#where they made Jiang Cheng a literal demon

[kimboo-york]

Talking with a friend, we both agreed that only way to successfully write Jiang Cheng as a villain is if you love him very, very much.

I am what might be described as a Jiang Cheng stan, yet I totally can see why he would cross the line from toxic to evil. That reason is love.

Back again to the old saw, "the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference."

Jiang Cheng loved so much. He needed to be loved so much. He did not ever get the help he needed to become emotionally mature enough to deal with all the ways he loved so much. The push to hate would not be difficult.

He would be monstrous in his hate, because it was fed on love.

His entire life was heartbreak and grief and betrayal all the way down. Making him a villain or a demon might look like an easy thing to do, but if it's not coming from a deep well of compassion for him, then it will be flat and cliched.

If the resolution doesn't involve love and some kind of reparations and reconciliations and acknowledgement that Jiang Cheng's pain was always born out of love, then it's just a flat story with a bland EveryVillain who happens to be named Jiang Cheng.

[lgbtlunaverse]

Fandom is so nice to Jiang Cheng's inferiority complex because in reality every single thing he gets accused of is something Wei Wuxian is better at than him.

Jiang Cheng killed Wei Wuxian? Nope. Didn't even get close. Wei Wuxian's own spirits tore him apart before jc could even get there. wwx:1 jc:0

Jiang Cheng tortures people? We get two and a half rumours and a mention from jin ling that jc has 'captured' demonic cultivators before, but who is also apparently confident that just letting wwx run off will kill the issue even though those earlier rumours said ~no one who sandu shengshou captured was ever seen again~

The word jiang cheng uses when he tries to talk big game about 'beating the truth' out of Wei Wuxian's is a word that carries the context of pestering someone to do their homework. Doesn't exactly strike fear into my heart.

Wei Wuxian? Excellent at torture. A prodigy. Did you fucking see what he did to Wen Chao? Dude didn't have fingers anymore because wei wuxian made him eat them. He ripped out his hair, burned his skin off, and then stalked him for several days just to prolong the pain. He forced Wang Lingjiao to bite Wen Chao's dick off and then made her shove a stool leg down her own throat! 10/10, no notes. Absolutely horrifying.

Meanwhile Jiang Cheng's idea of torture is getting a dog to bark at Wei Wuxian for a few seconds. Weak, unoriginal, I bet fairy was literally wagging her tail the whole time. 2-0

Jiang Cheng made the entire cultivation world believe Wei Wuxian was up to no good on the burial mounds and ultimately orchestrated his downfall? lol. lmao, even

It's a big thing in certain corners of the fandom to really zoom in one one particular phrase at the end of chapter 73, where after wwx and jc have their staged duel to make the world believe they hate each other jiang cheng tells everyone wwx has defected and become "a public enemy'' or "an enemy to the cultivation world" or whatever the translation you're familiar with decided upon.

(As an aside, something I really like about this line is that the last half of it is almost exactly the same, like verbatim, as what wwx told him to say. like, the chapter is really hammering home just how much jc is speaking from a script here. wwx tells jc to say "今后魏无羡无论做出什么事，都与云梦江氏无关." and jc says "今后无论此人有何动作，一概与云梦江氏无关" the only meaningful difference is that he says 'this person' instead of wwx's name)

I've seen it said that this bit, the use of 'enemy' was said without wei wuxian's approval, that jc deviated from the script just to hurt his ex-shixiong for leaving him. And that this is what caused all the other clans to turn against wei wuxian. Regardless of if this is what jc and wwx discussed, or if jc had malicious motivations for it (considering my conclusions above, you can guess where i fall) it doesn't really matter, because the novel tells us when the clans completely freak out and become convinced wei wuxian is out to get them (though of course they've been wringing their hands about it since the literal day wwx ran off with the wen, months before jiang cheng visited) very neatly in chapter 75!

It's when they find out about Wen Ning.

And how do they find out about Wen Ning?

Because Wei Wuxian took him on nighthunts! And they kicked ass!

...Wei Wuxian, my man, why are you on nighthunts??? Why are you showing off your incredibly cool sentient fierce corpse buddy, who is way better and stronger than all the other fierce corpses, in front of the whole cultivation world??

Whatever his motivations (extra money, maybe?? they were strapped for crash) I can only draw the conclusion wwx had already given up on appearing calm or non-threatening and didn't care if the clans thought he was a threat, because they'd believe whatever they wanted anyway. Which he seems to clearly be aware of the whole time.

Regardless, we know that this is what created the myth of the Yiling patriarch. It's literally when the title first shows up!

Even if you really believe jc was secretly plotting against wwx in chapter 73, he's clearly doing a shit job of it because nothing he said made anywhere near as big an impact as this. Flopped!

The other point people use to argue Jiang Cheng caused wei wuxian's downfall is Jin Guangyao's speech in Guanyin temple about how jiang cheng could have saved wei wuxian if only he stood by him. Setting aside that jin guangyao is trying to get into jiang cheng's head here, and isn't necessarily saying what he really believes (though it very well might be! who knows with a character like jgy. assuming he's always lying is just as misleading as assuming he's always saying the truth) the fact is, if you read the speech closely, what he's talking about is not the 'public enemy' line, he's talking about the bond between them. The fact that people wanted wei wuxian out of yunmeng jiang, because the two were too powerful together.

He's talking about that one time Jiang Cheng very publically kicked wei wuxian out of the sect!

Which, unbeknownst to Jin Guangyao, was in fact Wei Wuxian's idea the whole time.

final score: 3 for you wei wuxian, you go wei wuxian! And nothing for Jiang Cheng bye.

[nixster627]

Most Redeemable "Villain" Tournament

It's time for another tournament! This is one I have been thinking about doing for a while now so I am excited to get it out. The bracket has been randomly generated using a random wheel generator, so without further ado, here is the bracket for the tournament:

The first round will start tomorrow December 17 at 5 PM CST and each poll will be a week long.

The reason the word villain is in quotation marks is because a lot of these people may not be villains by the traditional definition, it is just people who have committed wrongdoings but also had a reason behind why they did what they did (whether that is a good reason is up to you). So remember to vote for the person you think is most redeemable, not just your favorite character!

You all may have your own thoughts about this but I have added some "propaganda" beneath the break if you want to see the reason why each of them are considered "villains" in this instance and what redeemable qualities I think they have (there will be spoilers in the list so read at your own risk).

Update: Wang Lingjiao replaced Little Apple in the bracket because she is considered a better choice for the overall theme of the tournament

Nie Mingjue

Wrongdoings: violent person (lets his temper get the better of him), narrow-minded (not supportive of things outside his own opinions)

Redeemable qualities: very pro-justice, he is slowly being poisoned by his saber, he had to grow up to fast (became a sect leader young)

Xue Yang

Wrongdoings: killed a lot of people, manipulated someone else into killing people

Redeemable qualities: rough childhood that made him mentally unstable, wanted to undo what he did to Xiao Xingchen

Nie Huaisang

Wrongdoings: manipulations resulted in the deaths of several people

Redeemable qualities: wanted to catch his brother's murderer, helped uncover a series of crimes that no one was aware of

A-Qing

Wrongdoings: she pretended to be blind, stole from people

Redeemable qualities: she needed to steal to survive, a literal child, and tried to save Xiao Xingchen

Wei Wuxian

Wrongdoings: killed a lot of people, let his anger blind him

Redeemable qualities: the people he killed were trying to kill him and had already killed the people he was trying to protect

Xiao Xingchen

Wrongdoings: killed a bunch of people

Redeemable qualities: thought he was killing walking corpses, had an interest in justice, and didn't buy into sect politics (meaning he tried to go where people actually needed help and not where he would get paid the most)

Wen Ning

Wrongdoings: killed someone he shouldn't have

Redeemable qualities: he was controlled into killing said person, an overall gentle person

Lan Qiren

Wrongdoings: extremely close-minded, was not empathetic to his student's needs, didn't follow the rules he enforced on others

Redeemable qualities: believed he was acting in their best interests

Jiang Fengmian

Wrongdoings: never stood up for his children, treated his children unequally, never stood up to his wife

Redeemable qualities: he sacrificed himself for his kids, one of the only people to show Wei Wuxian kindness

Yu Ziyuan

Wrongdoings: didn't want her children getting close to Wei Wuxian, focused on Jiang Cheng being the best, disinterested in Jiang Yanli

Redeemable qualities: sacrificed herself for her children, put her faith in Wei Wuxian in the end

Jiang Cheng

Wrongdoings: anger issues, tortured and killed every demonic cultivator he came across after Wei Wuxian died, was not a great uncle

Redeemable qualities: his entire family died, most of his demeanor comes from his childhood trauma thanks to his parents, he had to grow up way too fast

Wen Zhuliu

Wrongdoings: killing a lot of people, doing everything Wen Chao says

Redeemable qualities: he felt like he had to do everything Wen Chao said, he did not choose to be adopted by the Wens

Wen Qing

Wrongdoings: illegal surgery (did not have the consent of one of the patients), helped the Wen Ruohan during the war, occasionally short-tempered

Redeemable qualities: did not want to help Wen Ruohan, did the surgery with the patients' best interests in mind, sacrificed herself to save Wei Wuxian

Jin Zixuan

Wrongdoings: was kind of an asshole, actively hostile to Jiang Yanli (his fiancee)

Redeemable qualities: he realized his anger towards Jiang Yanli was misplaced and ended up genuinely loving her, he was actively trying to be a better person

Jin Guangyao

Wrongdoings: killed a lot of people, manipulated a lot of people, framed Wei Wuxian, started a political conspiracy

Redeemable qualities: he was trying to gain his father's favor, rough childhood led to him thinking this was the only solution

Wang Lingjiao

Wrongdoings: used her status to bully people, abused many people because she could

Redeemable qualities: her place in the Wen family was not stable so she would never be able to go against what Wen Chao wanted, her death was very disproportional to her crimes

[elspethdixon]

Okay I’ve thought about this for another five minutes and now I want the MDZS/SVSSS crossover where WWX still invents his own unique ghost cultivation path, but where Madame Yu does traditional demonic cultivation because she’s a literal demon from the Abyss (the Violet Spider because she’s an actual spider demon, maybe). She fell in love with a human cultivator and entrapped him into marriage against his will and is now going to make her dissatisfaction with the human realm all Jiang Cheng’s problem.

