#wei wuxian and jiang cheng friendship

[bnnywngs]

Wei Wuxian is a good child. It's what every adult around him says, at least. If you ask for what he thinks, he'll say he's just doing his best to not be a burden.

At 13 years old, it's the first time he's been truly alone in his family house. His parents are always traveling somewhere, they used to bring him with them when he was little and didn't need to go to school, and Wei Wuxian still remembers those days with bitter fondness, but after he started school his guardian for a while was his grandma.

But now she's gone and his parents did not ask him if it was ok before they took off overseas once again. Although, his father did look a bit guilty.

"You're old enough, now, and you can cook, so it's fine for us." his mother said.

"If the school needs a guardian to sign a paper, our lawyer can do it, you just have to call him." his father forced a smile "Although he's going to visit you once a week. And we asked the neighbors to help, too."

"Oh! And your uncle Fengmian is going to look after you, too, ok?" his mother had no problems with smiling "We're going to do our best to come back more often."

"And you can always call us, ok?" his father looked at his wife's smile and suddenly his expression softened and his smile turned more real.

Wei Wuxian felt sick, but didn't say anything.

If they didn't want to stay, he wouldn't make them.

So, he tried his very best to live his life without complaining and with little to no tears. He smiled, laughed and joked around, trying to convince himself he was ok. That he was happy.

But sometimes, it was always too much for him and he felt negative emotions he tried with all his might to smother inside a deep box and kick to the back of his mind.

"Jealous." he said out loud "I feel jealous."

"What? Of who?" Jiang Cheng looked at him weirdly, as if doubting his words and thought he was crazy.

They were alone in the other boy's room playing video games before dinner, during one weekend Wei Wuxian was forced invited to stay over.

"You." Wei Wuxian shrugged, making his character die in the game.

"...Why?" Jiang Cheng's right eyebrow was almost kissing his hairline.

"Your parents are here." he hugged his knees, trying really hard to not cry "They fight a lot, but they love you and are here." sniffing, his voice trembled as he confessed his deepest feelings "I'm lonely."

Jiang Cheng looked down at his hands still holding the controller, biting his lip. He thought about what he should do, and ended up scooting over and throwing an arm around his friend's trembling shoulders.

"It's ok." he said, feeling awkward.

"I hate them." Wei Wuxian whispered against his knees.

Jiang Cheng felt his heart freeze for a moment "Sometimes..." he started "Sometimes I hate mine, too..."

Wei Wuxian cried silently for a while and Jiang Cheng kept half hugging him until he lifted his head and they both laughed at their red eyes and wet cheeks.

They didn't talk about it again until they were already in highschool and Wei Wuxian decided he wouldn't update his parents about his life anymore, and not be the first to call. Jiang Cheng kept supporting him silently and they started planning their future away from their parents.

When Wei Wuxian came out and started dating Lan Wangji, he didn't tell his parents directly, but his father liked his social media post. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and called them gross, but didn't tell any adults that the boys were sleeping together at that lonely house.

They were accepted in different universities. Wei Wuxian decided to go overseas by himself, while both Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng were accepted at the same university in a bigger city.

"I will wait for Wei Ying." Lan Wangji said, a few days before moving.

"You know..." Wei Wuxian snickered "There's this thing called vacation, I don't know if you heard..."

Lan Wangji huffed, amused.

"And my lawyer said I can come back every summer for vacation. But Lan Zhan could go visit me too, right? Lan-er-gege is richer than this lonely man." he chuckled, hugging his boyfriend.

"...Fine." Lan Wangji silently sighed "I can visit Wei Ying during winter break and Wei Ying can visit me during summer."

"Perfect!"

When they were hugging each other in the airport saying their farewell to Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng clung to him hard and long, eyes closing forcedly.

"Are you still lonely?" he asked in a low voice.

"No." Wei Wuxian smiled, squeezing him back "A little."

"Still hate them?"

"A little. Yes."

They parted with wobbly smiles.

"It's ok." Jiang Cheng said.

"It's ok." Wei Wuxian nodded "I'll be back soon."

"You better!"

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 4.5: Morning Period.

