#never trust wwx's food bro

[mdzs-incorrect-quotes]

Wei Wuxian: "Aren't you hungry? I can make you some food!"

Jin Ling: "...Is that a threat?"

[trans-xianxian]

hmm top five jc and wwx scenes? ten if you want but if that's too many, pretend I just said five

OOOOOOOHH I will do ten because I am insane. these aren't in any particular order because how could I rank them

wei wuxians last words being jiang chengs name. I can never and will never be normal about this

when they get back from their yin iron hunting adventure and are kneeling in the throne room waiting for jiang fengmian to come and scold them and wei wuxian is scratching jiang chengs shoulder sooo tenderly and they have their "what did I do in a past life to be cursed with a brother like you?" "in our next lives, let's be brothers again" exchange. something so tender about in the moment something so devastating in retrospect

when jiang cheng kneels in front of his mother and Tells her to stop hitting wei wuxian with zidian... a heartbreaking selfless act of love to disrespect his mother and put himself in harms way but also an interesting look into how and when jiang cheng decides that things are wei wuxians fault

in xuanwu cave then jiang cheng has to be Dragged Out Screaming in order to leave wei wuxian behind. makes me feel some type of way

I'm cheating here by combining several different moments from the same sequence into one list item but well I get to make the rules. but anyway when jiang cheng wakes up after his core is taken and wei wuxian sees him looking at the scars on his chest and is like don't worry I'll find a way to erase them. and then jiang cheng hits him and he's like if that's what makes you feel better you can hit me again. just the way that wei wuxian would do Anything to make jiang cheng feel better anything to see him smile. and then later when wei wuxian decides that he really Would do anything to take jiang chengs pain away and he's making him eat all his food, piling more into his bowl, before telling him anything about how they'll "get his core back" and jiang cheng in his frenzy and his trust eats his food with his chopsticks upside down. imagine I've said all of this in one breath shaking like a chihuahua

THE HUG ough I always forget how emotional it makes me until I see it again... "I was worried about you these three months" 🤧

the little flashback where baby yunmeng bros are holding hands and playing with each other.... absolute insanity

AAAAAHHGHHHBFDD when jiang cheng comes to the burial mounds. and wei wuxian tries to take his hand to lead him around but jiang cheng will not follow. and there are little moments that are Almost normal because affection comes so naturally but also because you can tell that wei wuxian is trying So Hard to make it seem like everything is okay, like it's all still the same. wei wuxian saying that yiling and yunmeng are close and he can visit whenever he likes, and jiang cheng telling him to stop being foolish. "no precedent? I'll be the precedent!" "wei wuxian, do you have to make me spell it out? if you keep protecting them, I won't be able to protect you". their whole conversation in the cave - jiang cheng full of concern, not even angry, trying to get wei wuxian to make the safe and easy choice, the one that will keep them together, wei wuxian, who Always carries the burden, trying his hardest to protect jiang cheng and their sect while still doing what he knows is right but never letting jiang cheng see even a drop of his pain and his heartbreak. "you are asking for the moon again". how they're both sort of just in disbelief of the other person as they agree to the fight

waaahg when they're goofing around about the soup with jiang yanli at lotus pier after jiang cheng eavesdrops on their conversation... soooo siblings and the last little bit of light and innocence before it all falls apart 👍

and last but most certainly not least goes to the entirety of their interaction in guanyin temple. jiang chengs childish rage, the way wei wuxian just sits there and takes it, "why didn't you tell me!" "because I didn't want to see you like this", wei wuxian wiping away jiang chengs tears, the way that throughout their entire conversation until that point you can see wei wuxian almost reach out to touch jiang cheng several times before clenching his fingers again, the fact that even tho they reveal secrets and give apologies and explanations it is Not all said and done, their relationship, realistically, is not fixed with a single conversation, there is still work to do but you know that it will be done

honorable mention to "take care" followed by The Flashback... technically the scene is About yunmeng bros but they aren't actually interacting so I didn't include it in the main list. something about the seed of their reconciliation being planted by jiang cheng committing the truly selfless act of letting wei wuxian go. the way that it would have been so easy and so in character for jiang cheng to reveal the monumental secret of his own sacrifice, to hold it against wei wuxian, just one more thing he believes he is owed, but in a moment of growth all jiang cheng wants is for wei wuxian to be well. okay.

[person-behind-books]

so like here’s a 3.6k drabble of trans!wwx, yunmeng bros, and wangxian. little warning though because this has some dark and angsty parts

(also I’ll probaly add it to Ao3 in case i’ll edit it but for now this is the only place you’ll see it so have fun with my horrible english grammar and spelling)

when wei wei ying was a child her parent's always called her yingying or a-ying or ying'er or sometimes xiao-ying but never "little girl" or something like that because her mother only has a title not a name and never want's wei ying to be like that. And because they were not the most wealthy she was dressed in the cheapest clothes they could buy, always a size or two to big because of her steady growing and always androgenous because gender differention is expensive for childrens clothing.

So that is why when wei ying is waiting for them to return and sleeping on the steets she is often assumed to be a boy and because she has seen what happens to girls on the steets she agrees with them and becomes him.

when jiang fengmian finds him on the streets and chases away the dogs he thinks she's a girl but when he tells her that he is a boy and no his parents really are cangse sanren and wei chanze he agrees there must have been a misunderstanding somewhere and leaves it at that.

wei ying bathes alone bause he took care of himself for four years on the street and because he doesn't trust jiang fengmian just because he safed him from dogs and gave him food and a bath. he knows what happens when wealthy people take a liking to you and give you a home.

and when the doctor treats the bites on her shoulder and the one on her calf he is wrapped in a soft robe and only the bare minimum undressed.

*

the modesty standarts in lotus peir are looser that in the other sects, especially in summer, but pants are always a must even if robes can be taken off for swimming so no one ever notices something about him is different from the other boys and if he is too tall for his age amd his chest muscles are a bit more pronunced that the other boys no one questiones it because he excells in cultivation and what is a quirk in genetics about his built if the boy obviously is a prodigie. and he still takes his bath alone but now because he doesn't want questions about his scars from the other deciples, it would be scandalous if he were to bathe with shijie and weird with a doctor or uncle jiang and because a-cheng also prefers to bathe alone.

That is no one notices until he wakes a few weeks after his twelfth birthday and there is blood everywhere.

he doesn't scream only because he has seen enough blood to know the quantity he sees isn't enough to be truly dangerous and because he feels no injury on his body. still he is fightened and he wakes jiang cheng on the other side of the room.

he also doesn't know what is going on and after some minutes of debate they decide against going to uncle jiang or madam yu but instead to question shijie if she might know whats going on.

shijie is startled at being awoken in the middle of the night but when she sees chengcheng and him scared, he had changed and washed to blood of before they came as he didn't want to statle her, she softens as if out of reflex and followes the to their room.

(this is both mdzs and cql with their shared rooms. my hc is that jc and wwx shared a room until maybe they got their courtesy names because we had that childhood scene about sharing rooms in both versions but in mdzs wwx is shown to have his own room after the xuanwu.)

after they explain to her what happened and show her his blood stained robe and sheets there is a confused and faintly flustered air about her but she pulls herself together.

she tells him that he is a girl not a boy but he refutes that so she changes it to he's physically a girl and in spirit a boy - jiang-didi finds it a bit weird and is very cunfused at first but accepts it with little more that a shrug.

they keep secret what happened that night and they explain the sheets and robe away as if he had been injured on his thigh while he had been cleaning his sword on the bed and add a cut on the robe as prof because what if the adults won't accept him being a boy?.

*

then comes the time where his breasts grow a little too big to be mistaken as muscles and his beloved and treasured shidi helps im by drawing suspicion away and also leaving his robe on when they go swimming. they make in a gradual change and no one really notices or questions it because wei ying is still thriwing and ever growing in his potential and jiang cheng is right behind him in their race to strenghten their golden core and the sect heir.

his robes still cling to his to curvy waist and too big chest but his breasts are small and he can easily hide his form in the fall of his robes and years go by and no one thinks to question him.

*

lan zhan is the first time he questions if he really is a guy because he should like girls if that's the case not guys. and he likes girls they are beautiful and soft and curvy and sometimes make a heat in his lover belly ignite and make him feel empty in the fold of his legs.

but lan zhan is hard muscle and an icy handsome face and a deep voice and his good friend and that time he saw him naked in the cold springs is burned behind his eyelids and he makes his stomach flutter and sometimes the emptines in the fold of his legs throb.

he doesn't tell chengcheng about it becaue he would make fun of him and shijie because she is still at home and even thinking of writing his feelings down in a letter makes his face burn but nie huaisang seems to see something in his face when lan zhan walks by and gives him a different sort of books. instead of a man with a woman it's to men and wei wuxian understands that he is a cutsleeve and not a cutsleeve and really gratefull to nie huaisang. he helps him the next test as payment and this time they manage not to get caught.

*

then jin zixuan insults his shijie and while he understands his feelings of being an unwilling participant in a marriage his shijie is perfect and flawless and how dare he insult her and the insult jiang cheng and uncle fengmian and he's is so mad.

there are screams.

there is a sting on his fist where his knuckles collide with the peacock's face.

he sees lan zhan in the corner of his eyes and jiang cheng in the other.

*

he will be send home and when he sees jiang fengmians dissapointed face he feels himself crumble inside.

still he stands by his choice. unlike what most people assumed he wasn't a total dumbass and had a rather good grasp a politics he mostly just choses to ignore all unspoken, and written down, rules.

he had chosen to punch the peacock with the full knowledge there would be a punishment for him and a small backlash against the jiang sect but he was aware it would'nt be enough to truly hurt or even harm them.

