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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 years

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The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 16/?

FMA AU meets “The Wind Rises” AU : “I still remember every day”

[crazy idea #1: if you are familiar with FMA: Brotherhood (superior in every way) you probably are too young or too smart to remember the original 2003 FMA clusterfuck series but i’m neither young nor smart so here is my take on one of my favorite animated movies of all times “The Conqueror of Shamballa” BUT the story doesn’t start in 1923 Germany but somewhere around 1923 Japan. If you are familiar with this movie and the 2003 series you will know Ed Elric has moved from London to Munich and started living there frequently interacting with a family of rocket scientists (sounds crazy if you are only knowledgeable with FMA: B, but… trust me). So i thought, “what if our protagonist (in this case WWX) travels from China to Japan to work on some airplanes instead?”]

[crazy idea #2: “The Wind Rises” from Ghibli is set in that historical period right? so what if we make transmigrated WWX work his engineering magic on some aircrafts before any conflict can actually take place? precisely between the end of the Taisho period (1912-1926) and the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989), when the desire for innovation and the new technological advancements could be implemented while at peace.]

[obviously, this is just a prompt, and I don’t feel particularly comfortable with creating fantasy storylines so intertwined with actual historical events, especially if these events caused the suffering of many and belong to a culture that is not mine to describe with the potential risk of offending its values and legacy. also, fandom should be fun and if you love angst maybe this is not the prompt for you. on the other hand I thought of how much i love movies like “Porco Rosso”, set somewhat really fucking close to where I live while describing a fun and lighthearted narrative even if it’s dealing with historical and political events that are still fresh and painful in our collective memory nowadays. Maybe it is possible to write something easy and fun while, at the same time, setting it in a time of great difficulties without hurting anyone. Maybe I’m not the person for that (after all, this is just a prompt), but if you want to explore a similar plot you are encouraged to tag me bc I would really like to know your take on the matter. and if I happen to offend anyone I will properly apologize and take responsibility.]

[the title is from L’Arc-en-Ciel’s song “Lost Heaven”, which still makes me cry to this day]

When Wei WuXian wakes up after the core transplant surgery, the first thing he realizes is that he should be awake. Wen Qing insisted on the fact that he had to keep himself awake and conscious for the entirety of the procedure, otherwise he would have suffered from extreme backlash and so would have Jiang Cheng. But here he is, waking up from slumber after who know how many days. In front of a figure in white he doesn’t recognize. Everything is blurry in his periphery, as if he’s inhabiting two bodies at the same time. His every move heavy and his speech sluggish.

The person in white turns the moment Wei WuXian realizes he’s standing in the middle of nowhere, in the space between realities.

“Where am I?”, he asks, trying to make out the features of the person in front of him, their long white hair, the silver lining of their robes.

“You’re here to pay a price.”, the other answers, their voice a mere whisper. Barely louder than the crisp little noises the pins and jewelry adorning their hair and neck are making as the person approaches him slowly.

“A price for what?”

“Before losing consciousness, you wished for your brother to be saved no matter what.”

“Is… is Jiang Cheng safe?”

“He’s dying because you fell asleep.”, the other announces, sending shivers down Wei WuXian’s spine, dread sitting in the middle of his chest, “You cannot wake up, the damage is done. But if you enter this door you will be able to save him. Your body in this world will die, the core will not share two owners at once and your brother will be the only one able to use it from now on.”

Wei WuXian doesn’t have time to feel pain, determination painting him in vibrant colors in that white realm of silence and void. He turns as the person in white gestures him to do so and he finds a door so big it could rival with one of the gates of Koi Tower. Engraved on its surface are myriads of characters reminding him of something ancient and forbidden. Something so dark and dangerous not even cultivators as knowledgeable as Lan QiRen would be able to understand, let alone encourage learning about.

“What will i find on the other side?”, he wonders, watching as the gates slowly open in front of him, a warm wind spiraling upwards and messing his hair.

A kiss from the underworld.

Is this the day I die, he doesn’t ask.

“Another world.”, the woman in white and silver answers honestly.

Wei WuXian doesn’t have time to recognize her that he is dragged inside by a thousands of spirits with eyes for mouths and teeth for hands.

Mere months have passed since he woke up in a body similar to his original one, but completely different from his own at the same time. He’s still seventeen, but cannot rely on cultivation anymore. The brand scar he received in the cave of the Tortoise of Slaughter is nowhere to be seen. His mother and father welcomed him back in their arms, crying over his bedridden body thanking the heavens for saving their only son from typhoid fever. He knew deep down those were not his true parents, that Cange Sanren had a different name on top of that and that their actual son’s soul was probably the sacrificial lamb paid on the altar of Wei WuXian’s greed to save his only brother. He knew this since day one, yet he was too tired to say anything at the time. He woke up in a small village in the Hubei Province under the Republic of China, established twelve years prior. A reality almost identical to his own, but stripped of any power of the cultivation world.

However, now things have changed and his parents have died a second time, the fever and starvation taking them in their sleep one at a time. But not before his mother could send a desperate letter to an old acquaintance of hers asking them to take their son “Wei Ying” out of the country and save him from harm. After accepting her proposition, the Chinese diplomat Jiang Fenmiang has invited Wei Ying to live with him and their family in Tokyo, where he’s working in order to strengthen and acquiesce the relations between the two countries after a period of tension and grievances.

As he travels on what he understands to be called a “train”, Wei WuXian takes notes over the many technological advancements this new era has brought to humanity. Such as the ferry he has taken to travel overseas and now the locomotive taking him to Tokyo. The pain of losing his parents for the second time is still fresh, as is the memory of the past few months living alone on the streets chased by rabid dogs. His body is still weak after surviving the fever and his lungs and digestive system are forever compromised, but he wants to meet Jiang Chen and YanLi a second time in this new world. Feeling guilty for leaving them in a world ruled by the Qishan Wen clan, the only thing he can do is to atone in this new life and protect them in this reality. He takes a brief moment to himself as he looks up from his notes and sees a man approaching from the first class carriage of the train.

Initially Wei WuXian doesn’t regard the stranger with anything but a polite nod, some of his notes flying away from his journal as he adjusts himself on the platform at the end of his car. He sprints up to try to catch them... before the stranger could grab them for him and give them back.

It’s then that Wei WuXian recognizes the man, an older version of Lan Zhan from the one he remembers, dressed in modern clothing and shorter hair. He’s just another double, a copy of the original he used to know. Just like his mother and father, just like the Jiang family he’s going to meet soon. No recognition comes from the other-Lan Zhan, yet Wei WuXian lets himself stare for longer than necessary as he thanks the man.

A single tear rolls down his cheek as an earthquake shakes the train and destroys everything around them in that day of September 1923.

[details down below]

1923:

(WWX is 17)

the train stops and all the passengers survive, but they are scared and don’t know how to reach Tokyo safely by foot. Some officers guide them to the nearest road and help them walk for a while before they have to leave for the capital in an attempt to contain the flames of the many fires caused by the earthquake.

Lan Zhan’s double has the same name and features, but is now twenty-five and was supposed to arrive in Tokyo to meet with his brother, Lan Huan’s double. He’s a little more cheerful than what WWX remembers and he also decides to stick with the younger man all the way to Tokyo. After glancing at WWX’s notes earlier, in fact, double!LanZhan recognizes him as someone from his same country and reasons they should feel safer traveling together for a little while more.

given that trying to explain his situation to double!LanZhan would be useless, WWX simply agrees and shoves down any temptation to tell him all about Gusu and the cave and how much he wishes he could go back to his original world. They walk all the way to Tokyo talking quietly: they are surrounded by strangers, WWX doesn’t know much Japanese to begin with and he doesn’t want to be recognized as a foreigner.

uncle Jiang, along with some clothes to travel more comfortably, has sent him enough money to travel and direction to reach his home. The only thing WWX hopes is that nobody was injured in the earthquake and that no more waves can reach them before he can join them. What an unfortunate time to arrive. Aunt Yu would probably hate him in this reality too just because of that.

but as he trails behind double!LanZhan and enters Tokyo, WWX feels as if hell has found its way into the world, flames everywhere and nowhere to go. In the midst of chaos, however, double!LanZhan tries to keep him from fainting or shaking, talking about all the things he and his brother wish to work on as architects working for the government. Yet, WWX senses how worried he is for his twin brother and pities him as he tries to calm down, marveling at how much this version of Lan Zhan can talk. They walk towards the Jiang household as double!LanZhan chats about the university he’s supposed to work for the following month, wondering if it’s still intact after the catastrophe.

they reach the elegant house without any more troubles, relief spreading through their hearts as they notice it has endured little to no damage. Uncle Jiang scurries over them and immediately recognizes WWX bc of how much he resembles his mother and the man dotes on him from then on. He thanks double!LanZhan profusely, ignoring the resentful glances coming from his wife and the curious ones from his daughter. A kid roughly the same age as WWX approaches and takes the other’s only suitcase: a scowl on his face and hurry in his steps, telling WWX to keep up because “the world is crashing down if he hadn’t noticed”.

WWX doesn’t have time to properly thank double!LanZhan that he is urged inside by his new family.

1927:

(WWX is 21)

given the connections the Jiang family has in both countries, WWX and his step siblings are able to enjoy benefits others may only dream of, but the government is wary of foreigners and they need to act as good guests. This angers and stresses Jiang Cheng, his temper even worse than what WWX remembers, and he is even more rebellious than his new stepbrother. It’s WWX who needs to tone down the other’s snark at times, reminding him they cannot do as they please and that, even if others are jealous of their grades in university and overall position, they are still living in difficult times.

WWX knows this Jiang Cheng is a double ant that everything feels like a dream and nothing matters anymore, but if he pretends hard energy maybe he can stop feeling guilty for leaving his dear ones behind. But acknowledging this Jiang Cheng as the real one feels wrong and sometimes WWX distances himself from him, keeping his secrets for himself.

however, double!JiangCheng has seen his brother scream in his dreams, even waking him up in the middle of the night just to shake him from his horrible nightmares. Sometimes Wei Ying watches him in his sleep, when he hasn’t yet realized double!JiangCheng is awake, as checks for his breath. Other times he pressed a hand to his abdomen, as if checking for scars or injuries. He doesn’t know what it means, but he is willing to wait for the other to come around and they’ll him himself.

their sister YanLi has figured a way to be useful in a country wary of foreigners by studying to become a doctor and save lives. Their father is currently struggling at work because of the increasing tensions between the two countries and their mother keeps to herself in spite of everything.

