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esoteric-oracle · 8 months

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//long rambles ahead!

I think what really lingers with me about MDZS is that it's not a novel with a cathartic ending at all. It's a bittersweet story that leaves you slightly hollow. Yes, it's a beautiful and epic romance. It's a piece of social commentary interwoven with a love story and murder mystery. It's a cautionary tale. But it is also very much a tragedy. It's a story about being too late, second chances, and moving on.

By the time the truth of everything JGY and JGS did comes to light, it's 13 years too late. Everything that mattered has already happened. Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan are long dead. Jin Ling is still an orphan. Wen Ning is dead, and sometime in the future, his death will be permanent. Wen Qing was burned to death at the stake for no fault of her own. Nie Mingjue has already spent ten years in a no-doubt agonizing state of un-death, and Lan Xichen will have to bear the guilt of loving both Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, and by doing so, forsaking them both. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's once-close bond is irrevocably broken, and the woman who sowed the seeds of resentment when they were still children will never face the consequences of her vitriol.

People sometimes say MXTX was too hard on the side characters, and only gave the Wangxian a happy ending, but what stuck with me after finishing the story is how… sad things are. Yes, Wangxian finally get the happy ending they've deserved for nearly 20 years - but at the same time, it's not a happy ending where the people who've wronged them get the consequences they deserve.

Wei Wuxian will spend the rest of his life haunted by guilt and loss, over what happened to Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, over the loss of the Wen remnants. The rest of his years won't even be lived in the body his parents gave him.

Lan Wangji will spend the rest of his years wondering if he'd chosen to stand with Wei Wuxian when it mattered - would his son have had to grow up without his birth family?

Nie Huaisang is left wondering if his brother had been a little less trusting and had never taken Meng Yao in as a Nie deputy, would his brother have died a less wretched death? Would he have been forced to stoop to ruthless machinations and manipulations to seek some semblance of justice?

Wen Ning will have to live with the knowledge that if he'd been a little less kind, if he'd let Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng die that fateful day - his family would still be alive. The Wens would've won the war; Wen Qing might've even succeeded Wen Ruohan.

No one really gets the ending they deserve. MDZS isn't a story where good people get happy endings, and bad people get their dues. Sure, Jin Guangyao's crimes are revealed and he faces the consequences of his actions. But what about the people who stood by and made him into a monster? If anything, the side characters and antagonists who survive get better than they deserve. The real villain of MDZS - society - will never face retribution. Those cultivators who always believed in their own bigotry and righteousness over and over again, will never face justice.

Do you think those cultivators and the public will ever feel any regret for the innocent people they condemned to death in their own prejudice and blind self-righteousness? Do you think the people who gathered at Nightless City to call for Wei Wuxian's death considered for one second that he was the biggest reason they won the war? When the cultivators who sacked the Wen settlement at the Burial Mounds threw the bodies of the Wens into the blood pool, do you think that was a sign of shame?

Do you think Jiang Cheng will ever regret leading a siege on a small settlement of innocent farmers? Do you think he's haunted by condemning to death the same people whom he owes his life to?

Do you think those people like Yao-zongzhu will ever feel an ounce of remorse for so easily believing rumours and hearsay, and spreading speculation and vitriol about innocent people?

Do you think that unnamed cultivator out there will ever lose a single minute of sleep over smashing in Wen Popo's head?

In the years that follow, Wen Ning will have apologized a hundred times for lives he did not take, crimes he did not commit, because of the name he bears. People, both in-universe, and even readers, will condemn him for actions he could not help, for doing the right thing. But did Jiang Cheng ever apologize for killing his family? Did the Jins ever apologize for their horrific treatment of people in the labour camps?

People will continue to demand that Wei Wuxian apologize for causing the deaths of their friends and family. But how is Wei Wuxian meant to do that? No one ever apologized to him for taking his family away. No one ever apologized for condemning the Wen Remnants to death for crimes they took no part in. The Wens were his family too.

There's so much potential for bitterness and corruption in MDZS. Instead of saving everyone, Wei Wuxian could've stood aside and let the people who tried to kill him die. MDZS could've been a story of succumbing to hatred and grief, but it wasn't. MXTX could've gone on and on about how society wronged the protagonist, but she didn't. The narrative is one of forgiveness and moving beyond past grievances. The story chose to close the story on a positive note. I truly love that aspect of MDZS, where MXTX leaves just enough room for hope and love at the end.

A-Yuan will finally get his closure about the family he lost as a toddler. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian get their happy ending together after being separated by nearly two decades by war, miscommunication, cruelty, and death.

Wei Wuxian will never regret protecting survivors of an attempted genocide, because it was the right thing to do.

And Wen Ning will still stand in the way and take a fatal blow meant for Jin Ling, despite everything the Jins and Jiang Cheng did to the people he loved.

Because they chose love. Characters like Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning and Lan Wangji have the chance to move on and live a happier life because when they could've succumbed to hurt and fury and resentment, they chose to be kind and do the right thing. Wangxian get their happy ending because they learn to recognize the toxicity of the cultivation society's self-cannibalizing prejudice, and chose to pursue righteousness above personal benefit.

MDZS isn't a story about good people getting good things. Just look at what happened to Xiao Xingchen. There's really nothing satisfying or cathartic about everyone's fates at all. There's no promise about society facing the consequences of their mob mentality or Wangxian actually changing the world together. Even in TGCF, for all its makings of a love story, we get the promise of societal change once Jun Wu is deposed.

It has all the makings to be a tragedy or tale of vengeance of epic proportions - but instead, it's a love story. It's a story about making the best of what you've got, and staying true to yourself and your morals, even if that's sometimes a bitter pill to swallow. It's a story where everything that could go wrong went wrong, but the characters still managed to fight their way to a better ending by choosing kindness. At its core, MDZS is a testament to choosing compassion over cruelty no matter how tragic and hopeless life gets, no matter how long the journey gets. Even though the happy ending is more personal and only applies to the specific characters, even though we don't actually get the promise of their society becoming a better place - we still have the hope that Wei Wuxian's second chance brings. The hope that sometimes, no matter how cruel the world is, some people who deserve it still get their happy endings. That's what makes MDZS such a memorable work of art. That's why it stays with you.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #nie huaisang #jiang cheng #wen ning #musings #Can you tell I really love the narratives MDZS took?#tragedies #mdzs thoughts

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canary3d-obsessed · 10 months

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 38 part two

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

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Shopping and Night Hunting

Xue Yang convinces Xiao Xingchen to take him along as his night hunting assistant, and the Empathy session jumps forward. The next thing we see is a whole street full of dead people with Xiao Xingchen standing over them with his sword, while Xue Yang looks on approvingly.

Xiao Xingchen explains that the whole village was Puppets, with no living people. Dude. DUDE. Even by the standards of a world that contains Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen, you are way too trusting of shit that people tell you.

A-Qing checks the corpses and they have white eyes, which makes her think they might really be puppets. Xue Yang makes some insane faces just so we know he's not actually turned over a new leaf.

Next we see Xiao Xingchen trying to buy potatoes (this is fantasy China, not pre-Qing historical China; they can have all the potatoes they want) and a vendor telling him to scram. Is Xiao Xingchen just asking for free potatoes? Is this the first time he’s realized that doesn’t generally work?. Xue Yang menaces the vendor by loudly stabbing a potato, and then calls Xiao Xingchen back over.

The vendor gasps and fills up their basket with food, and Xiao Xingchen smiles because he thinks that his buddy silently convinced the guy to give them food by...being nice? Unclear.

I Ain’t Gonna Play Yi City

Next we see ultrahot Song Lan arriving at the gate of Yi City, where A-Qing is happily picking up a money purse. ...whose? Do enough living people come through here that they just casually drop money on the ground? Song Lan twigs to her not being blind pretty quickly, although for politeness sake he lets her continue to pretend.

Song Lan asks if she's seen a white-clad sword-bearing daoist priest, and she quizzes him to make sure he's a good guy before helping him. Her entire set of security questions:

1. are you friends? 2. How tall is he? 3. is he hot? 4. What does his sword look like?

If this is not a mistranslation, these are not very good questions to ask if you want someone to believe you’re blind, incidentally.

Song Lan's answers:

1. ............... .... ...yes 2. me and him match like a set of salt and pepper shakers 3. like, SO hot 4. It’s named Shuanghua (”splendid frost,” per Viki), as all True Sword Fans know

(more after the cut!)

These answers are correct, pretty much, so he passes the security check and she leads him into the city. He comes carrying his sword Fuxue (”blowing away snow,” roughly), his horsetail flail, and his messy, messy feelings, which are going to be his undoing.

They walk through the super-abandoned town, which has paper decorations hanging up. These paper decorations are really well made, considering that they are still there when WangXian roll up several years later.

Song Lan has a little crisis trying to psych himself up to see Xiao Xingchen. Bro, you have been walking around looking for him for literally YEARS, and you haven't figured out what to say yet? Contrast with Lan Wangji, who went for the wrist-grab mere moments after discovering that Wei Wuxian was back, and followed it up by carrying him off to his bed.

Enemy Mine

While he's dithering, Xue Yang comes back, and A-Qing hides while Song Lan stands there being shocked.

We're treated to the Xue Yang version of sweet banter, where he tricks Xiao Xingchen into picking a short straw for chores, and then tells him he was tricking him because he was blind.

They have a laugh together and Xue Yang is handsy with XXC, causing Song Lan to clench his fist so strongly that we can hear his knuckles cracking.

You knew your ex was going to be at the party; if you can’t handle seeing him with a new guy you shouldn’t have come.

Then he sees Xue Yang go out to get groceries, and he grips his flail so hard that his palm starts bleeding. That sentence is about a weapon, not about his dick, incidentally.

More Empathy

But then empathy skips ahead, showing Xiao Xingchen stabbing Song Lan, while Wei Wuxian's hands shake and he says "Song Lan, don't!" like he’s in the audience of a horror movie. A-Qing, in the present, drools up some blood, which is pretty normal for her, TBH.

The Lan kids are alarmed and want to wake them up, but Jin Ling says to hang in there for a bit more. For a kid, Jin Ling isn’t bad at wielding authority.

A distraught Jingyi insists, however, so Jin Ling starts ringing the bell, and Wei Wuxian opens his eyes but doesn't come out of Empathy. He does stop skipping ahead, though, so we go back to Song Lan & Xue Yang's confrontation, which is possibly the best fight in the whole dang show.

We’re Gonna Get It On ‘Cause We Don’t Get Along

Xue Yang comes back from the grocery store to find Song Lan perched on his roof like a sexy vengeful raven. Xue Yang greets him sexily politely and with no anxiety at all, and Song Lan attacks.

Song Lan has had literally years to settle his mind and get his emotions under control and...he has not done that. Like, at all.

He could have cleared this whole situation up with about four words to Xiao Xingchen, and they could have fought Xue Yang together. But he was so unready to hug it out with his ex that he opted to face Xue Yang all on his own. Dumb. Ass.

Contrast this with Lan Wangji, who always talked to Wei Wuxian, no matter how estranged they had become. Trying to stab him counts as talking. And also contrast this with Jiang Cheng, who hashed everything out with Wei Wuxian in an excruciating public confrontation, after which they teamed up to save their nephew. Neither of those guys let their ooky feelings stand in the way of a reconnection, and their outcomes were way, way, way better than Song Lan’s.

Xue Yang and Song Lan get busy fighting, and Song Lan starts asking what the fuck Xue Yang is playing at, how long has he been deceiving Xiao Xingchen, etc.

Xue Yang is a perceptive guy, and he points out that Song Lan is holding back because he wants to ask these questions. He’s absolutely right; Song Lan wants to feel indignant and righteous, partly because he knows he himself has mistreated Xiao Xingchen. He’s putting himself in the role of Xiao Xingchen’s protector, when he doesn’t actually have that relationship with him any more.

I love this fight sequence for two reasons. First, because it showcases the actors doing a lot of moves themselves, and they both look amazing and move beautifully. (OP has slowed most of these gifs down quite a bit to avoid giving everybody a migraine, incidentally--the camera operator was moving around as much as the actors in these shots)

Second, because a lot of story happens in this fight; the dynamic between them, as two people with a very complex mutual hatred, is played out in their moves. Song Lan's moves are all strong attacks, expressing his anger and frustration, while Xue Yang’s are mainly defensive, avoidant, and slippery, because he is more interested in hurting Song Lan with words than with his blade at this point. He knows he has an unbeatable advantage up his sleeve, so he’s not particularly worried, even when Song Lan lands a couple of hits.

Xue Yang lays it all out for Song Lan, explaining that Xiao Xingchen, being blind, relies on his sword to point toward resentful energy. Hey, isn't that what Wei Wuxian's Compass of Evil does? So WWX only needs that thing because he can't carry a sword? That...actually makes sense. Anyway, Xue Yang figured out if he cuts people's tongues out, Shuanghua can't tell living people from monsters, which is so awesome and fun for Xue Yang.

