#especially because lwj has seen him cultivate
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In the mood for...
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1. Hi! I'm wondering if there's a fic like this?
(cql) fight where lwj lunges with his sword, and wwx doesn’t move, not thinking lwj would actually hurt, but lwj accidentally hurts him? @karinasnowwwx
Regrets by antebunny (G, 38k, wangxian, miscommunication, misundersandings, time travel fix-it, temporary character death, angst w/ happy ending, fluff, hurt/comfort)
Give Me What I Want by Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 60k, WangXian, Bad Guys Made Them Do It, Canon Divergence, Episode Related, Angst with a Happy Ending, Burial Mounds, fuck or die aftermath, Angst) the third fic in the series "Give what you like" has a scene like this
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2. hi!! i'd like to request fics that are similar to rather cruelly used and rather reserved by x_los.
i saw someone mention that they'd like specifics for these types of asks; i don't have something in particular in mind (i'd love to get any recs at all!), but some examples could be: this type of back-and-forth conversational humor; the sort of poetic way the prose is written; wwx grieving a-yuan before finding out he's alive; and/or how the confession/relationship is portrayed.
i especially liked the lines where wwx asks if lwj knew wwx loved him and lwj responds "sometimes, i knew," so fics where lwj or wwx sort of. suspect each other likes them/they sort of fall together naturally are also super welcome!
i know this is a lot but i tried to be as helpful as possible. no rec has to accomplish all of these, i just really liked that fic lol @kisskissgotohell
and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Yúnmèng Siblings, Sound of Music AU, (i know!!! i know. stay with me on this.), Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Sometimes You Just Want Your Dads To Admit They’re Your Dads, Angst with a Happy Ending)
threadfic by saltyfeathers (Not rated, 49k, wangxian, chapters tagged individually)
Works by Vamillepudding
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3. so I've seen a lot of fics with variations of 'Xiao xingchen and song Lan join and/or ally with (while still being rogues) the YilingWei sect'. But what about fics where wwx ends up joining the sect Xiao xingchen and song Lan had planned to found? (And not in a 'wwx raised by another sect' type way, but like a diverging au).
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4. ITMF canonverse fics where Wangxian have to deal with prejudice over their relationship. Hey, I love a good everyone-is-super-supportive-except-for-YZY fic because they deserve it. But MZY's treatment alone makes it clear that homosexuality is looked down on & the lack of any pushback can get boring. I don't want anything that stops them getting together, but I want to read something where they have to deal with negative reactions, whether it's sneers & gossip or having to leave their sects @thispatternismine
Just As Much by Gemiblu (E, 23k, WangXian, Jealousy, Boys In Love, Homophobia, demonic cultivation bondage, Power Bottom WWX, Cockblocking, Semi-Public Sex, Crying During Sex, Intimacy, New World, Female Characters, Casual Intimacy, mentions of non-canon character death, description of violent acts, post marriage, Explicit Sexual Content, Kissing, Affection, supportive married couple, Pet Names, YLLZ WWX)
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5. can i request some xiyao fics? i recently got into that ship and i'd like to read some of yalls favorites :) preferably no lxc/jgy/nmj unless there's a focus on lxc/jgy, and no abo/mpreg/porn without plot please!
Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association Series by Ariaste (M/T, 119k, WIP, XiYao, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, xiyao and wangxian are both already married, Family Feels, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Slice of Life, Discussions of Past Trauma, wwx's canonical kinks, HOAverse) there's a reason it's recced all the time!
save the bees (ride a beekeeper) by Ariaste (T, 4k, LXC/JGY, modern, Fluff and Humor, Meet-Cute, Bees, Flirting)
ask until your heart gets it right by Stratisphyre (G, 6k, JYL/JZX, JZX & JGY, implied LXC/JGY, Canon Divergence, Fluff and Humor, Unreliable Narrator JZX, warning for JGS behaving exactly as expected, Meng Shi's canonically shitty situation, Minor surprise pairing at the end, Fix-It, Everyone Lives au)
a micro utopia born as the overture plays by tardigradeschool (T, 18k, JGY/LXC, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Marriage, Fluff, Scheming, Everyone Lives au, Kid Fic, Spanish translation by finisterre12)
Marriage Principles series by Fahye (E, 38k, wangxian, LXC/JGY, canon divergence, arranged betrothal) LXC/JGY on the second part
Aftermath by KouriArashi (T, 57k, JYL/JZX, wangxian, LXC/JGY, JZX & JGY, JYL & WXX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Everybody Lives, Romance, Developing Relationship, Family, Sibling Bonding, Light Angst, Politics, Attempted Sexual Assault, some murder on occasion, People talking about their feelings, processing their trauma, The good shit)
Whispers in My Ears by tabulaxrasa (T, 3k, wangxian, implied LXC/JGY, Canon Divergence, LWJ stays at the Burial Mounds, Gossip, JGS is the worst, they have a son, Everyone lives, Podfic Available)
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6. Hey, thanks for your work as always! For the next in the mood for I'd love a compilation of high energy fics, just writing that is high spirited and fun or high energy and super engaging.
live from new york by varnes (E, 87k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern AU, SNL AU, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, and they were ROOMMATES, Frottage, Light Bondage, could not be lighter or gentler bondage)
The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)
kiss with a fist by daltoneering (E, 23k, WangXian, Modern AU, Secret Agents, Enemies to Lovers, Rivals to Lovers, Enemies With Benefits, Mutual Pining, Light Angst, Action & Romance, Action movie-typical violence, A HEIST, james bond inspired, Blood and Injury, Shooting Guns, please read a/n for further warnings!, (this is meant to be fun though I promise!))
Meng Yao vs. the Board of the Homeowner's Association Series by Ariaste (M/T, 119k, WIP, XiYao, WangXian, Modern AU, Established Relationship, xiyao and wangxian are both already married, Family Feels, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Slice of Life, Discussions of Past Trauma, wwx's canonical kinks, HOAverse) (link in #5)
ID Bro Saga Series by Bowandtie (T, 39k, WangXian, Modern AU, dating app, Liberal use of emoji, 3zuns as bad friends forever, Slow Burn, super slow it's practically sous vide, Crack) Please read first!: Hey mods I suggested a fic (ID bro series) for no 6 for recent IMTF , I read this series a long time ago and was revisiting it and I found it had some (not much ) humor that is insensitive (like chapter 3 has a joke about Auschwitz). The author is clearly not a native english speaker and might be unaware, though they didn’t correct it though a comment kindly suggested it. I wanted to apologise, I must have overlooked. I don’t want to promote anything that is insensitive or might hurt anyone.
10 RMB lucky chickens by Raitelzen (T, 25k, XiCheng, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Neighbors, Chickens, mafia, Motorbike, Pathology Students, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Pre-Relationship) Last one is crack fic
ridiculous future bullshit Series by sami (T, 61k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Future Fic, in theory it follows on from an au, specifically The Same Moon Shines Series, in actuality I'm not committing to this that hard, Humour, immortals through history, Modern AU, Sort Of, University, outsider pov, Pride, Chaos Gremlin WWX)
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7. Hi! Looking for a fics where LWJ died, but WWX hasn't. Doesn't matter what caused his death - punishment, accident, or protecting someone - anything is okay. I wanna read sth about WWX's feelings about it. LWJ'S resurrection after years would be great too
In the new dawn by ballofstring (E, 9k, XiXian, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence)
warning: it's wwx/lxc pairing.
Moonlight by lunarvelle (E, 14k, WIP, WangXian, A/B/O Dynamics, Omega Verse, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, WWX Creates a Sect | Yílíng Wèi Sect, LWJ Has a YLLZ Kink, Submissive LWJ, Horror, Case Fic, Pining LWJ, Whump, Dark WWX, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Age Difference, Angst with a Happy Ending, LWJ Whump)
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8. #itmf a fic similar to "after all i drifted ashore" by lingering_song, as in wwx does exactly what the cultivation world wants: give up the yin hufu and dissappear with his wen army and heretic powers; when the jins become the next wen sect, reign over all the others just as he said, and they come asking for help once again. i sincerely would prefer if wwx isnt forgiving to the ones that hunted him down after he down and betrayed him buy trying to lead a siege against him.
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9. hello!! could you please rec fics with the "secretly virgin wei ying lying about how amazing he is in bed and then getting fucked by lan zhan" trope?? or anything similar to it! i've been craving it so much but idk exactly how to find those through ao3 tags *cries*
thankyou so so much! hope you have a lovely day/night <3
Teach Me The Ways by likeafox (E, 58k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, The Porn Is the Plot)
Straight at the Sun by diamondbruise (E, 33k, WangXian, Canon Universe, no war though, Mutual Pining, Pining while fucking, Misunderstandings, First Time, Anal Sex, wwx desperately wants lwj's attention, lwj desperately wants to marry wwx, Miscommunication, Jealousy, in abundance, Happy Ending)
Lead Me On Through by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 54k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Practice Kissing, practice other things, horny boys in love, questionable logic, Questionable Choices, they're dumb but cute, but dumb, but really cute, slight knives, Happy Ending) I think this one also fits but I can't remember exactly. Has similar wwx you clown vibes though
Wei Laoshi, Poonslayer by FeelsForBreakfast (E, 6k, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, POV LWJ, straight boy wwx, Loss of Virginity, Getting Together) op might want to check the sbwy tag, I feel that is where you would find that trope the most cause its Wei ying talking /lying abt being with girls lol
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10. Was rereading Beast of Gusu series, and as much as I love Foxxian/Dragonji fics (or any other combination of animals), can I get some more recs where only one half of WX is a shapshifter/non-human/etc? I've also read the tiger fic, the one where LWJ is cursed as a plant, and the one where everyone in the Burial Mounds is cursed as a monster, so you can skip those! Please and thank you!!
You are what you eat by deliciousblizzardshark (E, 17k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Eldritch WWX, Horny LWJ, Body Horror, Possessionof a sort, Cannibalism, kind of, Mild Gore, Teeth, Fluff and Humor, Smut, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Monster sex, Switching, Light BDSM, Rimming, Self-Lubrication, Seriousness treated Crackily, Implied/Referenced Torture, Dead WWX) eldritch horror creatures wwx but honestly a puppy really
Also there's a shapeshifter comp as well! It includes more than just foxxian :)
find some comfort here by ScarlettStorm (E, 38k, WangXian, Modern AU with Magic, Fox WWX, animal rescuer lwj, Pacific Northwest setting, Adhd wwx, Established Relationship, Comedy, Smut, not just fox wwx but also foxboy wwx, to his own extreme horror, petting, both platonic and sexual, Scent Kink, Like a lot of scent kink, mildly telepathic sex, Blowjobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Sex Toys, Some A/B/O Dynamics, but in a non a/b/o world, No mpreg, yes self-lubrication, switch rights, Emotional Hurt/Comfort) WWX is a shapeshifter, LWJ is not
Uh, where can I find the LWJ is a plant mentioned in #10???
