#me making this: huaisang's an animal lover!!!!

[bishy437]

🐶

[kikyan]

Yandere Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji Headcanons

Here they are! These headcanons talk about their individual yandere type but it is intended that they will share you in any situation because I can’t split them up :(. Anyway, here you are!! 

AGAIN THESE ARE MY INTERPERTATIONS AND NONE OF THIS IS 100% ACCURATE OR CANON

Yandere Wei Wuxian Headcanons 

These are my interpretations of his persona and none of these are 100% accurate. I don’t condone any of these actions in real life and all of this is purely fictional and should be taken as such!

These are based on the drama and anime, still reading the novel y’all. Anyway, without further ado let’s get into it! Wei Wuxian is a very complex character and while these are separate headcanons, I still say this relationship should be poly because I really don’t wanna split those two up. I’d feel hella guilty. So in short, the yandere type I see him as is manipulative, possessive, clingy and overprotective. 

Wei Wuxian is a character you could say I kin, his personality and mine are so in sync, very taunting and teasing but never too hard. Sacrificing ourselves for the greater good and for practically everyone and oddly enough being everyone's scapegoat. Anyway, enough trauma dumping but Wei Wuxian is someone who is VERY loyal to his family. Never faltering from his own beliefs even if people have different opinions about it. He’s a great character ngl.

He’d be overprotective. In this cruel world where corpses and untamed ghosts run free, you need to be protected at all costs. While they won’t mind any darling, they’d probably notice you a bit more if you were a cultivator since there would be more interactions. If you were just a normal individual who was not a cultivator but rather a villager, you’d have to belong to the Lan or Jiang Clan for more exposure. Regardless, at the start things turn south real quick. In the drama the Wen clan arrived and started trouble with literally EVERYONE. That scene was just so *CHEFS KISS*, they were all mad and Meng Yao (at the time) stood hella overprotective over Nie Huaisang and just GOSH. Shit had me trembling. Then we had the water ghost, then we had yin iron/tiger amulet, then we had more corpses, the tortoise of slaughter, the Jiang clan ELIMINATED, literally everyone ELIMINATED, like everything went south real fast. There is no doubt that Wei Wuxian would be very concerned for his S/O. If you were from the same sect he’d ensure that you’re with him or part of the group of him, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli. If you were from the Lan Clan he’d probably try to gather information from his adoptive father and through some connections to the outside cultivating world. He and Lan Wanji would without a doubt make the ultimate sacrifice or have their S/O stand back in safety while they dealt with the issue. 

Possessive. You’re his and his only. Thinking back to that ONE SCENE, “If I, Wei Wuxian, want to kill someone, who can stop me? Who dares to stop me?” LIKE AJFRBSFHF THAT SCENE WAS SO FUCKING SICK AND FOR WHAT!? No but yeah he’d definitely make a mockery of someone who dares approach you and make them instantly regret it. If you’re in the group with Jiang Cheng and Yanli, then he’d make it as a way of simply looking after you. If you’re from a different clan, he’d make it so that they seem like they have bad intentions and he just noticed it quickly. The manipulation also plays into this. Now hear me out, while HE CAN be manipulative, doesn't mean he WILL all the time. I see it as a last resort or if you’re too stubborn to understand that he means well and the other’s don’t. 

Clingy. Like hella. He’d more than likely always want to be by your side all the time. Again, if you’re part of the trio which is now a quartet with you, then he’d be by your side NONSTOP. This man would play it off as being bored and you’re the only entertaining person. If he isn’t there 25/8, then how will he protect you? How will others know that you’re his? You’re his lover? Lan Wangji’s lover? How will they know that they can’t do anything without him knowing if he isn’t the shadow behind you? Thing is, I see him and Lan Wangji as being the stalker type. Wangji can gather information or just stare at you from a distance whereas I see Wei Wuxian out here slipping through the shadows and staying behind you like 2 feet. 

Yandere Lan Wangji Headcanons 

These are my interpretations of his persona and none of these are 100% accurate. I don’t condone any of these actions in real life and all of this is purely fictional and should be taken as such! 

I see him as obsessive, possessive, overprotective, and stalker. I won’t side track and rather just get into it so that I can give SOME of them together. Overprotective. Like I mentioned in the WWX headcanons, he and WWX are such a great duo. Not only do they have the strength to back it up, but they also have the brains to strategize. He’s known as the Twin Jades of Lan, he’s got the talent y’all!! Following the Lan Clan’s principles and rules he’d be a lot more weary and make it known. As opposed to WWX who would probably go along and then act out, he’d make his intentions known asap, which is protecting you. When the Wen Clan is present and in Gusu, he’d probably advise you to be careful. Small comments and pieces of advice here and there. Maybe even asking one of the members of the clan to look after you. When going on night hunts he’d try not to make it too obvious but would try to hunt near you so make sure he can reach you in time if something happens. If you’re not a cultivator, he’d stop near your house. He’d probably say that he is here on a mission/night hunt and you’d believe him because why would he lie? Using that excuse, he’d examine the situation to make sure that you are safe and sound. 

With that in mind, I see him being obsessive. While I haven’t finished the novel, one can tell his feelings for WWX. He waited and looked for him for 13 years yall, mf is OBSESSED. He had his favorite wine prepared and set aside for his return, he was waiting for him and keep in mind, he didn’t know if he was really coming back or if he was staying 6 feet under (in this case under a mf cliff-). His S/O and WWX mean the WORLD to him. He’d do anything. LWJ is observant so without a doubt he’d instantly know if something is up with his S/O. He’d memorize your facial expression and what they mean. How you present yourself, what you’re thinking, how you really feel. He’ll know, trust me. Being a stalker and all, he’d follow you around. In some situations he’ll be near, trust me. Something goes wrong on a night hunt and mf bichen coming at you full speed ahead. He’ll offer to walk you, go with you on night hunts, invite you out, etc. Of course WWX is there with y’all. 

Possessive. Like with WWX, he’ll make sure that everyone knows you have him in your corner. While WWX is a bit more touchy in public, LWJ is there next to you or behind you. In some way he is near you, nobody will get close to you because he’d silently drag you away from them. The difference between WWX and LWJ is that WWX is more teasing/confrontational whereas LWJ is straightforward and silent. He’d drag you away when needed or tell you in his soothing voice, “[Reader], we are waited at Gusu.” 

Between the two of them, I say that WWX is a bit more scary because to scare someone away he raises the spirits and murders them in the most gruesome way. LWJ would bring up something they did in their past to humiliate them and ‘warn’ their S/O when in reality they want to make their S/O uninterested  with the individual they were conversing with. Together they are a strong duo who will without a doubt WORSHIP their S/O. They worship each other so you’ll be pampered no doubt. Constant praises, lingering kisses and touches. WWX and LWJ will love and spoil you to perfection.

[ibijau]

I don't think I've seen this anywhere (and if you know of any fics that do have this concept, please link!), but what if the events of MDZS (all media) was actually based on history within a modern AU of MDZS?

So like, as an example, you have people speculating whether or not Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were lovers or not in the same way people do with some real historical figures today, some theories that say Nie Huaisang orchestrated everything that go mostly ignored by everyone except those in the #NieHuaisangDidIt community because it's Nie Huaisang, who is largely remembered as a relatively harmless sect leader, etc... Some even still think the Yiling Patriarch was pure evil, though the novel, shows, and audio drama have since made this an unpopular opinion to have.

And then there's Wei Wuxian, be it through reincarnation with regained memories or immortality, listening to all of this in the background.

“I'm just saying that you wrote your thesis on him, so of course you're biased,” Jin Guangyao said. “There's no way Nie Huaisang organised all this. Everyone in that period agrees that he was so stupid he could barely do basic additions!”

“I have a phd and I can't count either,” Nie Huaisang countered. “Listen, I tell you, the proof is all there if you just look.”

Of course, they weren’t called Nie Huaisang and Jin Guangyao, not in this life, but Wei Wuxian wasn't good with names. In fact, after centuries of being alive, he was worse with names than he'd ever been. Thankfully, this crowd Lan Wangji and him had become friends with didn't mind at all the nicknames he'd picked for them.

“And I can prove that Jin Guangyao didn't even die, and made a name for himself in Japan,” Jin Guangyao retorted. “There's this Han man who suddenly appears out of nowhere in the Japanese court, claiming to know great magic, and...”

“Yes, I've seen the movie too,” Nie Huaisang yawned, taking another sip of his bubble tea.

Jin Guangyao went red and purple, while Wei Wuxian tried to hide a snicker. If there was one sure way to piss of Jin Guangyao, it was by mentioning that recent movie that had come out, very loosely inspired by a series of blog articles he'd written years ago when he was still a student. The inspiration was loose enough that he hadn't been involved in the process at all, because the scenarist had pretended they just happened to have come to the same conclusion.

It wasn't a bad movie, Wei Wuxian thought. It wasn't a goodone either, but he quite liked the actor who played Lan Wangji in it (Wei Wuxian himself wasn't part of the plot, sadly, on account of being officially dead by then), and the fight scenes were pretty fun. Besides, he felt like Jin Guangyao should have liked it even better than he did.

The actor playing him was the tallest member of the cast after all.

“I hope you choke on your tea,” Jin Guangyao muttered, to which Nie Huaisang answered with a bright grin.

It was about to devolve into a fight (an animated academic discussion, Jin Guangyao would have called it) when Lan Xichen entered the boba place, radiant as always. She ordered her own tea (plain black tea but with extra sugar and the sweetest fillings available, as usual) and sat with them, apparently oblivious to the adoration with which Jin Guangyao and Nie Huaisang gazed upon her.

Wei Wuxian had a bet going on with Jiang Cheng about which man would ask her out first in this life. He also had a bet going on with Jin Ling regarding whether anyone would dare ask her out at all. Wei Wuxian would have tried to help the matter, but Lan Wangji wouldn't allow it, worried for his sibling. A needless worry, Wei Wuxian thought. Lan Xichen was doing well for herself in this life, and so were the other two. Going into academia had been a great way for them to channel their lingering resentment. Their fight had almost never gotten physical in this life.

“I'm sorry for being late, jiejie wanted me to help her order something from overseas,” Lan Xichen apologised, smiling warmly. “I hope I didn't interrupt anything important? You seemed to be chatting, no?”

“We were talking about Guangyao's movie,” Nie Huaisang cheerfully answered.

Jin Guangyao looked about ready to murder him, but Lan Xichen just laughed in that sweet, careless way of hers and in a second both men had forgotten their previous argument.

“Oh, that reminds me, I brought something that might make you laugh,” she said, digging into her handbag. “It's in your field of study... in a manner of speaking.”

She put a book on the table. On the cover were two handsome young men, one dressed in black and carrying a flute, the other in white holding a bright sword. Above them, bold characters professed that this book was called “The Founder of Demonic Cultivation”.

Wei Wuxian's drink went the wrong way, and he nearly died coughing on a tapioca pearl. When everyone was sure that he wouldn't choke so stupidly, they all turned their attention back to the book.

“What's that?” Jin Guangyao asked.

“It's a danmei novel,” Lan Xichen explained, a spot of red on her cheeks. “Jiejie lent it to me the other day, and as soon as I started reading I realised the subject was... familiar. It's about Wei Wuxian. The real one I mean,” she added with a smile to Wei Wuxian who pretended to be fascinated by his bubble tea. “It's, ah... very creative. It takes liberties with some of the events, but, ah, it's very well written.”

“Wonderful, more fiction,” Jin Guangyao muttered.

Meanwhile, Nie Huaisang eagerly grabbed the book and started browsing it with hungry eyes. He had theories about that, too. Mostly, about the exact nature of Wei Wuxian's relationship with Jiang Cheng, which he had once explained to Wei Wuxian with far more details than the immortal would ever have cared to hear... and he hoped Jiang Cheng himself would never hear about it.