Song Lan starts to lose his composure and calls Xue Yang a “villain,” which leads Xue Yang to mock him for his weaksauce cussing ability.

Xue Yang: You educated people have a disadvantage when cursing someone out. Song Lan: Eat a bag of dicks, fuckstick.

Then he criticizes Xue Yang for taking advantage of Xiao Xingchen's blindness.

He gets a couple of licks in but then Xue Yang stops and points out that Xiao Xingchen is only blind because of giving his eyes to Song Lan.

This stops Song Lan in his tracks; I am not sure if he already knew that’s where his eyeballs came from, or if he thought it was a coincidence that Xiao Xingchen became blind after he, Song Lan, got new eyeballs. Then Xue Yang challenges Song Lan's standing to be fighting on Xiao Xingchen's behalf, reminding him that he's not actually Xiao Xingchen's friend. These are the same tactics that Jin Guangyao will later use on righteous, insecure Jiang Cheng.

Back when Xue Yang killed Song Lan's sect/temple buddies, Song Lan blamed Xiao Xingchen, and Xue Yang says now that that was his plan; he killed them to turn Song Lan against Xiao Xingchen.

It totally worked. Song Lan said that they should never see each other again, and Xiao Xingchen took it to heart and fucked off forever - after giving Song Lan his eyes. Contrast this with Wei Wuxian, who stuck by Jiang Cheng despite being blamed & choked by him after the Lotus Pier massacre.

Despite all this emotional turmoil, Song Lan is holding his own...until Xue Yang pulls out his secret weapon; half of a yin tiger seal.

He starts hitting Song Lan with corpse poison and resentment blasts and very quickly has him on the ropes.

He finishes up by cutting his tongue out. Yikes.

At this point it’s clear that Xue Yang was never in any serious danger; this was his plan for Song Lan all along. Song Lan goes to attack Xue Yang but now that he’s been modded, Splendid Frost thinks he’s a zombie, so Xiao Xingchen comes sailing in and stabs him.

Song Lan tries to raise his sword to XXC's fingers so he can identify himself, but at the last moment his eyes turn solid black and he drops the sword. Does that mean Xue Yang stuck a nail in his head already? *shrug*

Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen head back into the coffin house -- seriously, why do they live there instead of one of the many actual houses in this town? -- and leave Song Lan lying in the street, with A-Qing, who saw the whole thing, hiding behind a hay stack.

Xue Yang Must Die...eventually

After some more bell ringing, Wei Wuxian emerges from Empathy, pretty overwhelmed.

He gets up and goes over to Xiao Xingchen's coffin and looks closely at the wound on his neck, understanding that XXC killed himself, and why.

His face, in this moment. Suicide isn’t something he expected to have in common with his uncle.

He tells the kids and A-Qing to stay in the coffin house; he won't explain what he saw, except to say that Xue Yang must die. Then he goes off to kill Xue Yang, by which I mean to assemble his Xue-Yang killing team, rather than try to take him mano a mano like Song Lan did.

The first order of business is to finish rebooting Song Lan, which he does by pulling the second nail out of his head like he should have done four hours ago.

Note that Wen Ning and Song Lan were fighting for the ENTIRE time Wei Wuxian was doing Empathy. Corpses don’t get tired, I guess.

As soon as the nail comes out of his head, Song Lan quiets down, looking bereft, and crouches on the ground to try to reassemble his shattered consciousness. Unlike Wen Ning, he doesn’t have to bake in a cave for a month to achieve this.

We get a nice shot of Wei Wuxian, Song Lan, and Wen Ning looking like the cultivation world’s handsomest goth band.

Next, Lan Wangji cuts open Xue Yang's shirt so he can yoink his spirit-trapping bag, which he then tosses to Wei Wuxian.

Now Xue Yang is the one who's overly emotional.

Wei Wuxian, despite being very upset by what he saw in Empathy, is completely cool and in control of himself now, because that's just how he is in a fight. (Unless you kill his sister. That gets him very emotional, but the emotion is rage, at least initially, so it’s not a safe tactic.)

Lan Wangji gets in another poke with Bichen while Xue Yang is distracted.

Camera operator: Spare me!

Xue Yang decides to take his ball amulet and go home, disappearing into the fog while Wei Wuxian keeps talking smack at him.

Holy Abrupt Episode Ending, Batman!

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #restless rewatch the untamed #ep38 #canary3d-original #yi city

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mdzsfan · 6 months

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Unspoken Bonds part 2

GIF from adustyspectacle on Tumblr

As y/n trailed behind Lan Wangji, the atmosphere around them seemed to thicken, heavy with unspoken emotions. The palpable tension was like a veil that enveloped them both, casting a shadow over their steps. For y/n, this current of intensity was perplexing; it wasn't often that she found herself on the receiving end of such strong reactions from Lan Wangji.

Amidst the quiet steps and echoing silence, y/n's mind raced, trying to unravel the puzzle of his behavior. She was, after all, just a maid, an inconspicuous figure in the vast tapestry of the sect. With no family ties or notable background, it seemed rather odd that her interaction with Wei Wuxian would provoke such a reaction from Lan Wangji. Her thoughts whirled, grappling with the dissonance between her perceived insignificance and the intensity of his feelings.

Mixed within her confusion was a web of her own emotions. Y/n was not oblivious to her feelings for Lan Wangji, though she harbored no illusions about the reality of their situation. The chasm that separated them in terms of social standing, wealth, and societal expectations seemed insurmountable. Her heart understood the unlikelihood of him returning her affections, yet her emotions persisted, casting their own shade upon her thoughts.

In her heart, y/n recognized that her affection was a quiet ember, a secret flame she kept close, understanding the unlikelihood of its ignition. The intricate dance of emotions that had formed between her and Lan Wangji was a melody that played within the confines of her own heart, often hidden from the world.

Just as the tension between y/n and Lan Wangji seemed to tighten its grip, a soothing voice broke through the heaviness. "Wangji," Xichen's call acted as a balm, swiftly diffusing the atmosphere that had been fraught with tension. His presence was like a beacon of serenity, casting a gentle light that momentarily eased the weight between them.

Y/n's gaze shifted to Lan Wangji, finding solace in his eyes. The words that followed, spoken with a quiet resolve, reassured her that he was not blind to her well-being. Her lips curved into a soft smile, her response carrying a whisper of understanding. "Don't worry about me, you go with your brother," her assurance was imbued with a quiet strength, an assurance that she could handle the complexities of the situation on her own.

As they parted ways, y/n found herself alone in the aftermath of this emotional tempest. The scrolls in her arms served as a tangible reminder of her responsibilities. Despite their intended recipient being Lan Wangji, she quietly made her way to the library, the weight of her emotions and the scrolls a metaphorical journey in themselves.

Y/n's fingers moved with practiced grace as she shelved each scroll, her motions precise and efficient. Amid the familiar texts, her eyes were drawn to a book that seemed to stand out from the rest. An oddity in its appearance. As she pulled it from the shelf, curiosity flickered in her gaze, a silent question hovering in the air.

The words and images that met her eyes were like an unexpected gust of wind, stealing the breath from her lungs. A flush of warmth crept up her cheeks, her face turning a shade of crimson that mirrored the contents of the book. The unexpected nature of the text left her momentarily speechless, her heart pounding in her chest.

Quickly, as if the very act of reading those words was a transgression, y/n placed the book back on the shelf. Her fingers trembled ever so slightly, betraying the turbulence of emotions that had been stirred within her. The mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and an odd sort of delight swirled in her mind like leaves caught in a whirlwind.

The stillness of the library was abruptly shattered by the sound of Wei Wuxian's voice, a familiar presence entering the space like a gust of wind. "Xiao-mei!" his exclamation carried a note of cheerful recognition, a warmth that reflected their previous interactions. "Nice to meet you again, pretty lady.".

"Master Wei," her voice carried a note of respect as she addressed him, the honorific a reflection of the hierarchies that governed their world. Her bow, a symbol of deference, held within it a hint of the thoughts that had occupied her mind.

Wei Wuxian's smile held a playful twinkle, his eyes crinkling with mirth as he regarded her. His ability to lighten the atmosphere was evident, his presence a reminder that life could still hold moments of levity, even within the confines of tradition.

"You don't have to be so formal, Xiao-mei," he said with a teasing lilt to his voice. "We've interacted enough times for you to address me casually."

"Then you can call me, y/n," she replied, a soft smile gracing her lips. Her words held a hint of playfulness, a deviation from the formalities that usually defined their interactions.

"Y/n, what a pretty name! For a pretty girl like you," Wei Wuxian's words flowed like a melody, his voice a mixture of genuine admiration and his characteristic cheerfulness. His compliment, while candid, felt like a sunbeam warming her heart.

"Thank you, Wei Wuxian," y/n's response was gentle, her gratitude sincere. His ability to create an atmosphere of ease was a gift she had come to appreciate.

"A-xian is fine," Wei Wuxian's invitation was extended with a friendly pat on her head, a gesture that carried a sense of camaraderie. His casual manner was both surprising and endearing, bridging the gap between their statuses.

As he looked at the shelves, a sudden shift in his demeanor caught y/n off guard. His eyes lit up with mischief as he singled out a particular book, a book that seemed entirely out of place amidst the scholarly tomes. Before y/n could fully register what was happening, the book was in his hands, its contents displayed openly.

Wei Wuxian's playful demeanor was infectious, his intent to shock and amuse clear in his expression. The fact that he was openly displaying such a book in the library was both audacious and typical of his irreverent nature.

"See how the illustration shows the love between the two," Wei Wuxian's teasing voice echoed through the air, his words carrying a playful undertone. His mischief was evident as he openly commented on the explicit content of the book, daring to highlight the intricate details that illustrated a different kind of connection.

Y/n's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red, her embarrassment escalating as Wei Wuxian continued to engage with the book's content. The combination of his commentary and the nature of the book itself created a swirl of emotions within her, a mix of discomfort, surprise, and an odd sort of fascination.

"Why you've been awfully quiet, xiao-mei," Wei Wuxian's words were a playful challenge, his gaze dancing with mischief. His insinuation was lighthearted, yet it managed to stoke the flames of her embarrassment. "Perhaps this scene excites you."

Y/n's heart raced, her own teasing retort caught in her throat as she attempted to quell her blush. She averted her gaze, trying to regain her composure amidst the whirlwind of emotions that had been stirred. The blush on her cheeks was evidence of her internal conflict, a battle between her desire to maintain her poise and the sheer audacity of the situation.

"It's forbidden to look at such things, Master Wei," y/n's voice carried a note of calm and propriety, an attempt to steer the conversation toward more acceptable territories. Her words were a gentle reminder of the boundaries that governed their world, even in the midst of playful interactions.

"Aww, don't start acting like Master Grumpy over here," Wei Wuxian's playful retort carried a tone of mock exasperation. His words were accompanied by a grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement. His nickname for Lan Wangji was delivered in a teasing manner.

"Perhaps you're this shy because you imagine this to be you and Lan Wangji instead," Wei Wuxian's whispered words were like a mischievous breeze, carrying a playful insinuation that brushed against y/n's ear. His teasing was evident, his voice laced with a knowing tone that hinted at a deeper understanding.

"That's preposterous," y/n's response came out in a gentle stutter, her cheeks aflame with a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. The idea he proposed was absurd, and yet there was an underlying truth to his words that she found herself unable to entirely deny.

Wei Wuxian's grin widened, his amusement evident as he watched her reaction. His ability to tease and prod at the edges of her thoughts was a testament to his intuition and the shared moments they had experienced. His willingness to blur the lines between playful banter and deeper truths was both exasperating and oddly endearing.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your secret fascination with Lan Wangji," Wei Wuxian's words carried a tone of assurance, his playful tone weaving a web of intrigue. His teasing was a dance of words, a playful acknowledgment of the unspoken feelings that lingered beneath the surface.

As the weeks unfolded, a new layer of complexity began to emerge in the interactions between y/n and Lan Wangji. The possessiveness that had once been hinted at grew more pronounced, like a shadow gradually lengthening with the setting sun. Each time Wei Wuxian made an appearance, Lan Wangji's demeanor underwent a subtle shift. The spark of jealousy that ignited within him seemed to cast a cloud over his interactions with others, especially when it came to y/n.

Wei Wuxian's presence, once a source of playful banter and lighthearted moments, now elicited a different reaction from Lan Wangji. The elder Lan's tendency to ignore him and divert y/n's attention was a testament to the depth of his emotions. It was as if he couldn't bear the thought of sharing her attention, even for a moment, with anyone else.

