#liz writes mdzs

[wantonlywindswept]

the nie huaisang time travel fic i will never write

actual writing has not been happening, so have blurbling instead, because a forewarned nie huaisang is a terrifying nie huaisang.

okay so huaisang goes back in time. don't ask me how, i'm not actually writing it and thus i don't have to come up with the logistics

anyway so he goes back in time just around when xue yang is being dragged into the unclean realm which doesn't give him a lot of time to collect his bearings, but he is also nie fucking huaisang so he adapts. xue yang still escapes and meng yao still gets thrown the fuck out, but

but then huaisang disappears the next night.

there are signs of a struggle.

and nie mingjue is absofuckinglutely FURIOUS, because he let that little snake live and that little snake dared to KIDNAP HIS FUCKING BROTHER, but there's also a war going on and cloud recesses burned and his boyfriend is missing (fuck yeah nielan, fight me) and he is a Responsible Sect Leader but he is also a big brother and he sends zonghui (fuck yeah zonghui) to find huaisang and bring him back safe and sound and he maybe breaks a lot of shit at the thought of his baby brother being dragged around the countryside by the guy who killed someone else with a smile

(there is dragging around the countryside, but it is the exact opposite of what nie mingjue thinks, because huaisang is smart and huaisang understands the value of a scapegoat, and huaisang is also still fucking pissed that meng yao killed his brother)

eventually zonghui finds meng yao's body, and there's signs of a fight, a sign that huaisang escaped, but he can't actually find him but he keeps looking because while there is a war going on his sect leader gets a little bit closer to qi deviation every day his baby brother isn't returned to him

(and somewhere out in the wilderness lan xichen is being hidden and helped by a boy he'd once thought naive, and they might both be a little shit at washing their own clothes but they manage to get by)

eventually xichen makes it back to his boo for the war, and he brings with him maps from a source within nightless city and nie mingue knows those brush strokes, would know his little brother's art anywhere, and he breaks down in tears because huaisang is safe but huaisang is also in so much danger and also because nie mingjue cries at the drop of a hat and that is why we love him. lan xichen says they can trust the source and nie mingjue believes him absolutely

(because huaisang is not stupid, and he knows that meng yao was instrumental in the war effort, but there is only so many years of rage you can take and he has been stewing for over a decade, and while meng yao once might have been useful, he refuses to let the bastard live. and because he is not stupid and he knows that the war needs to be won, he takes his place as the traitor, and it is so so easy to convince wen ruohan that he, the useless little brother of chifeng-zun, desires to have power more than he cares about his family

and because nie huaisang is not stupid, when he sees the threads of possibility that could lead to wei wuxian not losing his core, he does not follow them, because he knows what power is still needed to end the war)

nie mingjue never goes on his assassination attempt because huaisang reports that there is no way to do so (look you can tell me that it was just a coincidence that his route happened to have more soldiers than expected when reported by meng yao, but i will not believe you), so he and lan xichen are both there on the field when wei wuxian goes shadow-happy and they are there when huaisang slips a dagger between wen ruohan's ribs

(he is mortified. he does not want to be known as the one who killed wen ruohan. he wants to continue being the useless little brother, but he was the only one who could do it. he is praised by the cultivation world and he has Regrets)

nie mingjue hugs him so hard his bones creak and yells at him to never do something so dangerous again and also cries a lot. he also never believes huaisang's masks of uselessness again, which is definitely a strike in the 'cons' column of his plans, but he deals with it like a champ, and the nie sect starts running like goddamn clockwork.

he learns the song of clarity, and he learns it right, this time.

then he sets his people to hunt xue yang down.

he coaxes his brother to offer support to the jiang sect and wei wuxian (he shamelessly leans on the fact that wei wuxian is precious to lan wangji, who is precious to lan xichen, who nie mingjue would rather die than see hurt), and gets better deals for the wen remnants (this is also helped by lan xichen; huaisang can and will use all chess pieces available to him). he makes friends with jiang yanli (THEY WOULD BE UNSTOPPABLE) and meddles in the politics at koi tower. meddles with jin guangshan's image and rule because that guy's just a dick, anyway.

meddles in the love lives of lan wangji and wei wuxian too, but literally everyone thanks him for that one.

he doesn't get to become the headshaker and is very sad that people take him seriously now, but his brother is alive and his enemies are dead, and that's all he's ever needed, anyway.

[lizhly-writes]

playing another game of how fast can i fucking type, so: more things about mo xuanyu.

boy gets picked up off the streets, because seriously, what other choice does he have. well, i suppose he could decide to stay on the streets but come on, that's just self-destructive.

... i mean, this is mo xuanyu, and technically literally all we know about him is self-destruction, so maybe that makes sense to him. he maybe considers it for a moment, because better the hell you know than the hell you don't, who knows if this rich cultivator dude is an actual rich cultivator dude.

he probably figures he could, you know. do some demonic cultivation. he's worked out a little of what he knows, and there are some talismans that he's used on dogs to get them to stay down. they don't last long, but hey, better than nothing. probably get enough time to run the fuck away, or i don't know, kill himself.

speaking of killing himself: he does... kind of wonder what would happen if he tried the array that got him into this mess again. but hey, it's not like he wants to relive babyhood again, so: probably super not worth it.

anyway. he stays on guard as rich cultivator dude introduces himself. he stays on guard as rich cultivator dude buys him a meal. he stays on guard all the way up til they get to lotus pier, which: hey, good for him. he wasn't actually that sure rich cultivator dude was the yunmeng jiang sect leader until now (jiang, of course, couldn't be anything else with those sigils and those colors, but jiang fengmian? he could have sworn the sect leader was someone else...)

mo xuanyu really should have paid more attention in history class. we'll get into that later.

hoooo okay, i’ve learned one thing and that thing is i can absolutely be counted upon to write a tumblr post when i should be doing something else.  it’s like a terrible, terrible treat for me. 

today’s procrastination tumblr post: a mdzs au, because man have i been lost in the sauce.

so.  let’s start with mo xuanyu. 

Keep reading

[obstinaterixatrix]

1, 4, 11, 21, 28, 30, 43

1. How long ago did you start reading fanfiction? Writing fanfiction?

I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint it to 4th grade, so like... 10?? for writing??? it was harvest moon fic. I must've started reading around the same time but I don't remember when or what.

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

I'm gonna actually rec three that aren't fics by My Beloved Pals (because I'll go nuts trying to narrow it down)

world's end rhapsody by wakerife

post-epilogue ORV fic that gave me every resolution I wanted

The Blackthorn Tree by boorishbint

very atmospheric moomin fic except it's about the dads. ends on a very... it ends on such a note. makes me sad.

a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke

The Most MDZS Fic Ever. arranged marriage to save wwx, plot of mdzs still happens except it's about figuring it out while it's going on.

this question took me literally 20 minutes to answer dsjfsdlk j

11. How do you come up with your fic titles?

god I wish I knew. I used to do song lines a lot but nowadays it's either something that sounds good to me, a reference to the plot/themes, a joke I think it's funny, or some kind of combination

21. What’s your least favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

writing... well, my least favorite part is when I have to go back and flesh out the scenes I skipped over because I knew they'd be hard so I just left a [dflksdfkjls] or a [x happens and character feels some kinda way about it]

28. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie: pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc)?

well you see if I simply post only oneshots I never have to deal with update requests (except when I do).

I don't actually feel like I've gotten pressuring comments but I might've just wiped them from my memory. I've definitely gotten negative comments but I don't really care.

deadlines though.... sometimes I will wail to my friends for help in terms of either bouncing off ideas or having them on call for moral support.

really though writing is my outlet so I try not to make it stressful or make it something I'm pressured to do.

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

[Ryan has The Softest Most Comforting Most Adoring Expression And Min Feels Like Shit]

43. Talk about a positive experience with fanfiction or the fanfiction community that you will always remember.

oh there's a bunch I'm sure, off the top of my head one of the rare times I did get a bullshit comment liz took the time to leave a bunch of comments to cheer me up ^^ meant a lot to me

[goddamnelsa]

Liz’s Top Books of 2020

blatantly stolen from @alamorn but also i wanted to feel accomplished that i did in fact read published books this year before descending entirely into mdzs/the untamed fanfiction :) :) :) :)

In two parts! Books I read that actually came out in 2020, and then honorable mentions of books I read in 2020 that were published in previous years. Enjoy!