In fairness to Nie Huaisang though, his arguments had been very convincing, and Wei Wuxian would have had doubts, if he hadn't been married to Lan Wangji for over a thousand years.

“Oh, Lan Wangji,” Nie Huaisang grumbled, closing the book and sliding it back toward Lan Xichen. “I suppose I see the appeal, but there's really no evidence whatsoever in their case, you know?”

“We know,” Lan Xichen said with an indulgent smile.

“Now, Jiang Wanyin and him, on the other hand...”

“You people are obsessed with romance!” Jin Guangyao complained. “His relationship to Jiang Wanyin was platonic!”

Wei Wuxian distractedly nodded. That was indeed true.

“And so was his relationship to Lan Wangji,” Jin Guangyao added with a disgusted glare at the book.

Wei Wuxian grimaced. That was very much not true.

“From the letters I've read, I think in today's world, the Yiling Patriarch would probably be asexual,” Jin Guangyao argued. “Not that I particularly approve of using modern terminology to describe the sexuality of long dead people, but if you consider everything we know about him, then... are you ok?”

“Peachy,” Wei Wuxian coughed, trying not to burst out laughing. Jin Guangyao's pride was still a delicate thing in this life. “Hey, Xichen-jie, mind if I borrow that book until we meet again? I think Lan Zhan would love it.”

“Sure, I don't see why not.”

Wei Wuxian grinned, and pocketed the book.

Lan Wangji and him were going to have a good laugh that night, as they always did whenever someone wrote a new story about them.

[saebaragi]

mdzs modern au but is actually just me randomly projecting on the characters:

lan jingyi were bullied in middle school but he forgets about most of it and never know what his traumas are about until something suddenly trigger him unblocking some really scary memories from back then

mo xuanyu decides to become a vegetarian at a young age and when people ask about he just says is because he feel sorry for the animals but the actual reason is that mean girls in most of the movies he watches was vegetarians and he found that kinda glamourous

jin guangyao has a love/hate relationship with crying so he's a silent crier and also he holds on too much his tears so his throat is always in some kind of pain

jin ling uses all pronouns, but he's too scared to talk to people about it and they ask about gender (it's a difficult topic, yk?) or something like that, so he lets everyone just use "he/him"

nie huaisang sees himself as a beautiful goddness (as he should) and sometimes that makes him feel bad cuz he doesnt feel that pretty on the inside so he thinks is unfair to look like a gorgeous fairy and be so terrible as a person

jiang cheng hates himself (canon) and feels like everything bad that happend to him was just the universe doing justice and he dont deserves anything good

wei wuxian was really dissapointed the first time he got drunk because people always describe it as "out of themselves" or "out of their minds" and he really wanted to be out of himself or out of his mind for at least some hours

jiang yanli feels uncomfortable in almost every fandom she's in because the characters she kins are hated by a lot of fans

lan sizhui is aromantic and this scares him since the day he found out cuz he just knows his friends will eventually have a romantic partner and leave him cuz he will not have one to hang out with them or something (he doesnt feel like hes gonna be in a queerplatonic relationship either. he just dont feel like thats for him, and the main point here is that his friends will leave him to be with their lovers)

wen ning has no idea how he feels about god - or religion in general - anymore and this scares the hell out of him

someone once pretended to be wen qing's friend for years and later told her they disliked everything about her and were only there for her reputation and some of her friends in that time so now she thinks all of her friends can suddenly tell her they were faking it and leave

lan xichen has depression (this is also canon, dont u dare disagree) but he thinks there was something odd in his diagnosis so sometimes he thinks hes faking it, especially because a really close friend of him spended a long time telling him he didnt had depression

[otterplusharchive]

rey! do you have any recs for kdramas? i have never watched any, but i like lovable characters and romance ? thank you in advance!

I DO IN FACT HAVE DRAMA RECS HII not all of these will be kdramas, but ill start with the kdramas ive watched and enjoyed and ill include all the warnings for them that i can remember off the top of my head and a brief synopsis for u!

kdramas-

1. weight lifting fairy kim bok joo

this was probably one of the first kdramas i saw people post about in like 2015 and i watched a little bit of it in 2016 but then only just got around to finishing it last year. the basic gist of it is its about a young sports college weight lifter, kim bok joo, centering around her navigating through her life and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life and what she wants to be. her romantic interest in the show is a swimmer and they have a sort of rivals to friends to lovers, he is SO in love with her and its adorable. i absolutely loved the side characters in this show theyre all so fun and kim bok joos best friends and weight lifting team are especially delightful. my main warning would be that this show addresses eating disorders and theres a lot of mention of both weight gain and weight loss, theres also a plot point early on where kim bok joo has a crush on her eventual love interests older brother but it gets resolved and the older brother literally goes "i didnt realize you had a crush on me and if i knew that i wouldnt have been so friendly with you, it would be completely innapropriate for us to be in a relationship". overall its a really sweet and emotional fun show but if you have issues with weight talk id skip this one

2. tale of the nine tailed

this one is really recent from last year and i didnt expect to be so hooked by it but boy howdy did i get attached to all the characters and the wild plot. it feels hard to explain the plot but basically a nine tailed fox named lee yeon is living in modern day seoul and is working for the underworld finding paranormal spirits/creatures/other rogue foxes that are causing havoc on the world, hes resigned himself to living this life while waiting for his girlfriend who died tragically 600 years ago to come back to life because he traded his status as a mountain god in order to ensure that her soul would one day be reincarnated. a plucky investigative journalist named nam ji ah figures out that hes not human and shenanagins ensue because she looks exactly like his dead girlfriend oooooo whatll happen. the plot beyond that gets really wild and its hard to explain and is easier to just watch. if u enjoy paranormal adventures this one is good. my one big complaint and issue with this is that the immortal mountain spirit meets his original girlfriend when shes a child and she continues to visit him off and on as she grows up which is Hm I Dont Like That! but thankfully the present time romance our female lead meets him when shes about 30 if im remembering right. also warnings for general fantasy violence, references to child abuse, animal death, and abandonment issues

3. extraordinary you

HUGE unreality warning for this. if you have issues with feeling unreal or have paranoia/delusions about not being a real person id avoid this one just because of its premise

ok i know i said tale of the nine tailed was a hard plot to explain but BOY extraordinary you is even HARDER to explain. because its so wild but so good. its about a girl who realizes that she is literally a side character in a comic book, and the story becomes her trying to change the story to save her character from dying but it becomes a lot more than that. the romance in this is literally tooth achingly sweet and the show itself is very pretty, i loved the side characters in this one and the show was engaging and interesting to watch it became really layered and meta. super reccomend this one honestly. my main issues/warnings that i can remember off the top of my head were just one character being the classic controlling boyfriend stereotype, bullying someone specifically for being poor, unreality like i mentioned before, and then at the very end there was this love interest for a side character who got reincarnated from a past piece of writing that they had been in and put in the comic but she was a student and he was the school cook which is weird but thankfully they like barely interact at all and theres no real romance he just like recognizes her and its barely a thing at the end of the show but its still weird

4. mystic pop up bar

big warning for suicide, sexual harrasment (which is framed as being bad and the guy whos harrassing the girl literally gets thrown off a roof)

i havent finished this one yet and thats mainly because im not emotionally ready because this one makes me soooo emotional. if you like found family this is a good one. its about a pop up bar run by a woman whos been tasked with solving the problems of a certain amount of people in order to atone for her crimes in the past before dying, shes able to enter the dreams of people and solve their issues using the information she gets in the dreams. paranormal shenanagins ensue, she acquires a son and a husband and it kills me its so fun and quirky and fun despite handling dark themes and peoples problems. also very sweet the found family murders me

5. kingdom (netflix original)

i literally am not going to be able to watch any other zombie media because kingdom and train to busan are the best pieces of zombie media ive ever seen. warnings for gore and violence and just general horror aspects.

i absolutely love this one its so thrilling and well done, i love the acting and the way that this show looks its absolutely gorgeous. a zombie plague breaks out in joseon period korea where the emperor has died and then was brought back to life by the queen and her father in a ploy to try and keep their family in political power, the crown prince must find answers. a lot more happens and its very dramatic and good i love the characters in this one

cdramas

1. the untamed. if you follow me and you havent watched the untamed im begging you to watch the untamed. literally one of the most beautiful stories ive experienced in my life i am not joking when i say i cried multiple times over it. the main characters are canonically gay in love and have a son together please watch the untamed. handles a lot of dark themes, heres a tw guide

2. the sleuth of the ming dynasty

this is another one i havent finished but its fun so far, very gay, found family, food, and solving murder mysteries during the ming dynasty

3. hikaru no go (also known as qi hun)

havent finished this one, there is some propaganda about hong kong in the first episode but as far as i know thats the only instance of something like that in the show

this ones about the game go and so far its very sweet and fun, local boy awakens a ghost who was a master of the game of go hundreds of years ago and eventually is persuaded to learn how to play go with the aid of the ghost. im really liking this one so far its very cute and i love the characters in it. if youve watched the untamed nie huaisangs actor ji li is in this one!

4. the legend of yunqian

this ones very short and on youtube, all the episodes are about 5 minutes long and its a lesbian time travel fantasy adventure with a happy ending! funny and cute

jdramas

1. cherry magic

please please please watch cherry magic. the premise sounds very much like a weird yaoi kind of thing but trust me on this. trust me. it is so heart warming and sweet and i was so emotional about it and the growth of the main character.

adachi gains the power to read peoples minds on his 30th birthday based off a urban legend that if youre a 30 year old virgin that youll become a wizard. after gaining this power he accidentally finds out that his extremely popular and handsome coworker has a crush on him, and shenanagins ensue along with adachi having blossoming feelings in return. this show was really refreshing in a lot of ways, adachi is a main character who like.. is unsure of himself and insecure in a very kind of realistic way, he closes himself off and is afraid to reach out to people and through the course of the show we see him slowly come out of his shell and realize that hes likeable and lovable and that people want to be around him and its so nice to see. my main complaint about this show is that i dont really like the background couple, but otherwise this is a very sweet and refreshing gay romance that has a happy ending!

some others that i myself havent seen but that ive seen people talk about a lot and that i want to watch eventually:

- the legend of fei (cdrama)

- the wolf (cdrama)

- gaurdian (cdrama, not the kdrama one called goblin)

- healer (kdrama, i did watch some of this one but it was in 2016 and i never finished it so i barely remember any of it but i do remember liking it)

- nobody knows (kdrama)

- its ok to not be ok (kdrama)

sorry this is so long but i hope youll be able to find a drama u enjoy!!

[ajfanfic]

The Untamed as Every Song by The Amazing Devil

Some of these are significantly better fits than others but I’ve decided to make it work. Let me know if there’s someone you think it a better pick than what I’ve put :) They’ve got two full albums out so this post got real long, the rest is under the cut:

Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen - The Rockrose and The Thistle This song is haunting and tragic, and the obsessive attachment in it feels very appropriate for Xue Yang.

'Cause I'll darn you back together When you think that you're bereft And you'll wail, you'll scream, but I'll never stop 'Cause it's all that I have left

Wei Wuxian//Yiling Laozu - The Horror and The Wild

It’s fierce, it’s defiant, it’s a little bit aggressive and it’s certainly self-confident, just like him

Think of all the horrors that I Promised you I’d bring I promise you, they’ll sing of every Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child Witness me old man, I am The Wild

Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian - Wild Blue Yonder I love this song for them because it simultaneously has the energy of their fun, playful youth and speaks to the heavier fear and distance that comes between them later.

Let’s hide under the covers We don’t know what’s out there Could be all our demons darling Hold me, lover, like you used to So tight I’d bruise you I’d bruise you, I’d bruise you

Jiang Yanli - Welly Boots This song is about losing someone you love and how even then they never stop loving you. It's about being angry with them for leaving you, and I can't help but hear Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng in that.