WWX’s health deteriorates after he starts working, their supervisor suggesting him and his brother to keep a low profile just not to attract any unwanted attention on their family. Their work as engineers can convince the higher-ups to keep them close in case war were to strike again. But Jiang Cheng feels bad for working for a country constantly threatening his parent’s home country over mining rights and land ownership. He may love working on new aircrafts and test his limits, but he’s against using his energy and drive for appease someone else’s greed.

WWX, for the first time in his life, feels second to his brother, admiring his ability to distinguish from right and wrong while he himself cannot even tell dreams and reality apart. With a weakened body and a mind filled with memories of a world that doesn’t even exists, WWX convinces himself he’s in hell and this life is the punishment for being too greedy himself.

1929:

(WWX is 23, double!LWJ is 30)

tension is too strong for them to live in Tokyo, with Uncle Jiang forced to work for the government and scramble for solutions in order to keep his family safe in a secluded location in the mountains, in a hotel in the middle of nowhere. There, the elites enjoys the last days of peaceful times they will not see again for years to come.

WWX feels drained, dreaming of people he will either never see again or see every single day in the faces of strangers. Jiang Cheng convinces him to talk, even if only to ease his pain, but WWX cannot bring himself to reveal the whole truth. The only thing he feels like to share is that he has visions of another world and that maybe reincarnation is not as far fetched as it seems.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t really believe him, but he supports him and together with YanLi they try to make Wei Ying relax during their vacation on the mountains.

there, out of nowhere, WWX meets double!LanZhan and his brother: they meet on top of a hill as the wind rises and some of the two brothers’ musical scores fly away. WWX and his stepbrother catch them and bring them back as YanLi approaches the two musicians.

this time, WWX notice immediately something is wrong. Double!LanZhan is far less cheerful than what he remembers from their first encounter, while his brother seems to have lost his vision, music being his only comfort. The group exchanges pleasantries with the twins on top of the hill, until rain forces them all to seek refuge under some trees. WWX watches double!LanZhan closely and realizes these years apart must have been tough on him. He asks if double!LanHuan has lost his sight after the earthquake and the only thing double!LanZhan is able to do is nod, his eyes filled with tears.

Would it be so bad to befriend this other-LanZhan? Is it right for WWX to start a new life in hell with someone so compassionate and kind? Maybe that would be okay in the end, maybe they can be good friends and survive this world that is wary of them simply because of the greed of human kind. Then why does it feel wrong to let himself be loved by these people? Why does it feel like he’s betraying the ones he has left behind?

during their vacation, the two families get closer and they enjoy each other’s company. They talk in Japanese to not be stared by the other patrons and WWX wonders what happened in his world. If the Wens have crumbled down. If their name is synonymous with hatred and greed. If this is how any refugee would feel, isolated from the rest of the country while desperately trying to hold onto any familiar face and memory at hand.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t like to talk in another language and fear others might look down on him and seldom attracts attention by causing mayhem. But YanLi and even double!LanHuan help him come down from his stubborn antics and take him to long walks to calm down. This way, WWX and double!LanZhan are frequently left alone, because Wei Ying cannot walk for too long without feeling exhausted and so the other keeps him company.

since double!LanZhan is so under the weather and quiet, WWX takes it upon himself to entertain him and he spends their days chatting about the things he misses from home, what he would like to do if he were to live somewhere else, they airplanes he would like to make. He doesn’t talk about how much me misses flying on a sword, or how the wind fills under his clothes up in the air, or how much he would have loved to hold onto Lan Zhan among the stars at night.

WWX cries in front of double!LanZhan without noticing one day, missing the days at the Cloud Recesses when they were classmates and he used to pester the other boy. And only now, only now he understands what it was, what he wanted to convey with his antics. How much he wanted the other to notice him and pay attention to him. But the one rubbing a comforting hand up and down his spine now is not his Lan Zhan. Even if he’s just as kind and compassionate, just as quiet and brilliant, just as hurt and lonely.

they share a kiss under the trees of a meadow one afternoon and WWX feels like he’s either betraying the real Lan Zhan or this gentle young man who’s never done anything bad in his entire life. And he doesn’t know why double!LanZhan is crying as well as they kiss, but he’s too afraid to ask.

the following day Uncle Jiang calls the rest of his family back home and the Jiang siblings say their goodbyes to the twins hiding alone with their uncle on the mountain. Promising to meet each other again soon, even if WWX knows that’s most likely nothing but a well intentioned lie given the hardships they’re bound to face.

1930:

Lan Zhan:

(WWX is 24, double!LWJ is 31)

after meeting with the Jiang family, the twins try to retrieve their life as usual the moment they return in Tokyo for the winter. Their uncle notices double!LanZhan’s distress over departing from the young men he had met there, but his inquiry is fruitless since his nephew refuses to speak. The old man has noticed some changes in the younger twin over the course of a couple of years or so: his frequent migraines and tiredness, his laborious efforts to speak as if feverish and confused, his nights interrupted by nightmares more often than not.

even his brother has noticed the difference despite losing his vision in the fire at the imperial university seven years prior. His cheerful spirit is gone, his steps alternate different rhythms at times, and even his accent often doesn’t sound familiar to him. In his younger brother’s words “it’s almost as if two of me are residing in a single body”. But Lan Huan doesn’t know what to make of it, wishing he could look his brother in the eyes and see the truth for himself.

double!LanZhan, on the other hand, feels split in half ever since he has kissed Wei Ying. He remembers that day because his body has moved on its own, half of his mind lost in Wei Ying’s grey eyes while the other half (his own half) was trying to understand why the sudden urge to hold the boy tighter in his arms. He felt like someone had possessed him for those brief, stolen moments in time before leaving his body altogether the second Wei Ying has run away from him in the meadow.

unable to find an answer, feverish and tired with a migraine splitting his brain in half, double!LanZhan wanders around Tokyo trying to remember where the Jiang residence was. His feet walking him towards Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng’s room in the evening one day. Wei Ying is alone, sitting down by a table covered in drawings. Mesmerized, double!LanZhan watches from the window as Wei Ying traces the lines of faces and places, over an over again, as if he doesn’t want to forget what his imagination has shown him that night.

seeing what is depicted on the table, double!LanZhan’s migraine worsens and he collapses in the back garden, snow piling up on him. Wei Ying immediately notices and brings him inside, covering him in quilts to keep him warm. But Wei Ying is the warmest of all, his embrace like a balsam over double!LanZhan’s pulsing head as the younger tries to keep him warm by rubbing his arms over and over.

suddenly his head doesn’t hurt anymore and he can finally, finally let go. Let the other half take his place for now, just for a little while, as he takes a small nap in Wei Ying’s arms.

when he wakes up, Lan Zhan cries all of his tears.

he was finally able to reach Wei Ying, his Wei Ying, who was trapped in another world. The one Lan Zhan has been looking for ever since the end of the Sunshot Campaign, ever since Jiang Cheng himself told him of his demise. The one Lan Zhan was able to reach only after sacrificing his golden core to the immortal turned goddes BaoShan Sanren in front of a gate born from the efforts of some past demonic cultivator.

for two years he had tried to make his way through the veil between realities, his consciousness exhausted as if he had been swimming for far too long. The other-him, the man who shared his name and face, hosting his soul at the expenses of his own body for over two years. All because of Lan Zhan’s grief and greed, all because a goddess had promised him he could be reunited with the love of his life. But at what cost... at what cost indeed.

since two souls cannot reside in a single body, one of them had to die in order for Lan Zhan to meet his Wei Ying again. The moment WWX sees the other cry, he immediately recognizes him and tries to console him for the loss of his “other”. But LWJ cannot seem to feel any relief as he falls asleep once more in his arms.

Jiang Cheng:

Jiang Cheng enters the room and is baffled to find one of the twins in there, but seeing his brother crying over the man he decides to help them instead of calling the servants. Things are turning ugly in town for people like them and he doesn’t trust anyone anymore since YanLi got married and started working for the hospital, leaving the brothers alone.

in tears, Wei Ying tells him everything: of his dreams of another world, of the one he was destined to meet, of Lan Zhan finally remembering who he really was. He’s still fixated on this “past life” thing, uh? Jiang Cheng doesn’t really understand, but he knows the two man has grown fond of each other the previous summer and doesn’t really envy their fate.

he watches over them as they fall asleep in each other’s arms, having promised them to keep the servants from knowing about Lan Zhan’s presence in their house. That’s when he comes up with a plan and calls Lan Huan on the phone, briefly telling him that “his brother Lan Zhan has made a choice and that he cannot stay in Tokyo anymore”.

Lan Huan asks Jiang Cheng if his brother is there, to which the other only says “yes”. Is he with Wei Ying? Yes. Are they in love? Yes. Do they need to hide? “I can manage that for them.”

They meet the following morning at dawn, outside of Lan XiChen’s house to not attract the attention of the Jiang servants. Jiang Cheng will escort the two lovebirds to a cottage somewhere in the countryside, far away from society. When Lan Huan will succeed in convincing Lan QiRen to follow him there, they will receive them and arrange something.

Jiang Cheng May not believe his brother, but he knows things are getting dangerous in the country, especially for foreigners like them. Let alone someone like Wei Ying and his lover.

Wei WuXian:

While Lan Zhan is still feverish, Jiang Cheng and WWX take the train with the older man to the countryside. WWX feels bad for leaving, but Lan Zhan needs to rest away from the modern world for a while and he himself doesn’t feel well at all. Not with his lungs giving up on him any time he has to stiffen a cough and swallow his own blood with every breath. His weakened body may have caught something in the last few months, but he will not give up on Lan Zhan now.

