#overheard at gusu

[thelibranarchives]

Wei Wuxian: Good morning, grumpy Uncle.

Lan Qiren: Good morning, problem child.

[shanastoryteller]

Happy holidays!! More Fem WWX Mo pls!

a continuation of 52 53 54

He was not brought back to kill Madame Jin.

But perhaps making a clean sweep of it all is simply for the best. He'll have to ask Jiang Yanli what her opinions are about her mother-in-law. He assumes there nothing good.

"Stop looking like that," Jin Guangyao says, somehow without moving his mouth at all and bland smile still in place.

That's a neat trick.

"Look like what? This is just my face," he says then rubs at his nose when Jin Guangyao raises an eyebrow. "Why is she - it's hardly like you're an outlier!"

"Xuanyu-mei," he says mildly, voice low enough that they won't be overheard.

He scowls and crosses his arms. In these robes it has the unfortunate effect of pressing his breasts front and center but he's refusing to acknowledge that.

There's the sound of a scuffle and he glances to see Jingyi attempting to beat an Ouyang disciple with his sleeves and Sizhui putting in a half-hearted effort to stop him. What's that about?

They're going to have to tell Sizhui. He hopes he'll be excited. It'll be quite a bit of an age difference, but he still wants Sizhui to be happy about having a sibling. Or at least not upset about it. Or not upset about it for long, he amends, because Jiang Cheng hadn't exactly been thrilled at first. To be fair, Wei Wuxian hadn't been either.

"You're pouting like a child," Jin Guangyao says. "Can you at least pretend to have some decorum?"

"No," he says, eyes drifting to where his siblings are speaking with the Yu sect leader. How had Uncle Jiang told them about him? From his memory, he thinks that he didn't and just showed up with him one day.

That probably won't work on Sizhui. There are a couple things he might notice.

Uhg he's just gotten used to this body and it's going to start doing new and different things. He hopes this doesn't mess with his core too badly - he's worked hard on it!

"When are you coming back to Gusu?" he asks. That would be an ideal time for him to kill some people, because anyone with half a brain cell is going to suspect Jin Guangyao when Jin Guangshan dies.

Granted, getting him away from the scene of the crime won't do much to alleviate suspicion. It's not like he's not perfectly capable of orchestrating a high profile murder from half a world away, after all.

"When Xichen can devise an excuse, I suppose," he answers, mouth twisting.

Wei Wuxian leans so he can use his stupidly ornate robes as a cover for briefly grasping his forearm.

This whole marriage thing is so stupid and he understands that now in a way he hadn't when he'd first arrived. Mo Xuanyu had killed herself rather than marry and Lan Zhan had been stoic and furious and uninterested.

It was supposed to be Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen.

Making two of his favorite people miserable for no reason is more than enough reason to kill him, surely. He's done more for less.

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic finder

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1. There is a fic that I don’t remember the name of but it was wangxian arranged marriage with heavy angst and unhappy WWX. I remember it had a line going “Being married to me is killing him” so if anyone knows it I will be forever grateful 🥰 @kanrax-blog

FOUND! Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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2. hello im looking for a fic where lotus pier is home to a bunch of eldritch horrors so our jiang trio have darker vibes. thank you so much for your help

FOUND? Monster in Human Skin Series by Nika_Raven_Celeste (T/M, 20k, WCZ/CSSR/JFM, NiecestXu, QHJ/WWX, WRH/WWX, Dark Jiāngs, dark au, grey morality, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Happy Murder Family, Dehumanization, Dark NHS, Dark NMJ, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-human characters, Morally Gray WWX, Gūsū Lán Elders Bashing, Dark Gūsū Lán Sect, Solitary Confinement, Touch-Starved, Gaslighting, Victim Blaming, Mental Health Issues, Emotional Manipulation, Mind Break, Mental Coercion, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Age Difference, no WangXian, Literal monster in human skin, Rape/Non-con Elements, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Imprisonment, Mind Manipulation, Verbal Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Incest, Stockholm Syndrome, Power Imbalance, Captivity, spoil of war, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Conditioning, Master/Pet, Fairytale elements, Eldritch) It's about JFM/WCZ/CSSR though

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3. i was hoping you could also help with finding a fic and since i don’t want to flood the inbox, i wanted to put my request here.

i’m looking for a fic/series where wei wuxian and lan wangji are both actors that work on a project together that involves them being intimate. the catch is that wwx thought lwj hated him and so there’s tension there. there’s also a continuation of when they’re happily together where wwx finds a shrine/treasure room dedicated to himself when visiting lwj’s house. it’s one of the first fics i ever read and it’s so deeply buried that I can’t seem to find the bookmark for it and was hoping for help. thank you in advance and i wish you all well.

FOUND! Feel My Love by Leffy (E, 5k, wangxian, modern, Actors, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Rimming, Anal Sex, inappropriate use of light sticks), of Blooming into the Color of Love series. shout out to asker and their brain cooperating with the details of the fic cause it made it easy to find !

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4. I'd love some help finding a fic! it's a short-ish smut modern au, with gnc lwj who wears skirts and does makeup for football/soccer player wwx, but it's very much canon dynamics! i think wwx has some but not a lot of comphet in it, wwx is very amenable to getting railed by lwj after he learns that this is a thing that could happen. i really enjoyed the characterization

I know I've read 4 but I can't find it/remember what it's called argh. The Twin Jades were child stars and LQR taught them that they had to have other avenues so LXC is a philanthropist (??) And LWJ moonlights in fashion design. He overheard footballer!WWX admitting he would have sex with LWJ and with Mianmian (???)'s help he made it happen. I think the end is a fast forward years later still together/happy.

FOUND! wear me out by plonk (Not Rated, 7k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fashion & Couture, Football | Soccer, Not!Fic)

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5. hi! trying my luck hunting down this fic which i sadly don't remember much of except for one scene. what i rmb is wwx seeing a comb that he wants to get for lwj in caiyi town, and not buying it the first time due to budget issues. when he eventually returns to the stall again, it turns out the seller kept it for him: wwx learns about this from the seller's husband, who is the one at the stall this time, and wwx is surprised to learn about the acceptance of cutsleeve relationships in gusu. thank you very much!!!

FOUND! 🔒 Unstoppable by Netrixie (T, 149k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Wolf-shifter WWX, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Fix-It, Werewolf, Shapeshifters)

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6. Hello, I would like some help?? I’m looking for a fic but I completely forgot the name 🥲

it was a MDZS/TGCF crossover: Xie Lian joined the juniors on their nighthunt and Jingyi spends most of the time suspicious of him. At one point they all thought Xie Lian died but Lan Zichen appeared and performed cpr on him and he was fine. At the end WWX recognized him and called him grand uncle and tells the kids Xie Lian’s a god (and when they ask ‘why didn’t you say anything?’, Xie Lian’s only response was ‘you didn’t ask’)

That’s all I remember, I’m loosing my mind trying to look for it please help me 🥺🥺 I’m sorry if it’s a pain @cullen-blue23

FOUND! Lan Jingyi and the Adventure of the Immortal Cultivator by litbynosun (T, 5k, the junior quartet, TGCF/MDZS, Crossover, Just a Fun Little Romp, Minor Injuries, Canon-Typical Violence, Ghosts, postcanon, (for both books), Friendship, A Pack Of Teens Roaming The Countryside With Swords)

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7. Hello! Excuse me but could you please help me with the title of the Wangxian fic that's a Gawain and the Green Knight AU? Where Lan Wangji plays the role of Gawain and enters into a weird sex game with the Yiling Laozu and Wei Wuxian not knowing they're the same person until the duel? Please? @kaitou-cure-prism12

FOUND! rare the man who'll hold to faith by Fahye (M, 13k, wangxian, canon au, Identity Porn, With Apologies To The Chivalric Romantic Tradition)

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8. Fic finder request please! 🙂

Wangxian was in an arranged marriage au and WWX, in trying to get to know LWJ, hangs onto his arm or something and gets pushed into a pond (by accident fromLwJ), but WWX thinks it was on purpose and he decides to be just as rude back. I can’t remember anything else about it, but I think it had a happy ending and that LWJ had to grovel a bit. I swear I’ve read it a few months ago and can’t find it anywhere! 😭😭

FOUND! i won’t say i’m in love by kazzywx (E, 12k, wangxian, rape/non-con, A/B/O, Arranged Marriage, Miscommunication, Angst with a Happy Ending, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, skippable NSFW scenes, wwx’s is basically meg from hercules with his “i wont say im in love” shtick, Hurt WWX, Boypussy, WWX Has a Vulva, Intersex WWX, Dubious Consent, Feminization, Mating Bites, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, WWX Has a Fear of Dogs, Mpreg, WWX & WQ Friendship, WWX & WN Friendship, Possessive LWJ, WIP)

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9. Hi, nice ppl! I'm looking for a fic (Modern AU). LWJ is a rich lonely businessman who finds erotic model WWX online (he doesn't do it for pleasure but to pay JC's medical treatment) & falls for him. No explicit sex, WWX just shows his body (only HALF of his face to keep anonymity) & sends private set of pix to clients after paying a lot of money. LWJ becomes the best client instantly, getting more pix & phone calls, which seems to be enough 4 him (he's in love). WWX doesn't trust him, he thinks he could be a psycho, so they didn't meet YET (the fic wasn't finished & now I cannot find it). One day, WWX is in a photo session w/erotic lingery in a building room near LWJ's office, who 'feels' smth but, as he gets to the place, it's already empty & the staff + WWX gone. He founds a piece of his costume & keeps it. Sorry I have no more to add, only that WWX really needs the money for JC's health & asks LWJ to make the payments to his own bank acc, not to the agency (perhaps that lil' info helps). LXC notices a positive change in his brother's mood but LWJ doesn't tell anything to him. TYSM!xo @einherjermineord

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10. Hello this is a long shot but my history and bookmarks crashed on AO3 and there was a fanfic I was reading it was about LZ meeting WY as children one of the two save the other from dogs, LZ gave WY his drum rattle, in a Yilin alley, it was cold and the thin clothed WY got a coat from LZ the author described the coat or cape as embroidery and elegant, then when the uncle and brother came to him, he turn and WY left with the drum rattle but not the coat/cape, years later they are married have children WY pulls out drum rattles and then the old one (which he used as design for the other ones) and is there where they realized are them in the childhood encounter ... I know it's a long shot but do you know what fic I am talking about? Oh and I think it has the tones of mpreg hence the children, but I can't remember much, if you could help me please and thank you

PS there is an author that used a similar encounter in "A Matter of Time" but that is not it I am so sorry to bother you about this, this author told me about you so here I am 😁

Sincerely @mysticalyunique

FOUND! As if you were on fire from within by jalpari (E, 30k, WangXian, Dragon LWJ/Fox WWX, Canon Universe, Getting Together, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Pregnant LWJ)

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11. Hello!! I'm looking for either one or 2 fics here. I might have read them at the same time and they blurred together, or it is the same fic. Anyway, one of them has mo xuanyu and nie huaisang working together and mxy is a fashion designer that insists on dressing wwx. And then the other has a scene where wwx is at some fancy party and escapes lwj through like a sky light. It's a cat-and-mouse fic where lwj is trying to capture wwx.

