really is.

Thank you, Bai Zhan robes! by bibiaaa

(4,238 words | Not Rated | Chapters: 1/1)

canon universe

Liu Qingge has developed a little habit of showering Shen Yuan with the colors of his own peak.

Fake it till you make it by liuniverse

(17,400 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 7/7)

modern AU, fake dating

"I can explain," Shen Yuan starts, ready to confess his lie.

"Explain what?! Seriously, from all the people you could have dated, you chose that hooligan?! Do you not have any respect for your only family?!" Shen Jiu starts his dramatics again. He’s not even his /only/ family.

"He punched you once, years ago!" he feels the need to say even though he should be correcting the dating part.

Or, that one fake dating AU where liushen keep lying about dating for no reason

Grasping a Kite with Broken String by yamabuki_kana (cygnisor)

(10,928 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon compliant, not a happy ending/open ending

Despite how hard Shen Qingqiu tries to hide it, everyone knows how he mourns for Luo Binghe's loss in the Immortal Alliance Conference.

Liu Qingge tries to help him.

The Journey Home, The Hollow Victory by MonroeKnox

(1,263 words | General Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon compliant, canonical character death (SQQ)

The journey back to Cang Qiong Mountain seemed longer than it’s ever been.

Unlike so many times before, peak lord Liu Qingge was returning victorious.

But, in his heart, there was nothing to celebrate.

Liu Qingge could not outrun his grief forever. Especially not when he has finally brought Shen Qingqiu home.

running out of holy places by technorat

(11,901 words | Mature | Chapters: 5/5)

canon-divergence

Shen Qingqiu is brought to the Water Prison to await trial for his many crimes.

Liu Qingge fights against the ticking clock in order to save Shen Qingqiu.

Luo Binghe no longer knows what he wants.

Kicking in the Dirt, Kicking in the Sand (and stirring up trouble) by poppyholdingseal

(4,396 words | General Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

modern AU - actors

“Liu-shidi!” Shen Qingqiu calls as he pushes the door open with his shoulder, robes bundled over his arms. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me!”

Ning Yingying gasps. Liu Qingge doesn’t dare look at Shen Qingqiu’s face.

You came to me through the green of a forest by namio

(1,943 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon compliant

...I woke, and the low moon’s glimmer on a rafter

Seemed to be your face, still floating in the air.

A gentle laugh, inky reeds upon a white fan. This is a figure he will never see again, Liu Qingge realizes.

A spell of flowers by Cecentre

(4,213 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon universe, hanahaki but with a twist

How Liu Qingge had to deal with Shen Qingqiu and himself when he was the only person seeing all the flowers blooming around Shen Qingqiu when no one else did.

perfect target by RennieOnIceCream (Hitsugi_Zirkus)

(1,891 words | Teen And Up Audiences | Chapters: 1/1)

canon universe, established relationship

Although now, Shen Qingqiu was distracted. His eyes had lifted once and now he was captivated by the fall of sunlight on Liu Qingge’s face. It was an exceedingly handsome face, not one person could argue against this fact -- high cheekbones, sharp jaw, a noble brow…

The highest charm point that completed this handsome face was, of course, the beauty mark placed just beneath the outer corner of his left eye.

(In which Shen Qingqiu realizes he likes targeting his shidi's beauty marks. Specifically with his lips.)

[vrishchikawrites]

Reverse transmigration wangxian where LWJ who cultivates to immortality found an old summoning array where mxy fails to summon wwx but the whole thing with JGY still got revealed. LWJ in his grief summons WWX in our modern world, and the rest is up to you :) Maybe get WWX some therapy and loving family and how different modern days people are

This one is a bit angsty and has vague descriptions of sex. Modern AU.

“The Tragedy of Wei Wuxian - The Man Behind the Legend”

Lan Wangji caresses the title of the book with a thumb, eyes tracing a name he has always held close to heart but hasn’t heard for a long time.

“We all know of Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian as Yiling Laozu. He’s one of the first to cultivate successfully with ‘resentful’ energy. His theories and papers helped us develop a greater understanding of yin energy, Qi deviation, and resentful spirits. He was a visionary, a man ahead of his time, someone who thought outside the box and looked for solutions instead of sticking to the norm. He’s also the first known person to donate his Golden Core.”

Wangji looks away for a moment, remembering Wen Ning’s snarling face and Jiang Wanyin’s rage, denial, and guilt.

“But we don’t talk about what brought that great visionary down. Society, as it did with many great thinkers, turned against him. In his youth, Wei Wuxian was one of the most accomplished cultivators of his generation. No one knows exactly what happened for him to develop the so-called ‘Ghostly Path’. His loss of the Golden Core may have been a factor, but the actual circumstances are shrouded in mystery.

What follows after the War of the Five Great Clans, known as the Sunshot Campaign, is nothing short of a tragedy. Wei Wuxian saw injustice happening and decided to fight against it. Society tore him up for it. At that time, all actions against him were justified and considered righteous. Those actions don’t stand up to scrutiny under the modern lens. Like all great and radical thinkers, Wei Wuxian ideals made him the enemy and that led to this tragic death, along with the murder of innocent war prisoners he sought to protect. There are unconfirmed reports of there being a child among the Wens.”

Wangji’s eyes flicker over to a picture frame sitting on his desk, an image of Sizhui and Jingyi smiling up at him through the glossy image. They’re well, he knows. Last he heard from them, they were in South Korea and having a great time.

Sizhui must not know of this book or he would’ve called immediately, always so concerned about his a’die.

“It was later revealed that hunger for power and political maneuvering led to his death. When we study the historical records, it is obvious that the man was pushed into the corner and was forced to retaliate. Unfortunately, no one cared about his fate-”

“I did,” Wangji whispered to himself, thinking back on silver eyes in an indistinct face. He loved - still loves Wei Ying - but the physical aspects of him have long since faded from his memory. He sometimes remembers Wei Ying’s laugh. Sometimes, he dreams of his smile. He doesn’t recall what Wei Ying sounded like, only remembering his tone when he said ‘Lan Zhan.’

And yet, Lan Wangji hasn’t forgotten love.

He reads the book in silence, going through all 375 pages of it without pausing to eat or sleep. It tells the story of Wei Ying in stark, blunt terms. There are a few facts missing or erroneous. He wasn’t the adopted child of the Jiangs. There was certainly no unrequited love between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli.

There’s very little mention of him. According to this book, Lan Wangji is a mere footnote in Wei Wuxian’s life; a childhood acquaintance, a disapproving comrade, and later a man who unraveled the truth because he pursued justice.

“He was just 23 years old when he died,” Wangji lingers over that statement, “23-year-olds are barely adults. They hold the promise of a bright future. They have so much potential inside of them. At 23, some people graduate from college, some take up their first serious job. At 23, young people fall in love and maybe form a life-long bond. Wei Wuxian became a key player in a big conflict at 17, he donated his core at 17. At 17, we still have children in high school. Our seventeen-year-olds aren’t even allowed to drink or drive. Our seventeen-year-olds are still protected and sheltered by their parents.

That is perhaps the biggest tragedy of Wei Wuxian’s life. He was only allowed to live a carefree life for seven years, from the day he was taken off the streets to the day the YunmengJiang Sect was attacked. After that and until his death, his life was marked by war, strife, betrayal, and persecution.

A visionary, a hero, a brilliant mind, dead by what most would consider suicide.” Wangji’s breath hitches and he takes a moment to collect himself, the sentence ringing in his head.

“He deserved better.”

---

He deserved better, Wangji thinks as he walks sedately towards his library.

There had been a glimmer of hope, all those years ago when Mo Xuanyu attempted to resurrect Wei Ying, but when he failed to do so, Wangji felt something shatter in him.

Whatever Wei Ying had done had completely destroyed his soul. His precious, noble soul. One that was formed for justice and kindness.

He deserved better.

He knows what he must do.

---

An immortal’s Golden Core has immeasurable power. It is the result of several hundred years of Cultivation and diligence. Wangji is more powerful than most, having survived through war, strife, grief, and loss.

An immortal’s Golden Core can also be an ingredient.

‘Draw the talismans shown below in the blood of your heart. Pin them in eight directions, north, northwest, west, southwest, south, southeast, east, and northeast. Sit in the exact center of this circle and sacrifice half of your cultivation to the being you wish to summon.’’

Wangji’s heart and hands are steady as he draws the talismans from blood drawn directly from the artery. He pins them in all eight directions and sits down in the middle, his hands moving elegantly to summon his Qi. He breathes in and breathes out, sinking into meditation with habitual ease.

It will work.

It has to.

The room floods with Resentful Energy.

---

He deserves better.

Wangji feels torn apart in ways he has never experienced before. The ritual summoning carves something out of his chest and drags it away. His mouth floods with blood and his body weakens alarmingly.