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)

[randomness-is-my-order]

something about wei wuxian and wen qing’s relationship is so profoundly heartening and i think it’s because, in that first life, they were each other’s confidants in the sense that they voluntarily allowed the other person to see them at their most vulnerable and trust the other to take care of them. wei wuxian trusted wen qing to carry out the golden core transfer and trusted her when he was helpless on that bed, his core cut out from him. and wen qing could think of no one else but wei wuxian to help her when she was in her most dire circumstances, trusting him to help her and her family out when no one else would.

“all that pride–all gone.”

at her lowest, wen qing went to wei wuxian and allowed him to see her that way. partly because her family was so much more important than a game of saving face and partly because if there was someone who would see her in such a state and not think ill of her and continue to respect her, it was wei wuxian. because he’s also been at his worst, circumstantially, and it was exactly in those days that their initial bond/friendship was forged.

there is alot of talk about debts when wwx and the wens are concerned but i think the way they helped each other transcends the obligation of debts. of course, you simply cannot overlook who was owed what, given the setting but it’s interesting that we have this passage to make us reflect on the true nature of wei wuxian and wen qing helping each other:

when wei wuxian had bid her farewell, carrying jiang cheng on his back, wen qing had told him this: “no matter how this war ends, we do not owe each other anything from now on. our debts are cleared.” her haughtiness was clear as day in his memory. but last night, she had clutched his hand in a death grip and almost dropped to her knees as she pleaded.

“wei wuxian…wei wuxian…wei-gongzi. please help me. i have no one else to turn to. you have to help me save a-ning! i really have no one else, i can only come to you!”

it’s the way that following wen qing’s refuge of wei wuxian and jiang cheng, there was a sentiment of: oh the wens did this to you and now we, also wens, have helped you just to compensate a little. let’s settle these debts and leave them behind. and this is despite wen qing clearly stating that the wen clan’s actions do NOT reflect her own and that she’s only ever saved lives, not taken any. and yet she declares “our” debts as cleared as if she had taken some accountability anyway. it’s part that and part her attempt to obscure what her actions towards wwx and jc truly were: an unconditional show of support and help. and wei wuxian knows this and it is only reasonable and honorable to still see the help as a debt owed later down the line.

and the same thing repeats itself when wen qing comes to wei wuxian and explicitly asks for help. there is a sense that this isn’t about some give-and-take or reciprocation of prior debts. it is simply a person reaching out to someone in their most desparate times, hoping their hand will be held. and wei wuxian does hold her hand and they remain each other’s staunch supporters through the rescue and the hellish survival in the burial mounds that follows.

wei wuxian trusts wen qing with his wounds and wen qing opens up her most loved ones to wei wuxian’s care. for two people who spent their lives looking after their loved ones, shouldering massive burdens and going through the destruction of their respective clans, their intrinsic understanding of each other makes their bond so special, so grounded. they both took massive risks to help each other out and they both did what was right over what was easy to extend that help to each other.

despite my fair share of problems with the cql, i appreciated that scene with wq and jc where wen qing made it clear that she couldn’t pursue anything with jiang cheng because he wouldn’t stand by her. he simply didn’t have the guts. and this is reflected in the novel canon, in the sense, that if debts owed are the metric to measure who could have helped wen qing, jiang cheng was also on the list and he was obligated to aid her as much as, if not more than wei wuxian (and i say this because the whole reason wwx ended up staying under wen qing’s extended care was because jc was injured. he would’ve left as soon as he was discovered had he been alone). and yet wen qing doesn’t ever approach jiang cheng. her only option is wei wuxian because she knows, deep down, that he would truly help her and go to greater lengths for her than any debts would warrant. that he would understand.

and thing is, despite being the outliers of their clans, they both (+wen ning) embodied their mottos. “attempt the impossible”/“knowingly do what you know you cannot do” for the jiangs and “every kindness should be returned” for the wens (very hilarious ik) and that is just one amongst the hundreds of commonalities they shared.

and all of this doesn’t even account for the fact that they basically died for each other. if this isn’t platonic love at its best, most brutal, most beautiful, then what is?