Thanks for your help and all the hard work yall do 🖤🖤🖤

FOUND! To lurk, to lie in wait by trippednfell (M, 124k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Huli Jing, strangers to co-parents to lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Dragons, Kid Fic, teenage juniors, background NieLan, Angst with a Happy Ending, Case Fic, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Not Really Character Death, Fox Spirit WWX, Dragon LWJ, Blood and Injury, Additional Warnings In Author's Note)

FOUND!🔒🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Criminal underworld AU, Fluff and angst, Crime boss LWJ, Rouge criminal genius WWX, Explicit Sex) #11b with the cat and mouse game sounds like kitzukanas "rule #1 don't get attached"

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12. Hello again. First off I'd like to thank you for all your hard work and help. This blog means alot to me.

I need help finding a fic. It's a modern au. WWX is a hacker. I forgot what LWJ does. It's not something he likes. He doesn't like his life/work. Doing it just for family. There was a part in the fic where LQR said/asked? If LWJ was happy and LWJ said no.

If you do find this fic, would you also recommend something in this similar theme? LWJ doing things for family and not being happy and LQR finds out and regrets his actions? @lailan-rosie

FOUND? Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 107k, WangXian, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Persuasion au, Separations, Mutual Pining, Depression, Miscommunication, Emotional Roller Coaster, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Reconciliation, Eventual Smut, Jane Austen Fusion, Underage Kissing)

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13. Hi, Help me find this fic🙏

Lwj is in a hostage/courtesan/concubine situation and the ones who owns him are either wens or jins. Lxc is free and about, knows lwj's situation yet does nothing/can't do nothing because of sect politics.

WWX meets lwj, a stranger at lwj's institution/lodgings and is appalled at lxc for his inaction. Wwx fights/duels lxc saying hes a bad brother. @imstillthinkingaboutithmm

NOT FOUND! The Last Concubine by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 13k, WangXian, Royalty, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, LWJ Whump, Forced Marriage, Starvation, Non-physical spousal abuse, Fluff and Angst, Doing the Wrong Thing for the Right Reasons, Happy Ending, WWX Takes Care of LWJ)

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14. Hi! I’m looking for a fic where rogue!wwx(?) meets LWJ who came down from the mountain just to collect books and bring knowledge back to the cloud recesses. It’s like a right of passage thing? They travel together a long time and then LWJ gets called home. I think he gives WWX a way to contact him even though he shouldn’t? And WWX ends up bringing the Wen remnants to CR.

FOUND? my rivers tilt towards you by perfectlyrose (T, 26k, WangXian, Canon, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Fairy Tale Elements, dragonji, mentions of, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, First Meetings, Romance, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort)

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15. hi ! this is for fic finder, i think i asked before but i don’t believe it was found: wangxian modern au, they reunite after a gap bc lan zhan gets into an accident (he’s fine, but it was going to be on the news because he’s a bit famous (i think it was as a tv baker) so lan xichen comes over to tell him). they get closer again and i think near the end it’s revealed that lan sizhui is lan yuan, a patient wei ying grew attached to that lan zhan adopted a few yrs after wei ying disappeared @willesnelson

FOUND? Lifelong Confidant by saved (E, 42k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fluff and Angst, Past Character Death, Families of Choice, Explicit Sexual Content, Idiots in Love, Misunderstandings, Oblivious WWX, playing fast and loose with basic real life things, references to past alcoholism/substance abuse, Alcohol)

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16. Hello! Hoping to find a fic where Meng Yao I think is the main character. Modern AU, the ensemble are nurses/doctors. Meng Yao is a nurse, but like the head or charge nurse - he points out you can tell bc he's wearing a particular color of scrubs (yellow?). The plot had to do with people actually protecting him for once and his father trying to pin his own mal practice (or possibly Jin Zixun's) on Meng Yao. But Nie Huisang manages to save the day by "stumbling across" records that proved it was Jin Guangshan/Zixun at fault.

Thanks so much for all your hard work mods! @somevariationofgay

FOUND! No Drug Like Me by Justkeeptrekkin (E, 32k, XiYao, Modern AU, Hospital, They're all doctors and nurses, Mutual Pining, Eventual Smut, Fluff)

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17. hii, I hope you're doing well, I'm looking for fic whose description was smth like "yuan watches some man try take away his xian-gege" it isn't accurate, and I think it's a humorous fic from a-yuan's pov where lwj is around wwx and yuan is annoyed. Thank u for ur work!!! @mercurygirlwt28

FOUND! as i stumble homewards by the_pretzel (T, 27k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death - WWX, Found Family, Food Issues, Trauma, Canon-Typical Violence, sizhui pov, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff) lmao I found it myself. thank you sm for ur time!!!!!

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18. Hi I’m looking for a fic where Wei Ying wears Gusu Lan robes and no one recognizes him?

I think (and don’t quote me lol) that it is after the temple scenes and he lives in Gusu land now. @kyuubikuroba

FOUND? Wei Wuxian is Definitely Not Possessed by CursedBlessing (T, 20k, wangxian, JC & WWX, Misunderstandings, Is it exorcism if there's nothing to exorcise?, General Dumbassery, Humor) maybe chapter 3 of this one? Some people recognize wwx but some don't

FOUND? How Odd by bedheadrat (M, 35k, WIP, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, BAMF WWX, Protective LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Rich LWJ, Genius WWX, Separation, Anxiety, Evil Plans, Touch-Starved, LWJ 's white robes kink, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Seduction, Misunderstandings, Not Cheating, Threats, Vandalism, Stealing, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon)

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19. hello! i am looking for a fic, if you don’t mind helping me ☺️

i believe in the fic wwx and lwj used to know each other well (or were together? i cant remember), and wwx came back to lwj’s life with baby sizhui. the baby is also lwj’s i think? but lwj didnt know prior to wwx’s return. the fic is set in modern times, so lwj is a rich boss running a company and wants to provide wwx and baby sizhui everything they need. theres this one scene where lwj gets overwhelmed about the whole situation, so he starts making lists: schools for sizhui, putting wwx on lwj’s uber plan, etc etc.

i’ve been looking for this fic for a very long time but my hands still come up empty. thank you very much!

FOUND? Family Pictures (Or: “Mark Rothko is very, very dead, Wei Ying.”) by belleweather (M, 37k, WangXian, Kid Fic, Post Mpreg, Modern AU, Cindarella Story, Mistaken Identity, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, art conservator lwj, idiot WWX, (he gets better slowly), shockingly little actual sex omg what happened to me, fake/mistaken cheating, no actual infidelity)

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20. Hey, I'm losing my mind looking for this fic where wy fall in love with 3 different people he meets(like gamer id, chat id, irl id) but they're all lwj.

Any idea which fic this is? @imstillthinkingaboutithmm

#20 it's not duo with you.

Actually I'm currently reading duo with you and that's is when i remembered about the 3 identity fic i can't find.

Duo with you is very nice to read, thanks

NOT FOUND! The Best Gift by Lan_Wangjoe (E, 45k, wangxian, Modern, Mistaken Identity, Miscommunication, Fluff, Family Dynamics, Falling In Love, Idiots in Love, Dorks in Love, Nice LQR, Meet the Family, Nerdiness, Science Boyfriends, Science Experiments, Fake Science, Science Husbands, Geeks, Work Contains Fan(s) or Fandom(s), Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adopted Children, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Marriage, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Stupidity, Himbo LXC, Lan Himbos, Lán Family Feels, Making fun of the Lan's again, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Good Parents JFM & YZY, Genius WWX) Wwx is a "true genius" that was obsessed with books written by lqr. He's fav character is hgj, online frenemy is lwj, and irl genius rival is lz

NOT FOUND! Duo With You by Nyatci (T, 48k, wangxian, JFM/YZY, JYL/JZX, modern, College/University, , Gamers WàngXiànCasual Gaming, enemies to lovers (sorta), Secret Identity vibes, they play league of legends, Kinda Crack but treated very seriously, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Comedy, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Abusive Jiāng Family, Eventual Happy Ending, Ga(y)mers WangXian, now with fanart, WIP)

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[murfeelee]

CQL/MDZS INSP - Yiling Arc Pt5: Demon Subduing Cave Pt2

Wei Wuxian: Lan Zhan, since you're here, why not pay a visit? Lan Wangji: Ah, is this that 'Demon-Subduing Cave'? WWX: That's right. I came up with the name! I overheard comments out there, asking how could I be so shameless as to call my den the Demon-Subduing Cave. But they're all wrong. LWJ: How so? WWX: Simple! I sleep here often. A cave with a "demonic" cultivator lying in it? So, shouldn't it be called the 'Demon-Subdue Cave'? *laughs* Come on, let me show you around. LWJ: The resentful energy is dense. WWX: Yes, but fit for demonic cultivation. This is my healing pool, just like your clan's Cold Spring! I put Wen Ning in there for healing. But as the Yin Iron Amulet draws Wen Ning's resentful energy out, the water in the pool is looking more like blood. So it's called the 'Blood Pool.' LWJ: .... Wei Ying...can you really control this? WWX: You mean Wen Ning? Of course I can! Look, he's already returned to consciousness. LWJ: What if he lost consciousness again? WWX: As long as I could control the Yin Amulet, nothing will happen to him. LWJ: But what if something does happen to you or the Amulet? WWX: It won't. It won't, and it can't! LWJ: Wei Ying.... Wen Qing: Wei Wuxian, stop crying over Hanguang-Jun, or I'll give you something to cry over! WWX: You're so cruel! What's going on here? We have a guest! Wen Ning, we must prepare something for Lan Zhan to eat! Wen Ning: Right! WQ: All we have here is plain water and radishes? Wei Wuxian, didn't you take A-Yuan to the market today? Wei Wuxian!!!!

