#the xue yang effect

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Culture Shock

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[cloud-hymn]

Reading too much fanfiction from Xue Yang’s point of view always inevitably has me going “ugh Song Lan >:( fuck that guy” and then when I rewatch/reread any canon content I have to put myself in the shame corner for a minute bc I feel bad

[whetstonefires]

for the... somthing similar to the "fuck, marry, kill" game, but with different longer anwsers I don't remember now, from one of the posts you rb. Anyways, what about: yu ziyuan, wen chao, xue yang

get them randomly assigned as your lab partner for a whole semester, get trapped with them on a broken elevator for ten hours, and they’re your employee trainer for your new job at McDonalds

so before i went and checked, i had misremembered this game mashed up with a different one, and thought the first option was share a cake, which made this easy. because obviously i would let xue yang have the cake and flee while he was distracted by his sweet tooth, and then the other two were obvious because madam yu isn't going to randomly assault me.

this one's harder, because there's no 'run away immediately' option.

xue yang still gets to be the controlling entity, because he does random murders and not dying is priority one.

so he's going to train me at mcdonalds, because if he's bothering to hold down a job at mcdonalds long enough to be in a position to train me he's clearly got some goals here that may conflict with on-site murder. having authority over me also gives him a non-murder route to torment and get entertainment out of me that way, and also this one doesn't say i can't quit my job if he freaks me out enough.

i have decent odds of not being there or not being noticed when he beheads the franchise owner and sets the mcdonalds on fire or whatever.

then i'm still going to be in the elevator with madam yu, because she won't make it fun but i should get out without any kind of physical damage. she may even be reasonably polite; there's nothing about me that's inherently offensive to her. unless madam yu elevator-riding edition is racist against white people or something. which can't be wholly ruled out, given her everything.

(....i'm assuming she knows what an elevator is and we can communicate, so i don't get mistaken for some sort of disfigured demon creature responsible for imprisoning her in this steel chamber or something, because after all the other two scenarios presuppose the characters are reasonably well-integrated into the modern world in places i have reason to be. i still have the best odds with her even if this is a sudden isekai thing, though, since she is both sane and intelligent.)

leaving me stuck with wen chao for a lab partner. there are a lot of ways for this to go badly, especially if i don't go into this already knowing what he's like and that he is absolutely likely to have his father get me expelled if i don't put up with sexual harassment.

but it's a reasonably structured setting, where we're officially on the same level as students, so hopefully he'll just drag down my grade, make lab section unpleasant, and expect me to do all the work.

[smartzelda]

Funniest thing ever is when I start a piece of media and one of the main characters is kind of *made* to be my fav, and I do love them

And then I get halfway into the piece of media and shove them aside for some rando who fills all of my niches in a different (or better way)

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Clarification: the point of MDZS isn't to distrust every rumour you hear. Some of the rumours in the prologue turn out to be right! The Jiang clan did take Wei Wuxian off the streets! Wei Wuxian did destroy (half of) the Yin Hufu before he died (and did ‘destroy the weapon’ in the sense it couldn’t be used anymore, because it required two halves to work)! He was one of the most promising cultivators and found success at a young age! He did die!

The point is thinking critically about the information you receive. Don't believe something because it suits what you want to think of someone, or because everyone else is agreeing with it. Believe it because there's strong evidence for it. Lan Wangji puts it best:

Lan WangJi slowly shook his head, “One should not comment without understanding the whole picture.” - Chapter 30, EXR translation

With Wei WuXian expanding on the reasoning (same chapter):

Just like you, I don’t understand the whole picture, so I’m not going to comment either. You’re right. Before knowing all of the turns and twists, causes and effects, nobody should presume anything about anything.

(And for context, this attitude is proven right! The conversation is about whether Xiao Xingchen performed lingchi on (severely tortured) Chang Ping, and there end up being so many unexpected twists and turns in his story that any judgement made without evidence would have been impossible to get right*. Wei Wuxian only makes his guess – that Xue Yang did it to take revenge for Xiao Xingchen, in his twisted way – after he has the relevant information of the Yi City quartet's story. And, seeing the nerves he hit, it seems to be correct.)

In fact, that's something we ourselves have to do throughout the course of the novel – weighing up what we know of Wei Wuxian's past deeds with what we see of his personality and actions in the present day. Those who still blindly trust the rumours up until the Second Siege are shown how unwise that is by being proven wrong... but that's not because having any opinion that happens to agree with a rumour, no matter the amount of evidence, is automatically wrong. As I mentioned, some of the rumours are correct! It's because how Wei Wuxian acted in the present day – ie the concrete evidence we have – didn't match up.

Blindly distrusting rumours is exactly the same as blindly trusting them.

---

*Without making a random, lucky guess. And since that would have no proof behind it, and a greater chance of being wrong... well, I think we can all afree that random unbased guesses aren't the way to solve mysteries.

[youngmisteressjinling]

How MXTX characters would react to the assassination of the UHC CEO

Wei Wuxian: has anyone seen Wei Wuxian and Luigi Mangione in the same room? 👀

Lan Wangji: 100% ready to aide and abet

Jiang Cheng: Runs to review the sect healthcare plan - he has enough problems without looking out for assassins.

Lan Xichen: understands the motive but did Luigi try playing calming music for the CEOs before resorting to violence? 🥺

Jin Guangyao: oh so some people get lauded as heroes when they commit murder? SMH double standard.

Nie Mingjue: appreciates martial artistry when he sees it. The stance? How quickly he cleared the jam? A true warrior.

Xue Yang: it lacked a certain pizazz, a stabbing would have been much more visually effective

Wen Qing: 100% approves bureaucrats should have no authority over doctors

[mxtxfanatic]

A-Qing and Wei Wuxian: An Under-Discussed Analysis

While many different Yi City comparisons and relationship breakdowns have been made, one that I don't think I've ever seen is between A-Qing and Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is probably the first living being to treat A-Qing with respect and not fear or revulsion after her death. He plays into her jumpscare trick by allowing her to scare the juniors, but also addresses her respectfully, the directness of which initially arouses her wariness. He trusts her to lead him and the juniors to safety, being able to understand that she does not mean any of them harm. This is a trust she then reciprocates when she allows Wei Wuxian to perform Empathy on her to share her wish to avenge Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan:

Wei Wuxian smiled. “Mm, you’ve thought about this, very good. This is exactly how you should analyze the situation—don’t ignore any suspicious details. Now then, let’s ask her to come inside and clear up any doubts about this case.” After he finished speaking, he immediately removed one of the wooden boards blocking the window. The youths inside the dim room and even the ghost outside were startled by his sudden movement. She raised her bamboo pole in defense. Wei Wuxian first waved to the ghost. “Miss, you’ve been following us this whole time. Do you have some business with us?” he asked immediately.