Top Books Published in 2020 (which are not in any kind of order because I can’t like rank stuff, I’m not that kind of person)

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

What can I say except it’s N.K. Jemisin who wrote my favorite high fantasy series (The Inheritance Trilogy), won three consecutive Hugo Awards for her The Broken Earth trilogy, and she’s writing urban fantasy with Lovecraftian and superhero team flavor. I mean....obviously I was at the top of the wait list for this once my library ordered it. And it lived up to the hype!! Because of course!! It’s fabulously fast-paced with amazingly smart and interesting characters of diverse backgrounds. I kept thinking one of them was my favorite, and then another would have a great line and I would change my mind. It’s fine, they’re all technically one entity with several parts, so I can love them all and not choose (but it’s probably Bronca, let’s be real). And it’s the first of a series! And I’m counting down the days til there is more!

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

I definitely picked this up simply because Lindsay Ellis, one of my favorite video essayists, wrote it, and then ended up loving everything about it. I’m not usually one for First Contact stories, but I appreciate the very human-focused approach here, sticking solely to an ordinary girl’s perspective as she navigates being the person first in contact with a very alien alien. Cora’s attempts to humanize Ampersand are relatable, but I appreciate Ellis reminding us at almost every turn that Ampersand is super Not Human, no matter how much Cora reads into his actions. Ellis doesn’t gloss over the Science part either, especially when it comes to the race of aliens Ampersand belongs to. Again, the first of a series, and you will absolutely be screaming for the next book when this one is over.

You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria

Insert my obligatory “I don’t usually read romances blah blah blah.” Though, during lockdown, I attempted to branch out beyond my usual genres when I was attending a ton of publisher webinars about upcoming books. This one stood out to me because of its Latinx cast and the whole behind-the-scenes of a Jane The Virgin-esque show, based on a telenovela (of course). It is fantastic, a quick read with instantly likable and fun characters. And the tropes! We’re playing love interests but we have insane chemistry! A sensitive, traumatized male lead who learns to open up again! A sassy but insecure female lead who learns to let loose and love again! Hooking up, but we have to keep on the DL or else scandal! And of course, the extended families add to every scene they are in--I loved every interaction Ashton and Jasmine had with their families, it was the cherry on top of a fantastic read. Also the sex scenes are steamy. 

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

I got this graphic novel as an advanced reader copy well before it came out, and after reading it, I was sCREAMING because I couldn’t tell all my graphic novel, queer coming-of-age-with-magic loving friends to immediately pick up a copy!! So thankfully, it’s out now, so I can scream to the heavens to please read this!!! It is such a sweet story with beautiful full-color art and fantastic world-building. It has the same silly, referential humor you see in a lot of kids/YA graphic novels these days, but Beetle packs in a lot of heart as well. 

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Like many people in May/June of this year, I was reading, reading, reading a lot of books about racism from as many Black authors as I could get my hands on. There were many not published this year that should definitely be read (So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo being among the top), but this book really stuck with me because it is written specifically for a younger audience, and Jason Reynolds knows how to talk to kids about tough subjects. Stamped gets across difficult concepts like assimilationists and segregationists in an easy-to-understand, conversational style that doesn’t take away from any of the important history and nuance. This certainly is not The Book of antiracism studies, but it is a good starting point if you are daunted by lengthy title lists and aren’t sure where to begin. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, read by Reynolds himself.

(Side note: I watched this keynote address with Reynolds and Kendi which is an excellent primer into the background of how this book came to be. Reynolds is also just very interesting to listen to)

Honorable Mentions aka Books I read in 2020 that were published in previous years again, not ranked because I CAN’T, OKAY

White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

I read this book and then wanted to go back and read it immediately again, not necessarily because it was so amazing, but because I felt like I would get it even more if I did. This is a haunting little book that took turns I was not expecting, even with the book synopsis I read. It is disturbing and features descriptions of an eating disorder, so proceed with caution. However, if you like Gothic tales of haunted houses and the trauma inflicted on us by those who came before, I can’t recommend this one enough.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My last book club read before the pandemic D: We didn’t actually get to meet to discuss this book, but my club (all librarians) were working at our emergency call center at the same time and all reading it, so we KINDA got to discuss it, if not in a formal book club setting. ANYWAY, it’s a thrilling jaunt through 1920s Mexico, following a fantastic Cinderella-esque heroine who makes a deal with a Mayan god to retrieve his body. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson-brand of mythological adventures, this is definitely one to add to your list, especially if you are looking for something a little bit more Adult.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

Okay, I know it’s a young readers/middle grade book, but HEAR ME OUT. This is whimsical and haunting tale about seven little fox kits who set out to scare themselves shitless by hearing scary tales. Only one kit will remain when the night is over, but the one who does will get to hear a surprisingly sweet, and well-earned, happy ending. If you are a Neil Gaiman-esque horror fan, I recommend picking this up. Its scares are fairly scary, especially for its audience, but it’s an engaging story about the lengths we will go for the ones we love.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Did someone say Navajo monster-hunting heroine with magic powers navigating a post-apocalyptic world, oh and also saving it??? Look, Maggie is My Kind of Hero, in that she’s damaged, she drinks too much, she’s surly, but she has a seriously gooey heart of gold underneath all that armor. Navajo mythology is woven into this tale of monster-hunting, surviving. If you’re in Supernatural-disappointment-land, maybe give this a try! It has that Western-y, road trip feel to it, and again, I love the lead character. (It also has a currently published sequel and a soon-to-be-released third book as well!)

This is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This was rec’ed to me by a librarian friend, with the words, “Oh, Liz, you’ll really like this.” And she was RIGHT. Red and Blue are on opposite sides of a war waged across time and decide to send letters to each other, at first, to taunt, but then, to understand, to learn, and to love. The details of the war don’t matter much, but what does matter is the achingly beautiful poetry with which Red and Blue reveal themselves to each other. I was told to listen to this one, but I’m glad I read it myself instead. The prose is very purple at times, and I appreciated being able to go back to passages to reread again and again. Oh, and it’s queer (Red and Blue are both female), and SPOILERS SPOILERS has a happy ending. 

(also there is a wangxian remix for my mdzs buds. and also a semi-officially sanctioned fanfic sequel???? at least amal el-mohtar linked it from goodreads so whoo! also also it’s very funny)

And that’s my Year in Books 2020! Seeing it laid out like this, I had a surprisingly good year for book reading even though I felt like I barely read anything. For awhile, reading was Hard, and I just wanted to consume fluffy, sweet fanfiction, but I’m getting back into it. Oh, and please let me know if you check any of these out!

Here’s to a good year for books in 2021! ✨

[fleetofshippyships]

For the WIP game: TKRB - love

LOL fail Liz, this one is in a MDZS WIP, no TKRB drabble/heacanon for you XD

I didn’t consider whether I should name the wips or post them without context, so this is from a Mianmian/Yanli wip =)

I’ll bold the word within the snippet =)

--

“But why did you leave?” she asked.

Mianmian sighed. “For the same reason you called off your engagement, I imagine,” she said. “The way they have been treating all this business with Wei Wuxian...it has shown them for what they are, and I do not want to be a part of it. I don’t agree with what he has done, but I don’t believe their version of events either.”

Jiang Yanli put down the cup so she wouldn’t spill the tea with her shaking hands. She folded them in her lap instead. Her own motivations would be obvious to anyone who knew her, but she hadn’t thought anyone else would share them.

Jin Zixuan had proven himself a changed man, and one she might one day grow to truly love, but his deference to his father’s will in such matters was more than Jiang Yanli could bear. She could not marry a man who would condemn her brother. She could only feel grateful that she had lost her naive infatuation some time ago. The decision had been easier to make when there was only the potential for future love at stake, and not any deep feelings that would need to be severed.