What We Grew in this Forsaken Place by Admiranda (T, 27k, wangxian, modern cultivation, shapeshifter LWJ, WWX has a fear of dogs, bunny crimes, genius WWX, unexpected pet owner WWX)
The Sun Will Rise series by vespertineflora (E, 129k, wangxian, Fantasy au, Fairy Tale au, Fairy Tale Elements, Human/Monster Romance, Tentacle Monsters, Plant Monsters, Tentacle Sex, vine sex, Vines, Monster LWJ, Human WWX, Mildly Dubious Consent Consensual Non-Con, Eventual Romance, Slow Romance, Happy Ending, Groping, Edgeplay, Hand Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Prostate Massage, First Time, Multiple Orgasms, WWX Has a Fear of Dogs, Homesickness, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Loneliness, Canon-Typical Violence, WWX Has a Rape/Non-Con Kink, Light Bondage, Light Masochism, Overstimulation, BAMF WWX, Stabbing, Near Death, Poisoning, Protective LWJ, Seduction Aphrodisiacs, OFCs, Snow and Ice, Snowball Fight, Lost Love, Falling In Love, Drunken Kissing, Sex Pollen, Submission, Subspace, Multiple Penetration, Love Confessions, full body restraint, Emotional Sex, Reincarnation) OP from #10 here, someone asked for the Plant!LWJ fic I mentioned? It was this series
blossoms at the roadside by bleuett (T, 12k, WangXian, Different First Meeting, Getting Together, Tenderness, Gardens & Gardening, Happy Ending, a little sprinkle of touch starvation, wangxian going 0 to 100 in seconds, Hand Feeding) In the process of finding the other, there was also this one I remembered, and thought, why not include both?
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11. hello! i'm looking for established relationship modern au wangxian fics, please! bottom wwx/lwj top only 🙏🏽💖
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12. Itmf fics where wwx got good or excellent reputation!! @whateverweilanlovechild
It's so sad that there are no fics where Wei Ying got good reputation 😭. I'm changing my itmf, please do one on fics where Wei Wuxian is loved by a collective people, like people of yunmeng or people of yilling. Something like that?
❤️ The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts by aubreyli (T, 20k, wangxian, In-Universe RPF, Romance Novel, Post-Canon Fix-It, primarily drama-canon with cameos from novel-canon, The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts by aubreyli [Podfic] by Rhea314 (Rhea))
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13. Sorry I just put in a request but I started thinking about wen ning, which made me sad soooo do you have anything wen ning centric? Thank you so much, have a good day @twlaei
Truth, Like an Arrow by Nahiel (T, 3k, WangXian, Technically this is a death fic, but I don't think it's sad, Time Travel Fix-It, POV Outsider, Sort Of, I don't know this fic is weird, assisted second death, but i still don't think it's sad, wn thinks poorly of himself, the author doesn't share this opinion, CQL Verse) Short Wen Ning-centric time travel fix it
do not go gentle by RoseThorne (G, <1k, WN & WQ, WWX & WQ, LSZ & WQ, major character death, Canonical Character Death, Spirits, Ghosts, LWJ Plays Inquiry, Song: Inquiry, Protectiveness, Grief/Mourning, Love, Acceptance, Family, Angst, Podfic Welcome, Post-Canon, POV Third Person, POV WN)
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14. Hii I'm wondering if there are fics where wangxian gain some sort of power that changes events in canon? @karinasnowwwx
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15. hi <3 i'd love to ask if there are any new-ish fics about the core transfer going wrong? it's been a couple of years since i went looking, for stuff like 'impossible remains' by jengabears etc (could be much less angsty like the transfer simply not working ahaha)
Drowning in the Sun by Zelos (T, 8k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Transfer, Canon-Typical Violence, Brotherly Love, Sunshot Campaign, Family Dynamics, Grief/Mourning, Angst, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, [Podfic] Drowning in the Sun by flamingwell) I hope this meets what you're looking for. The transfer succeeds and everybody is alive, but Jiang Cheng was aware and paralyzed the whole time…
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16. Hello everyone, I’m in the mood for heartbreaking and saddest wangxian fics you know.
I want it to be wangxian centric, no yunmeng bros or JC focus and I don’t care if it’s canon compliant or au. I’m ok with omegaverse but not with omega LWJ.
Thank you all in advance and for all your hard work @kanrax-blog
Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts)
Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)
我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 78k, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Only WWX Could Have an Empress to Farmer Pipeline, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, LWJ will grovel to the ends of the earth to make it up to WWX don't worry, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan, not LWJ friendly)
the heartlines on our hands by occultings (microcomets) (E, 47k, WangXian, Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, First Time, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death)
in wild plums and river willows by SnowshadowAO3 (T, 17k, WangXian, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, Canon Universe, Grief/Mourning, descriptions of physical pain, alcohol mention, Fatherhood, The importance of legacy, Living for your dead love's semi-adopted child, Hurt/Comfort, Hallucinations vs. ghosts and not fully knowing the difference because you're grieving, Canon Temporary Character Death, Grief and love as inherent bedfellows)
总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie (E, 76k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pianist, Getting Together, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Hospitals, Overdosing, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Warnings In Author's Note) mind the tags on this one
both are cathartic-sad
When the Words Stop Coming by mrcformoso (G, 7k, WangXian, Canon Compliant, POV WWX, POV LWJ, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Canonical Character Death, Love Confessions, Rejection, LWJ is a Panicked Gay, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Trauma, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sad with a Happy Ending)
New Perspective by mrcformoso (T, 8k, WangXian, Angst, Hopeful Ending, Fatherhood, Regrets, Flashbacks, POV LWJ, LWJ-centric, Canonical Character Death - WWX, Pining LWJ, LWJ Has Feelings, LWJ Needs a Hug, Character Development, Dead WWX, Introspection, Feelings, LWJ is Bad at Feelings, Character Study, Regretful LWJ, Breaking Toxic Cycles, Canon Compliant, LWJ in Seclusion, Post-LWJ, in Seclusion, Child LSZ)
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17. Hello to you all! My semester just ended and now I'm free for a week probably? I do have hundreds of fics downloaded but yk it, it's never enough >ᴗ< so ITMF Nie Mingjue - Lan Xichen - Wei WuXian friendship. Well WWX's friendship with either of them is fine as well. It doesn't matter if it's older or younger WWX. Both canonverse as well as modern era fics are welcome ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა @tinyfoxpeach
Tumblr Fic by @shanastoryteller
Been There, Done That by FlautistsandPeonies (G, 34k, wangxian, NMJ & WWX & LXC, WN & WWX & WQ, LWJ & LXC & LQR, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Not Everyone Dies au, WWX Canon Genius, Single Father WWX, Father-Son Relationship, NMJ/WWX/LXC Sworn Brotherhood, Sunshot Campaign, jc canon characteristics, YLLZ WWX, WIP)
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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***
#wangxian#mdzs#wangxian fic recs#i'm in the mood for a fic#the untamed#wangxian fic search#wangxianficfinder#long post
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MDZS Fanon Peeve: WWX and JWY Reconciliation (🤢🤮)
Warnings: Opinionated and probably biased JC bashing. Some cursing. Read at your discretion.
As much as I despise JWY he was a perfectly written character. As perfect as you can write an unhinged insecure megalomaniac underneath the facade of a political leader with their flaws(a lot of flaws).
But lets talk about the ending where people think JWY has changed for the better. Enough change that despite the unlikelihood there is a possibility for reconciliation which is to say none on my part. Which also infuriates me when browsing for fics.
One encounter can definitely change someone's perspective but that doesn't change every aspect of their world view. Especially someone late in their life and as set in their ways is as JWY.
Sure the Golden Core reveal and encounter with JGY might have JWY rethinking of his treatment of WWX during his first life.
But what about his anger about the burning of Lotus Pier, his sister's death, his distaste for LWJ and WWX's relationship? Don't tell me his entire world view just flipped just because he recognized WWX leaving the sect was as his fault? Don't tell me he learned to be a better uncle to JRL because he realized he was a terrible guardian and role model? No one shall dare tell me that JWY stopped being homophobic after the book. Would he actually be a better person just because he learned that the origin of the core he received was falsified?
That encounter had no repentance to the 13 years of hunting "demonic cultivators".
That scene had no realizations about how badly he messed up JRL. In fact he even uses JRL as an excuse to further attack WWX stating the JRL was parentless because of him. JWY literally pushes and shouts at JRL everytime he tries to help.
If this is being a good uncle, then JGY was a f***ing saint to JRL.
What we got out of it was him still feeling that WWX was the cause of the Massacre and the catalyst for his sister's death and how he betrayed him for the Wens. And how shitty he treated his own nephew who was just worried about his health. Oh and his inferiority complex the size of the Pacific.
He spits all that gasoline to set fire to already charred wood.
WWX: Take it as my repayment to the Jiang Family
JWY: Repayment, to my father, my mother, my sister?
WWX: Forget it it's all in the past, let's not mention it again.
He still had the f***ing gall to ask more from WWX as if those people were still alive and that his Golden Core and sufferings weren't enough. As if WWX needs to do more to recompense for the abysmal treatment he received in Lotus Pier. At least WWX has enough emotional maturity for the entirety of the story.
Boohoo. Spare me the tears. That was probably the most unsympathetic and pathetic waterworks I have seen to date.
All he learned was to leave WWX alone. Because nothing good comes out of trying to take what was never owed. a debt that was already paid.
So yeah. There's no changing angry toxic grapes so late in life. We get sh**** wine from fermenting wrongly from the start.
Just because they've agreed to forget doesn't mean they will ever forgive. What JWY became and what his part in the demise of the Wen Remnants is unforgivable to WWX. And to JWY, WWX's 'betrayal'(I laugh at JC stans in my head) is unforgivable to him.
Don't ever mention any possibilities of a WWX and JWY reconciliation to me. That tag should burn.
#mdzs#mdzs meta#modaozushi#mdzs manhua#mdzs fanon pet peeves#wei wuxian#jin ling#jin rulan#guanyin temple arc#canon jiang cheng#anti jiang cheng#anti jc
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I know you’ve done a lot of arranged marriage AUs, but I’d like a continuation to one of the first ones you did for MDZS? The one from the BLM fundraiser where WRH and YZY arrange WQ and WWX marriage to each other. Which is difficult because WWX is already with LWJ and WQ is attracted to JC? Sorry for the long explanation, but I didn’t know your name for it 😅 Thanks and happy birthday!
a continuation of 1
Wen Qing thinks that the Yin Iron must be kept underwater.
Lotus Pier isn't that large, especially compared to the vast and sprawling land of the Wen, but in spite of weeks of looking for the Yin Iron she hasn't found it, hasn't found so much as a whisper of it. Her uncle is convinced that there's a piece of it here and below the the water has been the only place she hasn't been able to check.
She asks her husband about the cultivation technique he uses to spend so long beneath the water, but he only stares at her. "Uh. Do you mean holding my breath?"
She return his stare. "I've seen you dive for nearly ten minutes."
"Jiang Cheng can actually go closer to twelve," he says and Wen Qing forces herself to not think through the other possible practical applications of that skill. "To become a senior cultivator they need to be able to hold it for five minutes, but most of them manage around seven."
The medical cultivator in her is fascinated. That level of skill is possible, of course, but it's highly unusual. That they've developed a training regiment effective enough to to make it a requirement for advancement is impressive. She wonders if it's partly due to a hereditary trait that's passed on to disciples' descendants -
"Do you want to go diving with us?" Wei Wuxian asks. "Let me work on it, although working on your conditioning probably wouldn't hurt. I bet I can figure something out."
"Thank you," she says and tries not to feel too guilty.
For the safety of her people, she's going to have to kill him.