—Chapt. 36: Flora IV, fanyiyi

The ghost of the blind, tongue-less girl had returned! Wei Wuxian made a snap decision. “Let’s go!” “Go where?” Lan Jingyi said. “Follow the sound of the bamboo pole,” Wei Wuxian replied. “You want us to follow a ghost?” Jin Ling said, somewhat startled. “Who knows where she’ll take us?!” “Yes, exactly. Follow her. The sound’s been tailing you ever since you got here, right? You tried to walk further into the city, but she was leading you toward the city gates, and then you ran into us. She was trying to drive you away—to rescue you!”

...

“Why don’t you come in?” Wei Wuxian said to the ghost girl. She wiped her eyes and face and ran at him, her entire soul merging with his body.

—Chapt. 38: Flora VI, fanyiyi

But the thing I find most interesting about A-Qing and her role amidst the Yi City arc's parallels is how alike she and Wei Wuxian are. If Xiao Xingchen is the parallel for Wei Wuxian's righteousness and the trajectory of his first life, then A-Qing is the parallel for his adaptability and unwillingness to passively accept evil cloaked in civility, as a lot of the moments where Wei Wuxian and A-Qing are most in-tuned are when A-Qing is showing off her survival skills or when they are both mentally raging about Xue Yang:

This girl really knows how to act wild. I understand now—she’s pretending to be blind. She was probably born with white pupils. Even though she looks blind on the surface, she actually can see. She’s using her appearance to pose as a blind person in order to trick people and win their sympathy. As a young, lone, homeless girl, if she pretended to be blind, others would naturally lower their guard. In reality, she could see perfectly clearly and could thus adapt to the situation. It indeed counted as a smart method of self-protection.

...

Ah-qing apologized repeatedly, but as the man was about to leave, he realized he wasn’t willing to let it go just yet. His unruly right hand found Ah-qing’s bottom and pinched her forcefully. As he shared her feelings, this was effectively the same as pinching Wei Wuxian. He instantaneously felt his skin crawl and become covered in a dense layer of goosebumps. He could think about nothing except slapping the man so hard he’d fly right into the earth.

—Chapt. 39: Flora VII, fanyiyi

Before she even opened her mouth, something small flew abruptly toward her. Subconsciously, Wei Wuxian wanted to dodge in case it was some kind of concealed weapon, but of course, he had no control over Ah-qing’s body. Soon after, he came to a sudden and startling realization: It’s a trap! Xue Yang was experimenting on Ah-qing. If she was truly blind, she shouldn’t be able to dodge! Ah-qing proved herself a veteran of posing as a blind girl at all times. She was quick: when she saw the object sailing toward her, she didn’t attempt to duck out of the way. She didn’t even blink. Instead, she allowed it to strike her lower chest, and only then did she jump back. ... He pointed the tip of the blade at Ah-qing. If she walked a few more steps forward, she would be impaled. But if she hesitated even a moment, the fact that she wasn’t truly blind would be revealed! Wei Wuxian shared all five of Ah-qing’s senses, and he could also feel the prickling at the back of her head. However, the girl had incomparable courage and composure, and continued to feel her way forward, expression normal. Sure enough, when her stomach was about a centimeter from the tip of the blade, Xue Yang drew back Jiangzai on his own and placed it back into his sleeve, exchanging it for a couple of pieces of candy. ... She was astonishingly shrewd, Wei Wuxian thought. Ah-qing hadn’t forgotten at all. Everything Xiao Xingchen said, she remembered more clearly than anyone. She had said the wrong thing on purpose, and since Xue Yang corrected her, he had effectively confirmed that he was also a cultivator. His test had failed, but she had tested him successfully in return. Though the girl was so young, her mind was surprisingly sharp.

...

Xiao Xingchen hadn’t had much prior experience with people like him and was easily amused—just a few of Xue Yang’s remarks could make him laugh. Listening to their pleasant conversation, Ah-qing viciously but silently mouthed a few words. After careful observation, it seemed as though she were saying, “I’m going to kill you, you horrible thing.” Wei Wuxian and Ah-qing’s feelings were the same.

...

There’s no way Xue Yang has good intentions, Wei Wuxian thought. He even wants to help Xiao Xingchen night- hunt. If Ah-qing doesn’t follow them, then we’ll miss something big. However, Ah-qing was indeed quick-witted and understood that Xue Yang was probably up to no good. She waited until the pair left, then hopped out of the coffin and followed them at a distance.

—Chapt. 39: Flora VII, fanyiyi

However, Ah-qing did not understand the cipher lying before her. Her knowledge was extremely cursory, derived entirely from the occasional moments when Xiao Xingchen had mentioned these subjects. “Could that rotten thing really be helping Daozhang?” she mumbled. Don’t start believing in Xue Yang so easily! Wei Wuxian thought. Fortunately, Ah-qing’s intuition was very sharp. Though she couldn’t pick out anything strange from what she saw, her wary attitude toward Xue Yang was deeply rooted within her. She hated him on instinct and couldn’t feel at ease with him. Thus, whenever Xue Yang followed Xiao Xingchen out to night-hunt, she quietly tailed them. Even when they were all at home, she never let down her guard.

—Chapt. 40: Flora VIII, fanyiyi

While A-Qing lacked the cultivation knowledge and skill to act on her knowledge to save lives, the courage and endurance she displayed while living with Xue Yang matches Wei Wuxian's own spirit. And because of this shared spirit, A-Qing is willing to entrust her life and after-life goal to Wei Wuxian:

Wei Wuxian sighed internally, then turned to Ah-qing. “We’ve troubled you.” ... Propped up on the side of the coffin, Ah-qing pressed her palms together and bowed repeatedly to Wei Wuxian. Afterwards, with her bamboo pole serving as her sword, she made the “kill kill kill” gesture she had often used when causing a ruckus. “Don’t worry,” Wei Wuxian said.

—Chapt. 41: Flora IX, fanyiyi

...a faith proven rightfully placed as not only does he (and Lan Wangji!) put an end to Xue Yang's reign of terror in Yi City, he also releases Song Lan from the curse of the nails and gathers the fragments of her shattered soul to give to him for safekeeping:

“Hold him down!” Wei Wuxian said. He leaned over and rapidly felt through Song Lan’s hair, searching for the two nails stuck in the corpse’s skull. Relief washed over him when his fingers found the ends: this pair of nails was much thinner than the pair which had been hammered into Wen Ning’s head. Plus, they were made of different material, so restoring Song Lan’s original consciousness wouldn’t be too hard. Immediately, Wei Wuxian pinched the ends of the nails and slowly began pulling them out. Feeling the foreign objects move in his head, Song Lan’s eyes abruptly widened. He let out a low hiss, and Wen Ning was forced to press him down harder to prevent him from escaping. When the nails were finally wrenched free, Song Lan immediately collapsed on the ground, entirely immobile, paralyzed, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

—Chapt. 41: Flora IX, fanyiyi

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian produced two identical, small spirit-locking pouches and passed them over to him. “Xiao Xingchen Daozhang and Miss Ah-qing.” Though Ah-qing had been terrified of Xue Yang, she had closely shadowed her murderer, preventing him from escaping or hiding until Bichen had plunged its blade through his chest and he had finally experienced retribution. The seal Xue Yang had venomously thrown at her had shattered her soul. Wei Wuxian had run around frantically, trying his best to pick up the pieces, but he had only successfully retrieved part of it, and only after a great deal of effort. Now that Ah-qing’s soul was in fragments, it was in more or less the same state as Xiao Xingchen’s. Curled up in their respective spirit locking pouches, the two souls seemed extremely fragile, as though they would disintegrate right inside the pouch at the slightest bump. Song Lan’s hands trembled slightly as he received them. He held the pouches in his palm, too afraid to carry them by their tassels lest a shake destroy the souls inside.