In truth, she had mourned the loss of her growing friendship with Mianmian more than her betrothal to Jin Zixuan.

---

Send me an ask with one word, any word. If any of my unpublished wips have that word in them, I’ll post a sentence or snippet containing that word, and if not, I’ll try and write a wee drabble or headcanon containing it (and you can specify fandom/ship for that possibility) =)

[seeaddywrite]

what are you working on across all your fandoms?

i’m going to admit, nonnie, that i opened this message & was like, uhhh shit, i’m going to have to say nothing! a combination of grad school, a new puppy, & my job have been kicking my ass lately, & i haven’t been a very productive writer. plus, i accidently hyperfixated on The Untamed & all of its parts recently, so a lot of my energy has gone to finding good fic to read, haha.

but i have been working on things. just... very slowly. i had to go through my google drive to remind myself of that. so, basically, i have a ton of stuff i’ve started & not finished, because i suck. 

RNM: 

the last part of vampire AU/bitch i’m a monster is sitting at 5k+ right now. i’m thinking about dividing it up into two parts, & my plan is to knock some more of it out this weekend because i’m actually caught up on grad school stuff for the moment.

Malex focused 5+1 fic (five times Alex stopped Michael from doing something stupid & one time Michael returned the favor) is at 6K right now; three of the six segments are done. i’m considering posting it as a ‘series’ but the first couple end in a pretty sad way, so i’m not sure -- i don’t like posting things that don’t have a happy ending, haha

michael & isobel ficlet involving isobel dragging her brother, kicking & screaming, out of the gutter. (1k+ at the moment)

Echo fic, set a few weeks after Max’s resurrection as he struggles with power addiction & decides to become a hermit. Liz, obviously, ain’t havin’ it. (4k right now)

I also have two The Untamed/MDZS fics in the works but i’m pretty sure none of my current followers are interested in that, so i’ll spare you the details, haha. i don’t have any 9-1-1 fics going or any plans to -- but the show comes back soon, so who knows? i’d like to get some of the RNM fics done in time for the premiere, too, so i can participate in Liz Ortecho Week, but we’ll see how it goes. i know better than to make promises because i’m notoriously bad at keeping to deadlines. 

thanks for your interest! this might be a good kick in the ass to get writing, haha. 

[storytell]

wanted interactions but on a muse by muse basis

i’m gonna cut to the chase! this is going to be a long post. i have like 102 muses. buckle up, gang!

twain: literally any crossover characters. if i follow you and you don’t have any BSD muses i have thought about sending twain at your muse(s).

tetcho: in regards to bsd, dazai and kenji. in regards to other fandoms, keith (vld), shiro (vld), kagami (ml), lan wangji (mdzs), wei wuxian (mdzs), and ushijima (hq!!)

margaret: any of the other bsd ladies. 

gogol: literally anyone at this point.

natsume: in regards to bsd, melville, hirotsu, and ochi. in regards to other fandoms, any hero from ML.

ranpo: tetcho. in regards to other fandoms, any hero-in-training in bnha (in his bnha verse), claire (baccano!)

mushitaro: ranpo or poe.

ayatsuji: anyone at all. i’m not picky. please let me write him

kajii: same applies, but i would like to interact with a yosano, chuuya, or akutagawa.

lovecraft: chuuya, dazai, fitzgerald, steinbeck.

katai: kunikida.

shibusawa: dazai, fyodor, atsushi.

topaz/karma: any muse that has a habit of adopting kids in need.

agatha: fyodor, fitzgerald.

gide: oda.

lucy: twain, steinbeck, marinette (ml), for some reason a lot of hq!! characters tbh.

ochi: melville, shiro (vld), coran (vld), victor (baccano!).

dogra magra: literally just q.

akutagawa: at this point? anyone.

yuzu: chuuya.

steinbeck: idk. lovecraft, maybe? also fitzgerald.

poe: ranpo, mushitaro.

dazai: kunikida, oda.

q: anyone. i feel like a sham because i’ve had them for a couple months and just have not written them once.

teruko: any of the other dogs, dazai, kunikida.

victor (frankenstein): really any bsd character. possibly agatha.

huck: any guild member, kenji, q, elise.

kenji: anyone and everyone, whether they’re in universe or a crossover muse.

fitzgerald: steinbeck, alcott, any guildie really, fyodor, dazai, agatha.

genji: mccree, reyes, moira, angela, hanzo, lena

tracer: emily, widow, hana, winston, genji, lucio

widow: reaper, sombra, sigma, lena, moira

ashe: mccree, idk man literally anyone else

casino: any of team meka, pretty much any overwatch character

momiji: ANYONE from the unlimited.

gentle: i have no idea

pixie-bob: other pussycats!

manga: kuroiro, honenuki, kinoko, bondo

tamaki: mirio, nejire, kirishima, fatgum

roland: OLIVIER!!!!!

all of love: any child. she has a problem with adopting children.

the mother: literally anyone. i havent written her in 84 years.

tsurugi: touma, oikawa (hq!!), dazai (bsd), chuuya (bsd), luck (baccano!)

belkia: gogol (bsd).

ray: i dunno. pretty much anyone.

tetsu: tetcho (bsd), fukuzawa (bsd), tsukishima (hq!!)

gear: ronny (baccano!)

niccolo: any of his subordinates or illdio.

iori: yumi, miyako, tooru, the gandors (baccano!), tsurugi

minami: yuuri, guang-hong, leo, hinata (hq!!)

seung-gil: n/a

shiroe: naotsugu, tetra, william, shiro (vld), kunikida (bsd)

maryelle: naotsugu, henrietta

tatara: akatsuki, maryelle

dinkuron: anyone! but especially william and prometheus.

rieze: henrietta, allura (vld)

KR: leonardo, twain (bsd)

souji: shiroe, fukuzawa (bsd), esperanza (baccano!)

kinjo: anyone at all. please.

alibaba: ^

koumei: ^

lwj: ^

jzx: jiang yanli. jin ling.

a-qing: xiao xingchen and song lan. maybe xue yang.

mxy: wei wuxian.

nmj: jin guangyao, lan xichen.

fukase: other vocaloids.

jack: literally anyone.

monika: ^

yura: sergei, sanya, lance (vld), twain (bsd), steinbeck (bsd), jacuzzi and nice (baccano!)

KT: yura, kenji (bsd)

sergei: yura, sanya, olya, nikita, kolya

lizzie: ashlynn, alistair, duchess

darling: apple, daring, dexter, raven, ginger, maddie, briar, rosabella

kyoya: any host club member

kagami: marinette, adrien, luka, lila

nathaniel: marc, marinette, adrien, pv felix, nino, mylene, juleka

luka: juleka, marinette, adrien, rose, ivan

wells: anyone from poe party.

eliott: ^

the watcher: keisha. pretty much anyone.

nice: donny, nick, rail

claire: rachel, czes, chane, melvi, fyodor (bsd), fitzgerald (bsd), dazai (bsd), chuuya (bsd), jono (bsd), lance (vld)

maria: adele

isaac: literally every single muse ever. crossover or not. please.

berga: idk.

donatello: anyone.

lua: carol

dallas: anyone who will do one of two things: kick his ass, or help him become a better person.

rachel: claire, czes, nice, isaac & miria

christopher: GRAHAM

gabriel: cazze, claire

chaini: any member of the gang.

ladd: lua, graham, isaac, firo, huey, claire.

huey: victor, maiza, elmer, monica, claire, chane, leeza, any of the homunculi, sham, FYODOR (bsd), agatha (bsd)

victor (talbot): maiza, any of his subordinates.

tsukishima: literally any hq!! character.

daishou: ^

cass: at this point? anyone.

ramona: the countess, liz, iris, sally, john.

march: the countess, tristan, sally

gatsby: daisy, nick, any guild member (bsd)

[wantonlywindswept]

Twin Shadows of Yunmeng pt 21

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4 | pt 5 | pt 6 | pt 7 | pt 8 | pt 9 | pt 10 | pt 11 | pt 12 | pt 13 | pt 14 | pt 15 | pt 16 | pt 17 | pt 18 | pt 19 | pt 20

aaand from out of left field we have.... *drumroll* twin shadows update!

don’t look at me, i don’t know either. very short, because what even is writing inspiration.

also because some of the reason i put off writing more of this was that i thought i had to do all the POLITICS, which is so fucking boring, so i decided to just. skip it??

