#he's gonna keep saying i owe you even though he knows even better than wei wuxian that at least where the core is concerned | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

plan-d-to-i · 3 years

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tbh I don't even hate jc, I just don't care enough about him and I believe he fulfills his role in the story. Anyways, idk what's with Twitter and jc stans today but I saw this person calling wwx stans "genocide stans" which is gross af and you'll expect for this person to be like 14 but SHE'S 26.

And then she also made this cringey post saying Not gonna lie, I'd love it if we went from "JC loses his memory of WWX to find peace" and more "WWX realising he wants to reconcile and trying his best to make it happen, only for JC to turn around and say, completely serious, 'WWX, I don't give a shit anymore, leave me alone.'" and this is just beyond ???? As if it's not jc the one who's obsessed with wwx, not the other way around (and as if it's not wwx who actually realized he's better off without jc and living his best life with lwj, lol).

But, also, the thing that baffles me to no end is how much they hate wwx but they CRAVE for him to be all over and about jc. They need for wwx to validate jc sooo bad, it's pathetic and funny, lmao... It's also so obvious they just project onto jc. They act as if they have some 2D complex with him and he's their animu husbando but I can't help but feel they also project onto him and that's why they took wwx TOO PERSONAL and want for him to apologize (when he doesn't even have anything to apologize for, anyways) and to adore the shit out of jc... so that's why it feels to me like if their mediocre ass were jc and they see wwx as the cool dude they need to have at their feet imploring for their attention, you know? It's honestly unbelievable.

I mean you’ve basically said it perfectly.

Uh this has me 🙃: “this person calling wwx stans "genocide stans" ???? Did they mean to say jc stans are genocide stans? Since jc strategized & led the butchering of the war refugees in the burial mounds? I know for a while they tried to argue it was “family extermination”, even though that sentence had not been passed against the Wens, & defending it, as though killing the Wen remnants is framed as anything less than heinous in the novel itself. They weren’t even supposed to be in the labor death camps, where they were being tortured and killed HENCE the Jins doing it on the down low & vehemently denying the conditions?! Now my degree is in history. So I’m well aware people & different organizations are always debating/arguing about what ought to be defined as genocide. I’d argue there’s a difference between recognizing it from a human standpoint and needing it to legally stand up in an international court of law rife what are generally viewed as overly restrictive requirements, that have come under fire and demand for reform- especially as they currently exclude social & political groups. But if we were to force the concept in the mix in this case, it would apply to what was done to the innocent Wens post war. I mean mxtx is a modern woman and has no doubt had her world view shaped by 20th century history. The labor camp where the living conditions were such that they would ensure death in short order. The torture they endured there, used as human lures, & killed. Very importantly, the dehumanization : “Wen Dogs”. When WWX goes to save them & this happens:

“Wei WuXian, “Nobody would dare kill a single person? Is that true?”

The inspectors swore in unison, “Absolutely!”

“Not a single one!”

Wei WuXian smiled, “Oh. I understand.”

Immediately after, he continued calmly, “It’s because they’re Wen-dogs, and Wen-dogs aren’t people. So even if you killed them, it doesn’t count as having killed people. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”

This was exactly what the lead inspector was thinking when he said it.”

And this ‘lovely’ short excerpt from jc! :

“Yes, they helped us before, but why in the world don’t you understand that right now any remnant of the Wen Sect is a target of criticism! No matter who they are, with a surname of Wen they have committed a most heinous crime!”

“If you can’t do it then move over—I’ll do it!”

So I think it would benefit jc stans to stay the away from this word since it will only make their toxic bae look infinitely worse.

Anyway moving on from this very loaded topic...

I totally agree w your conclusion on the stans. It’s cringe af. Like you say you love jc why are you so obsessed w WWX taking him back? Move on! He did. They seem baffled by the idea that people won’t stay around to be treated like trash forever? People are within their rights to leave if your presence in their life is toxic and damaging. Become a better person and it won’t happen. I mean by the end of the novel even Jin ling is over jc. jc can only keep people around by guilting them or holding duty over their head. Why would anyone want that in their lives? jc stans are absurd. The ones who are projecting on jc bc they relate to him, can’t accept the way he’s perceived by others because they can’t bear to know they’re perceived similarly. That’s just how people perceive assholes ? No one owes you shit. People aren’t forced to dig past your toxic rage walls & take your abuse in the hope of a sweet gentle center that probably isn’t there anyway. Therapy &/or some self growth would be infinitely more useful that just trying to make toxic, abusive traits great again & victim blaming 🙄😗.

#mdzs #Jiang cheng #wtf #no I don’t want to argue about the definition of genocide. I’ve met enough weird edgelords that love to do it when I did my studies

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jiangwanyinscatmom · 3 years

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The funniest thing is JIANG CHENG HAD MULTIPLE CHANCES TO DO THE RIGHT THING but every time his jealousy and resentment towards wwx won. Are we gonna forget that his jealousy for wwx is the main thing that jin sect used to separate wwx from a little "support" he had left

Whuuuut? But he tried so hard during the biggest turning point! 🥺

Jiang Cheng’s brows were knitted. He rubbed the vein that throbbed at his temple and soundlessly took in a deep breath, “… I apologize to all of the Sect Leaders. Everyone, I’m afraid you don’t know that the Wen cultivator whom Wei WuXian wanted to save was called Wen Ning. We owe him and his sister Wen Qing gratitude for what happened during the Sunshot Campaign.”

Nie MingJue, “You owe them gratitude? Isn’t the QishanWen Sect the ones who caused the YunmengJiang Sect’s annihilation?”

Within the last few years, Jiang Cheng insisted on working late into the night every day. That day, just as he decided to rest early, he had to rush to Koi Tower overnight because of the thundering news. He’d been suppressing some anger under his fatigue since the beginning. With his natural competitiveness, he was already quite agitated since he had to apologize to other people. When he heard Nie MingJue mention the incident of his sect again, hatred sprouted within him.

