#so lqr stepped up

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

Sep 28th

~*~

1. hello itmf request for madam lan (twin jades mom) fics where she lives and meets wwx as lwj's partner. ive read sami's fics with her alive, and i just got to read more. canon or modern era is fine. thank you for your hard work as always!

Every Mother’s Son by Chrononautical (T, 11k, WangXian, Madam Lán Lives, Madam Lán Deserves Better, Madam Lán Leaves Cloud Recesses, Madam Lan rescues women from abusive husbands in feudal Japan and honestly that’s so valid of her, mentions of rape/non-con between Madam Lan & Qingheng-Jun)

💖 Do you want to hear by allollipoppins, dameauxgentianes (T, 12k, WangXian, time travel fix-it, canon divergence, not everyone dies au, epistolary, Madam Lan lives, minor character death, dark LWJ, Lan WWX, bad parents JFM & YZY, good uncle LQR, no sunshot campaign)

🧡 All will be well when the day is done by abCEE (T, 76k, WangXIan, Canon Divergence, Fix It, Not Jiang Family Friendly, JFM & YZY Bashing, Fix it for our main characters, Time Travel, Butterfly Effect, Madam Lan Lives, No Sunshot Campaign, Artistic License, Unreliable Narrator, JC Bashing, non-yunmeng WWX, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Good Uncle LQR, OOC, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, WWX gets the love and care that he deserves from the very beginning, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiangs, verbal and physical (c/o Zidian) abuse from YZY)

no step had trodden black by Stratisphyre (T, 32k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, JYL/JZX, canon divergence, madam lan lives, past rape, golden core reveal, hurt/Comfort, referenced to attempted suicide & suicidal thoughts, canon-typical violence)

pale shadows of forgotten names by Chrononautical (T, 56k, wangxian, Madam Lán Lives, Madam Lán Deserves Better, Good Sibling LXC, Badass LXC, He gets there in the end it just takes a while, Not particularly JGY friendly, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Canon-Typical Behavior, Unresolved Sexual Tension, the universal fear of growing up to become one of your parents, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives AU, Except WN but he’s very polite, Arranged Marriage, Forced Marriage, Imprisonment, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, not between wangxian, Drunk LWJ, to lighten the mood, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Traumatized WWX, though he will not admit it, Taking time to heal, canon-typical communication skills)

~*~

2. ITMF: A fic where JWY is a protective sibling. A fic where you cant help but picture him as a cat that hissed to LWJ and JZX with his siblings behind him. It doesnt have to be the focus of the story. Thanks

What If..... Jiang Cheng Understood? by ToxicAngel13 (M, 66k, WIP, WangXian, Ribbons, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, WangXian Get Married in the Cold Springs Cave, Protective JC, Confused WWX, Angry LWJ, Fix-It of Sorts, Good Uncle LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, POV LQR, YZY Bashing, POV JFM, Not JFM Friendly, Hurt/Comfort, Protective NHS)

Trust in my Word by TheObsoleteOne (E, 40k, WIP, WangXian, XiYao, ChengSang, A/B/O Dynamics, Protectiveness, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Omega WWX, Alpha LXC, Alpha LWJ, Good Sibling JC, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Soulmates, Protective LWJ, Precious WWX)

~*~

3. Hi! I’m looking for fics that diverge from canon at the Xuanwu of Slaughter cave, I would love something where they’re not so sick but they’re trapped with each other or where they get together at that point! @alienspectator

Five Things That Didn't Happen in Xuanwu Cave series by Deastar (E, 26k, WangXian, Xuanwu of Slaughter Cave, Fluff Marriage Proposa,l or perhaps more accurately discussion of marriage proposal, Rule 63, Gender Changes, Female WangXian, very soft despite the setting, Kissing, Non-Oblivious LWJ and WWX, Class Issues, Cuddling, Hurt/Comfort, Huddling For Warmth, LWJ is on the Asexuality Spectrum, what if the famed horny clench was actually solely a toppy clench, Service Top LWJ, cute tentative D/s dynamics, like the baby fawn stumbling around on its wobbly little legs version of D/s dynamics, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Dirty Talk, Omega LWJ, Omega WWX)

~*~

4. Hello, could you please recommend the fics where lan zhan has a huge inner critic and can't cope with expectations of him and the contradictions of others to the rules he was raised with.

Like people acting , dumb, rude, hypocrite and he judges

And if Wei Ying is ok with him being judgemental and helps him

Thank you!

Vandalize by The_Gourmet_Gamer (E, 66k, WangXian, Modern, Vampire, Hurt/Comfort, Forbidden Love, Religious Guilt, Homophobia, Anxiety, Eventual Happy Ending, Blood Kink, First Time, First Kiss, Smut, Consensual Non-Consent)

~*~

5. Hi! i’m looking for fics where jiang cheng loses his golden core but wei wuxian decides to not give up his own for him.

This could be time travel fic or fic where wwx decides he has more to live for and couldn’t ruin his future. I’m not necessarily looking for jc bashing but i wouldn’t mind it either! thank you for all your help 🫶

Never Again by Hauntcats (T, 67k, WWX & WN & WQ, JC & WWX, wangxian, graphic depictions of violence, major character death, Canon Divergence, Angst, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC Friendly, Dark, BAMF WWX, mentions of abuse, Not Everyone Dies au, XY doesn’t have a happy ending) Time traveller WQ stops the operation & talks WWX out of doing it

Lay my body down by tawaen (M, 48k, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, wangxian, WWX & JYL, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Eventual WangXian, No Golden Core Transfer, Not Cultivation World Friendly, Canon-Typical Violence, Not JC Friendly, What if WWX saw the first siege of the burial mounds and said Nope to the war, OCs, OC point-of-view for one chapter for plot reasons) Time traveller WWX decides to leave the cultivation world behind right after the fall of Lotus Pier, so when JC inevitably loses his core, WWX isn't around to fix it

Half of my soul by Asphodel_Meadow (T, 8k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, No Golden Core Transfer, Fix-It, 5+1 Things, kinda soul bond but with their golden cores, POV Outsider, POV Alternating)

violent delights by justdoityoufucker (orphan_account) (T, 4k, WWX & WQ & WN, WangXian, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Transfer, No Golden Core Transfer, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Found Family, Canon JC Characteristics)

~*~

6. Greetings and thanks for all you do! I seem to have read a lot of fics lately that are not JC or JYL friendly. It's gotten me down and I'd vowed to skip those for awhile. Today I read a fic that wasn't tagged as such, so it caught me unawares. 😥 I still read it bc I found the main plot enjoyable. But now I'm definitely ready for some recent fics that are happy endings for all the Yunmeng siblings. 🙏

The most dangerous thing is to love by KatAnni (E, 113k, WangXian, Golden Core Reveal, Fix-It, Everybody Lives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Hurt!WWX, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Torture, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, Panic Attacks, PTSD, Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Transfer Fix-it, Medical Procedures, Fainting, Major Character Injury, Blood and Injury, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Asexual JC, homophobia doesn’t exist here, Marriage Proposal, Marriage, Wedding Night, Whump)

Tether by WithBroomBefore (T, 40k, WangXian, SangLi, WWX’s passive suicidality, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, WWX Lives, JYL Lives, Golden Core Reveal, Minor Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, POV JYL, Grief/Mourning, Sunshot Campaign, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, LWJ makes friends, Fix-It, Happy Ending) these aren't really recent but The most dangerous thing is to love and Tether otherwise fit the request.

~*~

7. Hihi 🫶 itmf for scary yllz Wei wuxian, just anything with wwx being insanely powerful and spooky!

No jc bashing or a/b/o please

💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Universe Alteration, the yiling patriarch survives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catharsis, Slow Burn, Drama, Getting Together, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Melancholy, Love, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Love Confessions, Eventual Smut, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Switching, Grief/Mourning, fucking while pining, Implied/Referenced Torture, Self-Harm, golden core transfer, Playing fast and loose with worldbuilding, Battle Scenes, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, implied / Referenced suicide attempt, Sect Leader WWX, YLLZ WWX, Yílíng Wèi Sect) link in #8

Old Foreshadows by protos_metazu_ison (M, 15k, WangXian, YLLZ WWX, BAMF WWX, War, Universe Alteration, Sunshot Campaign, Rated For Violence, Timeline What Timeline, Mojo’s post)

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona))

transmuter by WithLoweredVoices (Not rated, 113k, wangxian, Modern with Magic, Magical Realism, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending) if the requester doesn't mind modern magical realism: transmuter

~*~

8. ITMF: where after wwx dies like in canon or give up yin tiger tally and vanishing with wen remnant, the jin start showing their color. I want them to remember wwx warning that said the jin wants to replace the wen. I want that when i read the fic give the feel that wwx says "i told you so" Or "you chose the wrong person to put your trust to". Thanks!

💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Universe Alteration, the yiling patriarch survives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catharsis, Slow Burn, Drama, Getting Together, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Melancholy, Love, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Love Confessions, Eventual Smut, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Switching, Grief/Mourning, fucking while pining, Implied/Referenced Torture, Self-Harm, golden core transfer, Playing fast and loose with worldbuilding, Battle Scenes, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, implied / Referenced suicide attempt, Sect Leader WWX, YLLZ WWX, Yílíng Wèi Sect)

~*~

9. Helloooo~

I'm really in the mood for Wei Wuxian embracing the GusuLan sect and having his very own forehead ribbon! Do you beautiful people know of some? @lostandmessedup

Dispersing Clouds by dreamingofcake (E, 283k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive YZY, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Canon JC, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics, Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, WWX is Not Oblivious)

We Meet at the Thousandth Step by Admiranda, Rynne (T, 316k, WangXian, CSSR/WCZ, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, CSSR & WCZ Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Different First Meeting, Night Hunts, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Plot, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Everyone Lives, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, WWX’s Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, WWX Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings, Married WangXian, Honeymoon, Wangxian’s Baby Fever)

🔒 The Straightest Path by meyari (T, 30k, WangXian, NieLan, MingLi, ChengSang, war and death, Grief/Mourning, Politics, plotting for neuroatypicals, Autistic LWJ, WWX Has ADHD, Non-Canon Relationship, No Yīn Iron, Sect Leader LWJ) which has Wei Ying marrying into the Lans after the burning of Cloud Recesses but I honestly don't remember if getting his own forehead ribbon is featured in this story.

~*~

10. Would love to see people's favourite fics featuring switch dynamics and/or bottomji. Bonus points for subji (does not need to coincide with bottomji). @linderel

Respectable, Decent, and Quiet by Theotrix (E, 5k, WangXian, Porn with Feelings, Post-Canon, repressed lwj, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Loud Sex, Emotional release)

this bed of love by YaYa (Terabyte_my_ass) (E, 4k, WangXian, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Rimming, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Tender Sex, its so fucking tender and soft, super sensitive LWJ, Blink and you miss it humiliation kink, and a little bit of praise kink, First Time Bottoming, Bottom LWJ, POV LWJ, Coming Untouched)

A Narrow Bridge by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 700k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Time, Pining while fucking, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Angst with a Happy Ending, CQL Verse, almost everybody lives/almost nobody dies, epistolary-ish, canon-ish side pairings, radishes) Been a while since I read it, but IIRC this longfic has bottom!LWJ

Requester might also be interested to know there's a Bottomji event due to start posting stuff in a few days

Howling by MimiSpearmint (E, 40k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mortal Instruments Fusion, Horror, Eldritch, Domestic Fluff, Single Parent WWX, Witchcraft, Getting Together, shifter!lwj, yllz!wwx, Intercrural Sex, Hand Jobs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Switch WangXian, a bit of a degradation kink, anti-STI sex talismans, Anal Sex, Oral Sex)

best laid plans by ilip13 (E, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Also some angst for our suffering hero, Developing Relationship, Porn with Feelings, An Ode to Switching, Top/Bottom Versatile | Switch WangXian, Unreliable Narrator)

pretty things by ablinka (E, 7k, WangXian, Modern, Established Relationship, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Submissive LWJ, Trans Male Character, Trans LWJ, Trans WWX, Bondage, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Overstimulation, Vaginal Sex, Strap-Ons, tdick penetration, dysphoria plays a significant role in the fic but does not actually occur, [slaps roof of pwp] this bad boy can fit so much fucking gender in it)

all of ScarlettStorm's fic but especially 花束 | bouquet by ScarlettStorm (E, 7k, WangXian, PWP, Rope Bondage, Flower Arrangement, tender kink, A Nice Afternoon ™, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Dom WWX, Sub LWJ)

~*~

11. ITMF: I read many tgcfxmdzs fic where hualian is wwx (or any character in mdzs) parents/guardian/teacher, is there a fic that are opposite of that? Like WWX is Hua Cheng teacher or something? Thanks

~*~

12. hello! for the next itmf I was wondering if you could rec fics where jc and lsz start developing an uncle-nephew relationship. no modern aus please

Would You Come Home? by s6115 (Not rated, 46k, WangXian, Junior Quartet Centric, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Junior Quartet Dynamics)

~*~

13. Hi!!! This is for itmf. Is there any fic where

A) the Yiling town people protect Wei Wuxian

B) the civilians realise that cultivation world is the villain and protect Wei Wuxian and the Wen Remnant.

