#mxtx isn't a famous writer for no reason

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

And, something else: the single-plank bridge is over a river, as mentioned. WWX would've metaphorically fallen into that river, into the water, when the plank broke at his death.

Yet, something is different when he comes back.

After his sight finally went from blurred to clear, he suddenly realized that both of his hands were wrapped around Lan WangJi as though he was grasping a straw, clutching a floating piece of wood within water. - Chapter 63, EXR translation

The way LWJ is tied into that bridge metaphor??

WWX died. His path forwards, as himself (rather than disguised as MXY), is gone. But LWJ is there for him, this time – there as safety, there as comfort, there as an anchor in a world that still wants him to stay trapped in the water (staying dead, with no path forwards). His prescence, love and support is what enables WWX to forge a meaningful path in this life too, under no pretences. Even if the world tries to force him onto another, even if it tries to destroy his path once more, LWJ will be there for him.

And though I'd love for them to find a nice, broad road once more – one they can walk with the Juniors, maybe, with Wen Ning – and I have no doubt they can... maybe it doesn't matter just as much, now, what type of path it is. After all, whether safe path or narrow river, any road is lonely when there's no-one by your side. No matter how nice or broad it is.

pov you're normal

(Image description is present in alt text)

Analysis

I've always loved the recurring metaphor of the nice, broad road and the single plank bridge in MDZS. Something about how effectively the nice, broad road represents comfort, safety, companionship, choice – there are many paths you can take that will lead you forwards, you're not restricted to one singular path. About how WWX wants to walk it! He enjoys living comfortably – whether this is expressed through things like his domestic daydream (and even through how, in it, he initially thinks of LWJ doing every job before he realises he'd be doing something too xD), or in small moments like when he lets the servants of the Mo household drag him to the East Hall so he doesn't have to walk himself. He enjoys company, he enjoys living without being in danger, he enjoys having the options that would make that possible. There's a reason he rejects leaving it, and a reason he tries to convince himself that walking the single-plank bridge all the night is just as good of an option. (That's also why certain fanon takes bother me so much, since we don't get a sense of him wanting to take the comfortable route! But I've talked about that somewhere else already.)

..Except, after his Golden Core is gone, that path is ripped away from him. Of course he'd still have stood up for the Wens if he had his core, been demonised for it, and things would largely have played out the same – but he'd at least have had an option as to the way he dealt with it. He'd have been able to use spiritual cultivation if he'd needed to, he'd have been able to act more freely post-SSC rather than playing up his arrogance due to not having to hide the fact his core was gone, etc. But the thing about the single plank bridge, is that... well, it's a single plank. You don't have any choices in the path you take: the only choice is to move forward, or to move back (and if in this situation moving back meant giving up the Wens, then that wasn't an option for WWX, either. Even if he did, he still couldn't reach the nice, broad road again). And this mindset is so important in analysing WWX's actions in the last few flashbacks – of course, if he'd had the option, he wouldn't have become the enemy of the Jianghu, he wouldn't have taken the Wens to live in the Burial Mounds of all places, he wouldn't have refused to stop Wen Ning attacking during Qiongqi Path (in canon, he'd have been shot if he hadn't). Putting himself in danger and discomfort is hardly something he wants, and if there's an option that doesn't lead to that, he'll take it! But, as he tells LWJ, what other road is there? What other options can he choose? None. There's only a single plank, and if he wants to live by what he thinks is right, he has to follow it.

But then, even despite this, there's still light on the single plank bridge! Helping others and doing the right thing does gift you something in return – you can still find comfort and community and light, even if it's not as strong. And it's even more meaningful, because while the broad road is as it is naturally, the light on his single plank path was created by people who cared about WWX, spefically for him. Even if the bridge does collapse eventually, even if you fall into the narrow river and drown and that light fades away, that path isn't meaningless. Walking it can be worth it.

It encapsulates MDZS so, so well...

[happypeachsludgeflower]

Oh god. Four why would you curse me like this.. FOUR YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HOW MANY WIPS I HAVE! OP I'm sorry in advance for what our mutual friend has exposed you to 🤣

..this is gonna be so exposing because I’m VERY descriptive in my doc naming.. and also, did I mention it's a long list of wips? I have well over 100 now in mxtx alone… I will be cutting the one's that aren't as worked on, the fandoms I haven't been active in for the past year, and anything that isn't fanfiction, to try keeping the list short(er).

And on second thought, I shall also be cutting anything that I haven't even opened (and worked on) in 6+ months. This list is long enough as is, we don't need it longer 😭

So, without further ado, here goes!!

ERHA

domesticated chu wanning cinematic universe info dump

FISH SEX!! (dtppf)

WHY DON'T I HAVE ANY FISH FANFICS YET?? VIVA LA FISH SEX!!