The hatred was directed at not only everyone who was seated in this room, but also Wei WuXian.

Lan XiChen responded a moment later, “I have heard of Wen Qing’s name a few of times. I do not remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign’s crimes.”

Nie MingJue, “But she’s never stopped them either.”

Lan XiChen, “Wen Qing was one of Wen RuoHan’s most trusted people. How could she have stopped them?”

Nie MingJue spoke coldly, “If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it’s the same as indifference. She shouldn’t have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out.”

Lan XiChen knew that because of what happened to his father, Nie MingJue abhorred Wen-dogs more than anything, especially with how intolerable he was toward evil. Lan XiChen didn’t say anything else.

But he's such a wonderful diplomat, who had no way of protecting his brother. Curious how he doesn't expand on what he means by that debt and just lets the hate about the Wens take over even though Lan Xichen tried to get more information even though it would have helped to show Wei Wuxian was not power hungry.

Taking this opportunity, Jin GuangShan spoke, “Sect Leader Jiang, this was supposed to be a matter of your sect. It wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to barge in. But now that things are like this, I’ll have to caution you on the topic of Wei Ying.”

Jiang Cheng, “Sect Leader Jin, go ahead.”

Jin GuangShan, “Sect Leader Jiang, Wei Ying is your right-hand man. You value him a lot. All of us know this. However, on the other hand, it’s hard to tell whether or not he actually respects you. In any case, I’ve been a sect leader for so many years and I’ve never seen the servant of any sect dare be so arrogant, so proud. Have you heard what they say outside? Things like how during the Sunshot Campaign the victories of the YunmengJiang Sect were all because of Wei WuXian alone—what nonsense!”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng’s face was already quite dark. Jin GuangShan shook his head, “In an event as important as the Flower Banquet, he dared throw a fit right in front of you, leaving however he pleased. He even dared say something like ‘I don’t care about the sect leader Jiang WanYin at all!’ Everyone who was there heard it with their own ears…”

Suddenly, an indifferent voice spoke up, “No.”

Jin GuangShan was in the middle of his fabrication. Hearing this, he paused in surprise, turning along with the crowd to see who it was.

Lan WangJi sat with his back straight, speaking in a tone of absolute tranquility, “I did not hear Wei Ying say this. I did not hear him express the slightest disrespect towards Sect Leader Jiang either.”

Lan WangJi rarely spoke when he was outside. Even when they debated cultivation techniques during Discussion Conferences, he only answered when others questioned or challenged him. With utmost concision, he overcame, without fault, the lengthy arguments of others. Apart from this, he almost never spoke up. And thus, when Jin GuangShan was interrupted by him, he experienced a far greater shock than annoyance. But after all, his fabrication was exposed right in front of so many. He felt a bit awkward.

The good thing was that, not long after he felt awkward, Jin GuangYao came to save the day, exclaiming, “Really? That day, Young Master Wei busted into Koi Tower with such force. He said too many things, one more shocking than the next. Perhaps he said a few things that were along those lines. I can’t remember them either.”

His memory could only be equal to Lan WangJi’s, if not better. As soon as he heard it, Nie MingJue knew that he was fibbing on purpose, frowning slightly.

Jin GuangShan followed the transition, “That’s right. Anyhow, his attitude has always been arrogant.”

One of the sect leaders added, “To be honest, I’ve wanted to say this since a long time ago. Although Wei WuXian did a few things during the Sunshot Campaign, there are many guest cultivators who did more than him. I’ve never seen anyone as full of themselves as him. Excuse my bluntness, but he’s the son of a servant. How could the son of a servant be so arrogant?”

He never believed at all what Jin Guangshan was saying, and he was only jealous because Wei Wuxian always overshadowed him and shouldn't have. Wei Wuxian only ever cared about showing off like he said and never took Jiang Cheng's feelings into account and cruelly ignored him for everyone else. Obviously Jiang Cheng wanted to stand up for Wei Wuxian like Mianmian and Lan Wangji, but he had no power (never mind that Lan Wangji and Mianmian had a lesser position in all of this and despite being mocked tried to be heard and keep Wei Wuxian from being blackened). What? Noooo, he's not at all buying into what Jin Guangshan is saying about his own first disciple he's always expressed faith in Wei Wuxian.

With him having brought up the ‘son of a servant’, naturally there’d be some who connected it to the ‘son of a prostitute’ standing in the hall. Jin GuangYao clearly noticed the unkind stares. Yet, his smile remained perfect, not at all faltering. The crowd went with the flow and voiced their complaints.

“In the beginning, Sect Leader Jin asked Wei Ying for the Tiger Seal with nothing but good intentions, worried that he wouldn’t be able to control it and lead to a disaster. He, however, used his own yardstick to measure another’s intents. Did he think that everyone is after his treasure? What a joke. In terms of treasures, is there any sect that doesn’t hold a few treasures?”

Ignoring the rioting voices behind him, Lan WangJi stood up as well and exited. After Lan XiChen understood what happened a few moments ago, hearing how the direction of their discussion worsened, he spoke up, “Everyone, she is gone already. Let us settle down.”

Now that ZeWu-Jun had spoken, of course the people had to give him some face. In Golden Pavilion, one after another, they began to denounce Wei WuXian and the Wen-dogs again. They all spoke with passionate hatred, letting their indiscriminate, irrefutable loathing dance in the air. Using the atmosphere, Jin GuangShan turned to Jiang Cheng, “He’s been plotting for a while to go to Burial Mound, hasn’t he? After all, with his skills, it wouldn’t be too hard to set up a sect of his own. And so, he used this as a chance to leave the Jiang Sect, intending to do whatever he pleases in the bright skies outside. You rebuilt the YunmengJiang Sect with so much work. He’s got a few controversial traits in him to begin with, and still he doesn’t restrain himself, stirring up so much trouble for you. He doesn’t care about you at all.”