Thank you in advance❤️ @chibiizzy

~*~

14. hello and thank you for the work you do! i was wondering for the next itmf if you have recs of post-canon lxc and wwx developing a brotherly bond. it would be nice if lxc apologized to wwx for what he said at guanyin too

Preparing the Soil by Rynne (T, 26k, WangXian, LQR & LWJ, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Family Issues, Family Conflict, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Chinese Holidays, Chinese New Year, Birthdays, Good Kid LSZ, Meta Arguments, POV LWJ, Protective LWJ, Married WangXian, LWJ’s Birthday, LSZ’s Birthday, Soft WangXian, LWJ Has to Talk a Lot, Gusu Lan Sect Rules, Gusu Lan Sect, Letting Go of Resentment, The WWX Rule, Good Sibling LXC, Improving Uncle LQR, Grappling with the Lans’ Part in the Siege, learning to be better, Music, LWJ is a Composer, LWJ Is Good at Communicating Actually, Not JC Friendly)

one of our own by glitteringmoonlight (G, 7k, WangXian, Post-Canon, POV Outsider, 5+1 Things)

Of poisons and forgiveness by Anonymous (G, 1k, LXC & WWX, POV LXC, WWX deserves to be taken care of, WWX Needs a Hug, Hurt WWX, Hurt/Comfort, Poisoning, Poison, Talking, Apologies, Post-Canon, WWX is a Lan, by Marriage, LXC considers joining WWX protection squad tbh, WWX appreciation)

~*~

15. Hiii , looking for fics where wwx did s*x (sex) work(or something like that) to earn money for the burial mounds settlement, and lwj caught him / learned about it.. thx!

🔒 Tender by Deastar (E, 20k, WangXian, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Sex Work, (not between the main characters), love in the time of income inequality, Canon Divergence, Hopeful Ending, Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon)

~*~

16. Hello, itmf WY being calm, serious in his communication with LZ during cr period. Like his laughing and being brash is a disguise most of the time, but the way he approaches LZ is sincere.

Thank you 🙏

~*~

17. Thank you for all the work you do!

For an I'm In The Mood For: I'm in the mood to read:

A. Wangxian fic where the emphasis is on their relationship developing, any sex is fade-to-black or implied/way off "screen" and/or

B. Fic featuring asexual Wei Ying or Lan Zhan or both.

I'm just super tired of fics that are 90% PWP. (Can't believe it, but I am, lol).

17A)

through a window softly by impossibletruths (T, 14k, WangXian, Modern, College/University, Neighbors, Music, They Play Music Together But They’ve Never Met, It’s very romantic, Graduate School, WWX Is Doing Music Education and LWJ Is Doing Composition, Music As Love Language, Just A Whole Lot Of Classical Music In General, Podfic Available, Spanish Translation Available, Russian Translation Available)

fish & wild geese by impossibletruths (T, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, Farm/Ranch, Poetry, Grief/Mourning, Cooking, Catharsis, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Hunger as a Metaphor for Grief, Farming as a Metaphor for Healing, Overzealous Use Of Imagery, Mentioned Madam Lán)

🔒 The Promises We Make by Mayarenerose (G, 34k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, LWJ & WN, LWJ & JC, Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Fluff, Angst, Everybody Lives, Canon Divergence, Gratuitous Bed Sharing)

And Yet Here You Are by cosmicmilktea (T, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Domestic Fluff, Cloud Recesses, settling down, Separation Anxiety, Teacher WWX, very light angst, Chief Cultivator LWJ)

17B)

Picture Perfect by manaika (M, 22k, WangXian, Modern AU, Past Relationship(s), Widower WWX, Grief/Mourning, Getting Together, Families of Choice, Family Feels, Stepfather WWX, LSZ is a Wèi, Single Parent WWX, Aromantic Relationship, Platonic Life Partners, it’s all in the past and only mentioned/discussed when relevant, Sex-Favorable Asexual WWX, RomanceHurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Food Intake Related Medical Issue (not what you think) )

🔒 The Bunnysitter: a Post-it Romance by theLoyalRoyalGuard (G, 9k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fluff, really it’s just soft and fluffy, with a tiny bit of angst for seasoning, Asexual LWJ, autistic LWJ, adhd WWX, I mean he’s basically the ADHD poster child, cellist LWJ, Hacker WWX for justice, background 3zun, [Podfic] The Bunnysitter: a Post-it Romance by Cathalinareads (Cathalinaheart) )

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[lwjsbedtime]

I think a MDZS Psych AU would be hilarious. WWX's this super observant genius who remembers everything he sees and can easily guess people's true motives, but it only ever gets him into trouble.

First, YZY hates him for getting better grades than JC, then he's kicked out of LP for calling WC on his lies at a charity gala, effectively blackening the Jiang name. After leaving, he gets caught up in a plot to assassinate him, which leads to him testifying against the Wens in court - which leads to a new, intense interest in seeking justice for those who can't.

...Unfortunately, even this gets him in trouble. WWX's called in one too many tips to the local police station and now he's a suspect! Oh woe! Whatever is he to do?! They're going to lock him up and throw away the key!

LWJ, an up and coming officer with a decade long crush on WWX: Do not worry. I will speak with Uncle to clear your na-

WWX promptly decides to announce that he's psychic.

"Impossible!"

LQR...doesn't believe it. No one really believes it, but LXC takes the opportunity to hire WWX as a consultant for cases...

"...Otherwise not easily solved," he explains delicately, very subtly not winking at his brother who's also very subtly not eavesdropping on their conversation. "You would of course be working with Wangji."

WWX considers it for a moment: a well paying job that interests him, and he gets to bother LWJ all day? How could he possibly say no?

And so he doesn't. In fact, he agrees.

WWX and LWJ become partners. LWJ the dashing young police officer, WWX the spooky, scary crackpot-

"Do not insult yourself, Wei Ying," LWJ chastises.

WWX can't help but swoon. "So protective of my reputation LZ!"

"Mn."

LWJ has good reason to be protective - and of more than just WWX's reputation. Since becoming 'psychic', WWX's attracted a number of very vocal detractors who find his methods disrespectful - along with several enemies in high places who can't afford to have their secrets uncovered.

Thankfully, LZ is always there to keep him safe. And when LZ's busy, WN is willing to step in and help.

(WWX is somehow blind to both LWJ's boundless adoration, and the fact that he's essentially employed WN as a part-time bodyguard behind his back.)

Still, no system is perfect. While investigating the murder of a local debutante, WWX is captured by one of his enemies' lackeys - Jin Zixun.

"...Who?" he asks, drawing a blank.

Jin Zixun pokes his finger in WWX's face. "You-! Don't you remember everything? How can you pretend not to know me?!"

WWX blinks. He's sure he's never seen this person before in his life. But when he says as much, Jin Zixun looks fit to beat him.

Thankfully, before things can get too heated, LZ breaks into the warehouse they're keeping WWX in and rescues him. Is this another swooning moment? Of course! Any moment is a good swooning moment with LZ around.

"Mn," LWJ agrees, picking WWX up in a bridal carry (after arresting the bad guys, of course).

WWX laughs, hiding his cherry-red face in LWJ's neck.

"LZ!" he whines, batting his partner's chest. "Don't just agree with me! Think about my heart."

LWJ tilts WWX's chin back, so he can look him in the eyes as he says, "I think of nothing else."

WWX almost swoons for real. What an unexpected confession! Maybe he isn't as observant as he's given credit for?

"Ridiculous," LWJ denies, "You are very observant. Just not psychic."

WWX laughs so much he almost falls out of LWJ's arms. Thankfully, LWJ is stronger than he looks.

"I am so psychic!" he argues once he's caught his breath. "I'm getting a vision right now!"

"Oh?" LWJ's raised brow shows exactly how little he believes Wei Ying.

"It's true!" WWX says. "I see...! It's us! We're standing side by side and...we're getting married! We're gonna be together forever, er gege."

Heart in his throat, he looks up to find LWJ staring back at him with dark, hungry eyes.

"Mark your words," he says in a growl, and WWX gulps.

That day, LWJ becomes a little less sceptical of his new fiance's preternatural powers, and WWX becomes a firm believer in LWJ's physical prowess. 😉

----

Jin Zixun, some hours later, still handcuffed to a chair in the abandoned warehouse: Hello? I think you forgot me? ...Hello??

[iamthelemonlord]

Duke of death and his maid au:

CW: // animal death

Lwj gets cursed where anything he touches dies. He discovered his curse when he went out one the morning to his rabbit hutch.

No one had ever heard lwj scream, let alone cry before. When lqr comes running out to see what had happened, lwj was crying over the dead bodies of his rabbits. Seeing him distraught, they had kept coming towards him to comfort him, only to instantly die when they came into contact with lwj.

Lqr walked towards him to ask what had happened and comfort him. Lwj screamed as he saw his uncle come close. "Don't touch me!" His back hit a tree, causing it to instantly wilt.

"Wangji!?" Lqr exclaimed, confusion and horror clouding his features.

Lwj watched as the tree withers and dies. He falls to the ground, confused as to why this was happening to him. His uncle watches helplessly as the grass in contact with lwj shrivels up, becoming lifeless.

Not knowing what else to do, lqr urges lwj up without going near him and rushes him inside the manor. He sits him down and orders the servants to bring him tea and something to eat but warn not to touch him.

As the servants run about, lqr discovered that before this curse had taken hold, lwj had dreamt that someone had visited him and placed the curse on him, their parting words to him were that now no one will be able to truly love him. He'd thought it was just a dream until this morning. This was all anyone could go on. With no way of knowing the truth and no trace of the witch, there was no known way of breaking the spell. They know of none who are familiar with magic.

As he is only the second heir, lwj is taken to a secluded manor and locked away where there is nothing but wilderness. Someone comes by once in a while to clean, but they never stay, fearful of coming in contact with the lord of the manor. All he can do now is search for answers as he rots away alone. The Lan family would continue to provide for him and help with his research but other then that, lwj was on his own.

Try to imagine if you would, a life where you can never embrace the one you love, never once feel their skin against yours. He takes the life's breath out of anything he touches. That was the curse the witch so cruelly inflicted upon him. No animal, human, or plants were except, of course. Regarding his nephew doomed to live his life without knowing the warmth of another, his uncle only complained:

Lqr: That child is like death incarnate!

(Authors note: The last paragraph above and the character line are not my own. It is an excerpt from the English dub of the show. These are not my original words. This narration goes hard, I swear!)

Then, one day, someone appeared at his door, claiming to be his new butler who would be living there from now on. It was wwx who lwj had grown up with, wwx's mother being close friends with Iqr. He was no butler. He didn't have a title, but his family had some land and prestige. Lwj turned him away, calling him insane for wanting to work there. Wwx tells him not to worry. He knows the circumstances and is prepared.

Wwx: Come on, Lan Zhan! We're friends! Let me work here 😁

Lwj: Get lost!

Wwx: Don't be like that! I received permission from your uncle! I'm to stay here and serve you while researching the curse.

Lwj: I do not need help! I am fine on my own! Leave now!

Wwx: Nope! I'm staying!

Lwj slammed the door in wwx's face before he could take a step into the manor. He left him out there thinking he'd get bored and leave soon. Wwx did not leave and stayed sitting on the front steps playing with a stick in the dirt. As night fell and lwj saw that wwx was still there, he relented. He opened the front door and stared down at him.

Lwj: One night, and you're out by morning.

Wwx: Once I take a step in there, you'll never get rid of me.

Lwj: Wei Ying! 😡

Wwx: Laaaan Zhaaaaan! 🙄

Lwj groans in frustration but lets wwx in. Wwx practically skips inside avoiding contact with lwj. He soon makes himself at home and a week later he's still there. Working. Lwj had contacted his uncle only to find that yes wwx was hired by him to help care for lwj and assist in his research. Apparently wwx was an expert in witch magic, specifically curses.

After a heated back and forth with his uncle, wwx was permitted to stay.

He did everything he said he would: oversees the manor and helps with research albeit late in the day since he isn't an early riser. The only issue lwj sees with the arrangement is that the man gets TOO CLOSE to him!

Lwj tends to wear gloves and long sleeves but the curse works through clothes. The layer has to be thick enough that it is not HIM someone is touching, yet wwx seems to not care! One too many times now their noses had almost touched! The man was courting death.

One night while they were sitting together wwx brought up a new topic.

Wwx: we should hire other people. This place is too big

Lwj: No

Wwx: Laaaan Zhaaaaaan!

Lwj: it is too dangerous. Either way, no one besides you would want to stay here.

Wwx stands from his seat and leans across the table, their faces almost touching causing lwj to almost tumble over his seat.

Lwj: WEI YING!

wwx ignores him: What if they can't be affected by your curse?

Lwj: That's impossible. They would have to be invulnerable or dead.

Wwx: if I find someone, will you hire them?

Not thinking he would, lwj agrees with an eye roll.