Amidst these dynamics, there existed moments that lingered in y/n's memory, moments that seemed to hold a significance that transcended the ordinary interactions. One such moment, when they were alone together at night, seemed to resonate within her thoughts. The quiet intimacy of that setting, illuminated by the soft glow of moonlight, left an indelible impression.

As y/n read the scroll to Lan Wangji, she could feel his gaze on her. A gaze that held a depth of emotion she couldn't fully decipher. Her cheeks warmed as she realized the intensity of his observation. His eyes, like stars in the night sky, seemed to hold a universe of unspoken feelings.

In that stillness, her own thoughts drifted, and she found herself captivated by the details that had escaped her notice before. The way his lips curved slightly as he listened, the way his brows furrowed in concentration, and the way his presence seemed to envelop her in a cocoon of quiet companionship.

The moment took an unexpected turn, shifting from the realms of unspoken understanding to a more tangible connection. As y/n made to exit the scene, Lan Wangji's sudden action stopped her in her tracks. The feeling of his hand grasping hers was a delicate yet undeniable sensation, a touch that sent a jolt of electricity through her veins.

Her eyes met his, and in that shared gaze, a profound understanding seemed to pass between them. It was as if the barriers that had held them apart had momentarily dissolved, leaving only a sense of raw vulnerability and a connection that defied definition.

The realization struck y/n like a bolt of lightning, the significance of what had just transpired, the unspoken implications of the act.

"Sorry, Hanguang-Jun," y/n's voice held a mixture of sincerity and contrition as she bowed, her posture a reflection of her respect for him. The weight of the moment lingered in the air, a tangible reminder of the boundary that had been crossed.

With a quick withdrawal of her hand, she departed the scene, the weight of the forbidden nature of their interaction lingering like a bittersweet aftertaste.

As y/n's words and actions sank in, Lan Wangji found himself grappling with a mix of emotions. Confusion, like a cloud, hung over his thoughts. He had allowed her to touch his forehead ribbon, an act that held profound significance in their world. It was a gesture he had reserved for those closest to him, only family and cultivation partners. And yet, in that moment, he had permitted her to cross that sacred boundary.

The weight of his own actions began to dawn on him. Why had he allowed her to do something that was forbidden? His feelings for y/n had been growing steadily, like a quiet flame that couldn't be easily extinguished. The strength of his emotions had caught him off guard, leaving him to question the choices he had made.

The memory of her leaving the scene, the abruptness of her departure, was a puzzle he couldn't unravel. He had seen something in her eyes, a connection that seemed to mirror his own feelings. And yet, she had withdrawn, as if the very act of removing his forehead ribbon had awakened a realization that needed distance.

#mdzs x reader #mdzs #the untamed #mdzs oneshots #mo dao zu shi reader insert #cql #the untamed x reader #mo dao zu shi x reader #the untamed oneshots #the untamed reader insert #Reader insert #lan wangji x female reader #lan wangji x reader #lan wangji #lan zhan #lan zhan x female reader #lan zhan x reader

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bi-the-wei · 3 months

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A Stay of Execution

Prologue

Wei Wuxian had always thought that it should rain on the day he died. That the sky might see fit to open up and weep for him seemed the very least it could do. Instead the small breath of wind that trickled through the narrow slit in the stone that functioned as his only window brought with it the scent of warmth and sunlight. He imagined he could almost hear a bird chirping somewhere, trilling a merry tune. Honestly, it was almost insulting. Though, he supposed, if the sun had deigned to come and watch his final moments... Perhaps he truly was as rotten as they all said.

Either way, there was no longer a soul alive who would weep for him now.

In the end, he hadn't fought being captured. He'd gone rather quietly. In fact, he still hadn't said a single word. Not to anyone. He hadn't spoken as they stripped him down to brand his skin . He hadn't spoken when they'd sheered off his hair, sawing at fistfuls of dark locks with a dull blade that ripped more than it cut. Or when they bound his hands . When they spilled his meager rations on the floor. When they taunted him. Insulted him. Beat him. He didn't speak when they closed the door to the dank cupboard that would be his last home. When they told him that he would be executed for his crimes. Not a word. Not a sound.

Wei Wuxian stumbled a bit as he was dragged out of his cell. It had been months since he'd been able to fully extend his legs and torso at the same time, the chain that bound his arms to the floor too short for him to stand at his full height, and the room too narrow to extend them while sitting. The three guards assigned to take him to whatever fate awaited him laughed and tried to make him stumble again, spitting at his face when he didn't.

"This is more than you deserve," one of them grumbled bitterly. His voice was like a fuse and flint stone, clicking on hard consonants and hissing his S's. "A quick, clean death is more than you were willing to give." "I guess no one else is twisted enough to do what you did though," sneered the second guard. This one almost sounded like a whine, thin and nasally and pinched. "No one else could be as monstrous as you."

The third guard said nothing, but his boots still fell heavily on the stone floor. His grip on Wei Wuxian's arm was the most painful. ' That'll bruise by tomorrow' , Wei Wuxian thought dully. ' Well, it would have anyway .' As they began to climb up a narrow staircase, the cloth they had kept over his eyes slipped just enough that he could almost make out the color of his drab, rough robes, as well as the sinister design that adorned them. His foot caught on a rough stone, but he didn't stumble again.

~*~

In the end the guards had to half-drag Wei Wuxian for the final length of their journey. After months of abuse and disuse, his legs just couldn't carry him the entire way. They trembled to bear his weight, and it was a challenge just to keep them moving one in front of the other.

In the end this was fortunate, because if he had been in charge of supporting himself alone he may have collapsed the moment his face hit true sunlight.

The gentle warmth of the sun felt like a scalding brand on his cold skin. The light was blinding even through the cloth over his eyes. His first breath of fresh, clean air after months and months of smelling nothing but wet, rotten dirt and stone made him so dizzy he nearly retched. And the noise- oh the noise- so much noise.

He took in every overwhelming sensation with careful attention, cherishing the pain it brought him. It was as if knowing that his final breath was drawing near, he thought he could take in the rest of his natural life all at once if he tried hard enough. It was okay that it hurt. He welcomed the burn.

The wind scraped against his skin, his chopped hair, now grown back nearly past his shoulders, making his neck itch - a neck that he was lucky to still have.

All this in only a moment before he was pushed forward again - up uneven stairs and onto some sort of platform. The heavy chains that still bound his raw wrists were grabbed and yanked so violently he had no choice but to fall hard to his knees. When he tried to catch himself with his shackled limbs, the chain was wrenched again. He only just managed to keep his face from smashing against the ground and received a hard kick in reward, causing him to fall backwards instead. All his breath left him and he couldn't help but curl in on himself, coughing and rasping to get it back.

In the end it was the third guard who graciously helped him back up onto his knees. With a helpful hand grasping him by the hair, he was pulled unceremoniously upwards. With just as much care, his blindfold was ripped away. He cried out at last, flinching as the unfiltered light from the sun assaulted him again. He heard screams as he blinked out in the vague direction of a crowd. A crowd that shrank back away from him, terrified of him even now. Even in the state he was in.

"Have no fear!" called a familiar, booming voice next to him. "We took great care before bringing him here before you today. See the symbols on his robes! He has been bound and sealed. I have cut him off from his heretical magic. I have stopped his murderous ambitions and denied him the joys of his evil. His eyes can do you no more harm. He is contained and you are safe at last!" It was then that Wei Wuxian realized that some of the bright, flashing gold that blinded him was not just from the sun, but rather the illustrious gaudy robes of a tall man standing beside him. Of course, after what he had done to his son, it would only make sense for his long over-due sentence to be overseen by the great Jin Guangshan himself. Even Wei Wuxian had to admit that was only fair, even if it meant he had to listen to the man postulate his own magnificence and blather on and on and on.

In all honesty, he'd really rather they just get on with it. The showmanship seemed a bit redundant.

"This man. This devil. This Demon of Yiling. You all know of him. He haunts our children's stories; a tale of caution to those who seek power!" he expounded. Wei Wuxian stifled a scoff. "He who started as a servant, who used a terrible war to greedily climb rank and assert his will over the lives of innocents. A parasite who manipulated the very life force of the world to do his bidding so that he may claw his way into society. So that he may fool us into believing in his consequence. This evil creature who corrupted the dead with his black magics! Who stole the life energy of my only son! I bring him now before you so that you may know his crimes."

The silent guard gripped him again, yanking him up forcefully by the hair once more and bringing him closer to the crowd, where all could see him in his shame. His neck strained with the effort of supporting a body his legs still could not hold. "See him now, his hair shorn in his shame. His honor cast aside with it. See him now and judge him guilty!

I lay before you the record of his evil. Hear me now and know them."

Jin Guangshan preened under the attention he had commanded. He basked in the silent anticipation of his next words, pausing to let them sink in further before listing the numerous crimes in question.

Really the true list wasn't THAT long. Yes it was true that Wei Wuxian had found a new form of magic - one that manipulated life force instead of spirit. But he hadn't used any of the life force of another living human. He drew a firm line in the sand that he swore he would never cross. He could steal only the life forces of plants and trees. The last breath of a fallen soldier. Himself.

And he kept that code. He hadn't stolen life directly... not until... Until he'd been face to face with true evil - with Wen Ruohan himself. It was heady watching the light leave his eyes. Here was a man who used his wealth of spiritual power, cultivated with such care, who had hoped to use that power to obtain true immortality - who had thought that it gave him the right to force his will upon the world. To watch as all that power came to nothing, as all that power was not enough to stop Wei Wuxian from draining his life away. The surge of power that rushed through his meridians - the full life force of a living human... It would have overtaken a lesser man. Heady and instantly addictive. But he'd pushed through it. Pushed it back out and dispersed it into the air. What use did he have for such power? The war was done. He'd saved them all. He'd done it. They were free and now he could finally pursue his own desires. His own freedom. His own life. His own...

He had broken his code, yes, but surely this end justified those means? As long as he never did it again, it would mean that at his core he was still a good man. He wouldn't have said it felt good, but he could at least live with himself. He had fought harder than any other soldier. Protected more than any other soldier. He had won countless battles and finally, finally ended this pointless war.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Ruohan had fallen to the floor in tandem. It wasn't until he'd woken a week later and noticed how people flinched when they saw him, how they skirted away when they could avoid him entirely, that he realized he'd had an audience to his horrors. And even then, none of that could be called a criminal, despite the tale being twisted now. No, nothing he'd done in the war could be truly held against him... But what happened after...

"Unsatisfied with the killing, no longer able to slake his thirst for violence with a war, this monster sought out his next victims! The poor innocents, guilty only of a shared name, were hunted down like sport! He took their very souls simply to sate his own blood lust! "And when my Zixuan, my precious son... When he tried to stop this senseless slaughter - to try to reason with this deranged creature - to show him mercy and compassion! When he tried to put an end to the blood and death, this demon stole his soul as well! And now my grandson grows without a father. My daughter in law without a husband. My wife without a son." Again he paused, letting sympathy and anger stew in the crowd's hearts. "See now as we give him more than he would have given them; a trial! He may have decided to bring about his own twisted justice, but see now that we shall not! A demon he may be, but let none say that we judge him unjustly! "Speak, demon! And tell us of your guilt!"

Wei Wuxian's hair was tugged again, drawing the crowd's focus back to his gaunt form. His eyes, finally adjusting to the harsh daylight, searched through the mass of people. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Sympathy? Familiarity? Sadness? Of course there would be none - he was guilty and had no intention of denying it.

"Did you or did you not create black magics, evil and heretical, and use this power to slaughter thousands?" "I did," Wei Wuxian said. His voice, rasping with dehydration and disuse, did not waver.

"Did you or did you not hunt down remnant factions of the Wens, men and women that should have been brought to trial, only to cut them down instead?

"I did."

"Did you or did you not, when my son tried to stop the violence, to plead with you to stop the fighting and lay down your wicked ways, steal away his precious life?!"

"I did."

"He admits it! You hear now from his very mouth - the plea of guilt! You hear now the sins against his soul! The evils of his actions!" There was no silence now. The roiling anger of the mob before him was like the agitated buzzing of a hundred angry wasps.

"For this crime, I would have his head!" Jin Guangshan bellowed. Wei Wuxian was once again forced to move. This time he was half dragged to a solid block of wood. Stained red and jagged from use, he was pulled forward until its sharp splinters dug into his neck. A mirror was angled carefully so that he could see the executioner take his position behind him. Ah, so that's why they let him keep his eyes.

"Tell me now, would any of you here speak against this judgment? Tell me now if anyone would speak against this justice? I stand before you in grief and anger and ask you now will anyone claim this man?"

Wei Wuxian had never known true silence before this moment. It was as if the world itself had decided to hold its breath. He watched as the executioner grasped his axe. He watched his muscles tense to pick it up. He watched as--

“I will speak for him."