*

when jin zixuan stands infront of pretty and witty mianmian he is almost impressed with him but most of his attention is on lan zhan and the wens.

there are calculations running through his head.

the wens had been bold enough to attack the lan and were now taking all the sect heirs hostage. they were planing further attacks but where would they strike first? the jin were if not allied closets with the wens, the lans had been attacked already and the nie had for years made no secret of their antagonising of the wen sect. that would lead one to assume their next target were the nie but the wen hadn't attacked them yet, the unclean relam was too well fortified and defended, and if they wanted they would need to siege. for that siege they would need securety in the knowlede it would'nt be a fight on two fronts and yunmeng was more known for trade instead of their war so the choice on who to attack first was fairly clear.

if he were to antagonise the wens now their coise would undoubtedly attack yunmeng soon but the chances were height enough that they would do so either way that wei wuxian took the gamble.

*

the first time he tells someone he is born with the body of a woman is after he begged wen qing to give his core to jiang cheng and he needs to know if that would be okay or if it would harm jiang cheng to have a female core replace his male one.

wen qing tells him it doesn't matter and the two days a week after that are spend in pure agony.

*

the monsters he controls know of it as they do eveything about him, just as he knows everything abough those he controlls the most often each time he controlls them the is information about their life about their death about their hate about her husband who strandled her about his father who was killed in front of him because of a stupid dept of the solder who had her comrades turned against her by a monster in filthy wen robes and raven black hair and glowing red eyes-

they don't care for his body and only obey his command they want vengace but are to far gone to know who the target is so he lets it enter him and entwins their spirits with his and contolls them, feeds them the souls and bodies of wens as offerings, loves them as an indulget master loves his pets and they love him, hurts them because he is a cruel master when they get to loud in their want for the blood of his allies of their want in a different way for lan zhan who is always there protectiong him on the battlefield arguing with him when they leave it and always so gorgeous and radiant with his spiritual energy and wei wuxian and his ghosts are drawn to him like moth's to a flame and appaled by him as he is appaled by them.

*

living in the burial mounds is easier that in had been in lotus peir both when it had been lifely and when in had been filled with ghosts and also harder.

the wens he has here with him are cultivator who survived the war and elders and wen qing's family and had he met them in the war he would have killed them but now they are his to protect so he will. they are scared of him so they don't question his darker days when he claws at his hair and hsi stomach and the resentful energy of the burial mounds comes closer that their wards should allow but they are also greatful and through enough that they don't really care anymore not truly not about anything so they were accepting of him and they had little feasts with uncle four's wine and aunt six's special radish recipe and they enjoyed life as much as they still could.

the only light in their life are those small meals and a-yuan, who hasn't been though a war and who slowly forgets those golden robes that sometimes bring him to tears of wake him drenched from a nightmare, and a body in a cave full of resentment that gives them all hope if only for their leader who misses her brother so much it brings her some days closer to breaking that wei wuxian had ever been.

each day he admires wen qing anew as she pulls herself together, as she breaks apart in his arms, as he breaks apart in her arms, as she stand's over wen nings body and repairs in so it won't have to be done when he's consious again.

*

he tells lan zhan he bore a-yuan from his own body and ignores the jolt of disguts that flits thought him with the realisation that he could actually give birth and focuses instead on the adorably confused look of lan zhan's face.

he laughs and they share a meal.

his talisman goes of and lan zhan flies the three of them up to their settlement and wei wuxian focuses on lan zhan and a-yuan's warmth instead of the last time he had flown over the burial mounds.

the resentul energy in him, holding him together, it will never be alble to leave him he won't ever be alone, he won't ever be able to leave them, he promised them vengance why isn't there more blood kill him he's a threat, he makes you weak, he'll kill you, no keep him, have him stay forever, you're stronger than him, never let him leave, just confine him in the cave-

he ruthlesly squashes it down and revels in the hurt, betrayal, fear he gets in return before lan zhan lands the sword and he comes back to himself and doesn't have time to wallow in what he had been thinking about but instead forces him to focus on wen nings body.

and together with lan zhan's help in confining wen ning he finally has the stroke of genious which he needed.

and wen ning is conscious once again.

and wen qing is sobbing on him.

and they have another little feast.

and lan zhan leaves.

*

shije is dead. she can come back. she will wan't a good body mine won't be good enough for her. wen ning. wen qing. they will also need good bodies. this old thing won't work it'll destroy their chances at reincarnation. now this would work. but no nobody should be forced to be in a body as destroyed as mine. oh jiang cheng i'm sorry. a-yuan will be safe he. no he won't he'll die. i have to destroy it. what if it also kills lan zhan. or jiang cheng. or a-yuan. or there is jiang cheng again. i wonder where lan zhan is. everyone is here. you killed shijie. i killed shijie. you did you have to die all of you. no one shuld life. the whole world should die. yes. yes. vengance. kill them all. no not jiang cheng. it wan't jiang cheng. but should he not die. no he can't. yes yes yes kill kim. no. of he's so close. doesn't he know that's dangerous. what an idiot. lan zhan lan zhan where are you you have to die. to life. to die. where are you. i will destroy you all. wen qing where are you my arm hurts. wen ning where are you. will you also leave me now you don't need me aymore. you should also die. don't leave me. die. die . die. i should just die. yeah thats right. this is my fault. it killed. you. i killed the peacock. a bird. i didn't kill a bird. i killed shijie. i should die for that. yes i should. no no no. i should kill everyone else. no. let's kill everyone. die.

*

the next thing wei wuxian remembers is a nothingness and it goes on. and shijie is dead. but that is so long ago. but she's dead. but so is wen qing. and  wen ning. and they're all dead. a-yuan.

*

when wei wuxian wakes up he feels weird. he doesn't know where he is. how he got here or how much time passed since the last fuzzy memories he has of a battlefield only that a lot of time passed.

that he is kicked in the face and screamed at and he recognizes the array under him as the one he created in his madness of trying to ressurect shijie.

he understands and when the annoying guy has left he tries to figure out the situation.

his body feels wierd and when he lockes at it he realizes why.

he has locked at enough porn in his life to recognize it but it doesn't make it anyway less wierd. he had always thought his female body felt a bit wrong but now that he is in a male body doesn't feel any better. it's still wierd but it's also nice. he doesn't have breasts and while he had lost all his hardwon strengh his own body had been in worse contidtion even before he died so he doesn't dislike it. it would be comforable in this body if you forgot the bruises and the cut's on his arm and got used to the change between his legs he decides so he ignores any lingering wierdness he feels and leave the room he woke up in to start with his problem of the cuts on his arm. at first he would try the humiliation and if that didn't work maybe he could just burn the manor down? he really didn't have to find three people in the, if you locked at only the size of the estate and who even knew mo xuanyu would want revenge on the people in this estate and not maybe someone who wronged him in the past?

but then he sees the an juniors and his plan of burning everything to the ground is promptly out of the question.

*

lan zhan is even more beautiful that he had been the last time wei wuxian had seen him but there is an air of something tragic about him and wei wuxian want's nothing more that to hug him, comfort him, tell him it'll be okay.

but lan zhan hates him and if he didn't have a chance with him in a womans body who could give heirs, not that lan zhan knew that of course, there is even less of one for him now.

he leaves and ignores the way his heart aches for him to go back.

*

he knows jiang cheng knows it's him and a part of him want's to fall to his knees and beg jiang cheng for forgiveness and accept whatever judgement he has for wei wuxian but there is lan zhan and lan zhan is protecting him and he doesn't know who he is and maybe he can bask in his presence some more before there is inevitebaly the disgust and the hate.

*

he sleeps in lan zhan's bed and sometimes he wakes up hard which is something that never happened to him before and really wierd but lan zhan is never there so he can easily take care of it and doesn't have to face the embaressment of having woken up in such a state.

*

jiang cheng threatens him with a dog into complience, hurls verbal abuse at his head, throws a teacup at him, but never calls him her.

jin ling lies to jiang cheng about a sighting of wen ning and wei wuxian want's to break out in tears. in their time they never would have dared lie to uncle jiang not to speak of the horrors had they ever even thought of doing so to madam yu. that jin ling can lie makes wei wuxian so happy and so sad.

*

even though he had clearly known who he was he had never publicly said anything against him after what happened on dafan mountain and told nobody who he truly was.

it jiang cheng needs time he will give him that but this gives him the hope that one day they will be able to talk again, maybe they won't ever be as close as before but they will have a relationship again.

*

then jiang cheng finds out about the core and wei wuxian is hoping his injury will act up and force him to pass out but it doesn't so he has to see every agonized shift in jiang chengs face and when he looks at him broken and "how dare you keep this to yourself" spills from his mouth "how dare you not tell me" but now wei wuxian also become angry "well why would you be so stupid and go pack for your parents bodies. i love you chengcheng but you're a stupid idiot sometimes".

it's then that the truth about his capture spill out and there is screaming the is the clash of zidian and bichen and in the end he leaves with lan zhan and wen ning but he knows they will be okay.

*

later when he is still a bit fuzzy from the wine and so happy with lan zhan on top of him he feels hope. maybe lan zhan feels the same and they have a chance after all?

but then lan zhan flinches back and he was drunk and what has wei ying done. how coul he be so cruel to the one person he never wanted to hurt.

it's then that the owner comes and safes him from the situation.

*

zewu-jun clearly hates him for what he has done to his brother but wei wuxian doesn't really care that particular moment. not that zewu-jun hates him, not that they're in a hostage situation, not that there are a lot of people and that some things should not be said in front of strangers and especially not family.

all that matters is lan zhan.

he likes him so much. fancie's him. loves him. want's him. can't leave him. whatever's him.

and lan zhan feels the same.

[danmei-trash]

WangXian as Parents Pt 2

A random Jin clan elder: Young Master, the hunt may be dangerous. Do you want more people with you?  JL: No nevermind I can handle this alone  Also JL: Drags his Junior bros and WangXian dads along with him.

LJY once asked WWX to attend the parent teacher’s meeting as his dad

OYZZ and LJY have flaunted their dads in front of all their other friends but they’ll never admit it in front of WangXian

LSZ too has threatened some hard to deal clients using WangXian’s name

LWJ not so indirectly praises all of the Juniors

Random cultivator in a meeting: My kid can kill three demons in one strike! LWJ: My children make friends with the demons The random cultivator: ...  LWJ: try getting on my kids’ level

WWX has paintings of each and every Junior, tucked inside his sleeves and shows those to people every chance he gets.