They reach the cottage and Jiang Cheng immediately sends a letter to his sister, apologizing for what he’s about to do. They only have to wait a week for Lan Huan and Lan QiRen to arrive, but in the meantime Lan Zhan has regained enough energy to eat and stand up on his own. WWX asks him what is going on, and LWJ tells him that he’s currently trying to hold onto this body while simultaneously ruling over his original body in Gusu. He doesn’t want to fade away, but he fears slipping out of reach and leave WWX behind a second time.

when Lan QiRen sees them, he cannot deny what is in front of him: someone who is merely pretending to be his nephew greets him with a stoic face as he announces his intention to marry a man. Despite the initial shock, when Lan Huan has asked him to take him in the middle of nowhere in the countryside in winter, Lan QiRen has accepted to indulge him knowing Lan Zhan must have had something to do with it. But this in front of him is definitely not his nephew and this realization hurts more then knowing he is in love with a man.

Lan Huan, on the other hand, knows from his voice this is not his brother but cannot explain why. He’s filled with grief at the thought and not even his uncle can comfort him, the older man himself in pain for a loss he cannot comprehend.

WWX asks them to indulge them just this time, feeling like his life is getting closer and closer to its end, not knowing what else to do. Jiang Cheng comforts the two men as he tries to explain his reasons, that nobody will let them have even an ounce of joy in the world they’re forced to live in and that, if things will end up getting worse in the end, at least they’ll have this memory to look back to. He feels like a war is approaching, and no one can know what kind of world will greet them at the end of it.

Lan Zhan:

the day of his wedding he’s very nervous, having asked their hosts to simplify the traditional ceremony given the fact that Wei Ying and he are both men and there are no actual guest attending. They bow to the heavens and the earth, to their families, and then to each other. Their clothes are far less expensive or appropriate from the nuptial red they would have worn under different circumstances, yet Lan Zhan has never felt more adorned and rich, basking in Wei Ying’s love.

they spend their first night together whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears, tired and happy as they have never been before.

Wei WuXian:

they stay at the cottage for months, receiving news from the outside world every now and then from Jiang Cheng and Lan Huan. He suspects his brother is keeping something to himself, ignoring his questions over the political situation altogether, but he doesn’t insist.

LWJ tells him stories of the Sunshot Campaign, of how he tried to save the weak, the women, the children and the innocent of the Wen Clan against the rest of the cultivation world. Of how he found a way to summon BaoShan Sanren through some scrolls he had found in Burial Mounds, where he thought WWX’s soul might have disappeared to. Of how he hadn’t even been able to say goodbye to his brother and the people he had saved in Yiling before signing a contract with the immortal.

WWX’s lungs are giving up on him but he tries to keep LWJ from noticing. YanLi comes to meet them one day and makes sure to cry for her brother only when they are finally alone, sensing his intention to keep his husband from knowing the truth. He knows LWJ cannot possibly keep holding onto two bodies at the same time: waking up in Yiling the moment he falls asleep in the cottage; then waking up with Wei Ying every morning the moment he falls asleep in Burial Mounds where he has decided to hide. Without a golden core, for as strong as someone like LWJ can be, he would die if he keeps crossing the veil, the gate between the two worlds.

the day after YanLi has left them alone, WWX spends his last day with his husband, making sure everything is perfect. he also sends letters to his family and thanks them for loving him. he extends his best wishes to the people who worked alongside him, helping him bring to fruition his dream to fly in the sky once more... even if he has never flown in this lifetime.

he’s very happy with his husband and wants to commit every second they spend together to heart. They make love for the last time before they both fall asleep together and dream of home.

he whispers “I wish you good luck” before falling asleep.

Lan Zhan:

he wakes up the next day and Wei Ying is gone. His body cold in his arms.

mad with grief, unable to believe a life without WWX can or should exist, he cries over his husband’s body and wishes he could die.

Lan Huan and Lan QiRen happen to visit that day and find him crestfallen and asking to be left alone to die. But they help him bury the body instead and take care of him. Lan QiRen suddenly feels terrible at the thought of leaving this boy all alone, whether he’s actually his nephew or not. Lan Huan convinces his brother to eat and rest, holding him for as long as it takes for him to calm down.

the following day, as the younger twin wakes up, he asks Lan Huan why they’re in a cottage in the countryside and what happened while he was asleep.

the actual LWJ, by falling asleep, not willing to wake up in a world where WWX doesn’t exists anymore, has allowed double!LanZhan to regain complete control over the body in the cottage. The twin wasn’t dead, just dormant, waiting for LWJ to let go of his body on his own.

waking up in the Burial Mounds, however, with no golden core and no Wei Ying is worse than anything LWJ has ever experienced. Having to survive WWX’s death not one, but two times is too much to handle... but a small kid has found his place in his arms while LWJ was sleeping. His beloved A-Yuan, one of the few Wen children he was able to save from the Lanling Jin’s clutches after the Sunshot Campaign.

as he takes in the sight of the child he considers his own, peacefully sleeping in his bed, LWJ finds the strength to say “just another day”. And then another and another and another again.

13 years later:

Mo XuanYu sacrifices his body for WWX and the first thing Wei Ying does in his new body is to ask the Lan juniors to bring him to Hanguan Jun.

but Lan Zhan is already there, following the juniors around after managing to reforming a golden core in just a little over ten years all on his own. The first thing he says to Wei Ying is “I still remember every day.”

and they begin to travel together for the rest of their life.

Now I need a fucking tissue.

[as you can see very little “conquering another world” type of quest because I didn’t like to think too hard. This is more like “what if before transmigrating WWX and LWJ lived somewhere else and got married?” But then I had to make it sad, uh? Fuck.]

[also, demonic-cultivator!LWJ anyone?]

#mdzs #cql #the untamed #wangxian #mo dao zu shi #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: manga/anime inspired #mdzs/au: fma #mdzs/au: ghibli #mdzs/au: modern

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viterbofangirl · 3 years

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first line meme!

@fallynleaf said in her post to consider myself tagged, so I’m happily indulging in this lil’ ego boost! Thanks for the opportunity, m’dear! ^_~

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 authors!

NB- These are all unfinished and unposted WIPs. It behooves me to note that some of these are not at all recent. However, they ARE fics that have “first lines” at all, which is not necessarily a given as my Creative Muse is obnoxiously nonlinear in her inspirations.

~~~~~

1- The Gray Ghost had suffered some engine trouble somewhere on Interstate 65, so Mom and Dad hadn’t managed to make it to Chuck’s wedding. (Early Edition: ”Belly Up to the Bar”, a canon-compliant continuation of the episode “Occasionally Amber”, Gary/Toni except kinda not really because she’s totally pissed)

2- Oracle, Texas. 1878. A gnarled husk of a town still trying to deny that its glory days are past. (”Gunslinger”, my serious treatment/retelling of the Roger Corman western)

3- The gate clanged shut behind him, and Meng Yao took a deep, steadying breath. (MDZS: ”Leverage”, an Untamed AU based on inspired by pretty much continuing @littlesmartart‘s brilliant setup and concept)

4- Many, many nights would Jiang Cheng lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling and pondering the razor’s edge of chance he’d toed. (MDZS: an Untamed chengqing fic set post-canon, current working title is “Second Chances” but I don’t like it)

5- Napoleon Solo flipped though an outdated magazine with little real interest as he lounged in one of the chairs lining the lobby of the car rental establishment. (TMFU (2015): ”Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, a fic set in my “Eight Strapping Daughters” universe where it is currently 1987 and Gaby and Illya have had eight daughters, any of whom are capable of taking over the world... and all of whom are about to spend the day at a shopping mall)

6- He felt the phone vibrating in his pocket. (Sailor Moon: ”Moon Revenge”, a Minako/Kunzite bodyguard AU)

7- The Moon was visiting Earth. (Sailor Moon: ”No Miracle for the Likes of Us”- another working title- which is Venus/Kunzite-centric exploration of the end of the Silver Millenium)

8- Chibi-Usa hasn’t stayed very long after Helios departed. (Sailor Moon: ”Rebirth AU”- you guessed it... working title- a Minako/Kunzite-heavy-but-not-exclusive AU that deviates from the manga/SM Crystal canon after the end of the Dead Moon Circus arc where the Shitennou are revived and the events of Star never occur)

9- Monday, 7:00 AM: Alarm goes off.

Monday, 7:00:08 AM: Alarm thrown across room. (Sailor Moon: “Codename: Teen Idol ‘Dite”, a side arc set in the above AU where, lacking any catastrophic galactic conflicts to fight against, Minako is going out of her mind with boredom and takes an undercover job as an idol as part of a police/Interpol sting operation)

10- Normally, Salazar Slytherin took great pride in his self-control. (Harry Potter: ”Release”, a short Hogwarts founders one-shot involving a maddening magical construction project and a sudden bout of swearing)

11- It was the first truly warm day since winter had broken, and Salazar Slytherin wandered the grounds with no purpose or destination in mind, simply basking in the sunlight until he began to feel the chill of the dungeons recede from his bones. (Harry Potter: ”And Treat Them All the Same”, a Hogwarts founders story about Helga Hufflepuff’s background and why she feels very strongly about equal treatment)

12- Salazar Slytherin stared at the wardrobe for another minute before finally deciding to throw another fur over his fur-lined cloak, leather jerkin, and wool tunic. (Harry Potter: another one-shot Hogwarts founders fic with a teeny bit of Helgazar where the very cold-blooded Slytherin has to deal with a snowball fight, currently but not definitively titled “Snow Day”)

13- As the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, Brooklyn burst through the thin stone crust encasing him, his awakening roar shifting into a yawn as he stared blearily at the skyline and tried to remember what century he was in. (Gargoyles: ”Return of the Time Dancer”, Brooklyn’s return to New York- family in tow- after his Phoenix Gate adventures)

14- The couple breaking their fast that morning were strikingly handsome, if perhaps past the most fashionable age. (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Pride and Prejudice: “Scarlet Impressions”, a crossover fic that pretty much unfolded itself when I a) crunched numbers regarding the dates and years of respective storylines and b) realized that while Lizzy and Marguerite would get on like a house on fire, Darcy’s only possible reaction to Sir Percy would be unmitigated horror poorly repressed due to the latter’s much higher social standing)

15- Paris really was lovely this time of year. (MCU: “Threads and Patches: Part One”, first part of a three-part Clintasha AU set after the events of Civil War and most emphatically *not* farm-family friendly)

16- The briny air filled her lungs to bursting, but she continued to draw in breath until it hurt. (Highlander the Series: “The Mad Viking Saga”... because, frankly, EVERYONE should have an Immortal™ self-insert character and I refuse to apologize or feel ashamed of mine)

17- “Your Highness? The oracle is here.” (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: “Sinbad and the Garden of the Hesperides” a sequel to the animated movie that actually should be titled “Proteus and the etc., etc.” bc it’s mostly about him and giving him the ending I think he deserves, a.k.a. an OC love interest and a chance for adventure while on a quest to save his city from a plague)

18- Bare feet pounded on the hot, rough pavement as Sinbad dashed around another tight corner. (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: “Fast Friends”, an eight-chapter prequel telling the story of how Sinbad and Proteus met and grew up together, wherein each chapter progresses with each year they know each other from when they meet to when Sinbad leaves)

19- Reed was well-known as your stereotypical absent-minded professor. (Fantastic Four: “Shut Up and Dance With Me”, a Reed/Sue fluffy one shot where Reed is adorable because fight me)

20- The spaceport on Aruus Minor reeked of fuel, welding torches, and sweaty coveralls, but it was a welcome change from the recycled air of the Lambda shuttle. (Star Wars Legends Expanded Universe (BITE ME DISNEY): “Everything Unsaid”, a Luke/Mara chance encounter set during the we-share-an-unbearable-degree-of-compatibility-to-say-nothing-of-the-overwhelming-sexual-tension-but-both-of-our-lives-are-kind-of-a-mess-and-neither-of-us-feels-ready-to-deal-with-our-feelings-for-each-other-so-we’ve-individually-decided-to-just-ignore-said-feelings-while-simultaneously-being-drawn-to-each-other-whenever-we’re-so-much-as-in-the-same-fucking-hemisphere years)