The silence was cracked by a cold, even voice. Wei Wuxian tore his eyes away from the reflection of that sharp blade and searched desperately for who had spoken.

Lan Wangji.

His voice had been firm and matter of fact. His golden eyes hadn’t even flickered in Wei Wuxian's direction. The maddening silence took on an almost desperate tone now, all eyes passing between the two men.

He spoke again.

“I will offer my hand to save him from this sentence.”

Lan Wangji finally looked at him then, his expression as unreadable as it had always been. He seemed to be waiting for something

“Wh-What?” he wheezed. He didn't understand what was happening. This couldn't be real. Maybe this was just a delusion he'd conjured to comfort himself before the ax finally fell. Maybe it had already fallen.

"Lan Wangji, you speak for this man?"

"I do."

"Despite his crimes, which he himself admitted before your very eyes, you would spare him?" "I would."

"You would tie yourself to this monster?"

"Yes."

The crowd was anything but silent now. Cries of shock and outrage poured from every direction. The righteous Lan Wangji was sparing the Demon of Yiling? The man who knew only justice and virtue, the hero of the war, would take that evil man into his home? Marry him?

Somehow, through the clamorous noise, Jin Guangshan made himself heard once more. He spoke through gritted teeth, as if each word came at a great cost.

"Wei Wuxian, Demon of Yiling. This man has offered himself to you. Would you accept his hand? Or do you accept my ax?"

The pressure holding him against the block was released, letting him sit up to consider which fate he preferred: to bind himself in a loveless marriage, or to regain what little honor he had left in death. How kind.

Lan Wangji stood straight and firm and unyielding before him. Wei Wuxian had loved him for so long - since they were children. He had always dreamed of being wed to this man... But not like this.

Lan Wangji thought he owed Wei Wuxian a life debt. That's why he was doing this. Out of duty. Moral obligation. Not love. Wei Wuxian would be truly cruel indeed to accept this. To force Lan Wangji into a marriage with a man he couldn't stand....

"I, Wei Wuxian, accept your hand, Lan Wangji. I will marry you."

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #fanfic #Fantasy au #A Stay of Execution #asoe #I decided that I like posting the fic's chapters here as well as on Ao3 instead of just linking it.#I do HAVE the link to the fic on Ao3 though if anyone wants it.#Please tell me what you think #good or bad #I'm desperate for feedback #It sustains me #since it's harder for me to stay motivated for writing #but I do love this story #I've got the chapters all outlined and I think there should be 18 chapters total including prologue and epilogue #so wish me luck

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miyu-hyperfixates · 2 years

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Recently, I've been thinking about how the narrators of MXTX's books become progressively more unreliable with each new work. And how the more reliable they appear to be at first glance, the more unreliable they turned out to be.

1 - Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Let's start with SVSSS.

Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu is your typical unreliable narrator in several ways.

First, regarding what happened in the original. At the beginning the only thing we knew about PIDW came from Shen Yuan's knowledge and own interpretations of the book. So of course we're taking everything at face value and accept all lot of Facts that OG!SQQ was an unredeemable scum villain (lecher, murderer, abuser, low IQ etc) for example. Though it becomes quite apparent half-way through the story (with the introduction of Airplane and when hints of OG!SQQ are shown) that Shen Yuan might not have been informed of the whole picture behind PIDW. There were a lot of background information and character depths that Shen Yuan weren't aware of (and he is discovering them at the same time as us the readers, but even if we're given hints and can infer about some things, the whole picture would only become apparent in the Extras ).

This is of course due to the fact that Shen Yuan used to be a Reader just like us and wasn't privy on the thoughts and disastrous plotting process of the Author.

Secondly, the narration in SVSSS is heavily influenced by SQQ own thoughts, views and interpretations of what he is living through. We know most of if not all his inner thoughts without much filtering. And it is very obvious right from the beginning that SQQ considers himself (due to his status as a transmigrator) an Omniscient Narrator (spoiler he is so not.)

Now the thing is, SQQ is very genre savy, okay? And say what you want, but he's actually quite observant... and it's not even that he can't identify the tropes when they happened to him (the amount of times he complained to the system from being involved in a wife plots) .... it's just that his internalized homophobia and his previous knowledge of PIDW is preventing him from reaching the right conclusions.

We, as readers, don't have this problem though. And this is why, SVSSS is a comedy, it is playing with the fact that we know SQQ is an unreliable narrator and it only works if we manage to notice what SQQ is missing. SVSSS thrives from SQQ being an unreliable narrator and all the misunderstandings that derive from it. I mean the whole Jinlan arc would read very differently if we were taking things at face value.

So yeah, SY | SQQ is an unreliable narrator and we were meant to notice that he is one right away.

2 - Mo Dao Zu Shi

Let's move on to MDZS and its narrator's, Wei Wuxian.

Now, WWX doesn't appear like an obvious unreliable narrator. His thoughts and feelings do, of course, colored the narrative when describing facts and people (and boy, that man has Opinions) but that is to be expected in any narrator.

Like SQQ before him, WWX is very observant but blind to his own impact on other people's lives. And it was implied thoroughly through the novel that he failed to notice the depth of people's feelings for him. And because of that, since you're seeing the world through WWX's eyes you have to try to read between the lines to understand some people actions. A lot of things are left to (more or less) interpretation, which is why some characters characterization wildly differs from one adaption to the other. (Jiang Cheng is probably the one who suffers the most from this problem, *squinting at the donghua adaptation of JC*).

So while WWX seems like a case of typical slightly unreliable narrator due to chronic obliviousness, you might not feel the need to label him as an unreliable narrator.

Until you realize that WWX tended to downplay a lot of things regarding his own sufferings and most importantly that he deliberately left things out of the narrative. Like... you know the whole thing with his golden core.

... Which is worse than SQQ, because at least SQQ didn't try to hide anything from the readers and you know.... conveniently forgetting a lot of things because he's got a bad memory.

3 - Tian Guan Ci Fu

Oh boy.... where to begin?

Xie Lian's narration, contrarily to both SQQ's and WWX's, appears to be sort of dry, a little matter-of-fact even? He is a lot less transparent with his own thoughts, so much that I've even been reluctant at the beginning to qualify TGCF as being from XL's POV. And more importantly he often doesn't bother to tell us things that he already knows (and he knows a lot of things). Which makes him the worst narrator ever.

I mean, you think the guy 's got a case of "a little bit oblivious" what's with him so half-assingly trying to "check San Lang's status/true identity" or him not realizing that the Middle court officers were obviously his former general in disguise.... But then speed forwarding to the next arc (or several next arcs in the case of Mu Qing and Feng Xin) and you realize that he actually knew all along and just didn't bother to tell us...

And it's super funny because he's like, "What? Do you think you guys were being sneaky or something?"

Another thing that makes him so unreliable is that you see him reading aloud the story of the demise of some general and then ten chapters later you realize that the general was him all along and he didn't even twitch while talking about it.

That of course prompted the running gag that if some random characters appears in the background/past of the current arc relevant character, then that random character had a 90% chance of being Xie Lian.

So yeah Xie Lian is most unreliable narrator of all three MC, because you don't have a clue that he's one until it's hitting you in the face.

4 - ??

So, seeing as how things have progressed so far, doesn't it mean that the 4th MC would be even worse than Xie Lian?

At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if we spent two third of the 4th novel bemoaning on how the MC is so oblivious about the ML's (and his wholeass harem of side-characters) affection for him and then we got a scene like:

4th MC, after witnessing ML drinking vinegar, grinning affectionately: Pfft, we've been married for ten years and he's still being like this.

Readers : ....

Readers: !!! WHAT?! You're married?! Since how long?!

4th MC: Oh did you not know? But we've been holding hands the whole time?!

Readers: You didn't mention any of that!

4th MC, blinking: Oh we've been doing it so often that it just didn't register as something needed to mentioned?!

Readers: What about others things though, like kissing or papapa? Didn't you think it would be worth mentioning?

4th MC: Okay first, it's none of your business what me and my husband are doing behind the scene and secondly... bold of you to assume that I would have enough senses left to narrate anything while being intimate with my husband.

#svsss #shen qingqiu #bingqiu #mdzs #wwx #wangxian #tgcf #xie lian #hualian #throwing mxtx thoughts in the void

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rayan12sworld · 2 months

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💙The White Lotus of Yunmeng

By:AJayLin91

Summary:

Born blind but able to see qi and the future, can Wei Ying change things before too much life is lost?

Chapter:3/?

Words:7,597

Status:ongoing

How can I read what’s written on the Wall of Discipline when I can’t see?” Lan Wangji’s mind froze. Golden eyes zoning in onto the eyes of the disciple, that’s when he saw it. As mesmerizing as the disciple’s silver eyes were, there was a haziness about them that refused to absorb the light of the moon. How could this captivating disciple cultivate when he couldn’t see ?

Wei Ying looked up at him, giving him a clear view of his tear-stained face and hazy silver eyes. The boy gasped. “Your qi is so pretty! It’s such a pretty shade of blue, just like that snow fairy!” Lan Wangji was shocked. Wei Wuxian could see qi? Maybe that’s why he’s able to navigate and tell people apart… “Snow fairy?” He asked, somewhat amused. Wei Ying nodded his head vigorously. “Before Uncle Jiang found me, I was living on the streets in Yiling. One snowy day, I was making straw dolls to represent me and my mom and dad, when this snow fairy came up in front of me and gave me his toy paddle drum. That was the only time I wished I could see properly. He must have been really pretty!” “I see,” was all Lan Wangji could say. Would wonders never cease? He finally found the boy he gave his toy to. When he came back to that same spot with his brother and uncle in tow, the boy was gone, leaving the straw dolls behind. They didn’t believe him about the boy, but before they left, he had hidden the straw dolls in his sleeve. He still had them hidden away in his quarters. What puzzled him was that the boy he met back then did not white hair…[2] The quiet was broken by the sound of a xiao. He recognized the song. “Wei Ying,” he said, looking down at the boy in his arms. “I want you to close your eyes and slowly count to ten. When you reach ten, I want you to open them, and I promise that you will be somewhere safe. Can you do that for me?” “Mn,” Wei Ying nodded his head. “Good boy,” he said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. The boy smiled brightly at him, cheeks flushed, and that smile sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He wanted to kiss him again, only not on the forehead…he held himself back, wanting to think over this feeling.

#wangxian #wangxian recommendations #mdzs #mxtx mdzs #wangxian fanfic #ao3 recs #the untamed #mdzs fanfic rec #wangxian fic rec #The White Lotus of Yunmeng

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robinuntamed · 3 months

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Irrefutable

“You mean, would I have done it for you?” Lan Zhan asked with this hurt look in his eyes, and Wei Wuxian wished to have swallowed his tongue whole.

“No! No, no, nothing like that. That’s just stupid. All this hypothetical business is rubbish anyway, I know that—”

Even worse, this soft thing his face should not physically be able to do without shifting a single cun. “Wei Ying. I would give you my core.”

Ah, well. Hmm. No, there was no chance to process that. The worst part about life two was maybe how un-flustereably sweet Lan Zhan turned out to be: Wei Wuxian suspected he may have always been sweet, under the solid layer of embarrassment. Now there wasn’t even that.

“Shameless,” he managed, croakily.

Lan Zhan just looked at him. He didn’t move his lips, but he was smiling. “My life is Wei Ying’s,” he declared simply. “My body. My—” stopped only when Wei Wuxian’s hand was on his vexingly-gorgeous mouth.

“All right! All right. It was a stupid question and I’m a stupid man, we get it. Please, Lan Zhan, I can’t bear any more.”

“You will bear it,” the fiend said, after pressing an unfair tiny kiss to his palm.

“Mercy,” Wei Wuxian whined. His chest was too tight for all of this. For all this Lan Zhan, soft and lovely in the evening light, every line of him in blinding, overwhelming harmony. The room was beautiful, the best Jinlintai had to offer, and still seemed a crude backdrop; Lan Zhan was grace itself.

“Mm,” came his concession, or perhaps his refusal, since he pressed another kiss to the hand he would not release, then another.

“Lan Zhan. Lan—Zhan! Lan Zhan, stop, stop it, unless you’d like a puddle of melted Wei Wuxian and it’s going to ruin your nice robes and probably get sticky in your hair and Lan Zhan are you even listening?”

He wasn’t, clearly, although he did this thing with his shoulders that signified laughter, and Wei Wuxian did melt, just, his whole chest gone writhing and slippery and helpless, he was so entirely helpless against this. The only enemy the fearsome Yiling Laozu couldn’t match. And in fact, the battle was getting much fiercer, and unimaginably dirty:

“Lan Zhan, that tickles! Stop, stop, you magnificent arsehole, ah, ha, that, stop, stop, I beg you!”