----

Jiang Cheng wakes to the sound of arguing and a mouthful of his brother's hair.

"Mmrgh," he says.

Wei Wuxian doesn't stir. He snuggles closer, instead, arms tightening around Jiang Cheng's chest, and he looks-- Well, he looks like shit. There are dark bags under his eyes, and his cheeks are gaunt like he hasn't been eating; he's also absolutely dead to the world as Jiang Cheng carefully wriggles out from under him, replacing himself with a pillow.

"--said his father gave the order--"

"--believe him? After all that he's--"

There's an ache in his body that seems to reach down to his very bones, and his head's throbbing as if he'd gone drink-for-drink with his brother at New Year. He's also starving, and in desperate need of a piss, so he grabs the outer robe draped over the chair near his bed that might actually be Wei Wuxian's, shrugs it over his shoulders and staggers toward the door.

"--willing to expose Jin Guangshan's crimes--"

"--trust someone who tried to kill the man we both--"

Jiang Cheng shoves the door open, squinting balefully into the flood of light that momentarily blinds him, turning his head toward the two person-shaped blobs standing a little ways away.

"Will you," he grinds out, "Shut the fuck up?"

As his eyes adjust, the blobs resolve themselves into the figures of Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue, and Jiang Cheng might have felt regret if his head didn't hurt so goddamn much, if his body didn't feel as weak as a newborn kitten's. The two of them stare at him with twin expressions of shock--and then they rush forward as one.

"Jiang Cheng, you're--"

"How are you feeling, does anything--"

"A-Cheng!"

That last call comes from behind him, and Jiang Cheng turns around just in time to get an armful of brother.

"You're awake," Wei Wuxian says shakily, arms wrapped around him, face buried into his shoulder, and any exasperation dies on Jiang Cheng's tongue when he feels wetness seeping into his robes. He closes his brother in his arms automatically, looking over his head in bewilderment to see Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen also staring at him with open, abject relief on their faces.

It's then that Jiang Cheng finally registers his surroundings: the crisp mountain air, the aura of serenity, the austere building that he'd woken up in.

"Why are we at the Cloud Recesses?"

There's something he's missing, some memory swimming just beyond reach, and when Wei Wuxian pulls away just enough to look at him, there are tears glistening in his eyes.

"A-Cheng," he rasps, "You've been unconscious for three months."

[wantonlywindswept]

hi! have some body-sacrifice-ritual pain

okay but consider

jiang yanli wakes up.

jiang yanli wakes up in lotus pier in the center of a neatly-drawn array, and only realizes after putting her hand down to push herself up that it’s painted in blood. 

there’s a cry from the corner, and she would recognize little a-ling anywhere; instinctively, she rushes over, reaching into the crib to pick up her fussy baby boy.

it’s then she notices that zidian is wrapped around her wrist.

it’s then that she notices that her wrist is not her own, that is thicker and has more hair and calluses she knows she never obtained. 

it’s then that she takes stock of her body and that is definitely not her own, it’s not even her gender, and it’s then that terror and horrified foreboding floods through veins that aren’t hers.

she rushes over to the mirror, and her beloved baby brother’s face looks back at her.

she finds a letter, later, folded neatly on the table next to the bed.

‘i’m sorry,’ it says.

‘i wish i could have given you a better body than this’

‘a-ling will be better in your hands’

‘the jiang sect will be better in your hands’

‘everything will be better with you here instead of me’

it says, with shaky writing on tear-stained paper,

'you always were the best of us’

‘he’s gone and you’re gone and i’m not strong enough to do this alone’

‘thank you for fixing my mistakes’

‘i’m sorry’

and later, years and years later, following her jubilant, well-adjusted son on a night hunt near dafan mountain, she will see familiar eyes behind a mask that does nothing to hide the soul beneath

and she will break into tears.

and her other baby brother, somehow also returned, will go white at the sight of such open emotion on their youngest sibling’s face, will see the wrong bell at her waist and the wrong sword at her side

and will whisper,

‘shijie?’ 

[wantonlywindswept]

for the damsel au, damsel!nmj, dragon!xichen, uhh knight?jiang cheng except it's mingxicheng

anon you answered like INSTANTLY and i both respect and appreciate that.

so when the nearby dragon lord that lives on top of the mountain you've settled at the base of says, 'excuse me can you please send your strongest warrior up here,' you don't just. you don't say no.

well, his people and his sect and his baby brother might say no, but nie mingjue doesn't.

and the thing is, the dragon hasn't demanded a sacrifice for centuries, it's not like it's been bathing in the blood of babies or something. there's safety in living near a creature so powerful, in an area where no monsters dare tread for fear of gaining its ire, and the towns already send gifts up the mountain in thanks. the tithes include foodstuffs, gold, shiny trinkets and artisan crafts, all gathered and taken up by the stone-faced guardian of the dragon's shine. the man in white brings their offerings to the dragon and returns with its thanks and the promise of further peaceful cohabitation.

so if the dragon wants a human sacrifice every once in a while, it's not that big of a deal, is it?

(his people and his sect and his baby brother say yes. nie mingjue ignores them.)

he turns up at the shrine in the dead of night, when there's no one awake to try to stop him from sacrificing himself. the golden-eyed guardian blinks at him when he asks if there is a certain way he should present himself. gives him a once over.

says, blandly, that the dragon would probably like it if he was shirtless.

and okay that's a little weird but who is nie mingjue to argue with the whims of ancient beasts?

so he heads up the mountain, bare-chested with his cloak draped over his shoulders, gold jewelry clinking at his ankles and wrists and neck: a possible appeasement, if the dragon decides he isn't worthy enough. it gets colder the higher up he goes, and he's shivering by the time he reaches the temple. there's no one there but there is a roaring fire in a brazier inside, and nie mingjue shuffles over, sinking to his knees, water dripping down his skin as the ice stuck in his hair melts.

it's warm, and the air's a little thin, and his brain's a little hazy, so it really isn't his fault that when the most handsome man he's ever seen walks into the room, the first words out of his mouth are, 'fuck you're pretty.'

the man drops the tray of tea he was carrying. he looks at nie mingjue on his knees by the fire and his pupils blow wide like a cat's, a flush pinking his cheeks as he stares fixedly at nie mingjue's bare chest.

'um.'

'i'm here for...' nie mingjue waves a hand vaguely. 'are you one of the dragon's, uh, followers? attendants?'

'something like that,' the vision in blue and white says distractedly. he walks forward, golden eyes gleaming, a pale hand reaching out to tilt nie mingjue's chin up. 'you're the strongest warrior from the human villages?'

'haven't been beaten yet,' nie mingjue replies with a shrug, leaning into the impossible heat of the man's touch. 'don't know why that matters, though. muscle isn't great for eating. not much fat.'

the man frowns.

'eating?'

and nie mingjue is going to say something, he really is, even with the man's incredibly distracting fingers on his skin, but then the door of the temple slams open with a howling gust of wind. it carries in freezing cold snow and a figure in heavy leather armor with a purple favor wrapped around his wrist, firelight glinting off the sword in his hand.

'get away from him!'

nie mingjue looks at the knight. looks up at the man next to him. isn't sure, exactly, which of them is being spoken to.

'i'm sorry,' the man says, looking alarmed, 'but i think there's been a mistake--'

the knight charges forward, and nie mingjue levers himself to his feet, and the man in blue moves--

and nie mingjue sways, still shivering, blinking down where the knight is suddenly pinned down by a very large claw, which is attached to a sinuous reptilian body that glitters blue and silver, which is definitely the dragon he was sent here to be a meal for, who is also apparently able to look like a human.

it's a little much to take in. nie mingjue's body decides that the best course of action is return to the ground, as quickly and gracelessly as possible.

he's expecting his nose to break against the cold marble. instead, a long tail wraps around his waist, coiling about his middle with that same blazing heat, keeping him upright.