And when you scream that it’s not fair It’s like I’ve gone off to the coast Left you behind just standing there Pretending not to see your ghost If only you could hear my voice But you are screaming far too loud to hear me swear Just because I left doesn’t mean that I’m not still there

Nie Huaisang - Farewell Wanderlust

This song is somewhere between a love song and a bloody fight between the narrator and their demons, which suits Nie Huaisang's poetic soul and persistent rage.

Come devil come, she sang, call out my name Let’s take this outside cos we’re one and the same Our gods have abandoned us, left us, instead Take up arms, take my hand, let us waltz for the dead

 - Fair

Nie Mingjue/Jin Guangyao - The Unwanted Animal

A wildly destructive relationship between two people who do not understand the other in ways that move them to violence but can’t stay away? That’s these two to a T.

But that second wind is coming love, it’s coming for all we own And on the creature scratches, it doesn’t know how to get out And you, you follow philosophies But me, I laugh I choke ‘Well hello, my hollow Holofernes’ I wink but you don’t get the joke

 - Marbles

Nie Mingjue/Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng - Battle Cries

This feels like a song about healing and moving on, putting your past in the context of the rest of your life. It’s up and down, but it ends on a note of strength and finding the beauty in the things you’ve come through. I think it suits them.

'Cause these plates they smash like waves And the wine stains hide the tears But that breathing you hear, don't mistake it for sighs Don’t you realize? They’re just battle cries, dear And these lines aren’t wrinkles, dear heart They’re just dollops of paint on a new work of art And as I walk away, I know I’ve been through the wars But that creaking you hear in my bones is not pain, it’s applause It’s applause

Wen Qing - Love Run

Wen Qing, the leader who had to flee and carried the fate of her people on her shoulders. This could also, I think, be a song for Lan Xichen/Wen Qing, which I wish more people shipped.

O let the earth a-tumble, love And humble you withal Keep running. It’s up to you now Up to you now love to

Wen Ning - King

This song about standing with someone through horrors and defending them to the end, even if they’ve done questionable things, suits both Wen Ning’s relationship with Wei Wuxian and the rest of their Burial Mounds family.

I’ll keep the king When you are gone away Into darkness and howling I’ll keep him from drowning As our boat is untethered from the dock

 - Pruning Shears

Lan Xichen - Shower Day

This simple song about depression and a sort of helpless rage fits Lan Xichen not only in relation to Jin Guangyao but also in reference to his position during Lan Wangji’s punishment.

Leave the room but you get trapped in the lift Got a headache that just won't shift Would have stayed if you'd had asked But instead you just walk past Maybe sure I'm out of my depth

Nie Mingjue/Nie Zonghui - Elsa's Song

This song is an anti-war ballad, but I think it fits for the two of them, with Nie Zhonghui falling to the Nie clan’s curse and the corruptive influence of the war on Nie Mingjue. The idea of Nie Mingjue hating the harm he’s done but being completely unable to avoid it is quite painful.

I can hear the cannons calling As though across a dream And I can smell the smoke of hell In every stitch and seam And like flowers, the bodies tumble Around this muddied lot I cannot hear them scream ‘Forget me not.’

Jin Guangyao - Pray

This song is quite tied to womanhood, but I think it suits him all the same. It recognizes cruelty and the horrible things the narrator might do but it sees them from a place of strength and doesn’t apologize for it. It fits well with Jin Guangyao’s struggles against the systems that run his world and the men in power who embody them.

God made all man in his image Honey I’m I’m I’m no man I’m what’s left when children go to war Run from you, I’ll run until I begin to understand What holy men really mean when they speak of sand and sons and seams and symphonies and  sweat and sex and sin

Nie Huaisang/Mo Xuanyu  - Little Miss Why So

This one I’m less confident on, but I think it can work. Nie Huaisang and Mo Xuanyu are a tragic, entirely offscreen pairing, which requires Nie Hauisang to at the very least fail to save Mo Xuanyu and at the most, requires him to push him to suicide. I think this song fits well to the gentler of those options, where they both fail to understand the other’s hurt until it’s far too late.

Why so sad he says And his eyes say don’t you know that its not all about you anyway Come and play love come and play Always so sad Want some pancakes why you wearing all that make up Its daylight again and you look like I’ve failed you

Jin Guangyao/Xue Yang - New York Torch Song

This one is fairly straightforward. Their relationship is fucked up, they’re using each other, they don’t particularly like each other, but neither can have what they really want. I love the idea of Jin Guangyao as a Prospero figure.

Are you god or devil, ghost dishevelled Childhood friend or drunken revel I cannot stop I’m bleeding out for you You angel heart you monster oh Some godforsaken Prospero

Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen/Song Lan - Two Minutes

This song has it all: longing, loss, conflict. It references back to a number of previous songs, which I think works well for these three, the ultimate foils as they are.

If there was one place I could be right now I’d be standing there between you and him And I’ll fight you both, fight you both for the rest of my life long days But today we ripped it off, we ripped it off, we showed the world that we exist Never really liked the pattern that much on the wallpaper so anyway

 - Not Yet/Love Run

[deliciousscaloppine]

oh, qinghe harem please!

ONE MORE FRESH CHAPTER from QINGHE HAREM STORIES. No prompts in this one, but the next 2 chapters are prompt based.

In the world of fashion to achieve greatness, some sacrifice must be made...literally? Meng Yao and Huaisang go in search of fashion in the most unlikely place of them all. Cue Xue Yang.

Meng Yao lit a lantern and led the way, deep underground. It was cold and wet in the dungeons, and there were a great deal of spiders and centipedes crawling on the walls. They had been placed there by the previous patriarch of the Qinghe Nie for atmosphere.

“Why are we here, Meng Yao?” Huaisang shivered, clutching his fan. “If this is about the time I called you delusional, I take it back.”

“Look, are you or are you not in need of new attire?” Meng Yao snapped.

“I fail to see how we are going to procure a high fashion item in the dungeons, Meng Yao.”

Meng Yao smirked. “You'll find out soon enough.”

Descending to the final level of the prison, Meng Yao took him to the very end of the farthest corridor. Huaisang approached questioningly.

“There is no one here.” He almost remarked, when a loud clang rattled the bars of a cell. The dark outline of a silhouette peeled off from the general even darker darkness. A ghoulishly handsome face with a fangy grin came into the scant light of Meng Yao's lamp.

Huaisang skitted backwards only a tiny bit afraid. His renewed shivering was purely for atmosphere.

“Who is this?” He asked Meng Yao, behind his fan.

“A friend of mine, I am putting him up for the night.”

“If you are putting him up why is he in jail and not in any of the nice guest rooms upstairs?”

“Because he steals.” Meng Yao sighed.

“Hey! You over there, come here.” Xue Yang gestured.

Meng Yao nodded encouragingly. Huaisang approached, lifting his skirts a little so as to not dirty them in the murky puddles that littered this part of the fortress.

“That's so unsanitary. Dage should be informed about it.”

“Yeah, that's it, come closer” Xue Yang crooned. “I am not going to bite you.”

“He will absolutely bite you. Don't put your nose anywhere near him.”

Xue Yang put his hands on his waist and glared. “Man, you are absolutely no fun.”

“The little one is with me.” Meng Yao said, also approaching. “You know what we are down here for. One item of high fashion at the pre-arranged price.”

“This is a dangerous job, I am not going to do it for candy.”

Meng Yao pulled out of his sleeve a handful of candies, in a bright strawberry wrapper. “Not even for these? Brach's Strawberry Bon Bons?”

“Shit, fuck man...” Xue Yang said slamming the bars. “Were you holding out on me before?”

“You just do this one thing for us, and I'll set you up for life.”

Xue Yang stared them hard, then a smile quirked on his lips.

“No.” he said finally, and leered in Huaisang's direction. “I need something more substantial.”

Huaisang shivered again, and this time it was not for atmosphere.

“I am afraid, you will have to give him the most precious thing you have, Huaisang.” Meng Yao said.

“You wouldn't mean my painted scroll with the herons on a background of gold?” Huaisang said.

“No, I am afraid not.”

“Then my imported first illustrated edition of Genji Monogatari?”

“No, not that either.”

“Phew, good, I was not ready to part with it. Surely you can't mean my paper fan with original calligraphy by Huai Su”

“Come on, sweetlips” Xue Yang said looking around him impatiently. “Are you really going to make me say it. I know you are not as innocent as you want us to think.”

Huaisang looked down, sweat breaking on his skin.

“I want it. And you are going to give it to me.” Xue Yang breathed.

“Me-Me-Meng Yao, what did you bargain with this man?” Huaisang asked, a feeling of nausea unsettling his stomach.

Meng Yao's face was hard. Harder than anything Huaisang had ever seen. He must have known, he must have planned this beforehand. Huaisang felt utterly trapped.

“It's just a silly little pornbook.” Meng Yao said. “The garment Xue Yang is going to bring you is by far more valuable.”

“It's not just a silly pornbook. It's the first copy of the first edition, signed by the publisher and the illustrator with a personal dedication to me. You know I can't part with Rare Beauties Volume I. I just can't!”

“Oh, I guess then that you won't mind that Jiang Cheng will soon be the best-dressed man in Qinghe. You remember Qinghe? The place of your birth? The stronghold of your ancestors? You are already too weak to compete against him in cultivation, so you are giving up territory in which you are good at, just because it's slightly inconvenient to you? To achieve greatness, Huaisang, some sacrifice must be made!”

“Alright.” Huaisang said in a small voice. He was trembling and not because it was cold. With shaking hands he reached for the little parcel, kept always by his heart.

Xue Yang clicked his tongue. “I knew it! I knew you always kept it on yourself. That's why I could never find it!” he howled.

Huaisang wiped away a single tear and slipped the booklet between the bars. “You must promise me something.” he said. “You must never take it out of its original wrapper or it will lose its value.”

Xue Yang stared at him in disbelief. “You think I am going to risk my skin for a book and never read it?”

With one swift motion he tore the delicate tissue paper that covered the supple, silk cover of the book, and flipped rudely through its pages; wetting his thumb now and then with his sharp, fiendish tongue. Huaisang dared not think about where that tongue had priorly been.

“Nooooooooo!” he howled and fell in Meng Yao's arms. “How could you do this to me!” he cried. “You betrayed me! You took that which I loved most.”

Meng Yao's face distorted into a cruel, pained mask. “You grew up having everything! You never knew what it is to want!”

“Uhm, can you two give me some privacy. Rare beauties is now mine, and I would like to make the most of our time together.” Xue Yang said sitting down on his bench and unbuttoning his pants. “Come back in a couple of hours, so I can take your measurements.”

Huaisang and Meng Yao yelped and made to leave.

“I can't believe you pressured me into giving Rare Beauties to that ruffian!” Huaisang raged for three full days. “I only hope for your sake that he brings the prettiest dress in all the land. ”

A few nights later, Xue Yang finally appeared, holding what would be an utterly incospicuous parcel had it not been for some conspicuous red stain on it. He was also wearing cat ears for some reason.

“Ew, what is that!” Huaisang remarked.

Meng Yao quickly undid the string that held together the parcel, but he too hesitated to open it.

“Xue Yang.” he menacingly said. “He is supposed to be able to wear it. If it's an animal carcass, I swear-”

Xue Yang crunched grandma candy from the bowl Meng Yao had offered him and scoffed. “Hah!” he said. “If he was a true lover of fashion he could pull off appearing only in an animal carcass. But don't worry, it's waspy enough.”

Meng Yao pulled out an entirely white frock.

“It's white!” Huaisang remarked. “I have a million white frocks! Xue Yang-” he growled.

“Give it a twirl.” Xue Yang said crossing his arms.