Stopped only to give him this puzzled look. Something in his tone must have registered. “Did I upset Wei Ying?”

“No,” helpless, rubbing his useless eyes. How to explain this ever-raging storm in his blood of I want to make the whole world yours, and that would still not be enough? “No, Lan Zhan, you're just… perfect.”

He tilted his head the tiniest of angles, suddenly transforming into something so serious it scratched inside Wei Wuxian’s throat. “Not perfect,” Lan Zhan said, as if to make a point. He was mad.

“Huh?” nose scrunching when—he didn’t frown, but—“Lan Zhan. Come here.” Taking his face in two hands, his beautiful, impossible face, which still didn’t move and now was inconsolably, irreparably sad? What the actual hell? Wei Wuxian did that sometimes, said the wrong thing and caused this mini-avalanche, this earthquake which threatened everything good. But he wasn’t even talking about himself this time. What did he say to make Lan Zhan sad?

How dare he make the world’s most perfect man—ah.

Idiot, idiot, idiot. Wei Wuxian could strangle himself if his hands weren’t holding something much more precious. Pressing tighter: “Silly creature. Lan Zhan, let me promise you, the standards for perfection are vastly different between yours and the rest of the known world, but neither matter. You don’t need to be perfect.”

“I know.”

Yeah, he would, wouldn't he. “You may know it here,” Wei Wuxian said, as gently as he could, and kissed right above the bridge of his nose. “I think you might forget it elsewhere. Lan Zhan, you’re everything I could ever want. No, you’re far more than that.”

Slow, cautious blinking: fuck, Wei Wuxian really put his foot in his mouth this time. Lan Zhan looked afraid. Had he not—stupid, stupid Wei Wuxian, has he not been clear enough? Did he not do his best to reassure this miracle of a man that… he should be spending every second of every minute of every hour of every day solely on—

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said. His voice was so deep and so familiar that it settled him, even when it shouldn’t have.

“Lan Zhan,” heartbroken, “you know that I…”

He placed his hands over Wei Wuxian’s. “I know.”

“No, listen. This is important. You know that I—”

“Wei Ying,” softly, “I know.”

“Will you let me speak, you gorgeous arse. Listen. You’re the only reason I—”

“Wei Ying.”

Shaking him: “Stop interrupting and listen. You’re all that matters to me. I would work every day for the rest of my life to be worthy of you and I know I would never be; I would spend every moment on providing you every shred of happiness; I would go to the ends of the earth with a smile.”

Lan Zhan looked at him for the longest moment, then said, “Mm.”

“Mm? That’s all you have to say for yourself? Silly thing, did you listen? Do you get it now? Do you understand how breathtaking and crucial and—”

“I understand,” the bastard cut him off, the edge of his nose brushing Wei Wuxian’s. “My answer remains the same.”

“Your answer?”

The tiniest quirk of his lips, managing to look exasperated and disastrously fond: “Mm.”

“What answer? What are you even on about? Did I ask you a question? Honestly, sometimes you old men do drone on and on when something so simple can be said instead, and…” Wei Wuxian realised he was panicking, had no idea why.

“You asked,” Lan Zhan said.

“Huh?”

He made this face, half fiendish and half bashful, all devastating, and pulled away the tiniest bit until his one blurry eye became definite two. He was the dearest thing in the whole world, so much was true: he was beautiful, and perfect only in the ways that mattered, in the shape of his face under Wei Wuxian’s palms and the burst of never-ending affection that would ruin Wei Wuxian’s life. Running a helpless finger over full, red lips, rejoicing in the trembliness of it, of this joy. Lan Zhan truly was a miracle, and he was looking right at him so, so seriously.

“I would give Wei Ying my core.”

Wei Wuxian could only shut him up with a kiss.

#wangxian #wangxian fic #wei wuxian #lan wangji #being syrupy and unbearably sweet #just being happy. and together. did we want more than that #1111 words #Robin untamed

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ninjakk · 2 years

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Our first glimpse at how deep WWXs feelings for LWJ truly were

I just adore the archery competition flashback, where WWX meets LWJ a year after his short-lived stay at the CR. When I first read this scene, my heart ached a little at WWX's subconscious pining for LWJ and the cold shoulder he seemingly received. Obviously, poor LWJ doesn't mean to be so cold with him, he just doesn't know how to express, or even comprehend his own feelings for WWX at that moment in time. I think this scene really shows the reader how deep WWX's latent feelings truly are. It also gives quite an interesting insight into WWXs psyche, as he lies to himself about his own feelings and tries to downplay his affection for LWJ.

Chapter 45

Yawning as he walked toward the hunting grounds, he suddenly caught sight of a handsome boy with a fair face and a cold demeanor to the side of him. He wore a red round-collar robe with sleeves that had tight openings and a belt of nine golden rings. This was the uniform attire of all of the juniors who came to the Qishan Discussion Conference. On him, it looked exceptionally good. He had a dash of elegance, a few traces of vigour, but a whole lot of good looks. One couldn’t help but brighten up at the sight of such a boy. The boy was in the middle of trying out his bow, carrying a bundle of arrows with white-feathered fletchings. Brushing past the bowstring, his slender fingers made it sound as though it were a guqin string, strong yet beautiful. To Wei WuXian, the boy felt a bit familiar. After he thought for a while, he finally remembered and greeted the boy with enthusiasm, “Hey! WangJi-xiong, it’s you!”

WWX is momentarily blinded by LWJs beauty. He then goes on to lie to himself about taking a 'while' to realise who he was. WWX has already hinted that he knew exactly who he was when he mentioned a guqin string - which is what LWJ plays. Not to mention, 'handsome', 'fair face' and 'cold demeanor' is literally a description of LWJ! He's trying to downplay his excitement at meeting him again, especially as he was so entranced at seeing him and very clearly extremely physically attracted to him.

At the time, it had already been a year since Wei WuXian studied at Gusu and was sent back to Yunmeng. After he arrived at Yunmeng, he told the people there all about what he had seen in Gusu, especially things such as how although Lan WangJi’s face looked nice he was so stiff as to do this, so boring as to do that. Not long afterward, he had forgotten all about his days at Gusu and continued to fool around in the lakes and mountains. In the past, he had only seen Lan WangJi in the plain “mourning clothes” of the GusuLan Sect’s uniform, never in such a bright, eye-catching outfit. Along with that overly-pretty face of Lan WangJi’s, now that they met again, Wei WuXian’s eyes had momentarily been blinded by his looks, failing to immediately recognize him. On the other hand, as soon as Lan WangJi finished testing his bow, he walked away at once. Awkwardly, Wei WuXian turned to Jiang Cheng, “He ignored me again. Huh.” Jiang Cheng glanced at him with indifference, also deciding to ignore him.

Here WWX is trying very hard to reason with himself for the emotions and attraction he just felt. It's rather like: "Well I haven't seen him in such a long time and I had almost forgotten all about him... So of course I was staring at him. I was so used to seeing him in the 'mourning clothes', he just attracted my attention for a moment because of the vivid colour (that everyone else is wearing!) I should go say hi.."

He's trying to justify his excitement at seeing him. At first, WWX acknowledged he did indeed talk about LWJ... Quite a lot when he first got back, from the sounds of it! He then goes on to contradict what he just claimed earlier about him taking a while to remember who LWJ was. It seems that under the surface, he's actually quite flustered at seeing him again after so long. His thoughts are all over the place! Again his mind wanders towards how good looking LWJ is once more - he's got it bad bless him. His reaction and his contradictory thoughts are enough of a hint to the reader not to take WWXs claims he 'forgot all about his days in Gusu' as the truth. There's so much internal conflict about his feelings for LWJ and the heteronormativity that was embedded in him from a young age, that his thoughts are a little erratic. Simultaneously admiring LWJ and trying to justify his wandering thoughts about him at the same time.

It isn't until the Lotus Seed Pod extra that we actually see the true extent of WWX's lie to himself back at the archery competition. This extra chapter is one of the sweetest. It shows WWX, and later LWJ, essentially pining for each other around the same time (possibly the exact same day). In the extra, it's been a year since they've seen each other, but WWX is still bringing him up in conversation and thinking about him back at Lotus Pier. So we can safely assume that the Lotus Seed Pod extra is set just before the archery competition, as both are a year later from when he left the CR.

There were more than twenty entrances to the shooting range; each sect was different. As Lan WangJi walked toward the entrance of the GusuLan Sect, Wei WuXian sneaked over before he could. Lan WangJi shifted to the one side, and he shifted to the side as well; Lan WangJi moved to the other side, and he moved to the other side as well. In short, he simply refused to let Lan WangJi pass. In the end, standing where he was, Lan WangJi raised his chin slightly. In a serious tone, he spoke, “Excuse me.”

LWJ tries his best to ignore him, possibly due to his reluctance to face his feelings and because it seems he finds it hard to communicate with his crush. But, WWX just wants his attention and will do anything to get it! Which is exactly what he does next, the little minx!

Wei WuXian, “You’re finally gonna talk to me? Were you pretending that you didn’t know me or that you didn’t hear me?” Not far away, the boys from other sects all stared at them. Some laughed, some exclaimed. Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue impatiently. With arrows on his back, he walked toward another entrance. Lan WangJi raised his eyes coldly and repeated, “Excuse me.” A faint smile by his lips, Wei WuXian raised his brows and turned to the side. The arch door of the entrance was rather narrow. Lan WangJi could only brush by him as he walked in. After he entered, Wei WuXian shouted from behind him, “Lan Zhan, your forehead ribbon is crooked.” All disciples from prominent sects took great care to maintain their appearances, especially those from the GusuLan Sect. Hearing this, Lan WangJi reached to adjust it without a second thought. Yet, the forehead ribbon was clearly as proper as always. Turning around, he cast an annoyed look at Wei WuXian. The latter only laughed as he turned to the YunmengJiang Sect’s entrance.

So as usual, WWX resorts to his 'teasing' in order to get LWJ to look at him. WWX even blocks the GusuLan Sect's entrance LWJ has to use, and only moves once LWJ has finally looked at him. Succeeding in getting LWJ to look at him, he turns to the side, allowing him access through the arch - but only if he brushes past him. It's such a small moment, but it's so cute how much WWX can't stand to be ignored by him. The sexual tension in this scene, just screams off the page to me. I think you can really feel all those hormones raging - especially once you read the LPS extra as well. It's his little smile and the way he raises his eyebrows as he makes LWJ brush up against him. He's just such a flirt with him! He knows LWJ doesn't like physical contact with others, but he does this anyway. He hasn't seen LWJ in quite a while and must get some form of interaction with him however he can.

I love how WWX only laughs when he's walking back to his Sect entrance where JC and the others are waiting. To me, this small and simple sentence is very telling. It helps the reader understand WWX's feelings, probably better than he did at the time. WWX didn't laugh in LWJ's face - in the past he has, but this time he doesn't. He didn't do it for entertainment, he didn't do it to amuse himself or others. From the text, it seems he didn't smirk or grin either. He stood in the archway without any of his usual cheeky expressions when teasing LWJ. In fact, he seemed pretty flat - not the usual vivacious WWX we all know and love. He just stood there taking it all in, watching LWJ walk away, before shouting to him and waiting for a reaction. It almost feels like he wound him up, not only to get a reaction, but because he felt dejected and was slightly hurt. This tiny moment has such a delicate hint of melancholy to it, and it makes my heart hurt a little every time I read it.

It's obvious from the above text, WWX has actually made a little bit of a scene! Other disciples were watching from afar, some amused and some surprised by the commotion in front of them. But he was so desperate for LWJs attention, he didn't even care at that exact moment. WWX only laughs once he heads over to his own Sects entrance. As if he has to cover up what he just did with bravado. Making it out he was just being a 'lad' and winding LWJ up... WWX didn't get upset LWJ wouldn't give him attention, forcing him to brush up against him and then teasing him to get one last reaction and a look from those cold sexy eyes of his before he left... Noooo, that's not what just happened at all. Just bros, being bros here... He definitely wasn't fawning over the second most handsome young master of the cultivation world. Nope.

The subtext in this scene actually escapes some people and they don't see the chemistry or absolute flirtatious tension between them - especially on WWX's behalf. They just see him winding LWJ up. But I pose this to those that don't see WWX's actions as flirting - would you think the above scene was WWX flirting, if LWJ was a girl instead? If he was paying the same attention to a girl, forcing 'her' to brush against him - would you not think he liked 'her'? Of course you bloody would! You'd think he had a mad crush on them!

A little while later during the archery competition, WWXs encounters LWJ once more.

