#my dao fic

[themournwatcher]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Born Again In Blood

Chapter 9

Keep reading for the opening paragraphs of the newest chapter. Open tags for anyone else who wants to post their WIP. I was tagged by @fenharel-apologist94

“What do you mean the Grey Wardens are gone?” Mahanon asked as he tugged the sheets up over his chest in a vain attempt to cover his bandaged breasts. It had been one thing to awaken in an unfamiliar bed—another all entirely to be at his most vulnerable with an apostate looking on. Around his neck, the vial of blood still dangled.

“‘Tis as I said,” Morrigan replied gently, turning her head away at his apparent discomfort. “Mother was only able to save you and your fellow Warden from the crumbling tower. Your Teyrn quit the field. There is nothing left of the valley.”

Mahanon’s heartbeats were thunderous in his own ears. His blood boiled beneath his skin, burning and chasing the breath out of his lungs. He clutched the thin blankets closer to himself. “So Alistair is alive. How long have I been asleep?”

“A day at most,” Morrigan said. “Mother and I have tended to you to the best of our ability. I believe it is the taint in your blood that spared you from the full suffering of your wounds.” She paused. “Did you know that it…”

“Burns?” Mahanon finished for her. “Yes. The blood does burn.”

…

“You! You’re alive!” Alistair gasped as Mahanon stumbled out of Flemeth’s hut. The door creaked to a shut behind him. The chittering of bugs and birdsong hummed in his ears along the humid air. Keeping his breathing steady despite the ache in his chest, Mahanon pushed forward to walk off of the narrow porch and to the edge of the lake alongside Alistair. “I thought you were dead for sure.”

Mahanon pressed his hand against the ache in his shoulder, beneath his armor. It had taken him ages to get dressed—longer due to Morrigan’s lingering. He hadn’t been able to look her in the eye since he woke up in her bed, his chest wrapped tightly in bandages. For a moment, beneath her critical gaze, he wished that he had died. Death might have been better than her knowing the truth. Then the thought passed, and reason won. As he stuttered to try and explain himself, Morrigan brushed him off. I care not what lies beneath your shirt, she had said to him. Far be it from me to criticize the reclamation of one’s body.

“It will take more than a few darkspawn to kill me,” Mahanon said grimly. It had been more than a few that hounded them within the Tower of Ishal, and judging by the wince on Alistair’s face, he knew it, too. He hadn’t intended for it to be a joke. He carved his way through an arl’s hold. Still, it fell flat. Flemeth, standing nearby, cleared her throat, prompting Mahanon to turn to her. “Oh. Thank you. Morrigan told me that… you rescued us.” She had told him enough, at least, muttering something of a dragon’s tale.

“Daveth was right about her,” Alistair said. “She is the Witch of the Wilds that the Chasind speak of.”

“And my magic has served you well,” she was quick to rebuke. “You both yet live, do you not?”

“Morrigan told me that others did not,” said Mahanon. “That the other Grey Wardens have fallen. Is that… true? Are we the only ones who survived? She said that Teyrn Loghain quit the battle.” He felt his lips draw into a frown; it was not as if that news truly surprised him. He had seen for himself the horde that had upset their flight up the tower; if it was anything like that down in the valley, it would be the wiser choice to flee rather than lose all of one’s forces. Surely there would be chance to regroup later.

“This much is true, yes,” Flemeth agreed. “There are others who live, but they are stragglers who wander the valley and will not get far before being picked off. Still, there is a larger matter at hand than the Teyrn’s strategy—the Blight. It has always been the duty of Grey Wardens to unite the land against the darkspawn. Or did that change when I wasn’t looking?”

“The Grey Wardens are dead,” Mahanon said. He didn’t look at Alistair, who flinched again at the harshness of his tone. He did not need to ask to know that Duncan must have perished also. Morrigan had already assured him of that much—that they were the only ones that Flemeth had rescued. He had bit back the urge to joke that Cailan would have won them a higher ransom. He would have time to ponder that later. “Do you really think that only two of us will be able to stop the Blight?”

“You don’t have a choice,” chuckled the old woman, “lest you are willing to leave the fate of Ferelden—nay, the world—to that chance that someone else will.”