Meng Yao passed the frock to him. Huaisang was quite upset, be he obliginly gave it a “twirl” in front of the mirror.

The plain, white brocade sparkled under his fingertips, blowing up in a pearly-gold iridescence that revealed hidden patterns of flowers, skulls, snakes and birds in black and white.

Huaisang fell down in shock. “That's wild!” He said clutching the most beautiful dress he had ever seen in his life. It was so him! And it was perfect. If he sat at the right angle, his Dage would not suspect a thing. It looked entirely like any other frock Huaisang owned, but when one turned, the patterns were revealed in shimmering, sparkling color. It was so bold, so exciting, so original!

“Am I the best, or am I the best?” Xue Yang boasted.

Meng Yao slow-clapped. “Well done, you've outdone yourself, Xue Yang.”

[enbyleighlines]

SangCheng first kiss? Or QingCheng first kiss? Just please, somebody needs to kiss jc 😭😭😭😭😭

Ahhh, why’d you give me two prompts in one ask, anon? Now I have to choose one or the other!

I’ll pick SangCheng this time, since you mentioned that one first. But feel free to send a request for a ChengQing first kiss later, so I can write that one, too!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

—

Nie Huaisang waits at the entrance to the zoo. It’s the day of their first date with Jiang Cheng, though that fact still has yet to sink in.

They anxiously twirl a lock of hair around their finger, and try not to second-guess themself too much. But it’s difficult not to. It’s not only Nie Huaisang’s first date with Jiang Cheng, but their first date in general.

Still, doubts swirl at the back of their mind. Did they dress up too much? It’s only a trip to the zoo, after all. Will Jiang Cheng think they’re trying too hard? After all, it’s not every day Nie Huaisang wears a dress. And will Jiang Cheng think it’s weird that they brought their camera along?

No answers come. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng arrives, giving Nie Huaisang something else to focus on.

He steps out of his car, and waves at Nie Huaisang. As he gets closer, it’s clear that he also put some thought into his outfit. He’s got on a nice pair of dark jeans that hug his legs, and a striped polo shirt. It’s a casual look, perhaps, but it looks good on him.

Nie Huaisang takes a deep breath, and tries not to fiddle with the ends of their sheer cardigan.

“Hey,” Jiang Cheng says, as soon as he gets within proper conversation range, “Sorry, am I late? The traffic on the interstate was all backed up. Some idiot ran out of gas and had to enlist help to push his big ugly monster truck to the side of the road.”

The mental image has Nie Huaisang giggling. “Oh? Did you help?”

“Nah,” Jiang Cheng says, “He knew what he was signing up for, buying a horrendously oversized vehicle like that. You know what they say about men and their cars. That idiot must have been overcompensating big time.”

“I suppose so,” Nie Huaisang replies. They can’t help but glance over at Jiang Cheng’s car. It’s sleek and aerodynamic, like a race car. What does that say about Jiang Cheng?

“Anyway,” Jiang Cheng coughs, “Let’s go inside. I printed out our tickets, so we don’t have to wait in line.”

“Oh, good thinking!” Nie Huaisang smiles at their friend.

Despite his vulgar verbal dictionary and quick temper, Jiang Cheng has always been more thoughtful than people give him credit for. So while Nie Huaisang isn’t surprised, they still want to show their appreciation. Subtle flattery goes a long way with Jiang Cheng.

—

Their first stop is the wolf enclosure. Jiang Cheng is letting Nie Huaisang lead the way, and he looks confused when they enter the canid section of the zoo.

Jiang Cheng double-checks the folding map in his hands. “We skipped the bird section,” he says.

“We’ll go there next,” Nie Huaisang promises. The truth is, they’ve been to the bird section many, many times. But Jiang Cheng is a dog lover. “I want to see the wolves first. Cheng-xiong, do you like wolves?”

“Of course,” Jiang Cheng answers, as if it’s a stupid question, “Who doesn’t like wolves?”

“I don’t think Wuxian-xiong likes wolves.”

Jiang Cheng snorts. “Well, Wei Wuxian is an idiot. Wolves are like the kings and queens of the animal kingdom.”

Nie Huaisang decides to tease him. “I thought that was lions?”

“Lions are lazy, though,” Jiang Cheng argues, “The males let the females do most of the hunting. I think I read that somewhere...”

“Hmm, that sounds about right.” Nie Huaisang is sure they’ve heard that, too. Though they work submitting photos for multiple nature magazines, they all focus on local wildlife. Lions are a little out of Nie Huaisang’s wheelhouse. “I suppose that makes wolves more egalitarian, then?”

“Maybe?” Jiang Cheng says, in a way that suggests he’s not entirely sure what the word ‘egalitarian’ means.

Nie Huaisang takes pity on him and changes the subject. “Did you know that the entire concept of alpha wolves has been completely disproven? It turns out the leader of a wolf pack isn’t necessarily whoever is biggest and most aggressive. Most of the time, packs are just family units. They’re led by the father and mother, and the rest are just multiple generations of their pups.”

Jiang Cheng hums. “Similar to us humans, huh? Maybe that’s why we get along with dogs so well...”

It’s such a cute observation, that Nie Huaisang has to stamp down the urge to squeal. Jiang Cheng would so get embarrassed if they did that. So instead, Nie Huaisang simply says, “Maybe.”

They reach the wolf enclosure. It’s inside a fake cave, with a long plane of glass keeping them separated from the wolves’s mountainous habitat. Many other people are already there. Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng find an unoccupied spot where they can get a good view.

Inside the enclosure, there is a large hunk of rock, with multiple entrances for dens. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they search, there are no wolves to be seen.

“They must be inside, sleeping,” Nie Huaisang reasons, “They’re nocturnal, after all.”

“That sucks,” says Jiang Cheng. He is not even attempting to hide his disappointment. He kicks a small stone on the ground and huffs. “We should have probably seen this coming.”

Nie Huaisang feels bad for getting Jiang Cheng’s hopes up. They shift from foot to foot, on their black flats.

Before Nie Huaisang can think of something to save their date, a small child gives out an impossibly shrill sound from on top her father’s shoulders.

“I see one,” she says, pointing towards the glass, “I see a doggie!”

“Oh?” Her father raises to his tiptoes, but from his expression, he doesn’t see what she sees. “Where do you see the wolf?”

“In that cave,” the girl says, “It’s sleeping!”

Nie Huaisang follows her pointer finger. She’s gesturing to the tallest den, which is primarily concealed by the branches of a lower bush. If there truly is a wolf in there, she’s the only one tall enough to see it.

A wild idea seizes Nie Huaisang. “Hey, Cheng-xiong,” they say, before they can back out of it, “Can you lift me? I might be able to take a picture of it.”

“Huh?” Jiang Cheng looks Nie Huaisang up and down.

His gaze burns on Nie Huaisang’s skin, their buttoned sundress offering no protection from his intense almond eyes. Nie Huaisang resists crossing their arms to protect themself. Though, they can’t help but wish they had gone through with the idea to pad their bra. Men like boobs, right?

“Okay,” Jiang Cheng decides, “You’re pretty skinny. I might be able to lift you.”

Is that what Jiang Cheng was thinking about? Nie Huaisang feels blood rush to their face, fast enough to make them dizzy.

And then Jiang Cheng turns around, and squats.

Even though Nie Huaisang suggested this, they still hesitate. They’re going to have to initiate touch with Jiang Cheng, the guy they’ve been crushing on since they first saw them play at a high school soccer game. But it’s not a good time to reminisce. Without further ado, Nie Huaisang walks over, puts their hands on Jiang Cheng’s shoulders, and leans their weight on Jiang Cheng’s back.

The ground slips out from underneath Nie Huaisang’s feet as Jiang Cheng wraps his arms around their knees and lifts, all in one mighty movement.

It’s a good thing that Jiang Cheng seems to have no trouble holding Nie Huaisang up. The show of strength turns their legs to jelly. Nie Huaisang’s head is floating up amongst the clouds, and they simply don’t know what to do with all the fluttering happiness in their gut.

Jiang Cheng’s shoulders are as firm as boulders underneath Nie Huaisang’s fingers. They want to savor the feeling, but they have a job to do.

Nie Huaisang turns their attention to the highest den. And— yes! They can see a bit of gray fur.

“Can you move a few steps to the left?”

“Sure.” Jiang Cheng moves slowly, but he doesn’t seem to be struggling at all. “Tell me when to stop.”

Nie Huaisang watches closely. Slowly, the wolf’s muzzle comes into view, and then the rest of its head. They wait until they’re in the optimal position for a photo, and then say, “Okay, stop.”

The camera Nie Huaisang brought is lightweight, and it fits snugly in the small purse they wear at their hip. They fish it out gently, with careful movements. They don’t want to suddenly topple over. Even if Jiang Cheng’s grip feels firm and sturdy, there’s no reason to put it to the test.

Then Nie Huaisang turns the camera on and raises it up to their face. It takes a while to adjust the settings. Nie Huaisang needs both hands to work with the camera, which means that they have to rely on Jiang Cheng to keep their torso upright. But Jiang Cheng remains as still as a mountain, keeping Nie Huaisang’s knees locked in place under his armpits.

It’s a nice feeling, but Nie Huaisang focuses on the task at hand. They take a flurry of photos. Maybe they’ll print and frame their favorite later, as a gift to Jiang Cheng...

Nie Huaisang ends up entering a state of hyper-focus. This is their area of expertise. They occasionally ask Jiang Cheng to move this way or that, to experiment with different angles. Jiang Cheng obeys without complaint. It takes a couple of minutes before Nie Huaisang is fully satisfied.

At that point, Nie Huaisang notices that there is a hint of tremors in Jiang Cheng’s arms. “Ah, sorry,” they apologize quickly, “I’m done now.”

“No worries,” Jiang Cheng says. He pointedly does not rush to put Nie Huaisang down. Instead, he takes his time, lowering back into a squat, and carefully lowering Nie Huaisang’s feet to the floor.

Nie Huaisang lingers just a millisecond, just to revel in the strength of Jiang Cheng’s arms. Then they pull back a few steps. “Thank you.”

Jiang Cheng rises and stretches out his back. “Don’t mention it. Did you manage to take the photo?”

Nie Huaisang mutely raises their camera, and gestures Jiang Cheng over.

They have to crowd together to look at the photos together. It’s perfectly innocent, but they’re breathing in the same air, and it makes Nie Huaisang want to do something silly, like wiggle their body like an overexcited dog.

Pushing down that urge, Nie Huaisang leafs through the photos. Most of them have turned out rather well. None of them are masterpieces, but they serve their intended function.

“Whoa, look at that,” Jiang Cheng says, awestruck, “It’s a lot bigger than I imagined.”

“Yeah, it is,” Nie Huaisang agrees. They’re only barely listening. Jiang Cheng’s breath is tickling the hair at their neck, and it’s more than a little distracting. They’ve got it bad. They’ve got it so bad.

“It actually looks a lot like Princess,” Jiang Cheng adds, mentioning one of his pet canines, “When she sleeps, anyway. She likes to rest her muzzle on her jaw, too.”

“Is Princess a husky?” Nie Huaisang guesses.

“An Alaskan malamute mixed with something else,” Jiang Cheng corrects, “Some kind of shepherd, I think? Here, let me show you.” And so he takes out his phone, and shows his gallery of dog pictures to Nie Huaisang.

Nie Huaisang wants to live in that moment forever.

—

The rest of their date goes well. They spend a lot of time at the aviary. Nie Huaisang gets so caught up in finding one of every kind of bird that they almost loose Jiang Cheng a couple of times.

They stop at a pizza place for dinner, and share the vegetarian calzone.

Later, Jiang Cheng insists on driving Nie Huaisang back to their apartment, even though it’s only a block away. When they arrive, Jiang Cheng even gets out to walk Nie Huaisang to the door.