But it doesn’t matter.

Wei Ying.

---

Wei Ying is more beautiful than Wangji remembers. He is bloodsoaked, covered in cuts and bruises, saturated with Resentful Energy, but he’s alive.

And he’s beautiful.

Wangji stumbles to his feet, shakily walking into the bathroom to fetch some warm water. He walks back, his arms feeling the weight of the bucket like they have never carried such weight before. With every step that he takes towards Wei Ying, his heartbeat spikes up a little. He doesn’t know if he chose the right time. He doesn’t know if Wei Ying’s spirit had shattered before his death and dying had just been the aftermath.

Maybe Wei Ying’s body is here and not his soul.

Wangji cannot bear thinking about it.

With weak, shaking hands and the taste of blood lingering in his mouth, he slowly reaches forward. Layer by layer, he removes Wei Ying’s clothes, his fingertips tingling because his beloved’s body is warm.

He deserves better.

With aching tenderness, he wipes Wei Ying clean, removes all blood, grime, and mud from his body.

Wei Ying doesn’t stir.

---

There’s a gentle touch against his cheek. It is strange enough to wake him up because few people dare touch Lan Wangji. Slender fingers tap once, twice, almost playfully and Wangji knows who it is even before he opens his eyes.

Like a sun emerging from the horizon, Wei Ying appears before him, his smile bright and questioning.

“Wei Ying,” He breathes and Wei Ying nods, eyes a sparkling silver. There is so much beauty in that face that he can’t help but reach forward. Ignoring Wei Ying’s surprise, he cups his face and leans forward pressing his forehead against his beloved’s.

Wei Ying is still for a long moment, but he moves eventually, setting hands on Wangji’s shoulder. He doesn’t push him away, just huffing in soft amusement.

“Wei Ying,” He whispers, closing his stinging eyes, “Forgive Wangji for his selfishness.” He says, “I summoned you.” I summoned you without asking, knowing you wouldn’t desire it.

Wei Ying huffs again and that’s when it strikes him.

He pulls back and looks at his beloved in concern, scanning his eyes, face, neck, and chest quickly, his heart racing.

Why wasn’t Wei Ying speaking?

---

“You’re right in suspecting that his spirit sustained some sort of injury even before he was… killed.” Lan Jingyi says softly, pulling away from the sleeping Wei Ying, “There’s nothing physically wrong with him, Hanguang-jun, please don’t worry! His spirit just needs a little bit of time to recover.”

Wangji nods gratefully as he watches Sizhui lean over Wei Ying, his expression full of wonder and desperate happiness. As Sizhui’s cultivation grew, he started remembering more things from his childhood. They have never spoken on the matter of Wei Ying, but Wangji knows his son remembers more than he did when he was a child.

“Now, please let me check you.”

He levels a sharp look at the younger man but Lan Jingyi is no longer the adoring and naive student Wangji taught all those years ago. He’s a strong, accomplished cultivator and an avid researcher.

Lan Jingyi ignores him cheerfully and checks his core, stepping into Wangji's personal space without a care.

He narrows his eyes at the steely glint in the boy's eyes.

"I know you love him, Hanguang-jun," Lan Jingyi says, "And love is worth a life." They're immortals, life has little meaning for people who have lived for centuries, "But I wonder if the Wei Wuxian that you so adore will be happy about you risking your life for him."

Wangji's eyes flicker towards Wei Ying, who looks exhausted even in his sleep. "He deserved better."

Lan Jingyi is silent for a moment before he speaks, "Sizhui and I read the book on our flight back. Everything was horrible, I'm not surprised that his spirit sustained so much damage. But it is almost entirely intact now. It shows how much he wants to live, Hanguang-jun."

It's a relief.

---

Wei Ying can't speak but his presence is still loud. He rests for a few weeks to recover from his injuries. During that time, Wangji spends most of his days moving from Wei Ying's bedside to the library and back again.

His beloved has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. He wants to know everything about the modern world.

Every morning, Wangji is confronted with a bright face with sparkling eyes waving a book or a scroll in his direction.

Wangji hasn't experienced such liveliness in centuries. The very air of his home glows with Wei Ying's vitality. Wei Ying's body recovers quickly and soon the man is out of bed and following Wangji around.

His heart feels too big for his chest.

By all appearances, Wei Ying is perfectly content. He walks around Cloud Recesses, visits Caiyi Town, and is happy to watch the sunset with Wangji every evening.

That had been Wangji's wish when he performed that summoning.

He wanted Wei Ying to have another chance to live free and happy.

Looking at him now, Wangji wants to reach out, cup that cheerful face, and pepper kisses all over it. He wants to kiss those fluttering eyelids, smooth cheeks, sharp jawline-

That soft, smiling mouth.

Wangji is an immortal. He has endless patience. He can wait for Wei Ying to come to him.

He must wait.

---

The modern world fascinates Wei Ying. His beloved looks at everything from tall buildings to food stalls with wide, stunned eyes. Cloud Recesses and Caiyi Town are still relatively untouched by the passage of time, but Wei Ying has free access to the internet and has learned how to use it within two months of his arrival.

Wangji doesn't restrain him.

He just watches as Wei Ying, his brilliant and enthusiastic love, learns to thrive in his new world.

His voice has still not returned but that doesn't seem to bother Wei Ying. He is delighted to learn that there's a way to communicate nonetheless.

He starts learning sign language and Lan Wangji, with patient and steady hands, practices with him.

---

Lan Sizhui follows Wei Ying around with quiet affection and aching tenderness. He's much older than Wei Ying now, but he remains their son in spirit. He treats Wei Ying like a senior, with respect and adoration.

His Wei Ying notices, of course. At first, he finds the situation quite strange but Wei Ying isn't stupid.

'Lan Zhan,' He asks, 'Who is Sizhui?'

Wangji brings his fingers up and replies, 'He's your a-Yuan. I went looking for you but found him instead.'

Wei Ying's eyes widen and he spins around, running out of the room to seek Sizhui.

Wangji follows sedately and when he finds his love and his son, they're embracing while crying tears of joy.

---

'Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!'

Wangji huffs under his breath and carefully sets his brush down, tucking the scroll away before turning to meet bright silver eyes.

Wei Ying leans forward with an eager expression, 'Do you know where Suibian is?'

Wangji nods, 'In storage. I was able to retrieve it from the Jin Clan.'

'Can I have it?'

Wangji rises smoothly to his feet and leads Wei Ying to storage where both Suibian and Chenqing.

Wei Ying only glances at Chenqing for a moment before reaching for Suibian with a desperate expression.

Suibian, a blade that has remained sealed since Jiang Wanyin unsheathed it once, easily reveals itself again.

Wei Ying spins around eagerly and looks at him with pleading eyes.

As Wangji is able to deny Wei Ying nothing, he reaches for Bichen and they immediately head for the training grounds.

It has been a long time since Wangji has really used Bichen to its full capacity. With half of his core pulsing within Wei Ying, they're almost evenly matched.

Wangji has not fought in ages but Wei Ying is still a Cultivator. The spar is fast-paced and thrilling. Wangji acquaints himself with Wei Ying as his love becomes reacquainted with his sword.

Wei Wuxian had been one of the best swordsmen of his generation. He has lost none of his elegance and skill. Wangji presses him and Wei Ying laughs soundlessly, twirling around him in white GusuLan robes, bright and joyful.

He breaks Wangji's heart and mends it at the same time.

---

Wangji has missed Wei Ying for hundreds of years.

He can't resist the urge to touch. He keeps it chaste and respectful but his hands have a mind of their own in Wei Ying's vicinity.

When they're out and about, Wangji guides Wei Ying with a hand on his back. It becomes natural to grasp his love's elbow if he wants Wei Ying's attention.

His touches can easily be dismissed as gestures of friendship by most. But Wei Ying knows him.

'er-gege,' Wei Ying's smile is sweet, 'Wei Ying is cold.'

Wangji's eyes flicker over to the lit fire briefly before landing on his love, 'Are you feeling well?' He asks in concern, reaching forward to place the back of his hand on Wei Ying's forehead.

His beloved laughs and nods, leaning into the touch with a sly smile, 'I'm well, just cold.'

Wangji feels a stir in his chest at the intent look in Wei Ying's eyes. Hesitantly, he cups Wei Ying's cheek in silent question.

Wei Ying nuzzles his palm, his eyelids fluttering close gently.

Desperation and elation flood him and Wangji sucks in a sharp breath. He moves in a blur, lifting Wei Ying off his seat and placing him on his lap.

Wei Ying gasps and giggles, his tall, strong body seeming to almost shrink as he cuddles close. Wangji wraps both arms around his love and squeezes him tight, rocking them gently as he is assaulted with painful love.

"Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying," He chants in Wei Ying's hair, holding him so close, it feels like there's no part of him not touching his love.

When Wei Ying turns to him with a smile in his eyes, Wangji doesn't hesitate to lean forward, bringing their lips together in a long-awaited kiss.

He presses Wei Ying back against the crook of his elbow and tastes his silent laugh on his tongue.

Wangji has never felt so blissful and complete.

---

Jingyi convinces Wei Ying to go to therapy.

Eager to learn and curious, Wei Ying agrees.

He returns from every session with a thoughtful expression.

Months pass but his voice is still lost.

---

They make love and Wei Ying mouths the words he wants to speak. He smiles, sobs, laughs, and pouts as Wangji takes him apart bit by bit.

Wangji has never known such pleasure. He loses himself, drowning in Wei Ying's scent and finding heaven in his body.

He enjoys feeling smooth skin. He sinks his fingers into Wei Ying's silken hair. He tastes the sharp edge of his jaw. He bites. He drives in and takes ownership of Wei Ying's pleasure.

He presses his mischievous sprite into their bed and doesn't hold back, centuries of love pouring out of him.

---

A combination of therapy and Wei Ying's natural approach to life makes his recovery quick. Within a year, he's well-adjusted and happy.

He laughs at almost everything. The first time they fly, the first time they visit an amusement park, the first time they go to an aquarium.

He laughs and Wangji starts noticing the color of his voice returning to it.

Wangji is grateful for what he has. He's grateful that Wei Ying is back, safe, and happy. He is grateful that Wei Ying is unharmed.

But he cannot lie to himself. He misses Wei Ying's voice.

---

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,"

Wangji almost misses it, as engrossed as he is. He presses in deep and feels a shiver of pleasure race down his spine. Wei Ying's fingers curl around Wangji's nape and his lips caress his ear.

"Lan Zhan,"

He stills.

Wangji takes a deep, bracing breath and pulls back a little, balancing on his arms to peer down at his lover.

Wei Ying is a vision. His cheeks flushed, his eyes wide and dark with passion, his lips bitten red from Wangji's kisses. His long hair is scattered and wild, a tangle of glossy strands across Wangji's pillow.

"Lan Zhan,"

Wei Ying's lips move and a voice accompanies that movement. It is slightly hoarse, somewhat weak, but it is still the voice he barely remembers.

Heat flares in him and he sinks deeper, pulling a sharp gasp from Wei Ying.

He spends the entire night filling their room with that precious voice.

---

Wei Ying doesn't ask questions. He doesn't ask why Wangji did what he did. He doesn't ask how he did it. His beloved has always been perspective and he understood Wangji's desperation from the moment he woke.

He reads the book that triggered it all and laughs, "Aiya, they make me out to be some sort of martyr for justice." He says fondly, for he is very fond of the modern world.

Sizhui is sitting at his feet, eyes closed in bliss as Wei Ying gently combs his hair, styling it into an intricate braid.

"They're not wrong, though." Jingyi can never sit straight and he has forgotten all of his Lan teachings over the years. He has his legs thrown over the arm of his chair and his head is dangling over another arm, his hair sweeping the floor as he nods.

Ridiculous.

"I never asked to be glorified in such a way." Wei Ying protests with a chuckle.

"Baba should be grateful no one knows about his resurrection." Sizhui pipes up, "At least, you don't have to deal with modern stans."

Wangji arches a brow at the word and Wei Ying laughs, already more accustomed to the Internet language than Wangji is. "Oh, heaven forbid!"

"But listen, you and Hanguang-jun have the greatest love story ever, you could write a book about it, Wei-quanbei!"

Wei Ying tilts his head to the side and Wangji urges him to consider it with a subtle nod. Wei Ying is happy but he's never content to be idle. The modern world doesn't need cultivation, but perhaps it can benefit from their stories.

---

‘Once you summon successfully, you belong to this being for all eternity as payment for the one wish they may grant. Half of your core will live within them. If they die, you die. If they live, you live. If they hurt, you hurt. If they become corrupt, you become corrupt.

You will sacrifice immortality, but not the eternal bond. Every time you are reincarnated into this world, you will be tethered to the being.

Beware.

Wangji tucks the scroll away, sealing it so that it is never discovered again.

He has no regrets.

[touchmycoat]

qijiu Second Exorcists AU

...the Heavenly Demons have come to destroy the Exorcists. Transmigrator SY!SQQ gets kidnapped/lured deep into some hidden chamber at the base of the Spirit Caves, and he finds there old members of the Alliance like those monk guys as well as YQY’s bloody corpse. Noah!LBH tells SQQ that he’s going to show his old mentor just how messed up and hypocritical the Exorcist Alliance is. He would destroy the Sects with the very thing they created, the thing they fear most and hates them in return.

YQY revives because that’s his claim to fame as an exorcist—the strongest immortal sword. SQQ tries to get his attention but his eyes are completely fixed on the body underneath the glass, sealed in the ground beneath him.

“Xiao Jiu...?”

With his dream demon powers, LBH opens up YQY’s memories. SQQ tries to help and also gets sucked in. There they witness the truth of the Alliance’s past, and who exactly YQY and “Xiao Jiu” are.

YQY’s earliest memory is climbing out of a pool of freezing water. The scientists call him Number Seven. There was a Number Five and a Number Six, but they were both destroyed only days after Seven met them. You, the scientists explain to Seven, have been given these special bodies thanks to us. You can withstand an incredible amount of damage. You are meant to be compatible with a spiritual weapon called an Innocence. We have to keep trying to synchronize you with the Innocence.

Eight doesn’t last so long either.

LBH and SQQ watch as YQY, for some reason, survive each attempt at an Innocence harmonization. He gets utterly decimated every time, limbs and bones flying everywhere, but somehow, there’s always just enough strength in him to knit his body back together. He smiles. He’s polite and gets along with people. He’s in a constant cycle of pain and bandages, and he goes and sits by the icy pools all the time, staring out at the water looking blank.

One inevitable day, Nine comes crawling out of the water. He’s small and scowls a lot. Seven is over the moon to have company and takes Nine under his wing. Nine is always hissing and glaring at people. He rejects everyone but Seven. He’s grumpy but he hovers close.

The two of them keep getting sent into the room with the Innocence. They die, over and over. Nine screams and cries about it sometimes, why, why, why do they have to live like this. Isn’t there any other way. Why them. Who were they. Why couldn’t they escape.

Meanwhile, Seven is having dreams. He’s seeing things he’s never actually seen in this life before. I think, Seven tells Nine, it might be my past life. Of course, Nine realizes. Why else would we be the special ones? We must have been dead or dying, and the weapons they keep trying to inject into us belong to our past selves.

The dreams are vague, but gives Seven a surname—Yue. He knows he is called Yue Something, and that there’s another surname just hovering in his memory, Shen. For some reason, this Shen person feels really important to him, but he doesn’t quite know why.

When he tells Nine, Nine grows jealous and wistful. So your name can be Yue Qi? What about me then, I don’t have a name.

Well you can be Shen Jiu then.

I thought the Shen surname belongs to Qi-ge’s most important person.

Xiao Jiu is my most important person.

...For now.

But still, Yue Qi can tell Shen Jiu’s happy with the surname. They continue living this way, until SJ’s whispering to YQ in excitement about getting his own dreams too.

The dreams, however, as they become more lucid, are making YQ sadder and sadder. On one particularly feverish day, after a bad synchronization, YQ sees what happened in full—his most important person, screaming and reaching for him as he’s dragged out of a house by his legs. He’s broken and bloody and dying but he keeps trying to crawl back to where that door’s slammed shut.

Go back, was everything he knew. I have to go back.

A demon appears overhead, grinning. The last thing YQ saw was its teeth.

Meanwhile, a feverish YQ’s body is falling apart. SJ overhears the scientists talking about terminating Seven before another bad reaction like Eight happens, and SJ figures no fucking way. He steals YQ’s body away, but is found halfway out. He throws YQ’s body out a nearby exit and dives back in himself to distract the scientists.

YQ wakes up disoriented but with the newfound clarity of mind to call his Innocence to him. Its name, he learns, is Xuan Su. He’s outside of the facility and can escape, but he decides to go back for Xiao Jiu.He’s got the Innocence now, so surely that’s enough for the experiment. Surely he can petition for SJ to be spared, or maybe they can be partnered together. Surely everything’s fine now.

YQ returns to a bloodbath. He finds almost every single scientist at the facility slaughtered, the room burning, and Xiao Jiu standing in the middle of all of it, covered in blood with an Innocence blade in hand.

Qi-ge, you’ve come back. But I have to kill you now.