“We still have the treaties,” Alistair interrupted quietly.

Catch up on Born Again in Blood below!

[toffee-arts]

. Kingfisher Feathers by Anonymous I binge read this fic the whole afternoon and lets just say I am inlove 🥺♥ political drama + wangxian = heaven

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

No hate to cql or anything but every time I read a fic that has Lan Wangji be the Chief Cultivator I die inside. Because like. NO. That’s a TERRIBLE IDEA for everyone involved. First of all, Lan Zhan cannot communicate properly enough to be a politician, and his main priority is his husband. He is not suited for that role. Second of all, the novels’ implication that the next Chief Cultivator (if there even is one) would be Nie Huaisang is actually very important for Wei Wuxian’s character development?? Like, Wei Wuxian knows that Nie Huaisang is a lil conniving bitch who painstakingly arranged for the downfall of the most powerful man in the cultivation world, manipulating multiple people to their deaths (or at least emotional ruins) all for his own revenge. He knows that Nie Huaisang is capable of as much damage as Jin Guangyao, and that he’s poised to take over his seat of power. Wei Wuxian knows all of that and, very deliberately, decides not to give a fuck.

Wei Wuxian, who spent his entire life picking up the messes of other people, destroying himself in the process, only to have those same people spit in his face and make him a pariah, sees this potential Problem for the cultivation world and goes, “You know what? That’s none of my business.” and runs off to elope with his boyfriend. Like, Nie Huaisang probably won’t be as bad as Jin Guangyao. He’s been shown to have more human decency, at the very least. But he also spent the entire series expertly lying to everyone, so much so that we really don’t know what he plans to do now that he’s gotten his revenge. And you know what? That’s fine. He can fuck over all the four great sects if he’d like, because the cultivation world’s politics have been a corrupt shitshow for decades, and it’s their job to sort that shit out. It’s certainly not Wei Wuxian’s job. He’s done enough, and he deserves this one moment of selfishness. He deserves to get his own happy ending and settle down with the family he’s always wanted and not have to worry about saving all those ungrateful assholes. Wei Wuxian is at least on good terms with Nie Huaisang (it was awfully convenient that his old friend’s revenge scheme coincidentally involved resurrecting him and setting him up with his crush) and he trusts that he won’t fuck with him or his family.

And that’s good enough for him! Lan Wangji is similarly happy to spend the rest of his life with Wei Wuxian, and after 13 years of mourning he’s sure as fuck not gonna ruin his second chance to go play politics with the most obnoxious people in the world. The ideal ending for both of them is a happy marriage that mainly involves doing their own thing, night hunting together, fucking every day, and teaching the kids. Their calling, where other people are concerned, is absolutely as teachers, and nothing more.

[bnnywngs]

Lan Wangji is the second in command and the heir of the Lan Group, he is known for his serious, rigid personality and for having little to no expression whenever talking to anyone, including his own older brother.

For years his enemies tried in vain to find a weakness to explore, they even tried to bribe the man he supposedly hated the most only to come back with empty hands.

Until one day this hated man, Wei Wuxian, and Lan Wangji eloped, surprising everyone, even their families and closest friends. They all thought those two hated each other, only to realize it was their weird way of flirting.

So when the opportunity arrived, Lan Wangji's enemies kidnapped Wei Wuxian, tying his hands together and pulling him inside an unregistered black van with heavily tinted windows. And when they strapped him to a chair in an abandoned warehouse somewhere at the edge of the city, they decided to use his phone to call his husband.

"Wei Ying." came the weird soft voice of Lan Wangji through the phone, making the kidnapper hesitate.

"We have your boytoy." he said at last.

"I see." Lan Wangji's voice was emotionless, a bit cold, the tone they were used to hear "Good luck." and then he hung up the call, leaving the kidnappers speechless.

What the hell Lan Wangji was thinking? Didn't he love his husband? Was he really leaving him to die?

The turned back to their victim only to be completely shocked when Wei Wuxian was massaging his released wrists, a small amused smile on his thin lips.

"Man it's been a while." he chuckled "Oh, well"

When sunrise came, Lan Wangji woke up with Wei Wuxian sleeping on his chest, a serene expression on his already clean face. Burying his noise on that glossy hair, he realized his husband had taken a shower before coming to bed.