It feels kind of surreal at that point. Nie Huaisang has never felt anything quite like it, as though they’re walking on clouds.

Nie Huaisang doesn’t dare hope for a second date. They never expected to even get a first date with Jiang Cheng. So as they walk towards the front steps, Nie Huaisang finds themself slowing down, reluctant to let the night end.

Jiang Cheng slows to meet Nie Huaisang’s pace. He gives them a quizzical look, and asks, “What’s wrong? Do your feet hurt?”

“Oh, no, my feet are fine.” Nie Huaisang smiles at Jiang Cheng to comfort him. He’s such a nice man, beneath his grumpy bear exterior. “I just... don’t want to say goodbye.”

Their honesty might have been too much. Jiang Cheng frowns. “I have work tomorrow,” he says.

“Oh, I know.” Nie Huaisang sighs, and mentally berates themself for complaining. They’re already getting more than they deserve; what’s the use in wishing for more? “I’ve... just had such a fun time today.”

That seems to reassure Jiang Cheng. His frown disappears. “Oh, yeah? Me, too.”

Now they’re at the bottom step. There’s no more delaying the inevitable. Nie Huaisang glowers down at the staircase, as if it’s to blame for everything. They don’t want to part. But at least they’ll have a lot to daydream about...

“Hey,” Jiang Cheng speaks up, “I’ll... text you tomorrow, okay? After I get out of work.”

Nie Huaisang blinks. They hadn’t expected that. Was it possible that they would get a second date? It feels dangerous to hope, but Nie Huaisang is weak. They can’t help but hope. “Oh?”

“Or you can text me first,” Jiang Cheng amends, “It’s 2015. The man doesn’t have to be the first one to text.”

Nie Huaisang laughs, because otherwise they’d explode. Why is Jiang Cheng so awkward? And why does Nie Huaisang find it so charming?

“Anyway,” Jiang Cheng says, “Thanks for the date. It was fun.”

“No, thank you!” Nie Huaisang blurts.

Jiang Cheng nods stiffly. He looks just about as nervous as Nie Huaisang feels.

Nie Huaisang decides to put them both out of their misery. “Well,” they say, and take one step up the stairs, “I should be heading to bed...”

“Can I kiss you?”

Kiss? Nie Huaisang’s mind goes gray and fuzzy, like radio static. They... maybe stop breathing? It’s hard to tell. Their soul is drifting high in the air, like a balloon, just barely tethered to their body.

Jiang Cheng flinches at Nie Huaisang’s silence. “I... I don’t have to—“

“Yes,” Nie Huaisang says. They have to. The idea of missing out on a kiss from Jiang Cheng forces them to snap back to reality. “Yes, you may kiss me.”

Jiang Cheng lets out a sigh of relief. “Okay,” he breathes, “Uh, thank you?”

“Just kiss me,” Nie Huaisang demands. The fact that they could be kissing, but they’re not, is swiftly driving them insane. If Jiang Cheng doesn’t kiss them within the next minute—

Jiang Cheng kisses them.

It takes a second for Nie Huaisang’s mind to catch up. They’ve never been kissed before, so they can’t be blamed for the sudden helplessness they feel.

Nie Huaisang closes their eyes, and focuses on the feeling of a mouth moving against their own.

It’s... different. It’s certainly not unpleasant, though. There’s something about the pressure and warmth and friction— it completely short-circuits Nie Huaisang’s mind. They find themself parting their lips, hesitating mirroring Jiang Cheng’s actions. That’s even better. It feels— it feels too good, honestly.

Nie Huaisang clings onto Jiang Cheng’s shoulders, just to avoid losing their balance.

Too soon, Jiang Cheng pulls back. His expression is priceless. His eyes are wide open, and his mouth slightly ajar. He swallows, and his adam’s apple bobs.

Nie Huaisang stares back. They feel... seen. Seen and desired. It’s a new feeling, but a nice one.

Jiang Cheng darts forward, leaving one last warm kiss against their lips. And then he retreats, with a twisting smile, and sparkles in his eyes. “Goodnight, Huaisang,” he says.

“Goodnight,” Nie Huaisang manages, though their throat is dry. They stay and watch as Jiang Cheng returns to his sleek, modern car. It’s mostly because Nie Huaisang doesn’t want to look away, but also because their legs probably wouldn’t work yet, anyway.

Jiang Cheng gives one last wave from the driver’s seat.

Nie Huaisang returns it, heart in their throat. They almost wonder if they imagined the kiss, but their lips are still tingling and warm. Nie Huaisang presses a finger to them, and closes their eyes, just briefly.

Jiang Cheng is going to text them tomorrow. There might be a second date, then. And more kisses.

Nie Huaisang smiles, and nearly floats all the way up to their apartment.

[sweetlittlevampire]

HERE WE GO AGAIN -

I’m at that level of fandom right now where I have to use all my willpower to not look at spoilers, so I should really hurry up before I lose that battle Oooooh boy, how I do know this feeling. 

Wei Wuxian being sad is just unacceptable 😕 HE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY DAMNIT!!!

Aaaand big brother (whose name I have forgotten again) is petting it, too. How quickly a cute animal can change one’s mind :D Jiang Cheng went from “You don’t do this as an upright gentleman” to “O LOOK HOW CUUUUUTE” very fast, didn’t he?

Wwx holding and petting the rabbits, talking about taking one with them, but how it wouldn’t be happy and lwj gazing at them, sad music playing, saying “farewell” …. This is one hundred percent framed as two lovers (or rather potential lovers/ almost lovers) parting ways and I’m here for it *sighs deeply*

Also, I’m quickly falling in love with lwj’s ghost of a smile Let’s be honest - who doesn’t?

That actor did not have to remember a lot of lines :D Lol, Wang Yibo (Lwj) and Xiao Zhan (Wwx) actually made fun of their respective number of lines in a behind the scenes clip once. Gotta say though; Lan Wangji talks an awful lot with his eyes only, which isn’t easy to do either.

Nie is here and I’m prett sure at some point lwj is going to explode, like actually, physically. Out of sheer annoyance God, I love Nie Huaisang so much. XD

I am screeeaaaaaming. Literally howling! They are standing in a rain of flower petals, the camera zooms in on lwj and our other two (male) characters are observing how exceptionally beautiful he is (which btw … yeah). They use the word “gorgeous” ffs!!! Those disaster bis! 😂😂😂I’ve said this in a previous post: this is all obviously very heterosexual They’re right tho. And that’s the Most Heterosexual show you’ll ever watch, trust me.

I’m a little confused about the timelines again You’ll get the hang of it.

I like the young lady wen (again … names). She’s got her shit together No one’s got their shit together the way Wen Qing does.

Is lwj meditating or does he honestly sleep while sitting upright? 😂 Meditating. He usually does lie down to sleep. I think there’s only one episode where he’s actually sleeping while sitting up? But he has reasons for doing that, so there’s that.

This one dude is just hiding while wwx and lwj are fighting the soul snatching statue 😅 Nie Huaisang being, once again, a Whole Mood.

Honestly, I love this show but the supposedly suspenseful action scenes are a bit … meh Wait until later.

Still, the flirtatious action scenes are top notch :D and that’s really what I’m here for Aren’t we all? :D

You make me wanna rewatch all of them, aaaaaah! and discuss all of it!

The Untamed, episode 8 - watching notes

I'm at that level of fandom right now where I have to use all my willpower to not look at spoilers, so I should really hurry up before I lose that battle

Wei Wuxian being sad is just unacceptable 😕

I'm confused: why is it frowned uponto hold a rabbit as an "upright gentleman"?

Aaaand big brother (whose name I have forgotten again) is petting it, too. How quickly a cute animal can change one's mind :D

Wwx holding and petting the rabbits, talking about taking one with them, but how it wouldn't be happy and lwj gazing at them, sad music playing, saying "farewell" .... This is one hundred percent framed as two lovers (or rather potential lovers/ almost lovers) parting ways and I'm here for it

Also, I'm quickly falling in love with lwj's ghost of a smile

Oooh, shit is going down

So the Wen clan can turn into animals? Pretty neet

Lan Xichen loves his brother so much :')

And of course wwx is after lwj :D

The "boring" still cracks me up 😂 they had s whlle conversation and that's all he said!!!

Okay, they don't turn into ravens, they just own them?

Standing on boats is way sexier than sitting in them btw

That's three "boring"s btw ^^

That actor did not have to remember a lot of lines :D

Nie is here and I'm prett sure at some point lwj is going to explode, like actually, physically. Out of sheer annoyance

Cheng is going after his brother 😭

I am screeeaaaaaming. Literally howling! They are standing in a rain of flower petals, the camera zooms in on lwj and our other two (male) characters are observing how exceptionally beautiful he is (which btw ... yeah). They use the word "gorgeous" ffs!!! Those disaster bis! 😂😂😂

I've said this in a previous post: this is all obviously very heterosexual

Btw, I love how they talk as if he isn't standing directly besides them. He can hear you!!!

Okay, turning serious for a hot second: I adore the shift between these scenes. On the market place, everything is bright and colourful, yet soft. There's flowers everywhere, falling merrily from the sky. Then, a quick cut and stark shift that is the complete opposite. Everything has been burned and blackened. Again, there are flowers, but they lie on the floor, burned and trodden down. And the music, too, turns from merry and playful to suspenseful and dark. A+ cinematography and symbolism (though I feel like I don't fully grasp the latter yet)

Do we know this place?

Wait, isn't that the statue from the second episode?

I'm a little confused about the timelines again

I like the young lady wen (again ... names). She's got her shit together

Old people and little children just have a 50% higher chance to be creepy than anyone else. I don't make the rules

Is lwj meditating or dies he honestly sleep while sitting upright? 😂

This one dude is just hiding while wwx and lwj are fighting the soul snatching statue 😅

I feel like the entire make up budget got spent on the main characters' gorgeous looks because it certainly wasn't spent on the zombie makeup

They could have just walked down those stairs, but no, they're too extra for that. They fly ^^

Sorry, but those zombies are lmt putting any particular effort into taking these doors down. They're more like... knocking

Again, they didn't need to receipt 2 meters backwards by flying and turning three times in mid-air. It's literally just for the aesthetic

Aaaand another freeze frame 😂

Honestly, I love this show but the supposedly suspenseful action scenes are a bit ... meh

Still, the flirtatious action scenes are top notch :D and that's really what I'm here for

@sweetlittlevampire and @fandom-glazed :)

[ibijau]

Can there be grovelling in the next chapter of the concubine au? That's one of my favorite tropes in royalty au's -- where the one with power gets mad and the other person goes right down on their knees (or flat on the ground as appropriate) to talk to them (or not talk to them), and they're terrified because the power differential is so big... Favorite trope ever

oops, I'm... not sure that really counts as grovelling? But nhs is suitably terrified

concubine nhs pt9 / on AO3

If it had been up to him, Lan Xichen might never have returned to that little house. The humiliation of having been lied to for several years, and in so intimate a manner, the realisation that everything had happened for the sake of political scheming, had broken his heart too thoroughly. Nie Huaisang must have been laughing at how stupid he’d been to believe so wholeheartedly that he was loved.

An idiot, like his father before him.

But unlike his father, Lan Xichen wouldn't hide in shame, nor wash his hands of the whole matter.

Because some people had nothing to do with their time but to watch the life of others and comment on it, it was quickly noticed that Lan Xichen had suddenly stopped visiting his beloved concubine. It had already raised some eyebrows while Nie Mingjue was in the capital, but might have been mistaken as an attempt to save that general some face by not sleeping with his brother while he was there. But Nie Mingjue was only briefly around before returning to his troops, and it became a topic for discussion when Lan Xichen still did not go to the little house.