The Untamed, Episode 29

MY THOUGHTS

My FAVORITE fix-it fanfics break off right here--rather than LWJ having to go back home to Gusu, he stays in the Burial Mounds with WWX and the Wens, and helps them build the Yiling Sect.

Cuz, it seriously bothers me that the Wens were starving in the Burial Mounds for god knows how long, and LWJ (and Jiang Cheng) never sent WWX resources? No money, supplies, nothing? Yeah, I'm not buying that. 😤

P.S.: Sorry my posts are all out of order--I just do whatever I have the energy/time/CC for. But I should've done this post moooonths ago and somehow never got around to it. (－‸ლ)

[thunderandclouds]

Jiang Cheng Yilling patriarch

What if Jiang Cheng will see the future, while study in Gusu. Firstly he doesn't paid attention to it and thought it was only dreams, but with a little time he understood that it was more than a silly dreams. Things happening exactly like in his dreams, made him believe that it was visions of the future. With realization came anger and frustration how things worked out in the future and he decides to change it.

He understands even knowing the future can't help them to win a war against Wen clan. Even if hr tried to warn others no one would believed him and he understood that they needed black cultivator to win a war. But he didn't want Wei Ying to go through that path again and decides to became Yiling patriarch himself. From his future memories he learns that he was figthing demon cultivators and you can't fight anything if you can't understand its powers. He discovers that he knew pretty much about the demon cutivation and starts ro train it secretly from anyone, slowly preparing for a war. Also he started to paing attention to people around him and comparing them to their future selfs. How much war and time changes all of them. In his visions he saw how rough the future was with Lan Xichen and how it broke this perfect man. Jiang Cheng promised himself, that he would never let Meng Yao stain the first jade with his lies and betreyal.

(In few fics I have read that Jiang Cheng was the best curse breaker and I like that idea)

After Wei Wuxian was sent back in Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng continiues practicing devil cultivation more intensively. He understands how this cultivation affects mind and he is searching the ways to cultivate it the safest way possible. He is doing research about it in Gusu library and occasionally came across with Lan Xichen and they have small sweet talks. After every this meeting Jiang Xhengs dedication grows stronger to save Xichen-ge from his future. The information he can get from the library is not enough he needs to get in restricted sections. From his visions he remembers that soon in cloud recesses Lan Xichen will return with one of their sect member cursed during night hunt. No one will break that curse and he will die. In about 2-3 weeks it happens as Jiang Cheng predicted and he is determined to make a deal with Xichen-ge.

Once elders and healers done everything they could to save this members life, but could not lift the curse, Jiang Cheng gets to the Lan Xichen and tells him that he knows about the cursed member and he knows how to save his life, but Xichen shouldn't ask any question how he knows it and shouldn't tell anyone about it. Lan huan trusts him and at night brings him to the cursed person. Jiang Cheng lifts the curse. After this event he tells Xichen that he practices this curse breaking in secret from everyone and he don't want to someone know unless he perfects it and asks it to be their little secret. And about the cursed member he overheard some disciples takling about it. Soon after he asks Lan Xichen if he can grant him premission to enter restricted section, so he could make more research on his curse breking technique( at some point it was not a lie,cause he planned to research in that direction also).

Lan Xichen notices that something is going on with Jiang Cheng. He feels like the boy get 30 years older overnight. He has been observing the boys, from the moment he noticed his brother's interest in Wei In. He noticed that Jiang Cheng was hot tempered, not like he was a bad person, but this trait of his worked no good for him and most of the people didn't notice how hardworking he was. They only saw his anger and rage, mostly overlook how passionate he was and how deeply loving. Despite having all this traits the boy recently felt somehow mature. He noticed that recently Wanyin would get lost in his thoughts so much, that even Wei ins teasing didn't rile him up. Sometimes he noticed this sad expression on his face, almost like he was feeling guilty. Sometimes he has so determined expression, like he was going to carry all worlds weight on his shoulders. This sudden change of a young man make curious. The last drop was Jiang Cheng's ability of breaking the curse. He was looking at him long enough to notice, when he was lying and when Jiang Cheng was explaining to him how he knew about the cursed member, the boy was lying. This incident heat up his interest about the situation. He wanted to know the truth behind it, but was too polite to ask and confront him directly without having evidence. This was a main reason he granted a permission to the boy to enter the restricted section.

After this incident two of them starts somehow getting closer. They meet each other in the library quite often and

P.S. Right now this is the all I can write. English is not my native language and it is little tiring to getting thoughts together. 😅😅

[ao3feed-xicheng]

IM A WHAT?! Yes you're a. . .

by Oh8 So have you guys ever watched 2009 Astro Boy (film) or just heard of Astro boy like the manga, well because this fic is based on it Lan Sizhui is a 17 year old senior in high school and overheard that his boyfriend and other people will be coming to Gusu but before he can have some alone time with his boyfriend he has meetings after meetings because as the heir to the family business of the Lan Clan of Gusu he has to get his shit together but something happens if like read I guess

[rosenxkrone-rp]

"...well...when the beast saw me with my wings, it reacted violently... I mean very violently." Altius said, readjusting his broken glasses while looking at the two. "To others, it gave threats and warnings like growls or snarls, but when the beast saw me, it just attacked me straight up...even with the sight of a raven feather that malted out of my wings."

"...the sight of a raven feather will cause damage..." Altria uttered the part of the warning, leading to her to wonder why the beast in question attacks specifically to her younger brother. This makes her feel suspicious.

"If there is a problem... we can send a few people to head over Gusu to get the problem resolved." Damon spoke, having to overheard everything as he looks over the three. "With Lord Saru being absent from his guild, I fear the worse will come and go... not only that, we don't want any of the Royal Family to get involved."

@tenkaichi-warriors

“My name’s Kazuo Tsukihime, I’m one of the academy’s current elites, we elites take on special missions. In simple terms, we are on the front lines.” Kazuo said as he gives a genuine smile towards the group, shown to be a kind soul. “I was about to report the mission but…”

“The report can wait, since you’re here, why don’t you give the transfer students a tour around the academy while I keep contact on their mentor, since I know he’ll be transferring to the academy as well.” Libra said, to which Kazuo didn’t mind with a nod. “Understood headmaster, all transfers come with me, I’ll give you a tour around the academy since the place is big.”

[stiltonbasket]

Do you have your own explanation for how and why Madam Lan killed Qingheng-Jun’s teacher?

In most of my fics, she spent a few weeks at the Cloud Recesses and then discovered that QHJ's teacher had forced himself on one of his students, who had no idea where to find help until she overheard Chen Mingyan telling one of the Lan girls that she made a point of personally exacting justice for wronged women without informing the relevant authorities about it.

CMY's kill count was in the hundreds by the time she came to Gusu; in total, she murdered several Jins, a couple of Wens, and many more civilian noblemen and commoners. But before she killed QHJ's teacher, she had never attacked anyone whose weapon left sword traces (e.g., Shuanghua in the MDZS donghua); and when she was discovered, she had glowing marks from his sword on her arm.

Qingheng-jun arrived ahead of the sect elders and persuaded her to marry him, since the clan rules forbid female members of the Lan sect from receiving harsh physical discipline. After that, we know the rest of the story. :(

[robininthelabyrinth]

Imagine if Meng Shi begged and bargained and collected favors till she was able to send her A-Yao to education with the Lan Sect, perhaps even become a cultivator with them. Would he take that change? Would he become a rogue cultivator? Would the strict rules help curb his inner muderimpuls or enrage him or teach him to hide better?

A Good Fit - ao3

“The…Lan sect?” Meng Yao said doubtfully. “Are you sure?”

“I am sure,” his mother said, her mouth tight. She looked upset, the way she always did these days when he referenced, intentionally or otherwise, the original plan that she had had to send him to join his father, sect leader of Lanling Jin. She’d raised Meng Yao on a steady diet of stories of what his life would be like when his father finally took him back the way he’d promised her he would, stories that had filled his days and nights for years and years and years, and then just last year she’d suddenly stopped talking about it entirely. It was as if the person who’d told those stories had nothing to do with her.

Meng Yao didn’t know what had happened, but he assumed it must have been pretty bad.

“It'll be a good fit,” she added.

“Then I’ll go to the Lan sect,” he said, and pretended not see the way his mother relaxed a little, relieved that he wasn’t asking too many questions. “I’ve heard they are gentlemen there, righteous but gentle; it will be the best match for my personality, I’m sure.”

A lie, of course. ‘Gentlemen’ were just as likely to come to the brothel as brutes, and they were all the same once they had a cup of wine and a beauty in their arms – Meng Yao tried not to have any illusions.

“Can we afford it?” he asked instead, since that was something he was sure his mother would have thought of, would have expected him to ask. “Gusu is so far away…”

“I have obtained a letter from the local sect recommending you to their sect leader, Lan Qiren,” she said. “He’s the one that teaches the classes – the one that sent out the summons asking the subsidiary sects to look for individuals with raw talent to join his classes and offering them an extra seat for their sects for each nameless orphan they find that lives up to Lan sect standards. Only the Heavens know why he’s doing something like that…I assume they’re trying to expand.”

That seemed like the most reasonable explanation. Meng Yao nodded. “So I’ll be traveling with the local sect?”