WWX: *to a waiter in a bar* Yeah the demons are kinda restless nowadays but- *pulling out the paintings*  have you seen how handsome my sons are?

WWX makes funny faces from outside the window during a Lan sect lecture LQR pretends to not notice

LWJ cooks various dishes he has learnt from travelling all around and cooks them for his husband and children

He also allows LJY and JL to eat more than three bowls

LSZ once made a bouquet of flowers for WWX

WWX cried tears of joy on LWJ’s shoulder that night “A-Yuan is so cuttteeeee!!!!! *sobs*”

JL can now tolerate spicy food not to WWX’s level but way more than the others because of his uncle and WWX

LJY and LSZ always feed Lil’ Apple plump and ripe, best quality apples

And because of that, it now never eats what WWX gives it

Lil’ Apple and Fairy are now best of friends

Whenever the Juniors get punished to copy Lan rules, LWJ pretends to not notice that they skipped a few hundred rules

All kids love the classes which are taught by WWX yes LQR allowed it because he’s always making jokes and praising everybody

They also love the classes taught by LWJ because somewhere in the middle of the class he gets lost in WWX’s eyes (who was sitting in the class cause he wanted to see how hot his husband looks while teaching) and that decreases the class duration (also they’re cute as hell so)

LJY and JL once fell asleep on Wen Ning’s shoulder WWX and Wen Ning tried their best not to cry

LJY tried to play WWX’s flute

LQR had to confiscate it WWX had to swear that LJY would never be able to touch it again

The only Junior allowed to touch Chenqing is LSZ because everybody trusts him

LQR allows LSZ to call him grand-uncle

JL used to flaunt that he knew the sword techniques of both Jiang sect and Jin sect but had to shut up because LSZ knows Wen sect, Jiang sect and Lan sect

Seriously LSZ looks like a cinnamon roll but can really kill you in such a way you will regret being born

I mean he is WWX’s son and we all know how he annihilated the Wen clan

LSZ got angry once. Nobody ever wants to get on his bad side now

LJY and JL always fight for the last piece of chicken which LWJ cooks cause that’s the best

And in the mess of the quarrel, WWX manages to eat that piece

LJY and JL didn’t talk to WWX for an entire week until he bought four whole chickens for them to eat alone yes they can eat a lot

WangXian have composed a lullaby to play for the Juniors during night hunts even though they obviously are too old for it (except OYZZ. HE loves it)

OYZZ wants to learn a musical instrument now

They’re the happiest family honestly

Part 1

[neverdoingmuch]

I’m here for the ‘swords not as pets’ agenda. Swords as cars: solid, get you from place to place, potentially dangerous, customizable, something people name. Wwx losing his license taking the fall for a mistake jc made (idk, dui maybe?) and just choosing to mod the hell out of a self-balancing scooter or segway or something so it goes dangerously fast. Alternatively: spending 3 months inventing the first functional actual levitating hoverboard, with an insane top speed. 3 months in the (1/2)

sawdfert this is delightful!! i saw segway and i immediately started wheezing,, there was no time for laughing i went straight to the wheezing. i think it would make more sense if wwx lost his car and got a motorcycle? like hoverboards and segways are cool but motorcycles have that big reputation of being dangerous and there’s the whole ‘rebellious teen gets a motorcycle and becomes a delinquent’ thing? like motorcycles are fast and if you crash it’s so much worse than if you were in a car and there’s no airbags or anything. but also?? wwx rocking up to school on a segway while playing his flute like the shittiest entrance ever? iconic. but let’s stick with chenqing as a motorcycle/scooter (motorcycle-esque scooter not the ones that try and take out your ankles).

okay so all the major sects are super rich so in a modern au it would make sense for all the sect heirs to get cars. i’m not saying that jc and wwx complain about jzx being stuck-up bc he was given a porsche for his birthday even though they were also given cars for their birthdays,,, but i am. at first it would have been this major point of contention between yzy and jfm bc wwx isn’t even their son so why is he getting a car too but wwx is like ah it’s so i can drive jc and jyl to school! you wouldn’t want their cars being left outside the school all day would you? someone in my maths class had their car get keyed and it was super expensive to fix,, and yzy is like yes wwx may have a car only to protect my children from parking hassles,, also wwx must pay for his own parking. so wwx and jc both get given cars for their bdays.

now wwx gets bored easily,, so you could translate him being a cultivation genius to him being really good at driving. im talking that jc is still getting the hang of switching gears and wwx is out there casually drifting around corners. (this does mean he has to get new tyres really frequently but he’s friends with wen ning, whose family runs the mechanics that wwx likes to go to so he just helps around the shop for a bit and gets a discount (yes its the family discount)). anyway wwx really enjoys driving, also! he just rocks up to wen ning’s place one day and is like dude, i wanna pimp my ride, wanna help and wen ning is like heck yeah. so wwx pays for some upgrades with his own money and he spends hours doing some custom work to make it look cool,,

it’s all going well until wwx and jc go to wen chao’s party one night and jc gets absolutely sloshed,,, like completely hammered. wwx had walked in, grabbed a cup of lemonade or something and was gonna hang with his friends but lwj was there for some reason so he spent the entire night talking to him in the back garden. which means that when jc wanted to leave he saw wwx hanging out with lwj and went ew gross and just decided to drive home himself. he crashes and when wwx comes home the next day jc gets super pissed at him bc he was meant to be the designated driver and if he hadnt been screwing around with lwj jc wouldnt have tried to drive home and now his parents will be super pissed and wwx is like woah chill my grandmother is a mechanic and she can fix this up just give me a couple of days. 

so wwx goes to baoshan sanren mechanics (which is just the back entrance to the wen sibling’s mechanics) and spends the next three days getting rid of all of his customisations and mods so his car looks exactly like jc’s. does he cry when he has to spend like five mins spraying the inside of the car with axe body spray to get the jc stench going on? maybe a little. but he does it and returns the car to jc! and jc is like oh wow my car is fixed, your grandma is a miracle worker and wwx is like haha yeah (:

anyway wwx mysteriously and suddenly discovers a passion for public transport,, it’s a good way to stay humble jiang cheng, he says, also i used all my petrol money buying porn from nhs or whatever. anyway wwx is doing the whole pt to school thing but then one afternoon wen chao and wzh find him and idk maybe the party got too rowdy so the cops came and wc got in trouble with his dad? he assumes wwx called the cops on him so he shoves wwx into his car and drives him out to the middle of no where and dumps him in the burial mounds scrap metal recycling place or whatever. 

the train line isn’t running that day and there’s no phone service either so wwx is stuck there overnight. he gets super bored. so what does he do? he finds an abandoned scooter and starts scavenging for parts. he’s not expecting it to actually work but by the time the sun rises he’s found some actually decent parts and he thinks that he could get it working. tbh he kinda forgets to go back home and just walks into town to buy some food and then goes back and continues fiddling with the scooter. he doesnt live there for the three months but the people in yiling just accept that this random teenager has all but moved into their scrap heap and adopt him anyway. so he goes and visits the burial mounds every day after school so none of his friends or family really see him anymore. 

until! one day he rocks up to school on his scooter. scooters,, are kinda like sad pathetic motorcycles,, but wwx mods his scooter with like a powerful engine and new steering and everything so people see it and go oh! a motorcycle! even though it’s not actually (can you do that with a scooter? idk but suspend your disbelief pls). so lwj is like hnnngg wwx in a leather jacket on a motorcycle but also wei ying, stop riding a motorcycle, *enter statistics about motorcycle crashes here* and wwx is like no! you cant take chenqing away from me. and jc is pissed bc they were meant to be brothers and have matching cars and be able to work on them and give them cool paint jobs together! but now wwx has this bike which has been modded to hell and back and refuses to drive his car bc it’s not as cool as his bike. so we get to have the whole ‘everyone thinks wwx is doing something dumb and dangerous’ bc he has a motorcycle and why isnt he just driving his car anymore? but we also get to keep some of the nuance of the demonic cultivation bc yeah it’s more dangerous than driving in a car but wwx doesnt have a car anymore and scooters are a loottt safer than motorcycles (if my two seconds of research is correct).

so! wwx won’t abandon chenqing and he did most of his work using scrap parts so he goes back to the wens and is like wen ning my best bro check her out and he’s like oooooooh and they start modding chenqing together. wen qing doesnt know why wwx is constantly over at their shop all the time but jc keeps arguing with wwx and wwx grows more distant with his family and friends bc he’s making ~bad decisions~ and a motorcycle is a gateway to idk teen delinquent shenanigans like smoking and doing graffiti so he’s kinda ousted from respectable rich people society and wen qing is like i have two (2) brothers now and they’re adorable not that i’ll ever tell them that. and wwx modding chenqing got him a reputation in yiling like everyone saw him walk in one day and then drive out with this sexy sexy bike so people start coming to him for mods and stuff and wwx earns the title yiling patriarch and wen ning, his trusted best friend and helper, gets called the ghost general bc idk he helps a lot but the customers never meet him. so they become some dynamic duo for car and bike mods!

anyway,, yzy delivers him an ultimatum one day: the car or the bike (or more accurately: the family or the bike) but wwx can’t drive the car anymore so he just gets quietly disowned and drops out of school. (we’ll save jzxuan the suffering in this au he can keep his car). he goes to the wens and theyre like hey whats up? wait no you cant live in a scrap heap,, not even if you buy a tent,,, just live with us please. and then wwx gets adopted by the wens and idk i want them to have a happy ending so wwx and wn go off and do some actual mechanic and modding training with some expert (sqdcfgt imagine if it was the real baoshan sanren who just happened to be in the market for some apprentices and saw wwx and wn’s work and was like them and then later realised it was her grandson). so they get their apprenticeship and they disappear off somewhere for a year or two - when wwx had been disowned he’d deleted everyone’s contacts and was like if they text me i’ll add them back but im not gonna have a contact list cemetery. (no one contacts him). 

eventually the 13 years pass and wwx has been helping the wens raise their little nephew a-yuan who is showing a real aptitude for being a mechanic even though he’s just a kid and just generally enjoying the quiet life of being a mechanic while doing fun mods and lil baby projects. then one day lwj’s car breaks down while he’s driving through the area and he calls up the local mechanic and guess who rocks up? it’s wwx. and then we get to have them dance around each other and wwx being like lwj doesnt trust me, he’s just sitting here and watching me work all day ): and lwj is like dont let him go dont let him go dont let him go,, and eventually they get their romance but this is way too long already so im im gonna end this here

i didnt mean to make this an entire au but i adored your idea so much anon so i kinda had to!!