[sonik-kun]

MXTX describes Jiang Cheng as a negative person, but ultimately, he is not a terrible, evil monster.

We all know why Jiang Cheng is, by nature, a negative person. Aside from all the loss of life he has experienced, he had a rather toxic and tumultuous upbringing by his parents.

His father gave him little attention and seemed to favour Wei Wuxian (which only served to exacerbate the rumours of a secret affair he had with Wei Wuxian's mother, causing an even bigger rift between him and Madame Yu).

Not only did he seem to favour Wei Wuxian, he also often compared him to him, placed unrealistic expectations on him and refused to ever acknowledge Jiang Cheng's own amazing achievements (The fact that he was able to work hard and keep pace with a child prodigy like Wei Wuxian is impressive in itself.) He also told him that he didn't understand the family motto.. Do y'all not see how alienating that must be for Jiang Cheng? Especially being told that whilst he was still a child who was developing and set to be the future sect heir.

Then there was his mother who was both verbally and physically abusive to Wei Wuxian and him. She often demeaned Jiang Cheng and compared her to Wei Wuxian, pitting the two against each other despite the two of them wanting to just be friends. She was a wedge between a beautiful friendship and whilst I understand her grievances, especially towards her husband, she still put a huge strain on their friendship which only fed into Jiang Cheng's insecurities. It was unfair of her to take her anger out on her children and their disciple.

Jiang Cheng had no real, adult figure to ground him and reassure him other than his sister. But she too was a child under a great amount of pressure. That role should never have fallen upon her.

With all this taken into consideration, it is no wonder why Jiang Cheng grew up to be bitter, negative and resentful.

It makes you wonder that had he had a normal upbringing with supportive parents and never experienced the great amount of loss he went through, would he had turned out to be a completely different person?

I propose to you that he would. And we can see that person in his nephew, Jin Ling.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

With the encouragement of @admirableadmiranda I had some thoughts regarding fandom and it's expectations that they want, and not necessarily the message coming from the text we read and are supposed to digest. As well as how it places these strict boundaries of not being able to make these characters nuanced as they are constantly called. I feel like what fandom wants a lot of the time is this self fulfilling need in themselves or want served some sort of comeuppance despite that's a call of further unnecessary cruelty and if that's what you choose you aren't any different from the in world condemnation and finding that scapegoat.

If you choose to see a sort of betterment for a character to please yourself it is to deny the heart and harm they canonically caused and underplay their existing personality to play to the wants you have. If you choose to hate them as well it is to the condemnation that they aren't capable of betterment upon the character's core nature that is nothing like our own.

In this sense I am specifically noting the way fandom deals with Jiang Cheng. They do not let him have his own sense of "redemption" or choose to see it as dissatisfying based on their own yearning and self experience. Yet it's not about "us". Self peace of one is not, and should not be, what I need for my own self. For Jiang Cheng his own peace is realizing that sacrifice and the catharsis of that acceptance is being able to accept yourself.

Jiang Cheng decides to be as he is without condemning Wei Wuxian finally for what he is or what he became as an adult. His core nature is still unlikeable, chooses force to keep anyone from arguing and is arrogant. But he uses that to protect Jin Ling, despite how much fandom may dislike this fact, he does love and who loves him in turn. He uses his nature now to protect someone he was not willing to do that for previously. He is not kinder or softer in nature and never will be, but he is standing by someone he truly does want to prosper without the expectation of gain for himself.

He stops forcing his own way onto Jin Ling as we are shown Jin Ling openly continuing his own hunts with the Lans as well as Wei Wuxian without Jiang Cheng interfering or inserting that Jin Ling is wrong for his associations he has chosen. As much as he hated Wei Wuxian, he also hated himself and by the end is able to accept his own bitter core without dying in hate as his mother had done. He is able to escape the shadow of being his mother in full, on HIS terms and no one else's. The point is not what is a dissatisfaction for the audience but what is a peace of self for the character.

What am I to decry a person's peace finally in their existence that does not resemble mine or what I want? That is the arrogance of the self that I refuse to partake of and find even more cruel to force on another and tell them "You are wrong for finding your own sense of self and peace because that's what I think".