—Chapt. 42: Flora X, fanyiyi

[veliseraptor]

Xue Yang winds up at Song Lan's monastery shortly post finger crushing!

oooh this is an interesting one! I am sort of torn between this happening at a point where it's on purpose and xue yang is still close enough post-crushening to have some belief that somebody (in this case, a temple full of daoshi) will help him or if I want it to be long enough after that he's turned pretty well bitter on the idea of help from other people being a thing that exists, at least for him.

and since I can't make up my mind about it I'll have it "teetering on the edge between the two, maybe slanting a little toward the latter but desperate enough to try seeking out help from these people anyway"

(or it could be he ends up there because somebody brings him there, but I think I'm setting that one aside for this particular ask.)

song lan gets to experience the traumatic experience of proximity to a horrifying aftermath of a very nasty crush injury at a young age! this is probably formative - it's interesting to me thinking about the effects this might/could have on song lan, actually - while I don't think he's ever as rosy-viewed of the wider world as xiao xingchen is, I think being up-close witness to xue yang's specific story and its aftermath would render him a little more cynical than he is in canon.

I definitely like the idea of song lan growing up protective of his shidi as a result of, again, personally witnessing the gruesome aftermath of xue yang's trauma. xue yang enjoys this but also is merciless about needling song lan in general, because it's fun, but also that is his uptight shixiong and nobody else gets to mess with him.

I think being in a nurturing and protective environment that provides him with guard rails, expectations, and a life where his utility/livelihood isn't tied to violence goes a long way toward at least tempering xue yang's worst impulses. the impulses will still be there but having fewer reasons to act on them/forming better habits because of the expectations in place and the rewards of abiding by those expectations would make a substantial difference in the way xue yang moves through the world. it changes the calculus on how he sees other people/what he expects from them - even if the betrayal/hatred of chang ci'an is still very much there, it's tempered by the fact that he found someone to look after him.

when song lan decides to leave baixue xue yang goes with him, and please imagine the two of them as the weirdest pair of wandering cultivators solving peoples' problems that most people have or will ever meet.

when song lan encounters xiao xingchen they are still going to connect with each other on a profound level and xue yang is not going to be happy about it. very jealous, very possessive, immediately decides that xiao xingchen is stupid and annoying and not to be trusted.

send me a potential AU and I’ll tell you five fun facts that would happen in a story

[deathbyoctopi]

You know what gives me joy?

Yi city Xue Yang putting on a front of being a "poor little cultivator" to justify not swishing out Jiangzai on their night hunts, and Xiao Xingchen actually offering to teach him a few moves, correct his form and spar (with another sword), effectively giving Xue Yang something he was denied all throughout his life... the opportunity to learn under the guidance of a proper master...

...and at the same time, half-fulfilling Xiao Xignchen's dream of teaching in his own sect. The Yi City Xiao sect, let's call it >w<

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. Hi! For the next fic finder, can you please help me find a modern wangxian omegaverse? Its a survival dating show where the participant doing challange with their choice of partner. JYL and JZX was mentioned as a participant in previous season. At the last challange, it's a mating run where WWX and LWJ get trapped in a cave because of earthquake. Thank you! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

FOUND! 🧡 shoot your shot -- hot or knot by defractum (nyargles) (E, 51k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Reality Show, Hunger Games Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Extremely Dubious Consent, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Humor, Additional Warnings In Author's Notes)

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2. hello! it's been bugging me and I'm thinking of this fic where lxc turns himself into a baby and wangxian end up having to raise him all over again bc he leaves a letter telling them he doesn't want to remember all the sworn brother debacle??? I can't find it AT ALL I'm going crazy please helpp... and thank you for your hard work all the time we really appreciate it !!!!!

FOUND? how do i forgive myself (for losing so much time) by thunderwear (M, 26k, WangXian, Age Regression/De-Aging, Kid Fic, Accidental Baby Acquisition, of sorts, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Sharing a Bed, yunmeng bros reconciliation, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Pining, 50 percent angst and 50 percent domestic fluff, read end notes for warnings, Post-Canon)

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3. Hi hi! Im trying to find this one fic its alternate - canon divergence, where Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing get married / together and thanks to that the remnants are safe, the stygian amulet is made into a bracelet I thinnnk, and the whole story Jin Guanshan and JGY are trying to use sect politics to get it from then, at almost the end someone tries to drown Wei Wuxian at Lotus pier, and there’s a confrontation with JGY, Xue Yang and WangXian / Jiang/Wens where everything is revealed? Thank you!!! @memeismemeismeme

was the person who tried to drown wwx Jin Zixun, and did wwx somehow access LWJ’s core from afar?

FOUND! Hope Dangling by a String by KouriArashi (M, 70k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, everyone lives, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, psychic bond, telepathy, communication, emotional/psychological abuse, jiang family feels, lan family feels, canon-typical violence, canon-typical politics, improper use of sacred forehead ribbons, gratuitous hair washing) Isn't #3 "hope dangling from a string"? The drawing/core accessing is in chapter 11

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4. Hi!!! I've read this before, I just stopped reading it because it's still WIP.

What I remember is that it's like a Time Travel fix-it story?? But instead of Wei Wuxian, it's Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng that got sent back and tries to make everything right ??

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!! @gideonmorningstar

FOUND? ❤️ For Both Of Us (And Time Is But A Paper Moon) by sami (E, 65k, WangXian, Time Travel, Some People Live/Not Everyone Dies, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Yunmeng Shuangjie, Canon Divergence, Asexual JC, First Time, Getting Together, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ)

FOUND? A Matter of Time by mrcformoso (E, 44k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, POV LWJ, POV JC, Dark LWJ, Manipulation, Grooming, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Except problematic please read warning in first chapter, Blood and Violence, Insane LWJ, Manic LWJ, Conditioning, WWX is a Lán, Minor Character Death, Confused JC, Golden Core Reveal, Good Friend NHS, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiāngs, Abusive Jiāng Family, Jiāng Family Bashing, Jiāng Family Critical, POV NHS, Dark NHS, Anal Sex, Marathon Sex, Dual Cultivation, Qīnghéng-jūn Lives, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Self-Lubricates, Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Scheming NHS, Manipulative NHS, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WWX)

FOUND? Brother-In-Law's by Loveable_Psychopath (M, 324k, WIP, XuanLi, WangXian, Memories, Butterfly Effect, Sexual assualt, Self Harm / Self Doubt, Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rape Recovery, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, PTSD, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Depression, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Warning: JGS, Emotional Manipulation, Time Travel Fix-It, Second Chances)

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5. Hey so I can't find this one fic

Wei ying is a hitch hiker and he ends up going with lan wangji who's on his own roadtrip when he meets him at a gas station and in the end we find the reason why he's hitch hiking and on the run @yilingpatriarchsimp

FOUND? vintage youth by sami (E, 13k, WangXian, Modern AU, references to past LWJ/others, references to past WWX/WQ, Family, Sexual Tension, set in the early 90s, Background Xicheng) I think #5 is vintage youth by sami, this is how wangxian run into each other at the beginning.