~~~~~

WHEW! Well, it sure was fun to tease all my followers with a taste of fics that will neverrr be finished! As far as patterns go, seems I tend to prefer either set-up paragraphs or punchy one-to-three-liners intended to trick intrigue people into reading further. My favorite is definitely #9. It’s a diary/log of Minako’s day, and her POV is hilarious and sooooo much fun to write like that!

Anyone who wishes to participate should consider themselves tagged, and PLEASE TAG ME IF YOU DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE!

#fanfic #WIPs #mod's stuff #viterbofangirl thinks she can write #asks #my stuff

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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 years

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The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 20/?

CLAMP AU [Wei WuXian & Mo XuanYu are twin brothers edition]: “Yiling BABYLON”

[the reverse!TokyoBabylon au nobody asked for]

[ok. hear me out. I know it sounds weird but. hear me out. this is my second prompt based on a CLAMP work and it will sound far fetched but...trust me. the original manga is named “Tokyo Babylon” and it involves twins of a renowned family of magicians/exorcists working to solve mysteries in their town + a forbidden love between one of said twins and a man belonging to a rival family.]

[reasons why I thought of this prompt based on such source:

1). I know. I am aware. It would have made much more sense to have the Twin Jades of Lan be the exorcists of the situation. but Mo XuanYu deserves to go on adventures as well and, also, the twins in CLAMP’s manga are much more easygoing than the Two Jades so. artistic license. sue me.

2). I wanted Lan WangJi to be ruthless and cold blooded against his will.

3). in this prompt of mine I had to twist a couple of things but.............spare me.

4). the aesthetic bro. the drip.

(which is to say I wanted WWX and MXY to wear the fanciest/most atrocious 80’s/90’s style shit possible. it would have made much more sense for WWX to be the one designing the clothes bc he totally would, but I let poor MXY have his fun with this. also they are both adults in the story)

5). yep. that’s basically it.

anyway, enjoy!]

[under the cut babyyy]

Fast paced is the existence of what hides festering the darkness and gray areas of the world, especially in a city like Yiling, where spirits of every kind haunts the realm of the living looking for retribution and vengeance. Neon lights flickering aimlessly in the night as mysterious happenings attract the attention of many. Be it a vending machine suddenly dripping blood from every crevice and nook, or a hanged body making its appearance in a public toilet downtown.

Night after night new ghosts slither through the cracks of reality and slip into this world. Like oil stains spreading out in the endless ocean, rotting away in the corners of Yiling, forgotten and free to gather as much resentful energy from every living source as possible day after day. Making it impossible for the residents to sleep peacefully ever again.

Among such chaos a family was allowed to prosper and shine: the Sanren Clan, household of indisputable fame in their approach to grant peace to the dead. Powerful exorcists as they are, they developed a new kind of purification ritual over centuries of serving the emperor, to the point nobody can rival them in the matters of the underworld. Head of the clan is Wei WuXian, twenty-five-year-old grandmaster of demonism with an eye for the occult and a genius mind to aid him in his endeavors. His twin brother XuanYu, although lacking the spiritual energy required to perform full exorcisms alone, was gifted with a talent for memorization and array design that is unrivaled in the entire nation. Despite being born from a lesser known branch of the Sanren Clan, their incommensurable assets were deemed worthy of attention by the elders and they were allowed to participate in night expeditions since they were children.

But the life of a master of the dead is rarely prone to peace and Wei WuXian fears the day his spiritual energy will give up on him and let him be devoured by the souls under his care. Techniques like “Empathy”, for instance, require him to be briefly possessed by ghosts in order to understand how to help them cross the bridge between the two realms; while demonic possession drains his body as well as his memories in exchange to grant a spirit an outburst through his very body. His twin brother worries for him and tries his best to allow them to live normal lives, insisting they live separately from the rest of the Clan to enjoy their youth.

After all, the Wen Family protects them from harm and Wen Qing herself has suggested for other members of the Clan to take over Wei WuXian’s workload whenever possible, so not to overwork him to death. Hence, ever since Elder BaoShan granted XuanYu’s request, the twins, along with their bodyguard Wen Ning and personal physician Wen Qing, have tried to live relatively normal lives as any other young adult their age. Spending their days playing board games and going shopping, visiting new art galleries and practicing sports.

The bond between Wei WuXian and his brother is so deep the eldest knows he is transparent to XuanYu and that no lie will be strong enough to convince him that everything is fine. So he lets his younger brother do as he pleases, helping him around the small clothing design studio where XuanYu works at even if they are rich and technically don’t lack money at all. He also accepts to live in a minuscule apartment with him and their two friends just to indulge his “need to live like normal college students for once”, even if none of them are enrolled in university. Wei WuXian enjoys the little things his brother is determined to give him and tries to relax by day... knowing too well he has to work by night and channel resentful energy for corpses and spirits to peacefully pass the threshold of the otherworld.

The fact that they also made a new friend in the last year is also one of the reasons XuanYu seems so keen on letting his older brother live outside of the Sanren estate. A quiet man in his thirties named Lan WangJi who works as a veterinarian nearby their apartment. XuanYu has noticed for a while how kindly the man treats Wei WuXian, how fondly he answers to the other’s teasing and jokes, how invested he looks in the younger man’s wellbeing. It would be cruel to separate them.

Certainly, the fact that the Lan Clan is known for harvesting assassins since the beginning of time would be a hindrance to their friendship, and the elders would definitely order the twins to go back home. But, since Lan WangJi doesn’t seem interested in following such bloodied path, XuanYu indulges his brother and plays along with every joke and trick, insisting how little the veterinarian fits in the Lan Clan at every opportunity.

Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian already met in the past, during a mission at night when the latter was barely eighteen and a spirit had just ceased possessing his body, leading him to the culprit of their murder. Lan WangJi had just returned from yet another purge, his fingers still holding the guqin string he had used to cut the throats of his Clan’s enemies. Tired and bored of that life, Lan WangJi found Wei WuXian’s presence refreshing for the small time they spent together on Yiling Bridge that particular night. Even if the boy looks out of it after being possessed, carefree and kind, gentle. Impressed with the younger’s ability to empathize with evil creatures, Lan WangJi made a bet with the boy: that they would meet again in the future and that if, after spending one year together, he were to fall for Wei WuXian, he would stop being a killer and leave the Lan Clan for good.

The only thing Wei WuXian remembers of that night was that he revealed his real name to a stranger on a bridge at night, and that now someone in that town lives knowing him as Wei Ying, not Wei WuXian grandmaster of demonism. So he’s always looking for that person, hoping to meet them again, unaware of the truth, believing to have developed feelings for someone whose existence resembles more a dream than anything else.

Now, one year has passed since the day Lan WangJi has entered the twins’ lives and things have changed. Demons and spirits have become more aggressive over the last few months, whispering to Wei WuXian to get them the revenge they deserve, corrupting his mind with persuasive words and violent acts, making his blood boil and his memories fade night after night. After one particularly long mission XuanYu takes his older brother to Lan WangJi in a fit of panic, asking him to help. Blood is gushing out of Wei WuXian’s eyes, ears, mouth and nostrils; the situation escalated almost to the point of no return, now that even Wen Qing is unconscious and has been taken to safety at the Sanren estate by Wen Ning himself. The demon asked for a price too high, shaking Wei WuXian from the inside out to the point he inadvertently pushed Wen Qing out the way and made her hit her head.

But the sight of human blood awakens something in Lan WangJi, something he had tried to forget about and suppress for months the moment he had met Wei WuXian for the second time in his life, one year ago. Something falls in place and as he watches Wei WuXian regain consciousness he breaks one of his arms and tries to kill him.

XuanYu defends his brother with all his might, throwing talismans to the older man’s face until one of them catches him off guard and blinds him in his right eye.

Lan WangJi is forced to escape, but not before XuanYu is able to cast a spell on him. For as long as he will live, XuanYu will always know where Lan WangJi hides and no amount of spiritual energy will erase the trace.