Everyone is sure that Wei Wuxian was making all those heretical suggestions in class at Cloud Recesses because the Jiang sect are literally in bed with demons. The Jiang heir is even half-demon! And since both JC and WWX lack LBH’s magic stallion-novel protagonist halo, it means they’re both subject to extra scrutiny. JC had better be the most conventional righteous cultivator ever to overcome the suspicion caused by having demon blood and a demon mom and WWX and his “but what if?” questions aren’t helping!

This situation only heightens JC’s issues about his father favoring WWX, of course. Of course his father wishes he had a non-demonic heir. Madame Yu’s talk about how Jiang Cheng isn’t good enough for Jiang Fengmian sounds even more plausible when there’s an actual objective reason for it.

The Jiang sect leader being married to a demon/potential demonic influence in the Jiang sect is the excuse the Wens use to go after them. Jiang Cheng’s core built up by years of righteous cultivation is crushed, but luckily for him, his demon heritage means there’s another way for him to form a core.

Wei Wuxian doesn’t need to make his dramatic sacrifice, though he still does all the research hoping that he can prevent Jiang Cheng from having to resort to the demonic path. But this time around, Wen Qing isn’t willing to do the transfer, because Jiang Cheng’s half-demon body might not even accept a fully human core - his body might just consume it demon-style and then he’d be doing demonic cultivation anyway and WWX would have made the sacrifice for nothing.

Wei Wuxian still ends up captured by the Wens, gets his core crushed, and the whole burial mound + cultivating with resentful energy to survive series of events happens just like in canon. Except this time Jiang Cheng doesn’t have Wei Wuxian’s golden core. He has his own core, reformed and regrown one defeated enemy at a time, and with each battle in the Sunshot Campaign he grows more powerful.

When Wei Wuxian returns from the burial mounds, he knows what his brother has been doing as soon as he sees him, and there’s no reason not to tell Jiang Cheng and Yanli all about it. Instead of demonic cultivation driving WWX and JC apart, they bond. They’ve both taken the “wrong” path to survive, even though their paths, both called “demonic cultivation,” are very different at base, they’re equally unacceptable and tainted in the eyes of the cultivation world and there’s no reason for Wei Wuxian to separate himself from the Jiang sect. He and his ghost general become the Lotus Demon’s left and right hands.

Shijie has always been very empathetic, and her demonic heritage means she’s sensitive to resentful energy, too (said heritage is why Jin Zixun originally rejected her). She was never able to properly cultivate the righteous human way, her demon traits were too strong, and forming a core the demonic way wasn’t allowed, but for a demon it’s never too late to start - WWX has his first necromancer apprentice.

Lotus Pier will never be accepted among the other sects again, but it doesn’t matter. The Demonic Sect Leader and his necromancer siblings are unstoppable.

[reconstructwriter]

The Untamed vs Game of Thrones/ASoIaF

Finished watching The Untamed and have to rant about it, especially to anyone tired of GRRM taking forever to finish the Winds of Winter or burned out after season eight. The Untamed /Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation has all joys of GoM/ASOIAF (fight scenes, back-stabbing, political drama, an overwhelming evil that threatens the world, medievalism inspired by history, fantasy, character deconstructions, incest, zombies, tragedy …okay it doesn’t have dragons per se but it does have a dragon turtle) It also straight up does everything better. Everything:

The Opening: Much like Indiana Jones movies are praised for having more action in the first five minutes than most action movies have in two hours, this opens up right in the middle of the most climatic, action-packed and heart-breaking scene of the whole show. Then the show jumps back and forth, leading up to the inevitable and then shows where you go from there. So, we start out with an inevitable horror – this person WILL die, that person WILL betray, etc. that not only can’t be prevented but that everyone is inevitably spiraling towards. At the same time, it opens in the middle so we’ve got the tension of ‘what will come in the aftermath of this’. Best of both.

Villains: We’ve got both the intrinsically evil and otherworldly threat and the very human people who have chosen evil. But unlike ASOIAF, there’s an interplay between the two in The Untamed. The Others are fundamentally outsiders with Caster alone assisting them by making sacrifices. Meanwhile in The Untamed, said intrinsic and otherworldly evil is very much intertwined with BOTH the villains AND the heroes. It’s power most covet and brings out their worst traits, it is a force our protagonist must struggle with both inwardly and outwardly.

Also the villains and heroes are very much distorted reflections of each other in a way that's very intriguing – especially Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang who are very similar in personality. Had things been different they could have BEEN each other in a way Jon Snow and Ramsey Snow really couldn’t. There’s also a depth to both. You can see why Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang walked the paths they did even if Xue Yang turned out so fucked up. While I can see why Jon Snow made his choices…we aren’t shown why Ramsey Snow became the way he was. He’s the cliché ‘well he was just born nasty’ that can be boring in a villain – especially one contrasted with the protagonist.

Characterization: Everyone! Xichen WISHES he had his head chopped off like Ned Stark. Wei Wuxian shows even rapidly moving waters can run deep (and hey if you wanna see someone get literally, repeatedly damned for doing the right thing…). Madame Yu is like Catalyn Stark if the latter was badass and went out like a boss (and also despite everything gave half a damn about Jon Snow). Jiang Cheng is a contradictory fit whose relationship with Wei Wuxian makes Jon Snow and Robb Stark’s relationship bland as store-bought white bread. I see your Robb Stark and Theon Greyjoy and raise you Xichen and Meng Yao. In general MXTX’s characters are deeper, richer, more real and satisfying than GRRM’s.

Fantasy: This is a Xanxia fantasy so there’s a lot more overt magic – not just magical creatures but most of the protagonists and antagonists have magic. And magic swords! Personalized magic swords almost like a blend of Valyrian Steel and lightsabers except these swords allow the wielder to fly so as much as I love my glowy swoosh swords these ones might win out on cool points.

Historical: … from what I've been told Xanxia fantasies are typically set in the real world so The Untamed is set in our China – just our China if cultivation were a real way to obtain magic and immortality. So, there’s A LOT of references to real historical medieval stuff here. And a lot of medieval horror. You got your punishments, including some augmented by magic. You've got torture, entire sects being wiped out and the horror of bride ghosts.

Backstabbery: Thinking back on it Game of Thrones/ASOIAF, for all that it’s a sack of backstabbing weasels, doesn’t have a lot of really wrenching betrayal. The closest is probably Theon going back to daddy instead of staying with his Robb, but even then that's a valid allegiance for him. Littlefinger has no reason beyond money to support Ned, we get little hints of familial betrayal (Ramsey murdering his brother) but nothing like The Untamed which has some horrible betrayals. I mean people who have been best friends/sworn blood oaths/etc. backstabbing. If MXTX wrote GoT Robert Baratheon would’ve been the one cutting Ned’s head off (which, honestly that’d have been more interesting).

It's a crying shame Game of Thrones/ASOIAF is more popular and it really shouldn’t be. Best of all The Untamed its free (on Viki) 😊

[lanzhansexual]

Not entirely sure where you've got that form, but there were indeed people who used WWX's method and WWX himself confirms this very early on in the novel. Hence why he doesn't think it's suspicious to use guidao when he is pretending to be "MXY".

Unfortunately for him, Jiang Cheng’s resentment seemed to have intensified, fermented over the years like an aged wine. He had even started lashing out on practitioners who had adopted his cultivation method!

- Taming Wangxian, Chapter 7

That's the point, JC wasn't hunting down "dangerous criminals" he was literally hunting down innocent guidao users and that's a canon fact. Even LWJ and the juniors know this, so there must have been people able to use it. Yes, nowhere near as well as WWX could, he was the founder after all, but there were still those that did understand it and used it as he intended. XY isn't using guidao, he's using modao (demonic cultivation) and as such, JC has no interest in him - after all, he only ever helps with things that directly affect him or his clan.

I do not recall it stating he hunted down anyone with the last name Wen either, the Wen clan were all but annihilated long ago with LSZ being the only survivor. JC is hell-bent on killing WWX for real if he should dare to come back from the dead, he's looking for anyone who uses guidao to torture in the hopes it is him - and even then he continues to hurt, imprison and even murder those people regardless of whether he knows these people aren't WWX and are just those following his path.

I'm sorry, but the rest of your reply is merely speculation, as it is how you personally feel about guidao and not what is actually portrayed in the text. The Empathy technique is not WWXs creation, so some others must have/occasionally use it also. Not that this technique has anything to do with guidao really, as it's not using the ghosts resentful energy, just allowing them to take over your body.

Also, you claim no one else would sympathise with the dead like WWX does, but there are others that do show empathy- LWJ does and he has taught the juniors to do so as well. We see a teen LWJ showing empathy and unwilling to destroy a soul who is causing no harm in the Lotus seed extra - just like we see WWX doing the same in that very chapter. Yes, most of the cultivation world treat souls as a nothing more than something for sport and merit, but it's actually the common folk who have adopted WWXs path, those without golden cores and an affinity with souls.