[bambooswordwielder]

Continuing on with my Yunmeng Trio Role Swap Au idea, I'll just write down the major changes to each character. This post will be about our beloved hero-complex Shixiong!

(1) Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian in this AU takes over Jiang Yanli's role as the family mediator, often serving as the middle ground for every family argument while also trying to make sure the family stays together. He remains quiet and reserved, only showing in extremely private moments to his trusted few his true burning personality.

In Canon MDZS! Wei Wuxian after being rescued from the streets is at first timid and shy, before graining confidence in himself due to Jiang Yanli's influence.

However, in this Swap AU! due to Jiang Yanli's stronger core, Madam Yu pours more attention and pressure onto her, causing Jiang Yanli to not have as much time to care for him, and also being more tired herself.

Wei Wuxian seeing Jiang Yanli's state , realises that Madam Yu increases the Jiang Sibling's training whenever he misbehaves or worsens her anger, so in order to taken some burden off of Jiang Yanli Wei Wuxian becomes quiet and more reserved, hiding away his true personality as he slowly resigns himself himself acting as a "Calm and respectful servant's son that obeys the noble family that took him in" despite protests from Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli who try to stop him.

Of course, he shows his true personality when he's alone with the Jiang Siblings, which leads to many who are not disciples at YunmengJiang to wrongly assume that Wei Wuxian is a mature and calm head disciple.

After Jiang Yanli gets an engagement with Jin Zixuan (That Jiang Cheng loudly detests with Wei Wuxian silently agreeing with him), Jiang Fengmian decides to try and broker a closer relationship with the GusuLan.

Since the Lan don't do Arranged Marriages in respect to their Sect's origin, they decide to try and get Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian to become friends (after Jiang Cheng loudly protested he would never be friends with someone so boring, at least Wei Wuxian is secretly funny behind his quiet facade!)

Even if this arrangement caused Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian to argue yet again for nights ("What? Is my son so much of an embarrassment you have to use that brat as a replacement!?" "San-niang, that's not what's happening–" "THEN WHAT IS HAPPENING!?"), eventually a meet up between the two was set up.

When the two meet, it's immediately clear that the two's (outward) personalities were near identical, which is the only reason Lan Qiren even allows the two boys to hang out alone while he and Jiang Fengmian discuss other import details.

After the two were left alone to hang out, Wei Wuxian felt only awkwardness as while he usually is quiet, usually Jiang Cheng or the other disciples were the ones talking and bantering, with Wei Wuxian being able to add in his perspective here and there (and be allowed to be himself because he was in the safety of people he trusted)

Lan Wangji was not like that.

Unlike Wei Wuxian who forced himself to stop fiddling with his sleeves and resist the urge to kick the stones that litter the paths of the paths, Lan Wangji merely looked off in the distance, every once in a while stopping to glare at nearby misbehaving disciples who immediately apologised and ran in fear of him.

Wei Wuxian wonders if this is some sort of secret test from the Lans. Perhaps he has to survive the battle of acting like a statue and not to saying a single word.

After an eternity (only 5 minutes) Wei Wuxian sighed loudly, indicating his acceptance of his loss to the quiet Jade boy beside him whose only indication he noticed Wei Wuxian's existence was the short nod when they introduced to each other by their respective elders.

"So Uh... Nice weather?"

"Mhm."

"My name's Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian." Wei Wuxian curses at himself thinking that Jiang Fengmian already introduced him earlier.

"Mhm."

"So... do you have a favourite colour?"

"No."

Despite attempts at various topics, but Lan Wangji just seemed to get more and more silent.

Wei Wuxian internally is screaming.

'What the– DID I ACCIDENTALLY OFFEND HIM? I JUST BREATHED!? DAMN IT DID I JUST RUIN UNCLE JIANG'S ATTEMPTS AT A FRIENDSHIP WITH THE LANS!?'

Wei Wuxian eventually gives up as Jiang Fengmian and Lan Qiren finally return, the two engrossed in what appears to be a deep conversation about tea of all things.

As Wei Wuxian bows and he and Jiang Fengmian prepare to make their leave, Wei Wuxian can't help but take another glance at the other boy.