Merlin BBC

[ stardust burns gold in our veins ] OR PJO/MBBC demigod!Arthur son of Metis aka DETHRONE ZUES WHATEVER YEAR I POST THIS

MBBC merthur god of magic!merlin identity/magic reveal + temporary character death ft. fun unrelated fact did you know gods bleed gold?? now you do. + angst sauté

MBBC merthur camelot drought identity/magic reveal + angstangstangst ft. temporary character death + arthur cries you're welcome

MDZS (MXTX)

Jiang Cheng

MDZS Jiang Cheng/Lan Jingyi first word soulmate au

MDZS romcom Jiang Cheng/Lan Jingyi + Jin Ling/suffering

Nie Hauisang

MDZS trainwreck college au NHS makes a porno/JC suffers/wangxian is gay disaster (tm)

MDZS Nie Hauisang/Mo Xuanyu a/b/o CHAOSCHAOSCHAOS au

[ in inevitably, eternal ] OR [ the more things change, the more they stay the same ] aka nhs/mxy timeloop angst covered angst with angst filling

MDZS NHS bastard son of JGS a/b/o drama angstangstangst au

time travel/transmitigation

MDZS wwx time travel as mxy (does it count as selfcest if you're both married to the same guy?)

MDZS crack time travel Yiling Wei w/ JC/WXX sibling reconciliation + wangxian gay disaster (tm)

MDZS/HP Harry/Huaisang soul dimension awakening/dimension travel au

MDZS/HP Hermione/WWX siblings au ft. alt. sunshot campaign + BAMF Hermione + shenanigans

wangxian

MDZS emperor!lwj + demon!wwx horny stardust au

MDZS ascended god!wwx w/ alt. sunshot campaign ft. heavenly drama ANGST

MDZS wangxian + mxy/wwx unfortunate homoerotic body sharing ft. found family + shameless!mxy/suffering!wwx au

MDZS wangxian mxy/wwx identity porn ft. baffled!lwj + wwx's existential crisis

MDZS wangxian calamity ghost king!wwx haunting mourning widow!lwj, ft. alt. sunshot campaign

SVSSS (MXTX)

shen qingqiu deserves a harem

[ deep in that darkness peering (as the darkness peers back) ]

SVSSS without a cure wifeplot harem porn au

bingqiu

SVSSS Jinlan City fix it cry fest crack early reconciliation + confused!hhp

SVSSS soulmate/nemesis name identity porn angstangstangst

SVSSS SY dork reveal + "Not Gay" dismayed!SQQ looses all cool points

SVSSS the only reason Binghe doesn’t have a ridiculous amount of thumbs is because the System actually does care about Shen Yuan and his sanity

shang qinghua or cumplane

SVSSS bamf SQH pretending to be incompentent + SQQ commits a murder

SVSSS cumplane customer service au + asshole!cucumber inspired PIDW!SQQ

SVSSS cumplane SY famous PIDW fanfic writer au

SVSSS inkheart god!sqh/sqq

SVSSS PIDW social media cumplane ship fandom

SVSSS airplane trolling sy social media au + sqq commits more murder

SVSSS SQH truth serum crack + SQQ modern gremlin + everyone/confusion

An Ding Almanac

[ the winter king and the civil servant ]

modern au

Shen-anigans: Into the Shenverse

SVSSS doctorate literature studen sy humor

SVSSS Ouran High Host Club au

SVSSS SQH "Go Home" au ft. SJ goes to therapy + scumplane found family bonding + mobingqiu hunt for SQH

mu qingfang

[ unmarked graves and unmarked lives (were we ever living at all) ]

SVSSS bamf MQF = LQG gay panic + LQG's competency kink

SVSSS MQF accidental sex cult

SVSSS mqf slave au + qijiumu found family + angst

SVSSS wei qingwei/mu qingfang sobfest extravaganza

shen jiu

[ ripples in the water ]

SVSSS jiuyuan body sharing homoeroticness

SVSSS/PIDW og liujiu hhp trial au

SVSSS qijiu a/o/b brothel au ft. angry sj wants to be dicked + yqy guilt

SVSSS qijiu memorial tablet reveal fix it

SVSSS qijiu time travel heavy angstangstangst fix it (but suffer about it)

SVSSS qijiu truth serum feral apologist YQY

transmitigation

[ reborn in a danmei, but i'm a girl ]

SVSSS SY sister transmitigates as QHT

TGCF (MXTX)

unfoldered

[ my soul is painted like the wings of butterflies ]

[ across an ocean of time, the wind still sings your name ]

different 3rd ascension

TGCF different 3rd ascension from casket au post guilded banquet ft. body horror god of sacrifice!xl

TGCF gilded banquet xl saves yong'an au identity reveal ft. wrathful xl disinherits al

TGCF pei xiu different ascention au god of desert!pei xiu + benevolent ghost king!ban yue

TGCF/SVSSS/MDZS xl stardew valley endless abyss horror show ft. wwx/sj/hong'er/bingge found family + god of lost souls!xl OR Xie Lian's orphange for abused wayward children at the end of the world

fengqing

[ I'll kiss my name into your skin and cleave our souls together ]

[ the root of the problem (is my love for you that grows) ]