WWX does not need music to control corpses, we can see this throughout the novel. It helps him and the corpses under his control focus, but it is not necessarym as we see in the novel. I didn't say cleanse, I said clear. I've never seen the Untamed 😂 I'm referring to him using music to calm his heart and focus - which he needs to control corpses. He uses Wangxian to calm himself and clear his mind on more than one occasion in the novel. If his mind is clear and his heart is calm he is able to control the souls more easily - hence when his heart was in turmoil and his head was a mess with trauma and stress he loses control in the novel. Yesm WWX is emotional strong and incredibly intelligent, but as he says himself his heart isn't made of stone and even he needs help and support at times.

The quote you have is referring to people trying to create fierce corpses, more importantly, conscious fierce corpses like WN. This is nothing to do with guidao either really, fierce corpses are created naturally, the only thing "some" (most likely XY they are referring to) tried to do was awaken their conscious then went down the demonic path instead. Those doing this were not trying to use guidao for good, they lacked empathy and were only wanting power using conscious fierce corpses, hence why they went down the demonic path instead. But there were still many who used WWXs true path and the text shows us as such.

I see this a lot in fics, especially ones that use demon cultivation versus ghost cultivation, but Wei Wuxian's cultivation isn't easy. I keep seeing people write it like it is some easy thing that people were doing in droves, but other than certain talismans, we aren't given any indication that anybody else learned how to use Guidao. It takes a certain level of mental fortitude, empathy, respect, humbleness and discipline to achieve to do even a tenth of what Wei Wuxian does.

[plan-d-to-i]

I think people literally forget that WWX had people to feed and had no food to give them. And they still think he had the time to think about the feeling Lan Zhan could have for him? They were starving!!!!!! Even if just that was happening, it was enough. You can't think clearly when you are starving, when people you love are starving. People should stop looking at WWX's life like it was easy and simple enough that he had time to think about romantic love.

Wei Wuxian is trying to keep people alive on the single most inhospitable piece of land whilst guarding against the entirety of the cultivation world on all sides and ppl are like: ugh WWX didn't have time? to moodboard his feelings? and then somehow read Lan Wangji's mind? dumbass oblivious clumsy chaos gremlin!!! >:-/

People also forget that in WWX's first life Wangji's view of ghost path cultivation is still unfavorable and WWX is stuck because he can't explain to him that it's because he literally has no other choice without revealing the core transfer that he can't reveal. He still touches upon it when LWJ visits the Burial Mounds and look at this parallel- WWX when he first theorized cultivating w resentful energy in the Cloud Recesses:

“Jiang Cheng warned, “That’s enough. It’s fine if you talk about it, but don’t actually walk such a crooked path.”

Wei WuXian smiled, “Why would I leave the nice, broad road, and walk on a single-plank bridge on a dark, narrow river instead? If it really is that easy, people would have already walked on it. Don’t worry, he was just asking, and I was just answering. Hey, are you guys coming? Since it’s not curfew yet, hunt for pheasants with me.”

(ofc jiang cheng didn't disapprove of his use of demonic cultivation when he could use WWX as a weapon)

Wei Wuxian tried to communicate this to Lan Wangji when LWJ visited the Burial Mounds:

“Wei WuXian spoke up, “Lan Zhan, you asked me if I intended on staying like this from now on. To be honest, I’d like to ask something as well. What can I do apart from this?”

He continued, “Give up the demonic path? Then what about the people on this mountain? Give them up? I won’t be able to do it. I believe that if you were I, you wouldn’t be able to do it either.”

He continued, “Nobody can give me a nice, broad road to walk on. A road where I could protect those I want to protect without having to cultivate the ghostly path.”

Lan WangJi gazed at him. He didn’t reply, but both of them knew the answer in their hearts.

There was no such road. No solution existed.

“Wei WuXian spoke slowly, “Thank you for keeping me company today. Thank you for telling me the news about my shijie’s marriage too. But, let the self judge the right and the wrong, let others decide to praise or to blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on. I, too, know what I should and shouldn’t do. I believe that I’ll be able to control it as well.”

As if he’d anticipated such an attitude since a long time ago, Lan WangJi nodded slightly and closed his eyes.

And that marked their farewell.”

Wei Wuxian was as honest he could be with Lan Wangji without revealing his sacrifice. While Lan Wangji is starting to trust Wei Wuxian's heart, he doesn't yet fully. Even so, when push comes to shove at Nightless City, Lan Wangji choses to stand by Wei Wuxian regardless:

LXC: “I told him when I went to see him, Young Master Wei had already made a grave mistake, there was no use augmenting it. But he said… that he could not say with certainty whether what you did was right or wrong, but no matter what, he was willing to be responsible for all of the consequences alongside you.”

but by then WWX was too out of it to hear or understand, and they don't get another chance until Wei Wuxian's second life. Lan Wangji now choses not only to accept whatever consequences Wei Wuxian may face, he puts his faith fully in Wei Wuxian's morality and heart and he's rewarded. By the time the core reveal comes around he has the privilege of being on Wei Wuxian's side, of being the person Wei Wuxian trusts with his safety. Things between them happen in their due time and it makes for a wonderful, natural progression as they grow towards each other.

[amedetoiles]

its been a year and just reading about the jiang sibs being happy is enough to make me SOB. THEY DESEREVED BETTER

It has been over 12 months since I fell into this hellhole, and I am still crying over Yunmeng siblings. I have no idea why I made this poor life decision, but it seems I am forever stuck bearing the consequences. I am sure there was a time in my life where I did not in fact spent a part of my waking hours crying over fictional sibling relationships and the tragedy of love your sibling so, so much yet being unable to save them, but alas, I no longer remember such peace. I am, however, enormously pleased and grateful to have had you all as company during this apocalypse. <3

In celebration of our constant agony, here is another compiled list of Yunmeng siblings/bros & co fics that I’ve read since my last rec list for all the anons in my inbox who have been asking for another list. Some of these I’ve rec’d individually as I’ve come across them but now it’s in a nice list for easy saving / reading! :)

For reference, my other rec lists are here and here.

in our respective ways ; an aging wound by @veliseraptor ; more gems from lise who really needs no introduction because everything she writes is perfect. jc and lwj searching for wwx for those 3 months during. post canon wwx and jc both tenuously trying to navigate the route to reconciliation. 

display my heart for you to see by @souridealist ; jc-centric (chengqing / mature). an oldie but a goodie. this is mostly about jc and wq. post-canon if set in a world where jc secretly saves wq’s life. everything author writes is a goldmine of sheer mastery.

this blood in my mouth by @shanastoryteller ; sizhui-centric but the yunmeng bro content is glorious even if it’s a small part. i cannot articulate just how much i love this entire fic. sizhui is going through it, and i say he absolutely deserves to be angry for once.

lynchpin by @shanastoryteller ; canon-divergence. time traveling jc is one of my favorite tropes in the world. lots of meta opinions, but the yunmeng sibling content is amazing and everything i have ever indulgently wanted.

by any other name by @shanastoryteller ; canon-divergence au where wwx is gender-fluid and mxy performed the ritual too early leading to some problems. (keep the premise in mind esp if you’re not into that!) in any case, the yunmeng bros and jin ling relationship here is really good.

impossible be strange attempts by comfect ; very indulgent fix-it and i love it. jc crawls through the land of the dead to get his siblings back.

a grave so familiar by @the-first-refrain ; jc and wwx are both injured and stuck in a cave and are both just.. going through it. i wailed through the entire thing. the prose is amazing. jc hurts so good. he loves wwx so much. wwx loves him so much. trauma heavy references; tread softly with your heart.

the dock of the bay (wwx-centric) ; in the morning sun (sizhui-centric) ; still remain the same (jc-centric) by @lesyah ; post-canon character studies as basically everyone goes through it with some canon-typical demon kidnapping. not always the kindest take but love post-canon fics that allow characters to process and have unfair feelings about everything they’ve been put through. especially wwx who regardless of how good he is at moving and not holding grudges still deserves to be angry! the yunmeng bros reconciliation made my heart swell. there’s two other parts to this series that focus on lxc and lwj if you want to read.

just this once by sami ; jc is kidnapped and wwx comes to save him. i am SOFT. everything about this is too much.

utterly inevitable by sami ; post-canon. wwx decides to help by brazenly and unapologetically stomping all over xichen’s wounds and jc (finally) demands what is his. love that for them (i’m sorry xichen). this has xicheng in it and as a non-xicheng shipper, if i’m rec’ing it, you know it’s worth it.

five things that changed for jiang cheng after he regained his golden core (and one thing that never did) by @mikkeneko ; title says it all. it is so so good. i am still wailing on the floor over this one.

letters by @withbroombefore ; post-canon. realized while going through my previous rec lists that i’ve never added this to any of my lists. a mistake i must rectify because it’s so good! and sizhui getting to build a relationship with jiang cheng is just something that i need with my entire heart. there’s so much healing! everyone is moving forward and it is so amazing.

living ; lifeline by @withbroombefore ; canon-divergence. jyl and wwx live. rec’d these as soon as i read them and am definitely rec’ing them again because it is so so good. yunmeng siblings prioritizing each other. just 🥺

coda by @withbroombefore ; guanyin temple fix it. what we all deserved after watching these two dumbasses openly pine in the courtyard. there’s a sequel in the notes. also before i rec the author’s entire list of works, y’all should just go to their ao3 and read everything.

the trick is to keep breathing by @alessandriana ; assassination attempt on jc’s life in order to get to jin ling. literally everything i have ever wanted.

see me, feel me (listening to you) by ghost_honey ; wwx-centric. wwx gets cursed while on a night hunt and on brand doesn’t tell anyone about it because of his abysmal self esteem. juniors galore! plus jc telling him he’s a moron. wwx out here always seeing everything but the fact that everyone loves him.