“That’s right,” his mother said, and raised her chin a little. “At least this much, your mother was able to do for you.”

She’d begged and bargained and traded favors for it, then, Meng Yao thought, and yet taking him along was to their own benefit: if they were looking for inherited cultivation talent sufficient for the Lan sect, then the bastard son of another Great Sect leader would be a better bet than some random nobody. She’d probably humiliated herself for nothing.

“Will you come with me?” he asked, more concerned with that – it was too easy for women of ill repute to disappear into the depths of the city if they didn’t have someone to watch out for them.

Even someone as young as he was. He wished he was older.

“You can come back to visit me during the Spring Festival,” she said, which meant no. “I’ll be all right, A-Yao.”

Meng Yao wasn’t so sure.

Still, not having him around would at least remove a visible reminder of his mother’s age – she’d been kicked out of the better brothels because of him, because no one wanted a woman who was a mother. Leaving would at least do that for her.

“I’ll write,” he finally said. “I’ll write as often as they let me.”

“And I’ll write back,” she promised him, kissing his cheek. “I promise.”

With that, Meng Yao supposed he had to be satisfied.

-

The Lan sect was both exactly like what Meng Yao expected and absolutely nothing at all like anything he could have dreamt.

For the first, his cynicism was almost immediately confirmed: the boys raised there were snobby as anything, looking down at the rest of them as little better than barbarians, and many of the adults were the same way. It was clear that this whole business of recruiting talented nobodies was a project of the sect leader’s – the interim sect leader, no less, not even the real thing – and nobody else’s; they were only just barely going along with it. Adding to that the fact that there were dozens if not hundreds of rules, and Meng Yao could glumly foresee a future of having his lack of knowledge held over his head as a fault, even with his marvelous memory to act as his backing.

For the second…

Well, there was Lan Xichen, who was – as unbelievable as it seemed – to actually embody all those things that people said about gentlemen, all kindness and gentleness and fierce upright pride, except only for real. There was Lan Wangji, who was basically perfect in every way and kinder than he gave the impression he was, willing to help tutor anyone who asked if only they dared disturb his solitude long enough to do so. There was the boy Meng Yao shared a room with, Su She, who’d punched the boy from the Yunping cultivator clan in the mouth for calling Meng Yao a son of a whore and pretended it was because they weren’t allowed to talk about that sort of thing, when actually it’d been because he hadn’t wanted rumors to get around that might make Meng Yao’s life harder in the future.

There was Lan Qiren, who was strict and a little boring but fair, painfully fair, handing out punishments with an equitable hand no matter that it meant that he was punishing the locals as often if not more often. It’d been his idea to bring people like Meng Yao into the Lan sect, and defending the idea was the only time he truly seemed moved to passion. Now that they’d passed the initial examination and been judged to match Lan sect standards, Lan Qiren announced, as far as he was concerned, they were Lan sect just as if they were born there, as if they’d been children of his own.

And he even seemed to really believe it, too.

Today, Meng Yao’s head was still warm from when the stern Teacher Lan had put his hand there, gentle and approving, and his ears still burning from the murmured “Well done, Meng Yao, as expected.”

“I think I would kill someone for him,” Meng Yao said dreamily to Su She, who snorted.

“You’ve got such father issues,” he said disdainfully, as if he didn’t have entire family issues. That was just Su She’s way, though – he bitched and moaned and complained without end, and he’d probably kill someone for Meng Yao if Meng Yao so much as hinted it was something he’d want. They’d made friends for a reason. “You know the bit about the poor kids being his own children is a lie, right?”

“I know which sect’s leader is my father, thanks,” Meng Yao said, rolling his eyes. “I’m well aware it’s not Teacher Lan. Like he’d ever have kids of his own, anyway.”

“That’d require noticing when someone’s flirting with him,” Su She agreed, all solemn for just a moment, and then he dissolved into sniggering giggles. Meng Yao couldn’t blame him: it was, in fact, extremely funny when women (and sometimes men) tried to flirt with Teacher Lan, mostly because of the way that he very genuinely and completely missed that that was what was happening each and every time.

“Laugh all you like,” Meng Yao said peaceably. “You’d kill for him, too.”

“Probably,” Su She agreed. “But only because of you.”

That was fair enough. After getting the lay of the land, Meng Yao had arranged for them to ‘accidentally’ be overheard by Teacher Lan while talking about the misconduct of one of the teachers who was the most biased against guest disciples, one of the ones that had been harassing Su She in particular for over a year before Meng Yao had arrived, and despite Su She’s initial nervousness about the plan, it had all gone splendidly. Sure, they’d been punished to do five copies of a treatise on upright conduct because they’d breached Talking behind the backs of others is prohibited, but the teacher in question had been sentenced to two hundred strikes with the discipline rod for abusing his position and three months of enforced seclusion to contemplate his misbehavior, and then, Teacher Lan had said, his expression dark and threatening, they could discuss what role would be the best fit in the future.

The other teachers had taken notice and shaped up very quickly, after that.

Comparatively, those five copies made in the nice cool Library Pavilion instead of having to do chores on the hottest days of summer? Practically a pat on the back for bringing it to his attention.

Su She would never have dared to raise anything if it was just him, Meng Yao thought; he had a strange fear of authority figures that combined envy and misery in an explosive combination – he would have just suffered and suffered and suffered until he’d been pushed too far and then it would have all burst out at once. He wasn’t like Meng Yao, who was unwilling to keep to his “proper” place and was more than willing to use his greater-than-average share of brains to get what he wanted, no matter what rules he broke in the process. He was the sort of person who was willing to do whatever it took to obtain his desires – no matter what it took.

Well, maybe not no matter what. He wouldn’t want to disappoint Lan Qiren too much.

(Okay, so maybe Su She was right and he had some unresolved father issues. So what if he did? Whose business was it but his?)

-

It’d taken Meng Yao a while to fully adjust to the Cloud Recesses.

Some parts he’d figured out right away – the way they all flattered themselves as gentlemen even if they were actually little more than hypocrites (Teacher Lan and his personally taught nephews exempted, of course), which of course meant that Meng Yao’s ability to act pitiful at the drop of a hat and cleverly turn black into white made him a teacher’s pet at once. The vegetarian meals were easy enough to adapt to, given that his mother hadn’t had the money for meat all that often, and the training and cultivation and all that wasn’t any challenge for his excellent powers of retention – he had ambitions of becoming one of Teacher Lan’s aides one day, and worked assiduously towards that goal. Even waking and sleeping early, which was practically the opposite of his schedule at home, was something he could adjust to, given time and incentive.

It was his mentality that took some time to adjust.

Meng Yao had perhaps grown up with too many of his mother’s stories, painting an image of a matchless paradise – at the start, he looked at everything around him, serene and elegant but not quite as rich and shining and thought that it would do, for now. When he’d first arrived, he had had every intention of making a good reputation for himself and using that reputation to get his real father’s attention – he’d liked Teacher Lan from the beginning, despite his best attempts to not let his heart be swayed, but he’d reasoned that if a teacher was like this, then a blood-related father would be even better.

And so, for the first half-year, he’d treated his time at the Cloud Recesses…not lightly, no. He was extremely serious about making sure to get the maximum benefit he could. And yet, at the same time, he still was not really committing himself to the place.

This wasn’t where he was going to live his whole life, he reasoned; it was just a stepping stone to a better future. That meant he would exert himself to point out things that made him look good, to eliminate obstacles in his path, to win himself allies, but not bother with those longer-term problems, the ones that really ought to be fixed but which would take a great deal of effort with little reward other than annoying people.

His feeling of superiority and emotional distance lasted right up until the first discussion conference.

From a distance, Jin Guangshan was everything Meng Yao could have imagined – perhaps a little too similar to the clients that his mother often saw, a little dissolute to pull off the air of a refined scholar he affected, but wearing more gold than Meng Yao had ever seen in his life, with a retinue of servants that dwarfed the other sect’s. Each of those servants were dressed more finely than even main clan cultivators in some of the smaller sects, and though Meng Yao’s Lan sect guest disciple clothing was of such quality that he didn’t need to fear their disdain, he couldn’t help but be secretly impressed.

He'd exerted himself more than usual to trade away all of his chores and duties, freeing himself up to take on patrol duty near the Jin sect. He’d perhaps daydreamed about some sort of encounter – nothing active on his part, of course, but he couldn’t quite resist playing through some fantasy of catching someone’s eye by chance, getting called over, a “You have a familiar set to your chin, who’s your father?”, a shy halting admission, recognition, a joyous reunion…

Instead, his father spent the entire night getting drunk and cursing the Lan sect’s hospitality for not providing him with girls to go with his liquor, calling Lan Qiren a miserable prude with a stick up his ass right in front of the Lan sect disciples that clenched their fists in barely concealed rage. He’d seen Meng Yao all right, ordered him to come forward, but it’d only been to mock him in front of all of his servants – and not even for being his bastard son, no, that would involve bothering to pick him out from the crowd or to ask who he was. No, he’d mocked him simply for being one of the poor disciples that Lan Qiren had taken in, all because his accent was marked with the distinct tones of Yunping rather than the sweetness of Gusu.

“Tell me, boy,” he said, breathing fumes into Meng Yao’s face and making him feel suddenly as if he’d never left the brothel – that the Cloud Recesses had all been a vague dream, and now he’d woken up and lost it all. “How does that old fart Qiren expect you to pay him back for all he’s done for you? I heard the Lan sect includes a pretty face as one of its standard requirements…”

Meng Yao put his gaze above his father’s head and pretended to be deaf.

“It seems like rather a lot of effort,” one of his father’s attendants remarked. “Even if Second Master Lan wanted a boy to warm his bed, couldn’t he just buy one like any normal person?”