As he stares back, he is only met with a bitter, ice cold gaze.

...

When Wei Wuxian returns back to Lotus Pier, he immediately rants about his entire visit to Jiang Yanli, who is more overprotective of Wei Wuxian and thus only tells him to tell her if he ever feels uncommon with Lan Wangji, and Jiang Cheng, who seemingly only grew more and more annoyed at this 'ungrateful' Lan Brat.

Jiang Cheng was annoyed because Jiang Fengmian said that Wei Wuxian wouldn't be able to attend as many classes with Jiang Cheng as before, now instead having to regularly visit the Lan Clan in order to further better relations. Jiang Cheng very much doesn't enjoy this.

"Why does that Lan Statue get to keep Wei Wuxian all to himself!?" Jiang Cheng complained loudly.

Wei Wuxian sighed, "Jiang Cheng, you can't say that about Lan—"

"I DON'T CARE! AREN'T YOU MY SHIXIONG!? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SPEND TIME WITH THAT PIECE OF STONE—"

"Jiang Cheng, please stop yelling," Jiang Yanli groans, rubbing her head from the pain of hearing his screeching.

Wei Wuxian sighs in relief, "Thank you Shijie. Now can you tell him that he can't say those things about Lan–"

"Oh no. I agree with him."

Wei Wuxian felt his hope for this family die.

Jiang Cheng puffed his chest, seemingly proud seeing even Jiang Yanli agreed with him.

"SEE! EVEN A-JIE AGREES THAT STUPID UGLY STONE FACE–"

"I did not say that."

"–SHOULDN'T GET TO HOG ALL YOUR TIME! HE NOT EVEN FROM HERE AND YET HE INSISTS ON STEALING OUR HEAD DISCIPLE!?"

The door slammed open.

"JIANG CHENG! WHY ARE YOU YELLING!?"

"A-Niang!"

"Madam Yu!"

As Jiang Cheng was promptly pulled by the ear to be scolded by Madam Yu, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but smile happily at being called Shixiong with Jiang Yanli laughing at him too before also being dragged off by Madam Yu.

...

Eventually, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were sent to the GusuLan for the lectures.

While Jiang Cheng was busy preparing himself to present himself as a dignified heir, Wei Wuxian was silently excited to try and improve his friendship with Lan Wangji.

Yes, he had visited the boy a few times over the years, but many of their conversations would just end with Wei Wuxian talking to himself for an uncomfortable amount of time while Lan Wangji would just nod and 'Mhm' occasionally.

It was okay, Wei Wuxian would gladly continue this routine if it meant that the Jiangs and the Lans would maintain good relations, but he would prefer to actually be friends with the second Jade.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you keep trying to talk to him... He clearly isn't worth yours, or anyone’s efforts."

Wei Wuxian just sighed.

"Jiang Cheng, please remember you can't say that when we're so close to the Gusu. What if an elder hears you and reports you to Madam Yu?"

Jiang Cheng flinched.

"Yeah yeah, but still," Jiang Cheng said. "Every time you try to talk to him, it makes me feel like punching him. He doesn't even greet you! The audacity!"

Wei Wuxian tried to stop him, but Jiang Cheng continued.

"First he steals you from helping me train! Then he forces you to come ALL the way to the Gusu every week to talk to him!? Who does he think he is!?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head, "Jiang Cheng, it doesn't matter that muc–"

"But it does!" Jiang Cheng yelled back. "You keep letting people walk all over you! Why don't you at least try to defend yourself!?"

"Jiang Cheng, please..." Wei Wuxian placed his hand on Jiang Cheng's shoulder. "It's not that bad. I can take whatever they say. I don't care about what they say about me."

Wei Wuxian tightened his grip on Jiang Cheng's shoulder.

"So please... Let me try and talk to Lan Wangji. I'm sure he doesn't mean anything bad! Maybe he's just shy?"

"Shy? Of you?"

"Jiang Cheng."

"Alright! Alright!" Jiang Cheng relented. "I wont insult him to his face! But that doesn't mean I have to like him!"

Wei Wuxian let out a sigh of relief, taking this as a rare win for himself.