happy reading! <3

[yea-baiyi]

Thanks for answering my ask....if you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask your top 5 favorite characters from MDZS? And your top 5 (or top 3) favorite moments from the novel or drama? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

thank you for asking!!! i will never mind being asked to talk about my faves <3 i’m going to be SO annoying and specifically talk abt my fav characters from the untamed/cql, because i VASTLY prefer the drama’s characterisations of the main characters

top 5 characters from cql:

1. wei wuxian. like duh he’s my boy my soulmate my bestie my meowmeow. novel!wwx is exquisite but cql!wwx is so special to me??? he’s a mess of ego and insecurities and adhd and love…..the show would not have succeeded without cql!wwx’s earnestness and he makes it so special

2. lan wangji. hanguang jun, lan er gege. i relate heavily to wwx and so i am ALSO completely obsessed w him. i adore his arc in the show — the struggle to express himself, the moral conflict, the desperation to save the man he loves, the demons he battles in complete silence. i could write a novel about him alone

3. jiang cheng. LISTEN UP I AM A JIANG CHENG STAN. IM A JIANG CHENG DEFENDER. i’m firmly of the opinion that arguments about jiang cheng can be settled by “he’s a different person when written by the cql writers vs mxtx” and cql!jc is just my favourite. he’s just filled with so much love and nowhere to put it so it turns to rage. and he did good with jin ling. he did good

4. jin ling!!!! he is the glue that holds everyone together!!! that post about “jin lings uncle and jin ling’s uncle” is funny but that’s the point!! jin ling is the catalyst that connects the players in the story!!! he’s the blustery teenager who brings together all the traits of the people who made him. symbolically and LITERALLY uniting the family that was once broken.

5. jingyi. he’s just my funny funny boy………i love what he represents, whether it’s a sign of peacetime, of lan qiren softening, of lan wangji’s influence. he’s the spiritual successor to wwx in the juniors dynamic and every time he goes off im just like :’). because the world grew into a place where a child like that could speak freely, without fear. because he knows he is loved.

honourable mentions: sizhui, ouyang zizhen (i just love the juniors ok), ah qing, yu ziyuan, jin zixuan

(ok to stop this post from being a monster i’ll limit myself to top 3)

top 3 moments from cql:

1. “我不冤。” “if i could be killed by you, it would be worth it.” cmon. CMON?????? those of u who haven’t watched the show, you do not know how much unhinged romantic insanity you are missing out on. it’s insane to me that they invented this entire scene for the show. the rain dripping down wwx’s face like tears. lwj’s pristine appearance amidst the mud and the grey. the way he tips his head back to let the rain fall, but wwx never saw. im pulling my hair out

2. the conversation between wangxian when wwx wakes from his coma in ep 43. the tension. the fear. the tenderness. it’s so quiet. the way lan zhan’s hands rest heavily on the guqin strings, as if they would tremble if he lifted them. the way wwx seems so distant still. neither of them are breathing. it’s a new beginning.

3. the final scene between jiang cheng and wwx in guanyin temple. the way jiang cheng is quivering with anger and grief and love. the way wwx’s hands are so steady and gentle like the older brother he is. of course he gave away his golden core. that’s what he was always going to do. don’t mention it anymore, didi. no matter WHAT the last scene says, this won’t be the end of them.

i’m CUTTING MYSELF OFF HERE because i’m about to start crying. thank u for reading everybody

[tea-cat-arts]

"Lwj's own moral compass and beliefs is what lead him to be open minded" is a statement I fully disagree with just because of how rule-based his sense of justice was before meetings wwx. I think you're forgetting or ignoring the fact that lwj was previously the enforcer of the Lan sect rules and would subject people to being beaten with a wooden paddle for things like coming back after curfew. And he wasn't immediately open to change either (again, literally signing up for being beaten with a wooden paddle to the point most people wouldn't be able to walk because he accidentally broke a rule), and only really started being more flexible because of his fondness for wwx. He wouldnt have turned into a blind rule follower, he *was* a blind rule follower and he broke out of it. Lwj being ridged and inflexible in the past is something wwx repeatedly comments on throughout book 1 and 2.

Lan Wangji stood up and actively fought against the Wen clan after Cloud Recesses had already been burned down. Before that, he was also forced to play it safe with them (ex: letting the waterborn abyss stay put). Similarly, Jiang Cheng also fully rebelled against the Wens when he had nothing left to lose.

I don't know where you got the idea that I think lwj and wwx aren't equals because I never implied that at all. My post was focusing on wwx's impact on lwj, but that doesn't mean I'm unaware of lwj's impact on wwx (what is this, that one twitter post about waffles? Ya, I have a lot to say about how lwj's more stable life style had a positive impact on wwx, but this isn't the post for it). My post was made in response to fanfics where lwj is already flexible, open-minded, and ready to bend the rules before meeting wwx, and fics where the Lans are treated like this great clan that save wwx from the Jiangs horrible treatment.

And I'm standing by what I said about it not being fair to call Jiang Cheng a bad person for what he did. Don't get me wrong, I still think he's a bitch and a bad brother, but those situations are not as black and white as you're presenting them. He was willing to let some innocence die because the Jiangs weren't prepared and didn't have the power to stand up to the Wens, meaning if they stood up now, more innocents would die (which he was ultimately right about). He led a revolt against people who had passively benefited from the Wen Clans actions and never paid any sort of reparations, and who's acting leader had allegedly killed and injured hundreds of people, including an important political figure (a point a sympathize with but disagree with him on). He targeted demonic cultivators during a time period in which the trend among them was to kill and posses living humans (remember: most demonic cultivators were more similar to Xue Yang, not wwx). I disagree with most of the shit he does on a person level, but I don't know if I can call him objectively wrong when he is responsible for taking care of an entire clan, not just himself or his family

I simply think this fandom doesn't give Wei Wuxian enough credit for the various ways in which he saved Lan Wangji

[thebiscuiteternal]

Hello, lovely people! It’s time once again for twitter ideas too short for their own post!

IDK how many of y’all have seen the movie Ava’s Possessions, but the entire concept of there being an AA style rehab program that all recently-possessed-by-demons people are forced to undergo is the funniest shit ever, and I can absolutely see Jiang Cheng deciding Wei-Wuxian-In-Mo-Xuanyu’s-Body counts and forcing him to attend.

Slightly 🔪🔪🔪 with potential for a sweet ending: What if all that time in the get-along coffin + being so far out alignment with everyone else caused Jin Guangyao to be reincarnated as brothers with Nie Mingjue, rather than Nie Huaisang? And then they get a new neighbor who’s a fellow military brat, but bitterly lonely because he never had a sibling to share all of the moves to new homes with.

Mild TGCF crossover (more like just borrowing elements) where when Nie Mingjue sent his brother to the Cloud Recesses during the war, he never made it there. Months later, they hear of a possible Calamity the locals have named “Thousand Wings Darkening Skies” who is killing Wen forces just as quickly and even more brutally than Wei Wuxian and his corpse army.

Art Restorer!Nie Huaisang who is hired by some rich weirdo to repair a bunch of old paintings found in a safe. It turns out they’re all people who were cursed by the “artist”, and Huaisang’s work inadvertently weakens the curses. They all become fond of this nice young man who’s treating them so kindly, so when the rich guy decides it would be cheaper to just get rid of Huaisang rather than pay him...

Modern AU, Nie Mingjue takes his baby bro to a playground, then Nie Huaisang comes back with a sniffling boy his age and declares he’s their brother now because his parents are stinky jerks. Nie Mingjue rolls his eyes at his brother’s dramatics until they find Jiang Cheng’s parents and the two of them are still so busy arguing that they haven’t even noticed their kid could have been kidnapped. Hm. Maybe they will get a new brother.

pre-sangchengyao AU where the Nies are all werewolves and werebears that have magical triggers instead of being full moon-bound and noted dog people Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao always just happen to be around to help look after Nie Huaisang whenever anything made or decorated with realgar causes him to explode into a pony-sized ball of fluff.

Stabby (literally) idea where Nie Huaisang is caught snooping for his revenge plans by the worst possible person and Xue Yang jumps the gun and kills him on sight. Jin Guangyao is furious, until Nie Huaisang shows signs of being able to rise on pure resentment like his brother did. Maybe they couldn’t control a monster like Chifeng-zun, but... 

[flautistsandpeonies]

Fanon Pet Peeves: Diminishing Wei WuXian's Skills & Intelligence

Ex. 1

Wei WuXian isn't able to complete his own inventions. He’s just about got it, but there just something that is blocking him from being able to finish (in fics it’s either the flag or especially the compass) He needs the help of a third party, such as Lan WangJi, to help him finish his own work despite LWJ not being a demonic cultivator and especially not the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.

---------This irks me because it makes it seem as if all of WWX's accomplishments are the result of others and not his own hard work and ingenuity. WWX has no reason to ask LWJ, someone who does not approve of his use of demonic cultivation in his first life -they literally have several fights over it- what he thinks he should do with his own work. There is no reason LWJ would go, “Well, Wei Ying, why don’t you just do this, “ writes down simple sigil/array/talisman that completes the compass. Wei WuXian, “Huh, ah, Lan Zhan, you’re so smart!” (I have literally read this exact convo)

Ex. 2

WWX is completely defenseless without ChenQing or whistling. If there is no one there he can be easily defeated. This usually happens if he’s fighting Lans or Jins during Qionqi Path Part 2.

--------WWX does not need a flute or his voice to fight. He can summon the dead by simply clapping his hands. He is a trained swordsman and the best archer in his generation.