Much as Lan Xichen had enjoyed pretending otherwise when spending the night with Nie Huaisang, he was not an ordinary man, and even his private life did not fully belong to him. He refused to give any importance to the whispers he heard around him, but knew he could not ignore them forever. When Lan Wangji, who disdained gossip of any sort, felt the need to comment on the situation after his weekly visit to Nie Huaisang, while Lan Qiren started looking as if he too wanted to have a word with his nephew on that matter, Lan Xichen gave in.

Unwilling to deal with a lecture, and mortified at the thought of what his uncle might say if he learned how much Lan Xichen resembled his father after all, the emperor had no choice.

A week after learning the truth, Lan Xichen knocked on the door of that little house.

Because he'd come earlier in the day than he normally did, Nie Huaisang had not yet adorned himself with all the delicate silks and golden jewellery he usually wore. Dressed in a simpler manner, he looked again like the young man who had made him laugh in Qinghe, unaware of his identity.

Lan Xichen had been so sure back then that there had been a spark between them. He would never have asked for Nie Huaisang to be sent to the capital, nor dared to flirt so boldly, if he hadn’t been sure.

There was no spark that day. Nie Huaisang wasn't laughing, nor even smiling. Instead he stared at Lan Xichen the way most people did, with a mix of awe and fear. Not a lover in front of his beloved, but a subject in front of his emperor. Something broke inside Lan Xichen’s chest at that realisation.

"We must talk," he announced, using the tone of voice his uncle had trained him to favour during councils and official business, hoping that would hide his pain.

Without a word, Nie Huaisang stepped aside, lowering his gaze in a manner befitting an emperor's subject. Whatever comedy they'd played before had been abandoned. Lan Xichen came in, letting his concubine close the door while he went to sit at their table. There he found a book open, and some paper on which notes had been taken. The subject appeared to be military discipline, something his little bird would never have bothered with, but which Nie Huaisang appeared to understand quite well.

"Sit," Lan Xichen ordered. Then, fearing that Nie Huaisang might attempt to play his old role again and try to climb on his lap, he pointed at the other side of the table. "Over there."

Nie Huaisang meekly nodded, and obeyed without a word. Lan Xichen should have been glad perhaps, but could only think that he'd have preferred for Nie Huaisang to protest at being addressed so harshly, or to complain about being abandoned for so long. His little bird always grumbled if he went too long without a visit, demanding even more affection than usual to make up for the absence, never satisfied until he had been kissed a long while and heard everything that Lan Xichen had done while away. That was how things usually went between them, and if Nie Huaisang had done that, then perhaps Lan Xichen could have hoped that he'd just misunderstood the other day, that something between them had been real…

His father too must have hoped the same, as had many others upon discovering their love was never returned.

"Did your father order you to seduce me?" Lan Xichen asked.

Nie Huaisang startled but didn’t answer, still avoiding his eyes. Of course he’d avoid his eyes. It was not right for a subject to look at their emperor’s face, was it?

“Answer the question.”

“He encouraged it,” Nie Huaisang confessed in a low voice, pulling in the hem of his sleeve, his gaze refusing to meet Lan Xichen’s.

“You’ve lied to me.”

That was met again with silence, when Lan Xichen would have preferred a vehement denial, or perhaps a tearful plea for mercy, or just about anything but that quiet resignation. He hated to see Nie Huaisang afraid of him. He didn’t enjoy inspiring fear in anyone to begin with, but to do so in the person he had loved, whom he still loved in spite of the betrayal, was unbearable.

He wanted to leave right then, to never see so much fear in his little bird. But that, of course, was impossible.

“If I could, I’d send you back to your father,” Lan Xichen said, and that at last got him a reaction. Nie Huaisang shivered and hunched his shoulders, daring a quick glance at him.

Lord Nie could be a very pleasant man. He was well liked by many, including Lan Xichen’s own uncle who had little talent for making friends. But pleasant as he was, Lord Nie was also well known for his peculiar sense of justice, and the way it made him strike hard on those who failed to accomplish their duty. Even his own family was held to those standards, or so Nie Mingjue used to say when they were young.

Nie Mingjue who had been ordered to become friends with Lan Xichen when sent away from home to become the child emperor’s companion, though he’d had the honesty of just saying so, and made it clear at first he didn’t much care for Lan Xichen, not until he’d proven he was worth befriending. Perhaps it should not have come as such a surprise to Lan Xichen that Nie Huaisang too would have had orders, and unlike Nie Mingjue, he wouldn’t have had the security of being a legitimate first born to help him stand his ground.

“I won’t do that,” Lan Xichen announced. “The political ramifications would be more than I wish to deal with at the moment. If I do anything to imply that your family has fallen out of favour, their enemies will try to take advantage, which would complicate our war against the Wens. I don’t want to see that war drag any longer than necessary, so I must continue showing support to you and your father.”

He could only imagine what Jin Guangshan would do if he thought the Nie were no longer under imperial protection. There was an old feud of sorts between the two families, going back a few generations, and Jin Guangshan was the sort of man who would care more about improving his own position than about winning a war. Not only that, but Jin Guangshan had already offered to give some of his illegal children as imperial concubines, and he would try it again, selling his own children for favours. It had disgusted Lan Xichen the first time the offer had been made.

It still disgusted him, and Lord Nie had fallen in his esteem for having done the same.

But hearing this reassurance, some tension appeared to bleed out of Nie Huaisang’s body at last, though he still remained hunched up. He looked small, and frailer than Lan Xichen had ever realised before. He’d always been aware that his little bird was not a very big man, but he noticed for the first how thin he was, how pale… Much paler than he was when they'd met, and more delicate as well. Nie Huaisang looked almost sickly, though his usually animated nature hid. It was almost painful to see him so miserable. Lan Xichen wanted to pull him into his arms and comfort him, the way he’d done so many times before.

He would have done it, if not for the suspicions that his touch would only make Nie Huaisang more miserable.

“I will have to continue coming here regularly,” Lan Xichen said, and again Nie Huaisang’s eyes darted toward his face, wide and terrified. “I will come less. I will say that you’ve encouraged me to start thinking of taking a wife.” It wouldn’t be a lie. The reason he’d been so reluctant to enter a proper marriage had been because he’d wanted to dedicate all his free time to his lover. With that consideration removed, Lan Xichen could more easily do what duty demanded of him. “But I cannot simply stop coming. It would cause too much gossip if we ended things too abruptly.”

Nie Huaisang weakly nodded, and still wouldn’t react.

“Won’t you say something?” Lan Xichen hissed, hoping he sounded angry rather than desperate. “Won’t you defend yourself?”

“You have… I mean, his highness has made his decision. How could this humble one contest it? Whatever his highness decides, this humble one will comply.”

“I see,” Lan Xichen said.

What he saw, what he understood, was that even with his father’s anger to fear, Nie Huaisang was entirely unwilling to continue his comedy, now that he had a chance of escaping it. Lan Xichen could only imagine how much his little bird must have hated him, if he was so eager to be rid of him. It had all been a lie then. Every moment of joy, every kiss, every night spent together…

How pathetic that he'd never suspected anything.

It would take a while to fully accept that none of it had been true. That they hadn’t been in love, no matter how sure of that Lan Xichen had been.

It would take a while to stop loving a little bird who had never really existed.

And still, Nie Huaisang wouldn’t look at him, his eyes cast down, submissive and resigned. Had he looked like that when his father had ordered him to seduce Lan Xichen? He could imagine it too well, Lord Nie tall and domineering, demanding that his second-born sacrifice his pride, while Nie Huaisang, dutiful son that he was, accepted without protest to spend his youth in the bed of another man whom he disliked.

It would have been decided only between the two of them, Lan Xichen thought. He could not imagine Nie Mingjue approving of this, not with how angry he’d sounded the other day when Lan Xichen overheard everything, not when Nie Mingjue had spent so much of their youth complaining that he wanted his half-brother to be given the same respect he got. He’d always said he wanted to see his brother live to his full potential, harassing his father to recognise him, pushing for Nie Huaisang to be more than a mere servant, to be given a chance to study and enter the administration where he was sure to shine.

Nie Mingjue had to hate Lan Xichen, for robbing Nie Huaisang of that.

Lan Xichen, then, realised that he hadn’t lost just his lover. He had also lost his oldest, dearest friend. How could he ever have faced Nie Mingjue after this, how could he have confided in him, now that he knew the truth?

Shaken by that realisation, Lan Xichen stood up. He needed to leave that house. To stay there even one moment more, in front of that man who had lied to him for the entirety of their acquaintance, was more than he could do.

“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Lan Xichen said, struggling to keep his composure as he opened the door of that little house where he once was so happy.

He left, and still Nie Huaisang didn’t run after him, didn’t beg for another chance, didn’t so much as shed a tear. Lan Xichen, to his shame, wished that he had, just so he could have broken down and tried to salvage something that had never been real in the first place. Even with Nie Huaisang so cold, it was tempting to run back inside and ask what he could have done to earn his love, or if that were impossible, what he might offer to continue this comedy they’d been playing. He would have done just anything, like his father before him.

But unlike his father, Lan Xichen valued his dignity, and would not delude himself into thinking love was possible once it had been proven to be absent.

He walked away from the little house, whipped away the few tears that had escaped him, and returned to his duty.

[ibijau]

30 day otp - day twenty six: Zoo

26. Z - Zoo. The otp+ spend some time observing and/or interacting with animals.

Not sure about this one tbh but eh

also why this IS the last letter of the alphabet, the prompt list does go to the end of the month so this isn’t the last ficlet of the series!

“I found it on the way,” Lan Xichen explains, his face filled with worry. “I thought perhaps you might do something for it?”

Nie Huaisang says nothing, and carefully inspects the bird that his lover brought him. It has dark feathers, yellow feet and a dull yellow beak, and while the yellow markings on its face haven’t started appearing yet, there’s no possible doubt that it’s a young hill myna.

One with a wound on its right wing. It’s hard to say at first glance, but the way that poor thing is moving makes Nie Huaisang suspect that the bone might be broken. If so, there’s a good chance it will never fly again even with good care. Wings are tricky.

“Can you do something for it?” Lan Xichen anxiously asks, while next to him Jin Guangyao sighs and shakes his head. 

"Er-ge, I've told you, that wing looks too damaged. It wouldn't fly again. It'd be kinder to just kill it rather than to condemn it to a miserable life." 

Nie Huaisang shivers. He was thinking the same thing (birds aren't happy stuck in cages) but hearing these words from Jin Guangyao brings memories of Jin Rusong. It's not been long since Nie Huaisang has discovered the truth about Qin Su's parentage, and the dangerous legacy that Jin Rusong carried in his blood. 

Whatever else he was, Jin Rusong had been a sweet little boy. Nie Huaisang liked him well, and Lan Xichen adored him and spoiled him whenever he had the chance. They'd both cried after his death. Nie Huaisang had even wondered if his old friend hadn't been punished enough for his crimes with that loss, if they shouldn't count themselves even. 

Then he'd found out the truth. 

Better death than a miserable life. 

Suddenly, Nie Huaisang wants that bird to live, at any cost. Just out of spite. 

"But it's so pretty!" he says with as foolish a smile as he can manage. "I've got to try. Thank you Er-ge for bringing it to me. I'll go right away to… Ah, but no, we must work first…" 

Lan Xichen smiles indulgently. So does Jin Guangyao, but it always feels different coming from him. 

"We'll head to your office and start looking at those letters you mentioned," Jin Guangyao offered. "Go set up your new little friend and join us after." 

"Thank you San-ge! I'll try to be quick!" 

He darts off as quickly as he dares with the young bird in his hands. It will live, and even if it never flies again, Nie Huaisang will make sure to give it a happy life.