Jiang Cheng pretended to stand his ground, “That probably isn’t that case. Wei WuXian has been like this ever since he was young. Even my father couldn’t do anything about him.”

Jin GuangShan, “Even FengMian-xiong couldn’t do anything about him, huh?” He chuckled a few times, “FengMian-xiong just favored him.”

Hearing the words ‘favored him’, the muscles beside the corners of Jiang Cheng’s mouth twitched.

Jin GuangShan continued, “Sect Leader Jiang, you’re not like your father. It’s just been a couple of years since the reestablishment of the YunmengJiang Sect, precisely when you should be displaying your power. And he doesn’t even know to avoid suspicions. What would the Jiang Sect’s new disciples think if they saw him? Don’t tell me you’d let them see him as their role model and look down on you?”

He spoke one sentence after another, striking the iron while it was still hot. Jiang Cheng spoke slowly, “Sect Leader Jin, that’s enough. I’ll go to Burial Mound and deal with this.”

Jin GuangShan felt satisfied, speaking in a sincere tone, “That’s the spirit. Sect Leader Jiang, there are some things, some people that you shouldn’t put up with.”

After the gathering ended, all of the sect leaders felt that they received a terrific topic for conversation. They walked quickly as they discussed with all their might, their passionate hatred still burning strong.

No this is not Jin Guangshan taking advantage of Jiang Cheng's well known complexes over his dad and Wei Wuxian. He is not using the fact at all that Jiang Cheng hates that people flock to Wei Wuxian naturally to set off Jiang Cheng's complex about being seen as lesser than Wei Wuxian in anyway. Jiang Cheng was powerless after all to stand up for Wei Wuxian's reputation and help.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #lol two prides #at this point Jiang Cheng made it clear his sect leader reputation was what he cared about

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franniebanana · 3 years

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CQL Rewatch - Ep 26

Note: I will be critical of Jiang Cheng in these posts. If you can’t handle that, please feel free to scroll on.

The absolute what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-here look on Lan Wangji's face right now. I'm cackling. He's really not subtle at all. The genuine shock from this apparently grave impropriety is just written all over his face. In that situation, I'm definitely Lan Xichen. I'll quietly go to the host later and tell them that they really shouldn't have invited that guy. I mean, he's so nice about it, though, and I really do feel bad for Jin Guangyao, who just invited him because they're friends. Aside from all the shit they pull, he and Su She really do care about each other. You know, Jin Guangyao sees himself in Su She, and probably the opposite is true as well, depending on what Su She actually knows about him. It's no wonder Jin Guangyao selects him from the crowd as he does and kind of takes him under his wing. He knows the feeling of being unwanted very well.

He couldn't look more annoyed that Jin Guangyao is bringing up how the Jiang Clan has captured more prey than any clan in the history of these hunts. Part of it is that Jiang Cheng knows that he never would have brought in that many if Wei Wuxian hadn't used Chenqing to bewitch the beasts into the nets. I think the other thing that annoys him is that the whole situation was an embarrassment and now Jin Guangyao is drawing attention to it again, as well as to the fact that Wei Wuxian isn't even there. He's wandering the streets in the city below when he should be at Carp Tower. As I've said before, Jiang Cheng expects and desires Wei Wuxian to be obedient as well as subservient to him. It pisses him off that Wei Wuxian is such a delinquent and has no care for the propriety of the cultivation world.

And the way Jiang Cheng is all smiles to the Jins, toasting with them, being the perfect little clan leader. Like, he has to, right? Anything else would be weird and unorthodox, not to mention rude. But as soon as he sits down again, he's back to that nasty look on his face, brooding about where in the hell Wei Wuxian is and why he had to go and embarrass Jiang Cheng in front of all the other leaders.

Oh, speak of the devil! Here he is! Yeah, remember how Wei Wuxian found Wen Qing at the end of the last episode? Well, now he's really angry. At this point, it's over. Propriety and orthodoxy have been thrown out the window. The Jin Clan is out of line, and he doesn't care what he says and to whom he says it anymore.

I keep saying this, but this is one of my favorite parts. The absolute disdain that Lan Wangji has for this man that he won't even stoop to respond to him. He's seen what he's like on numerous occasions, I'm sure, but not least important when the man was criticizing Wei Wuxian right in front of him to the point that Jiang Yanli stood up to defend him. Lan Wangji is not giving this man the time of day, let alone breaking one of the disciplines just to please him. Lan Wangji doesn't give a damn whether this man deems him friendly or not. And I love all the reactions. Lan Xichen is just like, "He's never gonna do it." Nie Mingjue looks a little worried, like, "Oh, shit, what's he gonna do??"

And my favorite part, where Lan Wangji looks so so thirsty, and there's a tall drink of water right in front of him. Not to talk top/bottom dynamics (but I'm gonna briefly), but this is when I knew CQL Lan Wangji was a bottom. Those eyes just say "fuck me," and I really won't hear any arguments on this.

But another thing I want to say is that this is one of those moments where Wei Wuxian does something rather heroic. Not all of his actions have to be big and grand to be important. Lan Wangji definitely felt rescued here. I think I remember hearing Xiao Zhan complain that he didn't get to do enough fight scenes and he didn't get to run around and rescue people--he felt useless on the battlefield, while Lan Wangji got to do all the saving. But these moments feel more special to me, when he was there for Lan Wangji. Just like I don't really remember the moments where Lan Wangji knocked a sword out of the way, but I do remember how he looked when Wei Wuxian collapsed in his arms in the Nightless City, and I remember how he insisted on Wei Wuxian letting him help him, and I remember how he sang to Wei Wuxian in the cave. Sometimes it's not the big, grand gestures, but the small, quiet, unassuming ones.