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6. Help please? I think it was on tumblr here. Modern day fic where Madam Lan is alive and LZ and WY get together as teens but the Jiang's kick WY out and he comes to live with the Lans who all love and adore him. Later on LX brings Meng Yao, who he is dating, to met the family. Meng Yao doesn't get a warm reception and gets jealous of how the Lans treat WY. LX then explains WY history with the Lan family which Meng Yao tries to use against WY. The family then gets mad at LX for telling. Thanks! @isis-moon

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7. hi hi hope you're doing well hehe

was wondering if someone knows about this fic where wwx gets kidnapped and lwj uses chenqing to find him

thank you!!

FOUND? something wild calls you home by Fleetling (T, 8k, WangXian, Kidnapping, nhs is only there briefly, resentful energy, the fic where lwj plays chenqing, Rescue, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Light Angst, Happy Ending)

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8. Hi, for the fic finder, hope you guys can help me. I am looking for i fic a saw i while a go it was an arranged marriage, female Wei Ying, where the Lans are like tea merchants (?) i think, and Lan Zhan was being pressure to get married and he ends up choosing Wei Ying to marry because she was ''unkidnappable''. The Nie brothers are also in the stories as sisters. The fic had about 8 to 10 chapters, i cant find again and i think i had seen it in a post here but im not sure, pls help @omgnuttytale

FOUND! a harmony between qin and se by Alaceron (E, 62k, WangXian, Gender Changes, Historical, Female WWX)

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9. I lost this fic ages ago and have no clue how to find it: WWX and JC have just gotten to gusu for lectures and plan for WWX to ask the LAN for sanctuary to get away from Madam Yu. I remember in a chapter WWX explains to LXC why he's asking for sanctuary and shows the whip marks on his back and is rushed to the healers.

Even if no one finds it thanks for the work you out into this blog, it's a Delight 💜🖤💜🖤💜🖤💜

FOUND! Sanctuary by lindgrsl77 (Not Rated, 13k, WIP, WangXian, Abuse, not graphic, Protective Siblings, LXC is a big brother to all, Hurt/Comfort)

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10. hello im in search of a fic but i cant recall the plot im so sorry 😞 i only remember that the fic uses the chinese names of the locations in mdzs (buye tian, luanzung gang etc), not the english translations. it's possibly a canon divergence fic or a time travel one. im sorry if i can't provide more data but i would appreciate any help thank you

FOUND! Restoration by ritualist (M, 84k, WangXian, Fairy Tale Elements, Non-Linear Narrative, Time Skips, Time Shenanigans, YLLZ WWX, Sentient Burial Mounds, Sunshot Campaign, Politics, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, JGS Is His Own Content Warning, Necromancy, Surgery, Identity Issues, Masks, Yílíng Wèi Sect, Love at First Sight, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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11. Looking for two fics:

A) The one where wwx explodes a wen’s head because they were going to kill lwj. I remember wwx being injured in this fic and constantly in bed save for sitting at the table working on wards and talismans. He made talismans for lwj to use while he was away fighting. I remember jzx helping wwx change his bandages and helping him to the battle field because he couldn’t walk well. On the battle field wwx sees lwj about to be killed by a wen and makes the wen’s head explode. I think lwj in that scene chose his last view to be the sky instead of his killer’s face but he instead got covered in blood and brain matter. All this takes place in cloud recesses btw.

B) The one where wwx is immortal (i think) and lwj lives in the burial mounds with him and the wen remnants. I’m not sure how they get to this point but they travel to Qinghe to ask for his help with something I think but wwx ends up sending nmj is dying and helps him too. I remember more or less the conversation when wwx met nmj went like “huh this is a bit awkward. Sorry to ask but you DO know you’re dying right?” And nmj responds something like “yes, I’m aware.”

Thanks for your time and help! 💜 @jikcf

11A)

FOUND? 🧡 To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag (M, 78k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Major character injury, CQL verse, Happy Ending)

11B)

FOUND? 💖 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Pining, slow burn, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, bottom LWJ)

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12. Hi! Please help me find these two series A) This one is of Jin Zixuan seeing Wei Wuxian kind of sickly and deciding tot ake care of him, int he series is different AU's but it's more of Jin Zixuan being a little stabby. Um in one of the fics of the series it was revealed that Jin Zixun is an ahh because Jin Guangshit decided to groom him and you know. B) This one is more mature because it's of wangxian teaching xicheng how to spice up their sex life by teaching them foreplay and so on

Um Hi again. I'm asking for two again one series and one also series but I'm more looking for the first book. C) So wei wuxian accidentally pulls off lan wangji's ribbon and the two get married, in the 2nd fic of the series it's of wei wuxian saying he wants a divorce but just lists more stuff of them being a cute couple D) This fic is of wangxian during cloud recesses era and wei wuxian is trans ftm. I believe it might have time travelling that's all I remember sorry

E) Hi again for the third time, instead of two books I'm asking for one. This is modern au and college au. Wangxian are roommates and I believe both of them or just Lan Wangji is/are a musician but Lan Wangji is deaf. and Nie Huaisang is kind of protective of Lan Wangji but yeah @thatperson0-0

12A)

FOUND? Coping Techniques for the Clueless and Socially Disadvantaged by meyari (G, 2k, Pre-Relationship, background wangxian, Slice of Life, slice of war, PTSD, Canon Compliant, Sunshot Campaign) One of my favorites.

12C)

FOUND? A Ribbon Beats a Red String of Fate (Restricted) Series by Titans_R_Us (T, 16k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Fluff and Crack, supportive families, Mutual Pining, Temporary Separation)

12D)

FOUND? 💖 It is a serious thing just to be alive by Itgoeson (E, 57k, WangXian, Time Travel, Fix-It of Sorts, Established Relationship, Trans Male Character, Happy Ending, transphobia does not exist because i simply Do Not Vibe with it, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grinding, mentions of dysphoria, War, Canon-Typical Violence, Sunshot Campaign) the first fic in the Invitation ‘Verse series

12E)

FOUND? Comfortable Silence by WritersBlock823 (rdlaserna) (E, 65k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Deaf!musician LWJ, College/University, Musician WWX, Rimming, Anal Sex, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Oral Sex, Dry Humping, minor breath play, Anal Fingering, Accidental Semi-public Exhibitionism, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Fluff, Deep Throating, Sexual Harassment, Minor Violence, Blood and Violence, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending)

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13. Hi, can you pls help me find a pic,

It's Modern au, lan zhan got into an accident and lost his memories. The fic also have moon river song as wangji's favourite song hus mother used to sing. It was full of insecurities and wangji wondering if he's a good enough partner and all.