She tells herself that it won't be the greatest of her sins, but with every ounce of kindness he shows her, it's getting harder to believe that.
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Saw that Nie Huaisang post. How he needs "someone with considerable weight and status in words and deeds" to reveal NMJ case, and that person is LWJ (he threw the arm in Gusulan junior nighthunt guarded by LWJ, not YMJ or even JinLing's who must also be guarded by JC).
Then, thinking that all along, NHS didn't even consider "that reliable person" To be JC is just... Hilarity at its finest. Especially when people keep reminiscing the Gusulan trio at their youth, and it's even funnier when we consider the fact that NHS and JC supposedly spent 1 year together compared to WWX's 3 months, or to LWJ whom he has never been close with at all.
To add more salt, NHS still didn't chose him, even when considering that a Sect Leader of one great sect "should have" more weight and privilege, than just a famous senior cultivator Hanguang-Jun. Or considering that JGY has Xue Yang etc, shouldn't the infamous sandu sengshou who has been upholding justice and arresting villainous demonic cultivator, be called to the scene? Rather than LWJ, the supporter of demonic cultivation who let his disciples using WWX's inventions, and even taught them WWX's quotes about dividing the class of evil spirits.
Wanna guess why NHS didn't even give him a role? LMAO
Well I'm sure that part of picking Lan Wangji over Jiang Cheng had to do with their respective earned reputation, he needs someone who people are going to listen to, and as we see even when he's correct about Mo Xuanyu being Wei Wuxian, no one actually believes him. He's completely squandered his reputation in those thirteen years that Wei Wuxian was dead and he has no one to blame but himself.
I really don't think the lectures were supposed to be a year long? I've never seen anything in the book that indicated that, though it is a common interpretation. But we do see very clearly during the lectures that the trio is really Wei Wuxian being super cool and fun and charismatic and everyone else putting up with Jiang Cheng so they can hang out with Wei Wuxian.
But yeah, a lot of JC stans arguments fall apart when you look at the things he isn't involved in and doesn't stand against. And it isn't things like him being shut out because 3Zun are best friends, it's that he makes it very clear that he's just not useful for these sorts of things. He doesn't mete out justice, he doesn't keep his word to people, he's got a bitter, rude way of talking to people and he doesn't go out of his way to even talk to people most of the time we see him. You can't just stand there and expect others to do all the work and like you for it. It has to be some level of give and he just doesn't.
NHS may have not been friends with JC, nor more than fair weather friends with WWX, but he does know who honors their arrangements and who doesn't and that's as much as he needs for deciding on who's more likely to help him out.
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Time travel prompt (crackish)
We all know that wangxian would have lots of kids (could be adopted, could be biological vial WWX taking “impossible” as a personal challege, whatever you prefer). So, imagine wangxian with 12 fucking children, from 20-something years old Sizhui down to a months old baby girl.
One day, some of the youngest find their way inside WWX’s office (and by “office” I mean “a little house some meters away from the Jingshi, which LWJ had built so WWX could work on his inventions without any danger of their house being set on fire by accident”). Sizhui, who had took a day off to play with his baby siblings, notice that 4 of the little ones had dissapeared and instantly knows they went to the office to find WWX.
Well, WWX isn’t there, but his inventions are, and Heaven knows the kind of things he has stored there.
Sizhui goes to retrieve his runnaways baby siblings, the rest of the little ones in tow because like hell he will trust all of them to stay put and not put themselves in a situation. When he gets inside the office, he doesn’t have time to stop one of baby brothers before he touch one of the talisman prototypes.
Cut to the past (could be the past of their own reality, or from another reality, you can decide), during one of the war meetings of the Sunshot Campaign. Sect leader Yao is testing everyone’s patience, as always, LXC trying to keep everyone calm, JC rolling his eyes at people’s idiocy, NMJ yelling, LWJ already gave up trying to pay attention on what’s going on and is thinking about ways of tying to convince WWX to go back to Gusu with him, and WWX is thinking about how that meeting is a waste of time and about how he wishes he was anywhere but there.
Suddenly, a bright light shines out of thin air, and everyone freaks out thinking they’re under attack. The light dims and everyone see that now, on the middle of the room, there are 12 young Lan disciples (we all know WWX would automatically exclaim “Baby Lans!”, because tiny baby Lans with their tiny white and blue robes and their tiny forehead ribbons are one of his biggest weaknesses).
There are lots of questioning, especially since neither LXC nor LWJ have ever seen these disciple (all 12 of them are using the clan forehead ribbon, not the white one the outer disciples use, therefore they are from the Lan clan, not only the Lan sect). It takes some time for them to believe the newcomers are really from the future (Sizhui whisper-hums wangxian.mp3 to LWJ, and LWJ says that yes, they’re really from the future).
However, LSZ humming wangxian.mp3 makes LWJ ask him how he learned that music, and LSZ reveals he is LWJ’s son (LXC, on the background: I HAVE A NEPHEW???) and that LWJ used to sing it to him as a lullaby, and that makes one of the sect leaders ask about the parentage of the other 11 Lans. When that happens, one of the younger children says they’re all from the main family line.
NMJ: So, how many of you are Wangji’s children and how many of you are Xichen’s?
Everyone, surprised that the Twin Jades would have so many children, and eager to find out which one of them have the most: 👀👀👀
Wangxian’s 7th child: What do you mean? Lan Xichen is our uncle. We’re all Lan Wangji’s children.
Everyone, having a mind blow because LWJ, the cultivation world’s official fuddy-duddy, will father 12 fucking children: 🤯🤯🤯
LXC, having the time of his life knowing he will have 12 niblings: 🥳🥳🥳
WWX, trying to figure out why he is sad that LWJ will marry someone else: 😕🤔🧐🤨
#mdzs#mo dao su zhi#the grandmaster of demonic cultivation#the untamed#mdzs fanfiction#fanfic prompt#time travel au
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i think we as a fandom should roast lan xichen more. hypocrite really encouraged lan wangji to grow closer to wei wuxian then let him get punished for trying to save him
wwx and lwj were like "we think jgy is up to some shady shit" and lan xichen's response was "okay but i like him though"
Just another day in the mdzs fandom …
I think often ppl in fandoms are sort of enamored w putting out "hot takes", even when those hot takes completely eviscerate the story of its depth and don't actually make sense if you give them more than a second of consideration. Kind of like that LSZ was crazy for not jumping on the cancel WWX bandwagon 🤪. A take like this erases the actual dynamic between LXC and LWJ, the fact that it is a loving and positive relationship, LXC's autonomy and characterization, JGY's masterful manipulating, and especially LWJ's own characterization; because this is a man who does believe in the Lan teachings. He punished himself when WWX MADE HIM break curfew. He punished himself after he drank Emperor's smile and branded himself (even though LQR didn't punish him) SO how would he have accepted injuring 33 elders of his own clan without no repercussions. The point is he knew the consequences/cost and accepted them when standing by WWX and he carried no resentment about it. Direct contrast to jc who tried to distract some troops, got himself captured instead and then never stopped resenting WWX. The other point is LXC knows the face JGY has shown him all these years, that WWX himself knows would give him no reason to doubt JGY. LXC is also aware of how the cultivation world talks about JGY and treats him bc of his birth and doesn't want to condemn him off the bat, but still agrees to investigate and find proof! He doesn't tell LWJ he doesn't trust him (LWJ), he says neither one of them have seen the head personally so they must both go off the word of a second person. Hell someone else would've been more mistrustful after essentially forcing his way into JGY's treasure room only to find no head there! But LXC still agrees to investigate.
Lan XiChen nodded, “Young Master Wei, no need to worry. Before the truth is entirely revealed, I will not be partial to either side or reveal your whereabouts. Or else, I would not have allowed WangJi to take you to my Hanshi or helped with your injuries.”
And afterwards WWX and LWJ both trust his righteousness.
Wei WuXian played with the bookmark in his hands before giving it back to him, “Your brother received quite a big shock.”
With care, Lan WangJi put the dried herb peony back into the book. He shut the pages, “Now that he has found the evidence, he will not tolerate this.”
Wei WuXian, “Of course. He’s your brother after all.”
No matter how close of a relationship Lan XiChen and Jin GuangYao had, he was still from the GusuLan Sect and had his own principles.
Do people just not care what the author writes? Is it that they have cancel culture brain and know they'd jump on any hate bandwagon in a hot second after one inflammatory tweet and zero due diligence? Let's be real most people in fandom would have been like the ones at Nightless City condemning WWX. Or, do they think the Clan leaders gathered at LP who start trash talking JGY immediately and assigning every negative thing to him the way they'd once done to WWX are the ideal? I get the desire to make these humorous quips but like almost everything else in the fandom they're not about the characters or the story, they're about the op, clout etc... So take them w a grain of salt. x
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My mind seems to go blank whenever I'm required to think of tropes, but uhh here goes...
Soulmates
Enemies to lovers
Fake married
Found family
Amnesia
Soulmates: A-. Done right, this can be a favourite trope of mine but I have specific things I want from it. I want to feel the characters’ connection beyond the soulmate thing. I want to feel them pull against it. I want them to be soulmates who are chosen as well as made. But ooh, the delightful angst potential of mutual pining with ‘they wouldn’t like me if we weren’t soulmates’ but they would and they do.
Enemies to lovers: C, I guess. It’s a bit of a weird one because my first impulse when someone says enemies to lovers is a favourite is a visceral nope, especially if they still feel like they hate each other once they become lovers (hate fucking will make me nope out of a fic so fast, especially for a favourite ship, especially if the hate is genuine rather than something they’re trying to convince themselves of). But so many of my favourite ships do have an element of enemies to lovers (Lymond/Philippa, Wangxian, Eugenides/Irene etc). When I like it, I really, really like it. The gradual getting to know one another, the realisation that someone you thought was awful is actually amazing, the way it can explore the idea of getting to know someone utterly, the guilt and confusion because this is your enemy, damn it… So yeah, a true C in that it depends massively on how it’s treated.
Fake married: B. I think I prefer forced marriage/marriage of convenience to truly fake married (i.e. pretending for reasons) because I tend to think of those as angstier (oh no, I’m stuck with someone who I can’t love/can’t love me) and fake marriage as more comedic (oh no, all our friends believe it too, how will we tell them the truth?) The need to support each other in a difficult situation, the gradual building of trust… But fake married is still fun and still has the potential for pining in close quarters which…oooh yesss.
Found family: B. A hard one to rate again. I love found family and I find stories in which the ship ends up happily together but without (found) family/friends viscerally upsetting - e.g. scenarios in which WWX and LWJ head off into the wild blue yonder and cut all ties with the cultivation world. I’ve never seen anyone do something like that with Lymond and, honestly, Richard would just chase him down with a big butterfly net at this point. Something he should have considered earlier in canon tbh. But anyway, I love seeing the development/fulfilment of platonic emotional bonds but, at the same time, I never think to filter for found family and I usually want the fic to be doing something else as well.