I mean, at this point, is there anyone who doesn't want Wei Wuxian to murder this guy? It is kind of amusing to me that Wei Wuxian just moved on from one Jin to another. He's sort of forgotten about Jin Zixuan, who's definitely the less annoying of the two, and now he has turned his attention to Jin Zixun, who is just a gigantic asshole. The guy is just here to antagonize Wei Wuxian, seemingly, by the way he is taunting him here about how long the banquet is going to last.

While he's pretty rude to Jin ZIxun (who cares), Wei Wuxian clearly and calmly explains to Jin Guangshan what the situation is. Not only that, but he's very polite to him. The situation is simple: Wen Ning was kind to him and he wants to return the favor. I feel a bit like CQL didn't do enough to develop the relationship between Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian, even with the added scene with the dog, but even if you just look at what Wen Ning and Wen Qing did for Jiang Cheng--based upon that alone, I think Wei Wuxian would want to save them. Jiang Cheng would be dead right now if it weren't for them. It's interesting how that's reason for Wei Wuxian to save the Wens, but Jiang Cheng wants no part of that. He seems to value looking good in front of the other clan leaders over repaying a life debt. Even without knowing about the Golden Core thing, they still saved his life. Wen Ning brought him out of Lotus Pier on his back. Both Wen Ning and Wen Qing suffered at the hands of the rest of the Wen Clan because of what they did--hello, it's treason. They committed treason for two people they barely knew. And Jiang Cheng doesn't even have the balls to stand up for them now?

Oh, boy, now he's gone and done it. Suggesting the Jin Clan just moved in as the reigning Clan, the one who is better than all the rest, the clan in charge of the others. In other words, the Jin Clan is no better than the Wen Clan--these are the sort of actions that lead to the kind of hubris that they had. And considering the Jin Clan helped the least during the Sunshot Campaign, it's pretty interesting. But, of course, they have a lot of money, they have a lot of men, they were basically untouched during the war. It only stands to reason that they would sort of slide into the place that the Wen Clan carved out. Of course, Jiang Cheng is mortified that Wei Wuxian would suggest such a thing. I mean, in his situation, rightly so. Wei Wuxian is part of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, so his actions and words reflect poorly on all of them. But the sticking point for me is that Jiang Cheng doesn't attempt to understand where Wei Wuxian is coming from. He doesn't try to look at how Wei Wuxian is trying to save the people who saved them--he doesn't see that as a valid reason. Considering CQL is trying to sell that Jiang Cheng has (or had) feelings for Wen Qing, he doesn't seem to care about her very much. Why isn't he disturbed about this news--why is he only angry that Wei Wuxian is being improper? I get what Jiang Cheng is doing here, but what I'm trying to say is that I don't think he's struggling at all with it. I think, for him, it was wham, bam, thank you ma'am, in a sense. He was saved, he got healed, and now he doesn't really have to think about Wen Qing or Wen Ning anymore. They were, in a way, stepping stones on his rise to the top. They were willing volunteers to help him be a better person. He doesn't owe them anything in return. Because, I think, if MXTX or the CQL writers had really wanted us to believe that Jiang Cheng wasn't selfish and narrow-minded, I think he would have gone with Wei Wuxian to try and find Wen Ning.

Me counting down when my toddler is goofing off before bed time.

I think at this point, both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji know that he can't come back from this. After what he just said, then threatening to kill Jin Zixun, then essentially saying he could kill anyone and no one would be able to stop him--there is just no coming back. There's no apology he could give, no words he could say that would convince him to let him back into the fold. It's a moment of desperation, both for Lan Wangji and for Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is going to save Wen Ning and Wen Qing, even if it means sacrificing what is left of his life. Again, he's willing to give up everything for someone else. Lan Wangji doesn't yet understand, and Jiang Cheng certainly doesn't understand him, even though he is the one who should understand him the most.

Lan Wangji has no choice but to go after Wei Wuxian. Even his brother knows and immediately gives his blessing to do it. Why is it that two people from a different clan are willing to go into the lion's den, but someone who is essentially Wei Wuxian's brother won't do anything? We see Lan Xichen having more concern for Wei Wuxian than Jiang Cheng. To be fair, he's also thinking about his own brother here, knowing that Lan Wangji wants to go, knowing that he wants to help Wei Wuxian. And given that, we have another good contrast to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. The Prides of Yunmeng, indeed--both are indeed proud, so proud that they sometimes forget to even care about each other.

This part gets me every time. It's so heartbreaking listening to her scream out for her brother--even in a valley full of the dead, she calls out for him as if he can answer. Truly heartbreaking. And then the silence that washes over her when she finally sees him.

I kind of wonder why Wei Wuxian doesn't immediately help her search the bodies. Part of me wonders if it's because he does not really accept that Wen Ning is dead. He expects that Wen Ning will answer the call, or that he will pop up somewhere, having been hiding. It's as if he starts searching only when he begins to realize that Wen Ning may actually be dead.

I think what we get between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian is a bit of a peek into what may have happened if Lan Wangji had been there when Wei Wuxian decided to give up his Golden Core. More likely than not, Lan Wangji would have tried to stop Wei Wuxian from doing it. I can't really imagine him just standing back and saying, "Go ahead. It's your body." Lan Wangji is always thinking one step ahead, always thinking about the consequences--what would it mean down the line?