'what did you do to him, you beast?!'

'i didn't do anything! he was already like this!'

nie mingjue pats the warm scales appreciatively.

'did you drug him so he would be easier to eat?!'

'what--eat? i'm not going to eat him! why would i eat him??'

'warm,' nie mingjue hums happily.

'you're telling me that you had no intention to hurt him at all?'

'that's exactly what i'm saying! i--i.... is he alright?'

nie mingjue closes his eyes, resting his cheek against the dragon's tail with a pleased sigh.

'he walked up here half-naked, he's probably freezing to death.'

'that--! he can't do that!'

'he can, but whatever, let me up, i'll help.'

'are you going to try to stab me again?'

'...probably not?'

'...acceptable.'

later, when nie mingjue is slightly more coherent, cocooned in a mound of finely-made blankets with only his face visible, the dragon (Lan Xichen) and the knight (Jiang Cheng) sit at the table near the bed drinking tea, and it finally occurs him to ask what he was summoned for, if not as sacrifice.

lan xichen's ears turn pink.

'i am not very...well-versed in using this form,' he says delicately. 'my abilities in combat are somewhat lacking.'

nie mingjue lifts an eyebrow. he does not care that he probably looks ridiculous.

'so you need me to kill something for you?'

'just so.'

'why not do it yourself?'

'the intruders are in the warrens within the mountain. my true form does not fit down there; i cannot fight them.'

'what are they, then?' jiang cheng asks. it seems that he has already decided that he will assist in the hunt, and while nie mingjue is a little confused why, he won't mind the support. 'goblins, illithids, reavers? it helps to know what we hunt.'

'spiders,' lan xichen admits.

nie mingjue's other eyebrow joins the first, high on his forehead.

'giant spiders?'

lan xichen shifts uncomfortably.

'cave spiders?'

'well...'

'...normal spiders.'

'their webs are everywhere!' lan xichen wails. 'there's so many of them, it's an infestation and they're creepy and skittery and they have too many legs--'

nie mingjue wishes he had a hand free to massage away the headache building behind his eyes.

jiang cheng, on the other hand, falls off his chair, howling with laughter.

it is the beginning of a very interesting--and delightfully fulfilling--relationship.

[wantonlywindswept]

idk if its on purpose or on accident, but wei wuxian absolutley glues himself to jiang cheng (and for bonus points its after they're on the rocks)

so in that one scene where jiang cheng shows up at the burial mounds in a bitchfest and wei wuxian grabs his hand to tug him along and he just. doesn't? this is that except wei wuxian decides to be a little shit and uses a version of that binding spell to wrap around his and jiang cheng's hands to drag him further into the camp and they get as far as the cave entrance before jiang cheng goes to yank his hand away and can't.

and you know, you would think that this would piss jiang cheng off--and it does, don't get him wrong--but after about an hour of uselessly trying to break the spell he gets this look of unholy glee in his eyes and just. stands up. mercilessly drags wei wuxian down the mountain.

'you're coming back to lotus pier with me.'

and wei wuxian yowls and shouts and jiang cheng just manhandles him forward, throws him over his horse to the amusement of the other lotus pier disciples present, and drags wei wuxian back to lotus pier.

yanli is there. yanli is very sad that a-xian disappeared without giving his family a chance to support him, how could he believe that his shijie would turn her back on him, let's just talk about things before you go haring off again.

they do that. yanli fixes things.

jiang cheng, at least once, uses their bound hands to hit wei wuxian in the face.

[wantonlywindswept]

Saw your post on writer's block. Not sure if you dabble in AUs of your fic, but how do you think "Catching Lightning in a Killing Jar" would change if WRH had discovered JC had the Zhao bloodline before the Lotus Pier Massacre?

ooooooh okay okay okay i like this this is GREAT and there are two ways this could go but it could also STILL END in everyone in lotus pier dying because yunmeng-jiang is not a sect that takes shit lying down. (at the very least, madam yu certainly doesn't.)

Option 1:

during the wen indoctrination shenanigans wei wuxian gets dragged out of the cell with the dog and is all laughing-to-hide-the-pain and putting on a jokey front up until he gets back to the rest of the group and jin zixuan avoids his eyes and huaisang stares down at his feet and lan zhan looks at him with such sympathy and he realizes--

"where is jiang cheng?"

and wen chao blusters and tells him it's none of his business like everyone can't SEE how annoyed he is, how petty he's being when he takes out his anger on wei wuxian because when his dad sent a summons to the indoctrination camp calling for someone to go to nightless city it wasn't for him

wei wuxian may go a bit feral. he may lose his core a whole lot earlier in this version. (tbh still undecided if I want him to lose it in canon catching lightning, we'll see.)

in nightless city jiang cheng is received as an esteemed guest, is treated to the finest food and palatial lodgings and given lovely clothes in yunmeng-jiang colors. it's overwhelming and suspicious but it's also nice, to be doted on and given respect. given attention. he meets with the wen sect leader for meals with an equality more suitable to a sect leader than a sect heir.

they talk about idle things but they also talk politics, and jiang cheng may be rash and angry and young and uncertain but he is also still diplomatic, and he is responsible, and he tries to reason with this tyrant who seems entirely reasonable sitting across from him drinking tea.

(wen ruohan is indulgent. he is gracious. he lets jiang cheng believe that his concessions--pulling out half the soldiers from the already-burned cloud recesses, agreeing to refrain from attacks on farming villages in qinghe, letting go a few imprisoned lanling cultivators--are more than trifles that he doesn't care about.)

he pretends to bend and it is only proper that jiang cheng bend in return, accept instruction on little tricks of controlling qi and the like, and when wen ruohan happens to find out his lineage, when he earnestly declares that jiang cheng is special--

it's everything he's ever wanted to hear, isn't it?

and he's doing good, he's helping, he's convincing wen ruohan to spare lives and that's important work that only he has so far managed to do, so when the other sects, when his parents demand his release, he shakes his head because he knows that wen ruohan isn't a good person but he also knows that here his life and presence actually mean something, so it's entirely truthful when he says,

"I want to stay here."

Option 2:

wen ruohan honestly doesn't really give a shit about how his sons wage war, like if they want to be cruel bastards, whatever, but when he finds out that wen zhuliu sensed jiang cheng's core during the indoctrination camp--only after his idiot son lost the entire pack of sect heirs, of course--he decides to order it deliberately. he institutes a scorched earth policy, people die and they die horribly, his atrocities mount and everyone is desperate to stop him, desperate to keep him from hurting more people

the other sects even start thinking about fighting back but then the decree comes out:

'if you hand over sect heir jiang cheng, i will stop.'

jiang cheng agrees the second he learns about it.

madam yu locks him in his room.

jiang fengmian, along with many other sect leaders, point out that to weigh the life of one versus the life of many is--

the fight lasts for two days and two nights, and stops only because jiang cheng sneaks out. they're too late, too distracted to stop him. they find yanli and wei wuxian and a quarter of the guards passed out from drugged tea, and a simple note written in a steady hand.

'This, at least, I promise I will do right.'

Actually I Lied Here's Shitty Option 3:

jiang fengmian gets rid of jiang cheng's dogs, and the furious, heartbroken literal child has a temper tantrum and runs away from home.

he's never seen again.

years, years and years later, at the Cloud Recesses Summer Camp For Wayward Sect Heirs, to the surprise of everyone, the wen clan sends its own representatives for once: wen qing, favored niece of wen ruohan--and wen cheng, the favored adopted son.

[wantonlywindswept]

Twin Shadows of Yunmeng pt 18

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4 | pt 5 | pt 6 | pt 7 | pt 8 | pt 9 | pt 10 | pt 11 | pt 12 | pt 13 | pt 14 | pt 15 | pt 16 | pt 17

wherein there is more mingxicheng but also jiang cheng going fucking apeshit with resentful energy because his life isn’t the only one that can be lost in an assassination attempt

---

They're having tea with Jin Guangyao when it happens.