The next day wwx drags a man to the manor by the name Wen Ning who had been looking for a job. He was from a branch of a prestigious noble family but has been cast out due to being cursed to continue walking the earth after his death. He had died a year ago and now no one but his sister wanted anything to do with him.

Wwx: Your curse stipulates that they have to be living.

Wwx shoves wn towards lwj. In reflex he catch him. Horrified he looks at the man in his arms who blinks back at him.

Lwj: Wei Ying!

Lwj was furious. He righted wn before facing off with wwx

Lwj: That was completely out of line! You could have killed him... again!

Wwx: and I was sure you wouldn't. There's no breath to take. Now what room should we give him?

Wn became the gardener.

After a few weeks a woman showed up to their door announcing herself as WQ, WN sister. She request to stay so she can be with her brother in return she can be their physician and help with the research on curses. At this point lwj has no say anymore and wq is invited to stay The house used to be so quiet and now noise kept filling the space. He may not be able to touch his friends but he could once again feel their warmth. Lwj had become so accustomed to being alone that he forgot he missed being around others. Now he doesnt feel the least bit lonely.

Fin for now.

Kind of wanna do a longer thing with it either way but it's the general idea.

Notes on things to happen:

-At some point wwx gets bunnies that wn cares for in the garden and lwj can enjoy from afar.

-They solve the curse (duh)

- some magic fuckery. Some friends they make alongb the way are witches

- lots of edging stuff (nsfw)

This is very much from an edging type of anime. The original with the maid (Alice) all she likes to do is tease the Duke (very wx coded)

[jiangfamilytherapist]

Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao have a such a stereotypically girl friendship—don’t get mad, let me finish.

They share everything* with each other (naughty Xichen, gossiping!), they’re all about feelings and validation and talking things out. So much mutual support!

*Except! Jin Guangyao is a genuine Mean Girl… Yeah, he genuinely cares for Xichen, but just about everyone else is fair game. He seems friendly towards everyone, but he’s the type who can call you bestie and then end your whole career and then still call you bestie. Even with Xichen he just shares what he thinks he wants to hear, bc making him happy is more important than honesty, right?

By contrast, Nie Mingjue falls into a more macho social mould. He’s mad at you or he’s not, no subtle grudges. I think this is some of the source of lingering conflict between him and JGY (besides the obvious moral issues and grievances). They kind of speak different languages when it comes to interpersonal conflict and so they talk past each other to disastrous effects.

Why are they like this? Some of it is probably innate, but there’s also the circumstances of their upbringing to contend with. I called LXC & JGY’s relationship a “girl friendship”, but there’s nothing inherently girly about it. A lot of this comes down to how societies teach boys vs girls to regulate and express their emotions and relate/respond to the emotions of others. Women get a rep for empathy and men for being no-nonsense, but then women might be more likely to use the “silent treatment” and expect you to automatically know why they’re mad, or men might be considered emotionally oblivious. This is trained behavior!

And speaking of trained behavior: JGY grew up in a brothel. I feel like a lot of attention gets paid to how JGY learned subservient behavior and people-pleasing as a survival skill, but I haven’t seen anyone talking about how that brothel seems like a HOTBED of backstabby mean girl social dynamics. Everyone is bestie until they’d make a better stepping stone. JGY grew up in a place where the socially disadvantaged had to turn on their own to ingratiate themselves to the powerful. Pick me girl behavior was a matter of survival, and young MY learned that lesson well. These lessons transfer well to the Jin sect’s world of court intrigues.

LXC’s emotional sensitivity may in part come from his caregiver role as a big brother and Wangji’s longtime social-emotional interpreter. Doesn’t seem to be learned from LQR. I have less to say about Xichen as I feel that less is known, but I will say that his highly controlled upbringing didn’t prepare him to see through emotionally manipulative people like JGY or NHS.

Mingjue, as heir and then leader of an especially martial sect, probably got the Men Don’t Cry brand of emotional education. Huaisang, as the spare and not the heir, seems to have wiggled out of this early training. He’s the baby of the family, and he isn’t shy about it.

NONE OF THIS is to discount the role played by their core personalities, but lived experience makes us who we are. Social-emotional learning is often very gendered in patriarchal societies and I just think it’s fascinating to contemplate the impacts on a person’s development. And a disclaimer: having more feminine social-emotional learning doesn’t outright determine JGY’s (or anyone’s) gender or sexuality, but the impacts on his worldview are, I think, worth considering.

[mostlikelytofangirl]

I love your android jgy ideas!

Do you have many more you'd like to share?

(Also the image of jgs seething in the background while ruoyao go on their merry way is so funny)

Thank you!! I'm very glad you are enjoying this new delusion lol

I'm mostly just bouncing off the ideas @hereticcryptid shares with me, so the credit for the og discussion of android!jiggy goes to them :'D

That being said, a friend shared her ideas of another android AU some time ago and I loved it so much! I'm still hoping she continues working on that wip some day ^^;

It was ruoyao of course, but included dark LXC and it was so fascinating to me how the roles got pretty much reversed there, with a kind and gentle but possessive LXC that created MY as the perfect partner and went sorta Mothel Gothel on him out of misplaced protectiveness -pretty much the worst side of the Lan gene in canon.

But MY was very curious by nature, yet all the answers he got of the outside world were reduced to "don't worry about it, you have everything you need/want here :)", and eventually escaped, getting in trouble as soon as he stepped outside lol.

Cue uni professor and disgraced inventor/scientist WRH (funny how we all just want to see him fall from grace xD). His research on AI and androids got controversial and eventually seized and "destroyed" by coworker LQR, who saw the danger and immorality in creating something capable of self-awareness. Turns out that it was based on his work that LXC created MY, so when WRH finds a little android wandering around like he was born yesterday (bc he kinda was), he's instantly fascinated with him and takes him in to try to understand how something so advanced could exist.

What I loved about this AU is how ridiculously adorable MY was! He's a mix of his usual cunning mind and eagerness to learn with someone who legit is just experiencing the outside world for the first time, especially since, unlike Rapunzel, he wasn't really fed scary stories of what lurks outside, so he's more trusting. And unlike LXC, WRH is more than happy to teach MY whatever he wants to learn, not only to satisfy his own curiosity about how a machine like that could process knowledge, but also bc he IS a professor and one with hella high standards, so MY is just the perfect student: so well-behave, giving him all his attention and making smart questions and observations. Besides, there's a sense of deja vu the more he learns about how MY works and was created... also he is strained from his sons, so there's that too lol.

At the beginning is all just transactional, MY latching onto someone who is finally willing to indulge his curiosity, and WRH acquiring a little pet project to make up for all the experiments he was never allowed to conduct. But if you know me, you know the relationship doesn't stay there xD.

Sadly, bestie didn't continue the story behond that and tbh I don't remember much of what came later from my conversations with her, other than LXC eventually going out looking for MY with the help of other androids he created that weren't as perfect as MY, like the Nie bros.

I must confess that I haven't thought of android!JGY myself, but it's a great concept that I should probaky dedicate more brain power to :'D

ALSO

JGS seething at MY getting a new and far superior daddy is one of the main reasons why I'm such ruoyao trash 😌

[robininthelabyrinth]

Ah, this is invisible_cities from ao3 - dropping off a plot bunny I mentioned in a comment on 'No Complaints' as requested, since you considered it intriguing and didn't want to lose the idea. It went: I keep being haunted by this kernel of an idea, an AU in which LQR&JC -Done Uncles(TM) - have a (political) reason to Swear Brotherhood. Especially if it meant seeing the reactions of LQR's nephews AND LXC's sworn brothers. I think Nie Minjue might actually approve, as you write him.

Convenient Brotherhood - ao3

“You would make a good teacher.”

Jiang Cheng froze, abruptly overcome with a wave of hideous embarrassment, then a moment later with a wave of self-disgust for having felt that embarrassment. It wasn’t as if he were doing anything shameful, after all.

He’d only been showing the newest set of Jiang disciples the basic forms that they would need to know in order to build their foundation in the Jiang sect’s sword style. It was one of the most basic duties of a sect. Although it was normally done by an instructor, rather than the sect leader directly, even Jiang Cheng’s father had occasionally stepped in to show the children how it was done. There was nothing embarrassing about doing what he was doing at all.

It was only – being perceived, he supposed.

He turned and tried to salute, saying, “Teacher Lan –”

Lan Qiren stopped him, catching his arm and pulling him upwards, his hand seeming to Jiang Cheng’s perception to be blazing hot where it touched his skin. “I have already told you to stop with that,” he chided, though quite gently, and that hot feeling spread over the rest of Jiang Cheng’s skin, right up to his neck. “It has already become tiresome, and you can’t keep it up forever, now that I am staying here.”

Yes.

There was – that.

Jiang Cheng didn’t want to think about that. On why Lan Qiren was now residing in the Lotus Pier, the length of his stay indeterminate, lasting until…

Until nothing. Jiang Cheng wasn’t thinking about it.

“How is Jin Ling doing?” he asked instead, because it was easier. Jin Ling was still a baby, in need of tremendous care, and in all honesty Lan Qiren’s presence had been a godsend in that regard – the Jiang sect needed care, too, as needy as an infant going through growing pains as Jiang Cheng tried to help it settle into its rightful position as a Great Sect, and there were only so many hours in a day. He was already being torn to pieces by his obligations. He couldn’t even imagine the damage it might do to him if he were trying to take care of both Jin Ling and his sect, all on his own, unsupported by anyone, least of all –  

Wait, no, he wasn’t thinking about that.

“Quite well. He’s just realized he can wave around his toys on his own,” Lan Qiren said, accepting the change of subject gracefully, just as he always did. “He was quite proud of his great accomplishment.”

Just like his peacock of a father, Jiang Cheng wanted to say, but his throat closed up. It had only been a few months, no more than half a year, since – since Jiang Yanli – since she had…since Jin Ling was orphaned.

By all rights, Jin Ling ought to be right now in Lanling City, being cared for by his paternal relatives, but Jin Zixuan’s death had overturned a hornet’s nest there, and even Madame Jin, for whom Jin Ling was now her sole purpose in life, didn’t think it was a good idea to risk keeping him there. Accordingly to Lanling Jin custom, the child was typically raised by the mother for the first few years of life, then handed over to the father to be educated. So, with Jin Ling lacking both mother and father, Madame Jin had proposed that Jin Ling be temporarily handed over to Jiang Cheng…

She must have been in a very tough position to have asked for such a thing. Jiang Cheng tried not to think about it, because it meant that he got to keep Jin Ling by his side, got not to be alone. Just him and Jin Ling…and Lan Qiren, now.

It had really only been when Lan Qiren had walked in and plucked a sobbing Jin Ling out of Jiang Cheng’s arms, ordering the frantic and under-slept Jiang Cheng to go get some rest, that Jiang Cheng had remembered all those rumors that made out that it was Lan Qiren that had raised his nephews, even since infancy. From the capable fashion in which he tended to Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng was inclined to think the rumors were true.

And since there could be no questioning Lan Qiren’s integrity, he didn’t have to worry about entrusting Jin Ling to him. There could be no fear that Lan Qiren was a secret assassin, or bribed by the Jin sect, or – or whatever Jiang Cheng’s paranoid mind had come up with. Admittedly, it was probably a little offensive to use a respected elder like Lan Qiren as a babysitter, but Lan Qiren had never complained.

“You should consider what I said.”

Jiang Cheng shook himself out of his reverie. “What? What you said when?”

“That you would make a good teacher,” Lan Qiren said. He shook out his sleeves and started heading back inside – had he come all the way out to the training yards just to say that? But no, it was getting to be dinner time. He had come to call Jiang Cheng, another thing that no one had asked him to do but which he did, as meticulous and inexorable as the Lan sect rules in all the things he did.

Having someone who remembered that he needed to be called in, that he forgot things like eating and drinking if he was too distracted…Jiang Cheng really shouldn’t enjoy it as much as he did.

It shouldn’t make him as happy as it did.

Jiang Cheng caught up with Lan Qiren, falling into step by his side. “Is this some sort of hint that you changed your mind and would like to start teaching again?” he asked. “I’m sure we could set something up here for you, if you like.”

It wouldn’t be the same as the Cloud Recesses, though. Nothing was ever the same as home.

Jiang Cheng knew that better than most.

“I meant nothing more than what I said,” Lan Qiren said mildly. “I have not varied from my decision not to teach this year. Perhaps when Jin Ling is older, we can reconsider.”

Because Lan Qiren would probably still be here then, Jiang Cheng’s traitorous mind noted. Jin Ling would grow up, and grow older, and eventually return to Lanling Jin to inherit his patrimony, but Lan Qiren would still be here in the Lotus Pier, far away from home, rotting away in a place he didn’t belong –

Lan Qiren cleared his throat pointedly.

“You are letting his thoughts get away from you again, I think,” he said. He sounded amused, of all things. “Shall I recite the rules regarding the importance of mealtimes once again…?”