Lan Wangji, bottom line, doesn't really understand Wei Wuxian yet. He knows him well, yes, possibly better than anyone else, even given that Wen Qing and Wen Ning know about the Golden Core transfer. He doesn't understand how Wei Wuxian feels indebted to the Wens--but it's not even that, I don't think. I think it's a mix of that and just protecting the weak, doing what's right--I think that's why he has to stand up for the Wens here. He sees the injustice going on, and he has to stop it. And recalling the oath that they made that evening, Lan Wangji knows he has to step aside. He knows that Wei Wuxian has to do this--needs to--wants to--even at the expense of giving up his cultivation status, his life, even going against everyone else in the orthodox world. And Lan Wangji lets him go. It's probably the hardest decision he's ever made in his entire life. But he was faced with a choice too: go with or stay behind. Hold onto Wei Wuxian or give him up. Be with him, or never see him again. Indeed, the implication here is that you aren't supposed to talk to Wei Wuxian after this. He's been ostracized of his own doing, he is a rogue, a villain, dangerous, not to be trusted. No one in the civilized cultivation world would have anything to do with him.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Or just check out the #CQL Rewatch hashtag

#wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #cql #the untamed #wen qing #wen ning #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #ep 26 #cql rewatch

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paradife-loft · 4 years

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Close reading all the Jin Guangyao scenes: episode 10

Episode 11 | Episode 22 | Episode 23

So, when I was talking to @fatalism-and-villainy the other day, I mentioned how while doing this third watch of The Untamed, I was feeling really quite tempted to make a semi-liveblogging project out of doing a close analysis of basically every episode where Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao has a substantial scene.... Their response was only to encourage me in this further obsessive descent, and well, here we are.

I’m starting with episode 10 where we are in this watch right now, rather than going back to episode 4, because while ep4 is utterly delightful, I don’t really feel like I have a lot to say about it that hasn’t already been hashed to death.

Meanwhile, episode 10... oh boy! So much going on here. This episode is most interesting to me because the main theme we see in a majority of Meng Yao’s scenes, is how wholeheartedly invested he is in advancing the cause and prominence of the Nie Sect that he serves. Particularly in light of how we see him later giving the same loyalty and effort to the Jin sect, it’s a really cool (and tragic, tbh) precursor that shows a lot about how much he’ll make a point of doing well by those who’ve elevated him in turn.

So he first shows up with Nie Huisang, when WWX/LWJ/JC are all discussing with Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen what they ought to do with Xue Yang. Noticing the latter two (who are established already as being well-known heroes throughout the cultivation world), he asks if they wouldn’t come along to Qinghe to figure out how best to punish Xue Yang, and also what the best course of action would be for dealing with the Wen sect. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan rebuff this offer... because they understand, accurately, that what Meng Yao is suggesting/asking about is for them to establish a relationship tying them, however informally (for now), to the Qinghe Nie sect.

(^This, incidentally, is the face he makes when they say “yeahhh, but no thanks,” or specifically, “We give less value to blood heritage and more to like-mindedness. We don’t want to depend on any cultivation family.” This is the face of “oh, okay, tell me no in such direct terms, when I went to the trouble of phrasing my suggestion a bit more obliquely, thanks so much,” and also, “Wow, doesn’t that sound nice to be able to do :/”)

Then a few minutes later, we get this wonderful facial expression! ...which I don’t actually have a whole lot to say about, except that I take it for... curiosity, mostly, about someone who’s had such an outsize effect on the local area, what with murdering a handful of minor cultivation clans? Interest in what inter-clan strategic advantages could be gained in one way or another with Xue Yang as a bargaining chip, source of information, etc.? Possibly also interest in the sense of, this is also someone who came from nothing and has been able to get a lot of important people to pay attention to him (even if not for a good reason), depending on how much he’s heard about Xue Yang as a person? There’s a lot of possibilities this is opening up, and I think he’s basically curious to see what happens.

Again, we just have him being very good at working the angles to get an advantage to the Nie sect (compared to the Wen sect in this case). Jiang Cheng even comments on him being thorough and formidable! (And Huisang mentions that Nie Mingjue really admires him; and Wei Wuxian says it looks like Jin Guangshan doesn’t know how to recognise talent... anyway.)

Mmmm, yep, douchebags gonna douchebag.... Nothing terribly interesting here that hasn’t already been noted a zillion times, since the basic fundamentals of his character relate to how poorly others treat him for his birth. (It is noteworthy though, I think, how the condensed timeline & events for Meng Yao killing his superior and ruining his relationship with Nie Mingjue in the process compared to the extended version in the novel, alters the first bit of screen time we get here seeing what Nie Mingjue is actually like as a leader. In the novel, his men in the army have a bit of a nasty gossip problem, but the person who mistreats Meng Yao and takes credit for his ideas later is a part of the Jin clan; in the drama, various Nie sect disciples have a gossip problem that he berates them for, but even so he still is, at best, ignorant of how his men’s mistreatment of the person he promoted and thinks highly of has continued.)

Oh boy, here’s where it starts to get fun! This is Meng Yao’s face as Wen Chao has just threatened to do “housecleaning” of the Nie sect if they don’t hand over Xue Yang, and it’s looking as though Nie Mingjue won’t be able to contain the conflict in a single one-on-one duel with Wen Zhuliu. It’s curious - he has a smirky face looking over toward Huisang when NMJ initially throws Baxia out in front of Wen Chao, like he’s thinking clearly the offered duel would go their way. Was he expecting the duel to be between NMJ and Wen Chao, who he’d clearly clean the floor with, and Wen Zhuliu stepping up instead took him off-guard? - Because that’s when he looks down thinking very quickly for a couple moments, and then tells Huisang he’s going to go check on Xue Yang.

As @veliseraptor and @ameliarating and I hashed out as this scene continued: what makes the most sense here is that, seeing how things might be going downhill for the Nie sect very quickly if something isn’t done to get the Wen sect off their backs, Meng Yao makes the snap calculation that the best course of action to keep them from getting massacred would be to free Xue Yang to hand him over. He doesn’t really look happy as he heads away from the entrance here; he looks like someone making the unpleasant decision to let a known murderer avoid justice because it will be better for his immediate concern of preserving the sect and clan he serves. Mingjue is uncompromising, but Meng Yao will look for the most advantageous option he can see and go for it, even if it’s a bit shady and perhaps not what his sect leader would prefer. Nie Mingjue respects him and listens to him well when he explains, after all, so with so much at stake, taking this gamble is probably worth the risk.