“Bah, boys,” his father said, and leaned back, waving his hands in dismissal. “Why would anyone bother with a boy when you could have a soft woman instead? Just as long as they’re stupid enough – you know, there’s nothing worse than a woman who’s talented and knows it, too smart, always trying to get above their station…”

“You’re thinking about that whore in Yunping again, aren’t you? The one that interrupted your dinner and made a scene, claiming you’d promised to take in the son she bore you?” the attendant said, laughing. “I told you, you should’ve just killed her for her impudence rather than just having her beaten and thrown out. That way the matter wouldn’t still be bothering you…”

“Go away, boy,” another servant said to Meng Yao, who was frozen stiff in belated terror, nausea churning in his stomach as he realized his mother could’ve gone out one day and never come back, and he would never have known why – or maybe it was that he’d been spending his considerable time and brain on pleasing someone who would have done that, who nearly had done that. “Your accent’s brought back bad memories, don’t you see?”

Meng Yao left.

No, to be more blunt: he fled. He ran away, hot tears filling his eyes until he couldn’t see – belly full of regret and disappointment, crushed dreams feeling like broken shards of glass in his mouth and throat.

He tried to tell himself that it was better to find out now, when they were still distant, before he'd sold his soul for the futile chance to get that horrible man's affection, but he couldn't quite throw off the shame of knowing that if he hadn't heard such a thing up front, he probably would have done that. Would have humiliated himself like that, and for what? A man who regretted not murdering his mother?

He ran right into Lan Wangji, who was also on patrol.

Lan Wangji took one look at him and grabbed his wrist, dragging him away from the main pathway and all the way to his uncle’s rooms.

Lan Qiren was still awake despite the late hour, writing something at his desk, but he set aside his brush at once. “What’s going on?” he asked, frowning. “Wangji – Meng Yao – one of you report.”

“Meng Yao was on patrol by the Jin sect,” Lan Wangji explained as Meng Yao furiously tried to dash away his tears using his sleeve.

“Who permitted that? First year disciples aren’t permitted to patrol during discussion conferences,” Lan Qiren asked, his frown deepening. “It wouldn’t be proper – ah, but no, I recall now. I suppose it was inevitable. Wangji, well done, and thank you. You are dismissed.”

After Lan Wangji left, he turned his eyes on Meng Yao.

“You volunteered, didn’t you?” he asked.

Meng Yao felt his back go cold: Lan Qiren knew, then. It had never been said out loud by anyone as far as he knew, and yet it was clear that Lan Qiren knew who his father was – and probably his mother, too.

He knew that Meng Yao was – that he wasn’t anything more than –

“You are one of my most promising disciples, Meng Yao,” Lan Qiren told him, and poured him a cup of tea from his own pot, pressing it into his hands. It was finer tea than Meng Yao had ever had in his life, full of smoke and flavor. “The rules say Be loyal and filial, but they also praise reciprocity. You have not been recognized, and have not received your forefathers’ grace. You can fulfill your obligations to chivalry through your respect for the parent that raised you.”

Meng Yao stared down at the teacup. Lan Qiren had completely misunderstood the nature of Meng Yao’s concern – he was disappointed in what his father was, not worried about not living up to his obligations of being a filial child. And yet it was a little nice to hear that as far as Lan Qiren was concerned, the rules said that he could tell his father go hang for all he cared…

And that he ought to honor his mother, which was something no one who knew her had ever said to him.

“Even if she –” His voice stuttered. “Even if she’s a…”

He couldn’t say the word.

“Appreciate the good people is not qualified by class or profession,” Lan Qiren said, and his monotone voice was blissfully without emotion, as if this were just another lesson in class, and not the deepest hurt of Meng Yao’s life. “I have never met your mother, Meng Yao, but you are a good child – diligent, organized, sincere, with good judgment, and you clearly adore her. That tells me everything I need to know.”

Meng Yao burst into tears.

-

Meng Yao liked Lan Xichen a lot, but he also had to admit that sometimes, the older boy was, well…

“Dumb as a pile of rocks,” Su She announced.

“Do not criticize other people,” Meng Yao said piously, but then chuckled, shaking his head. “Say, rather, that he’s naïve and sheltered, and overly inclined to believe the best in people.”

“Like I said: dumb as rocks. How many times is going to get himself swindled into being someone’s sword or shield before he figures out that the problem is him?”

“Some people don’t have the capacity to understand the depths of humanity’s foulness –”

“Yeah, dumb ones.”

“Su She, please.” Su She held up his hands in surrendered. “At any rate, if Lan-gongzi is going to keep falling for people’s tricks, it’s beholden on us to help protect him.”

“You just don’t want Teacher Lan to be sad about something serious happening to his nephew,” Su She said knowingly, but he was already nodding. “All right, what are we going to do about it? He outranks us. We can’t exactly tell him to his face that he’s being…”

He paused.

Dumb as rocks went unsaid, but then, it didn’t need to be said out loud for the meaning to be clear.

Meng Yao sighed.

“You can only trick someone so many times,” he said. “If we want to keep him from getting tricked by other people, then we have to trick him first. And better.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lan-gongzi likes to save people,” Meng Yao explained. “He really sees himself as a chivalrous gentleman – he puts chivalry first, even though Teacher Lan says Learning comes first. That’s why he always sides with whoever he perceives to be the underdog in a given situation, no matter how wrong that impression is. That’s how most of the people who’ve been tricking him have gone for it: playing the victim, appealing to his sense of righteousness, pulling the curtains over his eyes to obscure what’s actually happening.”

“Okay. So?”

“So, we’ve both got miserable backstories – you being taken from your family at a young age and then bullied, me with my mother and, even worse, father. If we get him on our side, early on, he’ll side with us over anyone else – that way we can keep him from getting roped into other people’s private grudges.”

Su She frowned. “That seems a little manipulative.”

“It’s for his own good, and that’s what’s important,” Meng Yao said, and smiled faintly. “Wouldn’t you agree, Lan-er-gongzi?”

Su She jumped, turning around just in time to see Lan Wangji, who had been standing in the shadow of a nearby tree, step out.

He had a serious expression, as always, but a thoughtful one.

Meng Yao waited patiently.

“You cannot take advantage,” Lan Wangji finally said, and Meng Yao knew he’d won the most important ally in the battle to save Lan Xichen from himself. “That would change it from a virtuous act to a selfish one.”

“Like we need anything from him,” Su She said haughtily. “Maintain your own discipline.”

“Arrogance is forbidden.”

“It’s not arrogance if it’s justified! It’s just self-confidence!”

“Do not argue with family,” Meng Yao quoted, and was pleased to see both of them drop it at once. “Listen, we all share the same goal, and we have to start somewhere, don’t we? We’re stronger together than apart. Together, we can do anything, even protect Lan-gongzi.”

That and more, he thought as the other boys nodded, following his lead. Lan Xichen is just the start.

-

“The Wen sect will make trouble sooner rather than later,” Meng Yao said thoughtfully, one day. His friends turned to look at him. “Yes, I’m serious.”

Lan Wangji nodded, serious as always, but Su She scoffed.

“You can’t even convince that Wei Wuxian boy to leave poor Lan-er-gongzi alone,” he said snidely. “How exactly are you expecting to bring down the Wen sect?”

“I don’t convince Wei Wuxian to leave Lan-er-gongzi alone because Lan-er-gongzi doesn’t want to be left alone,” Meng Yao said. “Obviously. Isn’t that right?”

“You should call me by name,” Lan Wangji said, which wasn’t answering the question and definitely wasn’t denying anything. “You were saying, about the Wen sect?”

Meng Yao smiled.

-

“What brings one of Teacher Lan’s most promising disciples to the Unclean Realm?” Nie Mingjue said, peering at him thoughtfully. “You’re at the wrong time to be one of the usual messengers.”

Meng Yao smiled at him.

“I think you’ll find that we have similar goals, Sect Leader Nie,” he said. “When it comes to making sure that certain people in our lives don’t get hurt by the bad decisions of others, I mean. In your case, it’s your younger brother, who’s a friend of mine –”

Friend, source of information, it was all about the same thing in the end. Meng Yao didn’t have real friends outside the Lan sect, but he’d been very careful to cultivate good relationships with all his most important peers.

“- and for me, well. A teacher for day, a father for a lifetime. I’m sure Sect Leader Nie can understand the importance of protecting one’s father – right?”

“You don’t need to use any sophistry on me,” Nie Mingjue said, rolling his eyes. “If you have an idea on what we can do to stop the Wen sect before they go and burn someone’s house down, I’m all ears.”

By chance, Meng Yao did.

It was a good plan, too, daring and brave in equal measure. If it worked the way he hoped it would, he’d win enough fame to get Jin Guangshan to beg for him to join the Jin sect – not that he would, of course.

Meng Yao knew what he wanted, and he knew how he was going to get it, too.

-

“This is a lovely house, A-Yao,” Meng Shi said, running her hand along one of the soft tapestries on the wall. “Truly lovely. Whoever you rented it from has good taste.”

Meng Yao bowed. “Thank you for the compliment, Mother. I put a lot of thought into it.”

“You own it?” she asked, surprised. “But don’t you live up the mountain, with the sect?”

“I do. This is for you.”

“For – me? A-Yao! This is too much – how much must it have cost–”

“I saved the Lan sect’s core texts from being destroyed,” Meng Yao said. “I’m an inner sect disciple now – I could ask for a dozen houses like this, and they’d grant them to me without blinking twice. Teacher Lan would insist on it.”

“Teacher Lan,” his mother murmured. “That’s the one you’ve taken to treating as your own father, isn’t it? You’ve spoken so much of him, in your letters…”

“There’s no need to scheme,” he told her. “He wouldn’t notice your flirtations, anyway.”

His mother arched her eyebrows at him.

“He’s really oblivious.”

“Still…”

“Really no need,” Meng Yao said, and couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Lan Qiren pulling him into a hug when he realized that the books – and Lan Xichen – were all safe from the Wen sect’s attempt to burn down the Cloud Recesses, and, later, again, that Wen Ruohan was dead. He may have deliberately schemed for that second hug, and he might or might not have plans for more. “He already takes me as a son.”

His mother relaxed.

“Good,” she said, and smiled herself. “So, A-Yao, was I right, all those years ago? Was the Lan sect a good fit for you?”

“Yes, Mother,” Meng Yao said. “Yes, it was.”