[words-writ-in-starlight]

Untamed TAZ Balance AU? Don't have to write anything, just consider that (is Wen Ning Lucretia in this or is he too nice for that)

NHS IS LUCRETIA, NHS IS ABSOLUTELY LUCRETIA, I HAVE THOUGHTS, my girlfriend yelled at me for these thoughts.  Hell this got long, I’ve literally been saving it in my drafts until Tumblr fixed the Read More issue.

WWX is Taako, JC is Magnus, WQ is Merle, JYL is in the umbrella (became a lich to keep her brother from doing it), WN is the Red Robe (became a lich because he thought it seemed reasonable), NHS is Lucretia, XXC is Davenport, LWJ and LXC are mutually Kravitz (LXC sets his bro up with the death criminal wizard), Wen Zhuliu is John Vore, LSZ is Angus but also a baby Reaper

ONE

So Wei Wuxian isn’t really a wizard, is the thing.  Like, he does the wizard magic, and apparently he has strong Wizard Vibes because wherever he travels, people ask him if he can solve their magical bullshit problems, but he’s, like, barely a wizard.  He’s an inventor, technically, except that a few years back some stuff went explosively awry while he worked with this traveling show and–yeah.  So he’s working as a wizard because, hey, he can cast Magic Missile and he needs to eat and he’s an Evocation specialist, anyway, so it’s not like he’s out here making food from rocks.  He’s hired on with a couple other random jackasses, a fighter who took a dislike to Wei Wuxian right off the bat and a cleric with a bad temper and an itchy Sacred Flame finger, and they’re doing a job for some dwarf, or whatever.  The dwarf has a guy hired on as muscle, but he doesn’t look like much, all wide eyes and baby face.  He calls himself Qionglin, no last name, and stares at Wen Qing like he’s never seen a cleric before, and Jiang Cheng spends the entire trip to Phandolin messing with his whip, which is the stupidest weapon Wei Wuxian has ever seen.

Well, then everything immediately goes horribly wrong, though, and turns out that Jiang Cheng is pretty okay with that whip.  Qionglin (Wei Wuxian spoke to the man all of one time, but he was sweet, if a little awkward) gets himself kidnapped by a bunch of goblins, and their employer is gods-know-where with whatever a Black Spider is, and suddenly this very boring escort mission is a very not boring rescue mission.

There’s a skeleton in the cave.  Wei Wuxian takes an umbrella from it, and it crumbles into dust beneath its red robe.  There’s a very annoyed man with a sword who calls himself Song Lan and speaks in static, and he’s somehow not the weirdest part of this whole day.

Phandolin doesn’t survive its brush with the Zidian Gauntlet, and neither does Qionglin.  Wen Qing screams when he dies, and Wei Wuxian grabs her under the arms with Jiang Cheng and books it for the empty well in Song Lan’s wake, and they just hide.  

And then they go to the goddamn moon, apparently.

TWO

The goddamn moon is run by an older man with hair still a glossy black, toying with a beautifully painted white fan in his hand.  He calls himself the Director and–after some testing–hires them more or less on the spot.  Something flickers over his face when Wen Qing, bemused by her own upset, makes an offhand mention of a man named Qionglin who died when the Gauntlet brought down so much lightning that it turned Phandolin into black glass.  But it’s not Wei Wuxian’s problem, so he doesn’t worry himself over it too much.  He takes the payment offered to him by the Director’s aide, a blindfolded, stunningly handsome man in Bureau blue and white who rests his hand on his own chest and says “Xiao Xingchen” and not another word.

The Bureau is–weird.  They’ve got a giant jellyfish and a store run by–something Wei Wuxian Does Not Trust and a dorm.  Wei Wuxian laughs and kicks Jiang Cheng cheerfully in the ankle and says “Just like college, huh?” and Jiang Cheng gives him a dark look and snaps “I never went to college.”

“Yeah,” Wei Wuxian says, blinking.  “Me neither.”

Whatever.  They go on a train adventure and there’s a kid, a kid who blinks and stares at Wei Wuxian like he’s seen a goddamn ghost and immediately walks up to introduce himself as Lan Sizhui, boy detective.

Wei Wuxian fucking loves this kid.  He’s not sure why this wide-eyed fifteen-year-old latched onto him so hard, but he’s smart, funny, loyal, and extremely easy to pick on.  13/10 child rating, in Wei Wuxian’s book.

(Sizhui, for his part, more or less kicks down the door to his father’s offices in the Astral Plane the second the Reclaimers are gone and shouts “I HAVE A LEAD ON WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WORLD.”)

(His father, Lan Wangji, the Grim Reaper, is very interested to hear all about it–especially when his son casually name-drops three of the biggest bounties that the Raven King, his adoptive elder brother, has ever sent him after, with the exception of that absolutely insufferably sweet-tempered lich Wen Ning.)

THREE

So…the Crystal Kingdom.

Is it Wei Wuxian’s finest hour, shouting obscure tentacle-related threats at the second crystal construct they’ve seen in the past twenty minutes?  No, probably not.  But it’s been a stressful day, they’re already down one Regulator and Song Lan is fuck-knows-where with Mianmian and, again, this is the second menacing crystal construct they’ve seen in twenty minutes.  Or maybe it’s the same one? 

Whatever, doesn’t matter.  They’re here to hunt down Meng Yao, a scientist who’s been dicking around with some seriously ill-advised necromancy and also the Philosopher’s Stone, and a crystal construct or two isn’t going to stop them.

Wei Wuxian actually physically cannot help himself, though, when the Reapers appear in the mirror, a matched set of beautiful men, and he grins broadly at the one glaring at him most viciously.  They get let go on a technicality, along with a conduit still containing Meng Shi’s memory of a vision beyond the cosmos, and Meng Yao leaves with his life and not much more.

Later, Lan Wangji is absolutely betrayed by the realization that his brother willfully set him up to be the primary go-between for the completely breathtaking deeply irritating wizard-by-way-of-death-criminal.  And that’s before the whole lich revelation.  (He does get a kiss, though, after he watches his brother pulled under by the Hunger.  That’s nice.  He hopes Wei Wuxian will mitigate the death crimes now that they’re dating.)

FOUR

The seven Relics are as follows:

The Zidian Gauntlet, which can generate a lightning blast so powerful that it can obliterate an entire city.  (Jiang Cheng–he watched the others try to lay in protections, try to make their Relics harmless, and he knew it wouldn’t work.  All the Gauntlet does is damage.  It can melt a city down to black glass, but it can’t be twisted, it can’t be made into any more of a nightmare than it already is.  He’s a fighter.  He knows all about damage, knew all about what he was making.  That doesn’t mean it didn’t kill him by inches to watch it leave a path of destruction–so much that his beloved jiejie tried to seal it away.)

The Oculus, which can make any construct real.  (Xiao Xingchen–Nie Huaisang didn’t take everything.  He doesn’t remember the mission, or his own past.  Something strange got confused in the process, and he lost most of his speech.  But he remembers how to fight, handles his sword as cleanly and effectively as ever, and he remembers that he doesn’t think much of Nie Huaisang’s combat skills.  Or maybe it’s just really obvious that Nie Huaisang isn’t much of a fighter.  Regardless, Xiao Xingchen insisted on accompanying him, before–before.  Then they went into the Felicity Wilds, and…Xue Yang is honestly delighted.  He’s never managed to ruin someone so badly on the way into Wonderland before.  It’s just a shame that Nie Huaisang sent Xiao Xingchen away before they reached the doors.)

The Healer’s Sash, which can manipulate natural forces like the wind, the tides, and tectonic plates just as easily as it can manipulate a heartbeat or a pair of lungs.  (Wen Qing–she prays to Pelor, the Dawnfather, the healer and Lord of Light, but she’s long since lost her faith in him as anything but a contracted boss.  It’s a shock to everyone including her when she’s granted a right arm made of glass and magic after losing it.  She was so determined to make a Relic that could be used for good, but–well.  She supposes she should have known better.)

The Philosopher’s Stone, which can more or less transform anything into anything.  (Jiang Yanli–she’s a Transmutation wizard, she’s been feeding the crew of the Starblaster for a hundred years on whatever she can pull together.  If the right person found the Stone, it would have ended world hunger.  The wrong person found the stone.  Jiang Yanli tried her damnedest to hunt it down, but she found the Gauntlet first, and, well–she already became a lich to stop one younger brother from doing it.  It’s not a struggle to decide that she’s going to take responsibility for saving Jiang Cheng from his own guilt.  Then things go horribly wrong, and she spends the next twelve years in an umbrella.)

The Temporal Chalice, which offers complete control over time.  (Wen Ning–he was a strict scholar until his sister was contacted about the IPRE’s creation, but he always did want to travel, and his theories about bonds were too good for Xiao Xingchen to pass up having on his crew.  Everything he’s done since they lost their home system has been about trying not to leave his family, about trying for second chances, he became a lich for them, he’s done everything to stay with them, of course his Relic is a second chance generator.)