I basically remember the whole fic but forgot the name and can't seem to find it.

Thank you for the help @vantae0417

In the fic wei ying was not a musician but was married to lan zhan already and they were living together and basically wei ying was being a brat and asked wangji to buy him chocolate milk and wangji got into an accident while getting it, when wangji woke up he had forgotten wei ying and about their relationship, so when he found out he he got a husband now get got all insecure because we'll wei ying was acting nervous and almost crying because he felt guilty for accident but wangji thought that he was a abusive husband and that is marriage was not a good one and all

After they went home and some wei ying cried and told him about his guilt wangji asked him if he's not a good husband and wei ying comforted wangji.

They were both probably teachers in this fic and were about to adopt yuan

is Wei ying a music store owner and was Lan zhan involved with crime?

NOT FOUND! Across the street to another life by danegen (M, 99k, WangXian, Modern AU, unleashed au Family Fluff, Set in America, Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Addiction, Crime, Amnesia, Ableist, Language, another fridged mother, POV Alternating, past wwx/ofc, past wwx/omc, Medium parent YZY, A-Yuan is wwx's biological son, Musicians, Happy Ending)

FOUND! remind me why I love you by AG1234VL (M, 44k, WangXian, Minor XiCheng, Past XiYao, Modern AU, Temporary Amnesia, Light Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, sort-of crack treated seriously, WangXian Pining, Except They're Already Married, Hair Brushing, Childhood Trauma, Past Abuse L, Fluff and Angst, Crying WWX, Jealous LWJ, Forehead Kisses, Family Feels, Bottom!LWJ, versatile!wangxian, smitten!lwj, flirty!wwx, horny!wangxian, Mental Illness, Non-main Character Suicide, Non-Sexual Intimacy, but also sexual intimacy, brief discussions about grief)

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14. Hello, me again! 😆 I'm looking for another wangxian fic that I would like to re-read. What I remember is: Jiang Cheng kills Lan Zhan in some sort of time travel ritual (?). Jiang Cheng then goes back to the past, but the ritual has erased Lan Wangji from existence. Even so, in this new timeline both Lan Xichen & Wei Ying feel that something/someone is missing. JC eventually reverses the ritual, LZ comes back, and LX & WY are NOT happy with the revelations. Please help me find it! 😢 @dreammaiden21

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15. I lost a fic! It is pre-WangXian and is told from, I think, alternate POV of LXC and JC (it is not XiCheng, that I remember, it's just from their perspectives). It's post Sunshot and Jiang Cheng uses an old treaty with the Lan that was some kind of "in the future" betrothal agreement in order to open negotiations for trade, using WWX as the bait. What I remember is that he was not expecting the Lan to take it seriously, but LWJ VERY MUCH DID. Help? @kimboo-york

FOUND! Alas, Disasterous Miscalculations Align Sects with Sudden Summer Weddings by mondengel (G, 3k, WangXian, Humor, Arranged Marriage)

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16. Hello!! I've been trying to find a fic where Lwj doesn't know that the elders told Lsz to stop calling him a-die, and just assumed it was Lsz's choice. It hurt him, but he didn't complain because he wanted it to be Lsz's choice. When Wwx comes back and Lsz is really close with him and starts calling him baba, Lwj starts thinking that Lsz stopped seeing him as a father back then because he was such an awful father that even someone who didn't get to raise him (Wwx) still managed to be a better father in the little time he had. I remember he feels guilty for feeling jealous of the close relationship Wwx and Lsz have. He gets depressed about it, and Wwx notices. He questions Lwj and Lwj confesses everythingto him. Wwx goes to inquire Lsz about why he treats Lwj so impersonally and formally. I think Lz has a panic attack at some point.

SIMILAR! The seasons change (but I love you the same) by kdkdkd (G, 7k, WangXian, Single Father LWJ, Thirteen Years, Fatherhood, Growing Up, Fluff, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grief, Insecurity, Love, Canon Compliant, headcanons, Music Hall, Single Parent LWJ, Dad LWJ, Badass LWJ, Annoying Lan Elders get put in their place and fired, Thirteen Years of WWX's Death) is very similar but set when Lan Yuan is still a child

FOUND? Silver & Gold by beeswaxing (E, 198k, wangxian, JL/LSZ, LJY/OYZZ, Post-Canon, Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Age Regression/De-Aging, Fix-It of Sorts, Family Bonding, Established Relationship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Literal Sleeping Together, Romance, BAMF WWX, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Underage Kissing, Protective WWX, Fluff) could be Silver and Gold by Beeswaxing, chapter 13, scene below the delicious pic of WWX. WWX is questioning LSZ about what he calls LWJ and why.

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17. I'm going crazy looking for a fic I read where the Wen remnants send wwx and a-yuan away to Qinghe to look for help destroying the yin amulet, and somewhere along the line: wwx finds out the wens intended for them not to come back via a letter wq left, nmj and wwx exchange secrets(golden core + nie sabers), and I believe it ends with them giving the current nie ancestors the amulet to fight for eternity, instead of spirits and corpses. I am in your debt if you can find it &lt;;3 @tupperwareofoddities

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

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18. Hi! A friend recommended me a fic and neither of us can find it anywhere. I really want to read it and am hoping you or your followers can help.

it's jiang cheng-centric, set largely at lotus pier, he does embroidery (and it *is* complete, so it's not The Fic You Can Find By Searching For Embroidery), definitely post-sunshot and i think probably post-canon, and he *might* have been like cursed or something

Thank you for all the work you do! @cadencekismet

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19. Hi (＾▽＾) for the fic finder I have been looking for one set after the SSC, LQR is humming? whistling? a lan song at WWX that reveal that WWX is possets? and he then quickly beg LQR for help before the thing posessing? him take control again. hope you have a great day/night! thanks a lot! you are amazing people ♡

FOUND! A Kiss to Break a Curse (or rather, Possession.) by Silver_Flame_2724 (T, 1k, WangXian, Demonic Possession, Lán Music, Magical Kisses, Love Confessions, Sort of?, more like, Marriage Proposal, Alchemy, Pills, Fluff)

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20. Hello, I'm wondering if you know or might be able to help find a fic. It's a modern au, WQ and WN inherit a run-down house, and WWX is ride or die for them, of course, only to be surprised when both LWJ and JC are equally willing to put their lives on hold to support. JYL and JZX are together and the only reason she doesn't go with is that she's heavily pregnant. Also inc. Madam Yu not telling the boys that JYL had gone into labour as it was 'their fault for leaving in the first place'. Thank you in advance for any help! @katonahottinroof

are they fixing up the run down house?