Ex. 3

WWX is stupid when it comes to politics; he speaks and acts without thinking and causes worse problems for himself and others. Nine times out ten, Jiang Cheng, Yanli, WangJi, Nie Hauisang, and others go behind his back and “fix” the problem for him so that a “happy ending” will occur.

--------Not only does this treat WWX like a child, it completely ignores how all his actions are thought out. I’ve already made a post about XuanWu Cave, so I won’t talk about that. However, let’s talk about the Flower Banquet right before he frees the Wen Remnants:

First thing first, WWX and Wen Qing are rushing on horseback to Lanling because there are innocents are being tortured in a labor camp. A person not thinking would have simply tried to find the prisoners on their own, but WWX doesn’t do that. He hides Wen Qing and then goes to the banquet where Jin ZiXun, the person with the most information is at. He stops him from getting the Lan brothers to break their rules, and now he has his attention.

One of the first thing WWX does is ask if he could speak to Jin ZiXun privately. WWX does NOT start by threatening people.

Jin ZiXun starts to stall because he doesn’t want to talk to WWX and is avoiding him. Seeing this, THIS is when WWX starts to ask about Wen Ning. He’s STILL not threatening people.

I will leave the link to the full scene right here, but the fact of the matter is that WWX was very polite here and was doing his best to settle the situation without violence. It’s only after Jin GuangShan starts to push him for the stygian tiger seal and WWX calls him out on his grabs for power (correctly comparing him to Wen Ruohan’s reign) is when things start to get dicey because the information that WWX needs- innocents are still being tortured at this very moment- he has still not obtained.

Fanon writes this scene as if WWX slammed the doors open and demanded everyone do as he says. They write it as if WWX walked it baring ChenQing and threatening everyone without a thought as what that would look like.

After this, fanon usually tries to have Jiang Cheng smooth things over. They write about WWX actions of that like an uncontrollable child than the calm approach he started with. They have JC chastise WWX for his “thoughtless” actions how they affect everyone (YunmengJiang).

However, even after the banquet we still see how WWX thought his actions out. He brought the remnants to the Burial Mounds- a mountain created of corpses, monsters, spirits, etc. WWX is a known necromancer/sorcerer, that alone is enough to make people back off, and it did for three years until the Jin machinations got the better of the cultivation world’s fear.

A WWX that wasn’t thinking about his actions would have implicated YunmengJiang in his actions, but he does not. Like I said, he brings them to Burial Mounds instead of his sect. He tells JC to tell the cultivation world that he left the sect and was acting on his own so that he wouldn’t be implicated.

For fanon to write a WWX who doesn’t think about his actions, you don’t understand the littlest thing about his character.

------------------------------------------------------------

I would give more examples, but this already got long enough.

JC Stans Don't Clown on my Posts

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

~*~

Hi! First of all, thank you so much for running this blog, It's become one of three reasons why I haven't yet committed arson (I jest but the Feeling is true). [Hee, hee, hee.] I have a rec for you! It's called "wholesome life usurp immediately" by comfect on ao3 and it's. So good. It's unfinished but the author updates it literally every other day if not faster! It's a lovely fic, I hope you enjoy it. 🌻

Wholesome Life Usurp Immediately

by Comfect (T, 55k, yunmeng sibs, qingli, wangxian, WIP)

Summary: Wen Qing examines Jiang Yanli at Cloud Recesses and has a cure for her poor cultivation.

Now there are Three Prides of Yunmeng.

Everything kind of fixes itself from there.

~*~

hello mojo!! I would really like to recommend standing still (but we keep going) by lwjromantics!! it's really good!!

standing still (but we keep going)

by lwjromantics (justfantaestic) (T, 5k, wangxian)

Summary: Lan Wangji supposed that if having to take care of little A-Yuan and Mo Xuanyu and having to look at the reminders of Wei Ying in their habits and mannerisms was punishment for his actions, he would willingly take it and flay his own back open.

— There are children in the Burial Mounds.

~*~

hii mojo! I just read this cute fic and I loved it so I wanted to rec it :) 

Word Up, Talk the Talk

by Larryissocute��(G, 2k, wangxian)

Summary:  It wouldn’t have been a problem (it really wouldn’t) if they weren’t best friends. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what good deeds he did in his past life to be blessed with Lan Wangji as a friend nor does he know what evil things he did to be cursed with being only a friend to Lan Wangji.

Or the one where Wei Wuxian kisses Lan Wangji and then runs away.

~*~

Hey! Love your account — and proud of you for taking the hiatus you needed.  [Lol - it was really nice!]  Idk if you take fic recommendations, but I'd love to rec Roots by ardenrabbit. Fantastic characterization, I really love it!

Roots

by ardenrabbit (E, 46k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  After Wei Wuxian's duel with Jiang Cheng, he finds that stab wounds aren't so trivial when he doesn't have a core to heal them. He wakes to find Lan Zhan in the Burial Mounds with him, already beloved by the Wens and making himself at home. When Lan Zhan tells him that he wants to stay and offers more help than Wei Wuxian knows how to accept, he fears that it's only too good to be true.

Lan Wangji knows that Wei Ying is doing the right thing, and he couldn't live with himself if he let him do it alone. For everything Wei Ying has sacrificed, Lan Wangji is determined to give something back to him.

Hanguang-Jun has turned his back on the clans to join the Yiling Wens and their demonic cultivator leader, and every clan has a different opinion on the matter.

~*~

Hello! I wanted to rec a fic on ao3 called "Restoration" by jelenedra. It's complete, an alternate universe of the sunshot campaign told nonlinearly. It has strong fairy tale and fae elements, with a touch of mystery. Bit of a fix it. Some delightful one liners, and the final ending imagery is just LOVELY. The fic deserves much more love. There's also some YilingWei, wwx not raised by Jiang, and sentient Burial Mounds elements. Enchanting read that keeps you enthralled and curious and intrigued.

Restoration

by jelenedra (M, 85k, wangxian)

Summary:  They say he was thrown into Luanzang Gang by the man who killed his parents; they say that he is an immortal cultivator who had been in a deep trance until the Wen sect disturbed his rest and incurred his wrath; they say that he is the fierce corpse of a cultivator who had somehow regained his mind and his spiritual powers.

When Lan Wangji sees him for the first time, he understands why people talk.

Meng Yao wants safety. Xue Yang wants vengeance. The Sunshot Campaign wants victory. Yiling Laozu provides, for a price.

~*~

I usually read all your recommendations. Thanks for gathering all good recs of wangxian. I am in love with every single story your recommend especially the favorites. [I’m so glad!]  I just wanted to suggest a fic i came across while searching for phoenix!wwx. Its a new story I think as author has published it today. The first chapter was very interesting that i thought ill recommend it you and know your opinion. The legendary phoenix and his dragon -Devipriya and Hidden Path to Love by ShadowTenshiV

Hidden Path to Love

by ShadowTenshiV (G, 78k, wangxian)

Summary:  Wei Ying is a servant working at the Gusu Lan castle. One day he enters through a secret passage way connected to the library where he meets a Lan for the first time. He may have left quite an impression, gaining the other´s attention and slowly becoming friends. They would like to become something more, but a servant can´t be with a prince, but maybe his secret can change that.

~*~

hello mojo! i was wondering if I could make a fic rec? it’s called “and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow” by izanyas. it used to be on ao3 but the author has since moved it to eir own website and has started posting updates there. i was wondering if this could also act as a signal boost bc some old readers on ao3 might not have known that it is now on another website.   Author's been through a tough time so I think it deserves a lot more love.

For new readers, please mind the warnings in the prologue and the beginning of each chapter! it’s omegaverse and a very heavy read as it deals with (possible spoiler) off-screen rape that results in an unwanted pregnancy, as well as secondary gender oppression which runs deep, but for people who can bear it the writing, worldbuilding, and emotions are truly spectacular.

and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow

by izanyas (E, 270k, wangxian, WIP, link is to WordPress rather than AO3)

Summary: Cangse Sanren was the first of her kind to become a cultivator. Talented, passionate, free-spirited, she bested everything that ever came her way until the very end.

Jiang Fengmian refuses to see her son deprived of that same freedom.

~*~

Hello Mojo! I dunno if this's been recced before, but here's another ficrec for you? It's complete, on ao3, "The Third Young Master of Qishan Wen" by KouriArashi. It's 'if wwx was raised by dafan wen, but gets recognized as 3rd heir due to his skill' scenario. Some really nice banter and characterization. Wwx and lz get together before the sunshot campaign. Story follows the live action but diverges into au, and does some cool callbacks to original canon. Love Meng Yao in this!  [Oh, I know KouriArashi from my last fandom, I love her works!]

❤️The Third Young Master of the Qishan Wen

by KouriArashi (T, 139k, wangxian, my post)

Summary:  The fic where Wei Wuxian is adopted by the Dafan Mountain Wens instead of the Yunmeng Jiang.

~*~

Hi Mojo! I can count the number of times I’ve spoken on Tumblr on one hand (I’m shy heh) but I found this fic that I think you and others would really like? I’m a sucker for emotional hurt/comfort and this was just too sweet for me not to share (did I go through 20 pages of bookmarks just to make sure you don’t already have it? Maybe …) [Aww, you can do a sidebar search in the bookmarks for the author’s name.  But I hope you found other good fics by carding through the whole catalog!]  It’s “Close Your Soft Eyes” by timetoboldlygo! I also wanna say thank you for all the hard work you put into this blog! It’s a treasure beyond compare. :D [Thank you so much!]