The Animus Flute, which offers control over the spirits of the dead and, in the hands of a sufficiently competent expert, the living.  (Wei Wuxian–he’s watched his brother, his sister, his friends, die so many times.  He’s terrified of immortality, but he’s most terrified of being alone.  He meant to make something that could keep the dead present, so that they would never have to fear being left behind again.  Watching it rip Jiang Cheng’s soul clean out of his body in Xue Yang’s hands is the worst thing Wei Wuxian can remember, even after everything is over.)

The Bulwark, which Nie Huaisang never did explain to anyone, but took the shape of a hand-painted fan.  (Nie Huaisang lost the only person who mattered to him when the Hunger ate their home, and then as he slowly, painstakingly, rebuilt something like a family, he had to watch them suffer and die for a hundred years.  And then he watched them win, and grieve like dying all over again for the winning.  He’s sorry they suffered for his actions.  He’s not sorry for what he did.)

FIVE

Wen Zhuliu didn’t mean to make his whole plane give up.  But he had spent his whole life being used, and it all just seemed so pointless.  It all just seemed so pointless.  There was always someone stronger, always something bigger, always a rule he couldn’t break, always something, and he started talking, started telling people as much, and--

Wen Qing is about the farthest thing in the fucking world from a peacemaker by nature, if you ask her, but she’s a healer first, last, and most of all.  And, she thinks as she watches the sun sink with a very tired man crumbling away at her side, she might be the only person in the worlds who ever noticed that Wen Zhuliu needed a healer.

(They aren’t from the same plane, but--some of the others have found distant family, on their new home.  It’s an unanswerable question, if they might have been family, a few dimensions removed.  Wen Ning still thinks about it.)

[bitterfrosts]

For the character asks: Song Lan (obviously). Or Wen Ning, if you've already done him!

Why not both?~

SONG LAN:

Sexuality Headcanon: oh he is demisexual all the way! I can’t really picture him really being interested until he meets and forms a bond with xxc.

Gender Headcanon: Song Lan was always called a boy and had he/him used for him so I think for most of his life we was like “guess I’m a boy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” and then again, met xxc who changes presentation and pronouns more than he changes hanfu (xxc that’s gross do ur laundry pls!) and Song Lan is like “ :o you can do that?” And xxc is like “??? Of course you can? Anyway please use they/them for me today I am in a mood” and so Song Lan is experimenting with it now!

A ship I have with said character: songxiao first and foremost! But I also like him with Lan Xichen and Wen Ning! ... Song Lan is pretty much my fandom bicycle. I feel like Song Lan is the type of guy that needs someone to look out for and coddle, so he gets along well with characters who would want that or need it, ie. xxc loves the attention and wen ning and lan xichen both need and deserve to be coddled for once so. >_>

A BROTP I have with said character: I like to think he keeps correspondence with lwj considering PARALLELS and imo he and mianmian would be bros too I think!!!

A NOTP I have with said character: ... I honestly don’t think I really have one? I’ve never seen a character that I didn’t think could have SOMETHING with him in some way. Even Xue Yang! Xue Yang has a ~thing~ for him (hatred or otherwise) that inspires a kind of passion and Song “obviously has the biggest dick in the series and you can’t tell me otherwise” Lan is ok with indulging it bc he has a thing for subduing him without having to be called on it. ...I forget where I was going with this... anyway no notps here! Song Lan harem rights!

A random headcanon: Song Lan CAN NOT handle spicy food in any way. Refuses to even touch it. He gives all spicy dishes to Xiao Xingchen who destroyed his taste buds with too much spicy food years ago.

General Opinion over said character: Song Lan is my favorite character in the series and by this point I think everyone knows. My ONE qualm is that a lot of us Song Lan fans tend to put him on a pedestal so to speak, and we can forget that he has flaws. Like he’s pretty vengeful and angry! We see that! It’s what ends up accidentally driving xxc away and caused his downfall at yi city! But aside from that... I love him and I will never not love him ❤️

WEN NING:

Sexuality Headcanon: Disnt really care either way until he met Personal Closet Key Wei Wuxian, then was all “oh don’t you just love when men? 🥰”

Gender Headcanon: HE 👏 IS 👏 TRANSMASC 👏 and wen qing does all his gender affirmative surgeries bc she doesn’t trust anyone else to do them properly and her baby bro can have whatever he wants!

A ship I have with said character: ningxian has a place always in my heart and tbh is actually my preferred wwx ship, but I like a little wangningxian also! Basically wen ning harem rights also. He deserves as many boyfriends as he wants.

A BROTP I have with said character: he and yanli would have been BEST FRIENDS were it not for shenanigans. They have similar personalities and they need friends!

A NOTP I have with said character: again, wen ning gets as many boyfriends as he wants. I suppose if pressed I wouldn’t ship him with any jins just bc ... yeah. But anything is possible? I’ve seen wen ning/Jin zixuan done before.

A random headcanon: the only reason he and wen qing lived for as long as they did is bc wen ning used to be a mama’s boy once upon a time and learned all mama wen’s recipes. Wen qing can’t cook and would poison them all. Seriously... au where he and yanli swap soup recipes when????

General Opinion over said character: I also love wen ning a whole lot! I feel like trying to find content specifically just for him as a main character like for fic is kinda hard tho? Like... he takes a backseat whenever wwx is involved unless you are digging for ningxian SPECIFICALLY. Which is understandable since he is a supporting character, but I think he deserves MORE.

[trensu]

Episode 50: The One with the Greatest Family Reunion(s) of All Time

so we start the ep with nhs's truly oscar-worthy performance which results in jgy getting stabbed

And i cheer for both the performance AND the stabbing!!!

lxc has his eyes closed bc that's his coping mechanism when times get tough

lol lxc is like I TOLD YOU I WASN'T GONNA HOLD BACK IF YOU DID ONE MORE BAD THING

and jgy is like i know!! that's why i haven't done one more bad thing!!!!

everyone's faces are like sure jan

but then they look at nhs like, wait a minute...

jgy is like why are you looking at him? you're not gonna see anything! i didn't see anything all these years and i'm smarter and sneakier than all of you!!!

okay, he didn't say that last part but it was def implied

jgy: nhs, good for you. i didn't expect that you would be my downfall.

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQ--uhhh, NIE HUAISANG!!

nhs hasn't broken character either! He needs to join a theater troupe or smth with those skills.

blah blah lxc and jgy are having Feelings blah blah blah lxc is conflicted blah

hm, those Feelings are becoming rather Dramatique

ugh jgy just let it go and die already

jgy: have I ever done you wrong?

UM?? how about KILLING his little brother's soulmate?

which resulted in him having to watch his little brother suffer extreme physical punishment and then grieve for years after??

PRETTY SURE THAT HURT LXC QUITE A LOT

Jgy: now you won't even give me a chance to live?

I THINK THE FUCK NOT!!!

oh we're getting some not so great special effects and jgy drags lxc to the coffin and then bleeds all over it, gross

ooooh, the Temple of Doom is starting to fall apart

lwj makes a move towards lxc but wwx grabs his arm and stops him!

bc it's dangerous to get too close and wwx is protective of his soulmate!!

jc starts the evacuation bc hello the building is crumbling and he gets everyone out except the lan bros, wwx and jgy

Jgy: stay and die with me

FUCK YOU JGY

but lxc was ready and willing to do that, so jgy shoves him back bc why the hell not

(we're gonna ignore how awkward that particular maneuver was, we already know special effects are not a priority in this show)

Jgy's like lets emotionally torment lxc some more, just for kicks, bc I'm an ASSHOLE

lwj catches his brother and he is Concerned.

Eventually our lan bros and wwx flee the temple and jgy has one last meltdown before getting crushed LIKE THE MAGGOT HE IS

Now we cut to a shot of all our crew standing outside

and we see my bratty son slowly fall to his knees with a look of UTTER SORROW AND PAIN ON HIS FACE

Bc he was BETRAYED by his nice uncle

MY POOR SON!!

we get reaction shots from wwx and the lan bros

(wwx continues to be beautiful even when sad)

oh, now lxc and nhs are having a moment sitting on the steps of the temple

lxc asks nhs if jgy really had made a move

nhs is like, you questioning me is making me doubt everything! idk idk!!

even amidst his grief he takes a moment to be completely exasperated by NHS's catchphrase lolol

now we cut to wwx sitting on a different set of stairs, carefully fiddling with his demon flute and he looks up to see jc watching him and HE SMILES

BC THAT'S HIS LITTLE BROTHER!! 

AND THEY'RE ALL STILL MIRACULOUSLY ALIVE AFTER THAT HOT MESS!!

oooh, he's unwrapping his sleeve and we get a flash of his bare forearm 

how scandalous! you're gonna give lwj vapors, wwx

We see the very last cut on his arm fade away bc finally mxy has been avenged

AND WWX SMILES AGAIN!!

cut to jc and jl watching wwx smile

bc i mean, who wouldn't be captivated by wwx's smile?

PEOPLE YOU CAN'T TRUST, THAT'S WHO

none of the sect leaders before were captivated by that smile AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!!

oh that smile didn't stick around for long bc we hear barking!!

wwx gets this panicked wide-eyed expression that mAKES ME WANNA HIDE HIM AND PROTECT HIM FROM THE WORLD

But I also don't want to get murdered by LWJ's death glare so I'll just let him hide and protect wwx...

omg my bratty son looks SO HAPPY and shouts "fairy!!" before running towards his doggy friend

i'm not much of a dog person, tbh, but MY BRATTY SON IS SO HAPPY 

and fairy did bring a whole crew of cultivators...

too little too late, some smart spiritual dog he is, lololol

we've got lan disciples, and jiang disciples and all these people swarming around our crew, fussing over them. 

it's kind of sweet except i notice that no one's approached my bratty son 

he is, in fact, ALL ALONE with fairy and i am OFFENDED on his behalf

not that my bratty son seems to mind

he's too wrapped up in his doggy reunion to notice BUT I NOTICED SO I'LL BE OFFENDED ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US

wwx is smiling as he sees lwj and jc being fussed over by their respective disciples

so cute so CUTE, I love his smiles so much

lwj stands up and greets his uncle with a stately bow 

god he's elegant and regal af, how the hell does he do it

but his uncle's a douchebag and barely acknowledges him before turning to leave and lwj watches him go, kind of hurt, kind of surprised

ooooh, now we get a shot of jc watching wwx as he gets questioned by oyzz

Oyzz is like what happened? Are you hurt? Is everyone okay??

and we can see wwx is still smiling!! BC MY BOY IS MADE OF SUNSHINE OKAY

awwwww

jl looks up  with an ADORABLE smile on his face and tells fairy to wait outside 

HE TAKES FAIRY OUTSIDE BC HE KNOWS WWX IS AFRAID OF DOGS!!!