“Please don’t,” Jiang Cheng said hastily. He’d made the mistake, in the first few days of Lan Qiren’s tenure when Jiang Cheng had been incredibly bitter about how everything had all gone down, of retorting to one of Lan Qiren’s invocations by reminding him that the Lotus Pier was not the Cloud Recesses and so the Lan sect rules did not apply here. It had been unwontedly cruel of him – reminding a man of the home that he’d lost through the actions of others, actions for which Jiang Cheng was in no small part responsible, whether directly or indirectly through others of his sect for whom he bore responsibility – and he’d been deeply ashamed of himself at once.

Lan Qiren, in contrast, had taken it in stride: he had only mildly responded that the Lan sect rules applied not only to the Cloud Recesses but to any person belonging to the Lan sect, no matter where they were, and furthermore that in any place where humanity gathered there were always rules, even when they were unwritten. He had thereafter devoted much of his free time, insofar as such a thing existed, into compiling a set of rules for the Lotus Pier.

Jiang Cheng had thought the project ridiculous at first, but Lan Qiren was meticulous, in this as with all things, and the first small booklet he had presented to Jiang Cheng had been…

Jiang Cheng hadn’t had any words for how it made him feel, only that he’d urgently needed to excuse himself to hide in his room and cry for a while, but in a good sort of way. The booklet contained not only the first few rules that Lan Qiren proposed, all of which were perfectly in keeping with the Lotus Pier’s tradition and full of good sense besides, but also the basis behind them: the logical arguments both in favor and against, the potential consequences, and most of all the history behind them, gleaned from the dozens of interviews Lan Qiren had conducted among both the few survivors of the Lotus Pier’s massacre and the common people outside their door.

Jiang Cheng treasured each survivor more than gold, but he’d never really known how exactly to ask them, or even what, and he’d never thought about asking the common people at all. To unexpectedly find that they, too, knew the stories of his family, his ancestors, to see the casual anecdotes his father had once, in a rare sharing mood, recited for them over dinner and which Jiang Cheng had nearly forgotten, all written down neatly in a book, something that could be copied and duplicated and remembered into the future…

There were stories in there that even he hadn’t known. Ones his father hadn’t mentioned, or hadn’t had a chance to, stories that his distant cousins, the older ones, recognized with a start that suggested they’d forgotten them, too – even stories about his mother, ones that she’d long ago discarded as embarrassing. Stories that made her appear in his memory, vivid and beautiful and headstrong, simultaneously just as he’d known her and yet also somehow like learning about her for the first time.

There were stories about Jiang Yanli, too. Things Jiang Cheng had never known about her, how she went out among the common people to help them small things within her power, dealing with the little pests and pestilences that accompanied daily life but which would win no one any fame and which most cultivators disdained as a result – even her likes and dislikes, recorded from the mouths of the merchants that had always saved a portion of their wares for her.

Even stories about him –

…anyway, the rules were good. The Jiang sect’s motto might be attempt the impossible, but there was no harm in having some structure. All his new disciples still needed their foundation, after all. 

“Do you really think I’d be a good teacher?” Jiang Cheng asked, settling down beside the table. The Lan sect rules generally prohibited speaking during mealtimes, but they hadn’t started yet – Jin Ling still needed to be brought over by his wet nurse, since Lan Qiren insisted that all meals be taken together and Jiang Cheng, who would have Jin Ling in his sight at all times if he could, didn’t disagree. “I think most of my disciples are afraid of me.”

“If being cantankerous were a disqualifier, no one would ever come to me,” Lan Qiren said, and Jiang Cheng had to suppress a snort – the other man’s sense of humor was another thing that had come as a surprise. Lan Qiren was in fact quite strict with his students; it was only now that Jiang Cheng had graduated to being one of his peers that Lan Qiren had allowed him to see the more personable aspects of his character. “Your disciples fear your temper, yes, but they respect and adore you. You will be an excellent teacher.”

“The Jiang sect sword style –”

“Not just that.”

“No?”

“Don’t look down on yourself. You have more to give to the world than just your blood and sweat.”

Jiang Cheng’s hand stole, without his permission, to rest on his stomach, on the stolen golden core that glowed inside of him, inescapable reminder of Wei Wuxian’s sacrifice of which he had been completely ignorant until – until it was very nearly too late. So very nearly. “I don’t know about that.”

It wasn’t a denial, though.

It was…hope, Jiang Cheng supposed. Hope that there might be something he could offer the world that wasn’t his bloodline or his endless years of effort, all of which seemed to turn to dust at once upon the revelation that it had been Wei Wuxian’s talent and sacrifice that had made it all possible. Being a teacher didn’t rely on or even require a golden core, especially if he taught the way Lan Qiren meant – not just swordsmanship, but cultivation, whether of one’s power or one’s mind.

It might be nice to have students, rather than soldiers.

“It’s settled, then,” Lan Qiren said. “We’ll plan out a curriculum for next year.”

As if it were that simple…though now that Jiang Cheng thought about it, why couldn’t it be? He was the sect leader here, with no elders to stand on his shoulders and force him to stop, and he had Lan Qiren, whose fame as a teacher was personal to him rather than generalized to his sect. If they let out that he would be teaching again, people from all over the cultivation world would send their children to learn, even if Jiang Cheng were teaching as well.

Maybe, after a while…

It wasn’t like Lan Qiren was going anywhere. He couldn’t.

Or, well, he could, technically. There was nothing wrong with Lan Qiren’s legs or his ability to fly a sword, he could walk out any time. But he wouldn’t – not when his presence in the Lotus Pier was one of the pillars that held together the cultivation world. Not when…

“Didi should stop thinking so much,” Lan Qiren said, and Jiang Cheng winced the way he always did when Lan Qiren acknowledged the forced sworn brother relationship between them. “It’s not doing you any good.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. That was true enough. “This is when most people say I ought to get a wife.”

“What would be the point? If you wanted one, you’d have one.”

“The matchmakers –”

“Cannot do anything if the person asking them for help is also purposefully sabotaging their attempts. It’s really no surprise that they’ve banned you for wasting their time.”

Jiang Cheng grumbled a bit at that, but didn’t argue – mostly because the wetnurse had finally come, holding Jin Ling (who was, in fact, beaming at the toy clutched in his hand), and the fact that Lotus Pier didn’t have a rule against speaking at mealtimes meant absolutely nothing if the only two options were the silent Lan Qiren and the unintelligible Jin Ling.  

After, Jiang Cheng collected Jin Ling and went with Lan Qiren for a walk through some of the pavilions. They stayed silent for a long while, Lan Qiren picking paths at random – whether he liked after-meal walks for the purposes of digestion or if it was simply another Lan sect habit, Jiang Cheng didn’t know – but then they ended up in front of the empty courtyard that Jiang Cheng had once had built with Wei Wuxian in mind, naively dreaming about the day his right hand would stop with his nonsense and need a place of his own to live, not too far away, so that their children would one day be able to play with each other…

Jiang Cheng turned his face away, his mouth compressing into a hard line as he tried to control himself.

Lan Qiren slowed to a stop as well.

“He’s taken to including notes on the back of Wangji’s letters to me,” he finally said, looking out across the water to avoid eye contact – thoughtful of Jiang Cheng’s dignity, gracious as always. “Since you’re not accepting the ones he writes.”

Jiang Cheng laughed, though the sound of it hurt his throat. “I accept them. I just don’t read them, or reply…what’s the point? Everything that could be said has already been said.”

Lan Qiren frowned, clearly on the verge of disagreeing, but Jiang Cheng got ahead of him for once.

“Aren’t you angry?” The words burst out of his mouth. “Aren’t you – it’s his fault you’re here, instead of at home. At home, with your nephews, with your family…”

“I maintain an extensive correspondence with those members of my family I actually like, and for the first time in my life, I am able to ignore those I do not,” Lan Qiren said, and Jiang Cheng choked on the sheer incongruity of the statement. “I will not deny that it is strange to be here, or to think that I will be here for a long while yet. But my family can visit me, and I them, and things will not remain this way forever.”

“Forever, no. But – still –”

“I do not see it as a burden to be here with you.”

Jiang Cheng’s mouth dropped open. Lan Qiren had hit the heart of the matter like a dagger to the chest.

“I have always liked you,” Lan Qiren continued, straightforward and serious and patient, as if it was the first time he was saying those words instead of it being the thousandth repetition – though Jiang Cheng would hear it a thousand times more if he could. “You were a pleasure to teach, and you have not only attempted but achieved the impossible by resurrecting your sect after such devastation. You accomplished that, not Wei Wuxian, and not Wei Wuxian’s golden core; if strength in cultivation were all that were required to lead a Great Sect, we would not be so few in number. Even though the circumstances were not what any of us might have wished, I am pleased to call you my sworn brother.”

He paused – that was where he usually ended this particular recitation – but this time he seemed as though he had more to say. After a moment, he continued.

“I am only regretful that I am not the one you would have wished I be.”

Jiang Cheng had to turn away again, his eyes and nose hot with viciously suppressed tears that had sprung up out of nowhere. It was true, painfully true: it wasn’t supposed to be Lan Qiren that was living here in the Lotus Pier, it wasn’t Lan Qiren that was meant to be Jiang Cheng’s sworn brother.

It should have been Wei Wuxian.

But after Jin Zixuan died and Jiang Yanli died, it hadn’t been Jiang Cheng who had come to Wei Wuxian’s defense against the cultivation world. He’d led the forces that aimed at the Burial Mounds himself, insensate with grief and convinced that Wei Wuxian must have died or lost his soul long ago to have done such terrible things. He’d had some hazy thoughts of being the one to capture him, somehow knock some sense into him, but if he were being honest with himself he knew that it probably wouldn’t have worked out well for either of them if he and the Jin sect had been the first ones to reach the Burial Mounds.

Only – he hadn’t been.

It’d been Lan Wangji that got there first, Lan Wangji that knocked Wei Wuxian out and stole him away along with the rest of the Wen remnants, hiding them all away where the cultivation world wouldn’t ever think to find them. He’d been the one to declare that he and Wei Wuxian had sworn brotherhood with each other, and that that made Wei Wuxian a member of the Lan sect, all but marrying him in as if he were a woman.

(The way his father had, when it had been his bride who was accused…not that anyone outside the Lan sect, and very select others like Jiang Cheng, knew about that.)

Even that stratagem might not have worked, regardless of the Lan sect’s (reluctant) willingness to stand behind Lan Wangji – the cultivation world had pulled back in its confusion and out of respect for the Lan sect’s standing as a Great Sect, but it wouldn’t have lasted very long, not with how angry they were at Wei Wuxian. Only then Wei Wuxian had somehow used the extra few days that Lan Wangji had bought him to figure out that Wen Ning and Wen Qing were not actually dead the way the Jin sect had said he was, only hidden away, and that the supposed attack in Lanling had in fact been of the Jin sect’s own creation, that they’d intentionally incited Wen Ning in order to have a reason to steal Wei Wuxian’s creation and raid the Burial Mounds for his notes, seeking the source of his powers.

Decrying demonic cultivation with one side of their mouth, pursuing it eagerly with the other: the Jin sect had behaved like hypocrites of the first order, and worse, there were rumors that certain small sects that had recently disappeared had not in fact merely scattered or been absorbed into other sects, but turned into experiment fodder for the Jin sect’s vile experiments.

Jin Guangshan, caught with his pants down, had splutteringly tried to exculpate his sect, and when that didn’t work, he cast all the blame on the newly named Jin Guangyao, the bastard child. He’d even blamed him for inciting Jin Zixun to go lay an ambush at the Qiongqi Path, setting up the initial confrontation with Wei Wuxian, and then sending Jin Zixuan out without proper backing, hoping to use Wei Wuxian as a weapon to eliminate the heir that stood in front of him on his way to Jin sect leadership.

He’d offered to have him executed to appease the cultivation world’s anger.  

No one had entirely bought the idea of it all being Jin Guangyao’s fault, not really, but it wasn’t as though most of them were in any position to object, not with the Jin sect being one of the few that was still strong after the Sunshot Campaign. Jin Guangshan might have been able to get away with it, if it hadn’t been for Nie Mingjue stepping forward and claiming Jin Guangyao as a member of his sect through their sworn brotherhood, based on the very same precedent that Lan Wangji had just established. It had saved Jin Guangyao’s life and freed him to testify against his father, confirming all those deeply unfortunate rumors and even more…

Really, it was no surprise that Madame Jin didn’t want Jin Ling to be in Lanling City right now.

As for Lan Qiren, the situation had been quite simple. With the Jin sect in turmoil and the Nie sect temporarily disgraced for having willingly taken in a potential fratricide, and moreover Wei Wuxian, the founder of demonic cultivation, now firmly in the hands of the Lan sect, the entire order of the cultivation world had been turned on its head, with the Lan sect standing ascendant above them all.

Only the Jiang sect was out in the dark alone.

Lan Xichen was Nie Mingjue’s younger sworn brother as well, providing the Nie sect with security, and the Jin sect was in no position to demand anything for themselves; only Jiang Cheng and his sect were the losers, now lacking both Wei Wuxian and adding in the additional burden of Jin Ling, and it had been Jiang Cheng’s own foolish decisions that had led him to that point. In order to maintain balance, to keep the cultivation world from fearing another war like the last one, it seemed obvious to everyone that the Lan sect needed to turn over a hostage to the Jiang in order to maintain peace.