"Good. Oh, and would you look at that? We're at our destination!"

Jiang Cheng turned and saw he was correct. Their ship was drawing near the ports of the Gusu, a quiet, yet large crowd of merchants and villagers doing their business on the docks.

[tls123]

alright episode twenty-seven vs twenty-eight !!

[wangxianficrecs]

Long Night in Longwood by ElDiablito_SF

Long Night in Longwood

by ElDiablito_SF

M, 13, Wangxian

Summary: For three years, Marshal Lan "The Swan" Zhan and Marshal Jiang "JC" Cheng have been scouring the country for Wei Wuxian, who'd done a runner from Chicago after causing a fracas. Could it be they finally found… him???

Mojo's comments: Aww, this was delightfully absurd, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Also, the included artwork is fantastic. Also, also: Old Shitface Yao the saloon owner is going to nourish me for a week.

Excerpt: “Well, I’ll say,” JC mumbled, looking askance at the singer and the corpse of the former proprietor of the saloon. “The crowd was getting restless and I came back here to see how you were getting on. And what do I find? A corpse, and the two of you in a prelude to the carnal embrace. What about your undying love for Wei Wuxian, huh?” “Who’s Wei Wuxian?” The Red Lotus looked momentarily scandalized. “That your girlfriend, sweetie? I should’ve known a handsome cad like you would be taken.” “It’s not…” Lan Zhan stammered a bit helplessly. “I’m not…” “What? Taken?” the Red Lotus asked with a sly grin. “Handsome,” JC cut in, throwing Lan Zhan a rather judgmental look. “Look, it’s…” Again, Lan Zhan found himself at a loss for words. “It’s all rather complicated. But in any case, you don’t know that name, then?” “Who, darling?” “Wei Ying.” “Who’s that, baby?” “Wei Wuxian,” JC cut in again. “Well, which is it, I haven’t got all night,” the singer declared as she turned towards her vanity and fixed the locks of the crimson wig around her sharp cheekbones. “It’s the same man!” JC replied, growing visibly irritated. “Oh! It’s a man! Well, why didn’t you say so before, darling? Here I was all getting worked up and jealous.” She looked back over her shoulder and threw a playful wink in Lan Zhan’s direction.

western, 1850s, gun violence, canon-typical violence, wei wuxian in drag, marshal lan wangji, marshal jiang cheng, bamf wen qing, happy ending, pov lan wangji, crack treated seriously, pov jiang cheng, farce, getting together, lan wangji & jiang cheng friendship, crossdressing, fanart, @jadedbirch

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[jcs-writing-hell]

MDZS X TGCF Fic Idea

 | Secret ascension and shattered believes |

↓

So, I’ve had this idea in my head for a while that at some point mid canon WWX dies and everyone thinks he’s just gone. Then one day JC ascends and as he enters the hall, where all the TGCF gods are, WWX is sitting there.

And it just.. kinda wrecks JC because the canon went on and WWX didn’t help even tho now he’s a literal god. He never even got a sign that WWX is still alive. And WWX is trying to explain that he couldn’t meddle because it’s literally forbidden. But JC doesn’t care ‘cause since when does WWX follow rules?

And from there XL & HC, among others probably, try to calm the situation down because it’s no fun for anyone in a who knows how many miles radius.

(yes ik wwx lost his core, just think of him mastering 2 different types of cultivation. don’t tear it apart, make it work xD)

just imagine the angst, the vibes, the interactions...

Also, the idea and things possible with the TGCF canon having been some far gone past with them having to watch it all without being able to mess with anything.

[featherlight-whispers]

stem major here can confirm 

doing math

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

While you were fighting in the war, I was falling in a pit.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[cute-chamomile]

Finished MDZS and im not ok, i think

[mxtxfanatic]

There are a few places in mdzs where, in the midst of Wei Wuxian trying to placate him, Jiang Cheng says something so terribly, egregiously misrepresentative of Wei Wuxian and his morals that all Wei Wuxian can do is stare at him—like an adult realizing for the first time that the tantruming child they are attempting to calm may just be spoiled—before deciding to give up on the conversation. “Sure, Jiang Cheng,” he says, “it’s whatever you feel. It’s whatever you want.”