My bratty son is actually very sweet!!

jc starts to leave the scene (and it's only until now that he stops staring at wwx btw) and wwx watches him go 😔

cut to a shot of lwj blatantly staring at wwx as per usual

wwx looks up and meets his gaze 

they get lost in each other for a bit bc when DON'T they?

We’re at the steps of the temple again and we see nhs pick up jgy's crumpled up hat looking all contemplative

oops, nhs's fingers come away from the hat all tacky with blood, yuck

cut to my bratty son running back into the temple where all the cultivators are inspecting stuff and he asks ljy where wwx is

HE'S ASKING AFTER MY SUNSHINE BOY!

Y'know, his not-evil, not-angry uncle? 

ljy tells him that he and hanguang jun left after they brought them lil apple

lol, the idea of ljy and oyzz dragging lil apple along just to return him to wwx cracks me up

jl tells ljy to take care of fairy for him before he dashes off to find his new uncle

BUT JC STOPS HIM?? "don't chase after them"

look at jc being all Cool leaning against that tree

in his fashionable robes

with his awesome sword tucked in the crook of his elbow

jl throws one last glance at the direction wwx and lwj left, and then joins jc under the tree 

jc is like, they're long gone kid

jl: so that's it? you're letting them leave just like that??

jc: what else? invite them to stay for dinner? say thank you and then i am sorry??

lol, he's working himself up into a snit already

But also, like, MY BRATTY SON HAS A GOOD HEART, OKAY??

he just hides it under bluster bc he's sensitive and people are mean to him all the time!

HE WANTED TO CONNECT WITH WWX (AND MAYBE LWJ??) NOW THAT THIS WAS ALL OVER

AND HE WOULD'VE DONE IT IF NOT FOR JC BEING ALL HUNG UP ON HIS ISSUES STILL

not that i hold that against jc, that's a lot of emotional trauma he's gotta work through

LOL JL IS NOT GONNA LET HIMSELF BE COWED BY HIS UNCLE BC WHEN DOES HE EVER?

JL: it was exactly bc of the way you were acting that they took off! you're such a pain in the neck!!

AND THEN HE POUTS AND FALLS INTO A CROUCH WITH HIS ARMS CROSSED AND STARTS SULKING UP A STORM

I LOVE MY BRATTY SON SO MUCH

JC: IS THAT HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SPEAK TO YOUR ELDERS? ARE YOU ASKING TO GET DISCIPLINED??

these two crack me up every time, i swear

but the whole corporal punishment is...problematic

jc raises his arm to smack jl and jl ducks and raises his own arm to block the blow and i'm sitting here like, yikes

but then we get a shot of jc's open palm, out of focus with a crisp backdrop of red leaves from the tree they're under

and his hand is just held there, stilled for just a moment before the fingers start to gently curl inward and the strike never happens (thank god)

jc: lets go home, jin ling. let everyone go back to the place where they belong

he walks off with jin ling springing to his feet and chasing after him a beat later

jl: was there something you wanted to say to wwx?

have i mentioned i love my bratty son? BECAUSE I DO. A LOT.

jc: no, there isn't.

jl: bullshit!

I LOVE HIM!! WHAT A MOUTHY BRAT 💜

JL: i saw it with my own eyes! you wanted to talk to wwx! but you didn't say a word just now or back in the temple!

jc: there is nothing to say

jl: bullshit! you had something to say!

while this entire exchange is happening we see jc marching ahead, not looking at jl at all, but jl is walking backwards eyes pinned to his face the entire time

bc my son might be a brat but he's also pretty observant and he KNOWS his uncle 

AND NOW WE GET A FLASHBACK

WE GET A BIG REVEAL

we're back at “the ones where we gross sob FOREVER”

and wwx is telling jc to stay put at the inn while he goes to get food and meds

his voice all weak and tremulous

but jc steps out of the inn for a moment after wwx leaves

AND SEES THAT THE WEN FLUNKIES CAUGHT SIGHT OF HIS BROTHER!!

they were like three feet away from grabbing his big brother

and he says internally, "take care. i'm leaving jyl in your hands"

AND I'M CRYING BC THEY'RE PLAYING THAT MUSIC

THAT SWEET TENDER MUSIC THEY PLAY WHENEVER JYL AND HER BROTHERS HAVE A MOMENT

Jc goes and causes a distraction and lets himself be caught by the wens

SO THAT HIS BIG BROTHER AND BIG SISTER COULD STAY SAFE

I'M CRYING I'M CRYING

MY YUNMENG SIBS, MY POOR YUNMENG SIBS!! 

WHY DID THEY HAVE TO SUFFER SO?? 

WHY WERE THEY SO DAMN SELF-SACRIFICING??? 

WHY THE HELL COULDN'T THEY LEARN TO COMMUNICATE BETTER???

cut back to the present, and jc's eyes are welled up with tears 

he has a hurt little smile on his face, he says, "take care"

softly, mostly to himself

after a moment, he turns to jin ling and says "lets go"

and we watch them leave

I just want them all to be a BIG HAPPY FAMILY DAMN IT

cut to the next scene, we hear ~THEIR SONG~ start playing in the background all slow and soft

i love the overhead shot we get of them surrounded by the gorgeous foliage, it's so peaceful

As wwx and lwj walk slowly and at ease with lil apple between them 

AND MY HEART FEELS SO TENDER AND FULL OMG

lwj: wei ying

he says it all seriously. wwx looks at him and he's got A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE 

bc he's looking at his soulmate!!!

who wouldn't smile when looking at their soulmate???

he's cheerfully twirling his flute bc finally all is right in the world! 

the mystery is solved, his loved ones are safe

and he's traveling with lwj and lil apple

nothing could be better!

wwx: whats up?

lwj is pointedly not looking at him

lwj: there is something that I…

and here he stops in his tracks, and wwx stops with him

lwj: i didn't tell you.

wwx gets all playful and leans on lil apple, and waggles his demon flute and lwj

wwx: what is it?

Look at that mischievous grin!!

he's all prepared to tease the heck out of lwj for whatever he's about to say LOL

but they're interrupted!!

wen ning and lan sizhui are running after them and wwx notices

LOLOL

His face scrunches up and he mutters under his breath like, damn it! every time!! these two are fast! 

wwx: sizhui, why are you following us? aren't you afraid of old master lan calling you out?

MY SUNSHINE BOY IS SMILING SO MUCH THIS EPISODE, I'M SO HAPPY!!!

lsz: i have something important to ask you!

he's all out of breath!

wwx turns to look at lwj eyes wide and curious before going back to lsz

wwx: what is it?

lsz goes on to explain how he's been remembering things but he's unsure of stuff so he wanted to ask them about it

wwx looks confused and glances at lwj 

lwj just looks back at him briefly before his eyes flick down

wwx: what is it that you want to know?

lsz looks down and, like, gathers up the strength needed for this next line of questioning. 

with the sweetest smile, and the softest eyes he starts listing stuff

like how he knew a cocky chef who was actually a terrible cook

(wwx laughs confusedly at this)

and how that man planted him in a field and told him he'd grow faster with some watering and sunlight

AND WE GET A FLASHBACK OF LITTLE A-YUAN PLOPPED IN THE DIRT GETTING BURIED BY WWX

he goes on to say how that man would play with him 

and how he had invited hunguang jun for a meal and then didn't pick up the tab so hanguang jun had to pay

There we get a flashback to their meal at the yiling wine house!

we cut back to the present and WWX'S FACE IS STUNNED, EYES WELLING UP WITH TEARS, AND LSZ IS GETTING CHOKED UP AS HE TELLS HIM THINGS

AND WWX'S BREATHING GETS SHAKY 

BC LSZ TELLS HIM HIS SURNAME IS WEN

wwx blinks rapidly, not believing what he's hearing

wwx: wen was your surname? isn't lan your surname?

wwx: lan sizhui, lan yuan.. A-yuan?

AND OH GOD HIS FACE, HIS FACE

His eyebrows are furrowed

His eyes are full of tears!

he's looking at lsz like this has to be a dream bc it's too good to be true

Lsz nods jerkily

AND I'M TRYING TO HOLD BACK TEARS

HOW THE HELL IS LWJ WATCHING THIS ALL GO DOWN WITHOUT CRYING??

he's watching his son so intently

he's seeing his two most precious people reunite

and there are no tears??

I DON'T UNDERSTAND

HE'S VERY OBVIOUSLY MOVED BY THIS BUT NOT CRYING

MEANWHILE MY FACE IS A FREAKING RIVER OF EMOTION

lsz: i...i am a-yuan

and his voice all cracked with feeling

wwx huffs and is still shaky

wwx: didn't a-yuan pass away already?

he's thought his kid was dead this whole time

MY HEART, MY HEART

lwj had been staring at lsz this whole time but when he hears wwx say that, his gaze drops to the ground 

HE FEELS ASHAMED (AS HE SHOULD BE!!) BC HE DIDN'T TELL WWX SOONER

wwx turns to lwj, hope and tentative joy in his voice

wwx: lan zhan, was it you?

lwj meets his gaze and says yes, his voice steady and firm

lwj: this was the thing i haven't told you about

Yeah, i know, i’ve been YELLING AT YOU ABOUT IT THIS WHOLE TIME

and wwx looks back at lsz, breath choppy and lsz flings himself into wwx's arms!!!