Amnesia: A+. Heeeeeeeeeee yeah. I love it so much. So much angst, so much confusion, so much vulnerability, so much doubt and fear. All the hurt/comfort! It’s sickfic turned up to 10. There are so many different ways it can go, poking at trauma and trust, exploring the possibility of healing damaged relationships and getting to see aspects of a character which they usually keep hidden. It’s a trope which lends itself really well to a close focus on the characters and their emotions. I especially love it when the amnesiac character doesn’t understand why the others are treating them so well and has to go through the process of learning to be vulnerable all over again. I might have to go and find some amnesia fic now…
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Earlier today, I continued my CQL watch and one of the episodes I watched was 24. This is the episode when Wangji and Xichen returns to Cloud Recesses after Wen Ruohan has been killed and they are later summoned to see Lan Qiren. I had been told about this scene before and I've read how some think that LQR acts cold and uncaring towards his nephews here (especially LWJ), and some claim he seems angry. Now that I've seen it, I can kind of understand why people think so, he doesn't emote much, but if you actually look at him, you'll see that there's so much emotions there. Much worry and care, but no actual anger. Let me show you.
He calls them there because Qishan needs to be cleansed of resentment. He wasn't there himself, but he knows to "a certain extent how tragic the last battle was", and then he adds that he heard about Wei Ying and looks at LWJ:
To me, he looks more scared and worried here than angry, and he certainly doesn't look cold and uncaring. He then goes on to talk about how there now are corpses everywhere and how that will "easily beget evil" and that that plus the Wen Sect's wicked cultivation will lead to an unimaginable outcome if not cleansed in time. Wangji starts to protest (or so it seems) and LQR quiets him and then stands up to hand him "Elegant Mind" and tell him that he will not be joining his brother in cleansing the area, instead he is to take care of the books (and read "Elegant Mind").
Once again, LQR looks more worried and sad to me than anything else. I cannot see any anger.
LQR then walks towards the desk, talking about how rules and disciplines are the foundation/motto of the Lan Clan. LWJ follows him, kneels and says he wants to enter the forbidden library chamber, which LQR denies him access to.
This is the only time I can see the slightest bit of anger from LQR in this scene, but it's more in his voice than his expression and to me that all stems from the fact that he is seeing the signs in LWJ that he saw in Qingheng-jun all those years ago. He is seeing his nephew being close to repeating his brother's, their father's, mistake.
LQR then sits down by his desk and starts reading, only looking up when his nephews bows before starting to leave. It's then when he calls out to LWJ, asking him if he knows why he won't let him accompany LXC.
LWJ doesn't answer and it seems like he doesn't understand why he's not allowed to do so.
There are actual tears in LQR's eyes when LWJ fails to answer this. To me, this was LQR checking to see if LWJ understands what feelings he's having for WWX, which he doesn't yet. This makes his actions even more unpredictable and LWJ more likely to do something regrettable. LQR is worried, very worried, and scared that LWJ will end up doing something that will destroy his life and maybe end up leaving him unhappy forever or worse.
For a moment, his gaze even goes blank and I think he might relive the trauma of his brother. Then he sighs and looks back at his nephews again, before picking up his book and telling them to leave.
TL;DR: All in all, I don't see anger in this scene at all and I certainly don't see any lack of care or emotions. What I see is one very worried uncle. (And also a worried sect leader and older brother, who I believe understands both LQR and LWJ.)
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ep 25 (pt 3): MOM HOLY FUCK
I didn't want to screencap every single thing jyl said during her epic takedown, but I couldn't help myself. I think I missed like, three lines. but it was so thrilling I was back and rewatched the entire scene again. after episodes of watching wwx be disrespected, and knowing his history with myu, and knowing later how important being publicly supported is to him, this scene...wow. take it away, queen
IT BEGINS
oh and there's sect leader yao nosing in to give HIS unwanted opinion. look at her face lmao. and does he only have one set of robes? is he wearing the same thing to the night hunt as to the victory banquet? wow, embarassing. anyway, back to jyl murdering jzx in broad daylight
HE DID!!! AND IT WAS HARD!!
cut to wwx, clearly deeply impacted by this affirmation of their bond
RESPECT MY BROTHER OR SO HELP ME
HE'S WITH US!!! WE'RE HIS FAMILY AND HIS HOME!! AND IF YOU'RE RUDE TIO HIM YOU OFFEND ME AND ALL OF THE JIANGS!!!
and fuck, isn't this kind of acceptance and belonging something wwx has wanted for so long? isn't this one of the things that hurt him so badly to lose, and something he craves when he comes back? having a home, a community, belonging somewhere, having people ready to stick up for him and affirm their connection with each other in no uncertain terms. in the face of cruelty and disrespect, given the ife he's lives, of course that means a lot to him. it means everything, especially now
and madam jin still trying to keep this quiet, be a good girl and move along miss jiang, let the men go about their business and don't interfere. and jyl says absolutely not, this is important to me and I care about my brother and I will have an apology
this isn't something jc could have done for him, for many reasons, and it's one of the reasons that their relationship just doesn't have the same affection or stability as jyl and wwx's does, or lwj and wwx's does postcanon. in fact, I'd argue that jyl and wwx have a much stronger (and definitely healthier and more mutual loving) relationship than jc and wwx. because…idk, jyl was able to love wwx absolutely unconditionally, she wasn't hampered as much by a terrifying mother, a negligent father, and the pressures of leading the sect, and she never let her insecurities or her pain spill over into physical or even emotional attacks. she never made her problems wwx's problems, and she never blamed him for existing and being more liked/more skilled than she was. he definitely wasn't honest with her about everything,' but he was able to be more open and vulnerable with her than he could have been with jc. I can't imagine wwx going to jc to ask tearfully if LP was his fault…and jc would probably say it was. after all, he tried to strangle him about it and holds it over his head DECADES later. I wish jyl had the been the one to survive but ig that would have been a significantly less fraught story
I just think being safe around someone and being able to express your fear and pain and vulnerability is a really important part of having any kind of functional and healthy relationship, and it's really sad that circumstance and personality made that impossible for jc and wwx
omg poor jgy comes in like :) what's wrong, honored guests? and madam jin is such a bitch to him!
THIS WASN'T HIS FAULT. he has committed many crimes but he wasn't to blame for ANY of this. and how could he tell what was going on immediately by coming in? it was a really specific set of events that just went down involving people whose interpersonal dynamics he probably barely knows
you know you're acting like a real piece of shit when sect leader yao has to tell you to calm down
wwx and jyl are not seen as siblings by the rest of the cultivation world, probably because jfm never formally adopted him. (WHY???? bc of myu??), regardless jyl stands firm even in the face of accusations that he's dangerous and will bring trouble. something her mother always said, too. but jyl loves her little brother and she's not about to abandon him like everyone else. and she doesn't not even at the very end, she loved him so much she sacrificed her LIFE for him god I feel ill
a lot of conversation around whether jc and wwx see each other as brothers, which is probably not the case in the book based on some meta posts I've read about it. it's a little hazier here but I def see them as brothers and I'm still really skeeved out by ppl who ship them. there's way too much gray area and oh yeah, they have the same sister
back to jzx being a complete loser. madam jin trying to ger jyl to come along and her deferring politely until madam jin snaps at her son and he YELLS THIS in front of a massive crowd of sect leaders and disciples and then he runs away in shame I'm DYING god he's so fucking funny
and this scene! wwx is so polite to madam jin and she just ignores him! I refuse to believed jyl would have married jzx if he was still shitty to her brother (and/or homophobic) but there is no saving the rest of his family. girl why'd you marry in 😭
but I read a fic once (the simplest step forward or whatever the shit it was called) where jzx was this drunken, crass, homophobic lout and I was DYING because even if jyl had married a guy who was aggressively homophobic to her brother (she wouldn't) THAT'S STILL NOT HIS PERSONALITY AT ALLLL he's an awkward and well-meaning rich kid who extended genuine kindness to his illegitimate half-brother, uses formality to cover his true feelings, personally dug a lotus pond so the girl he liked would be less homesick if they got married, and died trying to prevent his cousin and future brother-in-law from killing each other. he had a shitty phase as a teenager but he's a good dude as an adult! and he does have dad energy, I agree with that one post
uh oh! wwx removing jc's hand from his arm! hopefully this isn't a heavily symbolic gesture the last time they truly see each other as allies
jc getting SO mad here because his pride is injured...wwx being so good at things is never something he'll be able to swallow easily, but he's letting his feelings get in the way of the fact that this makes the jiang clan stronger and if he supports and embraces wwx's abilities...idk, maybe nothing would have changed. but jgy did have a point all those years later. if wwx had stayed with the jiangs, perhaps the jins would invent an excuse to attack. I don't have a ton of faith in the nies and lans to go against them. regardless, he could have responded to this better. those anger issues...
#I thought we only had one scene left but I had to make a whole other post#it was actually two scenes and the first one deserved so much attention#cql re-rewatch
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Hello Dee! I hope you're doing well. In regards to the novel ending, do you think LWJ jumping from extremes in terms of repression/obedience to extreme devotion is healthy? Even if prioritizing the cultivation world was unhealthy, pulling a 180 and just fucking off seems extreme especially in the case of recent political breakthroughs + LXC.
I don't know if I'm expressing this correctly but I wonder whether LWJ's single minded devotion and love for WWX as a trope is unhealthy. LWJ’s has this "WWX,right or wrong” attitude, which seems really maladaptive and similar to his rigidity about The Rules/Morality, not even including his trauma about WWX's death. His upbringing and values are important to him, so maybe it's better if he stays with the Lan and finds a way to make the rules work without adhering to them instead of spending his days wandering around with WWX. Because his upbringing and his values are important to him, and I don’t want him to just chuck those out the window for the sake of love. So much of Wangxian's relationship is compromising and coming to an understanding about each other, their lifestyles, values and so forth. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the novel but it felt a lot like abandoning the rest of the world because all we need is each other.
Similarly, WWX hasn't had time to explore his queer identity as a bisexual either. He was dead for 13 years and BAM he is alive! He doesn't get to explore the world, come to terms with anything and he's in a relationship with his soulmate. I was hoping to ask you for your perspective as I'm having trouble coming to terms with some aspects of both the novel and CQL. I feel like I have plot holes LOL
Thank you!
I don't mean to offend but you need to reread MDZS. There are several nuances you have missed, based on what you have asked. Let's break this down-
Firstly this implies that the change was abrupt. It never was. There's a reason why I and a few others say LWJ has the most character development of them all.
LWJ starts off as the perfect Lan. LQR's model student who does no wrong. We see him struggle between to maintain his composure and poise while dealing with an intense attraction to a mischievous and attractive boy.
LWJ struggles and pushes away and keeps doing that. Then he sees WWX act heroically during the Wen Indoctrination arc consistently and that attraction morphs into something deeper. That comes with the knowledge of WWX's character.
Despite this, LWJ is harshly critical of WWX, going as far to fight and berate him in public during the SSC because he thinks WWX is wrong. He is following all of his teachings and knowledge here. SSC lasts for a few years, they are clashing constantly on the topic of guidao. But during the Yunmeng meeting, LWJ appears a tad bit softer. He doesn't stop questioning WWX but he has clearly started to questioning himself as well, started to think whether he may be missing something.
Then, WWX rescues the Wens, LWJ sees how the major sects act, he tries to correct slander against WWX, he tries to defend WQ and WN, and sees how futile it all is.
LWJ witnesses it all.
And it culminates in the Nightless City, where he finally acts. He rescues WWX and goes back to accept his punishment. He says that whether it is right or wrong, he doesn't know, but he is willing to take punishment alongside WWX anyways.