Dragging his sobbing brother back to the estate, XuanYu reveals what happened to Elder BaoShan, feeling guilty for having trusted a Lan despite the warnings. Elder BaoShan tries to heal Wei WuXian’s injuries and make the early signs of qi deviation regress at the best of her abilities, but in doing so she sacrifices her spiritual energy to the point of losing her sight. Wei WuXian, traumatized by Lan WangJi’s betrayal, has a flashback of that mission from seven years ago and realizes the person he was looking for is the man who introduced himself as Lan Zhan.

Heartbroken, Wei WuXian falls in a coma and XuanYu lets the resentful energy overtake him to the point he decides to go look for Lan WangJi and seek revenge himself. He dies in the attempt and the bond with his twin brother breaks, the backlash so strong Wei Ying wakes up and immediately knows his baby brother is no more.

Assuming the worst, he takes his time healing before deciding to look for Lan Zhan himself and kill him for erasing XuanYu’s existence from the face of the earth.

[spoiler, MXY was killed by the Lan Elders to keep their location a secret and they used LWJ’s unconscious body as bait to lure him out while he was consumed with resentful energy. in this case LWJ is innocent.]

#wangxian #mdzs #cql #the untamed #mdzs/au: clamp #mdzs/au: manga/anime inspired #mdzs/au:: modern #mdzs/au: tkbabylon #clamp #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: role-reversed

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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 years

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The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 11/?

CLAMP AU: “Fly me to the Moon”

[ok, this is tough. it’s based on a particular arc of CLAMP’s series “Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle”, the Shura Country one. The story is a spinoff/crossover based on CLAMP’s first series “RG Veda” (which I highly recommend if you loved mdzs because LORE!). I could have based this AU on “RG Veda” (the original, not this spinoff), but the manga is such a gem in itself and the story is very complex so I didn’t want to ruin it with my ramblings.]

[if you are familiar with this series (and the spinoff in particular), I will lay down the reasons why I came up with this idea in a very detailed and specific manner down below.]

[tell me King Ashura and King Yasha don’t resemble WWX and LWJ. I dare you: tell me they do not! (that’s honestly all I got. It’s enough evidence that my reasoning was nice indeed. neat, even. that’s enough science for today kids. so this evidence will be sufficient, your honor)...enjoy!]

Every night before the moon can reach its zenith, the YiLing Clan of Burial Mounds fights alongside its master Wei WuXian against the Lan Sect, from the country of Gusu. The battlefield has been bathed in blood ever since the Lan Sect arrived, trying to defend the floating castle known as Koi Tower from the YiLing Clan.

It is said that whoever will be able to conquer Koi Tower will see their dream come true, the power of the castle able to grant any wish.

But as every battle comes to an end, the moon reaching the highest point in the sky and, forced by a curse, the YiLing patriarch guides his army back in Burial Mounds. Waiting eagerly for the following night to come, when he will be able to face Lan WangJi of Gusu again.

Every day he manages to ready his men for the following battle, taking care of the injured as he runs his kingdom at the best of his abilities. But his mind is always elsewhere, planning how to rush through the Gusu troupes so that he can reach Koi Tower as fast as possible. To wish for the war to end and make amends for the crimes he and his Clan have committed along the years.

He cannot bear to think of what his heart truly desires, since his family and people will always come first. If the Lan Sect is the one defending the castle, then Wei WuXian needs to eradicate them and think of the greatest good: the end of the war, not his selfish desires and impossible dreams.

Every night, when he finally manages to make his way to Lan WangJi and fight with him, he feels his blood sing and his soul light. But he would never dare to put the fate of his dear ones at risk, so he braves on and resigns himself to feel content just by sparring with the other man. Their skills equal and minds alike.

However, one night Wei WuXian manages to injure the other, slashing his face with his sword before the moon can dictate the end of the battle and the two armies are forced to leave the field. For weeks he’ll not meet Lan WangJi and every day he will worry about the other man, if he had injured him too badly, if his skills has finally surpassed the Lan General’s own.

After a month or so, before dawn can rise and wake everyone in Burial Mounds, someone visits Wei WuXian in his chambers and Lan WangJi makes his appearance. His left eye stitched shut after their last fight, his face filled with emotions his nemesis would have never dreamed to see in a million years. The YiLing patriarch, unable to hide his true feelings for the other man, confesses the truth and yet he’s filled with pain and regret. Certain of the other man’s rejection, he doesn’t expect the General to embrace him and reveal his true name in adoration and longing: his name is Lan Zhan and he wants nothing more to share the rest of his life with Wei Ying.

After an entire day filled with love and happiness and passion, hiding away in the depths of the palace in Burial Mounds, Wei Ying realizes something he should have noticed sooner. The cursed pattern they’ve been forced into up until now has never allowed them to meet in the daylight, always on the battlefield and never alone.

Embracing him one last time, his Lan Zhan smiles at him and says goodbye.

It’s then that Wei Ying knows Lan Zhan has already died.

The one he had met was just a manifestation of the General’s spirit: his drive to finally confess to Wei Ying stronger than the boundary between life and death. And every night they will meet on the battlefield, while during the day they will be apart. The curse of the fight too strong to free Lan Zhan from his promise to protect the floating castle even if he’s already gone from the realm of the living.

So now Wei Ying’s wish has changed: not to conquer Koi Tower in order to stop the war anymore, but to conquer it to ask for Lan Zhan to be revived, to come back from the dead. To come back to him.

Hard as it seems, he needs to win.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #wangxian #cql #clamp #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: clamp #mdzs/au: shura #mdzs/au: manga/anime inspired

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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 years

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The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 15/? Kimi no Na Wa AU: “Seamless” [ok I changed stuff bc I’m well on my way to thirty and teenage love is fun and fresh until you realize you could technically be a parent yourself and then it’s all downhill from there. so the characters are adults, sorry about that] [title comes from (what I understand to be) a way of saying that goes “a goddess’s robe is seamless” which (supposedly) should mean a great plan coming together –which reminded me of fate and time and the whole underlying plot of the movie– or something perfect/the product of perfect craftsmanship. I was looking for info about weaving procedures and I stumbled across this:

From Wikipedia, under “Loom” “In Tang Dynasty, China, the goddess weaver floated down on a shaft of moonlight with her two attendants. She showed the upright court official Guo Han in his garden that a goddess's robe is seamless, for it is woven without the use of needle and thread, entirely on the loom. The phrase "a goddess's robe is seamless" passed into an idiom to express perfect workmanship. This idiom is also used to mean a perfect, comprehensive plan.”

There’s also reference to the legend of Vega and Altair, which is what the Japanese festival tanabata is based on. And my creative juices gave me a sugar high so...yeah] * No matter how isolated Gusu is known to be, preparations for the upcoming July festival attract people from all over the country. Time has relentlessly transformed what used to be a secluded and safe place for people to meditate in into a tourist location known for its cold springs and breathtaking sceneries. Yet, Lan Zhan wonders what cities and stories could possibly hide behind those mountains he has known for all his life.

Managing the temple of the goddess along with his older brother and uncle should bring him joy, but deep down he knows he’s still living beside them more out of obligation than anything else. Lan Huan himself feels trapped behind the usual mask of politeness and fake smiles, his heart still bleeding for the loss of his two precious friends in the span of five years. Their uncle Lan QiRen well may have taken them in when they were mere children, stepping in to take care of them in place of their mourning father after losing his wife... but Lan Zhan knows his brother doesn’t want to disappoint their elder in any way.

Falling in love not once, but two times in a lifetime should not be frowned upon... but Lan QiRen couldn’t stomach the idea of one of his nephews falling for a man the first time, let alone the second. Just having said goodbye to Nie MingJue when they were mere teenagers after their uncle had prohibited him from meeting with his nephew, Lan Huan thought he could have another chance at happiness with Meng Yao in his twenties... just for the other man to fall ill and move country to look after himself. Ever since, Lan Huan has stopped believing in ever being able to find happiness for himself and decided to accept his fate and manage the temple like their uncle did for most of his life.

The idea of celibacy doesn’t sit well with Lan Zhan, not for himself and certainly not for his heartbroken brother, but life outside Gusu seems so far away and unapproachable. Without them the ancient tradition of working the loom to create seamless robes would perish and most of the profits from the temple would fall dry if not for their hard work. Their mother used to be a seamstress herself, teaching them how to weave without breaking the delicate thread, setting the rhythm of their hearts with her feet moving on the pedals as they watched her work her magic day after day. Their robes are still valued for their absolute perfection, even if nowadays they’re bound to be bought not by emperors or kings, but by celebrities and politicians who just want to boast their ego in front of cameras and flashing lights. The set Lan Zhan himself has been working on will take another three months to finish and on top of that he uses his spare time to make the ribbons they sell at the local gift shop while his brother prepares the traditional talismans by hand, his calligraphy as delicate as the products of their weaving.

As the nights of the local festival approach and they practice the rituals in full traditional gear more to appease the tourists than anything else, Lan Zhan feels getting more and more tired the longer he wears the long wig and the heavy robes himself, wishing his heart could stop being so ungrateful for the life he was entrusted with. But the news of a comet quickly approaching them brings the promise of change as Lan Zhan looks up at the sky and wishes he was born in a different body. Just for once. Just to live at least once in that existence of his.

[more under the cut]

Wei Ying is in university (engineering major), living with his brother Jiang Cheng (marine biology major) in their sister’s tiny ass apartment. They keep her company while she waits for baby Jin Ling to be born, ZiXuan working day and night in the hospital fresh out of med school to get their family a bigger house. Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng moved in from the tiny Yunmeng and secretly hate the big city life, but their studies come first and they didn’t want to leave YanLi alone while pregnant. Their parents are still working in the countryside and couldn’t properly care for her, living so far away in Lanling.