I AM SOBBING

lsz: i really missed you, i really missed you

THEY'RE BOTH CRYING AND CLINGING TO EACH OTHER SO HARD

OH GOD I NEED TISSUES

wwx laughs and sniffles

wwx: silly boy, why are you crying?

AS IF YOUR FACE ISN'T STREAMING WITH TEARS, WWX

lsz pulls back and scrubs his face in his sleeve

lsx: i wasn't crying. i was just feeling really sad and yet thrilled at the same time

YOU TWO STOP DENYING YOUR TEARS

IF I HAVE TO SIT IN A PUDDLE OF MY TEARS THEN YOU HAVE TO OWN UP TO YOUR OWN TEARS, YOU HEAR ME??

lsz: i couldn't put it into words

lwj: then don't

pffft, ofc lwj would be the one advocating for LESS WORDS lololol

wwx laughs at that

wwx: that's right. no need to say anything

then he starts his theatrics, bc he wouldn't be wwx without his theatrics

he leans on lil apple and rubs his own shoulder

wwx: damn, you little ones are strong, you are indeed a student of hanguang jun

he looks at lwj and points his demon flute at him

HE'S SO HAPPY

lwj: he is a student of yours as well

omg lwj delivers this line so sincerely

like, there was barely a pause between what wwx and what lwj responded with

he's so freaking earnest

LOL wwx straightens up at that and reaches for lsz

wwx: no wonder he is such a handsome boy!

Wwx, you are SHAMELESS

He giggles as he pats lsz’s face, it’s freaking adorable

lsz: master wei didn't teach me anything!

wow lsz, you've had your other dad back for all of five minutes and you're already sassing him?

he truly is wwx's son lol

wwx: i did! it was bc you were so little and you forgot

You’re sounding a bit defensive there, wwx...

lsz: yes, i seem to recall. i remember now

wwx immediately starts preening

wwx: you see. i've mentored him!

lsz: for example, switching the portrait of a beauty into--

wwx slams his hand over lsz's mouth, HIS FACE IS A PICTURE OF PANIC

LOLOLOL

lwj's eyes have widened slightly and developed an edge of Judgement 

wn peeks at lwj out of the corner of his eyes like he's trying to gauge his reaction or smth lolol

wwx laughs awkwardly and takes his hand off lsz's mouth to shake a finger at him, wearing a tight smile on his face

lsz: and when a pretty lady passes by--

wwx: NONSENSE!!!

LOL I'M  D Y I N G

wwx shouts this at the TOP OF HIS LUNGS to drown out lsz

he whirls on him pointing an accusatory finger and marches towards him as lsz scrambles back

wwx: nonsense! how come you're remembering these kinds of things? how could i teach little kids these things?

LOL HE'S TALKING SO FAST

lsz: you did! wen ning can testify!

wow, way to throw your uncle under the bus, lsz

kids these days have no filial piety!

wwx: there's nothing for wen ning to testify!

OMG WN AND LWJ IN THE BACKGROUND 🤣🤣🤣

as soon as lsz draws attention to him, wn looks at lsz like WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?

and lwj side-eyes wen ning SO HARD, like what the hell did you let wwx teach my son?

wwx: stop talking nonsense! i am telling you, little boy. lan zhan, what did you teach him?

AND WE GET THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHOT OF LWJ HERE

as soon as wwx turns to him with his wild accusations, lwj gets this delightfully crooked smile on his face 

and he looks down as if there's TOO MUCH JOY IN HIS HEART that he can't bear to watch for long

GOD THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE. 

and this marks, what, THE THIRD? the third time lwj smiles in public, all OUT IN THE OPEN?

I'M DYING, I'M DYING

wwx: when a-yuan was little and with me, he was a good boy!

lsz: it's the truth!

wwx: nonsense!

wwx: do you see that pit? no matter how big you've become, i will still plant you into that pit. understand?

lsz has a big grin on his face

wwx: what are you laughing at? you dumb boy!

AND THEN LSZ DROPS TO THE GROUND AND HUGS WWX'S LEG LIKE HE USED TO WHEN HE WAS A TODDLER

AND EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL IN THE WORLD

wwx laughs to himself and lwj still has a small smile playing across his lips as he watches his son

wwx: a-yuan, you are too old for this

AS IF HE'S NOT LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT

wwx: do you remember, you used to grab hanguang jun's leg when you were little, just like this?

so many wonderful flashbacks of little a-yuan clinging to his parents’ legs!!

oh god, oh god, my heart, my heart is going to explode from all the tender feelings!! Look at their faces

wwx's mouth slowly curls into a smile before it grows INTO A FLASH OF HIS SQUINTY-EYED SMILE

you know the one!

the one that stretches SO BIG WITH HAPPINESS IT LIGHTS UP THE WHOLE WORLD?? YEAH, THAT ONE

and then we cut to lwj's face

he has the softest expression on his face

he's got this gentle, tiny smile, the slightest of curves at the corners of his mouth

and in his eyes are SO FULL OF LOVE AND WARMTH as he watches his soulmate smile at him with their son clinging to his soulmate's leg

AND I MUST'VE DIED AND GONE TO THE GOOD PLACE BC THIS IS JUST TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BE REAL

now we cut to a different scene, lwj and lsz are in the background have some sort of father-son chat, while wwx and wn chill in the foreground

here we find out that wn and lsz plan to go back to qishan to build some sort of memorial to their loved ones

wwx: i'll come with you

wn: that won't be necessary

wwx: you don't want me to tag along?

aw, my sunshine boy looks kinda hurt 😔

but wn assures him that that's not the case. it's just that wwx has already done more than enough for them and it's time for wen ning to go out on his own

wwx gets all teary-eyed again and pats him on the shoulder, and agrees that that's for the best

lsz and wn split off, and wwx waves his demon flute cheerfully at them, lwj at his side

wwx turns to lwj with a smile

wwx: lan zhan, lets go! 

he says happily, with confidence, then he taps chenqing on his head a couple of times

wwx: where should we go?

he grins, pulling lil apple along with him, so cheerfully!

wwx: let's get going, lil apple!

but lwj isn't turning with him

he's still in that spot, his back towards wwx who already was forging onto his next adventure

AND MY HEART IS BREAKING

BC WHY HASN'T HE TURNED TO FOLLOW WWX???

wwx slows to a stop as he notices the absence of white robes at his side AND ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING AGAIN

he turns back slowly to look back at lwj, confused

there is too much distance between them!!

TOO MUCH!

multiple yards of distance where there should be NONE!

THERE SHOULD BE NONE DISTANCE!!!!!!

WHY ISN'T THERE NONE DISTANCE??!?!

lwj is still facing away from wwx, he's still rooted to the spot and his face has gone blank

wwx: lan zhan, you...aren't you coming with me?

HE SOUNDS SO CONFUSED, SO TIMID

HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING

and there's a too long pause during which wwx's eyes are desperately pinned to lwj's back

finally, FINALLY, lwj turns ever so slowly to face wwx

wwx is staring at him and lwj can only meet his eyes briefly before they slowly turn downwards

wwx gets this tiny hurt smile on his face and nods as his eyes well with tears again but this time THEY ARE NOT HAPPY TEARS

these are "i knew this was too good to be true" tears

these are "of course i can't keep good, pure lan zhan at my side" tears

these are "this is exactly what i deserve" tears

lwj looks up again, and wwx gives him a nod and a smile bc he doesn't want lwj to feel guilty for leaving him

LEAVING HIM

HE'S LEAVING HIM AGAIN 

WHY 

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

the camera pulls out, really emphasizing the distance and the sudden quiet that falls between them is severely lacking any words of explanation

AND I'M SCREAMING INTERNALLY BC WTF WHY

we cut to a truly impressive shot of the cloud recesses, followed by a cut to a waterfall 

I’m pretty sure it's the same waterfall from when they were kids and had that sword fight

and we hear the opening notes of ~Their Song~ played on the flute 

wwx walks into view on the shore of the pond the waterfall goes into, with his flute at his lips

in the background we see that lwj is at the opposite shore closer to the waterfall, sitting cross-legged with his guqin in his lap

AND THEN THEY GIVE US VOCALS

bc watching them play ~THEIR SONG~ TOGETHER BUT AT A DISTANCE WASN'T PAINFUL ENOUGH

and jfc the shots of the waterfalls in this area are freaking gorgeous

now we see them standing together on the same boulder over a smaller waterfall 

bc our boys have an aesthetic 

that aesthetic is moonlight and waterfalls, and they're sticking to it

wwx: lan zhan, tbh, it surprised me that you would take over the role of his excellency

lwj: we made a vow here

and we get a flashback to the lantern scene and hear those vows they made as kids

Back in the present, wwx smiles, and knocks back the jar of wine that he has with him bc the mystery has been solved BUT HIS ALCOHOLISM HASN'T!

and i'm sitting here SCREAMING INTERNALLY, FUCK THOSE VOWS. 