The bird’s wing never recovers, just as both Nie Huaisang and Jin Guangyao had predicted. And just as Nie Huaisang promised himself, it leads a good life. After weeks of careful care, it becomes the tamest of all his birds, and iswell behaved enough that Nie Huaisang often keeps him on his shoulder while taking care of sect business. It is smart enough to understand when it needs to be silent, and mischievous enough to cause enough trouble to give its master an excuse to drop work early.

The bird’s only real fault is that, for some reason, it detests Jin Guangyao and shouts loudly whenever he is nearby. A real shame, and Nie Huaisang always apologises with tears in his eyes, but it simply cannot be helped, it has a mind of its own. Jin Guangyao does not appear too upset by this, but Nie Huaisang enjoys whatever petty suffering he can inflict upon that man.

By contrast, the bird adores Lan Xichen. That is because it’s a very clever little thing with excellent tastes.

It might also be because Nie Huaisang is desperately trying to teach his feathery companion to recite poetry at his lover, and gives it many treats whenever it gets a line right. Lan Xichen teases him for being sappy, but is flustered each time and so clearly delighted by the attention that Nie Huaisang feels encouraged to continue.

“I’m surprised you’ve never given it a name,” Lan Xichen notes one day, as Nie Huaisang is kneeling before the cage to feed his little friend a piece of apple. “The others have one.”

“So does he,” Nie Huaisang replies, scratching the bird’s neck and earning a happy little trill.

Lan Xichen comes closer, and carefully joins with the petting. The bird falls silent a moment, before becoming even noisier once it figures that it is touched by someone it likes.

“And what is it called then?”

“It’s a secret,” Nie Huaisang announces.

“Secret!” the bird quickly screeches, loving the word as much as its master. “Secret, secret!”

Lan Xichen laughs. “Two against one I see. Am I so untrustworthy that you can’t share this with me, A-Sang?”

It’s a joke of course, but Nie Huaisang can’t help tensing a little. Thankfully, Lan Xichen doesn’t notice, because the bird has tired of being scratched and jumped on his hand, clearly hoping to be taken out. Lan Xichen promptly obliges, which results in some happy vocalisations and a few ‘good boy’ thrown at him.

“You really won’t tell me its name?” Lan Xichen insists after a few moments of watching the bird excitedly jump along his arm and up his shoulder, where it stays to play with his hair.

“If you guess it, I’ll let you know,” Nie Huaisang offers.

“Hm. Do I get a hint?”

Nie Huaisang hesitates. “It’s a second-hand name,” he admits at last. “You’ve heard it before.”

His lover looks intrigued by the idea, and tilts his head to look at the bird on his shoulder.

“Baxia?”

“No,” Nie Huaisang laughs. “I think my brother would return from the dead and strangle me if I named a bird after something of his. He hated them.”

“He hated that you spent too much time on them,” Lan Xichen corrects. “The birds themselves he didn’t mind. He’d tell us sometimes he was amazed how well you trained them. And… Secret, for the name?”

“They were well trained because I spent so much time on them. Lately, this one is the only one I can really take care of properly. It’s not called Secret, but that’s a neat name. If I ever get another one maybe…”

“Hm. Another hint?”

“If you find it, you won’t like his name.”

“Wuxian,” Lan Xichen immediately offers.

“Another good name for the next one!” Nie Huaisang laughs. “And he is mischievous enough that it would have fit him, wouldn’t it?”

Perhaps sensing that the conversation is about him, the bird starts flapping its wings until Nie Huaisang offers his hand for it to hop onto.

“You’d have gotten along great with Wei Wuxian, wouldn’t you?” he coos at his feathery friend. “You’d just have to call him pretty and he’d give you so much fruit! He’d joke about wanting to eat you, and then he’d spoil you”

“Pretty!” the bird repeats.

“The prettiest,” Nie Huaisang agrees, giving it a small kiss. “But it’s getting late for little birds, and I’m hungry. Let’s go have dinner?” he asks Lan Xichen as he returns the bird to his cage. “You can continue thinking on its name as we go.”

Lan Xichen agrees distractedly, clearly deep in thought about that mystery. Nie Huaisang smiles and takes his arm to lead him away from the aviary.

Behind them the bird vocalises a little longer, but before long Rusong turns its attention to its food and falls silent as the humans leave.

Someday, Nie Huaisang might be able to share his bird’s name with Lan Xichen, and explain how it was the only way he could think of honouring a child whose life was cut short because he was judged unworthy of existence.

[ibijau]

30 day otp - day five: Energy

5. E - Energy! A member of the otp+ is hyper or more hyper than usual. (I did not follow that suggestion in the least)

this one is entirely under cut because it is ~spicy~. Not, like, super explicit, but still. It’s set either shortly before or after the ‘dance’ instalment, after nmj’s death but before nhs discovers the truth about that (I’ll probably end up doing a masterpost for the timeline tbh)

Lan Xichen pushed gently into the heat of Nie Huaisang’s body, pausing about halfway through as the sensation overwhelmed him. He wanted… 

What he wanted, truly, was for their positions to be reversed, but that would have not worked with his plan, because his reading has indicated this position was the necessary one. It didn't matter though, he loved this too, being nested between the other man's thighs, the way Nie Huaisang gasped and clung to him while getting used to penetration, the heat and pleasure and closeness… It was so tempting to forget his initial intention and just give in to instinct. 

Instead, Lan Xichen focused inward, forcing some of his lust down and reaching toward the spiritual energy that flowed in his body, rearranging its course in the ways he had read about. 

"I'm good," Nie Huaisang pouted under him. "You can move, I'm not that fragile."

“Just a moment,” Lan Xichen replied. 

Just like with meditation he needed to center himself. Unlike with meditation, he lacked the ease brought by habit, and was subjected to a distraction both his mind and body wanted to submit to.

When Lan Xichen finally moved, it did not feel the same as the times before. Focusing so much on the flow of energies dulled out all his sensations. Lan Xichen had thought that perhaps they could partake in proper dual cultivation from then on, as Gusu Lan rules dictated they should instead of rutting together like needy animals. He was quickly giving up on that idea. Whoever had written among the Gusu Lan rules that this was the only proper way to proceed must have been a virgin. 

A sharp pull on his hair brought him back to reality. Nie Huaisang was pouting under him, half annoyed and half worried. 

"You're weird tonight," he complained. "We don't have to do this if you're not in the mood." 

"I am in the mood," Lan Xichen protested, feeling the heat of the moment return now that his concentration was broken. Warm skin against his, that pretty mouth red from being kissed and bitten, a sweet tightness around him...

"Sure doesn't feel like it," Nie Huaisang grumbled, avoiding his lovers eyes and nervously playing with a lock of his hair. "It's fine if you don't want this, it's really fine. You don't have to force yourself for my sake, we can stop." 

Feeling a little guilty for making his lover feel unwanted, Lan Xichen leaned down to kiss him. He knew that Nie Huaisang had his insecurities, and hated that he might have added to that with his plan. 

"I'm trying out something," he explained. "Just give me a minute." 

Nie Huaisang’s pout returned, but did not protest. If anything, he looked a little curious. Lan Xichen had to close his eyes to focus again on his spiritual energy as he rocked shallowly into the willing body under his. Soon he felt ready and, with his next thrust, sent a small burst of spiritual energy toward Nie Huaisang who gasped.

“What was that?”

“I’ve been reading on proper techniques for dual cultivation,” Lan Xichen explained. “It is meant to strengthen both our cores, or so the manuals say.”

Nie Huaisang blinked a few times. He had clearly not expected that answer.

"Actual dual cultivation?” He asked in an odd tone. “Really?" 

It suddenly occurred to Lan Xichen that perhaps he shouldn't have done this without asking. This wasn't just about sex anymore, and he knew that Nie Huaisang wasn't as comfortable with his low cultivation level as he pretended to be. If his lover decided to feel insulted by his attempt to help, if Nie Huaisang became upset over this and broke of their new arrangement, if… 

"Do it again," Nie Huaisang ordered petulantly. "It was so weird, I've got to decide if I like it or not." 

Obediently, Lan Xichen released another burst of energy as he thrust forward.

Nie Huaisang gasped again, his eyes closing for a second. "It really is weird. I guess I don't hate it? How does it feel for you?" 

Lan Xichen tried again. It took such effort and concentration to do this properly that the pleasure got pushed aside. It wasn’t unpleasant, mostly because being in Nie Huaisang’s arms could never be unpleasant, but it simply did not compare with the handful of times they had made love before.

"It's not supposed to be about pleasure," Lan Xichen replied.

“It sure is!” Nie Huaisang protested, sounding offended. “If it doesn’t feel nice for you to do that, then let’s just not bother with it. I don’t care about my cultivation level, you know that.”

“It’s not just that. Gusu Lan rules dictate that intimacy should not be sought out for its own sake. The allowed reasons for it are reproduction, which doesn’t concern us, or the improvement of one’s cultivation.”

It was an odd conversation to be having at a time like that. Lan Xichen really regretted not discussing it beforehand, but he had worried Nie Huaisang might reject the idea… which should have been his cue that they needed to talk about it, of course.

A deep frown on his face, Nie Huaisang softly slapped his shoulder.

"Xichen, you're so ridiculous sometimes! Does it really bother you so much that you're breaking rules because of me? You know, if it's such a problem, we can stop…" 

"No," Lan Xichen cut him fiercely, one hand possessively grabbing the other man's hip to keep him close. 

After a second of surprised silence, Nie Huaisang laughed so loud that all the Unclean Realm must have heard him.

"So even the great Zewu-Jun is a little lustful after all," he teased, his frown replaced by a smile. "Look at you, breaking the rules with such enthusiasm!" 

It was only a joke, Lan Xichen knew it. Still, he found himself thinking of his brother for a second, of his passion for Wei Wuxian, of the way he had openly defied their clan and questioned their teachings. 

"Sometimes rules are unfair," Lan Xichen said hesitantly. "What we do doesn't harm anyone." 

"It might harm my ass a bit," Nie Huaisang retorted with a wicked grin. "But only if you stop this dual cultivation nonsense and do me properly." 

Lan Xichen chuckled, overcome with a wave of affection for his unreasonable lover. It was just impossible to be serious around Nie Huaisang, but that was what made him so charming. No one else could tempt Lan Xichen to give in to what he really wanted.

And what he wanted, right then, was to make love to this gorgeous man without caring about rules.

“Remember that you asked for this,” Lan Xichen whispered into Nie Huaisang’s ear, feeling him shiver.

Nie Huaisang stuck out his tongue at him, looking as if he had some clever comeback to say to that. It died on his tongue, replaced by a low moan when Lan Xichen started moving in earnest.

[deliciousscaloppine]

The Blood is the Life

Vampire AU. NieYao and SangYao- everyone is of age. Nie Mingjue is captured by the vampire coven of Qishan and turned into a vampire so he can wipe out the monster-slaying Nie Clan of Qinghe for them. Meng Yao is his mortal lover, a witch’s son and a witch himself who covets his vampire gift of immortality. And Huaisang is the empath prince who observes their relationship through his trained birds vying for recognition and affection. Their characterizations are bit post Sunshot Campaign, because I wanted a slightly edgier Huaisang. This is going to be from his pov. There is going to be sex in this, a lot of vampire sex hopefully. There are some parody elements as well. Also Huaisang’s girl harem from their arrival at Sun Scorching Palace is making a guest appearance here.  

His brother was gone for several days now. The entire castle was on edge. Qinghe was a bright, sunny place, where the sunlight bathed everything white. The vast empty plains, where the sun rose and set left not room for shades that bred monsters. If anything it was the safest place from the cursed coven of Qishan. Not only every man and woman was a fearsome warrior, but their lands were also protected by vast deposits of silver that made the placement of protective wards particularly easy and efficient.

They made ornaments with this very silver, they even threaded it through the weave of their clothes. Most of their warriors would even drink this Qinghe soil mixed with their wine when they fought with the ghouls of Qishan. It was said to make them impervious to harm. But perhaps their greatest safety were the very leaders of the Nie Clan, who from ancient times were ruthless and cunning in their pursuit and slaughter of evil dead things.