[ibijau]

Oh, here's a fun idea for a prompt! In order to teach Wei Wuxian a lesson in eavesdropping, Nie Huaisang makes it seem like he's sleeping with Lan Xichen. What he didn't take into account was an overprotective Lan Wangi.

That wasn’t the plan, Nie Huaisang thought, looking at the blade directed toward his throat. Not at all, not even one little bit.

The plan, as it happened, had been to teach Wei Wuxian a lesson. A few times already, Wei Wuxian had overheard Nie Huaisang talking to someone, usually Jiang Cheng, and completely misunderstood the situation. He’d been mocking them for days about supposedly planning to escape and kiss somewhere, and then later he’d been convinced that Jiang Cheng somehow had a secret crush on Jin Zixuan. So next time he’d noticed Wei Wuxian had his eavesdropping face on while passing near where Jiang Cheng and him were chatting, Nie Huaisang had thought he’d play a little prank.

It had been pretty easy to use just the right intonation when talking about Lan Xichen’s helpful tutoring, how good he was with his hands, but also how Nie Huaisang so often ached after their sessions together. Jiang Cheng had looked at him a little funny of course, but Wei Wuxian had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. He immediately started teasing Nie Huaisang for that, often within earshot of others.

The plan was that it would reach Lan Qiren’s ears that someone was spreading disgraceful rumours about his eldest nephew, after which he’d naturally punish the culprit. Wei Wuxian would learn a valuable lesson about reaching hasty conclusions without cross checking his sources, and Nie Huaisang could go back to his normal life without being careful about every word he said.

Perfect plan.

Except for the fact that Lan Wangji heard about the rumours long before his uncle did, and appeared to share Wei Wuxian’s lack of critical thinking toward gossip.

“What are your intentions?” Lan Wangji demanded after cornering Nie Huaisang and pressing a very sharp looking sword to his sword.

“My intentions?” Nie Huaisang repeated with a nervous giggle. “About what?”

“Xiongzhang.”

“Ah, I see. Well, Wangji-xiong, listen, the thing is… now, I’m very flattered you’d think I have a chance with your brother. But actually… well, truly, it’s actually Wei Wuxian who…”

That turned out to be the wrong thing to say, because Lan Wangji’s expression instantly turned darker.

“Wei Wuxian as well?” he asked in a low, threatening voice.

“As well? What ‘as well’? There’s no ‘as well’ here!”

“You only toyed with xiongzhang?”

“What? No! It’s Wei Wuxian I was trying to…”

“You toyed with Wei Ying?”

Nie Huaisang, shaking like a leaf, realised two things.

The first was that Lan Wangji was using Wei Wuxian’s personal name, something he never did with anyone, ever.

A very interesting detail to note, if not for his second realisation : Lan Wangji was absolutely going to gut him in just a moment, and he was going to die stupidly like this, and Wei Wuxian would still continue to eavesdrop because really, he wasn’t one for learning lessons anyway.

What a terrible way to die. It was a secondary, no, a tertiary character type of death, when Nie Huaisang had always fully expected to be at leastthe love interest in someone’s life.

It could not end like that.

“Wangji-xiong, you’re misunderstanding completely,” Nie Huaisang claimed. Then, realising that Lan Wangji was probably too angry to listen to the truth, he figured a little lying was probably quite fine. “You see, I was just… I was… I was trying to show Wei Wuxian that there’s no rules in Gusu Lan against liking someone of the same sex!”

Lan Wangji threw him a baffled look, which was an improvement compared to murderous rage.

“Indeed, why would I do that, right?” Nie Huaisang went on. “Well, I… I’ve noticed that you often look at him! And of course I have every reason to think he’s soft on you as well. He speaks about you a lot!”

Too much, really. Nie Huaisang had thought to make it a drinking game, one sip of wine for every time Wei Wuxian talked about Lan Wangji, but he’d given up on the idea after realising he’d probably die of alcohol poisoning within a shichen.

Anyway, hearing this appeared to calm Lan Wangji a bit, who finally lowered his sword, letting Nie Huaisang breathe again without fear of death.

“What about xiongzhang?” he still asked again, but with less anger than before.

“Oh, there’s nothing between your brother and me!” Nie Huaisang quickly defended himself. Too quickly, perhaps. Realising that Lan Wangji might take as much offence at seeing his brother rejected as a romantic prospect as he’d done at the idea of him being romance, Nie Huaisang quickly added: “Not that I would mind if there was. Your brother is a very fine young man. Terribly handsome. Patient and kind and all that. I could only wish I’d be so lucky! But alas, he’ll never see me as anything but a second, vastly inferior to you little brother, I’ve been didi-zoned, and all that stuff. Tragic. Terrible. Anyway, can I go now?”

“We’ll see,” Lan Wangji ominously replied.

“About letting me go?”

“About xiongzhang.”

A nervous laughter tore its way through Nie Huaisang’s throat at that strange statement. Before he could ask for any details, Lan Wangji had turned around and left, doubtlessly intending to check what he’d just learned about Wei Wuxian with the person in question. Nie Huaisang, for his part, figured that this had been a good lesson for himself, and that he should stop trying to teach others anything. He swore to himself he’d never be so foolish again.

At least, not until the next time Wei Wuxian annoyed him, and a new plan needed to be formed.

[adversitybloomed]

          Mulan was no stranger to the gap between the wealthy and the poor, for she had only witnessed true splendor thanks to her arrival at the Sect. yet, even as a small girl, she had noticed the difference between the classes and knew first hand the nature of most who had grown up with wealth. for a moment, thanks to the fluttering of fine silks pouring through the entryway, she could not help but think back to the wealthy girls of her village ━━ and how they would bully those they believed to be less then just because they had rich families. their favorite victims had been daughters of military officers, to which she and her sister were often targeted for. she knew that confrontation with them usually ended in pain, whether it was by a headache or a punishment for some type of offense to their character, for seldom did they have to pay for their own cruelty.

          she could not help but hope that tonight neither would have to come to experience this level of hostility, for both seemed to be well aware not to let someone break through their line of defense, and allow the opposite gender step too close. but, she knew that eventually they might face a braver soul, one who would seek them out because they were cultivators and because many believed Jingyi to be too handsome to be allowed to get away and able to provide a life of ease.

        ❝  do not worry, i will not let them treat you like some prize to be won. i will keep them from getting too bothersome, though i fear there is nothing i can do to stop them from talking.  ❞    she told him softly as they evaded yet another girl who had tried to gather his attention.      ❝  you are. but that is like comparing a tiger to a snail.  ❞    she bit back a smile at her own joke, knowing it would not be taken kindly if it had been overheard.       ❝  perhaps to another, but it is true. they would not last as a wife to a talented cultivator, like yourself... and i doubt they can handle the lifestyle of the Gusu Lan Clan.  ❞

          unwillingly, her eyes scanned the room once more for Sizhui, her worry for him growing more by the minuet, for a few reasons. and though she knew he could handle himself with ease, especially when it came to a fight, she knew too that he was a gentleman of the Lan's and that along with his good looks made him a prime target, just like it had Jingyi.      ❝  do you think he is following a lead or stuck in a conversation with our host or is helping to treat someone ?  ❞    she asked, before shaking away such a thought,      ❝  forget my worry... i am sure Sizhui is fine. he would send for us if he was not, either by his butterflies or by the outpour of his Qi.  ❞

          pausing within her motion, she looked at him, her lips pursed with confusion as she tried to think about what type of acts a woman might do. for a moments breath, she could not respond as her head tilted in thought before she shrugged her shoulders and gave up.      ❝  it is... shameful on their part, for they put themselves and those around them at great risk... but there is nothing we can do to stop it and all we can do instead is rely on each other so that we do not get swept up in their false hope in getting us alone.  ❞    making a small tsk-ing sound, her hand gently came to rest upon his arm, before she gave a light squeeze.      ❝  i am grateful to have you here beside me. between the two of us, we should be able to handle the crowds.  ❞

          taking in a breath her brows came together in worry, her gaze once more glancing around as she tried to see if she could spot anyone familiar, while still hoping to spot Sizhui.      ❝  i am expecting worse.  ❞    she confessed, as she kept her tone low in a whisper.      ❝  this ball does not sit right with me... something feels off, as if we are a in a trap to become a prize. can you feel it as well ? after all, it is no secret that many seek to wed a cultivator for various of reasons, though mostly to feel safe. i wonder if it is truly a ghost we are looking for or a demonic possession, for this seems to be a good hiding grounds for one...  ❞    his question surprised her though as she turned to look at him. a soft laugh escaped her, though it was a bit pitiful.

        ❝  not at first. it was very annoying and i have still yet to figure out who leaked that i had had two meetings with a matchmaker, especially since i failed both, but when i do, i plan to introduce them to both my fists.  ❞    a huff escaped, before she let loose a sigh,       ❝  it is my own fault though. i only participated because wanted to appease Hòumā and bring ease to my father since i stepped away from the path that was desired of me...  ❞    she still thought they were a bit better then dealing with the crown prince, for at least they understood the rejection after a while.      ❝  i never worry when you are near, Jingyi, my faith in you is absolute.  ❞    she gave his arm one more squeeze before she lowered her hands. once more a frown touched upon her features, as she leaned in close to read.       ❝  i did not. i was instead escorted away to get ready for this ball... and each time i tried to ask questions, i was told that i should enjoy and mingle as this is a event for close friends...  ❞

          shifting a bit, she crossed her arms in slight annoyance.      ❝  but, with this letter and how we were both told different things, i cannot help but be more suspicious. that creepy Lord seems to be playing something, but to what end i do not know. i know many would use the excuse that they could afford to keep us as guards... but would they let us dress within our Sect clothing then ? instead they parade us around like we are peacocks... beauties to behold while others stare to feast. what makes things worse, you saw that graveyard, it did not feel right ━━ and to make matters worse, Sizhui is not here and he is always on time for everything...   ❞    she lowered her arms once more and stilled as a group of both finely dressed men and women made their way over to them.      ❝  perhaps i am overthinking... but either way, i suppose... we might just have play nice as we wait to and see what happens...  ❞

While his Sect had money they did not dress outrageously it went against the Sect rules. One wasn't supposed to show off. Though there clothes were well made and extremely elegant. Jingyi had been pretty much handed clothes and told these were his to wear for the ball. To make himself presentable, he had tried to ask when a Cultivator needed to look like a peacock, but apparently they didn't understand the question at hand, and just giggled like they had fluff for brains.