Aaaand, then we get to the part where he quite deservedly stabs the army commander who’s been treating him like shit for the past while! It’s not terribly clear (especially at this point) the exact chain of events that occurred before NMJ showed up, but from the number of other bodies in the back of the scene, I do think it’s quite plausible that Xue Yang actually did kill most of the dead Nie disciples there, as that would be... a lot of people for someone with a weak cultivation base to off very quickly. And the commander himself - I take that as a highly relished stroke of opportunism, honestly. Meng Yao picks up a Wen sword to use to kill him because he is good at quick thinking to avoid self-incrimination, but I don’t think he’d been intending on multiple homicides when he initially went back to grab Xue Yang before Wen Chao ordered his men to attack everyone and all hell broke loose.

Oh, ow! NMJ is getting ready to attack him, as Meng Yao frantically tries to talk him down - and Meng Yao still instinctively jumps in front of a sword for his sect leader! Like, truly, honestly, I do believe he had great regard for and loyalty to Nie Mingjue at the very least up through the end of this episode. Whether or not this particular sword thrust could have been fatal to either of them, it still says quite a lot about how he values Chifeng-zun’s person more than his own, even as he’s quite possibly gearing up to kill Meng Yao for what he’s done. That is just... a real intense instinctive sense of obligation and value differential between the two of them that he has, here. Ouch, ouch.

When they resume in the throne room, I think there’s a lot that’s already been said and/or is obviously central, with the line about “fame for merit” and how much it matters to him being the big one. (Why should being recognised for your merit matter so much??? says the one who essentially always has been - lining up one of the central conflicts that continues between the two of them until the ends of their lives.) But I do think it’s pretty fun and telling how seamlessly (performance-wise) Meng Yao slips in the definite lie about the army commander freeing Xue Yang, amongst all the other (pretty certainly true) reasons to condemn him, and then claims it’s all true. I think it definitely speaks of... familiarity with being in a position where others won’t take your own actual reasons for doing something as a good enough justification, and so you develop an intuition of how to mix in motives that also target and appeal to the person you’re talking to as well, to avoid harsh punishment.

Also... hmmmm..... >>>

Hey look, I’m just saying there’s some interesting thematic comparisons going on in this show regarding moral worth and who a person considers to have enough ethical standing and goodness in them to judge them for their actions and have them accept it, okay?

Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian are amazing narrative foils and I am probably never going to get tired of saying it.

Bonus round!

(When you’ve just been stabbed but you’re still really worried about the attack on the Cloud Recesses that Wen Chao has just revealed, because of what it means could be happening to one incredibly wonderful person! Better go make sure he’s okay, right?? ~*~ XiYao feels intensify ~*~)

#holy fuck this was a lot more than I was intending on writing at least for a first post here :'D #BUT HE'S WORTH IT <3333 #jin guangyao #meng yao #the untamed #meta #op #long post for ts #no good things for the poor sad cultivators #CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP

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trensu · 4 years

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Episode 20: The One where WangXiantics becomes W(angst)Xiantics

So we start the episode on a high note by watching wc and jj suffer a mental breakdown

We won’t go into detail bc we don’t actually care about them

We are, however, gonna take the time to admire the cut of wwx’s silhouette as he stands on the rooftop playing his demon flute

For real tho, he’s killin it here (on a rooftop! did i mention that? bc all great scenes happen on rooftops)

Enshrouded in shadow with wisps of resentful energy flowing around his flute as he plays

And the only light on him frames just his eyes, emphasizing his cold focus as he rains terror on the two who hurt his family and destroyed his home

Chills...this is not a guy you want to cross

Okay Plot Stuff happens and wwx is gone by the time JC and LWJ show up at the scene of the crime

More plot stuff

Plot plot, wen qing and jc have a moment and there’s a comb, plot plot

Jc and lwj are hunting down wc and wen zhuliu

Plot plot plot

They finally find them holed up somewhere, idk where, it doesn’t matter

Jc is about to rush in but lwj, being sensible, stops him and tells him they should observe first

So they sneak onto the roof and watch shit go down through a missing tile

Wc and wzl are there doing stuff that doesn’t matter

But then an ominous breeze picks up and we see black boots slowly start climbing a staircase leading to where wc and wzl are

This kind of echoes lwj’s scene in the last episode, which is GREAT

The steps are not hurried in any way. There’s no rush bc wc and wzl are right where he wants them to be

The “he’ here is revealed to be WWX!!!

YOU LOOKIN FINEEEE IN THOSE ROBES WWX

(tbh, all of our boys are looking pretty dashing)

(@theuntamednarrator and i decided that lwj and jc were probs trying to one up each other in the fashion department bc they wanted to look ESPECIALLY handsome and heroic when they finally find wwx. And no, you cannot change our minds. This is definitely what happened.)

There’s some banter between wzl and wwx that doesn’t really matter except for this gem of a line that is just SO GREAT i can’t NOT include it

Wen zhuliu says something about repaying his debts to wen ruohan

Wwx: why do other people have to pay for your gratitude?

DAAAAAMN BOY

LOOK AT YOU DROPPING THE MIC

WWX whips out his flute and starts to play

Lwj sees all the resentful energy wwx is summoning and his eyes widen (by like, a lot) in shock

A pause here to mention that the lady in red that wwx summons is by far the COOLEST THING EVER (the special effects here are actually special for once lol)

i am very upset we didn’t get to see more of her.

What the heck wwx, she’s so effective and awesome??

And she matches your color scheme perfectly???

And you choose never to summon her again????