YQ hurries to draw his blade to meet SJ’s onslaught. SJ, it turns out, has also regained his memories. His perspective on the matter is a lot worse than YQ’s though. Qi-ge, do you know what I saw? I saw myself begging them to let me live. That I could still be saved. They just had to give me the cure, and I could live and go save—

Go save...?

...forget it. Qi-ge, we have to die. I have to kill you. I won’t let you become a tool for the Alliance.

...No. Xiao Jiu, I can’t die. Memories regained, YQ has something to live for. He has to find his most important person. Please, nobody else has to die—

I’ve already killed all the others. Nobody else has to go through what we went through. There will be no more of our kind—

Xiao Jiu! Please! You’re scaring me, YQ wants to say. You’re more terrifying than any demon in our memories.

SJ seems to see the unspoken words in his eyes anyways. SJ goes cold, summons his sword. YQ’s hand is shaking.

You know I’m stronger than you, he whispers. I don’t want to kill you.

You don’t want to kill me but you also won’t let me kill you, SJ laughs bitterly. Qi-ge always has to lie about something.

They fight. As the facility comes crumbling down around them, YQ deals the killing blow. He looks up and sees the sky for the first time as SJ falls. It looks even bigger and emptier than in his memories.

The dream-memory ends. LBH and SQQ are booted out, and YQY staggers to his feet. SJ, underneath the glass, is waking up.

“Doesn’t Sect Leader Yue have questions for the Research Team?” LBH asks. “About the Third Exorcist project, perhaps? Where the seeds for their hybridization came from?”

YQY calmly calls for Xuan Su, SQQ sees his hand tremble just once.

“Cang Qiong will defend the Alliance,” YQY says. “No matter what it takes.”

“Qi-ge’s already killed me once, after all,” SJ says, standing up. His voice is rough from disuse. There’s a faint shape of a smile on his lips, but his eyes are cold. “What’s a second?”

They begin fighting. SQQ rushes to interrupt.

“Zhangmen Shixiong! Stop this!”

“I can’t,” is YQY’s grim answer. “Xiao Jiu is much stronger than before, and I know better than anyone how determined he can be. He won’t stop until I’m dead.”

SJ agrees. The fight escalates rapidly. SQQ turns his attention to SJ.

“But I don’t understand, why do you want to kill him so badly? Didn’t you grow up  together? Aren’t you his friend?”

“I was his friend,” SJ hisses. Meanwhile, YQY is drawing more and more of his life force to kill the rapidly regenerating SJ. “I tried to save him from precisely this fate, and look at him now—a dog of the Alliance. You want to find your most important person? Newsflash Qi-ge, he’s gone. He’s been dead and gone and he’s only a method for the Alliance to control you.”

“You’re wrong,” YQY says, and SJ frowns, hearing something in his tone. But the fight is continuing, and before he can ask, SQQ tries intervening. Annoyed, SJ turns an attack on SQQ, and YQY turns around and saves SQQ just in time.

At YQY’s shout of Shen-shidi! SJ’s eyes go wide.

“...No. No!“ All his vitriol is all of a sudden turned on SQQ, his attacks getting more vicious. “You filthy liar, you’re not him!”

“Xiao Jiu, calm down!” YQY shouts. “I never said it’s him!”

“But I know what you’re like, Qi-ge,” SJ spits, sounding more like he’s in pain than any of the previous times Xuan Su has split him apart. His eyes have gone red. “Such a caretaker, such a martyr. You always want to be saving someone, so will anybody do? Your most important person is not so important anymore? Qi-ge ran me through with his sword a thousand times just for any harlot he picks up off the street and gives that last name to—”

“Xiao Jiu!”

YQY’s hair had gone white, more and more of his soul being sublimated through Xuan Su as he cuts SJ down. But SJ is similarly relentless, reforming and regrowing his limbs, all the while shouting about how this is all Qi-ge’s fault, it’s only because of Qi-ge that he’s like this, that Qi-ge has to kill him, and they should just both die here already for the good of everybody.

Meanwhile, SQQ’s eyes find LBH, who’s been standing calmly aside all this time because his purpose has been achieved. Teeth gritted, SQQ tells LBH that fine, he gets it already, the Alliance has been responsible for a horrible thing. But LBH wants to show everybody the truth? Then let’s get the full truth out there. Show us what SJ knows.

LBH understands immediately, eyes widening just a little.

“Shizun suspects...?”

He considers it for long enough that SQQ is antsy on his feet.

“Luo Binghe! I said I believe you! Take out Shen Jiu’s memories and...and I’ll leave here with you.”

LBH’s gaze sharpens.

“Do you promise?”

“I do.”

After one last considering stare, LBH waves a hand. He begins pulling the memory out of SJ, but SJ seizes it, hiding it away instead. LBH frowns, but says that as long as SJ has a hold on it, he can’t show YQY. Meanwhile, he’s fulfilled his promise. Shizun should go with him now.

“No.” LBH opens a portal and SQQ’s mouth falls open. “Binghe! You—”

“Don’t go with him, Shen-shidi,” YQY says in a rush, pushing himself further into overdrive. SJ watches him with a furious, complicated expression. “I’ll—I’ll hurry up. I’ll be done here soon, just don’t—”

“You’ll go back,” SJ utters, voice shaking as he spits, “for everybody but me. You’ll destroy me twice to save your stupid world. That’s why I’m going to kill you.”

“Stop this.” SQQ gets out of LBH’s hold and intervenes once more. He barely blocks an attack from SJ. “Look, I know who you are! Why don’t you just tell him you’re—”

“Shut up!” Another attack, knocking SQQ to the side. LBH tries to block him but SQQ pushes him aside again, lunging back in. “You don’t know anything! He has to—one of us has to die. He needs to die. I’ll make sure of it if it’s the last thing I do.”

A bit dead-eyed, YQY throws his all into a final attack.

“Zhangmen Shixiong! Wake up!”

Xuan Su runs SQQ through and everything freezes. YQY snaps out of it and his eyes go wide.

“Shen—”

“Take,” SQQ says through gritted teeth, “a goddamn look at Shen Jiu’s face, Shixiong, and think.”

Numbly, YQY looks over and sees SJ glaring as usual. But he also finally sees the red in SJ’s eyes, the tear tracks on his cheeks.

“What won’t he tell you about what he remembers, hm?” SQQ is honestly kind of pissed at this point, ‘cause that sword in the gut hurts, alright? He’s been hiding the extent of the wound as best he could from LBH, but now he can’t hold himself upright anymore, slumping over. Demonic energy suddenly explodes around them. Jesus christ is this what period pain feels like. “Who is he that wants you dead before you find out his identity?!”

It doesn’t take much more for YQY to put the pieces together. He’s staring at SJ. He can’t breathe.

“You’re—”

“Qi-ge watch—”

LBH attacks, Xin Mo vicious and bloodthirsty as it tries to cleave YQY in half for hurting SQQ. SJ takes the blow instead, his Innocence shattering beneath the sword and an arm and a leg being chopped away. YQY catches him. SQQ works up the last of his energy to shove them both into the portal LBH has already opened, sealing it behind them.

“Shen—!”

“Go,” he tells YQY right before the portal closes. Neither of them look to be in a good state, but SJ in particular is literally falling apart, the demonic energy it had taken to revive him battered away by his fight with YQY. “Talk, before...”

The door closes.

They hit water.

YQ drags them both out and sits exhausted against a wall. SJ’s in his arms, but has buried his face in YQ’s shoulder and refuses to look up.

SJ’s tense and helplessly shaking, his body useless at this point. He’s waiting for...something.

He gets a soft kiss to the crown of his head, gentle but full of feeling. His eyes go wide and his head snaps up.

“You—”

“I’m so glad,” YQ says, crying and shaky but painfully earnest in his smile, “I found you. My most important person. I’ve finally found you.”

And SJ can’t take it anymore either, tears toppling out. He opens his mouth but no words come out, so YQ continues to talk.

“I was right. From the very beginning I was right to give you that surname, wasn’t I? It’s always been you. Qi-ge was a fool for not realizing. You were right in front of me and I—”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” SJ blurts out, brows furrowing tightly at YQ’s fresh tears. “I knew you’d blame yourself, I knew—”

“I left you dead,” YQ chokes out, “for years. All while I went around traveling and eating and having fun—”

“Yeah, stupid Qi-ge. You should’ve just let me kill you.”

The tone comes out more panicky than appropriately grumpy, but YQ understands. He laughs—in pain but he laughs, clutching SJ closer.

“What now?” SJ murmurs. “Your Shidi’s closed the portal, it doesn’t look like anybody will come to get you. Are you waiting around to die with me or what?”

YQ pulls back, still smiling, and nods. For some reason, that makes SJ cry some more, gnashing his teeth at YQ’s chest. YQ’s lips find his forehead.