When people started pouring in Jingyi righted himself no more slouching and held himself in the proper way a Lan Sect member was to hold himself. He was slipping into work mode. The sheer amount of wealth in one room was simply scandalous to how he was brought up. How many could these people feed with one night frivolities ?

He also hoped Sizhui was alright, for different reasons. Jingyi would surly put his foot in his mouth if he were required to be social. He didn't suffer fools well, and he would serve the tea, no matter how embaressing it might be to others. It was why they were a set pair on night hunts. Jingyi has been able to hide behind Mulan for the time being to throw off the girls interested in him. Not that it stopped all of them but his comment of Shameless." had. "I am the most ineligible man here I don't know any of these people, and even if I did." he pulled a face. "They are not wife material." his tone was flat. He'd never feel comfortable trying to support someone of this lifestyle.

Jingyi shook his head at her "No." he said and realized she didn't understand the bigger world and colored "They umm…" he looked around. Oh gods where was Sizhui. He tried not to glace back at her but he relented since he was the one who dug this hole. He might as well cover it before she asked more. "Umm..they use their feminine wiles, to gain favors through certain acts…that a man and woman should only do if they are wed."

He nodded vigorously "Exactly." he agreed and moved to take her arm when any man got close enough. He shifted his body to better protect her from invasive men. Allowing the blade he wore openly to show. If they wanted to pick a fight with a cultivator they were entitled to do so, just as he was entitled to leaving them on their backside. He would never hurt a non-cultivator, but he didn't need cultivation to fight. "They wonder why their lower class rises up, as ghosts or worst with this behavior." they treated the common folk poorly, commoners could grow sick, die, starve or worse and they only cared for their life style.

Jingyi gave a frown "No one stepped in to stop them from running, or behaving like a pack of dogs ?" he asked grey-blue eyes shifted in her direction and he pressed his lips. This whole behavior was unacceptable to his own senses. "Don't worry, it won't happen while I am right here." he stated. "Lan's rarely accept invites to parties of any sort, but he said in his letter to us." he reach into his robes to pull out the inquiry and pass it to her. "He wanted us to watch for anyone suspicious at the party, didn't you get a similar letter ?" a scoff followed "They have to show off their wealth, just like they have to show off they can afford Cultivators to protect them." he offered as his head lowered over the missive with her. His attention was still on those around them, though also on her so they would hopefully not be approached.

@adversitybloomed

[writer-kermit]

Lan Zhan and his son.

Pairing: Lan Wangji x A-yuan(Lan Shizui) - Platonic: Father and Son relationship

Genre: Angst

Commissioned or Self Made: Self Made

Word Count: 565

Summary: After being punished by his clan, Lan Wangji enters the room where baby Lan Shizui and comforts him, as well mourning the "death" of his partner.

A/N: This fic can also be found in my AO3 page. If you want to send me a coffee, then visit my Ko-Fi page.

Warning: Dark Content, Death mentioned, Religious Abuse, Mentioned Child abuse, Please don't read if you are sensitive to these topics.

Lan Wangji was not always the one who comforts others. When he first met A-Yuan, the little boy would tug on his clothes crying as he stood there, overwhelmed and humiliated. But after Wei Wuxian’s death, he realized that he must take the responsibility to take care of A-Yuan himself. However, karma had another plan for the both of them.

When the Gusu Lan clan discovered that Lan Zhan had hidden little A-Yuan, they were all furious, especially his uncle—Lan Quiren. Because of this, Lan Zhan was scourged with the discipline whip. Despite it not being the first time he was tortured, this feeling ached more than usual. After his penalty, he stumbled his way to his room where he overheard A-Yuan crying.

“Wen-Yuan…” He muttered, it was who he cared about during the entire incident. He was the only part that was left of his partner. He crept the door open, inside there was Lan Xichen cradling Wen-Yuan, but his tears wouldn’t stop pouring down.

“He’s been crying since they took you away,” Lan Xichen sighed, “he’s been screaming out your name the entire time.” Lan Wangji looked down at his son, who was now looking at him.

“Papa..Papa!” A-Yuan exclaimed, his arms stretching out to the wounded male. Lan Zhan replied with a soft smile, as he tried to walk towards the toddler, he felt a sharp pain inflicted on his body, collapsing on the matted floor. Lan Xichen guided him to bed, placing Lan Zhan to his stomach as he still faced his son.

Lan Wangji gently kneaded on A-Yuan’s hair, soothing the distressed child. “Brother, what did they say about Wen-Yuan?” He asked. “Well, Uncle Quiren and the other Cloud Recess members were planning on exiting him to a faraway island, or killing him without hesitation.” Lan Xichen replied. “They thought he was a danger to our clan.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes furrowed with anger. They were willing to kill a child? For their safety? “I can’t believe they would go this low for a child who hadn’t done anything to them.” He scoffed. “I agree, but if you don’t mind me asking my little brother, why do you care for this child so much?” Lan Zhan opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. Why did he care for this child so much?

“Well, at a young age, the boy lost his parents—and ended up living with his relatives. He.. somewhat reminded him of me when our parents died Xichen..” He let his fingers part with Wen-Yuan’s hair, revealing the sleeping boy’s face. “This child..” he whispered, “He reminds me of myself. And I want to raise him to have a good life, that I never had growing up.”

Growing up, Lan Wangji was always pressured to be a well behaved student like the other members in the Cloud Recess. He was never allowed to roam around freely without getting punished and was always bullied. After the Qishan Wen downfall, Wei Wuxian vowed that he would take care of A-Yuan, but he never could. Seeing A-Yuan in a terrible state, Lan Zhan wanted to adopt the little boy, regardless of any penalties he would face in the future.

“Lan Zhan, you really do have a big heart don’t you?” Lan Xichen smiled.

“It may seem like it, but I only want the best for my son.” Lan Wangji replied.

[randomleafoflove]

A year consists of four seasons, and winter is such a fun one. Now if only Lan Zhan would play with Wuxian!

-

Shijie’s latest letter had warned him that Gusu and Cloud Recesses got more snow than Nightless Sky on average. Qishan was north of the Qinling mountain range, which stopped them from getting too much snow, but every winter there were a few snowstorms that came blew in from the east. Gusu was on a more southern latitude of Qishan, they were much closer to the sea and weren’t protected by a mountain range, they’d get much more snow and not quite as low temperatures. That, of course, might be countered by Cloud Recesses’ high altitude, but Wuxian wouldn’t know for certain until later. Shijie had instructed him to keep record of the weather, because… it might be useful? For someone sometime in the future when they tried to figure out weather patterns. Or that’s how shijie described meteorology.

His first project for his advanced talismanic studies had been to create a temperature gauge using water’s freezing and boiling points as a reference. (The laundry talisman was still a work in progress, but he’d made leaps and bounds on it! It now eased the washing, making the stains less stubborn. Not good enough, but he’d get there one day.) So he could send detailed temperature reports, while trying to be detailed with every other aspect, such as wind direction and speed, and cloudiness. Heh, cloudiness of the Cloud Recesses.

But even with shijie’s warning, he wasn’t quite prepared for the amount of snow he woke up to one morning. Yes, the Lans had said there would be snow, but it was almost up to Wuxian’s knees! It wasn’t that cold even, and the snow was very good for making snowballs, but there was a lot of it.

Heading for breakfast, he saw industrious Lan disciples shoveling the snow and clearing paths to important buildings. They made it look so easy, shoveling the wet, heavy snow. Were the shovels enchanted for lighter loads, or were all Lan disciples secretly super strong?

His mind drifted to the image of Lan Zhan shoveling the snow and the way his still thin shoulders would look doing that. His back, even in Wuxian’s imagination, was unfortunately covered sensibly by a cloak. But his nose would be pink from the cold, and so cute.

With those happy thoughts, Wuxian daydreamed the morning lectures away, properly unnerving Lan Qiren by staying still and staring at nothing.

“Lan Zhan! Play with me!” he demanded when the lectures were over but before Lan Zhan had managed to make his way to the library for another session of studying, like the fuddy-duddy he was. “We should have snowball fight! Oh! Or build a snow man together! Lan Zhan! Which do you like better?”

Ever since releasing the lanterns, Lan Zhan acquiesced maybe half the time when Wuxian asked to spend time with him. When he didn’t have sect work to do, that is. And Lan Qiren, having caught them spending more and more time together, had increased Lan Zhan’s workload. It was unfair!

“I have to copy the Book of Virtue,” Lan Zhan said.

Wuxian tilted his head. Was Lan Zhan being punished for something? He’d overheard a Jin complain about being assigned copying as a punishment for being caught with inappropriate reading material. And come to think of it, his own punishment for debating with Lan-xiansheng had been copying the Book of Morals.

“Well, then you have to promise to play with me tomorrow!” he decided with a nod. “And, here’s a suggestion, copy the Book of Virtue a few times in your spare time, so that when you’re punished, you can just hand in one you wrote earlier!”

He ran off laughing, ignoring Lan Zhan’s “Running is forbidden!”

Arriving at his dorm, Wuxian took off his outer layers and boots, and slipped on his warming talisman enhanced house slippers. He had no desire to play in the snow on his own, and since Lan Zhan had promised to play tomorrow, he might as well get back to his talismans. He had some time until dinner.

[got2ghost-archive]

WHY LAN WANGJI DRINKS

(all gifs were made by the lovely @mylastbraincql​ and who i cannot thank enough!)