This isn't just a symptom of love as most people take it. It is him having a moral dilemma. He knows WWX is in the right. He has seen the Wens and has seen how everyone acted post SSC. He knows who is right and wrong but he is still wavering a bit, uncertain. Which is where you comment about 'WWX - right or wrong' misses the mark entirely. The entire novel is essentially saying WWX is right, was right, catch up will you?
Then.
EXR 112 - Wangxian Part 2
Luo QingYang explained to her husband patiently, “This HanGuang-Jun is different from the other famous cultivators. He always appears wherever the chaos is. As long as there’s a haunting, no matter the level of the night-hunt’s target or if he’d receive credit, he’d always provide assistance.”
What do we know of LWJ in the intervening years after he recovers from the punishment? He doesn't attend any major sect event, even though he is sect heir. Unlike virtually any other sect cultivator, LWJ roams the lands and helps ordinary people in need without the need or expectation of anything in return. This isn't a symptom of love for WWX either. He isn't 'going where chaos is' to look for WWX, he is going to help.
Because as the novel states clearly, Sects don't.
WWX's death and his subsequent grief gives him clarity and when he is ready to move forward, he does what he feels is right. He isn't repressed or unnecessarily obedient. We see it in the AD extra when LWJ continues to care and raise LSZ with gentle affection. He piles rabbits on LSZ despite LXC telling him that was unwise. It is a small but meaningful glimpse of LWJ doing things his own way.
LWJ has never prioritised the cultivation world, he is even less likely to do so after WWX dies.
So, your comment about him doing a 180 and just fucking off is... missing a lot of sutble growth.
This implies that LWJ didn't spend a substantial part of his time away from the sect doing his own thing during the intervening years.
But he did. In fact, it is roaming around with LWJ that makes WWX realize that just nighthunting and helping others is a little too easy and returning home is a bit difficult. If anything, it is LWJ's tendency to wander about, not WWX's.
His upbringing and values aren't compromised by his love for WWX or his marriage to him. That is the point. When everyone one loses sight of what is righteous and just, WWX and LWJ stand has the moral ideals in contrast to the Cultivation World. The entire novel is essentially hammering this point home with almost every sentence. WWX is drawn to LWJ because he is the only one in the novel to match his moral core and LWJ is drawn to WWX because WWX is the only one in the novel who has lived up to his morals and never compromised on them.
That is the point. He's not chucking anything out of the window. He is bringing the original intentions behind of all of the rules about righteousness and morality back home with him.
By marrying the only person who actually adhered to them.
Think about Wangxian for a small moment.
Wei Wuxian - street orphan taken in by a sect, raised under stressful circumstances, gives up his core, is tossed into a wretched place and forced to survive conditions that are so bad, MXTX couldn't bring herself to write it. He fights a war, is persecuted for saving people, dies, and is resurrected, and tossed into the cultivation world's mess again.
Lan Wangji - Has to deal with war, loss, the burning of CR, has to deal with the cultivation world turning on someone righteous that he loves, has to face people he loves dying, and then sees WWX resurrected and then has to protect WWX from the cultivation world before the past can repeat himself.
You're telling me that these two people don't deserve to take a break away from responsibilities and live in semi-retirement? 'Semi' being the key word here since they still return to CR, teach, and lead nighthunts? They've done more for the cultivation world and their families than people do in their lifetimes already.
You realize that they were barely twenty when the war ended? That WWX was barely a young adult when he died after being horribly persecuted? That LWJ was barely a young adult when he faced the loss of WWX, a whipping that nearly killed him, and an orphan that was a constant reminder of the cultivation world and his clan's failure?
An orphan that he raised so well that WWX was impressed at first glance?
The cultivation world took a lot from them, nonny. More than anyone can rightfully demand. The least it owes them is letting them live a life of peace as a married pair.
As for the whole 'bi identity thing' - when love finds you and it is good, you don't put it on the shelf and go look at other products first just to see if there's a better offer out there. Love isn't a shopping spree and to consider it such is very naive. There's no need to explore the 'bi identity' or the world. Why would he? All WWX has ever needed in his life is someone to honestly stand by his side and understand his core. If he wants to wander about for a bit, he can. If he wants to laze about in CR every day, he can.
This 'wander to find your true self' concept sounds very pretty but it isn't really that effective, regardless of what the movies tell you. Marriage is only a shackle if you marry the wrong person.
WWX married the right person and he is free. He is absolutely untouchable and incandescently happy.
And LWJ? ARE YOU KIDDING? He has everything he wants right at his fingertips. His family is safe, LXC will recover, LQR is still going strong, unlike nearly every sect, GSL is thriving, his reputation remains unmarred, he is loaded, the child he raised is the most promising Lan disciple, his true love is back and practically lives in his lap (do you know how many times LWJ pulls WWX onto his lap for cuddles??)
The man's living a dream life.
As for everyone else? Who TF cares about privileged people in power that let the slaughter of three clans (at least) happen and turned a blind eye towards it?
Who are you actually sympathizing with here? Does anyone outside the juniors deserve Wangxian's care?
Reread the book.
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Ironically, I feel like sometimes people can overcorrect on JGY's combat skills, and make him weaker than he actually is?
Like, don't get me wrong—he does have weak cultivation! And it's definitely true that he could never take most of the other characters the story focuses on in a straight fight—Sandu Shengshou, Hanguang-jun, Zewu-jun, Chifeng-zun, in a straight fight he'd be toast. We're even told this explicitly in the temple, about JC:
Jin GuangYao’s spiritual energy wasn’t as high as his, so he didn’t dare face him directly. He could only dodge nimbly, again and again, remaining composed as his subordinates attacked Jiang Cheng
(ER, ch 101)
But the thing is, the vast majority of cultivators would also be toast! These are elite cultivators. Like, SMS would also lose in a straight fight with any of these people, and it's not because he doesn't have very solid combat skills; he's just not as good.
And if you look at the evidence on JGY's swordfighting skills, I think he comes across as reasonably decent?
If you look at this paragraph:
Wei WuXian, however, knew that it wouldn’t be solid no matter how hard he practiced. Jin GuangYao wasn’t like the other disciples. His foundation was so poor that he’d never reach new heights. Thus, with cultivation, he could only aim for quantity instead of quality. This was why he rounded all of the sect leaders and learned their techniques. It was also why he was criticized as the “stealer of techniques”.
(Exiled Rebels, ch 48)
On the one hand, it's very clear that he's limited in his ability to master any particular skill. On the other hand, we also learn part of how he makes up for this: by learning a lot of different techniques, and using them broadly! And we see him apply this when he's killing the Jin commander, for example:
His expression was absolutely calm. Attacks both fast and steady, he was also careful, letting not even a droplet of blood stain his clothes.
The sword wasn’t his own sword. The hilt had iron embellishments in the shape of flames—it was the sword of a Wen Sect cultivator.
The sword techniques were also those of the Wen Sect’s.
(ER, ch 48)
That description suggests a certain competence in execution, and again this is in Wen sect techniques; he must have had a more limited opportunity to practice them than he did, say, the Nie, but he's pulling it off flawlessly.
In the present timeline, when WWX is discussing the identity of NMJ's killer with LXC, he presents the gravedigger's strong familiarity with Lan sword style as evidence of JGY's involvement:
The mist-faced man who tried to take the corpse away in the Chang Clan’s cemetery knew the Lan Sect’s sword moves like the back of his hand. There can only be two possibilities. One, he’s from the Lan Sect and has been practicing the Lan Sect’s moves since a young age; two, he’s not from the Lan Sect, but he’s really familiar with your sect’s moves. He either often dueled with the Lan Sect’s people or he’s so intelligent that he can remember the moves as long as he has seen them.
(ER, ch 46)
Now of course as it turned out the gravedigger was SMS, so, uh, option one. But having seen the gravedigger fight, WWX seems to have thought it reasonable to suggest that he might have been JGY. Alternatively, if we infer some things from LWJ saying that JGY wouldn't necessarily have to be the gravedigger to be involved, the suggestion might be that the gravedigger became so familiar with the Lan skills through JGY's teaching. Either way, this again suggests that JGY is at least moderately competent with the sword.
We know he goes night-hunting; JL was apparently very impressed by JGY's skills here, thinking his uncles are the most powerful cultivators in the world from having seen them night-hunt, and while I'm sure there's some bias there I don't think he'd think JGY was the best if he were actually completely terrible, especially since we learn this in the context of him being impressed by LWJ's skills, so it's not just blind loyalty. Meanwhile, LXC vouches for JGY's performance during their recent night-hunt together as evidence that JGY couldn't have used a transportation talisman:
Likewise, one must expend large quantities of spiritual powers to use this technique, but we night-hunted together just a few days ago. His performance was excellent.
(ER, ch 46)
It's not technically impossible he could mean "his performance was no worse than his usual completely terrible standard, at least he didn't trip on his sword," but that's not the most obvious interpretation, and beyond that it seems unlikely they'd go night-hunting together if JGY were completely terrible at it.
And then there's Hensheng, which is described very impressively:
Back then, when Jin GuangYao worked undercover at Wen RuoHan’s side, he had often hidden the sword at his waist, wreathed the sword around his arm to use during critical moments. Although the blade of Hensheng seemed to be soft to the extremity, attacking with lingering motions, it was in reality both sharp and haunting. Once the blade had wrapped around the opposition, Jin GuangYao would apply it with a bizarre spiritual power, and one would quickly be severed into pieces by the sword, despite its tender appearance. Quite a few famous swords had been battered into piles of scrap iron just like this.
(ER, ch 50)
I feel like perhaps because the only time we actually see him under WRH is the confrontation with NMJ, who's already a prisoner at the time, there's the idea that he only did this with prisoners or something? I don't know that that's impossible, but it doesn't seem to be explicit in the text. Indeed given everything we know about that society, it seems very likely he would have had to do at least some fighting.
And of course, we actually see him fight paperman WWX on the page:
At the moment, the blade of the sword attacked as though it was a serpent with silver scales, biting at the paperman without any hesitation. Losing focus for one second, and Wei WuXian would be caught in the fangs!
Paperman WuXian darted here and there, dodging the attacks with agility, but this wasn’t his own body, after all. After a few moves, the tip of Hensheng had almost sliced him. If this continued, he’d be pierced through for sure!
(ER, ch 50)
Yes, WWX thinks he'd be doing better in his actual body, but that description definitely doesn't sound like terrible swordwork! Rather the opposite; it sounds quite skilled.
Tl;dr: while JGY's weak cultivation definitely impacts his combat skills, he does his best to make up for that deficiency, and while he couldn't take most of the other important characters in a straight fight, the vast majority of cultivators in the novel also couldn't take those characters in a straight fight, so that's not evidence of him being extraordinarily weak as opposed to simply not being extraordinarily strong; considering the evidence we have and what we do see of his fighting skills, it seems likely that he's at least a moderately competent swordsman.
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@ebonykain said: I am so curious HOW the bastard brother in law manifests with LWJ. I don't think I've seen that in your posts? Have I missed it? 👀 👀
oh I've not really discussed it... it's mostly just a Vibe I get - everyone's pretty much agreed by now that Wangji is the cultivation world's second most indulged baby brother, and he has a tendency to be pretty hostile to... well, most people, really. Mingjue is allowed a fair amount of leeway because Xichen has known him so long, but JGY especially - whilst Wangji is always perfectly polite and deferential - always gets the message loud and clear that he is on Thin Fucking Ice
(it tones down once Wangxian get together, partly because WWX gets on well with JGY and hangs out with him a lot - which means Wangji gets to know him a bit better, and partly because Xichen very gently goes "Wangji, you know how much it frustrates you when Jiang Wanyin is, ah, unpleasant about how much time you spend with Wei Wuxian? weeeelll........")