Somehow, whenever I leave, I never manage to make it back to you. So this time, I just won’t leave at all.

[sanjuno]

Meta Fic rides again

I'm a little stuck on how to word something in my Nano 2020 project so I decided to take a break by trying to read “Scum Villain’s Self Saving System” again and failed horribly because I got to the part when Binghe comes back and my interest died a quick and messy death for yet a third time. Someone write me a giant pile of gen-fic and LiuShen AUs to heal my heart.

Here, I’ll start us off:

Spite and Fury (or; PEDW is a hive of Scum and Villainy)

So bitter-old-man!Madara dies of old age after he passes his Epic Revenge Plot over into Obito’s keeping, and the Sage’s knockoff-brand cycle-of-transmigration peels Indra’s chakra out of Madara’s soul - which results in dying!Madara having a screaming ragefit that sends his spirit-and-chakra careening through the void between worlds

At which point shattered-and-fragmenting-more!Madara gets into an altercation with the System and since the System is a little bitch it tosses Madara into the worst possible Fate it can think of (see: PEDW)

Transmigration bullshit and Sharingan fuckery smash into each other in a gigantic clusterfuck of asspulls

Madara is missing bits because Indra’s imprint got ripped out

The Shen Jiu base soul is missing bits because torture and previous abuse of his character by the System

The resulting villain amalgamation is Not Pleased

Instead of landing in the divergence point chosen by the System - aka the Qi deviation fever shortly after Binghe arrives at Cang Qiong Sect – we instead have the jigsaw puzzle mashup of Mads-and-Jiu land in baby-slave Jiu’s body

The good news is Madara and Jiu stop fragmenting because they end up woven together - they’re stuck together as an almost-single person only with two different sets of memories

Character exploration is going to be an EVENT

Also the Madara part of them is really happy with the silky smooth hair

Also Yue “lets-Binghe-kill-him-because-he-thinks-Shen-Jiu-is-dead” Qi is cast is a much better light when compared to Senju “stabs-his-sworn-brother-in-the-back” Hashirama

So Mads-Jiu plays it close to canon for the first few years - the only real difference is that he tags his Jiejie with a tracking seal for after he escapes from slavery - he’s not leaving his ability to find her again up to chance or developing a reputation as a whoremonger if he can help it

When he gets bought by the Qiu is when Mads-Jiu starts being a manipulative little shit like we all know he is

Xanatos-pileup-or-bust!Mads-Jiu basically lets Yue Qi escape alone because he NEEDS Yue Qi to become Cang Qiong Sect Leader for his long-term plans to work properly

So Mads-Jiu warns Yue Qi that if he has to be CAREFUL because cultivating is dangerous and if Yue Qi comes back missing any pieces then Jiu will cut the EXACT SAME BITS OFF HIMSELF

And so Yue Qi is EXTREMELY safety conscious and the life eating sword drama is avoided entirely

Of course he’s also taking longer to reach his initial strength levels than in canon because he isn’t rushing

So there’s nothing like Yue Qi showing up early to trigger a plot divergence alert in the System

</mwahahaha>

Mads-Jiu is more pragmatic regarding Qiu Haitang’s so-called innocence this time around - and so he arranges for her to catch the Creeper Qiu bro abusing and assaulting Shen Jiu

Haitang is HORRIFIED AND DISGUSTED to see what her brother is doing to her fiancé and also TERRIFIED by the fact that he talks the entire time about how sweet it’s going to be when it’s HAITANG under him

The Qiu burn on schedule but Haitang kills her fair share - double Qi deviations FTW!

The system does not notice such a minor change in the background events - Jiu kills the Qiu, burns down their house, and Haitang survives the fire with vengeance raging in her heart

Mads-Jiu kills the demonic creeper that was hanging around because ew no and also keep your hands of Haitang

Again, it’s too close to canon for the System to notice - Jiu killed him in defense of a “childhood friend” so hahaha again

Instead of being used as a stalking horse by an evil master Mads-Jiu runs off with Haitang to track down and rescue his Jiejie

Shenanigans ensue

Afterwards Mads-Jiu “has an idea to help find Qi-ge” by asking around for him at the Immortal Alliance Conference

Of course there are more shenanigans and Yue Qi saves all three by claiming that they’re Cang Qiong disciples - so of course he drags all 3 of them back with him and wibbles at the current Sect Leader until he lets them all join

Still (mostly) following canon! Ha! So no “punishment” events get triggered in the System (which is mostly dormant because the Protagonist isn’t born yet XP)

Qiu Haitang was supposed to join a Sect! Jiejie got sold on schedule! Shen Jiu killed the Qiu and his “first master”! Yue pesters his Shizun into letting his sibling(s) join the Sect in an unorthodox fashion!

But the devil is in the details

And the devil’s name is Uchiha Madara

Jiejie ends up as Peak Lord for Talisman Peak because magic and seals saved her before

Haitang ends up Peak Lord for Hidden Peak because she refuses to be caught unawares by a dangerous secret ever again... also because she’s a mean sneaky bitch and owns it

Having more than one sibling for the Sect Leader to blatantly favour means less wholesale resentment directed at Mads-Jiu as well

However the Jiu part of them has memories from PIDW and also SVSSS - so he knows that shit is going to get horrible once Su Xiyan gets knocked up

Obviously the answer is to seduce all of his fellow peak lords into a glorious polyamorous clusterfuck so as to promote skinship and pack bonding and harmony among the sect leadership

(It worked for PIDW Binghe with his wives and SVSSS Shen Yuan with getting Bing-mei to chill his tits after all and nobody can trip you into bed quite like a shinobi)

And so Cang Qiong’s family aesthetics get rocked so hard that instead of panting after his Shizun baby disciple Binghe decides to seduce his peers...

... and his rivals

... and other sect’s disciples

... and the occasional demon

Mads-Jiu is really proud of his baby demon lord but makes sure not to single Binghe out - instead every Qing Jing disciple gets rewarded and punished at the same time

It promotes bonding! And teamwork!

And prevents the utter destruction of Mads-Jiu’s chrysanthemum via oversized demonic pillar!

There is totally going to be an extra where Mads-Jiu realizes that the average size of a male cultivators pillar is DANGEROUSLY EXCESSIVE

NOBODY NEEDS THAT MUCH PILLAR

Even HIS pillar hasn’t escaped the curse

BIGGER IS NOT BETTER!

How the fuck is he supposed to fight if he can’t even wear pants comfortably!?!?

(No wait come back Mu-shidi this shixiong is sorry it wasn’t mockery it was a perfectly reasonable tantrum that was a long time coming now stop sulking your dick is very pretty let shixiong make it up to you~)

And at some point there will be a wild Bing-ge who appears to cause trouble with a mirror that’s intended to temporarily transform people into the form of their last life - he aims it at the native Bingbing to get him out of the way so he can steal the “nice” Shizun

It would have been Pom time for Bingbing but Mads-Jiu pushes him out of the way

And cue giant explosion of dark Qi as a bonus expansion pack of Madara’s 10-tail Jinchuriki time with powers-and-memories gets downloaded into Mads-Jiu

Mads-Jiu the “Heavenly Demon Demi God” drops several mountains worth of flaming meteor rock on the invaders and then goes on a giant flaming skeleton rampage against Bing-ge

... Bing-ge has changed his mind he doesn’t want this Shizun take him back and oh gods the shrieking

How does he shriek so loud? Doesn’t he need to breathe?

... ok so Shizun breathes fire that’s good to know

Whelps time to bravely run away

And then the amassed sects need to figure out how to calm down the rampaging hell beast

The youngest Qing Jing disciple is brought out and told to cry for Shizun

Actually-a-broody-hen!Mads-Jiu whips around and starts fussing over his baby student

Because baby why are you crying stop it tell Shizun who hurt you and he will BURN THEM TO ASH

The last bit I have an idea for involves Mads-Jiu getting yanked though dimensions because Edo Tensei where he instantly twigs to what is going on and pushes the “righteous cultivator” skin to maximum strength

He shoves all the baby ninja behind him and keeps barrier spamming the zombie army - because ew no stay away from the children resentful corpses

Zetsu is included in the zombie army shall not pass smack down

Zombie!Tobirama is appalled because wut? Wasn’t this supposed to be Madara’s zombie? What is happening?

And I dunno something where he “notices” the resentful energy surrounding Danzo because stealing the eyes of the people you murdered is bad karma

So Mads-Jiu does a spirit thing and the ghosts of the Uchiha rips Danzo apart while screaming about his guilt in full view of the entire Village

And then Mads-Jiu goes home because filial little Bingbing came to get him and he’s not enjoying upending the shinobi social order nope not at all whom exactly do you take him for?