Wei Ying works part time in a bar and the usual routine is so rooted in his system that he doesn’t even care anymore. Study, eat, work, sleep. Rinse and repeat. He would like to think his brother has it easier than him, but he’s even more elusive than him, studying in the library until his night shift in an art gallery as a guard. The poor guy doesn’t even sleep, let alone have a social life. Spring has just begun and YanLi still has a trimester to go, her spirits low even if she loves her child very much already. Keeping her company and helping her leading a normal life is their priority as her brothers, but sometimes Wei Ying wishes things were easier.

He doesn’t really want to become an engineer, or, at least... he used to want that. But he’s more interested in actually making stuff instead of taking a hundred calculus classes per semester. He wishes he could enjoy his studies more and maybe get a girlfriend or boyfriend to pass the time, not that he believes in romance or anything. Commitment sounds scary.

One day he wakes up and... nah, he’s still dreaming. The ceiling is wrong, he doesn’t live in an old traditional cottage with a view on... wtf is that a mountain? Fuck that he doesn’t have time to waste, he has a test today. Studied hard enough last night he fell asleep on the desk... better start getting ready.

So he goes to the bathroom and showers, too tired to even open his eyes. But the shampoo smells all wrong, what even is sandalwood? And he doesn’t like mint toothpaste. And why are his clothes a size bigger? He doesn’t even own a button down, what in the...?

Who the fuck is that in the mirror??!?

On the other hand, Lan Zhan wakes up on a desk, drool on the books, late for a test an angry stranger reminds him he has to take in half an hour at best. He is presented with a soup his body mechanically ingests out of habit as he tries to politely nod to whatever the kind woman in front of him is saying. (“You look sick, are you really okay?” / “A-Jie stop babying him” / “But I’ve never seen him so... quiet?” / “He’s probably pretending so that he can skip his test.”) But if he really has given his word for such a commitment... maybe he should just go.

Still, he doesn’t remember going to any university. That may be a problem.

His body feels different, but he never paid attention to his reflection. They don’t even own mirrors back at home anyway. He doesn’t remember his hair reaching well over his ears and under his jaw. Should he consider asking his brother to cut it for him? It feels greasy, should he fix it or?

As he tucks a strand behind his ear he realizes something is terribly wrong. From the tip of his nose to the width of his shoulders, from the clothes he put on without even thinking. The window of the shop under the apartment he’s just left shows him a stranger that he cannot recognizes for the life of his.

And now some funny stuff:

(If you are not familiar with the movie, go watch it. But if you are you should be fine with the following list so... enjoy)

Jiang Cheng loves dogs, but Wei Ying is allergic and they cannot get a puppy... so he de-stresses at a local dog café whenever he can. Wen Qing works there even if she’s a cat person and comments on how he’s secretly planning to murder her so he can get her job. They’re good friends and dated for a while before Wen Qing understood her lesbianism was stronger and Jiang Cheng’s chaotic bisexuality was leaning more on the boy section of the partner store anyway. They bitch about everything and everyone anyway.

Lan Zhan (in Wei Ying’s body) manages to arrive in university and take the test, getting perfect scores even if Wei Ying’s never got such a high mark. For the rest of the day he roams Lanling in awe, believing it’s just a very nice dream. He also discovers the existence of pet bunnies in a pet store and his life changes.

Wei Ying (in Lan Zhan’s body) is a mess. Lan Huan immediately notices something is wrong, but he hasn’t really smiled in several months and whatever is happening to WangJi is extremely entertaining to him. He sees him skipping the morning prayers right in front of Lan QiRen’s salad (so to speak) and he doesn’t seem to remember the existence of their uncle’s punishing bamboo stick.

He also clearly never used a loom in his life, but luckily Lan QiRen is too busy to notice as he welcomes tourists in the temple and explains them the history behind it. Lan Huan takes “Lan Zhan” out for a stroll and they sit down as Lan QiRen’s mellow voice explains the legend of the weaver goddess and the importance of the artisanal work they still keep practicing to this day. Transfixed, “Lan Zhan” smiles big at his brother and Lan Huan knows for sure this is not his WangJi at all.

Wen Qing finds “Wei Ying” petting bunnies in the shop where her current girlfriend MianMian works and notices how... awfully quiet he is. She thinks he bombed the math test and might be sad, but he doesn’t seem to recognize her when she waves her hand at him. She then reminds him he should be getting ready for work and he blanches at the idea. Eventually asking her “where he’s supposed to depart for” and honest to the gods Wen Qing ends up convincing herself he’s high as fuck.

Imagine “Lan Zhan” being reprimanded by Lan QiRen for -gods forbid- laughing too loud? Asking for a beer at the local tea house? Saying out loud that he craves meat when he’s vegetarian? That’s just a dream for poor Wei Ying, whatever! He’s having a great time and Lan Huan is this close to lose it when they practice the traditional rites together and “Lan Zhan” doesn’t know how to put the long wig on anymore.

Now imagine “Wei Ying” not knowing how to use a shaker at work, or how to make a martini, or the fact that he and a boy named Wen Ning are actually coworkers and not strangers. He goes back home at 3am with the feeling he has forgotten something important, but when he finally (finally) finds his apartment he falls asleep on the doorway. Too drained by the city life to even change out of his uniform.

Next day there’s no switch: Wei Ying wakes up in his body by the doorway, with Jiang Cheng coming back from his night shift and panicking hard; Lan Zhan wakes up in his bed but he’s somewhat grounded at 20 for... drinking beer?

Technical stuff now!

Lan Zhan lives in 2010 and he is 20, Wei Ying lives in 2015 and he is 20.

It’s LXC who suggest his brother to keep a diary for his dreams if they get too crazy (later on it will be revealed something shocking about LXC, but for now the journaling is just a “suggestion”)

WWX and LWJ switch every other night or so, and things change when WWX wakes up in LWJ’s body and finds the diary.

They keep in touch with diaries [bc I don’t think LWJ would have a phone like...ever, but I digress]

WWX notices the two Jades of Gusu are kept outside of their peers’ circles because other people think their family is weird: they still use courtesy names; they don’t eat meat; most of their relatives are believed to have died in celibacy without actually being monks themselves; they don’t drink alcohol and are deemed unsociable... and so on.

But it’s when he overhears people bashing LXC for “his past with several boys” and for “running away from society like his father” that WWX (in LWJ’s body) actually loses it and starts a fistfight right then and there until those losers stop muttering behind their backs.

In the meantime, ZiXuan comes back home to surprise YanLi... and LWJ is there (in WWX’s body) and the younger man almost doesn’t let him enter bc he doesn’t know who this strange man is and what does he want from Jiang Cheng’s sister?

LWJ also follows JC to his night shift one day bc he’s never seen an art gallery (but apparently WWX often trails behind his younger step brother anyway, so JC doesn’t notice anything weird... aside from how quiet the other is)

JC then takes that opportunity to ask his brother (while LWJ inhabits said body) if... if he’s depressed and needs help [“Wen Qing saw you petting bunnies too many times for you to be ‘just fine’. You can talk to me.” / “it’s fine.” / “fuck that you’re not fine. Stop lying to me.” / “it’s just a transitional time for me, it will pass” / “who taught you such big words, what the fuck”] and then JC begrudgingly tells his brother than he loves him and doesn’t want him to be sad.

The next day WWX is back in his body and finds written down: “your brother tells me he loves you and that you should take better care of yourself” and WWX clowns the fuck out of JC the following day and JC is like “noPe. You’re fucking fine. Whatever, your fucking with me. You’re always fucking with me. Stupid of me to fucking care, gods forbid.”

LWJ starts developing feeling when he learns WWX defended Lan Huan + LWJ goes every night he can to the art gallery when he doesn’t have to work at the bar and learns there’s an entire section of the gallery dedicated to Gusu + but he doesn’t want to think about home for now, avoiding the exhibit, and so he learns more about JC and starts to think he would have lots of things to talk about with LXC.

Lan QiRen takes his nephews to their annual purification trip to Burial Mounds, to a cave hidden on the mountain where it is said the goddess met with her lover for the first time in the past. They leave their offerings and change the ropes securing the entrance of the cave with sturdier ones, which they have made themselves prior that year. It is said that whoever enters the cave will be granted a wish, so it’s responsibly of the Lan family to keep everyone else out until the lover of the goddess returns to be granted the wish to reunite with her. It’s a privilege the goddess has left for him to enjoy and no mortal should dare take that from him. Only those who wear the sacred headband of the Lan family can enter without being cast out of the cave and be forced to leave by the spirits.

WWX falls in love with LWJ a bit everyday: the little gifts and notes he finds on his desk for WWX to open and read every morning; the beautiful drawings LWJ makes of the mountains; the care he put in the white robes that should adorn a deity and not common human beings.

crushed with longing for WWX, LWJ wishes to meet with him one day (the real him) and so he runs away from Gusu on train and reaches Lanling and searches for him at the university. But he’s not there. He looks everywhere for him, but doesn’t find him. Until he stumbles into YanLi and it’s almost like there’s a wall between them: shocked, LWJ recognizes YanLi even if he knows she has never actually met him in real life; but the worst thing is that... she’s not pregnant. She’s not even at home as she usually is, but going to university herself and it doesn’t even seem like she’s even in a relationship with ZiXuan yet: the two of them not even sparing a glance to one another in the university corridors.

LWJ finds his words at long last, asking YanLi if her brother Wei Ying is well. She beams at him at first, elated to see her brother actually has friends outside of the family... “but you look around my age, right? What business do you have being friends with a fifteen year old boy anyway?”

Shocked, the last thing LWJ can do before leaving her alone is to give her a ribbon he made himself, the one that represents his heart. “I just know him by chance, he... he helped my brother once. I was wondering how to repay his kindness so I made this for him. Can you give it to him?”

That evening he goes back to Gusu and he prepares for the festival knowing the comet is coming. The last thing he wishes is to forget about Wei Ying, because -having realized there’s a discrepancy in timelines and that he has interacted with someone from the future for months now- he cannot possibly justify having developed feelings for a minor.

There are no more switches and WWX is left wondering what happened.