NOT FOUND! Once Upon a Place by zeldasayre (E, 80k, WangXian, House restoration, Falling In Love, Misunderstandings, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Bisexual WWX, Trans Male WWX, Gay LWJ, JYL & LWJ Friendship, Modern AU, Set somewhere in America, Tattoo Artist WWX, Librarian LWJ, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Domestic) is the one I'm thinking abt

FOUND! the ship sways but the heart is steady by taizi (T, 9k, WangXian, ChengQing, Modern AU, Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Past Child Abuse, Protective JC, Soft WangXian)

~*~

[regrator-the-ninth]

Hi...if you don't mind, can I ask something from MDZS? What do you think are Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Since what moment that you start shipping them? What are your favorite personal headcanons about them? Sorry if you've answered these questions before.....

Thanks for the ask! I always love a good excuse to talk about my OTP!

To me, Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen are a perfect match because their personalities are opposite but complementary. Their dynamic is so interesting because it's so obvious that they're meant for each other. Their interactions in Yi City clearly show that, if you take away the horrors of their past, they get along effortlessly and bring out positive qualities in each other that no one else can. Xue Yang becomes kinder and happier and Xiao Xingchen is able to share his burdens and have fun. The paradox that they could never have been together because what brought them together was what drove them apart only adds to the beautiful tragedy of it all.

Headcanons:

Xue Yang is the better cook by far, not because he can see, but because he actually has standards. Xiao Xingchen will make something nutritionally complete that tastes like shit and call it a day.

Xiao Xingchen earnestly offers to help Xue Yang learn to be a cultivator, and since Xue Yang doesn't want to use demonic cultivation in front of Xiao Xingchen and give himself away, he agrees and actually learns how to do it the traditional way for the first time in his life.

Xue Yang is left handed, which is why losing his left pinky was particularly devastating. When Xiao Xingchen teaches him to use a sword as part of the cultivation lessons, he learns with his right hand to better pass as a beginner. This is why he can dual wield so effectively.

Xiao Xingchen runs cold and Xue Yang runs warm. Xue Yang was extremely surprised when Xiao Xingchen was the one to suggest sharing a bed for warmth (he takes it as a proposition while Xiao Xingchen literally just wants the body heat, but they both get on the same page pretty shortly after that).

Shuanghua and Jiangzai's sword spirits get along really well.

Xue Yang does actually know that A-Qing isn't blind, he just goes along with it since he knows it would ruin her sense of safety and comfort if he actually exposed her.

Xiao Xingchen's internal monologue is surprisingly judgmental and not nearly as wholesome as you might think. That's why he finds it funny and not offensive when Xue Yang is unafraid to say those thoughts out loud.

Edit: Forgot to mention when I started shipping them... the answer is kind of complicated because I was primed to ship them before I even knew them. When they first showed up onscreen while my mother showed me The Untamed (this was the first version of MDZS I experienced), she asked, "would you believe me if I said they became a couple in the future?" and I was like "I hadn't thought about it but now I want to know how." So you can all thank my mother for being the original Xuexiao fan in my family.

[wifiwuxians]

If no one beat me to it, can I ask (surprise surprise) for Song Lan, in a thematic bid, please?

absolutely ily

oops he's bigger than Chao well anyways

First impression: "Wow he sounds hot as fuck. Also this is so fucking sad"

Impression now: Everyone who knows me knows I would go to war over this character. He is my favorite guy. He has effectively dethroned Jin Guangyao, Nie Mingjue, everyone. It's not about who's the best written or most important or whatever (everyone in the Yi City arc is of equal importance and that is a hill I will not die on because I will defeat everyone upon it). It's about who makes me feel the most warm fuzzies. Song Lan does. Tall, dark, handsome, badass, kind, undead, takes no shit, has compassion, and never lets the world knock him down for long. Literally the strongest character in the whole novel by a mile in terms of resilience

Favorite moment: It's gotta be his final words which Seven Seas ruined. After all this time and after everything he's endured, all he cares about is making sure Xiao Xingchen returns to the world knowing he is loved. Like okay. Songxiao they could never make me hate you

Idea for a story: THERE'S TONS but most will probably not become anything at this moment in time, save for perhaps the poor Songxiao adoption AU that's been simmering for like three years now, in which he and Xiao Xingchen are teachers who volunteer at an orphanage and end up taking the small and troubled A-Qing home... They aren't a couple at the beginning but eventually develop their relationship while caring for her (it isn't just about them, though, in truth the story is more about A-Qing and Xue Yang but UH. That's the working title anyway)

Unpopular opinion: I guess what I said before that everyone in the arc is of equal importance? But that's less about just him... I'll be real with you I don't really know people's opinions on him save for "he's hot" "I love him" and the bad takes which don't need repeating. I suppose my unpopular opinion will be me not drawing him as super buff as I could a lot of the time

Favorite relationship: We do not have time to unpack all of this right now but aside from the obvious 'they were made for each other and will always be together in some form' relationship he has with Xiao Xingchen, it's with Xue Yang. Undoubtedly. I do also love his relationship with A-Qing, the fact they knew each other so briefly yet became so intrinsically entangled, but ultimately Song Lan and Xue Yang and that terrible, horrible, sickening bond- but far more than that, the millions of what could have beens- are what have taken over my psyche. I suspect a fair few people are not happy with this fact lol but hey I'm not trying to disappoint anybody! I have a LOT I could say about why but I don't know if anyone even cares dkjljskjgf

Favorite headcanon: The idea that he puts aside his own discomfort and pushes past his phobia in order to help others will always be my favorite and my heart feels warm every time I see it in fic -//v//-

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 37 part one

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)  (whole thing on AO3)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Never Trust a Big Butt and Smile (Poison)

Wei Wuxian has gathered all the juniors together in the paper-offerings shop run by the corpse lady, and asks for volunteers to help him in the kitchen. 

Teacher's pet Sizhui jumps forward, abandoning Jingyi and leaving the field clear for Ouyang Zizhen to make his move.

He tells the other kids to stay put, but Jin Ling follows along to go make a nuisance of himself.

DLWJLF (Dad Lan Wangji would Like to Fuck)

Now we get to see Wei Wuxian in a new dad mode; not entertaining and protecting young A-Yuan, but guiding teenager Jin Ling to be less of a prat. On one level he is talking to him forcefully and generally not having patience for his crap, but on another level he is carefully teaching him.

Wei Wuxian explains that glutinous rice (aka sticky rice, aka sweet rice) can cure corpse poisoning, and proceeds to cook it up with every kind of pepper he can find in the kitchen, in a sequence that has got to be an intentional parody (full gifset here) of the lovingly-filmed food porn that shows up in so many Asian dramas (for example).

(More behind the cut!)

While the rice is cooking, Jin Ling finally explains what brought them here; they all came following a trail of hideously murdered "cats." The show avoids having to put an explanatory note on the screen saying "this is a digital cat and no actual cats were harmed" by showing us this ridiculously bad stuffed toy cat. 

On this occasion I genuinely appreciate the department of dubious practical effects, since I don't really want to see a realistic dead cat. But wow, this is super bad. It doesn’t even have paws, just weird stubby peg feet. It is probably made from leftover bits of whatever they used to make Wen Chao’s dog. Also, the MEOW noise happens right when Jin Ling opens the door, when the cat is clearly already dead. Maybe the cat's ghost is doing the meowing.