What is the matter with you

Do it for the aesthetic if nothing else!

So lwj and jc are just chillin on the roof watching all this go down but then suddenly wen zhuliu attacks wwx and is about to land a hit on him

ofc that’s when lwj chooses to intervene

Our boy straight up punches through the roof so that he and jc land between wzl and wwx

We get to watch jc choke out wen zhuliu with his zidian which is pretty cool

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, once this happens, LWJ TURNS AROUND AND FACES WWX FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS

HE JUST GAZES AT HIM???

And jc goes in and has a brotherly reunion with wwx and it’s all sentimental

THE YUNMENG BRO HUG HERE, AHH, MY PRECIOUS YUNMENG BOYS

(Why didn't you return the hug properly wwx why)

The look on LWJ’s face at their reunion is so full of yearning!!

HE WANTS TO HUG WEI YING TOO. HE’S MISSED HIM SO MUCH, HE NEEDS A HUG FROM WEI YING RIGHT NOW

Ofc that doesn’t happen, and actually after a moment, lwj looks away from the scene as if he realizes he’s intruding on an emotional moment

And here we get some fun Q&A time with wwx!! (and by fun, i mean frustrating and emotionally trying)

Jc: were you really thrown into the burial mounds??

Wwx: if i had been thrown in there, would i be here now? Nobody survives that place

WAY TO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION

Jc: where did they take you? How’d you escape? Why do you look different??

Wwx: *pointedly does not answer the first two questions* have i really changed??

And then, to further distract from the other questions that he totally ignored...

Wwx: if i told you that i found a special book in a secret cave written by a genius recluse, and then studied it to become super powerful, would you believe me?

Ofc jc just rolls his eyes and starts scolding him which makes wwx grin

Wwx: see, you won’t believe me even if i told you. I’ll tell you more later when we get home

Jc looks at lwj here, who up until now had been silently watching them talk, and then turns his attention back to wwx

Jc: fine, we’ll talk later

THEY’RE PURPOSELY EXCLUDING LWJ AS THOUGH HE HASN’T SPENT THE LAST THREE MONTHS FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR WWX TOO, I'M SO UPSET

And here’s where it starts to get super heartbreaking bc this is when lan wangji decides to chime in

Lwj: Wei Ying

Wwx: Lan er-gongzi, or should i say Hanguang-jun

WWX IS ADDRESSING HIM FORMALLY AND I DON’T LIKE IT

SINCE WHEN DO YOU CALL HIM ANYTHING OTHER THAN LAN ZHAN???

LIKE, WWX EVEN DID A LITTLE RESPECTFUL BOW AND EVERYTHING

HE IS DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM LWJ

STOP THAT WWX, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW

LWJ: were you the one that hunted all those wens?

Wwx: so what if i was?

Lwj: why did you give up the sword? Answer me.

Wwx: what if i refuse to answer?

AND HE SAYS THAT WITH A SMIRK, A COLD CURL OF HIS LIPS WHERE IT USED TO BE SO TEASING AND FLIRTY

SOMEONE STAB ME IN THE FACE

Lwj reaches out to grab him in response but wwx completely sidesteps him and even places his demon flute between them!!! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

WWX: lan zhan (oh so NOW you want to call him by his name), we just reunited after so long and you’re interrogating me? That’s not very nice.

YOU’RE BEING MEAN ON PURPOSE WWX

STOP HURTING LWJ’S FEELINGS

Wwx: it’s been months since the Murder Turtle cave...even if you didn’t cherish our relationship as classmates, you shouldn’t be so mean

HE SAYS THIS WITH A MOCKING SMILE

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT

HE’S NOT THE ONE BEING MEAN WWX

Lwj does not rise to the bait: Answer me.

Wwx: I did already and you didn’t believe me! I can’t explain so much in so few words

Lwj: Then come to Gusu with me and explain it there.

LWJ ASKS HIM TO COME HOME WITH HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME

IT WON’T BE THE LAST

AND IT HURTS EVERY TIME.

IT DOESN’T GET BETTER

EVERY INVITATION IS SUPER PAINFUL

Wwx: Gusu? With the 3000 rules? No, i refuse! I prefer yunmeng

I HATE THIS

THIS IS ALL AWFUL

Like, wwx is all pouty when he says this? And before it would’ve been all teasing and cute but instead it’s all cold and mocking aND IT HURTS

Lwj: wei ying, don’t joke around

And he angrily steps towards wwx but jc blocks him with his sheathed sword

With jc between them, wwx asks him, “lan zhan, what do you really want?

HE WANTS TO TAKE YOU HOME AND KEEP YOU SAFE AND LOVE YOU FOREVER

THAT’S WHAT HE WANTS

HE JUST WANTS YOU WITH HIM

GOD DAMN IT

But lwj is bad with words so instead of saying ANY of that he goes

Lwj: wei ying, there will be a price for learning wicked tricks; there’s been no exception in all of history. They will harm your body and mind.

HE’S SO WORRIED FOR WWX

STOP DANCING AROUND THE TOPIC LWJ AND JUST SAY YOU'RE WORRIED

Wwx: i didn’t snatch any souls for my tricks so they’re not wicked. I use talismans and play music, how is that wicked?

WWX YOU’RE COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT

Wwx: and even if they were wicked tricks, i know myself and my limits

AND HE’S SAYING ALL THIS WITH HIS BACK TURNED TO LWJ

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

Wwx: as for my temperament...i’m in charge of my own mind and i know what i’m doing

Lwj: there are some things you can’t decide on your own!

Lwj is so so worried, he’s snapping at wwx here. It comes off as angry but it’s not anger, he’s scared for wei ying, he’s distressed!!

Now wwx finally walks back to lwj and faces him head on

Oh man, the way they shoot this scene is intense

They only let you see half of wwx’s face bc the other half is obscured by lwj

Wwx: how do others know my temperament? And why should it be their concern?