... Yes he’s done and ready to go back to his spouses now he’s sure the ninja have all learned better than to raise living corpses now anyway

The end

=/=

[manggaetteokkie]

Why 2HA adaptation might not be as bad as we think...

Okay so BL novel “The Husky and His White Cat Shizun” (chinese title: “二哈和他的白猫师尊”) aka 2HA is getting a live adaption which will be called “Immortality” (“皓衣行”). I know that usually, fans of original works are less than excited about this kinds of news and with good reasons. The issue is that those who buy the IP rights to a novel simply see its popularity and think that they can profit off of it without actually trying to understand the reason behind its popularity. Too often, BL fans see themselves forced to endure any of the following: 1) sex change of one of the male leads, 2) creation of a random female love interest, 3) turning a happy end into a bad end, 4) adding a bunch of scenes unrelated to our main pair that ends up dragging the series, 5) turning romance into brotherly affection... the list goes on and on. Sometimes, companies think that as long as they film any two guys together and sell a bit of physical touching here and there, fans will jump on it like rabid dogs which... is kinda stupid because, y’know, we have eyes (and standards) too.

So obviously, with the unprecedented popularity that came with the release of The Untamed, even more producers are starting to see the potential of danmei (BL) novels and with it came an onslaught of IP rights being bought and adapted. The list is pretty extensive, with some big names that I’m sure anyone who’s even slightly in the Chinese BL novel community has heard of before. Of course, included in that list, with the casting for the leads done and filming underway, is 2HA.

Quick overview of the story for those of you that don’t know: the story is set in the POV of the “gong” (top), a character named Mo Ran (also known as Mo Weiyu) who is the disciple of Chu Wanning, the “shou” (bottom) of our story. In his original life, Mo Ran had become the Emperor of the cultivation world through slaughter and tyranny, with the only one ever coming close to stopping him being his shizun, Chu Wanning, who eventually lost his life trying to stop him. After achieving the top by committing pretty much all crimes and sins known to men, weary and tired, Mo Ran decides to take his own life and ends it all. Unexpectedly, instead of dying and going to Hell, he transmigrated to the first year he became a disciple. As a thirty-something man in the body of a teen, he decides to do things right this time around and save the one he couldn’t save the first time around. As he goes through life a second time, truth after truths reveal themselves, with the biggest surprise being that the Shizun he hated so much in his previous life, and who Mo Ran thought hated/scorned him, actually turned out to be protecting him the entire time. 

Mo Ran, in his past life, was powerful, cruel, merciless and arrogant. There was nothing he could not obtain and he knew it. He was cynical, had a very jaded view of the world and was kind of unstable (lots of mood swings and temper tantrums). After his rebirth, he still maintained some of the arrogance and cynicism, but is more mischievous, confident and cheeky. He is very much like a husky, looks kind of scary and big, but can be extremely loyal to the ones he recognizes and can be a bit dumb sometimes. Chu Wanning on the other hand, is an unflappable person with a frost-like exterior, but a heart of gold. Basically, he cares a lot but it’s easier for him to look like he doesn’t than to voice his feelings. He gets embarrassed easily and covers his embarrassment using anger. He is extremely strong, likes peace and quiet, and always abides by the rules. 

Their relationship is kind of complicated. Initially, Mo Ran was in love with a fellow disciple called Shi Mei (despite the word meaning junior female disciple in Chinese, it’s actually the name of a male character). In the original timeline, Shi Mei died and that was the start of Mo Ran’s decline. After his rebirth, Mo Ran decides that he will do everything in his power to prevent Shi Mei from dying again. Don’t be mistaken though, Shi Mei is NOT the male lead. You’ll see as you read more that despite being in love with Shi Mei, Mo Ran is pretty obsessed with Chu Wanning because their relationship was kind of... complicated in the original timeline.

This is pretty much the premise for the story, but do be warned that it goes much deeper and darker than what you might expect (it’s rated R-18 for a reason). So why exactly am I writing all of this? To put it simply, I just kind of want to hype up the series and its adaptation a little, or at least, pique enough interest to give the live action adaptation a chance. Not gonna lie, when I heard 2HA was getting adapted, I was pretty skeptical because how. Mo Ran and Chu Wanning had a pretty physical relationship in the pre-rebirth timeline and that’s partially where the obsession that Mo Ran feels towards Chu Wanning stems from. There’s just basically a lot of unresolved sexual tension between them throughout the novel that I simply couldn’t see getting adapted. However, after thinking about it and reevaluating things from a low-expectations-standpoint, I think it might actually be possible to film something close enough to the original work. Here are some of the factors that influenced my opinion:

First, the series is set to air for 50 episodes (just like The Untamed). Why is the number of episodes important? Because it will determine how closely the adaptation will follow the original story and how much random stuff they can fit into it. Let’s take a step back and evaluate: 2HA’s novel has 311 chapters + extras while MDZS has 113 + extras. Obviously, people might have an issue with the number of episodes (”How are you going to air the same amount of episodes for a series that’s thrice as long??”) but I think it’s a good amount. Why? Because it pretty much guarantees a solid pacing that’ll keep the story moving forward without stagnating. I don’t think there is too much to worry in terms of too much source material being cut because quite a few chapters are R-18/romantic lining scenes that would not have gotten adapted anyways. Once those get deleted, I think 50 episodes is an acceptable amount.

Second, the entire production seems to be solid. The rights were actually bought by Tencent who, if you forgot, was also responsible for The Untamed. With prior success, I believe that they now have a pretty solid idea of how things should be run. Also, the CGI and world-design team is the same one as for Ashes of Love, which has me pretty stoked because while CG in chinese dramas has always been a hit or miss, Ashes of Love is definitely amongst some of the best I’ve seen (see below for examples). (P.S. there are also rumours that Lin Hai, the one responsible for The Untamed’s OST, might be working on 2HA but this is mere speculation at this point.) Overall, 2HA is looking to be like the most high-profile and expensive BL adaption yet.

Third and finally, the casting.

Holy.

Okay.

This is what has me the most hyped. 

Let’s start with Shi Mei, who will be portrayed by actress Chen Yao (or Sebrina Chen).

I know I’ve said that despite the name, Shi Mei is a male. As it turns out, likely for censorship reasons, “Immortality” could not escape from the clutches of the dreaded sex change so they went ahead and turned him into a girl. While not ideal, in my opinion, it actually works out pretty nicely here. In this case, it means that Mo Ran is in love with a female character which would further draw censorship’s attention away from the fact that Mo Ran really has a thing for his beautiful shizun. While it would have been perfect if everything could go according to source material, the fact that it’s Shi Mei that went through a sex change actually works pretty favourably in the grand scheme of things. Not to mention the actress set to play Shi Mei has some good experience acting similar roles so overall, I say that I trust her.

Next, we have Chu Wanning who will be played by Luo Yunxi (or Leo Luo).

For this character, I have no worries whatsoever. If you’re unfamiliar with this actor, I highly recommend you give Ashes of Love a try. He played the 2nd lead and ugh. He’s so good at playing beautiful and elegant characters that are forced to undergo a ton of suffering and pain. Luo Yunxi used to be a professional ballet dancer so he moves with grace and his fight scenes are amazing to watch. Also, he has great control over his facial expressions. He’s able to act out characters that suffer a lot without making them seem weak or powerless. Even the way he cries can be considered both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Finally, we have Mo Ran who will be portrayed by Chen Feiyu (or Arthur Chen).

Mo Ran is an extremely complex character. From pre-rebirth’s insanity and arrogance, to post-rebirth’s hope and reservation, to post-revelation’s love and devotion, the actor’s going to have a lot on his plate. Originally, when I first googled him, I thought that while he’d manage to pull off post-rebirth teen!Mo Ran fairly well given how clean and refreshing his face looks, he’d have a harder time pulling off pre-rebirth’s arrogance, craziness and general “hardness”. However, after seeing some costume designs and makeup edits, I think that the boy might just pull it off. Also, while the actor is nowhere near as solid as Luo Yunxi is, it seems that he’s willing to put in extra time and effort (as seen by his Weibo post about how he’d been studying the source material) to make up for it. I think that with enough dedication, he might just be able to pull it off.

(Psssst! By the way, keeping this strictly between you and me, another reason why I’m such a fan of this pair is because of the height difference. I mean just look at this?? Their height difference is pretty much bang on with the novel height difference after Mo Ran grew past Chu Wanning’s height. Not to mention, don’t tell me you see this and don’t automatically picture a the big dorky puppy following his reserved and cool master around?)

So yeah, all of this just to say that it might be okay to kind of have some expectations for 2HA. I really want to keep my own expectations down as low as possible given the amount of times we’ve been burned but I want to remain hopeful that, with the success of The Untamed, it can pave the way for better and more faithful danmei adaptations, with 2HA being one of them.