During Jin Ling's flashback, we get to see Fairy in action. Fairy is a special, extra smart, spiritually attuned dog. 

His powers include barking at the door when someone stands directly outside the door stringing up a dead cat from the rafters. I feel like maybe Fairy needs to aim a little higher in life.

Wei Wuxian thinks about the cat-murdering, and reflects that it's horrifying, but that whoever did it "didn't actually cause any harm."

Ghosts of a whole lot of deceased cats: easy for you to say, asshole

I'm still a little unclear on who actually did the cat murders. I think it was Xue Yang? since he wanted to lure the Yiling Laozu to Yi City, and couldn't rely on the qiankun bag of plot convenience to get him there.  Possibly he also wanted to kill and eat the juniors, like the clown in IT. I've seen people saying it was Nie Huaisang, but I don't think he had a motive to get the juniors to go there, given that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were already headed that way because of the spirit thingy.

When the rice is ready Wei Wuxian sends the kids to deliver it to their poisoned buddies. Wei Wuxian pauses to give Jin Ling a little more uncleing.

Jingyi tries the rice, which is absolutely loaded with spice, and asks if Wei Wuxian is trying to poison them some more. 

Wei Wuxian has the audacity to think "could it be that I accidentally spilled pepper powder in there?" Bitch, we just watched you dump a whole bowl of red pepper flakes AND a bowl of black pepper AND several whole-ass red chilies in there. Your memory isn't that bad.

Sizhui tries it and does a nice spit-take; then he says that the taste is familiar. I think this is the first instance of him remembering something from his time with Wei Wuxian, and I love that the trigger for his eventual cascade of recovered memory is Wei Wuxian's terrible cooking.

Wei Wuxian makes them eat it anyway, and then laughs to himself about it.

Young Miss Jump-Scare

Wei Wuxian hears A-Qing's stick in the lane outside, and goes to a hole in the wall to look at her. Once he's had a look he says "wow! she's amazing!" to lure the kids into looking. 

Jin Ling goes to look and A-Qing obligingly sticks her face right into the camera for a jump scare. 

Camera Operator: Damn, warn a guy, will you?

Next Jin Ling lures Sizhui to look, and A-Qing provides another jump scare, this time drooling blood out of her mouth. Then she goes back to walking in circles in the street while the boys all check her out, mostly platonically, except for Ouyang Zizhen, who is in love with literally everybody so can’t do platonic.

Wei Wuxian, fully in Wei-Laoshi mode at this point, tells the kids that they should look at A-Qing precisely because they are scared; as cultivators, they need to look past their fear and be able to identify things correctly. 

Sizhui, Jin Ling, and Ouyang Zizhen all take turns looking and all make different observations about her, and receive feedback from Wei Wuxian about the quality of their observations. 

Itty-bitty Lan Sizhui, hilariously, says that she’s only as tall as his chest. According to wiki.d-addicts, he is a whopping 7 centimeters taller than she is in real life. He has doomed himself to having to stand on a box any time he is next to her. Which, you know, he mostly won't be, because of all the death.

Conveniently, the window has a whole bunch of strategically-placed rips in it, so several of them can look out at the same time, like the Joke Wall on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in. No I am not that old, but the reruns were inescapable when I was a child. 

Do these knuckleheads think they are hiding? Very subtle, guys.

A-Qing wanders around and bleeds for a bit, but then she hears someone coming and skedaddles. The someone who arrives is Xiao Xingchen, wearing a ribbon/bandage over his eyes, no guan, and dark robes. 

Wei Wuxian recognizes him anyway, because Xiao Xingchen is famously pretty no matter how he's styled. Also he has his sword and waves it around conspicuously.

Wei Wuxian immediately decides to rescue him, over the objections of Jin Ling, but has to move quickly to avoid being poisoned by the AfterEffects volumetric fog that covers the street. 

He also has to do a hella cool spell, with a mix of light-talisman drawing and poetry reciting, which impresses all of the youngsters.

 For some reason it also causes a bunch of mild squib explosions on the outside of the wall. He comes back in, super-quick, with Xiao Xingchen clutched against his side, warning the kids not to come near because "even skin-to-skin contact will poison you." 

Dude, we weren't planning on getting naked with your uncle, chill out.

He sets him down and whispers to him, calling him Xiao Shi Shu,小师叔 which is how he would address his father's martial younger brother, not his mother's, according to my deep Google-translated knowledge of Chinese forms of address. I'm going to go ahead and assume that Wei Wuxian knows the subtleties of this sort of thing better than I do. 

ANYhoo, Wei Wuxian lets Xiao Xingchen know who he is, without actually saying his name, since some of these kids might have good hearing. He tells Sizhui to get a bowl of congee. Jin Ling objects to helping XXC, because he might be a bad guy, and Jingyi vigorously defends him, saying that he was being attacked by corpses, so is definitely a good guy. That...is not how zombie attacks work, but ok. He also cites Lan rules about helping the dying, which is a rare instance of Jingyi giving a fuck about the rules.

After bringing the congee, Sizhui looks at Xiao Xingchen's sword and immediately recognizes it as Shuanghua, announcing it to the other juniors, who come racing over to look. 

The kids instantly figure out that the guy is Xiao Xingchen. They don't recognize him, mind you, just his sword. Sword fans, amirite? All of these kids are active members of the spiritual-sword fandom and can recognize swords they've never seen, but only heard about on Tumblr.

Zombie Stroll

A bunch of zombies start walking down the street at this point in a thoroughly un-menacing fashion, including one disturbingly hot zombie who looks into the window. 

This is to prepare us for the arrival of the #1 Hot Zombie, Song Lan. 

Before that, though, Wei Wuxian is going to do another spell to lock the door, so he slices his fingers open *before* asking the kids if they have any talisman paper. 

This is like when I start cooking the green onions for my protein-obsessed teenage son's omelet that I make every goddamn morning in a bid to always do the exact opposite of my own mother's shitty parenting before I check to see if I have any eggs. Crack the eggs first, Wei Wuxian.

All of the kids offer up their blood, which he doesn't need, but don't have any blank talisman paper. Why does he need paper when he drew the other spell in the middle of the air? Never mind, never mind.

He is unfairly annoyed at this, considering that he didn't bring any paper either. He overwrites an Already-Been-Chewed one that Jin Ling produces and uses it to seal the door, which totally astonishes all of the junior cultivators, like they haven't seen magic before.

Immediately after he seals the door, Song Lan drops in through a hole in the ceiling, that Wei Wuxian really should have thought about when sealing the room up.  

Song Lan strikes a sexy pose--oh, who am I kidding, all of his poses are sexy--and stands there being admired for a bit, before half-heartedly swinging a sword toward Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian responds by verrrry sloooowly booting up his flute and playing something, while all of the kids lunge toward Song Lan at the same time, and all get deflected and knocked down. 