Smiling, he kissed his Wei Ying's forehead and got up to start his day.

[darjeelinh]

two meetings, thirteen years apart

scenes from my wangxian fic "i guess i'll have to change my plan"

art by my beloved @illumi-nati-png 🥹❤️

Link to fic

DM Nat for commission!

[khattikeri]

i think it's fascinating how so many people's view of a fix-it for MDZS involves wei wuxian staying loyal to yunmeng jiang and maintaining a position beneath jiang cheng as his right hand man, exactly like wei changze was to jiang fengmian and most likely exactly what the latter intended when he brought wei wuxian into his household to begin with.

it's almost like a majority of fans just utterly missed the point of the story. tell me the class critique and hypocrisy of the wealthy flew completely over your head without telling me.

there's a reason why the book frames it as a good thing for wei wuxian to have left yunmeng jiang and to not be brought back in even after his resurrection.

there's a reason why wei wuxian parallels his father, both eloping with the love of their lives and exiting mainstream cultivation society's sociopolitical affairs to righteously help others and pursue their own happiness.

there's a reason why even if it seems bittersweet, the ending of the novel is still good even for jiang cheng, because jiang cheng finally lets go. he internally accepts wei wuxian separating from him, stops doggedly antagonizing him, and stops thinking of their relationship in terms of debts that wei wuxian hasn't repaid.

[cloudpalettes]

space, gardening, and tenderness 🌱

my piece for @mdzsrbb !!! with an amazing fic written by the lovely @lamusadelils 💗 you can read the fic here !!

[yilingpapi]

rkgk. attempt at drawing WWXs outfit from @.KizuKatana’s fic Truth Will Out.

[batbusiness-schooldropout]

Au where Lan Qiren goes to Yiling

Lan Qiren: Wangji, beloved nephew, who is like a son to me. I have been to Yiling and-

Lan Zhan: How is Wei Ying?

Lan Qiren: It's rude to interrupt. But he seems well. Except for the part where he claims to be the biological mother of an absolutely sweet little boy

Lan Zhan: Yes. A-Yuan. He is very sweet

Lan Qiren: Quite. While under normal circumstances, I would dismiss his claims as a joke only funny to him, Wei Wuxian's refusal to change his answer, as well as his ramblings about how difficult the birth was, has managed to plant a seed of doubt in my mind. Wangji?

Lan Zhan: Yes Uncle?

Lan Qiren: I remind you that lies are forbidden

Lan Zhan: Yes

Lan Qiren: Tell me then. What are the chances that he is telling the truth?

Lan Zhan: Higher than you would like

Lan Qiren: I see. And if Wei Wuxian is, by some curse or miracle, a mother, what are the chances that someone besides you is the father?

Lan Zhan: ......Lower than you would like

Lan Qiren: I see. And what are the chances that you have both eloped and refused to tell me, the man who raised you?

Lan Zhan: We wouldn't dare Uncle

Lan Qiren: Ah. So you have possibly made the cutest and best boy I have seen in years and saddled him with the title of bastard? I did not raise you to be so disgraceful. You will, of course, do whatever you must to atone for this egregious behavior and bring A-Yuan to Cloud Recesses. Hurry before he picks up his "mother's" poor manners

[lilkikibat]

my heart made transparent 💖

Ranma 1/2 au where Lan Zhan falls into the spring of the drowned girl, except it’s a blessing instead of a curse. 💕

For the @bottomjibigbang event!!!

Fic by @wingsofbadass and art my me!!!

What an honor to study Rumiko Takahashi’s work and also work with a fellow Ranma lover!!! It was so fun. I really wanted to emulate the Ranma manga style and I hope I did her justice!!! Working off of Rie’s gorgeous fic got me so pumped up, and for my first proper big bang I couldnt have asked for a better partner. Thank you so much!!

Enjoy!!!

Read the fic here.

[lanzhanlanzhan]

Sandu Shengshou 🪷

Me? Obsess about Jiang Cheng seven years later? It's more likely than you think. 🙇‍♀️

[themournwatcher]

Born Again in Blood Chapter 8 just dropped!