Jiang Cheng hadn’t liked that as the answer, but…it was his sect.

It was something he had to do.

He would always do what his sect needed him to do.

But the question arose of who the hostage could be. It had to be someone of the main line, someone important and valuable enough that the sect would be deeply invested in getting them back, and obviously it couldn’t be Lan Xichen, the sect leader. And yet it seemed cruel for it to be Lan Wangji, who had done so much for Wei Wuxian, who loved him so desperately and who, rumors said, was loved in return…

Even Jiang Cheng, who resented Lan Wangji to no end simply because of how soul-scaldlingly jealous he was of him, didn’t have the heart to split them up.

They had been trapped in a seemingly impassible dilemma, and it had been only solved when Lan Qiren had volunteered himself for the task, pointing out that his nephews would be committed to his well-being in just the way that was required; he’d then ignored their protests and swore brotherhood with Jiang Cheng, agreeing to go live in the Lotus Pier for as long as it took the cultivation world to grow steady and peaceful once more, which would probably only happen when Jin Ling reached adulthood and took on his father’s sect as his own. Sworn brotherhood was what it was called, but it was only a mockery of the more genuine connections that had come before – Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, who were lovers, and Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, who were…something, anyway. In reality, though, out of all of them, Lan Qiren was the only one who really was nothing more than a hostage.

Lan Qiren had taken it more philosophically than Jiang Cheng had.

“It’s not that,” Jiang Cheng finally forced out through numb lips. “It’s not – I like having you here.”

The confession was true, but that sometimes felt like the worst of it, the worst betrayal he had yet done. Wei Wuxian had given Jiang Cheng everything, even his golden core, a revelation that only came after everything had all been agreed, Wen Qing furiously angry from her near-death experience and lashing out recklessly with the truth as her only weapon, no matter how much she regretted it later. Wei Wuxian had given it all to him, and here was Jiang Cheng, living happily, letting another person fill Wei Wuxian’s shoes, take his place, forcing the role on a person who didn’t even belong here, and being traitorously happy about it all.

After all, Wei Wuxian wouldn’t have known what to do with Jin Ling, not the way Lan Qiren did, experienced and confident. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t know all the things Jiang Cheng had never learned about sect leadership, wouldn’t be available as a teacher, as a guide, as a mentor. Wei Wuxian…

Wei Wuxian would never have said I do not see it as a burden to be here with you.

“I am glad,” Lan Qiren said simply.

He even meant it, too.

“I – I can’t –”

“Do not strain yourself. A journey takes a step at a time, you don’t need to rush ahead to the end.”

Jiang Cheng nodded, and looked down at Jin Ling, who’d since fallen asleep, sucking his thumb.

“A teacher,” he finally said, once he’d gotten enough control of himself. He let himself imagine it – not just the actual act of teaching, but the joys behind it: grading papers with Lan Qiren, discussing topics, exchanging anecdotes, rolling their eyes at their juvenile tricks. Even the thought of Jin Ling having more children to play with as he grew up, and a reason to come back every year even after he went back to Lanling… “I could get used to that idea.”

Maybe, one day, he could even bring himself to look at Wei Wuxian’s letters.

Maybe, one day, he could write back.

My family can visit me, and I them, and things will not remain this way forever – that was what Lan Qiren had said. If it was true for him, then why not, maybe, for Jiang Cheng as well?

One day.

Not yet –

But one day.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

Do you ever get frustrated when fandom lumps SMS in with charactera like JGS, WC, WLJ, etc? Maybe it's just a very stupid pet peeve of mine but I really wish people would stop lumping SMS in with cartoon villains because he is very much not one. He is a Character and a very crunchy one at that

hmm. the thing is i personally don't see sms lumped into the same category as those characters very often. which isn't to say those shitty takes don't exist, just that i haven't stumbled across them in the tags recently, probably because the people who feel that way about him have me blocked. honestly i think the thing that most bugs me about common fandom mischaracterization of sms--and this is about fic rather than meta or other garbage hot takes--isn't that he is turned into a cartoonish villain absolutely unrecognizable from his canon characterization. that shit exists for sure, but it isn't really what bugs me the most.

what really frustrates me is that he often just. isn't there. at all. because he's seen as boring and incompetent and uninteresting to write about, you see.

and that to me feels like a depressing, but also fitting reflection of how much of the cultivation world sees sms: just this forgettable nobody who can't do anything right, who fucks up trying to summon a sword from a lake, who in the novel tries to give mianmian up to wen chao, then clumsily shoots the protagonist with a fucking arrow while trying to help, who's a petty and resentful coward doomed by the massive chip he carries on his own shoulder. which is true, he is absolutely all of those things. he just isn't only those things.

because in cql, he's also the guy who is desperately afraid for lan xichen's safety during the burning of the cloud recesses and pleads for him not to stay behind, but to run and take the irreplaceable tomes of the gusu lan library with him. this, right before he is abandoned by the rest of the inner disciples and is left to fend for himself against wen xu while the rest of the outer disciples are slaughtered around him. yes, he caves and admits to wen xu what the secret is to enter the cold pond cave where lqr, lwj and the others are hiding, and admits that lan xichen has fled with what is left of the library. but look at his face while he's enduring this:

this 👆👆👆 is not the behaviour of a coward. it's the behaviour of a brave man who has cracked under extreme pressure. because su minshan fought! he tried to protect his sect! and he lost! and the inner disciples, including lan wangji, can hear all of this as it happens from within their hiding place. this betrayal of the gusu lan by su minshan is also, imo, a betrayal of su minshan's loyalty up to this point. the gusu lan owed him better than this.

su minshan rewards loyalty with loyalty, and with courage. and i don't think there's a better example of this in the text than his dogged determination to protect jin guangyao during the guanyin temple confrontation. i know i've written about his death scene in the novel several times before, but i'm going to haul out the quotes one more time because i find the scene as beautiful as it is tragic:

As expected, gurgles came from within Nie MingJue’s throat. His body turned away from the empty coffin as well. At once, he realized whom the person lying on Su She’s back was. Wei WuXian’s whistles could no longer stop him either. Like a gust of wind, Nie MingJue rushed over, his palm flying towards Jin GuangYao’s head.

Su She dodged to the side with force. With the tip of his foot he picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground and conjured up all of his spiritual energy in one thrust at Nie MingJue’s heart. Perhaps because of the dire situation, the attack was abnormally swift and ruthless. Brimming with spiritual energy, the blade glowed brightly, enveloped by swirling radiance. It was so much better than all of the previous seemingly-elegant attacks that even Wei WuXian wanted to praise its excellence. Nie MingJue was forced a step back by the explosion of an attack as well. As the light dimmed somewhat, Nie MingJue went forth again, clawing at Jin GuangYao unstoppably. Su She threw Jin GuangYao at Lan XiChen with his left hand, while with his right he sliced at Nie MingJue’s throat.

Nie MingJue’s entire body was as impenetrable as fine steel, but not the thread that stitched his neck together!

If the neck attack succeeded, even if it wouldn’t defeat Nie MingJue entirely, it’d still be able to save them some time. However, the sword had been infused with so much spiritual energy, due to Su She’s sudden explosion, that it could no longer withstand it. Halfway through the lunge, it broke into pieces with a crack. On the other hand, Nie MingJue’s punch landed right in the center of Su She’s chest. Su She’s splendor left as quickly as it came. He couldn’t even spit out a mouthful of blood or say a few last words, no matter with dignity or cruelty, before the life in his eyes went out.

Collapsed beside Lan XiChen, Jin GuangYao saw this scene as well. Whether because the bleeding and the pain intensified at his arm and stomach or from some other reason, the glisten of tears could be seen in his eyes.

- EXR Translation (Ch. 108)

anyway, su minshan may begin the novel as a coward with a grudge, but i think his death proves that he was never actually afraid to die. he just needed to find a reason--a person--worth dying for.

[digitalstowaway]

Lqr takes the boys on their first trip to visit another clan when they're still very young. Up until then, they've never experienced anything but strict Lan rules.

Xichen is amazed by everyone and everything. Lqr keeps a very tight hold on his little handle so he doesn't run off. He reminds him again and again that just because they're not home doesn't mean they don't follow Lan rules. Be mindful of yourself.

Wangji isn't that impressed. He's too young to really know what's happening, and all the ruckus around him drains him. Lqr ends up carrying him often through their trip, Wangji's head tucked into his shoulder.

Then there's a banquet. Lqr lectures Xichen heavily on conduct and manners. You're a future sect leader. It's important to leave a good impression on everyone here. And Xichen has a look of so much determination, his little fists balled into fits. He promises he'll amaze everyone there.

"Just mind your manners. That'll be enough."

"Okay, shufu."

And little Wangji, poor little Wangji, doesn't like the crowd of the banquet or the noise of the performers. Xichen pets his head until lqr tells him Wangji will be fine. He spends the evening close to his uncle’s side being coaxed into finishing his food even when his eyes wander to the unnerving chaos around him.

The boys behave so well that when it comes to dessert, even though sweets are heavily restricted in Cloud Recesses, he permits the boys a plate of cake each.

He himself is tired and overwhelmed from looking after his nephews the past few days. Endless questions from Xichen, carrying Wangji, trying to keep both of them on their usual feeding and sleep schedules despite the travel and excitement. But he's proud. Xichen has been polite to everyone. Wangji has adjusted as well as he can--lqr appreciates that he hasn't been fussy despite his discomfort.

The server girl smiles at the boys as she puts their treats in front of them. Xichen gasps in excitement at the surprise. Lqr gives him a stern look. Xichen thanks the server.

Wangji stares at this cake and pokes the top with a curious finger, looking up at his uncle.

Mung bean cakes, lqr tells him.

Xichen takes his first bite and urges Wangji to do the same. Lqr takes a sip of tea. The evening is winding down, and he hopes Xichen won't be too excited to sleep. They have to leave in the morning, and he doesn't want a tired, grumpy 4-year-old. Maybe lqr can play a song for them to calm them down before bed. Another little treat to thank them for their behavior.

Rule #892. Always appreciate good deeds.

Next to him there's an excited squeal. Lqr looks to his nephews. Wangji, apparently having grown excited at the mild sweetness of the cake, had shoved the cake into his mouth with little decorum. Red bean paste covers his face. His hands are covered in the pastry of the cake. Little cheeks are puffed out, packed full of the treat.

Xichen laughs, greatly amused by his brother's mess. Wangji looks up at lqr with bright eyes.

Calm yourself, Huan, lqr sighs.

He should have known something would happen. He wipes Wangji’s face and hands and asks a server for an extra napkin when the one he has grows too soiled.

The banquet ends, and lqr picks up one sticky nephew and holds the hand of one excited nephew.

"Did we do good?" Xichen asks, a little bounce in his steps that lqr doesn't correct.

"Well," lqr corrects. "And yes. You did well."

[travalerray]

"It's still Wednesday somewhere," they said and pressed the post button.

Anyways, this is from an abandoned "LXC and LQR die at Nightless" AU.

If he was going to die—he was going to die on his own terms. "I said." Lan Wangji's voice was nearer, angrier. "Get. Up." Hanguang-jun, Hanguang-jun, if you wish to kill this humble one you would have to do so when he laid face down and ass up, apologies for the inconvenience! Yet, Lan Wangji did not make a move to draw his sword. Instead, there was a muted exhale and suddenly Wei Wuxian found himself drifting back to the bed. The panic that had been masked by anger earlier returned in full force as he flailed around for a while before getting his bearings back. As for Lan Wangji.... Oh, how he wished that he did not have to see that expression. It looked like the man wanted to crush him with the force of his glare alone, his face twisted into unmistakable hatred. His hands trembled by his side—he was suppressing it. Why? Sect Leader's orders? He doubted that Lan Xichen would be contrary to his execution however. Lan Qiren on the other hand would happily arrange it, in fact. "You....," Lan Wangji seemed to be at a loss for words. He noted his broken nose and the blood that had seeped into the spotless fabric of the robes. Well, not his business! Unless they had specifically ordered robes that would never stain when they would cut his head off, they would have to make do with this! "Me." Wei Wuxian leant back onto the bed, "I would think that the illustrious Hanguang-jun would know who he brings into his house." Lan Wangji stepped back, eyes flaming. His next words were akin to a howl. "Shameless!"

[jaimebluesq]

Fic Stats Game

Thank you @fortune-maiden for tagging me! This is going to be fun :D

rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

(For simplicity's sake, I am choosing to only count completed fics... of which I have 95 in the MDZS/Untamed fandom, wtf?!)

1 - Most Hits - Think Outside the Shell - Yep, I am completely unsurprised that my first Nie Sect Murder Tortoise fic is #1. It seems to have scratched an itch many people had :D For those who haven't heart of/read it, it's a simple gen fic where, during the Wen indoctrination camp's trip to fight the tortoise of slaughter, NHS tames the xuanwu because apparently he already has one at home ;) This began my fun cracky series and will forever hold a special place in my heart.