Just...those words paired with how we can’t see wwx straight on...it hits you in the gut

bc what he really means is “what do you know about me, outsider?”

Lwj: Wei Wuxian (he snaps at him!!)

NOOO DON’T CALL HIM THAT!! DON'T SAY WUXIAN!! YOU ALWAYS CALL HIM WEI YING!!!

Wwx: Lan Wangji (he replies coolly)

STOP ADDRESSING EACH OTHER SO FORMALLY WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME

Wwx: why do you oppose me now? Who do you think you are? What does the lan clan think they are? That you believed i wouldn’t protest?

STAAAAHP

HE’S YOUR SOULMATE!! THAT’S WHAT HE IS!!!

HE LOVES YOU!!! HE WANTS YOU SAFE!!!

And here wen chao regains consciousness (oh yeah, wen zhuliu is def dead but wc was just knocked out until now…)

Oh shit wwx just kicked wc as he starts begging for his life

That was cold. I mean, wc definitely deserved it but wwx is not normally this cruel

WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT LWJ, WWX JUST KICKS HIM OUT

Wwx: this is a domestic affair of the jiang clan of yunmeng. Please leave it to us

Lwj looks at him for just a moment before lowering his gaze and walking out solemnly

WHYYYYYY

STOP BEING MEAN TO EACH OTHER

Oh god, and the expression on wwx’s face after lwj’s gone??

HE LOOKS SO TIRED AND DEFEATED

Like it was taking every ounce of effort to maintain that cold distance from lwj this whole time

And to make it MORE heartbreaking--

When the camera zooms in on wwx’s face as he watches lwj leave (again with that empty, defeated expression) we hear wc in the background begging “forgive me, forgive me”

!!!!!!!!

That begging superimposed over wwx’s expression??

IT’S ALMOST LIKE WEI YING HIMSELF IS ASKING LWJ TO FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT HE’S DOING RIGHT NOW

Idk if the showrunners did that on purpose BUT OW, MY HEART, MY HEART, IT HURTS

And now I’M SOBBING

LWJ is at the gates of wherever it is they found wc, and he stops in his tracks when he hears wc scream

Then he’s just remembering the words wwx said to him

Lan wangji why are you at odds with me now

Who do you think you are

What do you lan clan think you are?

AND HE JUST LOOKS HEARTBROKEN

EVERYTHING HURTS SO MUCH

Then we cut to lotus pier and watch wwx and jc pay their respects to jfm and m-yu

Wwx: you asked me to take good care of jc and jyl, and i did. Rest in peace now.

*UGLY CRYING* JUST STAB ME IN THE HEART WITH A RUSTY KNIFE

IT WOULD HURT LESS

that’s all the wangxiantics for this episode so only one question remains:

WILL I EVER EXPERIENCE JOY AGAIN???

Return to Masterpost

#WangXiantics #wangxian #the untamed #cql

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ceescedasticity · 4 years

Text

Still not sure if I’m going to write the “JGY’s Hoarding Problem” fic, but some thoughts if I do:

The Cast, Stage One

Jin Guangyao, schemer extraordinaire. He’s got a lot on his plate right now, scheming for the Jin Sect’s advancement, scheming for his personal advancement within the Jin Sect, trying to get Qin Cangye to let him marry his daughter, trying to juggle his sworn brothers, wrangling weird 13-year-old Mo Xuanyu who his father dropped on him as some sort of power play, wrangling Xue Yang insofar as it is possible to do so, promoting research into demonic cultivation, and on and on and on. Jin Guangyao, as no one will ever let him forget, was not born rich; he understands that you can’t just go throwing things out when you might want them again later; and in this universe he’s let that reluctance to discard outweigh his caution.

Wen Ning, conscious fierce corpse. Keeping Wen Ning was always the plan, even when plans to control him didn’t quite work out. Because he’s a really good conscious fierce corpse. Maybe they’ll work out controlling him someday. Maybe he’ll be good as an example. They went to a fair amount of trouble faking his destruction, so no sense wasting that. (Wen Ning, for his part, is... not happy. Even when they’re not trying to control him, he is not happy. But he is not making trouble if he can avoid it, because...)

Wen Qing, really outstanding doctor. Jin Guangyao cannot understand why his father was planning to execute her -- she’s such a good doctor! Groundbreaking! Sure, she has some inconvenient morals, but she’s simple enough to leverage, just grab some family members -- Wen Ruohan kept her in line for years. Why would Jin Guangshan not try to obtain such a valuable resource? It’s probably because when he looks at a woman he stops after the boobs. Anyway, now Jin Guangyao has the opportunity, and it’s easier to fake her death than Wen Ning’s (just have to kill a heavily bruised woman in Wen robes, rather than something that passes for a fierce corpse). She can be kept in line just by threatening Wen Ning’s non-life as the stick, and for a carrot, taking the nails out of his head when they’re not actively experimenting. (Wen Qing is sick to her stomach. Although not everything she’s been required to do is bad--)

(Off stage, but alive, is Jiang Yanli. Jin Guangyao likes her more than he likes most of the Jin Sect, he didn’t want her dead -- and whisking her away to a mystery doctor who saved her life means Jiang Wanyin owes him. Big. Of course then he got spooked about how she might interfere in his plans, and had to do some things to keep her defanged and out of the way. Nothing personal.)

Wei Wuxian, Yiling Laozu. Smuggled back to Jinlintai at least half dead, and really wanted to get all the way there. Didn’t really change his mind on that until after he got conscious enough to process that (a) Wen Qing and Wen Ning were alive(ish), and might be punished if Wen Qing couldn’t save him; (b) Jiang Yanli is alive. Even after he’s trying, though, he’s in for a long convalescence -- especially without a core. When Jin Guangyao has figured out and, worse, figured out the reason for. