#only it's him taking control of his own fierce corpse

[mediocretosubpar-soup]

fierce corpse yiling laozhu following jiang cheng from the burial mounds. jiang cheng keeping the fierce corpse of his shixiong in lotus pier. dragging back demonic cultivators to 'interview' on fierce corpse care. demanding suibian back from the jin. demanding wei wuxian's notes.

mo xuanyu calls back wei wuxian. the rumors wei wuxian hears are mostly the same but the flavor is sharper. sect leader jiang is still hunting his shixiong's ghost. even going so far as to challenge the chief cultivator over his belongings.

jiang cheng sneers at him, that he thought wei wuxian would pick something better for a body.

the golden core reveal throws jiang cheng badly (was he delusional all these years?) and he still goes to guanyin temple and gets skewered and gives back the chengqing. and the story play out as it does.

except for when jiang cheng goes home, his fierce corpse has broken containment and gotten its hands on suibian. it waits for him in his room, taking a fake nap on his bed, and when jiang cheng comes in, it tries to drag him into a spar until the blood registers. jiang cheng isn't having that. he knows, he's been deluding himself making a mindless monster act like wei wuxian. thinking that a part of wei wuxian wanted to stay with him after all. what a fool, he was. he should really put an end to this farce. before he can draw sandu the fierce corpse attempts to decapitate himself with suibian which it drew. jiang cheng decides that maybe he shouldn't judge too quickly.

so this is how jiang cheng ends up taking his secret fierce corpse with him, he won't leave his side, he won't give up suibian. he gets him to put on a veil at least. but that still means that he hits the next cultivation conference with a man trailing his every step who's carrying wei wuxian's sword and constantly teasing him. and as much as he tries to hide it, he can't hide how much he likes that.

the cultivation world is largely torn between three reactions; a) what the fuck? what the fuck? b) it's nice that sect leader jiang has relaxed a bit. you know? c) drama!!! the sheer drama!!! of it. they thought jin guangyao's scandalous downfall was good? hahh this is a thousand times better. the front row seats for the first cultivation conference with hanguan-jun/wei wuxian and jiang cheng/SIC in attendance are sold for the price of small cities.

[sonik-kun]

Let's remind eachother why Jiang Cheng resorted to leading the seige, shall we?

If you recall, WWX inadvertently killed JZX after he lost control of WN. JZX being JC's brother in law .. The heir to the powerful Jin sect but most importantly, his sister's husband whom she loved dearly.

EVEN THEN JC DIDN'T OUTRIGHT DECLARE A SIEGE!

We see he's reluctant, torn, but still holds some hope for WWX. This can be seen in the line thereafter where WWX loses control once again and JC cries "I thought you could control it!"

Both JC and JYL in that moment couldn't truly bring themselves to go after WWX and hold him accountable. But we can also see that they are torn. That they are unsure how to feel about WWX and the dangerous person he has now become. We see this when JYL is dying and she can't bring herself to express what she may or may not be feeling in that moment.

But love and loyalty aside, let's look at what would happen if JC didn't take part in the siege.

If JC didn't take part he would either look complicit in JZX's death or he would look like a weak coward who rolls over for his former second in command. Not only that, he would be expected to pursue justice on behalf of his sister. How would it look if he didn't raise a finger to kill or apprehend his sister and her husband's "killer?"

We don't even know if he wanted to kill WWX in that siege or apprehend him. Giving his literal job and the politics of that world, he wouldn't be wrong to do either. JC's job is to keep his people safe. And if WWX has become a threat, a threat that killed two of his family members, then I'm afraid to say it is his duty to stop him.

I would also argue in defence of his mental state at the time of his siege. JC literally lost his only remaining family left, his sister leaving behind an orphaned nephew. He's also not being fed the information we as the reader receive.

From his pov WWX had not only betrayed him to side with the sect that had nearly decimated his own, but it also looked like he had walked down the dark path and had become corrupted by his DC. His corruption had led to the death of people who he loved. In JC's eyes, WWX had betrayed him first.

Now before anyone starts, I am in no way condoning the massacre of the Wen remnants. But I would like to argue that we don't even know JC's full role in the siege other than that he lead it.

His goal was to get to WWX. If he wanted the Wen dead, he would have sided with the rest of the cultivation world in the beginning instead of defending WWX's actions and being mocked and demeaned for it. He was willing to embarrass himself and receive criticism from the other sect leader's for WWX! That to me suggests his love and loyalty for his brother.

For all we know, JC's party could have went after WWX and his fierce corpse army. Whilst the Jin took advantage and took care of the Wen. WWX never blames JC for the death of the Wen nor does he seek justice or revenge. Instead he puts the blame on the Jin when the truth of their conniving comes out. So.. if you think JC should be held accountable for the Wen, WWX himself doesn't even entertain that idea. 🤷

So no, actually. The siege does not nullify Jiang Cheng's sacrifice. JC made that sacrifice out of love for his brother without a second thought. JC only turned against WWX at the very last minute when he inadvertently got his beloved sister killed. He could have picked the easy way out and sided with the three powerful sects to take down WWX and the Wen a long time ago but he didn't. Because he loved WWX. He respected him. And he was only pushed to commit the atrocities he commited because of WWX. JC is not inherently evil.

[yuesya]

The darkened screen lights up with a new incoming message.

Sunday immediately lunges for his cell phone, ignoring the scattered sheets of promptly-abandoned paperwork that go flying everywhere as they are knocked over in his haste.

Robin: I found her! Thank you for your help in narrowing down the facilities, brother.

An exhale of relief escapes his lips, and Sunday finds himself slumping down slightly in his seat. The heavy, constricting feeling on his chest finally lightens at the knowledge that his youngest little sister is safe.

Even though he knows that Lyra can take care of herself when it comes to physical confrontations, that does not mean Sunday is happy when his sister –either one of his beloved little sisters– is in danger. Especially not when she does so deliberately.

It also does not help that Lyra knowingly allowed herself to be kidnapped by slavers, because it reminds him of a certain time in their childhood.

A bloodstained warehouse. Dismembered corpses littering the ground. Lyra, blank-eyed and unaffected, standing in the center of it all –and oh, how Sunday’s heart ached for his dear little sister. How fiercely glad he’d been, to find her still alive and well amid the carnage.

Sunday closes his eyes for a brief moment to compose himself, then responds to Robin’s message.

I’m glad I was able to help, he tells his sweet sister. Is everything alright over there?

He sets his phone down to the side of his desk, and goes about the room regathering his paperwork. Given the tone of Robin’s words, the situation was most likely under control. And… all the way in Penacony whilst his sisters were elsewhere among the stars, there was only so much that Sunday could do.

Not for the first time, a sudden jittery, uneasy sensation flutters in his chest. Separation anxiety, was what others had jokingly named this feeling when Sunday described it to them, but–

His phone screen lights up again. Sunday hurries back to his desk, setting down the papers and picking up his pen on autopilot even as his eyes are drawn to his phone.

Robin: All good! Lyra finished things by the time I got here.

Robin: There’s actually very little collateral damage this time, too.

Robin: She also found all of the missing children!

Robin: Everyone is accounted for. [Smiley face]

Robin: [New Attachment: Image file]

Sunday pauses.

… The picture that Robin sent him is clearly one that she’d just taken on her phone. In the frame, there are several children curled up against each other in a small pile, some of whom are asleep, while others hold markers in their hands with mischievous expressions. But more importantly, beside the children–

Lyra.

Soft, silvery hair, and feathery wings. Lyra’s appearance is not elegant or enchanting the way Robin’s is, but no one –not even the other Halovians who incessantly wagged those tongues that they did not deserve to keep– would deny that she was lovely in her own right. His little sister’s beauty is one that’s precious and darling, which has its own charm.

There is a blond-haired young man leaning quite closely over Lyra’s shoulder, his arm reaching over her body to point at something that she’s holding.

Sunday’s eyes narrow at the ostentatious peacock–

Who is he, he means to type to Robin. But as he lifts his hand, Sunday suddenly realizes that he’s dripping ink on the table.

Slowly, he unfurls his fingers. Fingers that he does not recall tightening into a fist in the first place.

Pieces of a broken pen fall one by one onto the polished desk with a clattering sound, ink seeping deep into the wooden grains as dark droplets continue to dribble down from Sunday’s hand.

[lactoseintolerentswag]

Rise Characterizations: The Foot Clan

Since I've posted on Cass, I figured it would be useful to post separately on the Foot Clan as a whole.

So the Foot Clan's obvious goal is the resurrect The Shredder.

They have paralleled origins to that of the Hamato Clan, the distinction of which caused by Karai splitting into her own clan.

One of the only mentioned laws of the Foot Clan is: you can only take control by succeeding where those have failed.

This leaves room to interpret that there could be a history of in-fighting or struggle for power within the Foot Clan.

Ranking:

To officially join the Foot Clan, a recruit must attempt an assigned solo mission, and return with success. The more missions a recruit/member go on, the more they are qualified to be raised to a higher ranking.

A foot marking on a face is implied to accompany a higher level of respect. Since Huginn and Muninn haven't raised their rank higher than the equivalent of a 2, we can assume that getting a foot print you must be a rank 3 or higher.

Members:

Foot Lt. offhandedly mentioned they get recruits online in "ninja chat rooms", so it seems they prioritize quantity over quality.

Then there are the origami warriors, who serve as canon fodder. We see the origami warriors as the earliest army of the Foot Clan, but this is ruined with the turtles' involvement. I wonder what determines the value between the origami warriors and the human members.

The Foot Clan is already kind of built on flimsy foundations. Foot Lt. and Foot Brute seem to be the only ones in the know of what's going on (being able to navigate through the Hidden City, use/locate mystic artifacts, and have some knowledge of the Hamato Clan), but even they don't really understand the Shredder's motivations. It makes me question how "human" or disconnected from their humanity they are, especially considering the flaming heads and purple skin.

There is some mentioned donors of the Foot Clan (such as Jocelyn's parents), but after the Shredder was detained in Seasons 2's opening, the members of the Foot Clan kind of jumped ship. This forced Cass to find purpose elsewhere, and Foot Lt. and Brute to retreat to the shadows. When the Shredder returns, it's just the three of them. This might have to do with where they recruit from.

In-fighting and changes between leadership through violence could also lead to muddled history and values. These people aren't bound together by one purpose, just broad destructive chaos.

Names and identities don't be appeared to be valued within the Foot Clan. For the majority of the show Cassandra is referred to as "Foot Recruit", and the only names we're offered with the two leaders are "Foot Lt. and "Foot Brute". This is could be read as a gag, but again Foot Clan history is completely open to interpretation.

Goals:

We've discussed their connection to Shredder's resurrection, but even beyond him what they're really aiming at it world domination and destruction. We see this reflected in Cass with her inherit fierceness, but also how she deals with the fallout of the Foot Clan by raising an army of brownie scouts to take over the world.

And then there's the inherit role of servitude that both Foot Lt. and Brute put themselves under. When Draxum dons the armor they "await" his orders (with the misunderstanding that the Shredder has risen), and when asked what they expect the Shredder to do they simply shrug and say "shred". They live to serve and destroy for a higher power beyond their understanding. A few lines that particularly stuck out to me in the movie was: "Tonight we liberate our masters from their dimensional prison. With this key we shall free them to lay waste to this world and enslave its people."

And finally I'd like to discuss their relationship with the Krang and the key.

Since the events of s2 the Foot Clan appears to have taken residence in an abandoned garden, whether it was the same in which the boys had broken into to smell the corpse flower remains unclear to My findings. Their numbers have grown again for an unknown reason, and they have been collecting parts of the dimensional gate and finally key.

I would also like to mention the inclusion of the boat and dock here. Especially since we were introduced to the Foot Clan through their paper thievery, and the boys had their first win against them on a similar boat that served as a paper hoard.

Moving back to the Krang, they have a similar fundamental misunderstanding of their place in relation to their masters, as they did with their master the shredder. It begs me to ask the question of when exactly and how did Lieutenant and Brute start giving attention to the Krang.

They were never mentioned before during the show, but in the movie Lieutenant does refer to them by name, "We shall follow the Krang as they lead the Foot Clan to glory!" So did this reach for a new master come from desperate research on the Shredder's origins, or was that the end goal when the Shredder was released? The oni that gave Shredder is shown to be a Krang before they were even confirmed, and the armor appears eerily similar to the armor that the three Krang don in the final sequence of the movie.

Then the source of empyrean (the source of mysticsm, yokai, mutants) is shown to come from a kraang corpse. There's so much of the Foot Clan tied to the Krang manipulating Oroku Saki, but a lot of their origins appear to be lost to history.

But again that leaves much to interpretation and wiggle room to poke at!!

[analy-sing-stuff]

HI SO THE SUMMER HIKARU DIED IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MANGAS I'VE RED THIS YEAR, I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER :D

I wanted to yap a bit about how i think it's pretty much important seeing it also as a BL and how so many people are misunderstanding the beautiful relationship between Yoshiki and Hikaru but specially 'Hikaru', who he later on falls deeply in love, HEAR ME OUT OK?

🍉 This contain spoilers 🍉

In one of the first scenes of this series, we can understand perfectly what's happening to both of the main characters. Hikaru is gone, and Yoshiki has to deal with his loss even tho his friend is still there, but oops 😬 it's not really him. It's some kind of weird monster he has never heard before. It's clear that Yoshiki's mental health is taking a deep dive, NOT ONLY because he saw the corpse of his dead friend and has to live with whatever this identity is, but because apparently, Hikaru had a strong impact in his life, considering the divorce of his parents and the feeling of loneliness he felt for being "diferent" (queer in a small town). It's somehow acceptable that whatever he felt about his dead best friend is insignificant in this situation, 'cause no matter what he did, accepting reality meant losing Hikaru forever, and he decides that it's such a ubereable feeling that he wants, no he NEEDS this Hikaru around.

In conclusion, Yoshiki has to deal with grief, the loneliness of the bigotry, the loss of his childhood and the acceptance of his trauma and issues.

And 'Hikaru' is now free. He could destroy most of the village and the people living on it; but he decides he won't, because he loves, OH he loves Yoshiki. To the point He gives part of himself to this boy just to make sure he's safe. It makes sense the original Hikaru had this feelings burried inside him already but it's also clear to me that this thing, this monster experiences feelings for the first time and he can't help but feel everything in a way more intense level. So Basically, his undying love for Yoshiki is the chain keeping him on the ground when he should be this destruction and murder machine.

Do i believe 'Hikaru' and Yoshiki could be lovers?

Absolutely.

Everything on this manga is ahead of what we see, for example, when Hikaru loses his control all of sudden and turns back to his real form

Have you ever felt something so fiercely you felt like pouring your soul, or screaming off the top of your lungs?

Well, the monster revealing himself is a way to let clear how much 'Hikaru' (or rather just queer people) repress their own feelings to "fit in".

It's very meaningful how 'Hikaru' is so open and expressive (especially in a physical way) about how he feels and who he is, and Yoshiki is more of a "quiet gloomy boy" who has the deep desire of hiding himself for who he is truly (the way he keeps his bangs long is probably a manifestation of hiding away, which really makes sense)

So, yeah, Hikaru dying and coming back is this big allegory of how once you're becoming who you really truly are, and bigotry is all around, people are gonna notice something is wrong and when you come out, suddenly you are a monster.

The "old lady" interacting with both of them and specially saying to Yoshiki to "be careful not to get mixed up with him" as if it was, maybe, some kind of disease is craazy, because out of context it really matches well all of the big metaphor of "being queer in secret at a small traditional village".

Also! I wanted to point the BIGGEST allegory in this whole series.

The "Hand in the hole"

I've even seen people compare it to abuse, which honestly seems to me not only untrue, but, as someone with het comp, kind of offensive?

But yeah, that's definitely a metaphor for gay sex or at least same sex intimacy.

The catch is, Yoshiki does seem uncomfortable because, like the insides of a monster, same sex relationships are "unnatural". It gets really easy figuring out he actually likes the feeling of being one with 'Hikaru' since the second time he does it, he keeps telling himself how wrong it is, how he shouldn't be doing it, and then he forgets it, because he likes it. It feels good; However, once it starts "sticking to him" (obvious alegory for feeling guilty or dirty, like he sinned) He gets scared and runs away.

I feel that, at first Yoshiki mourns Hikaru, he Mourns their old relationship of a comfortable friendship and he doesn't understand why did his best friend had to die and become a monster, something so weird, so unnatural; but later on, they learn to accept themselves for who they are, even if they feel different in their own ways and come to terms of accepting the unconditional love they feel for eachother.

ANYWAYS, I LOVE THEM THEY LOVE EACHOTHER, IT'S UNHEALTHY, IT'S DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL

I hope everything goes right for them, or else I'll have one more year of therapy over sad doomed yaoi 😞🩷

[wutheringskies]

The Lans and Nies have no right to check and intrude between whatever is going on between Wei Wuxian, the Wen remnants and the Jins. Yet, they somehow have enough rights to go and witness the deaths of Wen Qing and Wen Ning with their clan disciples. And why were these two being killed? Because Jin Zixuan died by the hands of Wen Ning in an ambush set forth by the Jins upon Wei Wuxian, who was invited to Koi Tower by the Jins! So, it's definitely the Jin's matter, yet now you guys can come!

And what ends up happening? Somehow, Wen Ning who is being supported by Hanguang-jun loses control and ... kills Lans and Nies? Not the Jins! In the Jin palace! In an event orchestrated by the Jins! Death by a fierce corpse that the Jins should have prepared for! A whole ass cultivation sect? And a fierce corpse can go and kill whoever it wants?

But great!

Because you guys didn't ever go and check what the matter at Burial Mounds actually was like, because not your problem! Now, it has become your problem and you're forced to take part in the oath ceremony to go raze the Burial Mounds, and then you know, to defend himself, Wei Wuxian comes! And somehow it's his fault for "slaughtering." As if you guys weren't going along with the flow, not even questioning for a second why the smart Yiling Laozu would kill the people who could have stood up for him? And then what? You guys were present at the Oath Ceremony so more of you ended up dying, and now you have to go and take part in the slaughter of 50 innocent men and women and old people!!

Just because you were in positions of power, yet chose inaction. You got completely played! Naive.

Now, that's not enough yet.

Now, there's only two people who could've saved Nie Mingjue - Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing. But they're both already gone! Perhaps if Lan Wangji wasn't in seclusion, he would've stood up against the slaughter of all those minor clans who "tried to assassinate sect leader Jin"! But he is!

Now, Lan Xichen would rather shrug off both of his sworn brothers showing utmost hostility towards each other and increasing amounts of killing intent as a misunderstanding. He would think, oh he's being so nice and nuanced, understanding how people have to sometimes do bad things to maintain peace :((

Like, Lan Xichen's whole identity is built over avoiding conflict. When it comes to good and evil, there is no third side. How can you preach righteousness if you're not willing to carry the burden of morality? Sympathy doesn't equate to righteousness. Perhaps, if be wasn't a sect leader, he'd be good. But when you're a sect leader, being good isn't enough! Your inaction amounts to hundreds of lives.

Wei Wuxian perhaps has the most blood on his hands yet he values even the life of some useless servant, or some half-dead grandmother. You're all letting entire clans die to maintain a peaceful environment and you're thinking you're being righteous. If you have doubts then check them out!

Why are Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji so fated?

Well, firstly they've seen how "ugly" the other can get. Lan Wangjj knows that Wei Wuxian can turn up the heavens for righteousness, that he'll gladly walk through hell, if he could he would even offer up his own pieces of flesh. Wei Wuxian knows Lan Wangji cannot pretend things are okay when they're not. He is stubborn to no end with what he believes to be right, is willing to bear each and every consequence. He'd rather do what he thinks is right and accept the punishment later, whatever that will be.

In the face of truth, you can't hide, and you can't be prejudiced.

Wei Wuxian was hurt so much by Wen Chao, thrown into the Burial Mounds yet he brought the same surnamed Wens into Burial Mounds willingly to protect them! How can Nie Mingjue simply act on his hatred? In your righteousness to kill all evil, you started killing without exceptions and became the evil himself!

And why does Lan Xichen not have anything to say about Xue Yang? "Er-ge... this is what father wants." But Jin Guangshan is also a sect leader! Lan Xichen is also a sect leader!

I wonder what Lan Xichen said to Wangji after his visit to the Burial Mounds.

"Xiongzhang, there isn't an army but a child, the elderly, the women."

"Wangji. I understand. But Wei-gongzi has really upset the orthodox society now. It is no longer about the Wens. His cultivation is evil, and he holds the Tiger Seal... he even brought back Wen Ning's consciousness... you believe you know him..."

And boom, tell that to Jin Guangyao and three days later, everyone knows about Wen Ning. Props to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji for not holding grudges towards anyone and simply riding off to the sunset and even helping everyone who never tried to understand their true hearts.

Both of them are really blessed.

[memory-lane-and-back-again]

A Thought About Wei Wuxian's Death

Spoilers for... I don't remember which book it is (Book 3 I think)

When WWX is captured by the Wens and tossed into the burial mounds he is so full of rage and anger that it is a terrifying possibility that he will come back as a fierce corpse full of resentful energy. (Arguable he does, but that's a point to make for after exams when I can actually have fun and analyse the heck out of these)

I find it an interesting parallel that when he actually does die he is an incredibly 'well behaved ghost.' as in, he's well... if not moved on, at least not inclined to try and act and in some state of peace: not happy but at least tolerating how things have ended. WWX's character is permeated by a deep, inextricable sadness and I think, though it is not ever blatantly acknowledge, this is foregrounded right at the beginning with the story: he doesn't know why he's been brought back, does not understand and is incredibly fixed on the fact that it was not his choice. To infer... he didn't really want to come back.

I found his present mellowness, that contrasts so brutally with his fury and anger and ability to feel such intensity before he died, to be a bit strange---not unbelievable but strange. That kind of anger burns incredibly brightly and is incredibly hard to tamper down and yes, he grows and matures but it feels a bit strange to me that this comes on from spending ten years without a body. I think it is more an extension of his grief and guilt: after Wen Qing and Wen Ning go to die on his behalf is when he gets truly angry... his anger gets out of control and Jiang Yanli is hurt and then dies for him. Jiang Cheng takes his anger out on him. As far as WWX can remember even LWJ is disgusted by him... is it so hard to believe that he too is disgusted with himself. Present day, he cringes at his past arrogance---the illusion of omnipotence and control he thought he had.

I am of the opinion he's the sort of person with the mindset that if he can make the world a better place, fix one problem, even if it is at the expense of his own, he'd do it. He is raised to protect JC, doesn't even bat an eye at losing his core because if it can help JC it is good; he doesn't fear dying if he can come back as a fierce corpse to still help destroy the Wens; he doesn't care to humiliate himself to try and give Wen Ning a chance at archery; his public image does not matter if he is helping people. This carries forward where he is willing to sacrifice discovery to protect Jin Ling; he turns himself into a spirit attraction flag for people who hate him; the moment LWJ freaks out about sleeping with him, WWX first priority is to take all the blame for everything and then leave and go do the stupid mission all by himself because he doesn't want to force LWJ to put up with him, even though it leaves WWX himself incredibly wrought. And then of course, he doesn't even bat an eye at luring Nie Minguie away by himself.

My point is he's a willing martyr, happy to get himself into trouble and deep water for pretty much anyone (mianmian, LWJ, JC, the Wens) so it must feel like hell when his efforts only succeed in getting everyone killed, when he's kind of forced to confront that he is loved and had people willing to stand by him that he did not consider when he made his plans and that they are dead because of to an extent his actions. I truly believe him trying to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally is his last attempt to try and rectify things and he is a bit like Xiao Xingchen in that regard, trying so hard to follow his principles and failing abysmally. At that point his jiejie is dead, who is like the very symbol of innocence and unconditional love in his life at that point and he knows they are coming to kill him. His big character difference I think has a lot to do with the three months after the nightless city and before his death because he feels the world is better off with him dead.

A lot of people compare Xue Yang and WWX and whilst I think that is valid, I think a lot of people forget his inherent connection to XXC through his mother. I think it is important to acknowledge that they share a very similar mindset: naively wanting to change the world with their beliefs alone as if people will see altruism and kindness as the best path whilst most people are out searching very selfishly for their own greatness and success---something neither WWX adn XXC need to think about because A) the are already powerful and successful and B) they were never raised to think themselves as needing to be supremely powerful to be successful and Good.

Anyways, it does make me wonder how much of WWX's characterisation present day is put on. He slaps himself in the face when no one is around to see it after he finds out who Jin Ling is, he lets Jin Ling stab him and feels he deserves it---that by proxy is when he's most open with LWJ: 'you don't need to come with me, your reputation will be ruined.' It so, so clearly speaks of self-loathing that he is so so good at hiding.

I think actually when LWJ and WWX first sleep together the physical undressing is also a metaphor for an emotional undressing on WWX's part because he strips himself of his insincerity and arrogance and allows himself to be vulnerable. The only other times we see his vulnerability is when he's passed out unconscious and when he realises to stop hurting LWJ he needs to kind of bare his soul to him in book 5 after LXC reveals the truth about nightless city.

Gosh, I love these characters so much.

[veliseraptor]

just thinking about the "xue yang never cared about xiao xingchen he doesn't have real feelings and just thinks of him as a toy" take again and @ameliarating pointed something out to me namely:

Xue Yang broke into peals of laughter. "Wei-qianbei, you're merciless!"

"Fine, laugh. Even if you laugh yourself to death, Xiao Xingchen's soul will still be too broken to put back together. He found you repulsive, yet you still insist on dragging him back so that you can play games with him."

Abruptly, Xue Yang swung from laughter into rage. "Who wants to play games?!"

"Then why did you kneel in front of me and beg me to fix his soul for you?"

Of course, someone as clever as Xue Yang must have been aware that Wei Wuxian was trying to bait him. First, distracting him with anger, and second, provoking him into shouting, Wei Wuxian made it possible for Lan Wangji to deduce his location and strike. But still, Xue Yang couldn't help replying. "Why? Hah! As if you don't know. I want to turn him into a fierce corpse - under my control! Didn't he want to be a pure, virtuous cultivator? Then I'll make him endlessly slaughter people, so he'll never find peace!"

"Ah? You hate him that much? Then why did you kill Chang Ping?"

Xue Yang sneered. "Why did I kill Chang Ping? Do you need to ask, Yiling Patriarch? Didn't I already tell you? I said I was going to kill the entire Yueyang Chang Clan - I wasn't even going to spare one dog!"

[...] Wei Wuxian said, "You sure came up with a good explanation. Too bad the timing doesn't match up. Someone like you, who can't even let a dirty look go without avenging yourself a thousand times over, someone who strikes so swiftly and ruthlessly - if someone like you really wanted to kill off an entire family, why would they wait so many years to finish? You know perfectly well why you killed Chang Ping."

"Then tell me, what do I know? What do I know perfectly well?!"

He shouted this last sentence.

"You killed them, yes. But why lingchi? Killing someone that way signifies that it was punishment. If you were only getting revenge for yourself, why did you use Shuanghua and not your own Jiangzai? Why did you have to dig out Chang Ping's eyes and make him like Xiao Xingchen?"

Xue Yang shouted himself hoarse. "Bullshit! It's all bullshit! It was revenge - was I supposed to let him die comfortably?"

"Indeed, it was revenge. But whose revenge were you seeking? How ridiculous. If you genuinely wanted revenge, you should have sliced yourself into pieces!" (MDZS, Chapter 42)

so if we're meant to buy that interpretation, then...what is the point of this passage? what is it trying to say? is it just to give Wei Wuxian a means of distracting Xue Yang and making him show himself? then why this means? and why are we taking the line that Xue Yang himself, a famously reliable narrator (?) gives (re: wanting to turn Xiao Xingchen into a fierce corpse and control him) as the truth of the situation, as opposed to Wei Wuxian's own interpretation (where Xue Yang is taking revenge on Xiao Xingchen's behalf, albeit expressed onto a different target)? and what is the point of Xue Yang's reaction after this, where he suddenly goes silent and stops responding, meant to indicate? the fact that Xue Yang gets angrier and angrier at Wei Wuxian for pressing the point?

these are all cues present for a narrative purpose, not "just because," and they're pointing in a direction that indicates that Xue Yang in this scene is lying through his teeth, whether or not he admits that to himself.

furthermore, since inevitably "but adaptation" comes up in these conversations, CQL actually retains this scene in a remarkably intact form:

coming to the conclusion based on this scene alone (not even touching the narrative surrounding the events in the past) that people who claim that "xue yang had no genuine feelings about xiao xingchen whatsoever" is to be taken as truth are not just taking the most boring possible read of this text but also at least a little actively reading against it.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

Why didn't Su She just grab JGY and teleport out of the temple? Was his cultivation level really low? Did he need a recharge??

it's funny you should send me this ask, anon, since it does form the basic premise of a fic I am working on (kind of).

sms's cultivation level and martial arts skills are quite good! before uncovering his identity as the mystery swordsman responsible for absconding with xue yang's body and, presumably, the stygian tiger tally, wwx is impressed by his techniques and capabilities. during the second siege of the burial mounds, sms is the one who leads his moling su disciples in performing the altered song of vanquishing to seal the spiritual energies of everyone else present at the siege--and, once he is found out, he makes use of a teleportation talisman to escape (abandoning his own disciples in the process after tricking them--not a good look, minshan). he's using these talents towards a terrible purpose in this moment, of course, but this speaks to someone who does have a strong cultivation base; his own guqin isn't named in the text, but it is described as a first class spiritual tool comparable to lan wangji's. just because he isn't lan wangji, lan xichen or nie mingjue doesn't mean he isn't a strong cultivator! he's just not a cultivation prodigy.

(though, as an aside, it takes a different kind of gumption and courage to go from being exiled from your sect and branded a coward, to establishing your own sect in mdzs's jianghu.)

so, bearing in mind that he did just exert a considerable amount of that energy during the second burial mounds siege, I do think he was 'running low,' as it were, and didn't have much left in the tank. that said, I do think it's possible that minshan could have made use of a teleportation talisman for both himself and jgy, just because of how much spiritual power he pours into nanping [edit: not nanping!! i forgot that lwj already shattered nanping earlier in the confrontation. so this is a different sword, but i think my point still stands] in his final attack on nmj moments before his death. I am glad that this moment was included in the donghua and very sad it was changed in cql:

(highlighting that short paragraph up top just to indicate the short-sightedness of huaisang's revenge vision quest here. nmj's fierce corpse is a danger to everyone in this confrontation, not just jgy; moments earlier, he'd not only lunged towards both jin ling and jiang cheng, but even towards lan xichen and huaisang himself.)

I love this paragraph; I love that in this moment, minshan's martial prowess and his strong cultivation base get to shine, because he is a character who has gone through the entire novel belittled and mocked and denigrated by everyone around him because of his cowardice, his inconsistent control over his spiritual abilities, and his decades-long grudge against the gusu lan (and lan wangji specifically). all of that remains true, and in this moment, he is incandescent and capable and putting every scrap of remaining power that he has into this attempt to strike down nmj and protect jgy. it's beautifully and vividly written and demonstrates just how unwavering his devotion is to the only person in the text to consistently treat him with respect and dignity.

that said--

the moment of his death unfortunately encapsulates his achilles' heel, both as a character and as a cultivator, imo. minshan's problem isn't that he has a weak spiritual core and weak martial arts: it's that he is impulsive and prone to extremely poor judgment in the heat of the moment (case in point: he curses jin zixun for the unforgivable crime of... wounding his pride. I mean, I too think jzn is a cunt, but like, come on minshan). he pours so much dazzling spiritual power into his sword that it shatters, rendering him defenceless in the face of nmj's attack.

imo this is a pivotal moment in the final confrontation in the guanyin temple where both sms and jgy could have escaped exactly as you suggest, anon. if sms has enough spiritual power remaining to accidentally shatter his sword, he probably has enough spiritual power to activate a teleportation talisman (either while nmj is still staring at the empty coffin or after forcing him back with that initial sword thrust) and escape through it with jgy in tow. but he didn't, because that isn't the judgment call he made in the moment.

[jaimebluesq]

I wish you would write a fic where...

As his brothers condition is going downhill, Nie Huaisang finds an array/ritual to bolster Nie Mingjue's core at the expense of his own.

This was so intriguing! I hope this satisfied you, dear anon, but be warned - I teared up a little writing this, so it may prompt waterworks in the reader.

~ ~ ~

It was spring, and the peonies around Koi Tower were in full bloom, filling the air with the scents and colours of the season. Anyone walking around the gardens should be feeling relaxed and at ease, perhaps even inspired by the beauty around them.

Nie Huaisang was none of that. He walked around the beauty and tried to ignore the emotions churning at his gut.

His brother had been getting worse. This time, instead of simply yelling at him to go to saber practice, Nie Mingjue had grabbed his arm and physically dragged him across the sect in front of every disciple and a pair of visiting merchants that had come to strike a deal on new metal alloys for their weapons. That night, Nie Huaisang had removed his robes before going to bed only to find bruises on his arm shaped in a perfect imprint of his brother’s hand. Deep inside, he knew what this meant, that Da-ge would spiral out of control until he went the same way their father did. If he were a good brother, he would be in the Unclean Realm, spending as much time with his brother as he could before the end.

But Nie Huaisang was a coward, and instead had run off for Lanling where he could cower and ignore reality for a little while longer.

Jin Guangyao was in meetings all afternoon but would meet him for dinner later, and until then, Nie Huaisang had free reign of Koi Tower. He had all of the sect available to him, and yet he could take no pleasure in any of it. He reached into his sleeve for his favourite fan, only to find it missing. He furrowed his brow – had he forgotten it in Jin Guangyao’s room that morning when they’d had breakfast together? Rather than waiting until dinner, Nie Huaisang decided to fetch it immediately.

At least it gave him something tangible to do rather than simply trying to escape from himself.

He found his fan quickly, exactly where he had expected it to be. He grabbed it and turned swiftly to leave, but his long sleeve caught on the corner of a tea service placed carefully on a nearby sideboard. The set went flying, sending pieces scattering and crashing to the floor.

All except for a single spoon that flew toward the tall mirror in the corner, and then vanished.

Ignoring the mess all around him, he stepped over to the mirror and reached out to touch it, only to watch as his finger ‘disappeared’ as well. He put his hand further inside the mirror and wiggled his fingers, and he was able to feel them moving. If he had any sense, he would appreciate that this was some sort of spiritual or magical item that should not be messed with, and he would take his fan, clean up the mess, and leave Jin Guangyao’s rooms.

Instead, he bit his bottom lip and stepped through the mirror.

He was in a lavishly appointed room with treasures on every shelf. San-ge had a treasure room, and he’d never shown Nie Huaisang! He hated being left out of a secret, particularly one that could be so useful. Imagine, having such a secret place to run to if things reached terrible proportions at home. He wandered around, tracing his finger along various items and deducing where each had come from, though there were a handful that were beyond his comprehension.

And then he spotted a familiar sheathed sword. He approached it and reached out with trembling fingers. “Suibian? What is Wei-xiong’s sword doing here? Does Jiang Cheng know?” Sadly, the sword was nothing like a Nie saber and could not answer his inquiry. He noticed a set of shelves beneath the sword with spaces for various papers and texts, and out of curiosity, he pulled out a pile. Some of it was in Wei Wuxian’s handwriting, descriptions of talismans and theories on reanimating fierce corpses with their consciousness intact. He instinctively shuddered at the thought and set those papers down.

But the other papers were in another person’s hand, and after only reading a few words, Nie Huaisang felt a compulsion to continue looking through them all. They were written by the doctor, Wen Qing, and outlined various thoughts and theories regarding the nature of cultivators’ golden cores. She described the process of transferring a core from one person to another in such detail that he could imagine her having performed such a procedure. And then she proposed theories about further ways that one cultivator’s core could work on another. Such as stabilizing unstable cores.

One page carried both her and Wei Wuxian’s handwriting, each contributing to create an array that would allow a cultivator to use their core to stabilize another.

He stuffed the paper in his robes and quickly put away the rest. He returned to Jin Guangyao’s rooms and cleaned the mess he’d made of the tea service. And he waited impatiently until that night to tell San-ge that he would be returning to the Unclean Realm the next day.

For the first time in many, many months, he felt the glow of hope in his chest.

~ ~ ~

For the first time in many, many months, Nie Mingjue woke feeling well-rested and optimistic for the day ahead. Usually he awoke angry or with a headache, as if he’d overindulged in wine the night before even though he hadn’t touched the stuff since the last cultivation conference. But that morning, he awoke feeling really, really good, and even the confusion it caused him did not hinder the glow of health that left him feeling like he could take on the world.

With a smile, he stretched his arms over his head, listening as his shoulder joints popped. Then with a deep breath, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed.

What the hell had happened?!

The floor next to his bed had been painted, streaks of white and yellow forming a large, round array that covered most of the room’s floor like a strange sort of rug. And lying unconscious in the middle of it was his brother.

“Huaisang?” There was no answer. “Didi? Wake up!” The only movement was the slight lifting of Nie Huaisang’s chest as he breathed.

Nie Mingjue swallowed around the growing feeling of panic rising up his throat.

He leapt off the bed and reached out for his brother, shaking his shoulder and checking to see if he was injured in some way. But his brother appeared fine, simply unconscious – except for one thing. When Nie Mingjue placed his fingers over his brother’s meridian to check his qi, he felt nothing.

“Huaisang, what happened to you?” he asked, lifting his brother into his arms and cradling his limp body in his lap.

There was a light groan. “Da-ge?”

“I’m here,” he replied, unable to keep the worry from his voice. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I’m just... tired,” Nie Huaisang muttered sleepily.

“No, don’t you dare go back to sleep, not until you tell me what happened.”

Nie Huaisang’s eyes fluttered open and looked up into Nie Mingjue’s face. “I had to make you feel better, Da-ge. It’s okay... I wasn’t using my core anyway.”

Nie Mingjue didn’t understand the array painted onto the floor, but he didn’t have to in order to realize just what his brother was implying. He clutched his brother harder in his arms, ignoring the press of Nie Huaisang’s nose into his neck even as his own tears began to spill over onto his brother’s braided hair.

“How could you have done something so stupid?” he hissed. “I’m supposed to protect you.”

“You can’t protect me if you’re dead like Baba,” his brother replied weakly.

He sniffed and closed his eyes. Whatever Nie Huaisang had done was done, but he would be damned if he wasted the second chance his brother had given him. And though his brother had now denied himself the long life of a cultivator, at least he might now live longer than most Nie.

And Nie Mingjue would protect every day of that life for as long as he lived.

[ed-francesca]

3. + 4.

Whumptober 2024

Fandom: Mo dao zu shi

Characters: Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing

Prompt: Set up for failure // Hallucinations

Notes: hello, I’m trying Whumptober for the first time, I’m going to hurt some danmei characters, but there’ll also be some comfort because I’m unable to write bad endings. 

Breathe

Wen Ning’s dead body at the center of a bloody array laughs at him.

No, no, not him: he wouldn’t laugh at anyone when he was alive, so Wei Wuxian must not taint his memory with an image like this.

The truth is - he’s being tainting more than his memory, for days.

He’s being dipping in the darkest waters he’s ever explored. Never once he has thought “I should have turned back”. He knows where he’s going. He knows why he’s going. There is only a path he can walk, and the reason to walk it is too important to have second thoughts.

Yet, as he looks at his dead friend (if only he had found him sooner!), he feels one step away from the precipice of failure. For all that he’s tried, still the answer eludes him. Wen Ning stays a fierce corpse, a vengeful dead creature kept in a sort of comatose state by a myriad of talismans and spells. The hope of seeing again a spark of conscience in those empty eyes thins with every passing day.

How many days have passed, really? He has no idea. His perceptions are few, because all of his energy must be concentrated on the task. He’s vaguely aware of the dampness of the cave, of the scarce light (some of his lanterns went out who knows when), of the instruments of his art - paper, blood and a few other items he’s too rapidly running out of. The rest is a blur. The rest is not important.

His aching muscles, his burning eyes, his shaking hands are not important. Not if he can still go on and try something else…

Until something comes out of the high walls of the cave. He cannot see it well: a trembling mist clouds his sight, but it’s something black and cold and slimy, and it creeps all around him, the treacherous thing, extending its horrible spires, staining all of his work, his friend’s body (his failure), his own bloody hands.

Wei Wuxian screams. It’s finally happened: he has lost control and awakened something he won’t be able to face.

Then it’s a question of minutes or hours. He doesn’t know how long he’d been screaming, when a pair of thin but strong arms hold him. He cannot see, he doesn’t recognize the person in front of him - but who can be so ill-advised to come near him?

“Calm down” says a stern voice. He follows the sound and desperately clings to it. “Calm down, now. I’m here. Can you tell me what are you feeling? Are you hurt?”

“Go away! Can’t you see it? It will eat you too!”

“There is nothing here.”

Oh, but there is! He has just seen…

“Close your eyes.” The voice guides him. The waves of sound ground him. “”Lean on me and breathe.”

He does so, as warm hands press his head against coarse cloth.

He breathes against Wen Qing’s shoulder, as her hands run on his back, and it feels like she’s getting the panic out of his body.

“How long ago was the last time you slept?” she asks. “The last time you ate?”

“I… probably… I have no idea” he admits in a whisper.

“Are you insane? How can you keep doing… this… without a moment of rest? You have to take care of your needs!”

“I cannot stop. I’m so close. I cannot fail!”

“You won’t.” Her voice is frail, almost broken, but still she holds him. “I know what you are trying to do. I wait for the moment you…” A deep breath. “But if you go on like this, you’ll be dead too. Please. Rest for a while. Let me take care of you.”

Too weak to say no, too scared to lose the refuge of her arms, he lets her bring him out of there and coax him into bathing, eating and resting.

[weiying-lanzhan-fics]

With Surgical Precision by metisket

What a beautiful story told through WQ’s sarcastic, loving, and angry viewpoint. A wonderful journey indeed! ❤️

Quotes:

And so it comes to pass. Wen Chao and all of his guards are dead minutes after they leave Qishan Wen—Wen Qing takes care to make it look like fierce corpses did it. It’s so easy to kill people who don’t suspect you, it’s a little off-putting. A-Ning looks downright guilty. He’s such a good person. A good person who is going to live to be old this time, no matter what it takes.

There are only, say, five people in existence who could possibly mourn the loss of Wen Chao in any case, and three of them are already dead. Of course, pointing that out would only make A-Ning even more unhappy. He’s far too kind for the cultivation world.

Wen Qing did at least make the deaths painless. All of her executions so far have been relatively painless. As far as she’s concerned, none of this has been revenge—it’s been surgery.

————

“‘Can you transfer my golden core to somebody else, Wen Qing?’” she mocks, widening her eyes innocently. “‘I definitely have my undead army completely under control, Wen Qing.’ ‘I’m fine, Wen Qing, coughing blood like this is normal!’ Get used to it, Lan Wangji. He’s a ridiculous disaster, but he already thinks you’re wonderful, so you’re never going to be rid of him.”

And that was absolutely the correct thing to say, because seeing Lan Wangji flustered and embarrassed is common enough near Wei Wuxian, but seeing Wei Wuxian blush bright red is a once in a lifetime gift.

“I do not think he’s wonderful,” Wei Wuxian blusters unconvincingly.

T, 20k

Summary:

If Wen Qing had realized sooner that she wasn’t in the afterlife or hallucinating, but had actually traveled back in time, she’d have done things differently. There’d have been less murder, for one thing.

[themissmott]

I’m hoping this makes somewhat sense? I made it in like 20 minutes so might be a little OC

Glutton.

It could have been a dream, an exact replica. Down from the creaking floorboards, the strain of breath, and a rapid yet dulling heartbeat. It wasn't unfamiliar, not in the sense that he has never done this before. His legs straddled the chest of a man, eyes bloodshot, face blotchy and purple as he clawed, digging his fingers into Nacho's forearms. legs scrambling against the wood in fast streaks, hoping to cleaver off his assailant. His own last show of strength to show that he could live, that he could stand one more day in this loveless world. How could death touch you, even as you stood face to face?

His body often felt unreal, cold, and untouched in these moments. As if a corpse was in his place, puppeteering him through the final grand play of a person's life. The spur of warmth was only through his fiery hands as they burned. A fierce yet controlled fire that burned him whole, chalking off pieces of himself.

And to the fears of a younger nacho, that side of humanity has faded into rotten hands, aching deep down in the heart of the first man he killed.

But, it was different now. In a deja vu sense, as if he has been here. In this murder, in this seemingly insignificant moment of his life, he feels rawer and felt than he has in years. Years under the scope of the cartel, always one breath away from death, he feels alive, as if resuscitated into existence. Into the cold hallway, with a man withering under his hot hands, already buried in the ground.

He feels more explored and worn through than meaningless nights of sex and drugs. Burned down to his bones, til he was bleached and spongy.

Lalo watches from the side. Arms and legs crossed as he watched, observed as Nacho felt and succumbed. And in a twisted view, saw through Nachos' eyes, as if possessing him, wrapping his cold hands around Nachos. Suffocating the man together in a strange symbiosis. Linking together in a way that only they knew. Veins and arteries intertwine into one single pump of blood.

It was always there, that dream. That nauseating fantasy stuck in his gums and teeth. An understanding in two men who ate the other. They were overstimulated messes of flesh, pulling into each other. Taking, always taking.

A retelling of greed and gluttony.

[midnightscxre]

" Is that supposed to make me feel better? To be glued to the fridge of my own house until you stick a damn grocery list on top of my bloody face, while your boyfriend's damn smirking mug is on the walls of my house? " deep baritone jumped from the scales of strained calmness to the edge of losing all control. " Let me make something clear darling. What you are trying to do to avoid any blame is confusing our son. And I will not allow it. " snatching the picture off the wall, Mateo barely managed not to throw it on the ground and step on it, instead he just threw it over the counter in front of her. " Your little game of pretending everything is fine if we just all play our roles will work out in only one way for me, and I will explain just how that works since I have been there myself. What your plan will result in is him growing older and despising me because surely I am the bad guy in all of this for not being here for my son, instead you place Michael on the pedestal. "

Heavy legs carried the man around the counter and stopped collecting steps just a half of meter in front the woman. " And we both know that is not the case. For how long did I try to correct what I have done, and you still decided to stick with your pride? Or better yet, before lecturing me, let me tell you that not one of the women I mess around with is allowed near my son, let alone in a frame on the wall of a place he considers a home. " Eyebrows narrowed, sarcastic smile rose as an addition to the already evident grimace of irritation. " But you don't know that, because you have the privilege of not to be pressured to come there. Only I have to swallow my ego and opinions and walk in here, watch all of this shit and God forbid to have a problem with it. "

The last words the woman chose pierced the blood pump in the skeleton cage. Shoulders tensed, fists balled, and expression darkened. It was tearing him apart, seeing the woman he loved and still does protecting another man so relentlessly and care for his feelings before his. The sound of a car parking on the driveway snaps the angered man from his heavy thoughts, but the wrath only doubles when the realization of who the driver is surfaces. " You are right. " pain Mateo was hiding for watching even a chance of his family to be whole again shatters like a piece of glass was indescribable with mere words. " I am sick and tired of pulling this rope side to side with you Valentina. You have been punishing me for years over some corpse. But it ends here. " Turning, large silhouette passes through the kitchen with a speed and quietness of a ghost . " Yes, I am taking him. And soon, for good. I am filing a request for full custody. You want a fucking happy family without me? Go fuck that prick and get yourself another kid, but you ain't taking mine from me. " Before the hitman went upstairs to pick up his son, he took a sharp, swift turn to the main entrance of the house. Door opened loudly and closed with a crash, as he stepped into the night and right in front of the person he despised more than anyone else in this world. " Hello mate. " it was the last thing that left his mouth before a fist crashed into the other man's face. The punch so hard, so merciless, it made Michael fall under his own weight to the nicely cut grass next to the stairs. Callused fingers curled over the shirt of the man and brought him back to his feet with ease, before another feral punch landed on the jaw. Collapsing for the second time, man tried to stand up but instead a foot landed on his neck, pinning him to the cold asphalt. " This is your last warning, Mike. Try to weasel yourself under my kid's good graces one more time and trust me mate, you will not get up next time. " Without waiting for an answer, Mateo shoved the man fiercely, leaving him behind like a piece of trash on the sidewalk as he really consider him as, before reentering and heading up the stairs for his son.

Despite knowing Mateo would never bring her harm, Valentina still flinches slightly at the noise his fist makes when it hits the counter, but it lasts only a second before her face is twisted in annoyance. "You're acting like Luca is walking around calling him daddy!" she spits back at him, and when he mentions the picture on the wall, Valentina turns to snatch an old photo from its place stuck on the fridge: Valentina and Mateo smiling over a brand new baby boy. She tosses it on the counter in anger. "Don't you stand there and act like you're not represented around this house too!" And he was; old family photos from around the time Luca was born were scattered around the house, a few newer ones featuring Mateo and Luca on their own, and Mateo's handwriting is featured on the living room wall closest to them, where he once recorded Luca's ever-changing height.

Valentina spits curses out beneath her breath in Spanish, turning to look at him again. "I don't know why she said stepfather. She must've assumed, Mateo. We're not—" there yet, she wants to say, but fuck… why is she explaining herself? It only serves to fuel her anger—but it was the kind of anger that could only be brought to the surface by those you love.

"If you don't want Michael picking him up from school, that's fine, but you don't get to have an opinion on my love life anymore. I don't want him hurt," Valentina snaps. Her attuned hearing picks up the sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires of a car Valentina knows belongs to Michael—and she hopes to God he waits for Mateo to leave before coming inside. "I don't have the strength for any more of this tonight, Mateo," Valentina says, running her fingers through long brown locks in exasperation—and a little nervousness. "Are you taking him this weekend? His bag is in his room."

[inamindfarfaraway]

I love that it’s King more overtly than Luz the Collector has a special connection with, because of how much more they serve as a foil for King. They’re a foil for Luz too, but like:

King wanted power and control, but has learned (ironically as he’s discovered his nature as a Titan) that more important than that for its/his own sake is family and friends, having good connections with good people in your life and helping others. He’s grown up a lot - learned empathy, humility, selflessness and better emotional management. The Collector is an ancient, almighty, omnipotent being able to warp reality effortlessly. Because of this he’s never faced any challenges that have motivated them to change and remain stagnant in eternal selfish, careless immaturity, never sparing a thought to anyone else and treating everything as a game.

King wanted subjects who feared and worshipped him, armies to command, devotees to perform acts in his name. The Collector has a whole civilization built around worship of him and the destruction of his apparent enemies or prey the Titans, and inspires terror in the people of the Boiling Isles.

King longed to be a god, but got the life of a fairly ordinary kid, initially to his annoyance and insecurity. He tried to project a fierce, intimidating image and coveted positions of authority and symbols of status like crowns, was desperate to be taken seriously. Since the start of the show he embraces his childhood and ‘humanity’, wanting to be treated like an equal and no higher, treasuring his stuffed animals and small joys like simplistic puns and cuddles from a big sister - even in the face of actually being the young of a species revered like gods whose dead bodies are potent enough to spontaneously create life on continental scales and whose blood can open holes between dimensions. The Collector truly is a god and his level of power commands respect entirely in itself, but he has no grandeur or weight in his disposition and behaviour. They’re a child in mind and bearing alike, from when he’s petulant and demanding to ranting and sulking in bitter rage to his glee and excitement about new games and fast-formed, hot-burning affection toward his ‘friends’. They shun formality and take barely anything seriously, wearing a child’s playsuit.

King’s character has been and continues to be heavily shaped by a deep sense of loneliness and abandonment. He was born and started developing his personality completely alone except a seemingly non-sentient artificial guardian; vaguely remembers his father being present when he was incubating, but entering the world with no family; then after Eda took him in had no friends that we know of until Luz came along and his social skills were accordingly poor. Now he’s forced to reckon with being the last of his species and walking on his dead father’s decomposing corpse every day, mourning his people, their culture and the life he might have had with them. Between that and the species in question being Titans, his experience is fundamentally impossible for anyone else to relate to. And he leaned this through the merciless betrayal of a people he thought he belonged to! He’s consistently been afraid of his loved ones leaving him and this manifests as attention-seeking and clinginess, often literally holding onto people. The Collector is the only known member of his species to have ever existed. They feel total emotional detachment to all other life, but as harmful as they’re willing to be to others, it’s clear they’ve been hurting immensely themselves. He despises his lonely prison and will do anything to be free of it; so isolated is he there, he can’t even touch people. Thousands of years of that existence would break anyone’s sanity, but especially a child’s to whom attachments are a crucial part of development. It’s no wonder he constantly needs attention and, fun and games the sole medium of interaction and connection they understand, loyal ‘playmates’ to keep him happy and stimulated. They like King have a habit of invading people’s personal space and literally (or telekinetically) holding onto them, e.g. pulling King toward them at the end of “King’s Tide”. Betrayal, abandonment and loneliness are the worst feelings in the world for both the Collector and King, and ones they know all too well.

Finally, the kids have each had a single important relationship both prior to and during the show with a magically powerful adult: Eda and Belos. Eda rescued King from his isolation before she even realized he was of her intelligence, let alone a Titan many would kill to get ahold of, just out of the kindness of her heart, and raised him with love and dedication. She created a false narrative that he was more important in the greater scheme of things than she had reason to believe he was, but he was always indispensably important to her. When it became evident the lie wasn’t helping her son, she revealed the truth, took full responsibility and apologized for it. Eda respects him and puts his needs ahead of her own and he officially recognizes her as his mother. Belos meanwhile promised to free the Collector from his isolation to exploit his knowledge and magic and refused to follow through. He always understood how important the Collector was in the greater scheme of things, but created the false narrative that they were more important to him than they actually were. He revealed the truth when it became convenient for himself and disposed of him with no sympathy or remorse. When they held him accountable, in his shameless selfishness he outright denied having betrayed them. And although the Collector’s childlike psychology and lack of any love or discipline in his life mean he desperately needs a parental figure, Belos kept their relationship a business partnership and never felt anything toward him; so they, upon realizing his treachery and heartlessness, had no hesitation to blithely murder him.

The Collector is essentially what King would be with his pre-show personality and all his potential Titan power; and, equally importantly, no healthy relationships and a toxic relationship instead of healthy, loving family bonds and friendships!

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Paternal instincts

Content warnings: violence! A lot of it! There is torture in this and it is detailed!

It has been something like 2 hours since Wei Ying entered that room and he has yet to come out. There is the occasional scream resounding from inside, even with all the silencing talismans guarding the door, but nothing else seems to escape the stone chamber.

Lan Wangji is tired of waiting. He's had enough of staying in front of doors and hoping they will finally open.

He breaks the sigil Wei Ying has placed on the door and walks in.

The first thing he feels is the enormous amount of resentful energy. He even sees it, serpents of dark smoke climbing the walls and pooling on the floor. There is a chair in the middle of the room, and one of the suspects for their current predicament is strapped to it with deity-binding threads and thin ropes of resentment. Lan Wangji can see the man's wrists bleeding, the resentment eating at his flesh. He is halfway covered in the smoky manifestation of resentful energy that Wei Ying has conjured, like he's being swallowed by it.

Wei Ying doesn't comment on Lan Wangji's presence. Instead, he snaps his fingers once and the man screams so loud it makes Lan Wangji's ears hurt.

"I don't mind breaking even more of your bones, you know? I'm not even halfway through. And I haven't even reached the fun ones yet either."

The man doesn't say anything, wailing for a few more seconds before he seems to become used to the pain. Wei Ying looks at him with the same admiration one has for a particularly stubborn cockroach.

"I will ask you again. Where is my son?"

"I don't know." The man responds, mouth curling a sickening, bloody smile. "I didn't even know you have a son."

And he laughs.

Lan Wangji grips his sword.

Wei Ying grabs Chenqing momentarily, but settles it at his hip again.

"Wen Ning."

He emerges from a distant corner of the room. He looks... terrifying, even more so than usual. This isn't Wei Ying's doing. This is Wen Ning's own anger that Lan Wangji can feel, and Wen Ning is the only one in control of it.

"Rip his arms off. Start pulling from the shoulders."

The man pales, the smile falling off his face to be replaced with abject terror the moment he feels the Ghist General's grip on his shoulderblades.

And he pulls. Once.

There is a crack, then a maddening scream.

Wei Ying nods towards Wen Ning and he stops.

"Where is my son?"

"I told you, I know of no son of yours!"

Wei Ying sighs. "How long will you keep that up? After I have your limbs torn off, I'll torture you until you turn into a fierce corpse. The more you resist, the angrier I get."

Wen Ning pulls at the man's arms again and his bones crack again. Wei Ying waves a hand and a few tendrils of resentment lock his jaw shut.

"I'm growing really tired of you. You won't tell me anything useful, this is a waste of time."

Wei Ying signals Wen Ning to let go of the man again and the resentful energy retracts.

"Kill me then!" The man screams, followed by hysterical laughter. "Or is the Yiling Patriarch not what he is rumored to be anymore?!"

Wei Ying's eyes shine red and the energy in the room responds to it, enveloping the man up to his neck in dark smoke.

Wei Ying's voice comes out level and dark. "I am way worse than anything you could even fucking imagine. And trust me when I say I'd love to take you apart organ by organ." He takes Chenqing out of his sash, "But I don't have time for that. Tell me where my son is, or I will ask your fucking corpse."

"Your son, huh? I know of no son, except a Wen bastard I caught a few days ago."

Lan Wangji wants to slice the man's head clean off.

The resentful energy responds to the sentiment and it crushes the man's body so tightly, he almost looks like he'll explode.

"Don't fucking talk about my son like that, you worthless piece of shit. Do you really want to die that fucking badly?!"

"So what if I do?! If you kill me, you won't ever find him! That Wen dog should have been killed in the Burial Mounds like the rest of the pests! Like you!"

Lan Wangji's sword pierces through the air, landing one breath away from the man's neck. "Watch your words."

"The honorable Hanguang-Jun! Defending Wen blood! And the heretic that sided with them! You bring shame to your sect-"

The resentful energy crushes him again, several sickening sounds of bone crushing echoing through the room.

"Lan Zhan, this idiot's not saying anything."

"I can see."

"I guess he's just some worthless pawn. I should kill him."

"Let Wen Ning do it. We will find A-Yuan ourselves."

At the mention of the Ghost General, some of the man's cockiness disappears. "Why not kill me yourselves?!"

"You aren't worth getting our hands dirty for." Lan Wangji answers, bored, turning towards the door. "Wei Ying, let's go."

But as the man feels Wen Ning's cold grip around his throat, watching as the other two turn their backs, all resolve in him melts away.

"I will tell you! I will tell you everything! Don't leave me with this monster! I'll really talk, I promise!"

Wei Ying bursts out laughing. "Weren't you so brave just a minute ago? Saying how both me and all the Wens should have died? Wen Ning is one of them too, or have you forgotten?"

"No, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, let me tell you where the child is! I will take you there myself!"

"How so? You have no legs anymore." Wei Ying laughs, again.

"I will crawl! Please hear me out, don't let the Ghost General kill me!"

Wen Ning's hands loosen from the man's neck but do not disappear completely. They stay a constant reminder of what could happen to him if he lies or if he insults anyone again.

He tells them everything: how a small clan affiliated with the scattered Moling Su sect found out about Lan Sizhui's identity and how they ordered him to have the boy killed in exchange for a large sum of money and a place as a cultivator. How he agreed and took the boy to a secret cave in the woods and was going to kill him but he had wanted to drink something first because he could never kill sober. And how that was the way the Lan search party led by Lan Jingyi spotted him and brought him there for interrogation.

"Took you long enough." Wei Ying finally exclaims, satisfied, spinning Chengqing in one of his hands. "If A-Yuan isn't where you said he should be, you know what will happen to you."

"He is, I swear on my life!"

"Your life is worthless." Lan Wangji replies as he and Wei Ying left the torture room and lock the door behind them.

"I will still kill him." Wei Ying says, as he steps onto Bichen alongside Lan Wangji. He receives a nod as a reply before they take off.

--

A-Yuan was exactly where the assassin had indicated, asleep as he'd been given a strong narcotic potion. It was a bit adorable, finding him snoring softly inside the little cave, largely intact save from a few cuts and bruises.

He had to sleep off the drug, so all his two parents could do was carry him to his room in the Cloud Recesses and have Lan Jingyi (who had become a mess of tears and thankfulness upon seeing his friend was alive) play him calming melodies until he woke up.

---

"Let me do it." Lan Wangji tells Wei Ying as they return to the torture chamber.

Wei Ying lifts a curious eyebrow. "Since when do you kill people?"

"This is an exception. A-Yuan could have died."

"I know. But you don't need to do this. It wasn't your fault."

"It's not self-punishment. It is revenge."

Wei Ying is too stunned to reply. The darkness in his husband's eyes is almost terrifying - and coming from him, the Yiling Patriarch, that has to mean something.

"Are you coming?"

Lan Wangji disappears behind the room's doors before he receives an answer.

Wei Ying places a powerful silencing talisman to the door and follows suit.

By the time Lan Wangji is done, heaving with the effort and obviously satisfied with his work, there is nothing left of the man that dared hurt their son. Only a puddle of blood and the odd fragment of bone. Bichen has done a fantastic job, the blade shining red as it rests against the now empty wooden chair.

At least the cleanup will be minimal.