This is a shorter chapter due to the fact that I have been struggling with severe writers' block. And for the first time we pivot to the POV of someone new within Thedas! I hope everyone enjoys; I should get back on track with regular updates soon.

[kirui]

The rough sketch was started and left to languish in 2018. Six years. It took me SIX years to do something with it. And all it really required was for me to decide to return to my crack-ridden roots. (There's now a link on my main page to all my stupid multi-fandom fancomics and 4koma nonsense.)

Accompanying crack ficlet here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54778528

Back to Angry Grape Jiujiu content after this.

[gentil-minou]

Wei Wuxian licks his lips and leans forward slightly, walking his fingers across the countertop aimlessly toward Lan Zhan. “You know, Lan Zhan,” he drawls, “A-Yuan says we’re both in the book.”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan responds, tracking the path of his fingers intently, “I am apparently Hanguang-jun, the moral upstanding hero.”

“And I’m the devious Yiling Loazu, who led you astray,” he smirks, peering at Lan Zhan through his lashes.

Lan Zhan meets his stare, head-on, lit from within like molten sunshine. “No,” he corrects, “not astray, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian tilts his head, waiting for him to continue. His fingers stop their dancing, resting just inches away from Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan shifts his own hand, bringing them even closer, their fingertips almost brushing.  

“The Yiling Loazu did not lead Hanguang-jun astray,” he says, eyes piercing as they flicker between Wei Wuxian’s. “They were partners, and…”

“Ah,” Wei Wuxian breathes, “the decent romance?”

Lan Zhan doesn’t answer, watching him closely. The pupils of his eyes have grown so large there’s only the tiniest ring of gold around the edge. He can see himself reflected in the black. He thinks he likes the version of himself that lives in Lan Zhan’s eyes.

They’re standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the other to take a step forward, bracing for a fall.

It should be terrifying, this sudden drop into something completely new, something entirely unknown yet so familiar. But Wei Wuxian is filled with conviction that no matter what, Lan Zhan will catch him.

It's as electrifying as it is calming, this certainty that here, with Lan Zhan, he is safe.

Wei Wuxian tilts his head to the side in a way he knows sets the unmarked skin of his neck on display. “I’m sure it was more than just decent, with a handsome hero like Hanguang-jun.”

Lan Zhan quirks an eyebrow, his gaze resting on the curve of Wei Wuxian’s neck, just as he’d hoped. "Handsome?"

“Well,” Wei Wuxian responds, tapping his index finger so it brushes against Lan Zhan’s fingertips. His skin is soft and perfect, just like the rest of him. “He isn’t wrong. You’re very handsome, Lan Zhan.”

“Really, Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan says, voice quiet and deep.

“Yep, definitely worthy of being compared to the beautiful Second Jade of Lan.”

“Is that so?” Lan Zhan shifts closer, the smell of him filling up Wei Wuxian. He smells so familiar, like something he knows intimately. Sandalwood, Wei Wuxian realizes, with sudden clarity.

Lan Zhan continues, “I would love to hear more about your opinion on my beauty and prestige, Wei Ying.”

“You don’t know anything about me, Lan Zhan. Why would you care what I think?”

Lan Zhan tilts his head, only just. “Do I need to? To want to know how your brain works?”

I commissioned this lovely artwork by the wonderful @lotuslate of a scene from my fic, once upon a time, 很久很久以前 where the entire cultivation world is cursed to live in the modern world without their memories and abilities, but of course wangxian find a way to fall in love all over again.

[stiltonbasket]

emperor!lwj au - I feel so bad for the staff, seeing this random young woman come into the emperor's quarters, call him by a pet name a bunch of times, and be very familiar with him. Also she's happily cuddling the prince and giving him a bath? the staff are (•ิ_•ิ)?

This ask made me laugh for a very long time, and since the fic is entirely from Wei Wuxian's POV, here's a short snippet from the staff's point of view!

--

"Steward Ling," a nervous young manservant from the Emperor's palace says one afternoon. "This one requests entry to the storeroom where Zeming zhang-gongzhu keeps the late Empress's belongings."

Ling Jun—the second chief steward of the present dynasty, and the son of the head of staff who served Emperor Qingheng upon his accession to the throne—glances up from his account-book to find two boys in their middle teens wringing their hands at the door to his office.