Now the sad part:

Under the weather for what happened, WWX follows JC around a lot and he even adopts a couple of bunnies to cope. YanLi is closer and closer to the due date and gets restless, forcing her brothers to clean up the entire apartment with her until everything sparkles for the baby’s arrival. They dig out an old box with all of YanLi’s stuff from university and LWJ’s ribbon appears out of nowhere. WWX immediately recognizes it for what it is.

[“I’m sorry A-Ying, I was supposed to give you this back then, but I forgot.” / “What are you taking about... why do you have a Gusu’s ribbon with you?” / “Ah, was your acquaintance from up there? He said you helped his brother once, or something like that... and he wanted to thank you. I’m really sorry.” / “How long ago was that A-Jie?” / “Five years or so? I think?”]

To this JC startles, saying that’s awfully weird, considering what happened to Gusu exactly five years prior. To which WWX is like ?pardon? and then JC takes them to the art gallery to the traditional art section, where the exhibit on Gusu is: there, WWX finally remembers how a relatively small rock has detached itself from the comet and destroyed Gusu in 2010 on the final day of the July festival.

On a display there, the siblings find one of the few things spared by the fire: an unfinished set of robes weaved with the precious heavenly silk, which was said to be made from the stars themselves.

Wei Ying cries all of his tears, neither JC or YanLi can console him and the only thing they come up with is that -maybe- their brother felt bad for forgetting to cherish a friendship... but they don’t remember if he had reacted so badly five years ago when the news of the fire at Gusu broke.

In the middle of the night, with the ribbon secured around his wrist, Wei Ying runs away and takes a train to Gusu. There are no more direct lines and he has to hike all the way up there... just to see a lake where the town was supposed to be. The crater so big it swallowed the ground where half of the city used to be.

Desperate, he wanders the mountains without knowing where to go, until his feet take him to the secluded path Uncle QiRen took him once. He follows it, noticing the same ribbons knotted around the trees he saw the first time he walked there. He follows the path and reaches the cave.

Inside, nothing happens. The talismans are still there, but -as he imagined (*eyeroll emoji*)- there’s no actual magic preventing him from entering. So he jumps over the white ropes made of ribbons and silk and gets inside the cave of Burial Mounds. He takes shelter there from the storm outside and thinks of Lan Zhan, of how much he misses him. And then he cries thinking about him and his brother and their uncle and the entire Gusu: because none of them deserved to die. And he wishes he can rewind time and save them all.

He faints in the cave and his wish is granted.

Now for the good part!

He wakes up in LWJ’s body (in 2010), the day after the boy’s impromptu trip to Lanling, the last day of the July festival. He gets to work as soon as he goes downstairs, determination painting his (well, LWJ’s) features to the point Lan Huan notices... and he has to say something.

While they ate breakfast, out of Lan QiRen’s sight, Lan Huan sits his “brother” down and tells him something unexpected: that he used to switch bodies with not one but with two people at the same time, NMJ and JGY.

That he managed to finally meet NMJ in their teens when the older boy came to Gusu for a school trip... but he didn’t want to leave bc he had finally found LXC and didn’t want to part ways. Lan QiRen put end to the older boy’s silly antics and the two friends agreed to meet in secret, before Lan Huan put a end to the relationship for fear of displeasing his uncle. The three friends kept switching bodies until one day they stopped.

Then Meng Yao came to find him and told him he had discovered the truth of what happened: that NMJ had a car accident and lost most of his memories of their years as friends and that now was living somewhere else with the woman he fell in love with. Meng Yao himself tried to live in Gusu for a few years afterwards, regardless of his poor health, eventually deciding to not make Lan Huan worry and disappeared without a word to take care of himself (or to die far away enough so that Lan Huan didn’t have to see him at his worst).

Lan Huan said that it took him years to remember their names and that he was able to finally utter them in front of his brother only the previous year, at the last July festival. He also reveals WWX that trying to remember something so simple caused him great pain, to the point he believed he could let himself die that way, starving himself from human connection.

Impressed and sorrowful, WWX cries for him and wishes things were different for Lan Huan, who’s only 23 and yet had suffered more than anyone else. But Lan Huan is content with what he has, even if he feels guilty for being the reason Meng Yao neglected his health. Yet he’s happy for NMJ and doesn’t regret befriending them at all.

With his help, WWX alerts people in Gusu: LXC finally standing up for himself against their uncle in order to gain his respect and convince him of the emergency at hand.

On the other hand, LWJ wakes up in the cave in WWX’s body (in 2015) and doesn’t know why he’s there. Yet he knows the way out and travels back following the ribbons... but when he reaches Gusu he sees there’s only a crater filled with water and doesn’t know what to do. He knows of the time discrepancy between the two realities, but he doesn’t know what to think.

WWX realizes LWJ must be in his body somewhere on the Burial Mounds, from the top of which Gusu can be seen, but he doesn’t know if he would find his own body in the cave, since the year now is 2010 and WWX reached the cave by himself only in 2015. Yet something tells him to go and so he leaves for the mountain.

On top of the Burial Mounds, he doesn’t find anyone.

But Lan Zhan is there, on the other side of the veil between present and future.

And as the light of the sun fades away and dusk approaches, Wei Ying enters his body and Lan Zhan gets back inside his own. They meet for the first time and Wei Ying doesn’t know what to say, having never seen Lan Zhan’s body from outside and feeling suddenly very self conscious and uninteresting.

To which Lan Zhan responds with “are you legal?” / “what the fuck Lan Zhan.” / “I gave you my ribbon. did you receive it?” / “yes, my... my sister gave it to me like, yesterday.” / “yesterday as in... what year?” / “2015”

And then Lan Zhan kisses the hell out of him because nothing screams romanticism to him like a relationship between two contenting adults and Wei Ying gets blissed out of his pants for that single kiss on the spot. In between kisses Wei Ying tries to convince Lan Zhan to stop, that there’s something they should remember... or at least something they should not forget.

But Lan Zhan does not relent, hugging and holding Wei Ying, finally... finally keeping him close and never letting him go.

Until Wei Ying disappears and the only thing left of him is the white ribbon Lan Zhan has given him.

They forgot to write their names, so that they would not forget them like LXC has done for years.

And finally.....!

years have passed, it’s the beginning of 2020 [sans quarantine, thank you] and Wei Ying has graduated and is looking for a job. He doesn’t remember Lan Zhan.

Jiang Cheng has found a job close to the sea at the local aquarium and the only thing he talks about on the phone is “how useless his new intern is. a nobody late bloomer who discovered the mountain wasn’t for him and decided to study in the opposite direction, go figure. Gusu must have bored him alright. but the other day he reminded me mountains are actually ancient reefs and now I think I’m in love.” So all is well.

(Gusu did not fall and everyone was evacuated in time. Lan Zhan had descended the mountain and made sure his brother got his backup in convincing their uncle of the emergency. He doesn’t remember either, but he always keeps his ribbon on his wrist, feeling like he’s waiting for someone to get it back.)

On a snowy night they cross paths on a pedestrian bridge, but don’t recognize each other... until Wei Ying’s scent of lotus reaches Lan Zhan. But the other has already disappeared behind a corner of the ever busy Lanling and they miss each other once again.

The following day, when Wei Ying has just dropped Jin Ling at his kindergarten and is about to cross a road, he sees a familiar face on the other side of the street. Both of them are talking to the phone: Wei Ying to Jiang Cheng, who’s calling him from a toilet, panicking about his first date with the intern; and Lan Zhan with his brother Lan XiChen, who’s waiting for his date to come back from the bathroom in the restaurant they chose to meet at.

As they walk towards each other they sense something, but don’t stop. Until they have now reached their respective sides of the road and realize what just happened. They turn around, but there are too many cars in between them.

They look for a way to meet and run towards a pedestrian bridge right above the road. They make the steps two at a time until they’re out of breath on top and stare at each other after so long. Wei Ying has lived for five years feeling like half of him was missing, but Lan Zhan had spent twice as long waiting for something to change in his life.

(“I’m still legal, you know?” / “That’s the first thing you decide to tell me after ten years? Really?” / “you thought it was romantic last time” / “what’s that supposed to mean?” / “that you should kiss me right the fuck now, you big oaf.”)

They meet in the middle of the bridge and kiss.

Then, Lan Zhan tilts his head and ask “what was you name again?”, clearly amused, and waits until Wei Ying’s laughter resonates all around.

The fucking end.

Now I need a break.

#mdzs #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #cql #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: manga/anime inspired #mdzs/au: kimi no na wa

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a-very-fond-farewell · 4 years

Text

The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 5/?

Last Exile AU: “Cloud Age Symphony”

[if you have no idea what Last Exile is: I’m sorry. It’s a 2003 steampunk anime series with the biggest potential in history. Check it out if you can!]

[if you HAVE seen Last Exile: thank god someone else exists! The second season was not that great and had too much fanservice imo but the aesthetics bro. Bro. I’m still not over how beautiful everything was. The first season was gritty af and I loved it, I loved Dio Eraclea with all my heart, one of my first sons ever. But the second season was so bright! So colorful. I miss enjoying things sometimes.]

[the title is from the opening of the first series: a masterpiece, I still listen to it regularly]

The nations of Gusu and Qishan are are war, following rules set by the arbitrary faction of the Lanling Jin Sect, who provides them with the technology and antigravity fuel necessary to promote the aerial conflict and keep the population under its control through economic development and resources availability.

Without the regulations imposed by the Lanling Jin Sect, none of the airships implemented during the war could ever fight, since the winds of the region that lies between the two nations are too powerful to face with regular infantry by foot and artillery.

Maestro Jin GuangYao, the decadent aristocratic at the head of the Sect, keeps an iron hold on the known world, his diplomatic ways seldom more powerful than his ruthless actions to subjugate the population year after year. His only nephew Jin Ling, fearless pilot of the Sect who flies solo with no navigator, is weary of him on the account of the psychological tricks his uncle had played on him over the years, and refuses to openly oppose him.

However, he somehow manages to engage in a never ending rivalry with a mysterious courier airship coming from the city of Lotus Pier during a mission. Time after time Jin Ling grows curious of both the pilot and navigator of the ship, known as the Two Prides of the Yunmeng region: Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng, who deliver messages for the aristocrats of the many lands and isolated cities under Gusu’s control. But one day Jin Ling engages in battle with them more out of boredom than anything else, forcing them to seek refuge on the battleship Baxia from the Unclean Realm.