#afvsjh#modern au#the untamed#ebonykain#reply#it's not really a hardcore headcanon I just feel that the fandom sometimes tends to ignore how much of a BITCH wangji is#he is a good man he is NOT a nice man lmao#and I want everyone to know that I support him in his bitchiness I think it's great and excellent#always find it hilarious seeing Huaisang's FREE BROTHERS reaction vs Wangji's You're On Thin Fucking Ice Motherfuckers reaction#and then there's Zixuan who's just like#.......my brother is fucking my coworkers. great. brilliant. now I have to look them in the eye during trade negotiations.
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Follower Recs
~*~
Hello Mojo, hope you're doing well and that you had a good break! I wanted to signal boost the MDZS May Diaspora event collection on AO3, and point out my favorite fic from there: 归心似箭 | Longing to Go Home by dragongirlG! It's both tender and bittersweet and it features such mature writing. The author got some hate for it when it initially got posted so I wanted to counter that and give it some love instead! [Who would do such a thing?! @dragongirlg-fics I’m sorry that happened to you, and here, have *so many hugs!* I’ll try to do a thing just for the diaspora event, but meanwhile, I’ll just treat this as a follower rec.]
归心似箭 | Longing to Go Home
by dragongirlG (M, 8k, wangxian)
Summary: The destruction of the Yin Tiger Seal does not kill Wei Wuxian; it ages him instead. He takes shelter in a cave expecting to die, but instead he lives, slowly learning to embrace life with each new day.
Thirteen years later, a young man with a Lan forehead ribbon stumbles into the cave. His name is Lan Sizhui.
~*~
Hi Momjo!!! I recently read the most *adorable* fic, and I loved it so much that it dragged me out of seclusion (read: social anxiety cave) to rec it. It's called 'Covered in Bees' by ScarlettStorm in which the Cloud Recesses is an apiary, and Wei Wuxian has suddenly found himself host to a swarm of bees. ~ @akyra-talanoa
Covered in Bees
by ScarlettStorm (T, 8k, wangxian)
Summary: “Cloud Reccesses Apiary,” says a toneless, deep masculine voice, with zero question in it. Wei Ying doesn’t care, because whoever possesses that voice is probably going to come save him from bees like a fucking hero while wearing like, a suit of armor. That’s what you wear to catch bees, right?
“I have like, so many bees outside my front door right now,” he says, mouth running out ahead of him before he can even begin to think about reining it in. “It’s like a sandstorm of bees out there. There are so many bees. I got out of my car and there were just bees and I don’t want these bees. Do you want these bees? Please tell me you will come get these bees. I can’t leave my house and I have enough food for maybe a week but then I’m gonna have to learn how to cook dry beans and no one wants that, especially not me.” Wei Ying runs out of air, takes a breath, and belatedly adds, “My name is Wei Ying. Hi.”
Or: The beekeeping AU that no one asked for.
~*~
Hi, you are a bless to this fandom. Your blog feels like a library, so thoroughly arranged and always within hand reach. [Thank you, wow!] Recently, I was going through Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn is a Wēn tag and came across a fanfic, it has 3 chapters till now and is so intriguing that i thought to recommend it to you. I don't know if I can recommend or if you have already checked the story, The legendary Phoenix and his Dragon by Devipriya. I am in love with this story. I hope you will enjoy it too, do check it out
The legendary Phoenix and his Dragon
by Devipriya (T, 7k, wangxian)
Summary: Wen Wuxian, the essence of who he is, he is a naughty child, a prankster, an enchanting dizi player, a graceful dancer, an irresistible lover, a truly valiant warrior, a ruthless vanquisher of his foes, a man who left a broken heart in every home, an astute statesman and kingmaker, a thorough gentleman, a righteous individual of the highest order, and the most colorful incarnation.
He has been seen, perceived, understood and experienced in many different ways by different people. Different people saw different facets of who he is. For some, he is God. For some, he is a crook. For some, he is a lover. For some, he is a fighter. He is so many things.
But the phoenix, seen from the eyes of time was just a playful man. A man who plays with his awareness, with his imagination, with his memory, with his life, with his death. An individual who does not just dance with somebody. He dances with life. He dances with his enemy, He dances with the one he loves, He dances even at the moment of his death.
To taste an essence of who is Wen Wuxian, be with me in the journey of exploration, NO! playful exploration of life of a playful man.
~*~
Hi! Thanks for running this blog, it's helped me find so many fics. For your next follower recs post, I wanted to rec "This love like a flood, a fire, a fear" by natcat5. Its summary is vague (which I suspect is why it isn't better known) but it is a beautiful retelling of canon from LWJ's POV with slight canon divergence. I love the author's characterization of him and the prose is gorgeous. It is easily my favorite fic in the entire fandom, and I don't say that lightly. ~ @nyanja14
This love like a flood, a fire, a fear
by natcat5 (M, 57k, wangxian, lan wangji & lan xichen)
Summary: “I will love you as misfortune loves orphans, as fire loves innocence, and as justice loves to sit and watch everything go wrong.” - Lemony Snicket
~*~
i came to this ask to rec this baseball one called "Waiting for Spring" by thievinghippo on ao3. It somehow made me care about baseball soooo 'nough said ~ @scifikimmi
Waiting for Spring
by thievinghippo (E, 131, wangxian)
Summary: “It is a well-known fact across the major leagues that one does not smack Lan Wangji’s ass.”
Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. Everyone smacks everyone’s ass in baseball. It’s how the game is played. Lan Wangji does not get to be exempt from this most sacred of baseball traditions.
Wei Wuxian will make sure of that.
Or, a Major League Baseball AU
~*~
hi mojo! i wanted to rec Something Good by boxoftheskyking (a loose sound of music/canon divergence au) and also MDZS: The Golden Engine by iffervescent (immortal wangxian modern au where they gotta solve a mystery and save china, featuring jiang cheng/lan xichen)
Something Good
by boxoftheskyking (T, 43k, wangxian)
Summary: "That Wei Wuxian, you know he used to be such a promising cultivator. Head Disciple of the Jiang Clan, can you believe it? You see, juniors, the punishment for traveling the path of demonic cultivation. No golden core, not so much as a whisper of spiritual power."
As a punishment for real and imagined crimes, Wei Wuxian is sentenced to work at Cloud Recesses as the lowest of servants. When a surprising reassignment lands him with eleven children to care for, everything changes again.
A Sound of Music AU
MDZS: The Golden Engine
by iffervescent (E, 82k, wangxian, xicheng)
Summary: In the modern era, immortals Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian return to Gusu. New evil and old friends + new friends and old evils.
~*~
Hi Mojo! First of all let me just tell you that you are amazing and this blog is like a gift from the gods! Bless you and your endless patience and hard work. [Oh, thank you so much!] I know that you have just accepted follower recs and I have missed miserably but I still wanted to write and bring attention to a writer by the pseudo Xiao_Hua on ao3, I think they are quite good and I just recently found the account with so much content. If you do have the time to check them out, I'd rec catfish, my fox or the red ribbon.
The Red Ribbon
by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, wangxian, TGCF crossover)
Summary: Wei WuXian died but not before saving HanGuang-Jun and A-Yuan, leaving so much more behind than just his ribbon.
My Fox
by Xiao_Hua (E, 13k, wangxian)
Summary: Once he headed to YiLing that all changed for him. His priorities have been mingled with and ordered in complete disarray even without him noticing as he was left heavily influenced by a creature.
Or one where Lan WangJi is a dragon-spirit and he finds his mate in the form of a fox.
Catfish
by Xiao_Hua (E, 15k, wangxian)
Summary: Wei WuXian has a common sense that believes it has a nine-to-five job while Lan WangJi finds that incredibly hot.
Or one where two catfish realise that neither of them truly catfished.
~*~
Hi Mojo i'm recommending this amazing fic it is called song of joys and regrets. it's a time travel AU it's amazing. And your Blog is a Godsend Thank you! [Aw, you’re so sweet!] ~ @highgoddess
Song of Joy and Regrets
by HelloKitten (not rated, 59k, wangxian, WIP)
Summary: The Archery competition at Qishan this year has hit a snag. As the Sects face the wrongs perpetrated by their future selves, Wei Wuxian finds himself adopted by half of the cultivation world who are determined to save him from himself.
Baby Wangxian suffers. Adult Wangxian's job here is done.
"I'm starting to see a pattern to all his plans..."
"Do they all involve him being bait?"
"Yes" came deadpanned responses.
~*~
Here’s a 2021 Reverse Big Bang entry, in time for Father’s Day; [Oops, my bad, sorry!] Under a Blanket of Black Wings, by ChaoticAndrogynous (#31398395); LWJ, recuperating from the 33 lashes, tells A-Yuan a series of fairytales about a heroic monster and the brave little boy he befriended. Vampire! WWX (in the framing story as well as the story-within-the-story); happy ending.
Under a Blanket of Black Wings
by ChaoticAndrogynous (T, 19k, wangxian)
Summary: Lan Wangji tells A-Yuan a bedtime story about a beautiful monster and the brave little boy who was his friend. Thirteen years later, the monster returns.
~*~
Hello Mojo! Have you read ‘Key Differences’ by Pupeez4eva? Its a MDZS!WWX meets CQL!WWX and its really good! [It’s on my list!]
Key Differences
by pupeez4eva (T, 6k, wangxian)
Summary: “I don’t understand,” Wei Wuxian said, while his alternate self continued to stare at him with almost a look of hurt in his eyes. There was longing in there too, which Wei Wuxian would have easily recognised if he paid enough attention. “How could you not get together, after everything. What even went on in the Guanyin Temple if you didn’t confess?”
“The Guanyin Temple,” Wei Ying repeated incredulously. “You’re asking me if I confessed at — honestly, a lot went on that day. It was a life and death situation. There was no confessing.”
Wei Wuxian stared at him, appalled.
(Wherein Wei Wuxian ends up meeting an alternate version of himself who, much to his horror, never married Lan Wangji. Obviously he has to do something to fix this).
~*~
Hey Mojo i would recommend this fanfic if you already haven’t, it’s called “ take me back to a time “ by DizziDreams. It’s sooooo good
take me back to a time
by DizziDreams (T, 144k, wangxian, 3zun)
Summary: Wei Ying has a lot on his plate right now.
It’s finals week -- which isn’t so bad. He’s never had to study much to do well in classes. But that just means that things are that much more tense with Jiang Cheng, who, as far as Wei Ying can tell, only takes study breaks long enough to glare at Wei Ying where he sits on the couch playing video games.
It’s not studies that have Wei Ying stressed out. It’s everything else. It’s the recruitment for the research trial he’s coordinating. It’s jiejie and her impending marriage to His Royal Douchebag Jin Zixuan. It’s the volunteer work at the palliative care facility. It’s Wen Ning’s worsening condition. It’s Wen Qing working herself thin to care for her brother and Wen Yuan. It’s the way Wen Yuan never seems to have enough food.