He sighs. His Majesty's servants are difficult to bear with—not because of any of them are overbearing, but rather because any extended span of time spent in the young Emperor's company seems to rob the boys of their wits.

"What for?" Ling Jun asks. "Huangshang and her Highness are both busy with the selection today, and Her Majesty's things are not due to be aired out until next month."

The elder of the two serving-boys shakes his head.

"Huangshang did not go to the selection," he whispers. "He is still in his room, with the little highness—and a woman. He asked us to fetch the cloak the late Emperor gifted to Her Majesty, so that he could give it to the lady."

Ling Jun nearly faints away on the spot.

The cloak that Xiao Yun is speaking of—a splendid garment made of thick wool, weighted down with pearls and shining silver beads sewn along the borders—was made for Empress Haoxian shortly after the young emperor was born. It delighted the late Emperor to see her in it, especially when the little taizi dianxia was with her; and after she passed away, the staff assumed that the cloak would be given to Grand Princess Zeming. But Zeming zhang-gongzhu laid the cloak away with the rest of her mother's things, insisting that it should be held in storage for his Majesty.

Since she would not wear it, Ling Jun expected that Empress Haoxian's cloak would never be worn again—and then, when it was made known to him that her Highness had given it to the young emperor, that it might be worn by the future Empress.

And if he was asking for it today, that meant—

"Who—who is the lady?" Ling Jun asks, bewildered. "The last I heard, the bridal candidates were waiting to be presented in an antechamber in the outer palace. Huangshang ought to have seen them by now, and if he is still in his quarters—is he with one of the maids?"

That would mean trouble in court, to be sure, but the nobles who sent their daughters to the selection would simply have to bear it. After all, Lan Wangji is only the second emperor of his line; and before Emperor Qingheng took the throne, his forefathers were known for disregarding all matters concerning rank when they wed. The late Emperor's own mother had been brought into the Lan estate as a nursemaid to one of his older cousins, and his father had stumbled upon her playing with the child in the Cloud Recesses' famed magnolia garden and fallen in love at first sight.

Perhaps it is one of Zeming zhang-gongzhu's maidservants, Ling Jun thinks hopefully. The Grand Princess's maids are sensible girls, and most of them have known his Majesty since they were children themselves: and though it might cause some difficulty if her Highness were to be suddenly outranked by one of her servants, such a girl ought to do well as Lan Wangji's Empress if she were properly educated for the role before her wedding.

"N-No, Lord Steward," mumbles the younger of his Majesty's serving-boys. "From what Xiao Tong overheard, the maiden is one of the xiunu from the selection. But she ran away and met Huangshang in his quarters instead of waiting to see him in the reception hall."

Ling Jun's vision blurs. "What?"

Xiao Tong nods furiously. "He called her Wei-guniang, so she must be a lady of rank. And—and Huangshang has her calling him by his birth name, just like Huanghou-niangniang used to! No one else has called him so since she died—even her Highness calls him by his courtesy name! He told me to fetch luncheon for her, and he wants to give her the mantle that the late Emperor gave her Majesty: so that must mean that she is the bride he has chosen."

"Wei?" There are no families of note called Wei living in the capital. "Whose daughter is she?"

At this juncture, one of the maids materializes on the threshold with a wild grin on her face. "Have you heard already?" she whispers, delighted. "About the girl in Huangshang's private quarters?"

"Gossip is forbidden, Xia Ye," Ling Jun snaps. "Do you have any proper business here?"

Xia Ye rolls her eyes at him. "He ordered her a fish clay-pot and braised zhusun with bamboo shoots," she says conspiratorially, before turning to Xiao Tong. "Guess what she's doing now, Tong'er! She's giving his little highness a bath!"

At this, Ling Jun nearly swallows his own tongue. His little highness—that is, his Majesty's ward, and a cousin of his on the late Empress's side—is a good child, with only one fault: a terrible fear of water, whether warm or cold. He suffers no one but his imperial father to bathe him, much to his nurse's distress—and if he had permitted a stranger to give him a bath less than an hour after meeting her, Huangshang might as well put the palace staff out of their misery and marry the girl tomorrow.