People like to say that the problem with the Yunmeng friendship is simply communication issues, but I think the real problem is that when true conflict happens between them, they both realize that they truly do not like each other. The difference is that Jiang Cheng reacts to this realization by trying to force Wei Wuxian into the shape that he wants, which is submission—“Do as I say! Listen to me! Obey me!”—while Wei Wuxian stands at the other end of the torched bridge he plans to never cross again and goes, “Sure Jiang Cheng, it’s whatever you feel, it’s whatever you want.”

[batbusiness-schooldropout]

Wangxian wrestling over if lwj deserves to throw himself off a cliff and if wwx is going to get "dishonored" anytime soon. Actual wrestling, guys. With suplexes and everything

Jiang Cheng: Dammit! One day! I told him to behave for one day!

Nie Huaisang: What are you doing?

Jiang Cheng: Wei Wuxian is fighting Lan Wangji, so now I've got to fight Lan Wangji!

Nie Huaisang: I don't know about that

Jiang Cheng: The bro code is very clear! I've got to back up my bro-

Nie Huaisang: If you see him fighting someone. If. But we never saw them. Did we?

Jiang Cheng:....A-Sang, you're a genius

Nie Huaisang: Don't tell anyone

Jiang Cheng: Come on! Jiejie said she was going to the kitchens. Let's see what she's cooked up. Oh! If you refer to her as anything other than jiejie, I'll break your legs

Au where Wei Wuxian's blindfold falls off during that group nighthunt fiasco

Lan Zhan, internally: Oh no. I've been a bad Lan. I'm the worst person ever. I've dishonored Wei Ying. The only way to atone is to throw myself off a cliff

Wei Wuxian: LAN WANGJI YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE AND DISHONOR ME PROBABLY!

[littlesmartart]

The Man From Y.I.L.I.N.G.

Chapter 1: First Impressions Are Tough

by @eleanorfenyxwrites (with help from @little-smartass)

Mature, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Jiang Yanli & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Yanli, Lan Qiren, Mo Xuanyu, Jin Guangshan, Wen Ruohan, Wen Ning, Wēn Qíng, Luo "Mian Mian" Qingyang, Jin Zixuan, Qín Sù

The Man From U.N.C.L.E AU, Spies & Secret Agents, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, but make it mid-1960's cold war China, but handwavey, listen sometimes historical accuracy matters and other times it doesn't, we're just here for a good time, Jin Guangshan's A+ Parenting, The homoeroticism of falling in love with your mark, and also your unwanted mission partner who irritates the shit out of you, please please please don't factcheck anything I say about nuclear technology, we're here for vibes and a good time before anything else

Lan Wangji - well-respected nuclear technology researcher and engineer - has disappeared without a trace and with all of his research in tow. Now, a year after his disappearance, he's been spotted in the company of the mysterious Yiling Laozu, a dark horse in the tenuous field of nuclear weaponry and a name to be feared as the world is at the height of Cold War tensions. As part of an unlikely alliance between their employers, rival special agents Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue must work together to find and rescue Lan Wangji (with his research) and hunt down the Yiling Laozu to put a stop to his work at all costs - but is that really all there is to the story? [A 1960's spy action thriller based on Guy Ritchie's 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.']

you guys I am SO excited to introduce you to the AU that started the friendship between myself and AJ! I was watching TMFU for about the billionth time in january 2023 and as usual my brain was in Make It About Your Blorbos mode, so I wrote up a bullet point summary of how a 3zun AU for the film's narrative could work. I knew I didn't have the historical research chops to pull off what the story deserved, but then I remembered there was someone in the fandom who not only was very comfortable writing long-form fic, but also was excellent at writing fic with a really vivid sense of the time period it's set in - so I sent the AU plot outline to AJ with a message that was more or less, to use The Old Tongue, "free plot bunny to good home". if I remember rightly I think AJ actually went and watched the film that very evening and enthusiastically accepted custody of the AU - since then, they've done the writing, and I've been delightedly cheerleading and drawing art for it. I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as we've enjoyed working on it!