[raveneira]

Alright this extends from a twitter discussion, this is my counter argument to this post right here that they referenced, now this is my rebuttal.

You accepted that Ashura has reincarnated inside of you, instead of accepted that Ashura has reincarnated as you…. This makes me think that Ashura is just clinging to Naruto and isn’t actually him… Cause when people reincarnate they reincarnate as someone or something else, not inside of them, that’s more like a possession…

First off thats not how reincarnation works, several times in this post they make the argument that in order to be a true reincarnation that the two people have to be one and the same, this couldnt be further from the truth though.

Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration is the philosophical or religious belief that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death

In most beliefs involving reincarnation, the soul is seen as immortal and the only thing that becomes perishable is the body. Upon death, the soul becomes transmigrated into a new infant (or animal) to live again. The term transmigration means passing of soul from another body to another after-death.

THIS is how reincarnation works.

The body itself is not that of Ashura, but of Naruto, but Ashura’s SOUL is INSIDE Naruto’s body. They may have the same soul, but the new body functions largely as its own individual.

Take Inuyasha for example, Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, she has no memories of Kikyo’s but she inherited her spiritual powers and affinity with a bow and also her love for Inuyasha. Kagome and Kikyo are separate individuals yes, but she still has Kikyo’s soul and her powers by extension. The same applies to Naruto, he and Ashura are different people yes, but he still has Ashura’s SOUL and as such his power, he also inherited his love for his brother Indra which was passed down to Hashirama for Madara, and then Naruto for Sasuke.

To clarify YES Kagome grew to love Inuyasha through her own experiences for her own reasoning, and Naruto grew to love Sasuke like a brother through his own experiences and for his own reasoning. But this was both DESTINED and FATED to happen because of who they were, or more specifically who they are inside. It was inevitable.

The individuals may be different, but as reincarnations they still inherited their past lives powers and bonds/feelings towards the person who was most precious to them before dying. In Kikyo’s case it was her strong love for Inuyasha passed on to Kagome, and in Ashura’s case it was his strong love for his brother Indra and desire to save him passed down to Naruto.

When Hashirama and Madara died, the transmigration cycle resumed. Naruto Uzumaki became the next inheritor of Asura's chakra and will, with Sasuke Uchiha inheriting Indra's chakra and will. 

This is from the Naruto wiki, but it is still an accurate description of what reincarnation is in Naruto, the transmigration of someones soul into another persons body, which is exactly what Hagoromo says happened with Naruto and Sasuke.

It’s important to note Naruto is the only one who refers to it as being haunted by a ghost and possession, Hagoromo specifically says in EVERY instance that Naruto and Sasuke are reincarnations and that Ashura and Indra have reincarnated inside them, so to use Naruto’s words here as evidence is inaccurate, because Hagoromo specifically says reincarnation, not possession. 

In Hagoromo’s own character file refers to it as the transmigration of souls walking through an eternity of samara, making the argument of possession null and void.

Saṃsāra is a Sanskrit word that means "world". It is also the concept of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence", a fundamental belief of most Indian religions. In short, it is the cycle of death and rebirth. Saṃsāra is sometimes referred to with terms or phrases such as transmigration, karmic cycle, reincarnation, and "cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence"

You accepted that Ashura has reincarnated inside of you, instead of accepted that Ashura has reincarnated as you…. This makes me think that Ashura is just clinging to Naruto and isn’t actually him… Cause when people reincarnate they reincarnate as someone or something else, not inside of them, that’s more like a possession…

So this statement right here ^ is thoroughly debunked.

The definition of reincarnation and possession is vastly different with how they function and honestly disproves your own point of them being different people, because in order to be possessed you have to be CONTROLED by another entity which Naruto and Sasuke are not.

To possess is to take control over, if Indra and Ashura took control over them and have been in control their whole lives that means two twin brothers consciously developed romantic feelings for eachother by your logic, which is even worse than them just being reincarnations.

Possession is a term more accurate for Edo Tensei or Karma, not reincarnation.

So what am I getting at here? Reincarnation in Naruto doesnt mean being considered the same person as the deceased, it just means you have their soul, it DOES NOT MEAN Naruto is Ashura, he still has his own identity, but part of that identity is influenced by Ashura.

Hagoromo actually refers to it in several ways but they all essentially have the same meaning.

‘Ashura’s chakra is clinging about you’ 

‘Ashura’s presence inside you’ 

‘Ashura has reincarnated as you’ 

‘Ashura has reincarnated inside you’.

All different phrases, but carry the same meaning, Ashura’s soul reincarnated inside of Naruto, and Indra’s soul reincarnated inside Sasuke.

Your putting too much emphasis on the wording rather than the meaning.

 Ashura clearly influenced Naruto in many ways despite them being separate people, by having the same soul its only natural that Naruto would inherit many of Ashura’s traits. Hagoromo himself points out how much like Ashura he is.

So their not really that different after all. Ashura’s soul still had alot of influence on Naruto’s beliefs, personality, and ideals as well as his strong bond with Sasuke. Naruto may have reached those conclusions in his own way through his own experiences but the result remained the same as Ashura’s due to his influence from inside him.

However although their not the same person physically, I think its important to note they are the same person spiritually. They still have their own unique chakra signatures that can be distinguished by certain ocular jutsu’s, but they are still overall the same spiritually with the same soul and chakra.

Naruto Uzumaki became the next inheritor of Asura's chakra and will, with Sasuke Uchiha inheriting Indra's chakra and will.

Again this is from the wiki, but it still accurately depicts what happened. They are different people, but they still inherited Indra and Ashura’s will from having their souls inside them.

Dont misunderstand, Naruto and Sasuke still have their own wills too and not all of their decisions and feelings extend from Indra and Ashura, Im just saying that they had an INFLUENCE on them in several aspects of their lives, but they still formed their own bonds and relationships through their own life experiences. Zetsu even comments on how Naruto and Sasuke are cooperating closely together more than any other reincarnate before them, proving they are still their own person capable of doing things their own way.

The fact that Naruto was able to succeed where Hashirama and Ashura failed is also proof of their individuality, but that was also predestined to happen.

Ultimately, Naruto managed to succeed in Asura's final goal which all other reincarnations failed at: end the rift between the two lines of the reincarnated brothers. Naruto achieved this after defeating Sasuke, who then finally accepted Naruto's ideals.

Everything I said for Naruto applies to Sasuke so I dont really need to reiterate it.

Onto the next point.

My point is that Indra and Ashura clung to people of their bloodline that was a lot like them, in terms of personality or ambitions, and thereby were reincarnated… So Naruto and Sasuke aren’t brothers and instead are just possessed by brothers..

This is impossible, because Indra and Ashura didnt possess Naruto and Sasuke like I said, but reincarnated inside them not long after they were born once both previous reincarnates were dead, meaning Indra and Ashura had NO idea what Naruto and Sasuke’s personalities or ambitions would be later in life. Their not psychic, they cant see the future so this argument is invalid. 

They simply reincarnated inside Naruto and Sasuke because they were newborns and Hashirama was already dead, so all that was needed was for Madara to die which didnt happen till years later when Naruto and Sasuke were born. Once Sasuke was born Indra reincarnated into him, and when Naruto was born Ashura reincarnated into him. Naruto and Sasuke just happened to be born at the right time, there was nothing more to it than that.

So now that we’re done with the reincarnation counter argument, now for why NaruSasu is problematic because of it and yes, they are in fact brothers.

For starters going off what I said about reincarnation alone already makes things problematic, infact it is the MAIN reason its problematic. Just because Naruto and Sasuke arent literally Indra and Ashura doesnt change the fact that they have their SOULS, meaning they are literally SOUL brothers, do you really not see the problem with two guys who were TWIN brothers in their past lives to be romantically involved? come on now.

Here he says that he and Sasuke aren’t true brothers, which means that they’re not actually related despite being reincarnated from brothers.. Which again, to my knowledge, if you’re reincarnated from brothers you’d still be brothers… But he says that they’re not…

This is flawed on so many levels, as I’ve already explained how reincarnation works in both Naruto and Japanese beliefs they are SOUL brothers. If your soul was reincarnated into a new body, and your brother or sisters soul was reincarnated into another body, would you want your reincarnates in a romantic relationship with eachother? I know I wouldnt, because as shown in Naruto Indra and Ashura are still very much conscious inside them, which means they are AWARE of whats happening, they just dont have control over them.

Even if they WERENT conscious its irrelevant, because the core issue is that they are THERE and they are BROTHERS, this is not incest in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense this is very much an incetuous ship as they share both body and soul, that is still VERY problematic because they are STILL brothers, not by blood, but by soul.

While Naruto does say that he sees Sasuke as a brother several times, it doesn’t seem like that at all… To me it seems more like a crush that he doesn’t realize he has, or a crush he isn’t ready to believe he has…

Thats all speculation and how you choose to perceive things, but there is beyond enough evidence that proves it wrong which I’ll go more in depth in another post I’ll link back to here. But honestly theres not only tons of evidence that proves it wrong, theres literally nothing anywhere in canon that suggests romantic feelings between them in the first place. Thats a fact not an opinion.

Want my more condensed version of why NaruSasu are brothers refer to my twitter thread here

But just to add one of my points here, which is the other biggest reason NaruSasu is problematic, is that they are ACTUAL brothers.

I know right? I just said their not Indra and Ashura and are their own person how are they brothers? simple, thats true only for the show, however theres one other key factor that makes any argument you try to pull from the show for WHY their not brothers null and void. Which is that they are brothers by DESIGN.

Unfortunately the link is no longer available but this persons summary is pretty much what Kishimoto said. And the one above it is an actual sceenshot from when the site was still up.

From the beginning they were modeled after two real life brothers, Kishimoto and his twin brother Seishi, that was always the INTENT when making Naruto and Sasuke’s bond, so regardless of if their brothers by blood, by soul, or by bond, they are brothers by design, theres not a single argument you can come up with that’ll change that.

So in conclusion, yes, Sasuke and Naruto are real brothers by design, so for some people to call it incest is not far from the truth, because to ship Naruto and Sasuke your essentially shipping Kishimoto and his Twin brother.

I didnt wanna make this too long, so I focused on just the reincarnation aspect as that was the main point of the argument, and saved the other stuff about their relationship for another post so there wouldnt have to be a ton of scrolling on one post. But honestly? I think this post sums it up pretty well on WHY shipping this is problematic, you dont HAVE to stop shipping it if you dont want to, Im just pointing out why saying they are not brothers is factually incorrect.

[nyerus]

Hey I originally followed you for YOI stuff and since that seems to be on haitus, I have seen you and a lot of people rebloing stuff about a different anime or manga (i think) with different mlm relationships? I think they're two diff shows and I've heard about mdzs before. But lately youve been reblogging stuff from a manga tagged tgcf and it looks pretty cool--so i was wondering how I could get into it and what its about? Does it have actual gay charas?

Hello! I’m sorry for the late response! This morphed from a simple answer into a beginner guide of sorts, so I hope you don’t mind! I know there’s like 500000 guides out there, but I figured I’d give it a shot too! ❤

So the stuff you’ve been seeing everywhere is indeed MDZS or related to it–including on my own blog! (I promise when YOI comes back from war, I’ll be all over that again ;o;!!!)

So these works are all by the same author, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (MXTX) and they are separate danmei (i.e. Chinese BL) novels, though they share a lot of similarities between them:

MDZS (Mó Dào Zǔ Shī) – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

TGCF (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) – Heaven Official’s Blessing

SVSSS – Scum Villian’s Self-Saving System

All of them are complete and fan translated, and I’ll answer your last question first: yes, they have actual gay characters! In the novels, the main couples end up canonically married! \o/ In some of the adaptations, their romantic relationships are also maintained (e.g. the manhuas (Chinese graphic novel)), though censorship is present.

Links will be added below this post! Grab some popcorn, this is long!

･:*:･ﾟ’★🐇MDZS🐇★･ﾟ’･:*:･

MDZS《魔道祖师》is definitely the most popular work by MXTX, as it has the most adaptations. You’ve almost certainly been seeing gifs and photosets from its donghua (Chinese animation) or live action the most. However, it has a manhua and audio drama (in both Chinese and Japanese) as well!

Synopsis: Reviled as the infamous Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian harnessed the forbidden dark power of demonic cultivation. Once the cultivation world decided he was too dangerous to leave alone, he was hunted down, and a terrible battle ensued that cost Wei Wuxian his life—and the lives of many others. 13 years later, he is resurrected under mysterious circumstances into the body of the pariah Mo Xuanyu. Now with this second chance at life (and while hiding his real identity), Wei Wuxian has to uncover the truth about a powerful malevolent spirit. It may just be the key to revealing a series of heinous secrets hidden from the cultivation world for years. And while the world may still hate him for crimes he didn’t commit, there’s one person who’s on his side—the illustrious Hanguang-jun, Lan Wangji—and is willing to stand by him against all odds. The two have a long and complex history, and Wei Wuxian is unsure of Lan Wangji’s motivations for helping him. But it couldn’t be more simple: respect and love.

Scene from the donghua.

Still from the live action, called “Chén Qíng Lìng”/“CQL”/”The Untamed.”

Panel from the manhua.

Art from the Chinese audio drama.

The great thing about MDZS is that you can really pick your poison in terms of what adaptation you want to get started with. If you are absolutely brand-new to the danmei scene, then starting with the donghua or manhua may be your best bet (both are ongoing). The novel of course is the most beloved, being the source, but all the adaptations have their own charms! They’re all worth checking out, and will keep you busy for quite a while.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🌸TGCF🌸★･ﾟ’･:*:･

Now, for TGCF《天官赐福》—that’s where my photosets are coming from: the ongoing manhua that started in October. There’s a donghua planned for late this year, and a live action in talks (info about that is largely unknown, but is slated for production sometime after the donghua release). TGCF actually has the same deal structure as MDZS apparently, so we’ll be getting an audio drama as well if that’s true.

Synopsis: Talented and virtuous, Crown Prince Xie Lian first ascended to the heavens when he was only 17. Once the darling of the earth and heavens for his boundless skill and purity of heart, he ended up falling from grace—not once, but twice! Subsequently, he became the laughing stock of the three realms. Spending almost 800 years roaming the earth and collecting scraps, he becomes known as the pitiful “rubbish god” and “god of misfortune.” No one could have expected Xie Lian to ascend for a third time, but fate seems to have something in store for this disgraced yet compassionate immortal. Thankfully, he is not alone, as the widely-feared ghost king, Hua Cheng, seems to have a special interest in helping him. The two of them embark on a series of adventures that unravel the secrets of their world, and of themselves.

Panel from the manhua.

Scene from the Donghua PV.

The novel for TGCF is a great place to start, especially considering how the manhua is still in it’s early stages (just starting it’s 2nd arc as of writing this post). The novel is long, incredibly well-written, and well-translated. The manhua is absolutely stunning, and follows the novel very closely thus far.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🎋SVSSS🎋★･ﾟ’･:*:･

The underrated sibling of the three, SVSSS《人渣反派自救系統 》has only the novel to interact with for right now. A donghua is planned for this year. There was a manhua, but it was cancelled due to some problems with the publisher afaik. Word on the street is that they’re searching for a new team for it, so we’ll continue to pray!!!

Synopsis: Shen Yuan is an avid reader of the web novel Proud Immortal Demon Way. The novel revolves around the protagonist Luo Binghe, a kind child who is tormented endlessly by his Shizun (teacher/mentor) Shen Qingqiu, until he turns into a powerful demon lord and exacts his violent revenge. While initially a fan of the story, Shen Yuan hates the unsatisfactory ending. Upon dying suddenly, he finds himself transmigrated into the novel, at the behest of The System—a sci-fi interface which gives him missions and directives. Unfortunately, he ends up in the place of the cruel Shen Qingqiu out of all people! This new Shen Qingqiu now has to use his knowledge of the novel to navigate around the plot, within the restrictions that The System has implemented. He has to find a way to ensure a better ending, if he wants to keep this second chance at life. His plan for doing this is to be as kind and encouraging as possible to the innocent Luo Binghe, who quickly takes a shine to this new Shen Qingqiu. Even after forced to the dark side, and despite the tension between them after this, Luo Binghe won’t let anyone else touch his beloved Shizun.

Cover of the Thai release of the novel.

SVSSS only really has the novel to interact with as of right now. There’s currently an excellent re-translation in progress by tumblr user Faelicy! If you want to get started now, however, you can read what she’s done so far and then swap over to the old translation afterward.

･:*:･ﾟ’★NOTES★･ﾟ’･:*:･

• ALL three novels are intended for an R-18+ audience ONLY. Other adaptations are safe for minors over 16 years of age.

• Please be aware that the novels may contain potentially triggering content. Feel free to ask me for content warnings if you need them.

• All three of these are totally different from one another and only share common themes typical of the wuxia/xianxia genres.

• The original Chinese raws of MDZS and SVSSS are no longer available for purchase on JJWXC (publishing site). You can find print versions on Taobao. TGCF, however, is still available!

• If you’d like more info on anything, please reach out to me! I’m happy to help.

• LINKS WILL BE ADDED BELOW THIS POST.