On the ship, Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng are treated as intruders, surveilled closely by the best pilot in Gusu, Lan WangJi. His cold demeanor and appearance at odds with his brother’s: Lan XiChen, the first officer of the Baxia, who manages to keep the captain from sending the couriers flying off the ship only thanks to his good nature and penchant for diplomacy. Nie MingJue, in fact, has long ago started a feud with Jin GuangYao and doesn’t have time for lost pilots seeking help under his jurisdiction. Not anymore.

Baxia and it’s crew have nothing to do with the war between Gusu and Qishan and the captain see nothing useful in making useless civilians a charity case.

When he hears this, Wei WuXian offers to help, if nothing to provide his adoptive brother Jiang Cheng with a chance to heal after being injured in the battle with Jin Ling so that both of them could eventually get back to Yunmeng in one piece. Nie MingJue, too preoccupied with his revenge to care, orders him around with impossible tasks and asks Lan WangJi to keep an eye on him.

Without a navigator, the only thing Wei WuXian can do is trying to befriend Lan WangJi and convince him of his talent, asking him to be his navigator. The other refuses, having being a solo pilot ever since his brother became Baxia’s executive officer, and merely accepts to back him up in every new mission while on different ships. One day they save two pilot siblings seeking asylum from Qishan, Wen Qing and Wen Ning, who reveal that their nation has surrendered long ago, but that the attacks from Gusu had never stopped, forcing their nation to travel across the Grand Stream winds above Burial Mounds, the stripe of land between Gusu and Qishan. The siblings have no idea whether their family is safe or not, and both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi suspect something is wrong.

As they discuss the matter hiding in a mountain cave close to Burial Mounds, shielding from the storm as they wait to send a light signal up in the air for Baxia to intercept, Lan WangJi decides to take Wen Qing abroad his ship and Wei WuXian will do the same with Wen Ning since the siblings’ airship has broken down.

But, as soon as the storm gets to an end, Jin Ling arrives and wreaks havoc in the cave. Wei WuXian keeps him occupied so that Lan WangJi and Wen Qing can fly back to Baxia and send help to the cave. However, the last thing Lan WangJi sees is the Yunmeng ship being swallowed by the strong winds over Burial Mounds, both Wei WuXian and Wen Ning luring Jin Ling in the midst of the Grand Stream to distract him.

Little do they know that Jin Ling has been ordered to seek out the two fugitive messengers from Quishan all along and he is actually the one luring Wei WuXian’s ship away from safety and deep into the clutches of the Lanling Jin Sect’s floating ship: Koi Tower.

Surrounded by luxury and riches, Wei WuXian and Wen Ning don’t even know if Maestro Jin GuangYao is playing with them or if they are actually too insignificant to be considered a threat. The leader of the Sect shows them around and waxes poetry over the work he has implemented to maintain peace for all these years, painting rogue captains like Nie MingJue as the real culprits as the only warmongers among them. Wei WuXian finally meets Jin Ling after so many air battles, hiding behind his golden helmet, and he is terrified to notice how much he resembles Jiang Cheng. The same eyes, the same grumpiness and ruthless behavior. Suddenly he remembers how Jiang Cheng’s older sister had disappeared after her marriage with a mysterious man who had escaped the Sect’s wrath fifteen years prior. A man who even Jiang Cheng didn’t dare name out of anger for seducing his sister away from Yunmeng and everything she knew. The realization that Jin Ling, around fourteen years old, could be Jiang Cheng’s nephew hits Wei WuXian as he gets to know the kid ten years his junior.

On the Baxia, Lan XiChen is notified of Wei WuXian’s disappearance and talks extensively with Wen Qing about the situation in Qishan. He realizes the Lanling Jin Sect must have purposefully mislead Gusu’s officials into believing Nightless City had refused to surrender despite everything.

After talking with his younger brother on the matter, XiChen decided to go back to Cloud Recesses, Gusu’s capital, and ask their uncle Emperor Lan QuiRen for forgiveness after temporary fleeing from home and his responsibilities as heir. Despite his wish to see Lan WangJi living a free life in the sky instead of being married off to some stranger because of some political alliances, taking his younger brother away to protect him has been Lan XiChen’s only fault and he needs to go back to Gusu and speak the truth about the wrongdoings of the Lanling Jin Sect.

He says his farewell to Nie MingJue, now blinded by rage towards Jin GuangYao, and leaves for Cloud Recesses with an heavy heart.

On Koi Tower, however, Wei WuXian learns Jin Ling’s mother is still alive and well: turns out her husband had been part of the Lanling Jin Sect and had decided to flee Koi Tower to pursue a normal life with this woman who had hidden him from the Sect’s search parties over and over again. Both Jin Ling’s parents had been sought out in the end and the man was killed for his betrayal, while the woman was allowed to live and raise their son. Jiang Cheng’s sister hadn’t been kidnapped then: she had simply tried to protect her lover and her family in Yunmeng from the Sect’s wrath all along!

Wei WuXian doesn’t have time to ask where his adoptive sister is that Jin Ling is summoned by Jin GuangYao for his coming of age ceremony.

In the meantime Lan WangJi worries over Wei WuXian’s wellbeing and plans his escape to go find him all the way to Koi Tower to get him back. Nie MingJue doesn’t yet know that his best pilot is planning to leave him alone, but Jiang Cheng –now completely healed and fueled by rage– decided to join as Lan WangJi’s navigator. The two of them leave with the promise to bring Wen Ning back as well, as long as Wen Qing will be able to keep the captain from finding out.

They leave for the Grand Stream and hope for the best.

Jin Ling is terrified of the prospect of facing his coming of age ceremony, if nothing because he knows he can’t disappoint Jin GuangYao in front of the entire Sect. His mother’s life depends on him and he has to fulfill his uncle wishes on matter what. A tournament takes place and Jin Ling must win. The more he strikes, the less human he feels, unaware of the too deep wounds on his body as he slices his way through the competition. As final proof of his nephew’s loyalty, Jin GuangYao coaxes him closer and orders him to kill the two visitors the boy himself had brought in Koi Tower. But having befriended them over the course of their captivity, Jin Ling hesitates and his uncle cuts his throat in front of the entire Sect.

Horrified, Wei WuXian comes to the rescue and snatches the boy away from there, pressing down on his wound to keep him alive. Wen Ning defends them as they escape, but he is intercepted by the leader’s personal guard, Xue Yang, who fights with him as WuXian and Jin Ling looks for his mother in Koi Tower.

Having finally noticed Lan WangJi’s disappearance, Nie MingJue decides to strike Koi Tower at once: foreseeing his betrayal, he had planted a transmitter on his airship that will lead Baxia straight to Koi Tower, which location has been unknown for over ten years.

Lan WangJi finally arrives and finds Wei WuXian as the other is trying to sneak out Jin Ling and his mother out of Koi Tower. Jiang Cheng doesn’t waste time in pleasantries, too shocked after discovering the truth, that decides to take his sister and injured nephew back on land before it’s too late. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi find Wen Ning after he has successfully killed Xue Yang and the three of them look for a way to escape. Having left Jiang Cheng with the only ship available, Wei WuXian wants to find the one he and Wen Ning have arrived on Koi Tower with, but they don’t know where that might be.

As they hide in Koi Tower looking for it, Nie MingJue arrives on Baxia and is surrounded by Sect disciples and captured. While he is interrogated by Jin GuangYao, Wei WuXian sneaks around and witness the interaction: discovering Jin GuangYao has killed Nie HuaiSang ten years ago, forcing the boy’s older brother MingJue to seek revenge. Wei WuXian also find out that the Grand Stream is controlled by the Sect thanks to a mysterious stone, the Stygian Metal, and that only once in possession of this one can extinguish the deadly winds slicing through the stirpe of land that is Burial Mounds. Nie MingJue has known this all along, after his younger brother has successfully infiltrated the Sect and send him a message before his death, but being a rogue captain uninterested with the current war, he had kept silent for years. Maybe Gusu and Qishan could have been allies against the Sect all along if not for the captain’s stubborn silence on the matter.

Humoring his nemesis until his least breath, Nie MingJue is able to kick Jin GuangYao from the stairs even if tied up, giving Wei WuXian the chance to kill the Sect leader and get the Stygian Metal from the pendant around his neck.

Having changed master, the pendant refuses to accept Wei WuXian as a new Maestro, making Koi Tower’s antigravity core useless against the strong winds of the Grand Stream underneath the ship. But Lan WangJi finds him and starts to incessantly recite a string of lyrics from a chant his brother Lan XiChen had taught him before departing. A chant aimed to control the Stygian Metal: another piece of information that Nie HuaiSang had sent to Baxia but that a younger Lan XiChen had intercepted first. The first officer of the Baxia used to be a mere refugee at the time, along with his younger brother, and hoped to force Nie MingJue to keep them on the Baxia in exchange for the last message from Nie HuaiSang regarding the chant to control the pendant. In the end, the captain had preferred to let him have that information instead, so that if Nie MinJue himself were to be held captive by either Gusu or Qishan, none of the two nations could extract that secret from him and abuse the power of the pendant.

Having kept the secret for ten years, Lan XiChen had finally entrusted it to WangJi before leaving for Gusu and send a fleet to back the Baxia.

With extreme effort, both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi finally control the pendant and manage to slowly lower Koi Tower to the ground as they diminish the Grand Stream to a mere whisper of wind.

Refusing to reveal the details of their success, neither Wei WuXian or Lan WangJi say a word about the pendant and decide to destroy it instead, Lan XiChen keeps the secret as he is crowned Emperor of Gusu and sends help to the starving nation of Qishan. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi leave for Lotus Pier in the Yunmeng region before helping the Wen siblings to find the remains of their clan in Burial Mounds.

The sky has never been clearer.

–the end.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #wangxian #nielan #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: steampunk #mdzs/au: manga/anime inspired #mdzs/au: last exile

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