Just as he was thinking about what would happen if he shot with his other hand, suddenly, something drifted to his face. Softer than even the touch of catkin blossoms carried by the wind; the object made Wei WuXian’s cheek itch. Turning around, he saw that Lan WangJi had somehow already walked near him. With his back facing Wei WuXian and front to a paper mannequin, he was in the process of drawing his bow. The ends of his forehead ribbon danced in the breeze, gently brushing against Wei WuXian’s face. He squinted, “WangJi-xiong!” With his bow already in the shape of a full moon, Lan WangJi still responded after a short moment of hesitation, “What?” Wei WuXian, “Your forehead ribbon is crooked.” This time, Lan WangJi refused to believe him again. As he released his arrow, he replied without even turning around, “Ridiculous.” Wei WuXian, “It’s true this time! It really is crooked. Just watch if you don’t believe me. Let me straighten it up for you.” He proceeded as he spoke, grabbing the ribbon tail that kept on fluttering in front of his eyes. Alas, however, his hands were simply too unruly. In the past, he made a habit of pulling on the Yunmeng girls’ braids. Whenever he touched a strip-like object, he’d have the urge to tug it. Thus, without a second thought, he tugged it this time as well. However, since the forehead ribbon was already slightly askew, a bit loose, now that he pulled on it, it fell from Lan WangJi’s forehead at once. The hand that Lan WangJi held the bow with immediately gave out a shiver. He only managed to turn around after quite a long while. Slowly, his eyes finally locked into Wei WuXian’s. Wei WuXian was still holding the soft ribbon in his hand, “I’m sorry. It wasn’t on purpose. Here, you can tie it up again.” Lan WangJi’s expression was darker than ever.

So WWX is claiming it was an accident.. but this is obviously not the case. Just before this all happened, he hinted to us he was getting rather bored of the competition. He started to think about using his other hand, because he wanted to find it more of a challenge. Then he notices the tall glass of ice cold water that is LWJ was just behind him... WWX goes on to tell LWJ his forehead ribbon is crooked once more and offers to straighten it for him. Apparently it was, but that's not the point here. He literally pulls at it! Then he pretends it was an accident! But his thought process at this point is rather telling as he states he got into the habit of pulling girls pigtails when he was younger. Why would he think such things and pull on LWJ's forehead ribbon if it wasn't intentional at least on a subconscious level. So to some extent he definitely knew what he was doing and it wasn't an accident. Again, I think this is partly because he just needs LWJ's attention. It's also show how he truly think of LWJ once more. The classic pulling on pigtails, a favourite pastime of young boys who like to tease girls. WWX is around 16 now I think, yet he's treating LWJ like a little girl who has hurt the ego of the little boy that still resides inside him. It's quite sweet really.

Also, let's not forget the fact he has admitted elsewhere in the novel, that he still remembers many of the CR sect rules after copying them so many times. But funnily enough, he's managed to forget this one... * Exaggerated eye roll * Suuure...

I just love how MXTX adds layers of meaning to past chapters, by leaving tiny breadcrumbs throughout the book for her readers. I think this might be my favourite one to be honest. We don't fully understand how truly head over heels they both actually are for each other at the above point in time, until the LP extra hits us in the face with such a touching revelation and we piece it all together ourselves.

I also wrote a post as to why LWJ might be acting so cold towards WWX in the above scene. For anyone who is interested it's here.

#mdzs wwx #mdzs lwj #mdzs wei wuxian #mdzs lan wangji #mdzs novel #wangxian #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta #mdzs spoilers #wei wuxian likes to tug on lan wangjis... forehead ribbon #lan wangji is a tall glass of ice cold water

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ladywindmasterr · 1 year

Text

Jiang Cheng did his best to not press his fingertips together, something he did when he was nervous but had to avoid in order to appear more serious, especially at that moment, when he was discussing something important.

“That's why I came to see you, Daozhang. I don't know why this is happening to me, but I hope that you know what is happening to my core…” The he sect leader said, looking at Xiao XingChen's blind and covered eyes. As if he was going to realize...

"It has come to my knowledge that you are-... that you were the shidi of Wei WuXian, my martial nephew. Please, you don't have to act so polite with me" Xiao XingChen smiled, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes momentarily when the cultivator mentioned his brother-… Wei WuXian. An indescribable feeling flooded his chest, and he couldn't exactly determine if it was negative or positive.

It had been two years since his death, but Jiang Cheng could see his blood-smeared body disappear over the edge of the cliff every time he closed his eyes. With clarity. Especially his expression.

No.

“As you wish, Daozhang. So, do you have any ideas?"

XingChen only moved his face so that his eyes were facing the ground.

“I don't know, Sect Leader. Those symptoms could mean many things… There really are many possibilities,” the cultivator wandered aloud.

Jiang Cheng's brow furrowed .

"Many possibilities"

...So there was for sure at least one with a bad ending.

"But since you've come to see me specifically, I think you have an idea of what could be happening. Am I wrong?" Xiao XingChen carried on.

He, in fact, wasn't wrong.

Jiang Cheng had been searching, relentlessly searching every library he could set foot on. Although he had found several possibilities, there was one that, although it did not seem very likely, was the most accurate due to his symptoms.

“Daozhang, I think it has something to do with the legacy of Baoshan Sanren's students. I came looking for you because you are one of the few that are still out there, and also are quite famous in the cultivation world for it.

Xiao XingChen nodded gravely.

"I supposed. Everything you've told me... The energy full episodes, the burning feeling inside you, the crashes that follow... Sounds very similar ike what I had to endure"

"I have a question, Daozhang" Jiang Cheng couldn't contain his doubt "It's just that I've never been a student of Baoshan Sanren nor am I a descendant of any.

Xiao XingChen seemed curious about it, which was good for Jiang Cheng. If he was curious, he would help him sort it all out.

"Well, Sect Leader, it is not necessary to study with the Master or descend from someone who has done it... There are cases, very rare, in which she manipulated a Core that later had that reaction. Had your ever...?"

The question was hanging in the air. Had he ever been injured so badly that he had been taken to none other than Baoshan Sanren?

“During the Sunshot Campaign…” Jiang Cheng began. It was going to be complicated. He sighed

"You may have heard about the annihilation of my clan in the hands of the Wen. They kidnapped me, and in an attempt to extract information, they ripped my Core out."

"Oh"

Even with the top of his face covered, surprise was visible on Xiao XingChen's face.

"Wei WuXian took me to see Baoshan Sanren. We pretended that I was him and asked her to restore my core. It went well, so that's probably it."

Jiang Cheng relaxed as he connected all the dots. He finally knew where it all came from, apart from the fact that if Xiao XingChen, who had also suffered from it, was in front of him, it meant that he would not die or anything worse

However, the aforementioned did not seem to be very sure about anything. Instead, he seemed even more curious.

"Are you completely sure that the one who helped you was my Master? I don't mean to call you a liar, but..."

The tranquility that had been in Jiang Cheng's mind was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"But?" He allowed himself to get a little impatient.

Xiao XingChen moved his head to the side.

"Well, I think Baoshan Sanren is not capable of doing that."

Jiang Cheng's impatience turned into disbelief.

"What?"

"That's right, Sect Leader. I'm sorry, but my master is not capable of such a feat. What's more, she is incapable of even doing slightly easier things. For example, when I asked her to heal my dear Song Lan's eyes, she couldn't. She could only exchange my... Oh."

Xiao XingChen suddenly went completely still. He pursed his lips, as if trying not to say something. That only angered Jiang Cheng, who just wanted to hear about his strange condition.

"What's happening?"

Xiao XingChen did not reply.

"Daozhang?"

Nothing.

Jiang Cheng could feel his frown growing more pronounced

“Xiao XingChen!” he yelled, forgetting all etiquette. The rising anxiety in his chest was about to burst.

"Jiang Wanyin, are you in a headspace where I could give you information that could possibly hurt you?"

'What kind of question is that?'

The change from formal title to courtesy name had not gone unnoticed by Jiang Cheng, who could only imagine the severity of the situation or the circumstances that had provoked such a change.

"Right now, the only thing I want is to know what is happening to me. If I have to get a bit scared to achieve it, then so be it."

Xiao XingChen sighed. He didn't seem to know how to put whatever thoughts he was having into words.

"Just to make sure, before saying anything to you, could you let me touch your wrist for a moment?"

Jiang Cheng was even more confused.

"Of course?" The sect leader stretched out his arm, wrist up, in the direction of the cultivator.

Xiao XingChen just grabbed it without another word and spent a few seconds with his fingers sliding over his wrist.

He withdrew them, an indescribable expression on his face.

"Sect Leader, are you completely sure that it was Baoshan Sanren that you saw?“

"What's the point of asking that question again!?”

Jiang Cheng had already totally lost his patience, and his fists were clenched tightly. Xiao XingChen seemed not to want to mince words.

"I'm not asking just because I want to. From what I can feel... Jiang Cheng, the golden core inside you is that of your brother's"

Jiang Cheng was about to respond with the "I don't have a brother" he was used to when he realized.

Wei Wuxian.

...

No. There was no way.

Jiang Cheng herad himself muttering a weak "What?" to the man in front of him, who only repeated what he had previously stated.

"You have Wei WuXian's golden core"

Jiang Cheng looked at him, with a shadow in his eyes and his whole body shaking.

"It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. No one can rip out a golden core and stuff it inside another person. There were no doctors with Wei Wuxian, it couldn't have happened, without any…"

A female face framed by soft dark hair and a Wen robe appeared in his mind.

Wen Qing.

No. No. No. It isn't true. Everything is a lie. You are making it up.

Wei WuXian wouldn't have done that, never. He was so proud of his cultivation. There was no way, he wouldn't have been able to use suibian!

Another image appeared in his mind. Wei WuXian, in his last months of life.

With not even a sword scabbard dangling at his hip.

Jiang Cheng heard himself scream, and felt his trembling hands cover his wet eyes.

He felt someone touching his shoulder and speaking to him, but he paid no attention.

He only thought of everything that Wei WuXian had sacrificed for him.

Everything that his brother had sacrificed for him.

And now it was gone. He didn't have his brother, his sister, not even the peacock or his parents. Only a baby nephew that would grow without parents.

He was alone.

SO. UM. YEAH.

Credit for this amazing idea goes to @mikkeneko

I'm so glad I was able to write this!! Even thought it's a bit ooc mainly because I've never written any mzds fics or anything lol.

Also, keep in mind english isn't my first language and excuse any weird grammar/spelling

#Luz writes sometimes #mzds #Mo dao zu Shi #Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #Jiang Cheng #xiao xingchen #Mzds #Mzds fic #writing #Luz rambling

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admirableadmiranda · 1 year

Note

Since they seem to be a hot topic, what is your opinion of Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren, and Jiang Yanli?

Like personally they rub me a wrong way to varying degrees. Not because they are bad people but mostly little things. I will admit that I have to reread the book, so fics and meta might be coloring my view. Anyway, what are your thoughts on them?

Hi! Thank you for waiting for me to answer this, since they are often such hot topics I had to wait for a day in which I was prepared for dissent in my notes to answer.

This got quite a bit longer than intended, so cutting for length.

In order of your listing of them:

Lan Xichen:

I think that he is a great character, I quite enjoy his personality type, his virtues and his flaws. He is a man who wants to do well in the world and does his best to treat those he knows with equal respect without being blinded by what others say about them. Unfortunately this creates a double edged sword as he will only accept his own opinion and that of those he trusts implicitly on matters, and he is not the best judge of character in the world, thus leaving him open to manipulation in a way that can cause a lot of harm given his position.

I do think he's a much better person than many of his generation and almost everyone of the previous generation. He has his flaws and blindspots, but he does not resist changing in the same way they do. Of every clan leader we see in the narrative, he is the only one who makes the effort to choose differently in the present over the past. His flaws do not doom him to death in the same way that it does so many others and in the end, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji do not give up on him, both of them considering him and worrying about him in their own way.

Lan Xichen makes a point of calling Wei Wuxian Wei-gongzi at all times, even when others around them refer to him with much worse and rude terms. He treats Jin Guangyao with genuine respect and tries to use his own attitude and treatment of Jin Guangyao to shame others into treating him better when they do shun him simply for being of lower rank and who his mother is, and he maintains this even when they aren't around. Considering the amount of people who cannot do this to their faces, that says something about how he wants to treat people in general. It is simply that his blind spot of wanting to trust those he knows to be good as well causes a lot of incidental harm, which he knows and will have to live with. I think he's an excellent character and does not deserve the treatment he sometimes gets from fandom. I can understand more passive trusting characters who want to care for those around them not always vibing well with someone, but it really irks me to see such traits praised in one character and bashed in another, such as those who bash Jiang Yanli for them while praising Lan Xichen and vice versa.

Lan Qiren

In all honestly, Lan Qiren is a character who how sympathetic I am to him really depends on the work and the timeline. In MDZS proper, he's kind of a toad, he very much is the negative side of conservatism, who holds grudges against the children of people that he disliked when he met them and allows his rigidity and stubbornness to color every interaction he has. He very much does cause unnecessary problems and he deserves whatever Wei Wuxian wants to throw his way in the end for refusing to let go of old bitterness and move forward.