Close Your Soft Eyes

by timetoboldlygo (G, 12k, wangxian)

Summary:  When Lan Wangji woke, the first thing he noticed was the slip of paper, folded and tucked between his index and middle fingers, not Wei Wuxian’s absence. His fingers trembled as he unfurled the paper. A donkey with a little smile beamed down at him.

-

On the nights that Wei Wuxian was gone, Lan Wangji woke to gifts on his pillow.

~*~

Hey Mojo! I love your blog it is beyond awesome! [Thank you!]  I was wondering if you would consider reading JaenysBloodcourt series "A Bond to Takes us home"? The summary is weird but I like the fics and would love to hear your opinion on LWJ POV (it's part 2). Part one is Mingxian but part two (Wangxian) reads as a standalone for the most part. Anyways, thank you for all your hard work! <3 [I’ll put it on my list!]

A Bond to Take Us Home

by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 10k, mingxian - nmj/wwx, wangxian, series in progress)

Summary:  Wei Wuxian has two soulmarks. He has two soulmates that seem to be the opposite of him. During his first life he meets both of them, loves only one and longs for the other. In his second life, the one he loved first is dead, and the one he pined after is pining after him.

These are the many tales of his soulmates and the raucous they made across the cultivation world.

Some are dark, some are light. Beware.

~*~

I forgot to send this in for Mother's Day a few weeks ago, but have you read dragongirlG's "into the light of a dark black night"? It's a short canon divergence where Mama Lan escapes the Cloud Recesses after spending one last, heartbreaking night with her sons. It's so beautiful and bittersweet! [Oh, ouch.  I just read this author’s time travelling juniors au, but hadn’t seen this one.]

into the light of a dark black night

by dragongirlG (T, 3k, Madam Lan & sons)

Summary:  The night that Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, plans to escape from the Cloud Recesses, she runs into an unexpected complication.

That complication comes in the form of her younger son A-Zhan running up to her door and kneeling in front of it, hushed whimpers escaping from his throat.

Wu Yuhua knows it's not the full moon, knows that it's not the one day a month she's allowed to see her children—but like hell is she going to leave her six-year-old son out there trying to stifle sobs in the snow.

She opens the door. "A-Zhan," she says, bending down and reaching out a hand. "Come in, my sweet boy."

On a snowy night in the dead of winter, Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, unexpectedly spends one last night with her sons before escaping from the Cloud Recesses.

~*~

Hello queen I’d like to recommend for ur follower rec posts Avatar: The Untamed Waterbender by KouriArashi. Banger of an ATLA au, def the best one I’ve seen. It’s a WIP but the author updates pretty regularly and it’s all around an A+ fic [Oh, yes, I’ve been waiting for this one to finish before I jump in.]

Avatar: The Untamed Waterbender

by KouriArashi (T, 123k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  You know the drill. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

100 years later, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli find Wei Wuxian sealed in an iceberg.

Featuring: avatar WWX, waterbending JC, firebending Wens, airbending Lans, earthbending Nies and Jins, Jiang Yanli in possession of the brain cell, et cetera.

~*~

[My ko-fi.]

[beefdogcoffee]

25 - In the rebuilding of Lotus Pier, every single room was rebuilt ; Jiang FengMian's chambers, Yu ZiYuan's pier, Jiang YanLi's chambers, even Wei WuXian's chambers, exactly how they were. Of course, Jiang Cheng knew his parents weren't coming back, and his sister would be in Lanling, yet, they were rebuilt anyway. In the present time, the rooms are still very well maintained, and nobody (apart from Jin Ling ; sometimes) is allowed to enter the rooms. 26 - Jiang Cheng has an entire routine for taking care of his weapons. It's something like this: - After every night hunt, clean Sandu, free of any bloodstains - Give ZiDian some rest, after a long day - Clean ChenQing every full moon, properly and thoroughly without damaging it

27 - Jiang Cheng would sometimes, post Wei WuXian's death, sit on roofs and drink emperor's smile he got from GusuLan, looking up at the stars, all alone. If he'd get too tipsy/drunk, he would curse at the skies for leaving Jin Ling alone, without his parents. He'd also curse Wei WuXian, at times ; but then also begrudgingly admit that he misses everyone, and wants them to come back. 28 - Jiang Cheng has a little journal in a chest, in his chambers- where he writes about all of Jin Ling's achievements, with little side notes. Something like this: [Date] - A-Ling took his first steps, today. [detailed explanation on where when how and why it happened] (Sidenote, in a smaller handwriting: 'Silly boy also almost fell into the lake. Will have to watch him more closely now.')

29 - Jiang Cheng overworks himself, when it comes to sect matters, of course ; doing the work of three sect leaders all in one- but, halt. I'd also like to think, everytime he finishes his work, he gives himself a little treat. Like, a visit to Jin Ling, maybe visiting a few dogs in LP and giving them pats, or simply just a lotus bun, just a little treat for himself.

30 - In a modern AU, Jiang Cheng would DEFINITELY watch ghibli movies with his sister.

31 - Sometimes, when Jin Ling does something REALLY stupid, Jiang Cheng is really close to hitting him, but then when he sees Jin Ling's apologetic face he can't help but remember Jiang YanLi's expression from when she'd try to apologise for Wei WuXian/Jin ZiXuan's actions, and he stops and forgives him with just a little scolding. 32 - Jiang Cheng likes cuting fruits in random shapes, like bunnies/lotus flowers. Jin Ling would only ever eat apples cut by his jiujiu! 33 - Modern AU - In a haunted house, Jiang Cheng is just walking through it unfazed, while scolding on Wei WuXian because DEAR GOD Wei WuXian is about to dislocate his arm off and probably make him go deaf by screaming. 34 - One time as a child, Jiang Cheng literally ran away, but then he remembered that jiejie was going to make his favorite soup today! So he quickly gathered the stuff he had brought to the forest next to the YMJ market and quickly made his way back to Lotus Pier. 35 - One of the reasons Jiang Cheng hunts down demonic cultivators is because he doesn't want anyone else to end up like Wei WuXian. Jiang Cheng has seen what demonic cultivation could do to a person ; he'd seen what it had done to Wei WuXian, how his martial brother had slowly and eventually lost control of his mind ; and he didn't want that happening to anyone else. 36 - The idea of having a partner scares Jiang Cheng. Of course, he knows that as a Sect Leader he has to take in one some day, but..he isn't very fond of the idea. He doesn't think he'd be a good partner.

did this on twitter, doing it here too ; 1 like = 1 jc headcanon from me

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 21, part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff) (Previous Post)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Reunions

All together in The Unclean Realm, The Yunmeng trio find a spot inside where they can sit down and have a proper Yanli-Wuxian reunion, while Jiang Cheng sits across the table watching them. 

For years Jiang Cheng has been rejecting Wei Wuxian's free and easy affection; now Yanli might be the only person Wei Wuxian offers to hug until Wen Yuan comes into his life.

Jiang Cheng is really going through it. He'll do nearly anything for Yanli--except, uh, stay in the goddamn inn with her when she's sick and the Wens are hunting them--and what makes her happiest is Wei Wuxian. He's brought them together, and so he's happy, even though he's excluded from their dynamic. This absolutely fucking kills me.

Here Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian are sweetly pledging to always keep the trio together and put each other first. Neither of them will keep this promise. 

Wei Wuxian will leave first, to take the Wens to the Burial Mounds. Jiang Yanli will leave second, staying in Lanling at Jin Zixuan's request instead of accompanying Jiang Cheng to retrieve Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng will be the last to let go.

(more after the cut)

Nie Huaisang comes literally running in, filled with joy at Wei Wuxian's return. When he goes to pat his shoulder Wei Wuxian flinches away.

I feel like something important is happening in this rapid sequence of glances and expressions between Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang. NHS is startled, and WWX realizes he's shown something about himself that he didn't want to show. He glances at Jiang Cheng and back at NHS before laughing and covering his slip with a squeeze of NHS’s hand.

NHS switches from shocked to cheerful just as quickly, helping with the coverup. It’s like they have a quick mutual agreement, rooted in their history of shared shenanigans, to not point out that something is wrong.

Meanwhile, Lan Wangji is wandering around the grounds, having feelings. At this point it's presumably been at least a couple of weeks since their breakup fight. 

He sees Wei Wuxian sitting contemplating his flute, and as he sees him he goes from sort of neutrally apprehensive to full on angry judging, complete with sword clenching. 

Part of this may be that his feelings are hurt over their fight, but the larger issue is his distress over Wei Wuxian's apparent heretical cultivation.  That, at any rate, is what's on his mind when he's selecting music, later in the episode, and when he's selecting flashbacks. 

Party Time

Later, the Nies host an excruciating party to celebrate Wei Wuxian's slaughter of Wen Chao return. Jiang Yanli is sharing a table with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng is sharing a table with his crippling social anxiety. 

Everyone starts grilling Wei Wuxian about his sword, because that's suddenly all anybody cares about even though Jiang Yanli, Nie Huaisang, Meng Yao, and probably plenty of other people don't carry swords most of the time.

Wei Wuxian says "after the Wens caught me, Wen Zhuliu crushed my core, so I can't use my sword any more, too bad so sad, can we change the subject?" And everyone is very understanding and admires his resiliency. HA HA HA HA HA. Of course he doesn't opt for that simple lie, but instead mopes audibly without saying anything.

Nie Huasiang tries to change the subject by asking how he killed Wen Chao. Apparently "I had a sexy ghost mostly flay him" isn't good party chat, though, so neither Wei Wuxian nor Jiang Cheng opts to tell the story. 

Everyone lapses into awkward silence, all the more noticeable because there are no dancers, musicians, or entertainers of any kind at this event. OP has gone to audit-kickoff meetings that were more fun than cultivator banquets.