2 - 2nd Most Kudos - When Fate Opens a Window, Let Us Fly Through It - I check my stats semi-regularly so technically this doesn't surprise me because of that, but it *does* surprise me how well-liked this fic was! It's NieLan, the first of my "Lan Ribbon Marriage" series. The plot? NMJ & LXC are teenagers and in love with each other but too married to their duties to do anything about it. They wake up in the middle of the night to find LXC's ribbon wrapped around both their wrists, and when LQR enters, NMJ finds out this is the first step of the Lan sect's marriage rites! The secret is that NHS & LWJ teamed up to tie them to each other and have them found out by LQR. It's cute and fun, and was a blast to write - and the series is complete with WangXian and SangHui follow-ups :D

3 - 3rd Most Comments - This category is the reason I chose to only include completed fics, because works in progress tend to get a lot of comments in general with people wanting to encourage the author to continue the story. So the answer is therefore... He's No Bully, He's My Friend - I adore this story and it's special to me, a modern day AU where NHS is homeless and comes across a pit bull that he befriends, and the dog turns out to be a cursed JC (It's SangCheng, but the shipping is minimal at the end after JC becomes human again, so if you prefer gen fic, you might enjoy this one). But this story in particular has a reason that it got so many comments - because the wonderful @takonxmz asked to podfic the story, and many people found their way to it through their recording (which is amazing and I totally recommend if you have an hour or so!!! There is art too!!!).

4 - 4th Most Bookmarks - I'm going to choose the list in my stats because those numbers include both public and private bookmarks (we can see how many there are, we just can't see who bookmarked the private ones) - Think Outside the Shell - My only surprise is that this one wasn't higher on the list! But a SangCheng, a SangYao, and (*checks eyesight*) a WangXian fic all came out ahead of it.

5 - 5th Most Words - I'd Rather Share With You - This is the WangSang fic I wrote for the 2 Cakes fest last year! NHS' first year at Gusu and a storm hits, damaging several homes of Lan disciples, who are all assigned visiting disciples' quarters to share - and LWJ is assigned to room with NHS. It's sweet and they're young and soft (and also petty, and definitely don't get along at first) and, yeah, it's a fun fic. (It's a good thing this tag came out now - later this month, I will have a 50k fic coming out that will skew all the stats lol)

Bonus - Fewest Words - Technically, my 3 lowest word counts aren't fics at all - they're the AO3 entries I did to show off my fanart for the RBB fest this year. So the lowest word count of an actual fic is... The Perfect Spiritual Pet - This is just a cute little gen fic where the One Braincell Trio create an array to find NHS the perfect spiritual pet in the hopes of getting NMJ off his case. They don't know what the animal is, but it's cute, lazy, and perfect for NHS (it's a 3-toed sloth).

So, I shall tag... @gekidasa @roseclaw @thebiscuiteternal @eastofakkala and anyone else who'd like to participate!

[wangxianficfinder]

I'm in the mood for...

Aug 21st

~*~

1. hii! ITMF fics where the cultivation world finds out the truth about the Wen remnants in burial mounds either through a memory viewing/array spying thing at a discussion conference or someone personally visiting the burial mounds and sees the truth for themselves. Some of the fics I've enjoyed that has this: A Step in the Wrong Direction by pupeez4eva, Revealing Truth by DreamNightmare, The Path by Seastar98, Green-gege Saves a lot of Lives by Eternal_writes, Righteous at a Cost by thunderwear

Teen Project to Change the World by animeloverhomura (Not Rated, WIP, 841k, WangXian, JYL/JZX, Watching the Show, With a bit of the Manhua and Book thrown in, BAMF WWX, Fix-It, JGS is his own warning, Attractive WWX, Homophobia, disturbing imagery)

Misunderstood by Silver_Flame_2724 (M, 250k, WIP, WangXian, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Heavy Angst, Suicidal Thoughts, Canon-Typical Violence, Self-Worth Issues)

Discordant Rhapsody by nirejseki (T, 49k, LQR & WWX, wangxian, JC & WWX, WQ & WWX & WN, LWJ & LQR & LXC, canon divergence, fix-it, hurt/comfort, trauma, politics, protective LQR, protective LWJ, protective WWX, LQR centric, whump, angst)

Grave dirt by esama (T, 92k, WangXian, canon divergence, yiling wei sect au, demonic cultivation, farming, found family, pre-slash, politics, fix-it of sorts)

while covered in mud by merthurlin (T, 12k, NHS & WWX, NHS & NMJ, NHS & Wen remnants, mentioned wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, NHS goes farming and Hates It)

~*~

2. Hi! I could have sworn there were reaction fics where both the older wangxian and younger wangxian were there but I can't find any right now, could you help me?

~*~

3. Hi!!!!! Itmf request for any fics where LWJ is uber powerful and pampers the hell out of WWX but the focus isn't on smut? I don't mind sex being included,I just don't want it to be 90% of the fic or the driving plot point! Thank you!!! <3

我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 84k, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan)

願陛下 | by his majesty's decree by sweetlolixo (E, 40k, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Concubine WWX, Harems, Pining LWJ, LWJ is not a dragon in this one but he descended from them :), Childhood Sweethearts (sort of), Romance, minimal angst, Happy Ending, NHS & WWX are concubine BFFs, LWJ has NO EYES for anyone besides WWX don’t worry the harem is only for the plot setting, Fantasy, Pregnant WWX, Possessive LWJ, Fluff)

To Deliver an Heir by cerbykerby (E, 49k, WangXian, slight dubcon/noncon but wangxian are into it, A/B/O, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Heat Sex, Knotting, Royalty Medical, Emperor LWJ, Physician WWX, Mpreg, Postpartum Depression, Breeding, Creampie, LWJ literally cannot stop himself from coming in WWX, Breastfeeding)

~*~

4. Any good outside pov fics? ITMF any fic where a character sees wangxian's bond or is surprised at how much wwx can get away with irt the rules with lwj. Just... Idrc about the plot, I just wanna see some reactions to wangxian lol! Preferably not a modern or no cultivation au tho, I love the canon universe too much!!

pitfalls of greed by glitteringmoonlight (T, 3k, WangXian, POV Outsider, BAMF WWX, Kidnapping, Violence, YLLZ WWX, not exactly but the vibes are there, Post-Canon)

The following are time travel fics but involve outsiders being astonished by Wei Wuxian & Lan Wangji's behavior towards each other

trouble with time by cloudpd (T, 5k, WangXian, Time Travel, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, POV Outsider, Humor, POV JC, he's so fed up with wangxian, rightfully so, wangxian are shameless, kind of crack, JC's inner dialogue for this whole fic is just: what the fuck, POV LXC, because LXC deserves to be subjected to gross wangxian as well!!, the third chapter is LJY going "WWX rights!!", and that's all im going to say about that, horny wangxian time travel: the thrilling conclusion)

Wait, What? by MarbleGlove (G, 1k, WangXian, Time Travel, POV Outsider)

the world is but a stage for the two of us by MandMandM (Not Rated, 10k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Shameless WangXian)

~*~

5. Hello, can i get wangxian fic recs where meng yao is a good guy and close friends with wei wuxian? canonverse, modern day, etc doesn't matter. I'd also love wangxian recs where they adopt jingyi please <3

Meng Yao becomes more like a brother to Wei Ying than a close friend so I hope these are okay:

what builds a home by Stratisphyre (T, 45k, WangXian, MY & WWX, Canon Divergence, Adopted WWX, POV Multiple, warning for JGS behaving exactly as expected, child endangerment, Brother Feels, Minor Character Death, [Podfic] Cold read of "what builds a home" by Stratisphyre by KeriArentikaiPods (KeriArentikai))

and

Debts of a Child Part 2 by Hauntcats (M, 111k, WangXian, YZY Bashing, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Angst and Feels, lots of anger, JC Bashing, not Jiang friendly, Angst with a Happy Ending, Content warning for icky spiders in later chapters., hurt no comfort for Jiang siblings.) (link in 8C)

Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association Series by Ariaste (M/T, 119k, WIP, XiYao, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, xiyao and wangxian are both already married, Family Feels, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Slice of Life, Discussions of Past Trauma, wwx's canonical kinks, HOAverse)

~*~

6. Hello! I finished reading Digging Graves by nirejseki so i am itmf any fics where someone asks/begs wei wuxian to bring someone back to life/turn someone they loved who died into a fierce corpse. Thanks :D

some good mistakes by Lise (T, 18k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Road trips, rescue Missions, Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, [Podfic] some good mistakes by kisahawklin)

~*~

7. Hi! for the next itmf, i was wondering if there are any fics where wei wuxian gets his core back after giving it to jiang cheng? not him cultivating a new core but getting his original core back

i just find that idea fascinating. thank you for your help always!!

A Child’s Wish by Hauntcats (Not rated, 13k, wangxian, WWX & Wen remnants, Celestial meddling, Not JC Friendly, Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone gets what they deserve, Age Regression/De-Aging, Child LWJ)

💖 Return to Sender by Thesaurus_with_no_words (M, 73k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX , WangXian Get a Happy Ending, YLLZ WWX, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies, canon JC characteristics, Temporary Amnesia, Partial Memory Loss, Literal Emotional Manipulation, Unreliable Narrator, Unreliable Narrator WWX, they are all unreliable ok, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon typical horror and gore, Slow Burn)

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence)

Can’t Tell Me Nothin by natacup82 (T, 35k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Family Feels, Communication, BAMF Women)

~*~

8. Hello! itmf these three types of fics:

A) canonverse, Madam Lan lives, wangxian (i didnt know madam lan lives was a tag now I need to see how her existence in canon can change the storyline and wangxian as a whole)

B) Yiling Wei Sect fics (could be wangxian or other wei wuxian M/M ships)

C) Fics where Wei Wuxian takes disciples (whether as Yiling Wei sect Yiling Patriarch or any other reason... preferably xue yang or mo xuanyo)

8A)

💖 An Unexpected Visitor by Hauntcats (G, 8k, QHJ/Madam Lan, wangxian, fix-it of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not jin friendly, happy ending)

Every Mother's Son by Chrononautical (T, 11k, WangXian, Madam Lán Lives, Madam Lán Deserves Better, Madam Lán Leaves Cloud Recesses, Madam Lan rescues women from abusive husbands in feudal Japan and honestly that's so valid of her, mentions of rape/non-con between Madam Lan & Qingheng-Jun)

no step had trodden black by Stratisphyre (T, 32k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, JYL/JZX, canon divergence, madam lan lives, past rape, golden core reveal, hurt/Comfort, referenced to attempted suicide & suicidal thoughts, canon-typical violence)

8B)

🔒 a star called sun by thelastdboy (E, 120k, wangxian, SL/XXC, JC & JYL & WWX, JYL & LWJ, WWX & WN & WQ, JYL/JZX, Canon Divergence after Xuanwu Cave, Fall of Lotus Pier, But worse!, Power Imbalance, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Not Everyone Dies AU, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Sunshot Campaign, Miscommunication, Heavy Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Major Character Injury, Loss of Limbs, Chronic Illness, Seizures, WWX’s Three Months in the Burial Mounds, Wēn Remnants Live, Wēn Remnants Deserve Better, WWX Creates a Sect | Yílíng Wèi Sect, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note, Hurt/Comfort, Selectively Mute LWJ, Service Animals, Crows)

body and soul by TooSel (E, 41k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Marriage Proposal, Everyone Lives AU, Cultivation Sect Politics, Yílíng Wèi Sect AU, Adoption, Smut, Friends to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Grave dirt by esama (T, 92k, WangXian, canon divergence, yiling wei sect au, demonic cultivation, farming, found family, pre-slash, politics, fix-it of sorts)

💖🔒 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Mutual Pining, EXTREME SLOWBURN, the inherent eroticism of the forehead ribbon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, neither wwx nor lwj want to be Perceived, but sorry kids! it’s gonna happen!, rated E but the the NSFW stuff doesn’t begin until chapter 19!, bottom LWJ in chapter 20 and 27, Mojo’s post)

Run Off The World by Sapphire_Roses (M, 302k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, SL/XXC, WIP, Not Everyone Dies AU, Canon Divergence, Wen Remnants Live, Flashbacks, YLLZ WWX, WWX Creates a Sect | Yiling Wei Sect, Sect Leader WWX, Married WangXian, OCs, POV Outsider, Morally Grey Characters, (Do Take That Tag Seriously), Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Attempt at Humor, Yunmeng Siblings Feels, Gusu Siblings Feels, Sibling Bonding, Pining, Character Study, Tenderness, Mild Smut, POV Alternating, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Minor Character Death) link in #8C

the sea meets the moon-blanched land by rkivees (G, 44k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Childhood Trauma, Sect Leader WWX, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WQ, Good Parent LQR, First Love, Love Confessions, minor jiang sibs appearance, Mentioned LXC, Past Child Abuse, Drunken Shenanigans, Past Violence, No Golden Core Transfer, Non-Linear Narrative)

8C)

Debts of a Child Part 2 by Hauntcats (M, 111k, WangXian, YZY Bashing, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Angst and Feels, lots of anger, JC Bashing, not Jiang friendly, Angst with a Happy Ending, Content warning for icky spiders in later chapters., hurt no comfort for Jiang siblings.)