So, yeah. There’s enough on Wei Ying’s plate already, meaning it’s not entirely welcome when he comes home and finds a man standing in his bedroom. A man in extravagant white robes, a ribbon tied around his forehead, long hair gathered into a topknot, fist clutching a sword at his side, who asks him, “Where am I?”
~*~
Idk if this has already been rec’d (I’ve been off the grid for a while now), but there’s this absolutely incredible fic called Restitution by an anon on ao3 people should definitely check out!
this one?
on restitution
by Anonymous (M, 78k, wangxian, jin ling & wei wuxian, lan sizhui & wei wuxian, WIP)
Summary: When Wei Wuxian regains consciousness, he is in a bed. A real, proper bed, not the slab he called a bed in his cave in the Burial Mounds.
Jiang Cheng is glowering above him.
Wei Wuxian doesn't die during the siege of the Burial Mounds. Rather, he is captured in secret and confined at Lotus Pier.
Things change accordingly.
~*~
Hi momjo! I feel like every time I come to your blog there's twenty more new and amazing fics for me to read. Thank you for everything you do for this fandom! [Thank you, sweetie! And yes, I think there ARE 20 new fics every day out there in the fandom. It’s amazing!] Today I come bearing my own rec to you. I've recently read this and it's IMO one of the best fics out there. It's called Lapsteel by carriecmoney and it's a modern stormchaser AU featuring country songs and coming home. ~ @manaika-chan
Lapsteel
by carriecmoney (T, 42k, wangxian)
Summary: Now and then, I think about you now and then...
It's been thirteen years since Wei Ying ran for the prairies, leaving behind a family in shambles and a secret on the Pacific wind. What happens when the storm he swirled catches up to him?
Modern AU with country music star Lan Zhan, stormchaser Wei Ying, and shared crossroads.
~*~
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I read your post about the right thing not being easy and I concur. It got me thinking though. What do you think about LXC's response to the revelations at Guanyin?
Seclusion: Imo LXC going into seclusion felt more like he went into hiding from the fallout. It felt like self-pity leaving others to handle the consequences for his mistakes. However, I do make allowances for the sheer self-doubt and shock as well as seclusion being the Lan Go-To.
Self-pity: from what I've seen so far, LXC is entirely focused on the fact JGY lied to him and he doesn't know who to trust. This line of thinking, to me, seems to avoid the crux of the issue - his action and inaction. Yes, he was lied to. That's no on him. What is on him is his casual elitism and the assumptions that drive it. He doesn't evaluate core concepts like what it means to have authority, what is morality/righteousness/justice. And without going into these things, he cannot hope to change.
Let me know what you think!
About LXC, I have a lot of thoughts. First, I'd like to express, that I do not talk about the way he talked to WWX in the Guanyin Temple scene here. It's sort of a sore spot for me and is something that makes me very very angry about him. I'll probably rant about it soon, but I want to evaluate his actions on the general populace, especially the innocents.
Here's what we do know about his reaction after the events:
He attends the sealing ceremony of JGY and NMJ, though he seems very weary.
He subsequently goes into seclusion
LWJ wants to tell LXC about why JGY saved SiSi, in an attempt to assure LXC that while JGY was a terrible person, there were parts of him that weren't horrible (this is for LXC's benefit. Not in defence of JGY. I'll explain below.)
He is observed by WWX to be frail, and absent-minded while reporting the clan activities during the banquet.
Lan Wangji goes to talk with him, as LXC did during his own seclusion.
Well, there isn't a lot we can know from this about how Lan Xichen went on to act, what his motivations and thoughts were, or if he rectified himself. So most of this is speculation based on what we see of him.
First of all, the Lans and the Nies are far less culpable than the Jiangs or the Jins in the horrors we see. This is true for the Siege, and for everything after. However, their failure remains in the fact that they allowed such horror to happen while in significant positions of power.
NMJ accuses WQ of her inaction, but she was in absolutely no position to revolt. She was an orphan, who was brought up by WRH and held her position due to his favour. She was under the rule of a tyrant, and in no position to go against him when even the great sects only got their heads out of the sand when an entire sect was murdered. But both NMJ and LXC are in powerful positions, and they fought in a war to ensure that WRH's tyranny won't last. As people who have apparently strong codes of justice and morality, their actions and inactions are contemptible, especially so because they do not seem to see evil for what it is. Them allowing JGS to follow in WRH's footsteps makes one wonder: was the SunShot Campaign really about 'righteousness', or just revenge?
Lan Xichen is not a contemptible villain by any means. He is someone who will try to help others, as he does defend WQ in the beginning, and repays debts and expresses gratitude, as shown by him affording JGY the benefit of the doubt. Lan Xichen never actually hurt or schemed on others for his own gain. He separates grudges and gratitudes properly in his life. He never bears jealousy nor drowns in resentment. And of course, he never coveted others' power for his own benefit. Hence, he is already better than many of the assholes in the cultivation society.
However, as you have said, he has his flaws and faults. He, like the entire Lan Clan, really, hypocritically preach 'righteousness' but does not take any actual action to ensure that they 'shoulder the weight of morality'. The entire cultivation world fucked up with the Wens, and I have expressed my horror at that before. LXC as I have mentioned is slightly less culpable, but he does not go out of his way to do anything because he cares more about his relationship with NMJ than protecting the Wens. He is also not present at the siege, though undoubtedly as sect leader he would have been aware and also needed to give permission.
However, a similar situation again happens when he takes no action when another entire sect (Tingshan He, I believe?) is slaughtered down to the children by the Jins. Yes, this was almost a few months after WWX's death and LXC was probably taking care of LWJ, but again, he is in a position of power. What the hell was the point of the SunShot Campaign if they were just going to let things like that happen again? He and even NMJ, as leaders, do not investigate this. Especially as the leader of the sect that preaches righteousness... you can see how this does not seem good.
About casual elitism, yes, he, much like NMJ often display the same beliefs. They do not perceive from the eye of those that society tramples upon and hold onto the naive belief that if such people adhere to strong principles society will bend. Society never bends. They stand at the top of the pyramid and believes easily that it mustn't be so bad at the bottom. This is why he says WWX has changed. Because WWX, as a person, will adhere to society only as long as it is just; when it comes to societal niceties and moral righteousness, WWX will always always choose moral righteousness. The problem, of course, is that both LXC and NMJ often confuse the two, and think they go hand in hand. They are not terrible people for it; just sheltered and a little naive and never had to struggle for things.
However, this belief shapes his reaction to WWX, and believes him a threat enough to allow for a siege to be led on a group of innocents. I don't believe he didn't know. Maybe he thought cultivators were in the Burial Mounds as well, but, he knew there were civilians too. LWJ saw A-Yuan, saw uncle four, saw the Wens. He must have said something, but even LWJ realises in the Burial Mounds that no one will stand for the Wens.
But here's the thing: Inaction isn't as culpable as the crime perhaps, but when you're in a position of power, your inaction could mean the death of thousands. LXC either is naive enough to not know this or is willfully ignorant. His inactions allowed for a siege to be led on a village of innocents, and for thousands to be experimented on by JGS and JGY, and that fact cannot be changed.
But, this is also why I do believe guilt plays as much part in his seclusion as self-pity. I think he was finally confronted with his own decisions and the consequences of his actions and inactions. He is confronted with being lied to; but more importantly, he is confronted with the realisation that his judgement is compromised. His trust in JGY was betrayed, yes, but his trust in himself moreso. (This is why LWJ wants to tell him about SiSi; it is an attempt to assure him that while JGY was a ruthless murderer, the side of him that LXC saw and believed in wasn't non-existent.) He suddenly came face to face with every crime JGY committed, everything he in his bias to JGY turned blind eye to. That he, in his support of JGY, was even complicit in.
Again, we don't have much information on what he is contemplating in his seclusion. There is self-pity without a doubt, but I also believe there is self-condemnation. You see, LWJ and LXC were raised by a very rigid set of rules, with punishments for breaking them. LXC, much like LWJ, is confronted with the reality that the rules created by mortals can often lead to folly, that it might end up harming the innocents. That he and his clan failed to follow many of those rules, and even with the rules they followed, they failed to understand their true meaning and did nothing to prevent the massacre of innocents.
But! I think LXC, of all the characters, have the greatest potential to grow and understand, to repent and redeem himself. I have not much hope for even LQR, even as I write fics where LQR is more a tsundere-uncle than the hypocritical-stagnant man he often shows himself to be. But LXC as a person does try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I like to believe that he understands his own hypocrisy, and would want to do better. I think, that while his self-pity may cloud his mind, eventually, his good parts will win out because as I have said, he is no contemptible villain. I believe him worthy, and able of redemption, and while it would require introspection on his part, I don't believe it impossible.
#mdzs#mo dao zu shi#lan xichen#lan xichen critical#lan huan#He I believe is more morally grey#Because of the fact that his sense of morality and his actions don't always align#Rant#This was... much longer than I originally planned#But so true#I have been having emotions lately#ask answered#ask
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Do you think LWJ took the advantage of being a Young Master of a prominent clan to publicly display the people he hates? (We know who that is) I saw someone claim about it and It's haunting my head.
Hi anon,
I’ll start first by saying that I think the novel does, to a degree, understand that there are people who have, to use Bourdieu’s terms, forms of ‘capitals’ that others do not and integrate that into the narrative and character dynamics. LWJ has not only capital due to his position as a gongzi and the son of a Leader (then later, as heir-in-line) to one of the prominent clans, but also due to his stellar reputation and fighting abilities (and to a degree, the fact he is a man). All this allows him to have a wider range of actions that are considered ‘acceptable/legitimate’ versus another person with different or lesser forms of capital--think for instance of the reaction and consequences when LWJ challenges what powerful men are saying (making up) about WWX versus when daughter-of-a-servant MianMian does the same. However, I find it weird to frame that as LWJ “getting away” with something--with his character, it’s more like he is able to have an opinion or stand up against injustices with less chances of getting punished and ridiculed for it.
Now, if it is about Jiang Cheng, it is kind of a myopic argument to be saying that LWJ “gets away” with “publicly hating JC”. First because by that point JC is technically even higher in the social hierarchy, being a literal Sect Leader. But it’s also weird to phrase this as “publicly hating JC”: LWJ is not running around badmouthing JC or the Jiang sect--the pettiest we see him is when he doesn’t silence LJY when he engages in gossip about JC. Instead we see LWJ standing up against JC when the situation calls for it, which is not the same. Of course, as JC does, it can be considered as an inherent ‘insult’ since it makes JC ‘lose face’ but I think there is a difference. And it’s not like JC does not get away with being impolite towards LWJ and the Lan sect, something we see at Dafan Mountain.
We know with the MXY altercation that JC was ready to kill him on sight for using modao (”Do you have any last words?”/“Break his legs? Haven’t I told you? If you see this sort of evil and crooked practice, kill the cultivator and feed him to your dogs!”). After LWJ intercepts, we have this exchange showing JC being impolite to a degree that prompts LJY to call him out for it, only bringing more disrespect for the Lans from JC:
He raised one brow and spoke, “Hanguang-Jun, you sure live up to your reputation of ‘being wherever the chaos is’. So, you had time to come to this remote area today?” [..] Right now, Jiang Cheng really didn’t seem too polite as he said the words in such a tone. Even the juniors who came following Lan Wangji did not seem comfortable hearing it.
Lan Jingyi spoke straightforwardly, “Isn’t Jiang-zongzhu here as well?”
Jiang Cheng replied grimly, “Tsk, do you really think that you should butt in when your seniors are conversing? The GusuLan Sect has always been known for its respectful conduct. Is this really how it teaches its disciples?”
It is imo more true to say that, due to LWJ’s higher and respected position in society, JC is not able to use his usual means of responding to someone challenging his decisions and thus making him lose face.This is again something we see during this altercation.
LWJ silences JL after he dismisses his mistreatment of other cultivators with the deity-binding nets. LWJ destroys the entirety of the diety-binding nets JC and JL were using to give JL an advantage over the other cultivators competing, something they were only able to do because of the Jiang and Jin sects considerable power and wealth. Is it daring of LWJ? Sure. Would he be able to do so without consequences if he was someone else? Probably unlikely, especially when we’re talking about JC. But is that ‘getting away’ with something? It’s literally the opposite scenario: LWJ is using his own status and capital to make it so that JL (and JC) are not getting away with what they are doing (although there are, in actuality, no consequences for their behaviours; they are just forced to give up on JL’s unfair advantages. Hell, LWJ even offers to pay for the nets he destroys, which I guess can also be taken as a baller move). What’s more, the novel even takes the time to point out that, if LWJ were not such a strong cultivator, JC might have pushed aside the risks of offending LXC and physically confronted him (let’s appreciate how this also serves as well-integrated exposition for their weapons).
Jin Ling’s grim expression was exactly the same as his uncle’s, “What can I do? It was their own fault for stepping into the traps. I’ll solve everything after I finish capturing the prey.”
Lan Wangji frowned. Jin Ling was about to speak again, but he suddenly realized that, shockingly, he could neither open his mouth nor make any sounds.
[...]
The man spoke in a low voice, “Not long ago, a blue sword flew over and destroyed the deity-binding nets that you had set up.”
Jiang Cheng glanced at Lan Wangji harshly, his displease plastered all over his face, “How many were broken?”
[...]
Although four hundred deity-binding nets were a whopping price, it wasn’t too much for the YunmengJiang Sect. Nonetheless, losing the nets were a small matter, but losing face was not. With Lan Wangji’s actions, Jiang Cheng felt a whirlpool of anger at the bottom of his heart, rising higher by every second. He narrowed his eyes, his left hand casually stroking the ring on his right hand’s index finger.
[...]
However, after stroking it for a while, Jiang Cheng compelled himself to restrain his hostility.
Although he was displeased, as the leader of a sect, he needed to take more things into consideration, which meant that he couldn’t be as impulsive as Jin Ling. After the fall of the QingheNie Sect, among the Three Great Sects, the LanlingJin Sect and the GusuLan Sect were quite close due to the personal relationship between the two leaders. By leading the YunmengJiang Sect alone, he was already in an isolated situation among the three. Hanguang-Jun, or Lan Wangji, was quite a prestigious cultivator, while his elder brother Zewu-Jun, or Lan Xichen, was the leader of the GusuLan Sect. The two brothers had always been on good terms with each other. It was best to not openly dispute with Lan Wangji.
Also, Jiang Cheng’s sword, “Sandu (三毒, Sāndú),” had never made actual contact with Lan Wangji’s sword, “Bichen,” and it was not yet decidable whose hands would the deer die on. Although he owned the powerful ring, “Zidian (紫电 Zǐdiàn),” a family heirloom of his, Lan Wangji’s guqin, “Wangji”, was also known for its abilities. The thing that Jiang Cheng hated the most was to be disadvantageous during a fight. Without complete confidence in his success, he would not consider fighting with Lan Wangji.
Now if it is about Su She, again what does LWJ truly do?
He silences him in the Demon-slaughtering cave? Although we’d be hard-pressed to believe LWJ respects Su She after what he’s seen him do in the Xuanwu Cave, the guy is literally trying to get everyone there killed and being a smartass to WWX while at it. And if it had been extremely disrespectful of him, LQR could have lifted the spell--something once again that the novel points out. When it dissolves into a game of calling out between the MolingSu sect and the GusuLan sect, LWJ does not say anything, even if, as LJY points out, Su She was imitating him. It’s only when WWX starts going that LWJ takes part by acquiescing to the truths WWX lays out (which are, yes, damning for the Su She and the MolingSu sect). But again, there are layers to what WWX is doing: he’s not only trying to expose what is going on, but anger Su She into revealing he still has his spiritual powers as proof of what he has worked out. So while WWX and LWJ are being by some measures disrespectful, there is a point to how they are going at it.
Touching his chin, he grinned, “Well I was worried that you’d get mad if I asked him too many things in front of you, wasn’t I? But since you’ve told me to ask him already, I’ll go ahead and ask. Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji, “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian, “The MolingSu Sect was a sect that branched off from the GusuLan Sect, right?”
Lan Wangji, “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian, “Although it branched off, the MolingSu Sect’s techniques still used the GusuLan Sect’s techniques ‘as reference’, right?”
Lan Wangji, “Yes.”
Wei Wuxian, “One of the GusuLan Sect’s techniques, the Sound of Vanquish, has the effect of exorcising evil. Amongst them, the seven-stringed guqin was the most powerful, and so there is the greatest number of people who cultivate through the guqin. The MolingSu Sect did the same, and the guqin is the most common in their sect as well, is that correct?”
Lan Wangji, “That is correct.”
Wei Wuxian, “Although the MolingSu Sect’s leader left the GusuLan Sect with knowledge of its techniques when he founded his own sect, is own guqin skills weren’t anything special, and the disciples he taught often make many mistakes too, right?”
Lan Wangji answered with honesty, “Yes.”
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji went on back and forth, speaking as though nobody was around. More and more people realized that they weren’t only mocking Su She, but rather taking something apart. Thus, they began to listen more carefully.
Next, Wei Wuxian slowed down, “… And that means, even when a section of the battle melodies that the MolingSu Sect played when killing corpses on Mass Grave Hill was wrong, the GusuLan Sect wouldn’t find it unusual, and only think that they made a mistake because of their inferior techniques and remembered the sheet music wrong, not taking the time to notice whether it was an accidental mistake or a mistake on purpose. Is this the case?”
Hearing the last question, Su She’s pupils shrunk. The hand he placed on the hilt of his sword was suddenly lined with veins. The blade of the sword was already half-an-inch unsheathed. On the other hand, Lan Wangji lifted his eyes at the same time. Both Wei Wuxian and he saw the sense of understanding in each other’s eyes.
He stated one word at a time, “This is the case.”
Su She unsheathed his sword with a clang. Wei Wuxian moved the blade of the sword to the side with two fingers and smiled, “What are you doing? Don’t forget. You’ve lost all your spiritual powers. Would threatening me like this do anything?”
Sword raised in his hand, Su She could neither attack nor put it down. He clenched his teeth, “Aiming at me for so long—just what are you trying to imply?”
As much as we love to talk about LWJ’s hidden sass and pettiness, he does not seem to ever be disrespectful without a reason, and it’s usually in the process of standing up for others. Reading his character as an illustration of a man in a position of privilege and power getting away with things is a little bit of a reach--particularly when JC is literally right there.
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Hate on LQR is funny because he's just an in-law being a bit petty for WWX thinking he "ruined his perfect nephew" when I'm pretty sure LQR knows LWJ is just like that and WWX just awakened it.
He is pretty inflexible, but it doesn't really extend to him having no heart given that he did let LWJ take in LSZ in the Lan Sect and raise him as a Lan, instead of him being raised as an outer disciple. I'm pretty sure LQR was a bit peeved at that time too, but eventually conceded because, well, that's a kid in need of a home! I'm pretty sure he's not like Madam Ew and yell at A-Yuan but just helped LWJ raise him as strictly as he raised LXC and LWJ. It would mean that, as much as LQR complains about WWX, he'll probably warm up to the guy. Maybe he already is, given that WWX is allowed to take on the juniors in night hunts as seen in the Hook extra.
If he's really LWJ's uncle, he might just be complaining because he can't handle the fact that he's slowly seeing WWX as his nephew in law. It might be breaking his mind lol.
YES peeved in-law lmao. I'm sorry but people are just missing out on the humor factor of LQR. I cannot be expected to take this man's fits seriously :
After finishing the insipid meal, the house servants removed the plates and tables. Lan Xichen began a customary summary of the recent family affairs. But after only a few sentences, Wei Wuxian noticed that preoccupation seemed to weigh on Lan Xichen’s heart to the extent that he recalled wrong the places of two night hunts. He did not realise it even after finishing speaking despite the sidelong glances cast by Lan Qiren whose goatee quivered several times. After listening for a while, Lan Qiren couldn’t refrain from finally opening his mouth to interrupt.
I mean here's WWX's reaction to him :
After Lan Qiren returned from Qinghe, rather than making Wei Wuxian copy the Lan clan rules at the Library Pavilion again, he instead roundly denounced him in front of everyone. After the references to the classics were trimmed out, what remained of the elder Lan’s speech was roughly the following: he had never seen anyone so utterly obstreperous and shameless; leave, quickly, the further away the better; don’t get close to other students; especially don’t tarnish his favorite pupil, Lan Wangji, ever again.
While Lan Qiren was castigating him, Wei Wuxian listened with a smiling, merry face and wasn’t the least bit embarrassed or angry. When the old man left, Wei Wuxian sat down and said to Jiang Cheng, “Isn’t he shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted by asking me to leave now? I’ve already done the tarnishing, it’s too late!”
And WWX is not burying his pain under a smile. He just literally doesn't care. In fact he goes right on to pestering Wangji with his gay bunny love language after that:
The aquatic abyss near Caiyi Town brought tremendous trouble to the Gusu Lan Clan. There was no way to eradicate it, and neither could the Lan Clan behave like the Wens and drive it off someplace else. As the Chief of the Lan Clan had been in isolation for many years, Lan Qiren had to exert the mental and physical effort to deal with the problem in his stead. Consequently, the lectures grew shorter and shorter, and Wei Wuxian spent more and more time strolling around the mountains with the others.
Today, he was surrounded by seven or eight young cultivators again, and they were all headed out. As they passed by Lan Clan’s library, Wei Wuxian glanced up through the magnolia branches and could just see Lan Wangji sitting near the window alone. ...
Wei Wuxian had climbed up the magnolia tree outside of the Library Pavilion. Radiating joy, he said, “Lan Zhan, I’m back! How’ve you been these few days I haven’t had to come here and copy books? Do you miss me?”
Resembling a monk entering meditation, who saw the world and saw nothing, Lan Wangji seemed somewhat numb as he continued to organize the small mountain of books.
Intentionally misinterpreting his silence, Wei Wuxian said, “Even if you don’t say it, I know. You must miss me, or else why would you have been watching me through the window?”
Immediately, Lan Wangji stared at him, his gaze full of silent denunciation.
WWX doesn't care because he doesn't care. He didn't care as a teen. He's definitely not going to care as an adult.
Wei Wuxian remembered how, back at the Abyssal Tower, he had played so unbearably badly that, infuriated, Lan Qiren rose from his unconscious stupor and vomited up blood before losing consciousness again. He nearly fell over in laughter.
Plus LQR is admonishing everyone, including LWJ and LXC lol.
"After the conclusion, Lan Qiren stubbornly called in a severe tone Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji, looking as if he wanted to admonish and lecture them."
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