Moment of Clarity

While the awkwardness builds, we hear the sounds of the Song of Clarity. Lan Wangji is skipping the party, which is part of why Wei Wuxian is so mopey. But instead of sitting and stewing in his anger, Lan Wangji has shifted gears, and is starting to work on his "save Wei Wuxian's soul" plan.

This isn't the God-botherer version of soul saving, however. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian disagree about correct practice, but they both are still practitioners within the same spiritual system, and the majority of their beliefs are closely aligned.

Lan Wangji has powerful magic at his disposal, and now he's taking a step back from his plan of forcing persuading Wei Wuxian to give up heterodoxy, and instead he's preparing to use his magic to offset the consequences of Wei Wuxian's choice.

He still isn't ready to accept that choice, but he's working on it. This is a big moment for Lan Wangji's relationship with Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji is a deeply, deeply uncompromising person, as well as being super bossy, and he’s taking his first steps toward supporting Wei Wuxian’s free agency. 

Wei Wuxian leaves the party in the middle of Yao's toast, saying "I have to see you and your lover all over my tumblr dashboard but I am NOT going to listen to you talk!" He takes his wine to go roam around near Lan Wangji's quarters to pine and feel conflicted.  Lan Wangji has thoughtfully set up a projection scrim to catch his shadow and make the pining easier.

Jiang Cheng comes looking for Wei Wuxian, partly to reprimand him for rudeness and partly to see what the hell is wrong with him. Jiang Cheng is trying very hard to be pleasant. He's bad at it, but he's trying.

Wei Wuxian is trying to be unpleasant and he's pretty good at it. He won't say why he isn't using his sword. He’s obviously super fucking depressed about it, calling his former self childish for liking to spar, and only smiling once during the whole exchange.

He finally tells Jiang Cheng that he will always want to do the opposite of what Jiang Cheng tells him.  Jiang Cheng lets this go with an eyeroll.

(Point Break Quote Alert)

But actually this is a sign of trouble, right here in River City, with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for abandoning the Jiang Clan. Wei Wuxian has just told Jiang Cheng he has no intention of obeying him; not just about the sword, but in general. That's no way for a disciple to talk. 

OP has nothing to say about this gif. OP watches gif over and over and over and over

Wei Wuxian ends the conversation by tapping Jiang Cheng's chest with his flute and then walking away. The (still nameless) flute has no problem with this - does it, like Subian, recognize Jiang Cheng as an extension of Wei Wuxian?

The next day, Wei Wuxian is chilling in his room, looking ungodly sexy in his bold slashed robe, holy frack. I mean, he is sex-on-toast at all times, but the cut of his post-burial-mounds combo is particularly heart-stopping when he decides to stick a knee or two out. 

He's meditating and flashing back to being in the burial mounds, where he was also meditating. I admire his ability to fractally meditate about meditating. 

Chenqing

He didn't put a sock on the doorknob, so Jiang Yanli comes in and startles him. He brandishes his flute at her before calming down. The flute definitely does not see her as an extension of Wei Wuxian, because when she touches it, it smokes and then knocks her out of the frame so fast it's comical.

Did they put her in a jerk vest for that shot?

Wei Wuxian hides the flute from her, freaked out by its behavior. She, however, is unfazed, and gives him the first & only affirmation he's gotten about his new cultivation path, and says the flute is "like Mother's Zidian."  She kind of walks him through the whole "first class spiritual tool" concept, beaming with approval and telling him he must name the flute.  

Jiang Yanli is hardcore Jiang Clan, seriously. Freedom and impossibility. You survived 3 months of mystery trauma and now you're all fucked up? We'll roll with it. You have a demon flute now? Rock on. You're going to use necromancy to beat the other clans in a group hunt? Gold star for you.

He names the flute Chenqing, which @hunxi-guilai​ translates and explains in depth over here.

Bichen

Lan Wangji has finished practicing the Song of Clarity, and regardless of whether it's had an effect on Wei Wuxian, he himself seems much calmer. 

As Wei Wuxian contemplates Chenqing, Lan Wangji contemplates Bichen and remembers Wei Wuxian's assertions about resentful energy way back in Gusu summer school. 

This time when he grips his sword, it's loosely, as if he's made some progress with his anger.

Soup

Jiang Yanli sits Wei Wuxian down for some soup, and talks to him about what's going on with him, saying he's changed. He insists he's fine and works very hard to be convincing.

She's not convinced but says she won't press him, and then abruptly shifts tone and works very hard to act like everything is fine. She leaves, taking a lot of soup with her, and Wei Wuxian remarks that it's unfair she is giving so much to Jiang Cheng. But of course, some of it is secretly for Jin Zixuan.

Everything isn't fine, as Wei Wuxian scream-meditates with resentful energy just rolling off of him. He's got some of the dark energy stored in the Yin sword in his bag of holding, but I get the impression that a lot of it is just stored in his body.

Club Ruohan

At some point in the episode we stop in to check on Wen Ruohan. He and his wind machine are mad that Wen Chao is dead. 

Meanwhile, his interpretive dances with the Yin iron now turn his puppets into...Klingons? Sure, why not. 

Literal Stand-Up Meeting 

Jiang Cheng needs Wei Wuxian at games night a meeting and comes running to Jiang Yanli to find him. He is freaking out and she tells him to chill. 

No matter what fuckery is going on in the world, Jiang Yanli is going to find herself a nice little outdoor table and she is going to sit her ass down and have some tea and civilized lady activity. Queen.

This shot of the meeting is composed so nicely. The blocking (placement of actors) in this scene encapsulates the familial dynamics, and I’ll talk about that as soon as I finish admiring Jiang Cheng’s proportions. 

Here we have four clans represented by four family pairs around the game war table. The Jin cousins, despite their differing personalities, are side by side, matchy-matchy, in lockstep. Jin Zixuan lets Jin Zixun do the talking for him, so maintains his own rep as a reasonable guy.  

The Nie brothers are even closer together, also in matching greys, Nie Huaisang giving all of his attention to his brother/clan leader. You can see his careful watching of his brother's temper...not fearful for himself, but fearful for Mingjue.

The Lan brothers have a growing distance between them; they are in different colors (which is pretty usual for them), and Lan Wangji is standing well away from his brother and the rest of the group. Partly this is his personality, but it's also symbolic of his growing distance from his brother and other proper cultivators. He's carrying WWX-related secrets, and he's wrestling with what he's learned.  

While Nie Huaisang is looking at Mingjue, Lan Xichen is turning around to see what's up with his own volatile sibling.

Lastly you have Jiang Cheng, alone in the room, with his shidi nowhere to be found, and seriously feeling the heat because of his isolation. 

He's alone in his purple, but the color value (lightness/darkness) of his robes exactly matches Xichen's. 

And Xichen, bless him, makes a point of speaking to him respectfully as a fellow clan leader, gives him a path out of the "where is your brother" conversation, and is just generally his kind and helpful self with Jiang Cheng.

Next: Awkwardness Increases!

[robininthelabyrinth]

A Sick Thought - Part 3 - on ao3 or on tumblr pt 1, pt 2

Lan Wangji had long ago suspected that he had done some terribly wrong in a prior life, if only because something had to explain everything he’d suffered from the death of his mother to the destruction and rebuilding of his sect to the loss of Wei Wuxian and the terrible wrenching pain that accompanied it.

If before he suspected, now he was certain.

There was no other way to explain why else he would be tormented by the return of his beloved – as a feline.

He had difficulty even thinking about that, really, even though he’d gotten relatively used to dealing with the fact of it in real life. The thought just sounded so absurd in every possible way:

Wei Wuxian is back, but he’s a cat.

The Yiling Patriarch returned at last, meowing.

Purr, says Wei Ying.

(That last one tended to lead him to disturbing thoughts, and so he refrained.)

They were traveling together now, working together, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian together. It was everything he’d ever dreamt of, except for the part that his wildest fantasies on the subject somehow failed to cover the possibility that Wei Wuxian would be small, four-legged, and insist on riding on Lan Wangji’s shoulder except for when he felt the distinct need to zoom around wildly and would pelt up and down the road at top speed, chattering cheerfully as he did.

Similarly, when Lan Wangji had imagined sharing a meal with him, he had perhaps anticipated Wei Wuixan’s eyes going big and round and pleading, the way he inhaled the smell of spices, the way he would reach out to grab – but he hadn’t anticipated that he would need to bat away Wei Wuxian’s little paw before he consumed anything with onion, garlic, or other alliums, which were bad for cats, and would instead be feeding him little bits of raw chicken with no salt. Sometimes, even often, he would succumb to Wei Wuxian’s pleading and rub on a tiny little bit of chili powder – spice was also bad for cats, no matter how they lusted for it, and so it was bad for Wei Wuxian no matter his pleading. 

He had imagined sharing a pillow with him, hearing his breathing, and they did, he did - and yet, they were literally sharing the pillow, Wei Wuxian’s entire body curled up into a perfect orb of cat right next to his cheek and sometimes waking him up with foul cat-breath, and instead of needing to watch for nightmares he was more concerned about dreams involving chasing (Wei Wuxian had pounced on his forehead ribbon more times than he could count). He could sooth him with his hand, as he’d hoped, but there was a lot less sighing and a lot more purring - a rumble like distant thunder, more vibration than sound - than he’d thought.

Also, he’d imagined their duets to include somewhat more flute-playing and less…yowling.

Yes, it was all…very, very different.

No matter. It wasn’t important that it didn’t match his dreams; what was important was that Wei Wuxian, his Wei Ying, was back.

That was what mattered.