Run Off The World by Sapphire_Roses (M, 302k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, SL/XXC, WIP, Not Everyone Dies AU, Canon Divergence, Wen Remnants Live, Flashbacks, YLLZ WWX, WWX Creates a Sect | Yiling Wei Sect, Sect Leader WWX, Married WangXian, OCs, POV Outsider, Morally Grey Characters, (Do Take That Tag Seriously), Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Attempt at Humor, Yunmeng Siblings Feels, Gusu Siblings Feels, Sibling Bonding, Pining, Character Study, Tenderness, Mild Smut, POV Alternating, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Minor Character Death)

🔒necromancy is a valid career path! Series by coslyons, Skadiseven (T, 41k, WangXian, XY & WWX & WN & WQ, Modern with Magic AU, Seattle, Necromancy, Found Family, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Gardens & Gardening, Mathematics, Running, Growing up)

~*~

9. Heyo, this is for ITMF!

Can you rec any fics that have WWX return to his old body? Can be post-canon or during canon after his resurrection. I wanna see how people react to him being in his Glorious Beautiful Sexy self :>

Transcend by covalentbonds (not rated, 7k, WIP, WangXian, Post-Canon, Fluff and Humor, Smut, YLLZ WWX is prettiest fight me) features Wei Ying transforming into his original body and being lusted after.

Tripped at Every Step by brooklinegirl (E, 28k, WangXian) These

the hidden source is the watchful heart by o_honeybees (E, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Getting Together, Domesticity, Touch-Starved, Grief/Mourning, Misunderstandings, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Unresolved Sexual Tension,Eventual Smut, reflections on selfishness and selflessness) fics

This House of Ill Repute by Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (M, 13k, WangXian, First Time, Post-Canon, Getting Together) also have Wei Ying in his original body but it's not the focus of the story

Saw My Life in a Stranger's Face by timetoboldlygo (T, 27k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Married Life, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, wwx's face changes post-canon to look like his original face, Slight Panic Attack, because lwj doesn't recognize his husband, the mortifying ordeal of not knowing your own body, the terrifying inevitability of change, taller!wwx theory)

~*~

10. hello! thank you for the work you do.. do you have recs for novel canon only (no cql) fics?

~*~

11. hello this is for itmf! do you have any fics where sizhui remembers wei wuxian after the fever/doesn't lose his early memories, or lan wangji making the effort to talk about wei wuxian to sizhui? thank you!

although my mind is young, it is not gentle by everythingispoetry ( T, 27k, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Disability, Parenthood, Growing Up, Family Dynamics, Character Study, Self-Discovery) Sizhui doesn't really know who he remembers about but there are moments of him remembering wei wuxian through dreams

~*~

12. I was rewatching the show recently and got to the scene where the Lan juniors and LWJ all stood in front of WWX when Jin Ling approached him in the caves after the stabbing. I was wondering for ITMF if there were any fics where the juniors are protective of WWX? Preferably if Sizhui is a prominent character in the fics, but I'll take any junior being protective tbh. Thank you!

🧡 the stone-filled sea by yukla (T, 9k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX, Post-Canon, senior wei defense squad, a study of the way prejudice and injustice and anger trickle down from generation to generation)

bespoke by cafecliche (G, 3k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Fluff, LSZ is a very good boy, which is specifically a tag for the fic but also just true in general, mostly novel-compliant but could easily be CQL-compliant too)

🔒 The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts by aubreyli (T, 19k, WangXian, In-Universe RPF, Romance Novel, LJY’s sense of justice, OYZZ’s sense of romance, Featuring a surprise appearance by WWX’s oft-absent sense of shame, Look the ducklings just want their sort-of dads to be happy okay?, And it’s not like WWX or LWJ are doing a good job of ensuring their own happiness, LJY rejects canon reality and substitutes his own, highly relatable actually, Post-Canon Fix-It, primarily drama-canon with cameos from novel-canon, Podfic Available, Russian Translation Available)

one of our own by glitteringmoonlight (G, 7k, WangXian, Post-Canon, POV Outsider, 5+1 Things) has Lan Jingyi, as well as other Lans, standing up for Wei Ying.

~*~

13. Wwx as royal prince with hidden identity

~*~

14. Wwx gets badly hurt while protecting jzx during jl 100 day celebration

the breaking of your soul (upon my lips) by sunsandships (M, 40k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Mutual Pining, Golden Core Reveal, Happy Ending) Wei Ying gets badly injured at Qiongqi Path while protecting Jin Zixuan in chapter 8 but Wei Ying was escorting betrothal gifts from the Jin, rather than attending Jin Ling's celebration.

Cradle by Dragonesque (T, 196k, WIP, Canon Divergenc, Adopted children, Yiling Wei Sect, BAMF WWX) Wwx gets badly hurt while protecting jzx during jl 100 day celebration - cradle by dragonesque on ao3 (and its inspiration fic) both feature wwx getting badly hurt and origins of yiling wei sect

~*~

15. I finished reading a wangxian oneshot in which lan xichen tries to get wei wuxian in his bed but fails and so...itmf lan xichen/wei wuxian, nie mingjue/wei wuxian, wen ruohan/wei wuxian fic recs. Preferably complete with bottom wei wuxian if they have smut. Thank you!!

The Joke of Fate by ShallChair (E, 357k, LXC/WWX, Canon Divergence, Marriage First Love Later, Love at First Sleep, Smut, First Time, First Kiss, the Flower Banquet's timeline is before Baifeng Mountain hunt so, Comedy, a little bit humor in the lines, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, The man who succeeds in both Love and Career-LXC, Dark LXC, Dark LWJ, The Dark side mean "Fuck off Cultivation World!", The Exchange of Fate, LXC-centric, DoubleJade centric, The one who stands against the world-LXC; A/B/O, Alpha LXC, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, Mpreg, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Bites, Scenting, Historical, Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Slight Drama, Bad Parent YZY, Cultivation Empire, Alpha NHS, Older NHS, The flustered Alpha and the handsome Omega, Half Lime Half Plot, YLLZ era, YLLZ WWX, The Thirsty LXC, Martial Arts AU, Wuxia AU, General WWX, Emperor LXC, Qianyuan, Kunze, Zhongyong, Enemy to lover, Concubine WWX, BAMF WWX, Precognitive Dream, the Second elopement, Wen Remnants Live, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Intervention From the Outside World, Teleportation, Sunshot Campaign, Those Days When LXC Chased After YLLZ All Over the Central Plain)

~*~

16. itmf some wwx & jzx bonding similar to 'watch what we'll become' by glitteringmoonlight modern/canon/au it doesn't matter just give me that sweet sweet friendship/brotherly bonding

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 828k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

atlas in his sleepin�� by anatheme (E, 48k, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Reincarnation, Family Reunions, Dimension Travel, temporary transmigration, Transmigrator!LWJ, Yunmeng Shuangjie Reconciliation, jzx motherhenning wwx, First Time, Sharing Clothes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies)

~*~

17. itmf a fic where wangxian get horny about "ruining" a hole. You know, there's penetration, or a lot of penetration, and the body is different afterwards. Idc who bottoms, omegaverse, consent, whatever. But no underage please. Thanks!

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[lwjsbedtime]

More YLLZ in a Bottle! In which WWX (current rocker, past idol) has a particularly compatible scent with Omegaji - though neither of them know it.

PREV

Current posts in chronological order:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

----

Uncle's Date

Without Lan Xichen there to interject on his behalf, Lan Wangji found himself agreeing to another matchmaking attempt. Uncle seemed disconcertingly pleased when his proposal wasn't immediately rejected, and promptly had a four page email sent to his address, detailing the minutiae of his date's personal life.

The alpha chosen for him was the son of a wealthy family, Jiang Wanyin. The Jiangs were fairly well known in his uncle's circles for their company's involvement in not only the large-scale fishing trade, but also politics, and - courtesy of the assets brought in by Yu Ziyuan, the family's current matriarch, upon her marriage - a fifty percent share in the YuStarz talent agency, of which the aforementioned matriarch had once been the public face. Their reputation was, of course, utterly spotless.

What was less well known was the Jiangs' commitment to charity efforts. Though the family was blue blooded through and through, their current head as well as his predecessor had focused a not-insignificant portion of their budget on supporting humanitarian efforts, not dissimilar to the ones taken up by the Lans' Cloud Recesses branch. Though this work was currently spearheaded by the Jiangs' eldest daughter, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Wanyin had also been known to assist during busy periods, along with an unnamed cousin of some sort.

Naturally, Jiang Fengmian, CEO of Lotus Enterprises, having learned humility from his own parents, and wanting to continue this legacy into the future, had worked to instill a sense of modesty in his children, despite their affluent upbringing. Uncle encountered JFM often during high society soirees, and found the man held many values similar to his own - so of course, his alpha son would make a perfectly acceptable mate for LQR's omegan nephew. Lan Wangji had held out no hopes for any such mating, and ultimately found himself to be correct.

The moment he stepped through the cafe door, JWY's eyes were glued to him, burning furiously from under thick, downward slanted brows. LWJ was no stranger to receiving intense looks from potential mates, and as such merely bit down on the world-weary sigh that threatened to escape him, rather than drown the alpha in an outpouring of incredibly uninterested, indescribably dry scent. After a moment spent steeling himself, he closed the door behind him with a soft thwack! and approached the table set out for their date.

When he drew near enough to make polite introductions, the alpha rushed to speak first.

"Lan Wangji?" he asked, brows knitting together more as his eyes raked down the omega's figure. Usually, this would send Lan Wangji's skin crawling, though as it currently stood, JWY appeared more confused - possibly angered - than lecherous. Recalling Uncle's desperation for him to sit through one date without storming out midway, he took the initiative to sit.

"Jiang Wanyin," he replied, distracting the alpha before he got the idea into his head to do more than simply look, as a certain Wen Chao had once tried, before the untimely disollution of his family's company - NMJ's work, unfortunately, though LWJ had felt vindicated to watch him led into prison on the nightly newscast. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

JWY, somehow, managed to frown even more at his remark, perhaps as uncomfortable with the arranged meeting as he himself. LWJ was truly beginning to think the man had some reason to hate him - or perhaps omegas in general -  when he spoke.

"Are you…" JWY shook his head. "My father told me you were looking for a mate."

LWJ's brow twitched at the sheer accusation packed into that compact statement. Of course, JWY was not incorrect to be sceptical, and so he took the effort to formulate a sufficient reply. 

"It is my family's wish to see me settled."

LWJ thought that was a perfectly acceptable answer, but JWY only seemed to grow increasingly irritated, near snarling at him from across the table's top as he scoffed. "I bet they do."

LWJ wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but suddenly his teeth itched with the urge to snap at JWY until whatever distasteful fantasy the alpha had brewing about him in his head had been fulfilled. He could do it - he'd even bitten Jin Zixun before.

Before getting carried away, he once again recalled his uncle's desperation, and squared his jaw. If he made it through this one, terrible date, he could expect to not be bothered with another until after his graduation.

The alpha - well bred, and supposedly well behaved - slumped back into the booth, scowling. His arms crossed over his chest, the muscles in them wound glaringly tight as his lake water scent grew almost suffocatingly damp with anger - and something almost like worry.

Surreptitiously as he could, LWJ angled himself towards the edge of the booth seat. Temperamental alphas could quickly become violent alphas, and violent alphas were not to be trifled with. Wen Xu had taught him that, back when he was sixteen, and arranged to spend the day with him. And yet, clearly even that terrible fiasco hadn't taught Uncle caution, from what he'd seen of JWY.

"Did he set you up for this?"

LWJ, mind still half set on his uncle's schemes, blinked at the alpha's nonsensical question. He who?

"Uncle arranged this meeting." He replied, eyeing JWY warily. "It was expressed to me that he and your father believe we have enough in common to make a congenial match."

JWY rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whole lot in fucking common, don't we?"

Before LWJ had the chance to reply, JWY stood from his seat, shook out his coat jacket, and turned towards the door.

"Tell that asshole if he wants to let me know he's alive, he can pick up the phone like a normal person. He doesn't have to send his-his-" The alpha gestured to LWJ vaguely, his face turning an astounding shade of puce. "-you. Smelling like- like he's just…"

Seemingly frustrated, the alpha trailed off with a huff and headed to the door, leaving LWJ with nothing but his half empty cup of tea, and the sympathetic glances of a nearby waitress.

Almost feeling insulted, he pulled the collar of his blouse up to his nose, sniffing at the scent. It smelled normal - soothing even - like home, and...spice, and salt water. It-

LWJ blanched. 

It smelled like YLLZ. The scent from his nest must still linger on his skin. LWJ looked to the wood-grain table, his eyes growing wide with embarrassment. 

To think he'd been walking around, smelling possessed for all these days without realising - and by an alpha he'd never so much as seen!

Something in LWJ felt wild at the realisation. He'd smelled freshly mated for at least a fortnight, since he'd arrived on campus and the lack of scent blockers sent him into heat. He hadn't been bothered by an alpha since - not since he'd started using YLLZ to coat his nest.