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS MOMENT IN EPISODE 35. this first time i saw this, i was just shocked that he did it but didn’t have time to really process more than that. it’s one of the most emotional outbursts that lan wangji ever has in the entirety of the show. on my third rewatch, it finally came to me. 

at this moment, they’ve just overheard a shopkeeper re-tell the story of the chang clan. lwj catches wwx up on whats happened to songxiao since then.

of course everyone knows that songxiao are a foil/parallel couple to wangxian. they have similar color schemes for a reason. we as an audience member know this. 

however i want to talk about songxiao from lan wangji’s perspective and how he’s internalized them — their path, their story, since he was 16 years old. in world, lan wangji takes their trajectory to heart. in fact, let’s jump back 16 years to episode 10.

episode 10

of course everyone is in love with songxiao the moment they meet them. they’re elegant and righteous, and everyone respects them, especially wei wuxian and lan wangji. 

wei wuxian is very wwx about it, of course. he is ENAMOURED. he’s out here gay adventuring with his crush and THEY’RE out here gay adventuring too! they want to do exactly this! this is the promise they made! 

wwx’s dopey dopey smile!!!! look how proud he is, announcing this out loud!

i know it looks like lwj gives gay judgment here, but it’s because he’s still processing. to me it’s a look of — don’t speak for me, yet.

he hasn’t made the decision. he was charged by lan qiren to search for the missing yin iron pieces. even though wwx is with him and it feels like a romantic night hunting trip, being heroes who stand up for the weak and helpless, this journey they’re on is still pre-destined. it is his DUTY to do this, which is different from songxiao, who are ACTUALLY carving their own path.

we end episode ten to everyone saying their goodbyes to songxiao. and the last one to leave? the one who can’t take his eyes off of this seedling of a possibility to live like that? 

lan wangji.

now we all know that lwj’s neutral face, especially at 16 leans more on the annoyed and sometimes even quietly angry side. we rarely get him soft in this part of his life, which makes those moments so much more significant.

meeting them unfolds a path for lan wangji that he hadn’t ever seriously considered as a real possibility. his face... he takes a moment to think about it and think about it.

INSIDE LAN WANGJI ARE TWO WOLVES AT WAR: one that vaguely looks like his brother telling him he should follow his heart and do what he wants and the other one looks exactly like lan qiren and is telling him he has a duty to his clan and not to stray from the right path.

in contrast, wwx looks upset because he’s still thinking about his missed opportunity to meet baoshan sanren. look at lan wangji’s face. AS WE KNOW. WYB’S MICROEXPRESSIONS, PARTICULARLY HIS EYES TELL US SO MUCH. he looks soft, hopeful. 

lOOK AT HIS FACE. HE BARELY LOOKS LIKE HE’S BREATHING. he’s picturing it what it’d be like to just... do what he wants.

he looks like he just got caught in his daydream and he turns to face wwx. do the lines blur a little here? him seeing his future that’s this man who annoyed himself into his life?

wwx’s nod: we still have work to do

lwj exhales. the daydreaming is over. he nods back.

FAST FORWARD 16 YEARS.

he looks.... so upset. how many times over the course of 16 years has he thought about songxiao — about them making their own paths and being happy only to find out that they’re not, in fact, happy. that his uncle is possibly right and has been right all along. 

what it means to still not have a choice. obligation vs what he wants. if he does go after what he wants, will they end up miserably too? what is right? what is wrong? what is black? what is white? what if his brother is right? even with all the books on rules and laws in the world, nothing is clear and he’ll never know what choice he made. 

and then he slams back the drink because he can’t take it anymore. 

and then he continues to struggle with this very deep-seeded internal conflict until, arguably, the very last seconds of the show! 

i always thought it was an interesting choice that lwj would go back to gusu and become the next leader of the cultivation world, even after everything. but it’s expected of him. it’s what people expect him to do. duty vs heart.

that is until he chooses.

he really chooses.

wei ying.

[battleguqin]

He got it from both of them though he might not recall it right now. They were his parents as close as he could get to them. They loved him and he loved them. Sizhui had not come from what he recalled unscathed he had remembered somethings , he had felt the loss, and he recalled the death of Wei Wuxian though Lan Sizhui would never give voice to that memory anywhere near where it could be heard, overheard or read by anyone. They had already suffered enough, he didn't want them worrying that Lan Sizhui was suffering as well. He was rarely reckless. However, he had a self-sacrificing streak that all the rules of the Cloud Recesses could not tame.

All Sizhui saw was the thing --this creature, it was clearly something formed of foul magic with a gapping jaw wide enough to swallow a person whole, with too many eyes at odd angles across what could only be described as a maw. Lan Sizhui could not bear it, could not help for fear that it would eat the second jade. It couldn't defeat him. Lan Zhan was highly skilled and one of the most gifted cultivators, even as Sizhui was the best cultivator of his generation as well still ties held true . Panic had set in, it was something that did not often occur. Sizhui was usually calculated, calm and tactical when it came to Night Hunts.

It was the blind panic that had him trying to shove his baba out of the way. It was what he thought of Lan Zhan as in his head. He was not just the Second Jade of Gusu, or the powerful Hánguāng-jūn. in that moment he was his father and he reacted with his panic. He was a strong boy, he had done the handstands with Jingyi more times than he cared to count, but in this case he couldn't move him. Than movement followed graceful, and easy with the skill of someone who knew his talents without question. Sizhui did not dig his feet in he held onto the man as he turned them.

"You have to--" he whispered his tone spoke of his concern and his fear in the moment. The thing was bigger up close. Sizhui's panic was fading tough with the touch and he shuddered like something had walked across his grave. Sizhui was breathing raggedly and there were tears at the corner of his eyes that he blinked away. "I didn't…" he whispered he really hadn't meant get him hurt he had just wanted to push him from the path of danger as well.

Sizhui however, like any child when that tone was used on him. Froze immediately he knew not to disobey and his whole body went lax and calm.He breathed in and out and followed the body language of the body in front of him. He did not move unless he was meant to. "Yes." he acknowledge softly since he had a feeling that the man in front of him was going through a lot of the same, both had lost so much. Sizhui had not spoken of his nightmares or how it felt to be missing something but not remember what that something was. There were hidden fears, and unspoken insecurities of loosing him.

Lan Sizhui looked up to him in a way that he was the type of person Sizhui wanted to be when he was no longer a junior. Even though Sizhui was far more advanced among his own peers he needed to learn he didn't have to save everyone--though it was something that was hard to stick in his head. Sizhui only moved when told too, and did not try to help this time save for back up. He was a cultivator he could not stand and do nothing while Lan Zhan fought something they knew nothing about.

Another thing he got from Wei Wuxian.

He used concussive force to keep it off balance he didn't have to move. Just peek around the wide sleeve of the elegant clothing, though Lan Wangji's was tattered and pink at some points from where the beast had dragged claws sharp as daggers across the fabric and taunt skin beneath Sizhui was a good healer though and would help once the monster was dealt with.

It ended exactly how Sizhui's rational mind told him it would. There were few as skilled as Lan Wangji.Sizhui was fine it had barely grazed him. The spin had took any possible attack meant for him. "I am fine." he said softly "It didn't manage to touch me. You protected me." he answered ever the soft spoken boy.

Violet eyes were luminous with the unshed tears. Sizhui could read him, even when words did not follow a tone could speak. He dipped his head slightly. There were rules that fought with each other in his head. Be Filial, do not seek glory. Be loyal. Be virtuous. He often repeated these rules in his head when he needed to ground himself. He would never counter a rule with a rule though. That was not what the lesson was about after all.

"Yes." he said with a bow of his head further.

He moved to help with cleaning the wound his medical kit pulled from the sleeve of his robe to give aid. "Hánguāng-jūn." he said softly "I had panic like--something such as this had happened before, I can not recall it, but I felt it." his tone was a touch shamed.

@guqinstrings

-ˋˏ🌥 ┈┈ @battleguqin inquired ; ❛  be careful.  ❜

   HE HAS TO GET IT FROM Wei Wuxian, that was the only thought that rang through Lan Wangji’s mind when he felt Lan Sizhui connect with him and push him out of the way. Of course it doesn’t him far, not only was Lan Wangji bigger he was also stronger than the young man. Something to be expected considering how long he’s been Cultivating compared to Lan Sizhui. 

   Instead of letting himself be moved out of the way, his arm lowered down to wrap back around the Junior Lan and twisted them both out of the way. He feels the claws of the monster connect with his arm, feels it rip at his flesh and slash his robe open. A simple tear in his clothes wasn’t about to stop him from fighting, not even the fact he can feel the blood that dripped down his forearm only to be absorbed by the tattered remains of his robes. It definitely strung, definitely hurt, but his primary focus was both on Lan Sizhui. 

   The arm around the younger man’s shoulders tightens slightly and then moves enough to grasp him on the back of his collar and pull him from his waist. He tucks him behind his back, where he would be safe, his gaze never once leaving the monster across from them. “Do not move.” The order is given quietly and with a heavy warning, one that Lan Sizhui would clearly be able to hear in the tone of his voice. That determined force and worry. 

   Trusting him to not move, he summoned his Guqin and placed his fingers on the strings. 

   When dealing with monsters of unknown origins, it was difficult to nail exactly their weakness and even more difficult to fight when attempting to defend someone. To not let your emotions control you in a fight is one of the first things Lans are taught when studying the ways of the sword. With certain people, it’s something that has caused Lan Wangji problems before. Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhui were two of those people. Constantly aware of them and trying to protect them, he can get himself in trouble. That was what happened here, he was too focused on Lan Sizhui to notice when the creature had turned his eyes to him instead. This was part of what made teaching the boy he had taken in so difficult. 

   When the fight finally ended and the monster was eradicated, he returned Wangji to the cloth cover and once more strapped it to his back with Bichen. As he made his way over toward Lan Sizhui he ran his gaze searchingly along the other’s body, worry once more prevalent in the way he held himself. For the most part, Lan Sizhui seemed fine. 

   Then, his gaze flicked up to meet the set of eyes that so strongly reminded him of someone else's. “...Sizhui.” Do not do it again. Attempt to shove him out of the way. Telling him to be careful when he clearly didn’t consider himself in that situation. 

   He’s lost someone important to him already, if he lost A-Yuan too there might be no recovering for him. 

   “Do not act irrationally.” When words fail, recite Cloud Recesses' rules.