So for Nie Mingjue to have vanished from the very face of earth, it was an unanticipated terror that set everyone on edge. And if anything, Huaisang feared civil strife more than he feared the vampires of the Wen. They had been subdued in this ancient conflict, and were in the habit of even culling their own, and so they relied on mortal servants, and other supernatural horrors that the Nie were well practiced in exterminating. So it should have been expected that in one way or another they would turn to different tricks.

Perhaps this disappearance was a trick as well. Perhaps Nie Mingjue had only been delayed at Gusu, and it was the messengers and envoys carrying the news that had been ambushed and killed.  Nie Huaisang liked to entertain such hopes, while feeding his finches and his nightingales, simultaneously cursing his affinity to such small and delicate birds.

If he had practiced early on with birds of prey like hawks and eagles, perhaps now he could have sent one to search for his lost brother. Only such birds could repel an attack from the dire owl of the Wen. But the minds of predators were difficult, not as pliant and malleable as that of songbirds, and Huaisang's consciousness had difficulty entering them, perhaps because he also feared them.

The tales were that empaths who would frequent the minds of large animals could easily become trapped in them, and if harm came to them, then they would also die. If Huaisang had a mentor, a powerful witch to formally instruct him into such a process, to monitor and assist him, he would undoubtedly pursue this rare talent of his. He wanted to become strong, he wanted to become slick, he hated that he cowered and hid and pretended to be clueless and ignorant because the burden of Mingjue's responsibilities could crush him.

In their court, there was of course a witch. Or at least someone who was rumored to be a witch. But the Nie had no love for such people and their tolerance of him had been on account of this Nie Mingjue who was gone now. 

Huaisang had never attempted to approach this person, not even when his brother was here, and had placed him graciously by his side. Now that the people spoke frequently and publicly against him he dared not even pass by him in the courtyard.

“Tell us again about this Meng Yao” Biyu asked, as if she had prodded his thoughts.

“Meng Yao? How did you know he was on my mind?”

“But with everything that has been happening, is it possibe he is not related at all! Everyone here says he is a dangerous person, but in our family no one even dares mention him.”

The other girls hummed in agreement.

“Such a sordid affair, how could he not be connected to it! Is it not true that he is a witch's son?” Fengfang muttered.

“Ah, these are only rumors. My brother has the greatest respect for him. If he was not a reputable person, he would not have brought him to court.” Huaisang said, hoping to dissuade the conversation. 

Meng Yao intrigued him, if everyone was incited against him, he would have no choice but to flee Unclean Realm, and his brother might have need of him still.

The girls were disappointed at that, but the topic of discussion did not change

“I heard he is the son of the witch Meng Shi who had ensnared the lord Jin Guangshan. She took his seed inside her and then gave birth to a black egg. And from this black egg a white snake hatched. This white snake is supposedly his true form. In my family home it is even said that lord Nie Mingjue caught this white snake in one of his night hunts and struck it. He would have killed it too if it hadn't taken human form and begged him to let it live. This person they say is Meng Yao and he can take many forms. There is a servant who told me once that in his room he has that white snake skin and if anything that proves his true identity” Mingzhu said and all the girls were enthralled.

Of all of them she had the vividest imagination and that's why she was the president of their literary club. Her stories thrilled as much as they horrified and there was no one more respected among them for her ability to conjure them on spot.

“That's a story we must drink to!” Huaisang exclaimed, rising to pass around the wine. “Truly original!” he said pouring all the girls a drink, as they huddled close around their little table. “But we must not forget ourselves and repeat these things to outsiders. Remember I want to remain neutral most of all. My brother surely lives, and if he returns to find this Meng Yao gone, I certainly wouldn't want this pinned on me, or our merry company.”

The girls emptied their cups in agreement. If things had gone differently one of them would have certainly been his wife by now. But with Mingjue gone, and the fortress on lockdown, all of them had bonded over their artistic interests and frequently drunk together; entertaining each other in their rooms by composing poetry, doing calligraphy, and reading aloud stories from books. 

Only recently had they forayed into telling stories they made up and it was honestly a sublime pastime, great for easing the tension of their situation. Huaisang would have offered to marry them all on the spot, if that  wouldn't offend the great clans that had sent them there and sought an exclusive bond with the Nie.

Huaisang had been raised with great austerity. Unlike other noble heirs who had whole retinues of charming maidens, his only company had been books, and birds he liked to catch himself. 

When Nie Mingjue had brought the handsome Meng Yao to court, he had been thrilled to see another boy close to his age. But Meng Yao, who had attended him once or twice on Nie Mingjue's commands, was an aloof, tight-lipped presence, whose enigmatic face was only occasionaly graced by strange smiles- mostly directed to his big brother.

Of course he too had heard the dreaded “Witch's son!” flying around like a trapped bird in silent corridors, and their many shaded halls. Close as Meng Yao was to his brother, he himself would never frequent the places this fluttering bird brushed its wings. When he wasn't at his brother's side at court, he would remain in his rooms, mostly alone and silent as if in meditation.

 It was then that even more sordid tales would start to flourish, things that made one snap his fan disdainfully when he was within earshot. Lovers. The very idea was ridiculous.

It had, however, made him a little curious to say the least. The austere upbringing of the Nie precluded such foolishness as taking up lovers and having casual and random affairs outside of strict political matchmakings. 

Even Huaisang's late mother had been taken formally into the Nie Clan as a consort, and when she had died her body had been interred in the royal tomb with every honor. Illicit affairs, no less between men existed only in vulgar books and ugly gossip.

Even though Meng Yao was very handsome for a man. And if one was to be honest, despite his dubious origins, he had a demeanor of bewitching guile. Huaisang would be lying to himself if he did not admit this curiosity itched and begged to be scratched. So one night some years ago he had decided to scratch that itch.

Nie Mingjue had need of him most in the aftermath of his bloodiest battles. It was then that they would seclude themselves to an empty hall at the fringes of the fortress. They were hardly alone, the hall was guarded heavily and several trusted stewards and attendants would attend to them, making this hardly a scandalous encounter, but Huaisang had needed to know what exactly it was they were doing behind these heavily guarded doors. 

Especially when at nightime one could hear the chords of a guqin resounding in the air. It wasn't music exactly, more like a single note hanging until even its echo disappeared, before another note took its place.

So Huaisang had taken one of his finches out of its cage and told it where to go. It had flown under the roofs of the complex in the night, and through a half-opened window it arrived in the remote hall to observe for him the secret encounter between Meng Yao and his brother. And it had seen truly the strangest thing; A ritual that while uncommon did not seem in any way evil or scandalous.

Nie Mingjue would sit at the center of a drawn circle. Before him a small table with various objects displayed would be set- among them a hammered silver basin that was filled with water. Truly a snake skin did exist, splayed right under this basin, but to Huaisang it had seemed a shamanic object rather than a proof of witchcraft. Along Meng Yao there were also an elderly steward and a couple of servants.

Meng Yao would remove the silver ornaments from Mingjue's hair and would place them carefully on a tray one of the attendants held. This tray would later be placed right next to the silver basin. Meng Yao would comb and unbraid Mingjue's hair with something akin to tenderness indeed, but after that he would rise and seat himself before a curious instrument that resembled a guqin. There he played those same notes through the night, the same notes Huaisang had come to recognize.

The water in the basin would tremble and resonate with the sequence of notes. And while it did the two attendants would unfold between them a clean sheet and raising it they would hold it above their master's head. 

Meng Yao then would take the silver basin and pour this cultivated water over the sheet and Nie Mingjue's body. He poured this water carefully so it wouldn't splash around or fall all at once over his brother’s head. Like a gentle stream falling from a rock, it licked at him and laved him . 

By the time he was finished his brother was properly drenched. Then the attendants and the steward left the room for a few minutes and Meng Yao would prepare a concoction Huaisang was unsure of what exactly it was made of.

He would offer this drink to Nie Mingjue and while his brother drunk, Meng Yao would take a very shallow saucer, and collect in it the water that dripped from Nie Mingjue's hair. To Huaisang's astonishment Meng Yao would drink this water. He drank it with the outmost care as if he was taking an elixir of some sort. 

Then he would call back the attendants, who would bring in dry clothes for their lord. Under the directions of the steward they would set up a screen and help their lord undress and change into his new clothes, while Meng Yao himself bowed deeply with his forehead touching the floor.

Meng Yao would prostrate in this position as if he was in the presence of some golden emperor, until his brother actually left. Seemingly no magic had ever been performed, which baffled Huaisang as to why it remained such a guarded secret. 

He had to spy on this ritual several times before realizing that Meng Yao would disappear for a few days after it. Deciding to spy on him with one of his birds had required an impressive show of nerves. For some reason, even if he didn't believe Meng Yao was really a witch, he couldn't shake off the fear that his trick would be discovered and he would be exposed. 

There was no one in the Unclean Realm that Huaisang knew who wouldn't shun a method that was unlike direct confrontation. And he feared that if this skill of his would be discovered he would be pressured into destroying it.

After ruminating on these issues, but not backing down from his decision to spy on Meng Yao he finally deemed a bird in a small space would be something too conspicuous, so he trained a moth. He sent that moth to Meng Yao's rooms to flutter about, and he discovered him there alone, sitting on the floor. He was dressed simply, in a thin gown with his hair worn loose around his face. It seemed to Huaisang as if he was ready to lie down and sleep. 

However Meng Yao for the duration of an entire night just sat with his back as straight as he could, breathing swallowly as if in a pained trance. Huaisang had been almost sure this was an effect of the shamanic ritual he had observed. Then suddenly as if shaken from some invisible violence Meng Yao keeled over, bracing himself against the wooden floor. And coughing he expelled blood from his mouth. 

Huaisang had been so frightened to see this. He had only heard mentions of blood magic and those were so vague he never had formed an image of it, but such a sight had caused an instinctive reaction to him. Like withdrawing his hand from an invisible flame, he had summoned back his consciousness.

Were there impure things in the water from his brother's hair Meng Yao had drunk? Or was it a reaction to something else, was the conconction and the water somehow connected, did it mediate between the two alleviating some secret suffering his brother had?

Once Huaisang had found himself again in his room by the muted light of a single candle he had the strangest sensation; as if he was being also watched. He had attributed that to his easily frightened nature and never thought of it again. In fact he kept on spying on Meng Yao until he became as bold as to send an actual bird. 

The weather had been warm and undoubtedly some window or door would be left open to let in the delicate breeze. He thought there would be no harm in flying through the room. He had wanted to see if Meng Yao would react to such a thing.

His bird had fluttered about for several minutes, even passing before Meng Yao's serene face, seemingly unaware of the disturbance. But then, suddenly he moved, his fingers capturing the bird mid flight. Huaisang had been so shocked.

He had found himself on the floor, a burning sensation slicing through his head. He hadn't known if the pain was something the bird had experienced, or if it was the result of flinging his consciousness through space and form so fast, or something else entirely. Nevertheless he had vowed to himself never to spy on Meng Yao again.

The following day as he was airing the cages of his precious birds, setting some free so they could fill the garden with music, Meng Yao had arrived with the tiniest cage he had ever seen. Inside it was the prisoner; the pink canary he had used to spy on him. Meng Yao had bowed respectfully before leaving the cage in front of his feet.

“I found this little delinquent in my room last night” he had pleasantly said. “I believe the prince appreciates such things.”

Before Huaisang could say something, Meng Yao had bowed again and already said his farewells. He had steered clear off him to the present day, but perhaps the time for a more intimate introduction had arrived. He snapped his fan open waving it slowly before his face.

“Ladies!” he said. “How about one more round and then we all go to bed?”

The girls nodded all in agreement.