However, there are a few areas in which even in MDZS proper I can feel sympathetic to him. His older brother was the pride and joy of the Lan Clan, their heir who would be the next leader after their father stepped down/passed away depending on which came first, but due to the snarled mess with Madam Lan and the decisions that they kept secret to just the two of them to the end of their days, he is pushed into a position that simultaneously never should have been his and is not truly his to have. He is saddled with the responsibility of leading and running their clan while his brother is in seclusion, yet he is only acting clan leader, lacking the true power of the title and ability to act as he needs while his brother remains in seclusion and as clan leader at the same time. That couldn't have been an easy bridge to walk and I do sympathize with him for that. He probably would have been a happier man in a world where he could have gone and lived the life he enjoyed without having to step up where others faltered for decades.

However, that is not an excuse to take it out on children, and my sympathies end there.

Jiang Yanli:

Jiang Yanli is a sweetie who has done the best she can in a world that leaves her little room to impact anything. She's a gentle soul, someone who prefers to lead a quiet life with the people she cares about, raised in an abusive household that she was born into. Such a thing always marks people's souls when they have to survive from the first things they can remember. She is in an engagement where her betrothed treats her terribly, where her mother transparently does not care about her outside of using her to hurt the people she loves and there is not much she can do about it beyond what she does, shielding Wei Wuxian, caring for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and speaking up in their defense to outsiders who would hurt them.

She isn't perfect, no one in this novel is, but she really does want to do well by the people she cares about and she goes so far to try and help Wei Wuxian when Jiang Cheng won't, even facing down Jin Zixun and everyone around him to demand apologies and respect when they insist on demeaning him, up to the point where she chooses to save Wei Wuxian's life even after he killed Jin Zixuan and she doesn't know why. She doesn't have to know why to know that she still wants him to live. There is a reason why her positive influence is so important and it's that which leads Wei Wuxian to start helping and caring for her son who has been raised so poorly, knowing that she would want better for Jin Ling and resolving to step up for him in her absence.

In a world which frequently demeans kindness, she chooses it over violence and hatred as her mother and brother would not. She deserves better than what she got, and in a good world, Wei Wuxian would get to keep the girl who chose him as her brother even when the rest of the world refused to respect that. I really like her.

In short, I guess I like all of them for being the characters they are and can see them as well rounded characters with their own weaknesses and flaws. Lan Qiren I care about far less than the other two, but I actually really like Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen and would rate them up quite highly together (and ship them for a much happier pairing for Jiang Yanli). Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen are very similar in character in many ways, and I think to demean one for traits the other has is to not respect either of them.

But that's just me, of course. I know that I can write as many words as I want and still people will disagree with me. As long as they give me the right to keep my opinions as well instead of trying to convince me out of them, we can still get along just fine.

Thanks for the ask! And thanks again for your patience too.

#mdzs #jiang yanli #lan xichen #lan qiren #asks #long post #lots of feelings today

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whetstonefires · 1 year

Text

Thinking about lying in mdzs and how wwx's two primary personal foils also spend significant amounts of time sustaining major lies around people they've got personal relationships with. And how differently that goes.

Because Wei Wuxian, Xue Yang, and Jin Guangyao are very different sorts of liars.

Wei Wuxian maintained his deception about his core for roughly three to five years, the first few of them in close contact with a couple of people who knew him very well. It relied mostly on misdirection and omission. It damaged his relationships and he didn't like it, but he didn't fuck it up either.

Xue Yang spent...a couple of years? Maintaining a lie. And the thing is he's a fairly shit liar, actually. If he'd had to do anything other than 'not tell the truth' to a blind man who voluntarily didn't ask him for so much as a name to call him by, he'd have fucked it up pretty quick.

But the act of deception itself didn't cause him any discomfort at all.

And Jin Guangyao spent most of his life maintaining a ridiculous panoply of lies to absolutely everyone. He of course is an amazing liar, by far the best of the three of them, and this is because he's good at both parts.

His sell is beautiful; he's got just as good a sense as wwx of what other people are thinking so he can adapt his story to it, and does so more consciously and deliberately though also more compulsively. And he's got better discipline over his reactions and (I think) less healthy basic self-respect, so he has more options for how he shapes himself to those expectations. (Whereas Wei Wuxian is more narrowly restricted to strategically emphasizing aspects of his actual self, such as 'proud disobedient prick' or 'impulsive embarrassing flirt.')

But Jin Guangyao's comfort with deception is also top-tier. He probably actually feels more comfortable when he knows he's gotten away with lying to any given person. And his patience with his own lies is infinite, between the excellent self-command, the perfect memory, and what are clearly fantastic multi-tasking skills.

Wei Wuxian likes to lie, but without a pressing reason he also tends to admit it almost immediately so he can laugh about it. When he has to keep it up, he doesn't like it nearly so much--a lie he can't admit to is a trap he's stuck in. And one that isolates him, which he does not enjoy at all.

Of course his Big Lie was largely for Jiang Cheng's sake; judging by how 'Mo Xuanyu' goes he wouldn't have been able to maintain it half so well for his own.

Xue Yang doesn't seem to feel any of that discomfort, he just also doesn't have enough interest in other people's thoughts to tell especially believable lies; he can't tailor his story to his audience.

He lies like it's a magic trick, a special move; you can just open your mouth and say whatever you want, isn't that strange? Isn't that funny? People will do things that are actually bad for them because you gave them untrue information!

And it reliably pisses people off, especially when they know you're lying but you won't admit it! You win no matter what! Haha!

There are a lot of other elements to being good at lying other than 'a convincing sell' and 'keeping up the front,' of course. Lying is complicated. So many moving pieces that all feed into one another. There's having the nerve to lie to people's faces. There's thinking on your feet enough to make up a lie on the spot at all, regardless of whether it's plausible. There's not having any obvious tics that give you away. There's the ego.

All three of them can manage all of these, though. The main variation across the set crops up around the aspects of lying that deal with 1) self-control (obvious spectrum there) and 2) empathy.

Xue Yang has none. He's a human disaster with very limited theory of mind and no self-regulation to speak of; naturally straightforward and almost entirely without kind impulses.

Wei Wuxian has a full complement--his social intuition is actually fantastic, and while he's not reliably nice he is easily moved to compassion. This latter is bad for his lying skills.

(His self-control ranges from reasonably good to fantastic, when he bothers, but his first instinct is not to bother.)

Jin Guangyao's cognitive empathy is also very strong; he can generally determine what someone wants to hear, and say that. Be that. But he seems to be almost wholly free of the instinct to feel bad about tricking people, even people he likes. Is that inherent or habituated? Idk probably both.

So Jin Guangyao is far and away the best liar of the three of them, because he maxes out all the necessary traits.

But then when it comes down to it. Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang, when they're rumbled or the lie isn't useful anymore, they can let it go. When Lan Wangji finally calls Wei Wuxian by name he drops Mo Xuanyu on the spot with no ceremony; when Wei Wuxian calls out Xue Yang's impersonation of Xiao Xingchen, he doesn't keep pushing it, he just laughs.

Jin Guangyao can't. He's unmasked violently and repeatedly, and he drops any story that isn't sustainable or useful anymore, but he always tries again. He's such a fantastic liar that reverting to honesty just. Isn't an option available to him.

#hoc est meum #mdzs #wei wuxian #xue yang #jin guangyao #meta #lying

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wutheringskies · 8 months

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I find this interesting in mdzs posts on Tumblr. Once the profile pic or background pic on their blog is either Xue Yang, JGY, or CQL pictures, then the post they wrote must be "The MC of mdzs is not morally that good, the reason is bla bla blah. To make flaws in the MC they went to the extent of victimizing the Perpetrators mainly Wen Chao and QishanWen Cultivators who'd chosen to join the war, a war to oppress other sects and slaughter them if they were to defy.

Don't you think that pattern resembles MDZS world? If you find someone spreading rumors and distorting facts about WWX it must be from the Jin. After the war ended, The Mobs actually accused WWX of killing too much (Wen Cultivators) during the war, in the occasion of talking about WWX freeing the real innocent Wen Remnants from LanlingJin's true war crime. The Irony and Ridiculousness are so thick. But that actually came into being in real life on their fans. How amusing was that?? Like Idols like fans. There really are people like that in real life...even MianMian can't put up with such mobs.

Excellent point, anon.

I always feel that MXTX's stories - specifically, MDZS and TGCF do a great job at presenting in the bounds of fiction, a real society. In our sort of society, those who are kind, are also often foolish. Those who are brave, are treated as rebels. In our world too; minorities are treated with suspicion and hostility. Systems aren't set down in rules; the rules can be changed by those who hold power; those who constitute the majority. Most of the people in this world listen along to the flute of him who is most powerful. Most people are mob-like. They don't help, but they criticize those who do for not doing enough. They don't like putting themselves into difficult positions. Even if they feel sympathy, they never act on it. They treat outliers as scandalous; they just wish to be accepted in any community, and put down all voices of reason, and pleas, to act like a banded group; like a bunch of 'teen mean girls.'

That is the sort of world MDZS is based in. In such a world, there are two idealistic people with solid morals - Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and this is the story of coming to peace with such a world and finding each other. I strongly feel that if one tries to justify an antagonist's actions; they rob themselves of the experience of reading a book which subtly, yet strongly pokes at how corrupt power structures, social hierarchies are; and how terrible it is to not examine the information you are presented with.

We are well aware that Jin Guangyao is a villain. Yet, saying that he is just evil at the root, two-faced and a vengeful, lying snake isn't enough. We must consider into account the nature of society - the untouchability that he faced; the humiliation, the rejection, the plea of a boy to buy out his mother's freedom. But note, that these difficulties aren't meant to free him of his guilt, but rather to add nuance to his character. Jin Guangyao is a victim of society, and on gaining power, he is one of those who stand atop the social ladder and cause harm to those below; and when he falls to the bottom, it is the same people who once held him as powerful, kind and benevolent that spread truths, rumours and secrets about him. Thus, the people probably had hints of what he does; yet they considered him of good standing until it was no longer beneficial; until they could turn the tables around and throw him down. Then they turn into his enemies.

This is not to absolve Jin Guangyao of his guilt, but to make us uncomfortable with how society is. I recall this line by Wei Wuxian - "How cheap is your hatred, and how cheap was your admiration."

Similarly, Jiang Cheng is an antagonist. He's a safe sect leader; never taking fights he can't win. Thus, he turns a blind eye to all injustice that would harm his position by putting him at odds with other powers and even encourages it. Social hierarchy allows him to whip up innocent people and not pay back his debts. As he's in a more privileged position than many others, being the literal sect heir of a major clan, he can retain the right to be upset, angry and hurt over whatever he chooses, whether or not his feelings were drawn on valid instances.

For some reason, this fandom falls into the same cycle of reading the book as if they're a civilian in the MDZS world, rather than a reader, containing an omnipresent point-of-view and analytical skills to understand whether the information presented is reliable or not. Perhaps, it is due to their in-built classism, where they are born and raised in places where they are allowed to exaggerate their pains beyond necessity. Perhaps, it is because they are readers who grew up on a bunch of material that is targeted at being 'relatable.' Since MDZS is similar to our world, there are plenty of people who hold sympathy but never act on it, care but not enough, cannot show it, or people who grow resentful. On the other hand, moral ideals like Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are rare. Thus, they cannot relate to these two. What they can't relate to, or cannot understand - they make up narratives to bring them down to 'their' level by framing their righteous actions as wrong, morally incorrect or selfish to make the characters 'more complex' and thus, relatable, and thus, digestible.

Another reason for condemning the main leads comes from the more genuine lack of understanding of the setting and the themes. I've been raised with Indian literature and I found Chinese literature sharing similarities. The protagonist isn't someone you should 'relate' to but someone whom you can idolize, and hold in high regard; someone from whom you can learn to become better. Society isn't generally kind, and love isn't what the characters are after; whether it be platonic, familial, romantic or parental.

Thus, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are fine with just being together, despite their feelings being reciprocated or not. Of course, when you're a child, you are prone to jealousy and anger. But when you mature, it isn't like that - they aren't possessive of each other. Their love lies first and foremost in sharing the same ideals, the same path, the same search for truth and knowing each other inside out even when the world frames you as this or that. That is the greatest act of love for them. Just like that, Wei Wuxian didn't give his core up due to brotherly love, but a sense of responsibility. Love isn't something that exists; but something that is borne, something that grows between two characters.