"And what's more, I know who she is," Xia Ye declares, before making a smug face at Ling Jun. "She's Jiang Fengmian's yang daughter. The older daughter is already married to Lord Jin's di son, so she couldn't attend the selection—but I heard that the yang daughter fits every one of the requirements Huangshang insisted on when he gave up trying to delay his marriage. She's older than Huangshang, I think—twenty-four or twenty-five, at the least—but Xie Li's mother is a cook at the girls' academy in the city, and she says that Wei Wuxian is the most brilliant scholar that the Grandmaster has ever taught."

All this means little to Ling Jun. The only noblewoman he has more than passing knowledge of is the Grand Princess, Lan Xichen; and his late Majesty thought it meet to educate her in everything from the six classical arts to swordsmanship and military history. Certainly the court found it absurd that Huangshang wanted a wife who was at least as well-learned as the scholars beginning their last years of study for the imperial examinations, but Ling Jun merely found it rather sensible.

"Then do you think he truly means to marry Young Mistress Wei?" he asks warily. "I suppose he must, or the lady would object to spending time with him without a chaperone."

"I don't know about that," Xia Ye says, shrugging. "He hasn't asked for Wei-guniang's hand, so who can say how matters will go?"

Ling Jun frowns. "What do you mean? She was invited here as a bridal candidate, and Huangshang clearly likes her better than all the rest, so—"

"Huangshang is currently pretending to be one of his little highness's attendants," Xia Ye informs him. "Wei-guniang doesn't know that he's the Emperor, and we're not supposed to tell her so."

"His—his attendant? Wei-guniang thinks that his Majesty is a servant?"

"Yes. And until he sees fit, nobody is to tell Wei-guniang otherwise."

With that, Xia Ye tosses her braids back over her shoulder and flounces out of Ling Jun's office, looking more gleeful than ever.

Ling Jun reaches into his desk with trembling hands and pulls out the key to the storehouse devoted to the late Empress's belongings.

"Here," he says hoarsely, handing the key to Xiao Tong. "Fetch the cloak and bring it to Huangshang. And mind how you speak to Young Mistress Wei; with any luck, she will be the new Empress before the year is out, and the first thing she will do after her wedding is choose which of the servants attending the inner palace are permitted to remain there."

"I wouldn't mind being dismissed, to be honest," Xiao Tong mumbles. "Huangshang looks just as much in love with her as the late emperor was with Empress Haoxian, and they've only just met. I don't fancy getting caught mistaking any of Wei-guniang's orders after she's married."

"Bite your tongue!" scolds Ling Jun. "Now deliver the cloak, and be quick about it. If there is so much as a speck of dust on it by the time it reaches Young Mistress Wei, I'll send you off to the laundry bureau before the madam has the chance to say a word about it."

Xiao Tong yelps and disappears, taking his hapless friend with him; and Ling Jun leans back in his chair with his eyes tightly shut, wondering if Wei Wuxian will change at all after she becomes the Empress.

"I am too old to serve such a spirited Empress," he mutters to himself. "Perhaps it is time for Ling Yan to take my place."

But it will be many months before Ling Jun's son can succeed him as the head steward. A change as great as that must wait until after Huangshang's wedding, and then for the new Empress to grow accustomed to her role as master of the inner palace; and all told, Ling Yan cannot hope to take Ling Jun's place before this time next year.

And if Ling Yun must remain until then, well...

"I suppose I might as well stay," he grumbles. "And by then, perhaps I will decide that there is no need to leave."

(Little did Ling Jun know that he would decide nothing of the kind. By the following summer, he would be driven half out of his wits by the newly-wed Wei Wuxian. But Ling Yan would have resigned his post and retired to the countryside under the duress of serving such a mistress; and as such, Ling Jun was forced—not too unhappily, for Wei Wuxian was as kind as she was flighty—to remain in his position as chief steward.

Xia Ye, on the other hand, would be swiftly elevated to the position of Wei Wuxian's chief maidservant: but the less said about that, the better.)

[darjeelinh]

pic 1: teen wangxian having a sleepover

pic 2: fellas is it gay to help clean my friend’s makeup while i cup her face look at her lips and ask if she thinks i’m pretty

scenes from my sapphic wangxian fic “slip into my skin”

Link to fic