[ roots dug in the ground (buried beside my broken heart) ]

TGCF fengqing + hualian miscommunication romcom drama ft. dumb!fx + hc commits a murder (as a treat)

TGCF fengqing dream projection ft. mq/suffering aka (the mortifying ordeal of being known)

TGCF fengqing flirting dare au ft. gaypanic!fx.exe has stopped working + gremlin mq

TGCF fengqing sex god!fx domain = fights nude ft. thirsty!mq + identity porn

TGCF fengqing fx insult kink/mq midlife crisis

TGCF fengqing genderbend accident ft. identity porn + dumb!mq + whipped!fx

TGCF fengqing one "night" (month) stand misunderstanding

TGCF fengqing subconscious curse romcom + horrified!everyone (except PM who is a manwhore)

TGCF fengqing reascension heavenly tribulation elemental master drama au

TGCF fengqing fake love potion drama ft. pining!fx + exasperated(pining)!mq (THEY ARE BOTH DUMB)

TGCF fengqing god of love!pei ming pov ft. failed matchmaking + circus core life + suffering!pei ming

TGCF fengqing fake wedding con au ft. xl/morbid amusement + hc knows whats up but will watch the trainwreck anyway + fengqing are dumb (™)

TGCF fengqing modern college academic rival au ft. fengqing as a case study under a microscope for friend group to observe + “if we lock them in a room, maybe they’ll fuck already?” + oblivious fengqing

TGCF fengqing fairytale swan princess!mu qing + archer!feng xin ft. pining, angst, identity porn

TGCF fengqing soulmate enemies to lovers oblivious misunderstanding (is it a misunderstanding if you explain all signs away with denial?) ft. BOTH ARE DUMB + everyone knows but them

TGCF fengqing “what happens in ghost city (vegas) stays in ghost city” accidental marriage au + failed divorce attempt comedy

TGCF xianle quartet spicy

[ kiss or pass ] OR how to manipulate mansplain manwhore our way into a fengqing confession as decreed by pei ming (manslaughter notes from hua cheng)

lang qianqiu

TGCF Lang Qianqiu/Xiao Mengyou

TGCF qianxiu misunderstanding ft. px (adopted) son of fangxin + conspiracy theorist lqq

modern au

TGCF fengqing modern cultivation media rom drama au ft. accidental viral sexy lipstick commercial

TGCF modern hualian cooking YouTube au

TGCF pei ming (john tucker must die) au ft. shuiming identity porn + angst

transmitigation

MDZS/TGCF Meng Yao/Mu Qing reincarnation fengqing soulmates au

TGCF fu yao transmitigation as mu qing à la svsss style au fu yao/everyone + fengqing

TGCF mu qing isakai (à la lotr fic plot) ft. language barrier + drama + trapped in the plot

TGCF Qi Rong transmitigation evil system au aka "but do I have to commit war crime atrocities" + "yes ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡"

TGCF fengqing transmitigation à la svsss style angstangstangst version ft. pining!mq/not as dumb as he looks!fx

yin yu deserves to be loved

TGCF bloodmoonscrap 🩸🌑📜 au

TGCF quanyin martial brother sex pollen prank

Star Trek

[ though the stars walk backwards ]

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:They Be Gay:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

Percy Jackson

PJO/SOA god!patroclus soulmate reincarnation au large heaping of angst as a treat

...and I could have sworn I had more PJO fanfics then this that I've worked on in the past few months, but I cannot find them... I refuse to look for them at this point though. I have been working on this list for over half a day now.

Believe it or not, this IS the short list. And yes. Those ARE the actual titles on the wips 😂 I'm a little unhinged when naming shit sometimes okay? As a treat to myself. I have zero regrets ✨✨

As for tagging people.. I'ma be real here. I DO NOT HAVE THAT MANY MUTALS. "Tag as many people as you have WIPs" sounds like fun until you have 95 wips on your short list 😅 BUT IF YOU'RE MY MUTUAL AND YOU SEE THIS AND YOU WANT TO, it was actually a lot of fun and I highly recommend going through your wip folder.

Anyway, I'm done now! Goodnight!! 👋

WIP folder game

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have WIPs. People can send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet/preview or tell them something about it!

thank u for tagging me @kisahawklin <3 many of my wips just have a document or a note with a few ideas or vibes but they don't reeeeaaally exist yet (or maybe ever) (naturally)

amnesia au untamed boyfriend material au skz newspaper gc au mdzs study abroad au survivor au mdzs hr fic extras mdzs taxes mdzs newspaper au epistolary sports fic hockey au anastasia au skz starstruck

tbh no idea who to tag bc i'm barely active on here so i'm tagging the people i've followed recently <3 feel free to participate if u would like!! @xiaokuer-schmetterling @furbyairride @busycryingoverthemarauders @sillygoofyqueer @guangshi-091305 @sirenofthegreenbanks @momzawa-5 (also @ anyone else who wants to do this game just count yourself invited by me!!!)