“I really wish we could’ve gotten more information from Mo Xuanyu,” Wei Wuxian said, padding along at Lan Wangji’s side. He’d permitted Lan Wangji to replace the cheap red ribbon Mo Xuanyu had found for him with something a little more elegant, and Lan Wangji hadn’t been able to resist using one of his spare forehead ribbons (dyed red, of course, to match Wei Wuxian’s tastes); the obvious end result of this pleasurable subterfuge was that Lan Wangji was now having some difficulty looking straight at Wei Wuxian without blushing. 

It seemed an appropriate example of suffering the consequences of his own actions. 

“I know he doesn’t know anything about the ghost hand – or the legs, I guess, now that we’ve gotten them, and wasn’t that weird with the Nie sect? Poor Nie Huaisang looked even more torn up about it all than I would’ve expected, all dark circles under his eyes and pale skin, you’d think he’d be better at running a sect if it’s been a decade already – anyway, I’m distracting myself from the main point. The main point is, I can’t help but feel like this whole thing is connected to Mo Xuanyu somehow.”

“Agreed,” Lan Wangji said.

Poor Mo Xuanyu.

Lan Wangji had not in nearly a decade and a half regretted his decision never to willingly set foot in Jinlin Tower, but now that he had seen what work they had made of Mo Xuanyu, he regretted nothing more. He who took such pride in being where the chaos was had missed the chaos and wretchedness right under his very nose – for Mo Xuanyu was very wretched indeed.

Lan Wangji had resented Mo Xuanyu at first, always laying his hands on Wei Wuxian without the slightest bit of shame – not that there needed to be shame, given that Wei Wuxian was, well, a cat, and of the subgenre of felines that Jiang Cheng for some unspecified reason continued to crudely refer to as “cuddle-sluts” – and for how Wei Wuxian worried about him and cared for him. 

It did not help that Mo Xuanyu was so well known for being a cutsleeve. 

And then, one day, Mo Xuanyu had gotten Lan Wangji alone and told him with great emphasis that he was deeply devoted to his successful courtship of Wei Wuxian, offering his help in any possible respect, and also wistfully added that he wouldn’t mind it very much if Lan Wangji were willing to offer some suggestions on how to court Jiang Cheng, who was utterly oblivious to any hints.

After that, Lan Wangji remembered himself what shame was, and guilt, and felt it thoroughly – it was no excuse to say that being around Wei Wuxian roused his worst protective and possessive instincts, for it was his duty to overcome them. Be strict with yourself, the rules said, and as always he had failed to remember the rules when he needed them most.

The extent of his pettiness was only magnified when he thought about it all more closely. Mo Xuanyu was not merely someone to be pitied, was more than simply a victim who had suffered under the outrages of the Jin sect – the harassment, the abuse, the deliberate poisoning and destruction of his mind in order to reduce his credibility...That was all bad enough, and it pained Lan Wangji to no end to hear it. 

But more than abuse, more than madness, more than exile to a misbegotten place that somehow managed to beat out Jinlin Tower for sheer viciousness –

It was due to Mo Xuanyu that Wei Wuxian had returned.

He had been willing to give his very life, his body and soul, to bring him back.

And for that, Lan Wangji owed him everything.

Even when it meant –

“We should return to the Cloud Recesses to fetch him,” Lan Wangji said, and Wei Wuxian craned his head around – his tiny, tiny head that could easily fit into Lan Wangji’s palm, covered in a short layer of fur more comfortable than the softest silk – to look at him in curiosity. “I understand that it is a detour.”

“It is,” Wei Wuxian said. “You wouldn’t propose it for no reason, either. What are you afraid of? He’s in the Cloud Recesses, and with Jiang Cheng – surely he’s as safe as safe can be.”

“It is nearly the end of the month,” Lan Wangji said. “My brother will be returning home soon.”

“So?” Wei Wuxian asked, puzzled. And why should he not be puzzled? To even think…and yet. And yet, and yet, and yet. “Jiang Cheng will explain everything to him, won’t he?”

“My brother will be returning home,” Lan Wangji said again. “After a month and more abroad.”

Wei Wuxian looked at him silently, awaiting an explanation. His tail lashed gently against Lan Wangji’s leg.

“He was visiting his sworn brother,” Lan Wangji said. “Lianfeng-jun.”

“Jin Guangyao,” Wei Wuxian said, his tone heavy – he had understood. “Does your brother visit Jinlin Tower often?”

Lan Wangji nodded tightly.

“And has for many years, I expect? Since the end of the Sunshot Campaign.”

He nodded again.

“Surely you don’t believe that he knew what was happening to Mo Xuanyu?”

Lan Wangji hesitated. “I do not know how he could not have known,” he confessed. “I think to myself if I had only been there – if I had overcome my disdain for the Jin sect –”

“Don’t think like that,” Wei Wuxian said at once, a balm to Lan Wangji’s soul. “You couldn’t have known. The Jin sect is the most talented at deception and misdirection – they wouldn’t have let you see. Nor your brother, either - you would have seen only what they wished for you to see, and poisoned the well of your thoughts to discount anything you did see.”

“Perhaps,” Lan Wangji said, and felt more at peace. It was true that even his brother, with his token, could not so easily travel through the depths of Jinlin Tower freely, without an escort. “I do not think Brother knew.”

“I agree. Impossible.”

“And yet - his sworn brother...it is not unheard of for Lianfeng-zun to unexpectedly accompany my brother back to the Cloud Recesses, and I cannot bring myself to believe that he did not know. As a precaution, therefore…”

Wei Wuxian’s ears flicking back and forth. “I see your point. But still, I don’t think it makes sense for us to go to them – why not write to Jiang Cheng and have him bring Mo Xuanyu to meet us here, while we investigate the Chang clan?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

“I’d prefer that, anyway – I really can’t use regular cultivation without Mo Xuanyu around, just demonic cultivation. As we continue to hunt for the ghost pieces, it’ll be good to have both.”

Lan Wangji wondered a little at that. In their first life, hadn’t Wei Wuxian completely abandoned normal cultivation in favor of demonic cultivation?

If so, why the shift back now?

“Besides, I have an idea I want to try that involves him,” Wei Wuxian added casually, so casually that Lan Wangji merely nodded and did not question and did not know until it had already happened.

“Success!” Wei Wuxia hissed in delight, then frowned, poking at his teeth. “Well, mostly.”

“You turned yourself into a catboy,” Jiang Cheng said, his hand over his eyes. “Because of course you did. I hate you. Have I mentioned that I hate you? Becuase I hate you.”

“What’s a catboy?” Jin Ling asked. Apparently he had insisted on joining them, as had Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi – Lan Wangji would have instructed them to remain, but Jiang Cheng had yielded more or less immediately to their requests.

Typical.

“You don’t need to know,” Jiang Cheng said at once.

“How do you know?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Jiang Cheng! What are you doing going about knowing things about catboys? We’ve talked about this –”

“What? No we haven’t! We haven’t talked about anything! You spent the entire conversation that we had over catnip crying your eyes out about how tasty pheasants are!”

Lan Wangji had always surmised that there was more to the conversation than that, being as both of them had emerged significantly less likely to murder the other, but he didn’t have any presence of mind to devote to that line of thought.

Or to any thought.

Not when Wei Wuxian was…well, mostly human.

He had his old face, but a build that more closely resembled Mo Xuanyu’s slenderness and height; his hair was the correct shade, but poking out from the strands were two now-familiar ears that flickered back and forth with excitement. And he was also possessed on inhumanly sharp canines, sharp claws, and what appeared to be a very active tail.

All the features attributed to…well.

Catboys.

(Lan Wangji had also seen the specific genre of pornography being referenced and every single one of those images – including his particular favorite, which involved a collar – was refreshing itself in his mind with a new figure in each starring role.

He was going to spontaneously combust.)

He stammered some excuse and fled the scene at once.

By the time he returned, they had more or less packed up to continue following the guidance of the ghost hand – it almost reminded him a proper night-hunt, actually. The adults, such as they were, led the way, with the juniors following behind, chatting amongst themselves; Mo Xuanyu was hanging off of Jiang Cheng’s arm and chattering at Wei Wuxian like old friends, his eyes curved up in crescents, with much of the terrible pain that he had always carried sloughed off like an old skin, while Jiang Cheng nodded along, oblivious to any hint as always.

Lan Wangji was abruptly struck by a feeling of – satisfaction, he thought.

This was good.

(Don’t look at Wei Wuxian or you’ll start slowing down the trip.)

But how could he resist?

He headed over and took his place at Wei Wuxian’s side, receiving a wide smile – he would die a thousand times over for that smile – for his troubles.

“What do you think, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asked him, and then barreled right on with the conversation without bothering to wait for a response.

Yes.

This was good.

This was how it should be.

Even Jiang Cheng, who Lan Wangji had despised for years…he made Wei Wuxian happy. And since that was the case, Lan Wangji would be willing to put up with him – on a temporary basis, anyway.

“What is this place, anyway?” Lan Sizhui asked from behind them.

“It’s called Yi City, with the Yi as in ‘coffin’,” Wei Wuxian said casually. “Didn’t you see the marker outside?”

“A better question,” Jiang Cheng said. “If it’s supposed to be a city, why isn’t there anyone here?”

“There is, though,” Lan Jingyi said, pointing. “Look, over there – huh, no. I must have seen the wrong thing.”

“No,” Mo Xuanyu said, and him actually disagreeing with someone when it wasn’t in the middle of one of his fits   was so unusual – even after he’d had so much healing – that they all turn to look at him.

He was smiling.

“You’re right,” he said, clapping his hands together happily, his eyes fixed on the distant spot. “There is someone there! I can see them!”

He raised a hand and waved.

“Xue-gege!” he shouted. “Xue-gege, it’s A-Yu! Come out and meet my friends!”