LWJ felt a sudden burst of glee bubble up inside of him. The alphas in Yiling weren't any better behaved than the ones in Gusu. They didn't avoid invading his space due to any sense of decency - they just respected a stronger alpha's claim; perhaps even feared it, judging by how easily the scent had made his knees go weak the first time he'd encountered it. He'd been almost violently aroused by the fragrance, completely mindless by the time he'd returned home to spray it all over his bedding. It was…claiming. Possessive. Feral.

He traced a finger over the scarf that concealed his mating gland, a delicious thought blossoming inside his head. If he simply kept himself doused with YLLZ throughout the rest of his stay in Yiling, no alpha on campus - nor anywhere else - would bother him again.

LWJ stood abruptly from the table, near vibrating out of his body with uncontained excitement. He needed to return to the perfumery. He was going to buy them out of every single last can of YLLZ they had left.

And then, he was going to bathe in it.

----

Apparently I've had this saved as a draft for months. Whoops. 😅

[llycaons]

ep50 (1/4): endings, partings and reunions

ough we made it. okay first of all it is my professional (ha) opinion that this series has better impact if watched within a span of ~2 months and not 7-8 months. really allows the emotional payoff to be that much fresher in the mind. next time I rewatch, I'm going to have to set aside solid chunks of time and then really commit to not liveblogging. last time I only liveblogged text reactions, which did cut down on time. but it might be impossible to refrain. it's just more fun this way!

oh man the look of utter betrayal here. jgy always, always trusted lxc. he's in disbelief - how did this happen?

oh I love this little monologue. so juicy

another parallel!!! see: wwx saying 'lan wangji, oh lan wangji' on the steps of carp tower. there is was wwx ruefully accepting lwj's support, here it's jgy bitterly commiserating what's left of his relationship with lxc in the wake of a shock of betrayal

I actually believe that he means that. it's not true, because he harmed lxc's close friend using the techniques lxc himself taught him, but I think he believes it nonetheless. he never would have physically attacked lxc

...or maybe he's lying again! this guy is just so hard to read

bro you murdered his friend...

well jgy drags them both back to release nmj's spirit so what was that, jgy?

wwx stopping lwj from doing dangerous shit is actually a pretty solid part of their dynamic now. wish more authors incorporated it into their characterizations

okay so I think it's a test. will lxc actually strike the killing blow?

and...he doesn't. he can't. he's unable to strike jgy down and free himself. and jgy sees this, and I think that last gesture of humanity, of love even, is what he wanted.

so off he sends lxc, to live without him

god he is so fucking dramatic.

actually based on that look...maybe he was a little in love with him after all. maybe this was the last and kindest thing he did for him

very true to form that it consisted of 'put his life in danger, demand proof that he loves you, then send him to safety. from danger you put him in' this guy is such a piece of work

jc here looks GUTTED bc of jl's pain. goddamn

ohhh look how they're crammed into the corner with the rest of the shot all desolate

zhijis, baby. but it took wwx and lwj years to get there NOT counting the years wwx was dead which would be unfair because they couldn't work on their relationship!!!

oh god this shot too. he looks so alone

lqr is so funny. 'no running!' I saw you hustling up here old man. you love your nephews you hypocrite

ah, of course everyone gets flocked by loved ones. jc by his disciples, lwj by his uncle, wwx by...is that fucking. oyzz? he's a sweet kid but that's a little random

ohhh boy tense brotherly staring

I love jin ling so much I really do. I think the reason he's so much more compelling to me than lsz is that he has really bad habits, and he can't control his emotional reactions. he screams, he runs away, he cries really loudly, he threatens. but despite his anger and his fear, despite going through a horribly traumatic night, he sends his dog away because wwx is afraid of her. he puts someone else's need before his own, and he acts against his own impulses because he cares about someone else and wants them to be okay. and I appreciate the effort that takes, and the love that shines through even a prickly and touchy exterior

ohhh wwx watching jc leave. very weighted look. this is the last time he sees jc in canon. he smiles a bit, but doesn't talk. what's there to say? I can only hope the temple events sink in after a while and they awkwardly resume at least talking

well, there's always lwj to stare soulfully at

I've noticed this episode that wwx breaks out the 🥺 a lot more with lwj than I'd expect, compared to the smiles. I like that - wwx enjoys fun, but with lwj he also gets gravitas and sincerity, which i think he needs in his life bouncing around and pretending like things just shake off him

aw man, meng shi!! she was cast perfectly with this young meng yao. she deserved better than the destruction of her burial site, as it's implied nhs does in the novel

AWW YEAH BLOOD ON THE HANDS. and UNSCRIPTED BABY

I feel like this is going to be the cql version of 'aragorn broke three toes when kicking the orc's helmet'

and this dead-eyed look when walking away...well if you dedicate a decade to revenge and then you do it, now what?

I never particularly cared about the answer. there's nothing preventing nhs from living in luxury and power for the rest of his life, making new friends and indulging every one of his interests. sure, it's sad his only family is dead, but I really think he'll be okay. nhs's emotional fulfillment rank a little lower on my priority list than 'wen ning being able to live in a community' or 'lxc being able to e=leave seclusion' or 'lsz rediscovering his heritage' or 'xxc and a-qing's souls' or I'll say it even 'wwx and lwj's freedom to have mindblowing gay sex'

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

Food for thoughts: Lan Sect Wei Wuxian could lead Lan Qiren to reconsider the rules, the amount, the purpose of them, and what they truly stand for.

If they're just there to give guidance, shouldn't lessons or morality their sect motto be enough?

If they're there to contorl their sect members, to leave them little agency and choice, then what kind of sect do they want to become?

Wei Wuxian's presence within the Lan Sext could be the catalyst for that kind of a change. A reflection for Lan Qiren on how far he has allowed the rules to contorl his life, and those if his nephews.

Does he want the Sect to stifle Wei Wuxian, to mold him into the antithesis of himself? More importantly what does Wei Wuxian want?

How can Lan Qiren reconcile the idea that a child has desires outside of what are considered appropriate for a child (talismens designs, staying up late, trauma inspired habits from living on the streets, like hiding food, hoarding every little thing he considered 'useful' or every gift he's given. His tendency to hide food based gifts because he doesn't think/know he can have them again... etc)

How could he ask? And what would it look like to his nephews if he gives freedom for a strangers child that he does not them? How can he balance caring for Wei Wuxian who is traumatized in a different way without Lan Huan and Lan Zhan questioning if he loves them?

Two things could happen for Wei Wuxian in the Lan sect depending on where you want to take it.

One: he absolutely enthralls his teachers with his enthusiasm to learn, to consume anything related to Cultivation and quickly proves his genius.

In turn the Lan sect comes to the uncomfortable realization that they have a static way it teaching, one that does not help their students, but browbeats them and expects them to confirm to the Lan thinking.

Two: the teachers are annoyed and their dicks to Wei Wuxian and his presence in the Lan Sect always feels unwelcome.

Character driven stories like this focus on the feelings of everyone involved, ultimately is this a story where Wei Wuxian finds a home in the Lan Sect? Or does he find a home in the world beyond?

If your goal is to make the Lan sect a home for Wei Wuxian, it is the people around him that will sell that.

Lan Qiren- resolution for his character (given the story so far. I haven't read all the updates, don't get mad, I'm sorry I'll read them soon.) I think taking the mantle of sect leader completely would be best. Him stepping into a role he doesn't want, but can't make room or a home for his nephews or Wei Wuxian if he doesn't, might be a good way to go?

Wei Wuxian-considers Lan Qiren a second father? (Er-fuqin?) He sees what Lan Qiren had done for him, out of kindness and love? And sets forth to do the same?

A theme running through canon and fics : family isn't just blood and big dramatic displays. It's a daily choice.

I'm not sure if any of those helps. It's been a few months since I read the fic, I'm sorry if this is just a waste of time

That's not a waste of time at all! (And don't feel bad about not being caught up, I'd never be mad at that ❤)

I think you're absolutely right that a lot of LQR's growth needs to come from re-learning his own place in the Sect and some of the things that maybe he'd always taken for granted that WWX helps him see don't necessarily need to stay as they are. It's something he's already done in small doses throughout the entire fic/his relationship with raising WWX as a very traumatized and free-spirited child alongside his own differently-traumatized and much more reticent nephews, so I don't think there's any reason not to expand that to the Sect/rules as a whole!

And as far as WWX goes, I definitely want him to have a permanent home in the Sect which means yes, some things will need to change to accommodate him, and that's something that can be done out of love for a boy who's a truly prodigious cultivator who can help everyone see that there's more than one way to do things.

These are all very good thoughts, thank you for taking the time to send them in!

[mitchmotch]

re: my last ask, I just read the tags on the original post and I understand now what's going on. but! will you talk about what lxc and lqr have been doing since the cloud recesses burnt down?

i'll answer your last ask here as well regardless for anyone who may have missed it =]!

lxc and lqr are not dead! since the cloud recesses burnt down, they have been primarily focused on building it back up again and uniting their sect again, as you see it happen in the novel. lxc, with his father having died, is now the sect leader. for a bit they assumed lwj was in hiding, but very quickly they realized they can't find any traces of him and that it was more than likely that lwj was actually missing. after a while, that became his official status.

so lxc put out a money reward for those who were able to find lwj and return him to gusu. initially, lxc and lqr take turns overseeing interviews and such. @revalito and i assumed that as cultivators its much easier to mimic others, so more effort would have to be put into these interrogations than in anastasia. however, after years pass, lxc becomes discouraged because they haven't been able to find lwj anywhere. so, he steps down and allows lqr to take the lead in the search, and puts his full focus instead on being sect leader.

in that time, lxc also managed to convince nie mingjue to get nie huaisang to help in the search. since nhs was friends with lwj when they were younger, they figured he'd be able to be good help too (also he doesn't know.. but he knows :)c very convenient for when zhen yazhu (lwj) actually shows up)

so basically, a lot of what they do in the novel still goes on, our au just changes a few major things here and there =]

[wisedawn13]

The End (dream)

CW // depictions of violence

Okay, so I just woke up from the wildest mdzs dream and as well know, dreams don't exactly make sense, but there was some semblance of an actual story here so Imma try to convey it as best as I can

I don't know where it begins other than lwj (hgj) met a kid while wwx was dead

The kid was xy and hgj was kind to him, one of the only people to have ever been kind. That made xy like him, but it also unfortunately was the catalyst for what's to come.

Some time after wwx has returned, people still are incredibly unhappy about it, lqr especially

Despite wwx being proven to genuinely be kind and good and righteous, he wants him gone but knows that lwj will never allow wwx to leave his side. He tries to get them to separate but it never works. (I think xy definitely had some dark influence over these thoughts and hatred)

Sometime, wangxian meet xy again but the story is different and I don't remember where/why. I do know that xy, before his death, gives lwj a prophecy: the end begins when darkness falls/the end begins when the night dies

They cannot make sense of these words

Some time later, wangxian are walking together through a forest path when lqr shows up, and it begins.

He stops them briefly only to he'd encountered some dark cultivators (or fierce corpses, idk anymore) off ahead that he was unable to stop alone

Of course, wangxian being who they are, run to there immediately to help however they can. Unfortunately for them, their distraction and one-track mind to help out is paramount to lqr's plan.

As they are running, the don't notice lqr swiftly come behind them

They both are suddenly stabbed with needles in the back of the neck, effectively paralyzing them.

While lwj gets launched into a tree from momentum, just able to turn around to look for wwx, wwx falls to the ground harshly and ends up on his back

Then lqr jumps up into the tree over wwx, looks to lwj, and says "I'm sorry," before he jumps down with a knife (don't ask me why it's a knife and not a sword)

Screaming, lwj is stuck only to watch lqr, his own uncle, his blood, come down on wwx with a knife

The moment the knife hits, a blast of dark, purple-ish "light" shoots out of wwx's chest in wide, jagged spikes. He can no long see his uncle through it, all he sees is wwx twitch and scream more intensely and painfully than he's ever heard anyone scream in his life

He watches, paralyzed and wide-eyed, as hundreds of arms reach out of wwx's chest in the center of the darkness. Those arms shift and become full corpses that quickly begin to pile out of wwx and walk away towards populated areas.

In the mass of bodies, a child emerges

The child isn't fully physical, more of a specter—purple and see through, but glowing with darkness. The child, lwj recalls, is xy when he first met him. (Full disclosure, kid didn't really look like xy here and I think lwj called him Billy, but it's xy lol)

Bodies continue to tumble from wwx who is still screaming his throat bloody, while lwj is frozen and watching this child walk up to him.

(From an outsider's view, lwj is also glowing with a blue-white light here)

The child steps right up to lwj's side and looks in his eyes

In a hauntingly normal and nonchalant voice, the child simply repeats the prophecy to lwj, then tilts his head to rest against lwj's side to say something along the lines of "thank you, hgj, for your light and kindness" then begins to walk away

----------

Unfortunately, I woke up rather suddenly at this point and needed to share this dream immediately before I forgot with my wwx brain, so there is no ending. Unless I write this as an actual fic someday, there won't be an official ending.

I think whatever comes is up to you now

Link to thread