Nie Mingjue had a pleasant week, for all that it's been spent in Lanling. He wasn't terribly interested when he heard that Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan were engaged again, but the messenger talisman Xichen sent after the announcement made him reconsider not giving his congratulations in person.

'Jiang Wanyin is staying at Koi Tower.'

It was embarrassing, how quickly that simple note changed his mind. Huaisang had given him the archest look when he declared he was taking a gift to the young couple, as if he knew he had an ulterior motive, but Nie Mingjue is stubbornly determined to believe that his little brother has no idea about his and Xichen's interest in young Sect Leader Jiang.

He doesn't care if it's true or not. He will believe it, and he will fall on Baxia before he discusses the matter with Huaisang.

So he went, and he paid his respects, and he kept Jiang Cheng company when the younger man groaned about the ongoing betrothal negotiations. He and Xichen gentled the now-familiar bursts of anger, let their energies soothe Jiang Cheng's impatience into grudging exasperation, and spent long evenings speaking about whatever came to mind.

Gusu is far closer to Lotus Pier than Qinghe, and while he doesn't begrudge Xichen his easy excuses to visit, Nie Mingjue was grateful to have his own excuse to see the sharp-tongued Jiang Sect Leader outside of official duties.

So he had a pleasant week, and saw Jiang Cheng off earlier that morning with a smile that was shyly returned, and even being in Jin Guangyao's presence isn't enough to dim his contentment.

Then Xichen doubles over in pain, and Nie Mingjue feels a sharp, cutting yank on his own core, and fear overtakes every other emotion as he staggers to his feet.

The spiritual energy they left bolstering Jiang Cheng's core is being burned away.

Nie Mingjue grabs Baxia--briefly notices Jin Guangyao recoil in fear--and looks to Xichen, who recovers quickly enough, though his face is pale.

"Brothers, what--"

"I'm sorry, A-Yao," Xichen says hurriedly. "We have to--we need to go--"

There are more questions, but Nie Mingjue doesn't stay to listen. He sprints down the hall, cultivators and servants alike throwing themselves out of his way, and as soon as he makes it outside, he leaps onto Baxia and speeds in the direction of Lotus Pier. The wind cuts at his skin and he still urges her faster, his attention stolen only by Xichen catching up with him.

He can feel his lover's worry mirroring his own.

They hear Jiang Cheng before they see him.

He is screaming.

The sight they see upon descent is chaos. The three carriages sent back with the Jiang delegation are utterly destroyed, strewn across the road in planks and splinters, and Nie Mingjue is abruptly painfully grateful that Jiang Yanli stayed at Koi Tower. Bodies litter the ground, the ones wearing Jiang purple riddled with arrows and sword wounds, while the others...

Nie Mingjue cannot identify if they belong to a specific Sect, with the corpses in so many pieces.

In the destruction stands Jiang Cheng, head thrown back and eyes glowing red, screaming raw and broken as resentful energy lashes around him. Half of the Tiger Seal spins in front of him. There is blood on his clothing and tears on his cheeks, and he shows no awareness of their presence when they land.

"Sect Leader Jiang!" Xichen shouts, summoning a shield in front of him. The dark energy is furious and untamed, and Nie Mingjue has to summon a barrier of his own, ancient Nie sigils lighting up on his outer robe as he makes a seal to activate the wards.

"Jiang Wanyin!" he bellows. "Stop this!"

Jiang Cheng does not.

He doesn't even seem to notice them.

The resentful energy, in all its fury and thousands of raging souls, does.

Killed them, hundreds of voices scream. Killed them killed them his to protect they killed them they killed them he failed--

Let go, the voices whisper. Give us your hurt. We will take vengeance. We will destroy. You will be our vessel and we will kill them all.

He is ours, they chant. We made him we were made for him we will take him we will keep him safe, he is ours he is ours he is oursoursours--

Jiang Cheng's body spasms. Nie Mingjue hears the sick, familiar snap of breaking bone.

He lunges forward.

The spirits scream. They slice into him, sharp wounds gouged into uncovered skin. Darkness coils syrupy slow around his ankles and he throws himself the last few feet.

His arms wrap around Jiang Cheng's body the same time as Xichen's. He feels his lover's familiar energy surging through the shaking form between them, presses his hand to Jiang Cheng's chest and meets it with his own.

He lifts his other hand, gentle, to cup Jiang Cheng's cheek.

"Jiang Cheng," he rasps, "We've got you."

"A-Cheng," Xichen murmurs, "We're here."

The screaming dies. Slowly, the resentful energy seeps back into the Tiger Seal, and it falls to the ground. Jiang Cheng's mouth hangs slack, his eyes unfocused.

They hold him tight between them, and when his body crumples like a puppet with its strings cut, they are there to keep him from falling.

[wantonlywindswept]

Twin Shadows of Yunmeng pt 20

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4 | pt 5 | pt 6 | pt 7 | pt 8 | pt 9 | pt 10 | pt 11 | pt 12 | pt 13 | pt 14 | pt 15 | pt 16 | pt 17 | pt 18 | pt 19

chopped off a bunch of my hair today bc the heat is getting FUCKING RIDICULOUS and i was gonna die if i had hair on the back of my neck any longer

hair stylist: cuts my hair to a respectable work-safe short length me: actually could you go shorter. and like, a lil asymmetric hair stylist: you sure? me: yeah i work at a virtual reality gaming center, i can literally do what i want hair stylist: oh! well in that case

he was lovely and they had rainbow/trans flag stickers on the cash register and the music was all 90s alt rock, 10/10 will get hair cut there again

also bought a pair of sandals to wear to work, honestly i could probably get away with flip flops but like. there should probably be some level of professionalism, and making slapslap noises as you walk is not super dignified.

slapslapslapslapslap hey you wanna try our zombie shooter? slapslapslap

---

Nie Mingjue has never seen a decapitated head talk before.

He does not wish to see it ever again.

"Fucking useless," Wei Wuxian hisses, kicking the once-again-lifeless head back into the heap of body parts that Nie Mingjue had spent many grim hours piling together. He'd sent up a flare to call for his people, but even with the extra help, the task was gruesome.

Exhausted, covered in dried bits of gore, Nie Mingjue watches the head fly with a petty satisfaction that he probably ought to be ashamed of feeling.

"Not completely," he disagrees, if just for the sake of keeping Wei Wuxian from running off. The young man had arrived in a storm of darkness and raging fury; some of the Nie cultivators went for their weapons before realizing it wasn't a threat that approached. They still watch him, wary, as he stalks around the site of the attack, which Nie Mingjue can't at all fault them for.

Wei Wuxian has calmed somewhat since his arrival, but his eyes still shimmer red.

"What," he says flatly.

"We know that the Tingshan-He Sect is being framed for the attack," Nie Mingjue points out, "And that it was planned over a month ago. The assailants were paid handsomely, but in secret. They were skilled enough to take down fully-armed Jiang cultivators. We are looking for someone with wealth and means who has a grudge against Tingshan-He, and who would know Sect Leader Jiang's travel plans."

Wei Wuxian tilts his head to one side.

"We?"

Nie Mingjue very abruptly remembers that, as much as he and Xichen wish it, they do not in fact have any claim to be at Jiang Cheng's side. They are leaders of different sects who just happened to--by happy design, not that he'll admit it--be the ones to arrive on the scene. But if they want, they can use their assistance to leverage favor.

They do not want. All they want is for Jiang Cheng to be safe, and Nie Mingjue will not undermine the young Sect Leader's authority.

"If Yunmeng-Jiang will accept our help," he says, inclining his head, and hopes that Wei Wuxian doesn't mark the plaintive need in his voice. He may not have the same level of fury that Wei Wuxian does, may not have the blinding rage that comes with protecting a younger brother, but he is also very eager to learn who dared attack Jiang Cheng.

He would like to introduce them to Baxia.

Wei Wuxian's eyes are too sharp, too knowing, but he doesn't call out Nie Mingjue's investment in the situation.

"I'm acting Sect Leader at least until Jiang Cheng wakes up, so yeah, we accept."

Nie Mingjue nods briskly.

"Do you want it known that the attack took place?" he asks.

"Yes," Wei Wuxian replies, without an ounce of hesitation.

When Nie Mingjue lifts an eyebrow, he spreads his hands with a grim smile.

"Tell people that Jiang Cheng was attacked," he says, "And that I was the one that took revenge."

Nie Mingjue blinks in surprise.

"You want to take credit?"

Wei Wuxian's smile turns pained, and a little sad.

"Everyone knows what I can do, but the other Sects won't like it if they know he can harness resentful energy--even if it's only with the Tiger Seal, and only as an automatic response when he's in danger. I designed it to protect him when I'm not there, but he can't control it like I can, not really."

He scowls, and clenches a hand around the pouch at his waist, which holds Jiang Cheng's half of the Tiger Seal. Nie Mingjue had left it where it fell; he knew Wei Wuxian would come eventually, and had no desire to interact with something that exuded so much malice.

"But I am very displeased," Wei Wuxian grinds out, "That it decided possession was an acceptable form of protection."

Nie Mingjue tilts his head to one side. Wei Wuxian is looking at the pouch like he wants to murder what's inside, and it isn't hard to follow his logic. It is, however, surprising.

"You would really consider destroying it?"

"No one," Wei Wuxian says darkly, "Is allowed to hurt my family."

Not even the dead, apparently.

Nie Mingjue turns to call for one of his cultivators. She jogs over briskly, sketching a bow.

"Sect Leader."

"Send a pair of scouts to Tingshan," he orders. "They are to investigate any disputes that have happened between the He and other Sects, and report their findings directly to me. And tell Huaisang to monitor the rumors out of Koi Tower."

"You suspect the Jin?" Wei Wuxian asks sharply, as the woman bows again and heads out. "Why?"

Because I don't trust them worth a damn, Nie Mingjue thinks but doesn't say. Because that bastard Jin Guangshan has coveted your power since he first heard of it, and your family is your only weakness.

Because now they have Meng Yao, and with his intellect and cunning, Jin Guangshan might finally be able to take control like he's always wanted.

"He just left this morning," Nie Mingjue says instead, "And someone would have needed to send word to set up the ambush."

Wei Wuxian's eyes narrow. He turns his gaze in the direction of Koi Tower, hands clenching into fists at his sides--but before Nie Mingjue can get concerned, the younger man's eyes go wide.

"Fuck," he mutters, "Someone's going to have to tell Yanli."

Nie Mingjue imagines someone telling him Huaisang was wounded; imagines having to tell Xichen that Wangji was badly injured.

He will cede this task to Yunmeng-Jiang.

[wantonlywindswept]

If you are still looking for prompts to mull over! How about an AU where when Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning go to rescue Jiang Cheng from the Wens after Lotus Pier burns, they find him just . . . a little too late. And the first conscious fierce corpse Wei Wuxian raises is his own little brother, because Jiang Cheng is too damned angry to die properly.

ooh anon did you post something like this on the kink meme? because i absolutely have had that percolating in the back of my mind. (this got so long i might actually clean it up/add to it and post it for that prompt, actually.)

also i was just thinking recently that i wanted to kill jiang cheng in something angsty, too, so let's fuckin go =D

---

wen ning was never so glad to have studied under his sister's watchful eye as when he intercepted young master wei on the way to lotus pier.

he knew that he'd come. he knew it, as he sat in the storage closet with his hands over his ears, curled up into a ball as if that could keep him from hearing the screams ringing through lotus pier. he knew, when the screams finally stopped, when a hushed uneasiness fell over the soldiers walking on bloodied lotus flowers, that the young master he so respected would break over this.

he wasn't wrong.

he drugged the wine being served to the triumphant victors, sick with guilt and fear, because for all that he'd failed utterly at saving a life, he could at least give respect to the dead. he would.

he catches young master wei just as he steps into sight of the courtyard; as he sees the three bodies hanging from the gate of lotus pier. he sees his face go white with horror and then red with rage, sees madness burn in once-bright eyes, sees teeth bared as if to shout--

wen ning shoves his sister's needles into young master wei's neck with a whispered apology, and drags him unconscious to the boats.

he carries young master jiang's cold body to the water with as much gentleness as he can, closing unseeing eyes and laying him carefully down next to young master wei's curled-up form. he goes back for madam yu and sect leader jiang, manages to get them down, but doesn't have time to get them to the boat as movement stirs in the drugged wen soldiers.

he has precious few people left loyal to him, only a pair of siblings that came with him and his sister from dafan, and he quietly orders them to take the bodies somewhere safe before dashing back to the pier, throwing a coarse blanket over the other occupants of the boat and swiftly making his way downriver.

young master wei wakes up a few hours later. he scrambles to his brother's side, gaze blank and unseeing as he rocks the body in his arms, as if comforting someone merely sleeping.

he does not cry. he does not scream. he is absolutely, utterly silent, and wen ning averts his gaze and continues rowing.

they pick up lady jiang.

she weeps enough for both of them.

---

the river ends in yiling, so that is where they stop. the burial mounds loom over the small town, and wen ning shivers at its sheer overwhelming presence, heavy on his shoulders like a physical weight. he eyes the mountain with trepidation, with wariness, and does his best to avoid looking at it too long.

young master wei stares at it like it's given him the answers to every question he's ever asked.

'we're going there,' he says, and wen ning isn't surprised but he is unhappy, but he also gave up his right to complain when he stood by and let young master wei's brother die an agonizing death.

lady jiang nods. she pulls the delicate jeweled pin from her hair, slips off the jade bracelet around her wrist and the ornaments from her ears, and tells them to wait.

she returns from the town with a small bag of coins and a satchel of foodstuffs, and the only piece of jewelry left is her mother's ring around her finger.

young master wei gathers his brother's body in his arms, cradling him tenderly like a child, and they ascend up the burial mounds.

---

it takes wen ning an embarrassingly long time to realize what young master wei is trying to do.

he consoles himself with the fact that he has mostly been too busy to pay a great deal of attention. they found shelter in the ruins of an old temple, and young master wei turned a nearby cave into his workshop, where he lay young master jiang on a stone bed covered with preservation and suppression talismans, but that was all they found. there was a tiny pond outside the temple and a small creek that ran down from further up the mountain that gave them water, but nothing grew on the barren land. nothing lived there.

lady jiang hadn't waited for their supplies to dwindle. she immediately started making room for a garden, rolling up her sleeves and taking the task of making the place liveable head-on. she sent wen ning down the mountain in simple clothes to pick up seeds and supplies, set him to work tilling the tough soil, had him make traps to catch small game and arrows to shoot down the rare bird for meat.

wen ning is so preoccupied working on getting their most basic needs taken care of that he doesn't really pay attention to young master wei's mad scribbles, the experimental talismans and sheafs of paper with scrawled writing littering the floor of the cave. he doesn't look deeply into it, because sometimes it seems like the research is the only thing keeping the other man going.

and then the mountain starts screaming.

-------

jiang cheng is dead.

madam yu is dead. uncle jiang is dead. most of the jiang sect is dead.

but jiang cheng is dead, and wei wuxian will not stand for it.

'i know you're still here,' he murmurs, laying his brother down on the stone floor, centering him in the middle of the array it has taken months to perfect. 'you had the soul-calming ceremonies, but you would never leave things like this. not with what they did. you wouldn't--you wouldn't leave us.'

it had barely taken any effort to convince yanli, when wei wuxian told her what he was planning. her eyes are colder, now, the uncompromising set of her shoulders a reminder of madam yu, especially with zidian on her finger. they both carry the weight of guilt and grief around their necks like millstones, because they both know how badly they failed.

they lost their brother.

they let their sweet, angry, gentle-hearted baby brother die.

he died alone and in pain and they failed him.

'we'll have him back soon,' yanli says, kneeling on the other side of the array. she strokes her fingers through jiang cheng's hair, tied into a loose braid draped over his shoulder. 'are you ready?'

wei wuxian nods and pulls a heavy necklace from his pocket. it's made of rough metal beads threaded on strands of deity-binding ropes: the remnants of what had once been the Stygian Sword. the hilt became beads; the blade became lining for the dizi and guanzi laid on either side of their baby brother's body.

wei wuxian fastens the necklace around jiang cheng's throat. he pulls out a small knife and offers it hilt-first to yanli; she cuts into her palm, cupping her hand to keep the blood from dripping, and gives it back. he does the same, and with a firm nod from his sister, they both press their bloodied hands to the edges of the array.

the lines light up, spreading away from them, racing to the center of the array where jiang cheng lays. they've learned to control the dead in their time in this place, but this is as much an act of life as it is of death--and they would both give up more than their lives for their brother.

the array glows red; the spirits of the burial mounds scream around them, wind tearing through the cave. the remnants of the stygian iron pulls the resentful dead into itself, into the beads and the instruments that act as conductors, filling up with power beyond anything else.

wei wuxian feels the tug on his core, sees yanli grimace as qi is pulled from them both, bright sparks of gold flashing amidst crimson.

jiang cheng's body jerks.

yanli inhales a sharp breath. wei wuxian freezes--and then furiously channels more of his own energy into the array. he feels yanli join him, weaker in power but just as stubborn as his own.

jiang cheng's eyes snap open, but they're jet-black like a fierce corpse's, unseeing and unthinking.

'come back to us,' wei wuxian grits out. 'i know you're in there, come back.'

pale fingers curl into claws; a snarl curves bloodless lips.

'a-cheng,' yanli whispers, 'please.'

'don't leave us,' wei wuxian begs.

black eyes blink. the body between them settles. blinks again a few more times.

the darkness melts away to reveal confused, familiar brown.

only the residual power still flowing into their little brother's body keeps them from lunging for him; they wait, impatiently, tears in their eyes, as jiang cheng lifts a shaking hand to look at the grey pallor of his skin.

when he speaks, his voice is small and horrified.

'what did you do?'

[wantonlywindswept]

Twin Shadows of Yunmeng pt 19

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4 | pt 5 | pt 6 | pt 7 | pt 8 | pt 9 | pt 10 | pt 11 | pt 12 | pt 13 | pt 14 | pt 15 | pt 16 | pt 17 | pt 18

whennnnn will my catching lightning musessss return from the warrrrrrrr

in other news apparently my brain finds it weird to write mean things while at work, but is okay with writing sap and fluff? which i guess means be on the lookout for more nielan mermay shenanigans soonish

-----

Lan Xichen takes Jiang Cheng ahead to Lotus Pier.

He can see the near-physical pain on Nie Mingjue's face when they come to the decision, only a few moments after the young man collapses in their arms. Lan Xichen will fly ahead, and Nie Mingjue will follow, after investigating the mess and making sure the Jiang cultivators' bodies are sent home. It makes sense: Mingjue always has done better with activity during times of stress.

But the look on his face is desperately worried, even as he gives Lan Xichen a kiss on the forehead and strokes his fingers through Jiang Cheng's blood- and sweat-matted hair.

"Keep him safe," he whispers.

"With my life," Lan Xichen swears.

He cradles Jiang Cheng in his arms, balances carefully on Shoyue, and takes off for Lotus Pier. The trip is short enough with the reckless pace he sets, but that also means he has no time to consider what Wei Wuxian's reaction to his brother's state will be.

He is prepared for fear, and for fury.

He is not prepared for irrationality.

"Wei Wuxian!" he shouts, pounding his fist on the thick barrier of resentful energy that encloses Lotus Pier's infirmary. "Wei Wuxian, please, let me in, let me help--"

As soon as he carried Jiang Cheng to the infirmary, Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing on his heels, Lan Xichen was thrown out of the room with a blast of power. He barely kept himself from falling into the lake, and was certainly unable to do anything when a howling, furious shield of dark energy sprang up around the room. There has been no sign of life within since then, nothing to indicate the state of those inside--the state of one person in particular, the one Lan Xichen left bleeding and unconscious on pale sheets--

"Brother!"

Lan Xichen turns sharply at the familiar voice. Wangji rushes toward him from the main halls, worry written on his face, and the expression only turns more grim when he sees the state of the infirmary.

"Wangji," Lan Xichen pleads, grabbing his brother's shoulders, "Wangji, please--you have to convince Wei Wuxian to let me in, I have to see him--"

"A-Huan," Wangji says, and Lan Xichen's panicked brain stutters to a shocked halt at the name. He stares at his brother blankly, and Wangji looks soberly back. "If you go in there, you will die."

"But Wen Qing--"

Wangji takes Lan Xichen's hands in his own, glancing past him at the barred infirmary.

"Wei Ying trusts Wen Qing with his life," he says, "And more importantly, with Jiang Wanyin's. He will not hurt her. But anyone else, any unknown who might pose even the slightest threat... He will destroy them, utterly. I don't know if even I would be allowed inside."

"But he loves you," Lan Xichen points out, a little dumbly. Wangji's cheeks flush, but he nods.

"Yes. But the bond they have is...it transcends love. They are part of each other, irrevocably. I would die to protect you," Wangji says, and ignores Lan Xichen's quiet upset sound, "But for Jiang Wanyin, Wei Ying would burn the world to ash."

Lan Xichen thinks of a thousand voices whispering 'we were made for him' and knows that his brother is right.

He allows Wangji to guide him to one of the outdoor pavilions, sitting well within view of the infirmary doors. Servants bring them tea and refreshments and Lan Xichen touches none of them, his fingers clenched in his robes beneath the table, his qi buzzing restlessly through his meridians as he tries and fails to meditate.

When the barrier drops a few hours later, Lan Xichen is up and moving even before the door opens, using a burst of spiritual energy to leap across the walkways to land in front of an exhausted-looking Wen Qing.

"Is he--"

"He will heal, with time," she interrupts, raising a hand. "But his body was put under enormous pressure, he has numerous broken bones, and his core is almost completely depleted. We've done what we can to clear out the resentful energy, but if you still want to help, you can play Cleansing for him."

"Please," Lan Xichen says fervently. Wen Qing casts him an appraising look but eventually nods, stepping to one side to let him through.

He's already pulling out his guqin--he prefers the xiao, but the guqin will always be the most powerful when it comes to musical cultivation--as he walks inside, though his steps falter, momentarily, when he catches sight of Jiang Cheng.

The young Sect Leader is asleep in one of the beds, the blankets pulled up to his chin, his face unhealthily pale. He looks haggard, like he hasn't slept in weeks, even though Lan Xichen saw him looking rested and almost-cheerful just that morning. His rest is unquiet: tremors shake his body, and his features scrunch up in distress, heartbreaking little whimpers torn from his throat as he twitches.

Wei Wuxian sits in a chair beside him, holding tightly onto his hand, and doesn't look much better.

Lan Xichen sits down on one of the other beds and immediately begins to play.

"Do you know who did this?" Wei Wuxian asks, his voice rasping, his fury completely undisguised. Lan Xichen shakes his head.

"No," he replies. "I left Sect Leader Nie behind to investigate further, but the attackers weren't immediately identifiable. I'm sorry."

Wei Wuxian's eyes glow a murderous red as he looks at Lan Xichen, whose fingers skip, just a little, across the strings.

"Do not apologize to me, Zewu-Jun," he says darkly. "Apologizing means that you are to blame. And if you are to blame, I will kill you."

The words are said simply, matter-of-fact, and Lan Xichen believes them with every fiber of his being.

"Where did it happen?"

"On the road to Koi Tower, just past Yichun Village."

Wei Wuxian nods, slowly. He squeezes Jiang Cheng's hand, gently places it back beneath the blankets, and rises to his feet. When he leans down to kiss his brother's forehead, it is with a tenderness that doesn't reflect at all the deadly smile that curves his lips.

"Stay with him until I come back. I have some questions for the attackers."

He does not ask if there were any left alive.