The flute playing does seem to stop Song Lan from actually killing anyone, and they are able to tie him up with their magic shibari rope.

A note about how Wei Wuxian's powers appear to work, for those who find his abilities confusing. As I understand it, any skilled cultivator can make use of ambient energy from the world around them. This allows the use of talismans without needing a golden core. With a golden core, a person can store qi in their body instead of relying on ambient energy.

Wei Wuxian, as the inventor of Demonic cultivation Xue Chonghai? We don’t know him. is able to pull on ambient *resentful* energy from the dead folks around him and use it to do stuff. But he can't store it in his body very well, which is why he creates the Yin Tiger Seal. It's already pre-loaded with Yin energy and he dumps more into it to get it out of his own body. At least, he stops farting big clouds of resentment smoke after he refines the tiger seal. 

Episode 21: That’s-a spicy meatball

So, Wei Wuxian in Yi City doesn't have the yin tiger seal to draw on, but the place is chock full of ambient yin energy for him to use. Also the tiger seal 2.0 is in the room with him right now, although he's not aware of that. Is it weird that he can’t sense that his supposed uncle is carrying a giant chunk of yin metal? Never mind, never mind.

When Wei Wuxian sees that Song Lan is wearing the same black contact lenses that Wen Ning had before --well, probably not the same exact ones, the budget wasn't THAT low--he remembers about the nails in Wen Nings head, and pulls a similar nail out of Song Lan's head. 

Unfortunately he only remembered one of the two nails he extracted from Wen Ning, because he doesn't check Song Lan for a second nail, and Song Lan's contact lenses remain stubbornly in place.

Soundtrack: 1.Bel Biv Devoe, Poison 2. Coolio, Fantastic Journey

[mdzs-fics]

To Love an Immortal by Anonymous

Alternate AU 33 chapters (complete) 43k words

“Mother I can’t let my son suffered that, maybe it’s the warning from the heavens itself. If I decided to stay at that corrupted world everything, I’ve seen would become true. Mother I’d rather die that hand my son to those wolves. I know you can sense that my life source is dimming, I will not last until he is five by then, I will do my best to guide him and let him live knowing how it is to be love. I will only ask you this please never let my son help those traitors during the war or in time of their most need. I can allow him to come down from this mountain once he is already a capable immortal and nothing can hurt him, but until that happened, he should never leave your protection.”

“A-Se would you still decide that even if it took hundreds of years for him to be capable?”

“Yes mother, I will be more than grateful to you if you honor my wish.”

“Very well.”

After that Baoshan left the room, meanwhile Cangse did not regret anything, she thought if those visions are from another life or another world then she would kowtow to her son to ask for apology for being an irresponsible parent, she could see it happening and it took the death of her husband for her to know that she needed to value her life and care for their son’s life.

The effect of suddenly filling her son’s meridians with overwhelming spiritual energy is that Wei Ying needs to be always put in healing sleep until his body catch up enough to hold the energy.

As To Love an Immortal begins, Wei Changze dies in a night hunt that Jiang Fengmian only meant to injure him enough to prevent his leaving the sect. A final letter reaches a now-pregnant Cangse Sanren, who returns to the Celestial Mountain. After two early labors, Wei Ying is born. His mother was given a vision of another life, where Changze lived. A vision that follows canon through Wei Wuxian's death. To change this vision, she transfers her cultivation into the child, who is now in a healing sleep. And though the body is that of a child, the spirit is now that of an immortal.

Those on the mountain work with the spirit of Wei Ying, teaching him the ways of cultivation.

At the age of fourteen, the soul of Wei Ying arrives in Gusu looking for his uncle Xiao Xingchen in order to warn him of a vision of Xue Yang and Yi City. He meets Lan Wangji as he goes over the sect wall. It is odd that the Lan can even see him. Sensing resentful energy on the grounds of the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wei Wuxian heads to the Cold Springs with Lan Wangji, finds Lan Yi and asks for the Yin iron in order to give Lan Wangji an excuse to help him find his uncle, who was in Gusu only two weeks ago.

The story trails through canon events to some extent. The focal point is the relationship between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying over the years, one moving toward immortality, the other having reached immortality of spirit and, eventually, connecting with his physical body.

This was an interesting journey. The author also mentions (and links) to another work, The Second Madam Lan, where Wei Ying is actually the daughter of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren. Both works are worth reading.

[lansplaining]

Why do ppl think JGY was in the right & NMJ in the wrong? To me they’re equally as right as they’re wrong. JGY is right he has limited options but NMJ is right he committed premeditated murder. Murder of a commanding officer is a big step in a time of armed conflict & in Nightless City WRH didn’t even order JGY to kill NMJ’s men. & w/ XY, innocent ppl’s lives were @ stake, & NMJ considered JGY a rare genius who got things done & didn’t think much of JGS’s effectiveness as a leader.

So I was going to break down all of these one by one, because they all have different contexts and pressures, and the whole point for JGY's case is that everything is contextual... but I realized that actually, you're totally right to group them in the sense that all of them rest on the same fundamental conflict between JGY and NMJ (and thus, which side fans take).

I'll take the Jin captain's murder as an example of what I mean. From JGY's (then Meng Yao's) perspective, for whatever reason, there is no solution except to kill this guy. JGY fans tend to take him at his word on this, but that's only part of why we see him as right.

On the other hand, it's not that NMJ thinks there's never an excuse for killing people, obviously-- but here and elsewhere, his response to JGY's explanation that his situation was untenable and murder was the only solution is, "Then you should have suffered."

Not killing the Nie cultivators might have blown his cover? Then you should have died.

Fighting to have Xue Yang executed might get him kicked out of the Jin clan? Then you should have gotten kicked out.

For both JGY and JGY fans, the right/wrong between him and NMJ isn't about the specific morality of killing or not in any given situation, it's about whether JGY has the right to act in the way he thinks is necessary to survive and succeed. NMJ thinks it's about the former, though, which is why their arguments are so unproductive.

I think you're focusing on MDZS which is good, we've got to pick our canons, especially with these two... but since this clip from the show was just going around the other day-- it's pretty much that. Both of them kill people quite a lot for reasons they both believe are completely justified. But at the end of the day, the running conflict isn't the individual incidents, but NMJ's fundamental belief that JGY doesn't have the right to defend himself or attempt to alter his circumstances. That if he's in a situation where he is suffering because of his background or his lack of training or his family's abuse, the only correct solution is to endure it, because-- well, why? Because killing someone for trying to stab you is right, but killing someone for trying to slowly break your spirit and destroy your chances of success is wrong? Sending cultivators to die in a battle formation is heroic, but killing them to maintain your cover as a spy and thus continue to be able to help in other ways is wrong? Per your second ask--

I think you're totally right to point out the same-ness between them, but I personally think it's not so much a reflection of their both being right, as it is their both being... well, the same. NMJ and the narrative are so desperate to paint JGY as a villain, to force him to understand that Mingjue's killings are righteous and JGY's are criminal, but at the end of the day... there's really no difference between them.