YOU'VE GOT NEW, BETTER VOWS, WHICH ARE NEVER EVER LEAVE EACH OTHER'S SIDES EVER AGAIN, DAMN IT

wwx turns to face lwj

wwx: lan zhan, you truly deserve your title, hanguang jun

and lwj turns to look back at him

lwj: and you too, wei ying

we are BLESSED with wwx's wide, squinty-eyed smile

and lwj graces us with his soft, small, secret smile

they stare at each other for a moment before turning back to gaze off into the distance

the camera pulls back to gift us with the gorgeous scenery that surrounds them

now we cut to them walking down the steps towards that big rock full of ridiculous gusulan rules

nhs is there! with his fan!

nhs: this is unexpected. cloud recesses has added another thousand rules.

wwx: nhs, no matter how many rules are added, there is one that matters most. do you know what it is?

nhs looks so at ease here

this entire time since we got back to the present to watch wwx solve this mystery, nhs was nervous, twitchy and flaky in every scene

but here, he stands straight and serene with a confidence we have not yet seen on him til now

nhs: i have no clue

he says this and it doesn't sound anything like his usual anxious, dopey, "idk idk i really don't know"

nhs: please advise, wwx.

and wwx strides up until he's right next to nhs, shoulder to shoulder, tho they're facing opposite directions

wwx: that would be...

he leans down, and lowers his voice

wwx: "thou shall not befriend the devil"

there has been a distinct lack of background noise or music since this scene started

but the minute those words leave wwx's mouth, we get ominous music. 

nhs keeps his harmless act as he meets wwx's eyes and they share a laugh 

(a laugh of acknowledgement, of recognition of each other's skills)

nhs: wwx, you have the nerve 

wwx: no i wouldn't dare. i'm no match for you.

the words they're exchanging SOUND carefree and easy on the surface, but they definitely carry some underlying tension

nhs notices lwj watching them and bows respectfully

nhs: your excellency

he turns to leave, fan open against his chest

wwx: clan leader nie, i have one question that i would love to get your opinion on.

nhs: go on

wwx: you have put in so much effort and energy, don't you want to be the Excellency?

wwx is gauging nhs's threat level to lwj

bc with the skills nhs has developed and the cover he has, it really wouldn't be all that difficult for him to depose lwj if he wanted, you know?

but nhs has never been the ambitious sort

he was perfectly content with his art, and his fans, and his porn, and being second young master, nothing more (UNTIL FUCKING JGY RUINED IT ALL)

nhs: wwx, it was once said that we can never get tired of these scenes; earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea

nhs: as for me, i am a sensible man. if i have to, i always do it myself.

nhs: but for the things that aren't my business, i won't meddle in

and i'm not sure if there's something i'm missing, some layer of context or whatever, 

but what i get from this is that nhs is saying everything has its place and he has no desire to go outside of his own place in the world

if the situation calls for it, he will intervene but ONLY if there's no one else willing or able to step in

really, this is just his poetic way of saying, i have no interest in hurting hanguang jun or stealing his power

lwj walks up to join wwx as the two of them watch nhs leave

lwj: aren't you going to ask him?

wwx: ask him what?

wwx: who let mxy out? who released the blade spirit? who found sisi and bicao? and who wrote that anonymous letter?

and he gets this unconcerned expression on his face

with a little pout he just goes on to say that these questions don't matter anymore

and he walks off, twirling his flute

we cut to the next scene and our boys are standing face to face on a grassy hilltop. wwx points behind lwj

Brief aside to say, i love the robes lwj wears here, they’re very very pretty. White and pale blue, they look very airy and light

wwx: i will head that way

and lwj points with bichen behind wwx

lwj: i will head this way

AND THEN THEY JUST STARE AT EACH OTHER FOR A BIT

BC THEY DON'T REALLY WANNA SAY GOODBYE, DO THEY?

lwj: have you decided where you are going to go?

wwx shakes his head and tilts his chin up

wwx: it's a big world that we live in. i will wander with my fine wine and a ride, and make it my home

*cries softly* but you have a home, LWJ is your home, why are you leaving

lwj lowers his gaze

probs bc he is thinking the same thing i was

let lwj be your home, wwx

wwx: lan zhan, i will get going

and lwj gives him one single, barely there nod of the head

bc he doesn't want wwx to go!!!

but he doesn't want to hold him back either...

wwx walks past him with a smile, dragging lil apple along with him and cheerfully he says:

"as long as the sea is bound to wash up on the sand and stars are above you, we will meet again."

and lwj just watches him leave before steeling himself to turn and walk off to his wwx-less future 

but as he walks, he hears wwx playing their song on his flute so he pauses to turn back slightly

and we hear wwx’s voice over, "lan zhan, next time we see each other, you better have a name for this song."

as lwj continues walking, we hear his voice over, "way ahead of you."

and he seems slightly less sad at their parting.

AND NOW WE'RE GETTING THE FUCKING VOCALS AGAIN BC THE SHOW JUST LOVES TEARING OUR HEARTS OUT OF OUR CHEST

we get a gorgeous shot of a green cliff side and of course the cliffside has a couple of pretty waterfalls

wwx standing alone, playing on his flute, and the camera is lovingly caressing all of wwx's best features

we get a beautiful close up of wwx's lips resting over the mouthpiece of his flute, aND I THANK EVERY DEITY IN EXISTENCE FOR IT

and it's not immediately apparent bc wwx always wears dark form fitting robes

but the robes he's wearing in this scene are DEFINITELY DIFFERENT from the ones he was wearing when he and lwj parted ways

MEANING SOME TIME HAS PASSED

we have no way of knowing how much time

COULD BE AN HOUR! COULD BE A DAY! COULD BE A COUPLE OF YEARS!!

WE JUST DON'T KNOW

but time has passed

wwx is playing ~Their Song~ alone on that hill, the vocals are like honey to the ears and they crescendo to give us an overwhelming swell of emotion

the music peeters off until it's just wwx's flute reaching the last notes of ~Their Song~

as he is finishing we hear lwj's voice

"Wei Ying."

wwx freezes, like he's wondering if he imagined that voice

the music is completely gone, everything is utterly silent and wwx's face is completely open as he lowers his flute

a smile starts to curl at his mouth, small and tentative and as he turns around, ~Their Song~ crescendos into existence again

and wwx's smile grows incredulous and relieved and SO FULL OF LOVE AND JOY

I DIE, I DIE!

MY BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE BOY

and we fade to black

bc that's where it ends

That's it

THAT'S ALL THERE IS, WE MADE IT TO THE END!

IT'S OVER, THERE'S NO MORE. MY LIFE NO LONGER HAS MEANING. OMG I JUST BURST INTO TEARS. WHY IS THIS AFFECTING ME SO MUCH

I KNEW THIS WAS COMING. I'VE SEEN THIS THREE OTHER TIMES ALREADY!! OH GOD OH GOD, I MISS WWX'S FACE ALREADY. GIVE ME BACK MY SUNSHINE BOY, LET ME KEEP HIM FOREVER *SOBS*

Hang on, hang on, just give me a minute. *deep breath* Okay, i’m good, i’m good now. 

This show is just...it’s so beautiful in every way except CGI lol and it evokes so many visceral feelings. It’s passionate, is what it is. And not in the sexual way “passionate” has been forced to become. This show is passionate the way passion is supposed to mean: piercing anguish, burning anger, utter devotion...just overwhelming feeling

But most importantly, the passion in this show is intense love:

Platonic love; see how much our main cast gave up to aid their friends and dependents

Familial love; look at the lengths those brothers and sisters went for each other

Romantic love; watch how these two soulmates returned to each other again and again regardless of all the obstacles between them

I honestly can’t think of another show that’s done this so well. I am just so grateful to have been able to watch this show, to have gotten to know these characters even tho it’s raised my standards for future shows to ridiculously high levels

So that’s it! We’ve reached the end of the guide! Now we can go back and re-visit our favorite scenes whenever we want!

Return to Masterpost

[mxdberries]

smething for reallygrossmdszthots: au where jiang clan takes wen ning's branch instead of the jins. yunmeng need more ppl so all these wens get tortured & retrained into either disciples or servants. low cultivation wen ning gets taken to private chambers to learn to take the sect leader's cock. pretty faces have their uses after all. sweet little wen master barely remembers who he is once he's let out again. wen qing finds her amnesiac bro as jiang wanyin's most favoured archer & bed warmer.

I feel like Jiang Cheng wouldn't torture people if only because he owes a debt to Wen siblings but yeah he'll definitely use them. The adults are too old to be trusted with sect matters, so they end up servants helping around the different parts of the household or working in the local town, the children on the other hand can still be molded. The children would become disciples studying Jiang sect techniques, becoming undyingly loyal to the Jiang clan who saved them from the wrath of the other sects. Wen Qing is given an important position as head healer & teacher. Wen Ning is Jiang Cheng's only personal servant. The Wens are so thankful, for who else would treat war prisoners like this?

What they don't know is the truth behind Wen Ning's position. WN was missing for months under the excuse that he was injured and needed more rest. Reality was Jiang Cheng stole him away as soon as he was recovered, threatens to never let WN leave his "prison" to a helpless WWX & WQ, one still had to pay the price. Wouldn't it be better that her brother could take the burden rather than anyone else?

And JC really was going to torture WN, it just didn't work out like that. For all his anger, JC won't do it. He won't hurt WN but he will turn him someone who's whole world, his very existence revolves around JC. It's what JC needs, someone who won't leave him like his family. So JC treats WN nicely but reminds him he can't leave the room yet nor can anyone but JC come in. It won't go well for him if someone does.

For the most part bed warmer truly means bed warmer, JC hasn't done anything and maybe that's what pulls WN into a false sense of security. WN gets bored in the room and he'll tidy up, polish weapons, fuss with the mending, offering to help with JC's work. Sometimes JC will smile and WN will blush thinking it isn't that bad, JC gifts him nice clothes, good foods, brings a kitten to play with and even lets him out to practice his archery.

For a physician's assistant, WN never notices the strange taste to his food; never notices how docile he's become, how much more agreeable and less nervous, how he asks less and less of his family beyond these four walls. It doesn't seem like a strange leap to want JC to kiss him, touch him like a lover would. And when he finally does, WN whimpers as that little voice screaming in the back of his mind finally goes silent. He just sinks into JC's touch, opening up easily for his cock and moaning for his touch. Wen Ning forgets there was a before & only know Jiang Cheng now and forever.

WQ cries when she finally sees her brother outside for the first time in nearly a year; dressed in his Yunmeng Jiang sect robes, a bow in his hand and a quiver of arrows on his back, trailing after JC with a devoted look on his face paying no mind to his family. She calls to him only for him to turn and give her a confused look, as if he didn't recognize her. WN asks in an unsure tone, "Jie?"