Yet people don't even understand things like this; they make Lan Wangji petty and Wei Wuxian some sort of manwhore flirt. They don't understand that in xianxia and wuxia, the dead are an entity, just like the living. The body, the soul, the resentment - all are different parts of the same being. Not all souls can be liberated, thus the end result is having to kill those souls, but Wei Wuxian's cultivation uses their resentful energy to do his bidding, and liberate them. Instead of mindlessly killing, he kills with aim. Even highly resentful fierce corpses can be neutralized. Yet, people think it's his cultivation that is his dissent. They say he killed Wen Chao wrongly. I only feel that they haven't read much Asian literature. If you let vermins go then they will come and bite you in the foot.

Honestly, there is so much wrong with fanon interpretations. It is literally a different book that they are reading. If these were only fun, fanon comics, it would be fine, but these are their actual interpretations upon reading the novel. How far are interpretations valid until you literally ruin the book? It's like being in a fandom where the author wrote a book about cats being lovely, but instead of that, people debate which cat character was more evil.

But, well, I always just think such people are Sect Leader's Yao's followers. Haha. I have no issue with those who like XY, JGY, or JC - but at least like their canon selves, lmao? Or even if you wish to make them more sentimental, that is okay, but don't drag the actual moral ideals to their level, you know?

Well, this got pretty long! But thank you anon for this wonderful ask. I got to rant a lot.

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #canon mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #canon jiang cheng #my meta #lan zhan #jin guangyao #xue yang #mxtx

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wangxianficrecs · 1 year

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It's Not That Simple by Eleanor_Fenyx

It's Not That Simple

by Eleanor_Fenyx

T, 6k, jwy & wwx

Summary: 13 years after Wei Wuxian's death, Jiang Cheng gets caught in a demonic cultivation array that throws him back to the night before it all began - the night before Wei Ying was found and brought to Lotus Pier to live. How much can one man change about the future, and can he set his anger aside long enough to do what needs to be done?

Mojo's comments: Can't comment… cat on my arm. But this was v. cute & healing.

Excerpt: Jiang Cheng looks at his waif of a child and he can’t help but see all the pain he’ll come to cause in the future. He can prevent it all right here, right now. Zidian sparks on his wrist, begins to flicker to life. Little Wei Wuxian looks up and around suddenly at the noise of it, his eyes zeroing in almost instantly on the purple lightning at his side. “Whoa!!” he cries with delight, his entire face lighting up with delight. “That’s so cool, sir!! How do you do that?!” Zidian sputters and then flickers out again, responding to the horror in his chest that replaces the fury. He’s just a child. A child. He’s his brother. Jiang Cheng holds onto the last vestiges of his fury for another long moment or two as he watches Wei Wuxian return to gnawing on his food with his back teeth as he looks up at him with wide, guileless, quicksilver eyes. And then with a breath he shoves 13 years of blinding hatred away from his chest.

time-travel fix-it, homeless wei wuxian, child wei wuxian, yunmeng brothers feelings, jiang cheng & wei wuxian reconcilliation, ace jiang cheng, angst with a happy ending, pov jiang cheng, protective jiang cheng, non-yunmeng wei wuxian, jiang cheng needs a hug, @eleanorfenyx

~*~

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

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lgbtqmanga · 2 months

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New Releases Feb. 6, 2024

Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels! vol. 4 by Kuro Itsuki

On the hunt for long-lost love, Asumi has devoted her time to visiting brothel after brothel. She has no idea that her antics are making Nanao more suspicious of her by the minute. Nanao, determined to find out if Asumi is a lesbian call girl herself, makes a booking with a girl to find out the truth. Instead, she opens a door to further misunderstandings. Exactly where is their relationship headed?

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (manhua) vol. 5 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and Luo Di Cheng Qiu

Seeking the truth behind Xiao Xingchen’s death, Wei Wuxian uses the dangerous power of “Empathy” to gaze into the past. He discovers that years ago, the newly blinded Xiao Xingchen journeyed to the remote countryside, where he and a girl named A-Qing became inseparable. Unfortunately, the peace they found together did not last—everything changed after they saved a mortally wounded man. That man was Xue Yang, a villain who used charm to hide his bitterly cold heart. Weaving a web of lies and deceit, Xue Yang joined their quiet life while secretly scheming for a bloody encounter between old friends and foes!

Magic Knight Rayearth vol. 2 by CLAMP

Three girls who couldn't be more different meet on a school trip to Tokyo Tower--and find themselves beamed into a parallel world called Cefiro, where the mysterious Pillar has recruited them to avert a calamity! With the help of a motley troop of rogues and wizards, they will unlock the power of three transforming giant dragons known as Rune Gods and rush to the Pillar's aid...but there's more going on at the heart of Cefiro than they know!

The Moon on a Rainy Night vol. 3 by Kuzushiro

Saki and Kanon are walking around town when a sudden gust blows some flyers for a hair salon toward them. The two girls gather them up and return them to the owner, a salon apprentice, who unexpectedly asks Saki if she would come to the salon to sit for a test cut. Saki agrees, and when she visits the salon later that week, the young stylist recounts a story about a “friend” who fell in love with one of her female classmates during their school days. Could she be trying to tell Saki something...?

Saki’s confusion about her feelings for Kanon only deepens when Kanon ends up spending the night due to a situation at home. As the two girls are lying in bed facing each other, Kanon tells Saki about her conflicting dreams for the future: she wants to live on her own someday, but she also wants someone around whom she can count on...someone like Saki. Kanon drifts off to sleep, but Saki remains awake long into the night, wrestling with the turmoil within her. All she knows is that she can’t go on like this much longer...

Pulse vol. 6 by Ratana Satis

Lynn’s surgery has begun, and Mel is right by her side, assisting with the operation. Things are going smoothly—until the director hears that Mel has postponed her surgeries so she can operate on her girlfriend. The tension sky rockets in an already tense situation as Sue bursts in on the operation and orders Mel to leave the room immediately. With Lynn’s heart literally on the line, Mel is forced to choose between giving in to her ex’s orders and seeing her girlfriend’s surgery through to the end.

There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… vol. 4 by Teren Mikami and Musshu

Still fake-dating Satsuki, Renako finds herself caught in a dangerous love triangle between herself and the two starlets of Ashigaya High. As their conflict reaches its peak, and Satsuki’s true feelings towards Mai begin to emerge, Renako suggests a three-way battle to save her clique, her peaceful high-school life, and above all, her friends’ relationship!

#lgbt manga #queer manga #manga #new releases #manhua

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web-novel-polls · 8 months

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MXTX Side Characters Tournament Submissions

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED

Rules

One character per submission. If you want to submit multiple characters, please do so in separate forms

No main couples (Bingqiu, Wangxian, or Hualian)

Preliminary polls may occur to decide whether or not to include other significant characters like Feng Xin, Mu Qing, or Liu Qingge. Minor but popular characters like Six Balls will be allowed.

Tag: #mxtx side characters tournament

Submission List below the cut (Dealer's Choice not included)

SVSSS

Zhuzhi-lang

Submission 1: Snake boy my beloved

Submission 2: I love him

Shang Qinghua / Airplane

Submission (2): He's a sidekick and he's so sidelined that despite creating the universe he's treated as an afterthought - doubly a side character! But also? So relateable. He would absolutely have been on tumblr in his first life, he gets so excited about his blorbo who treats him terribly (until they finally get a happy ending in the extras - also! he has to wait for the extras to get his happy ending! very side-character of him). He holds the fascinating position of being mostly irrelevant to the story and yet without him the themes would totally fail. He deserves a win on something for once, okay?

Sha Hualing

Submission: Her cringefail losergirl swag has captivated me

Mu Qingfang

Submission: Ppl tend to completely forget he has a mad scientist side (see Jinlan arc) and if he gets into the tournament I'll have a reason to bring it up.

Daoist nuns triplets

Submission: Authors of "Song of BingQiu" and the true culprits behind the ass wine extra. Stop crediting Liu Mingyan with their hard work!

Mobei-jun

Submission: He's a demon tsundere who doesn't realize his human boyfriend is scared and easily squishable. Got demoted from king to cabinet minister during a hostile takeover but is pretty chill about it. Huge boobs.

Six Balls

Submission: When he was born he weighed as much as six balls. Current ball number unknown.

Helen of Troy*

Submission: uhm she isn't a Side character ? but she is referenced heavily by the main character and the subtext. This is integral to the plot of SVSSS because the subtext is where it's actually at. If all you do is read the book you will have several misconceptions of the plot. Anyway Shen Yuan!Shen Qingqiu is a metaphorical Helen of Troy within the story AND HE FUCKING SAYS THIS HIMSELF INSUSJSKS

*will have to pass a preliminary poll to be included in the tournament (<-thinks it would be funny to put her in)

Ning Yingying

Submission: Her glow-up in the SVSSS timeline is real! Instead of becoming Luo Binghe's childhood sweetheart, she roasts him for referring to her too familiarly. Love this for her.

Gongyi Xiao

Submission: He is such a Good Person who didn't deserve his fate :(

Qin Wanyue

Submission: Scum Villain's wettest and most pathetic loser! Of course, she's so pathetic that she's constantly overshadowed by more bombastically pathetic characters, but I think she deserves her chance at recognition.

OG Luo Binghe’s Harem

Submission: Binghe's harem the whole collection all of them together an amalgamation of all the wives

Tianlang-jun

Submission: Incredible character who does it like him

TGCF

Quan Yizhen

Submission: He's a good boi and thinking about him makes me cry a lil'.

Yin Yu

Submission: The guy of all time. The most average god ever. Someone give him a break. His face is so average that Xie Lian thought it was fake

Ling Wen

Submission: Girlboss. Did nothing wrong

Bai Jing (Brocade Immortal)

Submission: no 1 ling wen simp (just like me fr)

MDZS

A-Qing

Propaganda: She's so smart. She tricked so many people into thinking she was blind for so long. Also, she was really kind and considerate. Like she didn't have to save all of those people from Xue Yang. Oh and she's an excellent judge of character and super brave. Really hope she wins, she's such a fun little genius girl

Su Minshan / Su She

Propaganda: Idk I just kinda like him

Submission 2: Look at him having his own life and grudges and friendships and priorities completely unrelated to the main characters! He was so right to curse Jin Zixun

Wen Ning

Submission: This poor guy dealt with so much shit in life, only to be killed, resurrected, and forced to deal with Wuxian's bullshit for years on end

Jiang Cheng

Submission 1: Extremely traumatized yet also somehow the most normal and functional by the end. Huge bitch but I (and at least one of the other characters) think he deserves to be even worse after everything he's been through

Submission 2: Simultaneously badass and the most cringefail man. Extremely funny and stylish but still manages to be very uncool. Cries a lot. Also he's lost a lot of tumblr polls—let's give him another shot! We definitely love him more than his dad did!

Submission 3: He's got mommy issues AND daddy issues. He loves his sister and his shige so much. He's traumatised and incredibly competent. He rebuilt his whole sect! He's an asshole (affectionate). He's purple! He's got the coolest weapon ever conceived. I'm so worried about his blood pressure basically all the time.

Wen Qing

Submission 1: Doctor, mad scientist, war criminal, protective big sister... she has the range!!

Submission 2: Wen Qing my beloved!! She did surgery on a grape. Mad genius for real. Also a loving sister with a very sharp tongue and maybe no sense of how far is too far. Can't wait for them to find her alive in a Koi Tower basement!

Submission 3: Justice for my girl!!!!

Submission 4: She's bitchy and pragmatic and cares deeply and did an unprecedented operation (experimental and nonconsensual!), what's not to love? Also she deserved better.

Jin Ling

Submission 1: He may be a brat, but he has a good heart and a friendly dog. He thinks he's the main character of a much less intense story which keeps almost getting him killed

Submission 2: Bestest boy in the whole world. He's got a dog! A helicopter uncle! His dad's sword! Yeah he can be a little brat but he's SIXTEEN okay (or thirteen, or whatever, MXTX HELP) and he's got an incredible capacity for forgiveness. He's so good!

Xue Yang

Submission 1: No propaganda submitted

Submission 2: It's not that he's evil. He lacks empathy and he goes into a disassociative state and commits atrocities.

Xiao Xingchen

No propaganda submitted

Song Lan

No propaganda submitted

Fairy (Jin Ling’s dog)

Submission: The cutest, smartest, and goodest doggo! She's the one who led WangXian to the Nie sword tomb to save Jin Ling! and led Jiang Cheng to Guanyin Temple to save Jin Ling! and led Lan cultivators to the temple to help Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen (and Jin Ling!)

Bichen

Submission: this sword has been through a lot…

Lan Xichen

Submission: Pay your respects to the captain of the WangXian ship! Those idiots would keep pining for another 13282627 years if it weren't for him!

#mxtx side characters tournament #submissions #idk if the source material section of the form was strictly necessary but it does make my life easier so.#not a poll #tumblr tournament #character tournament #my submissions

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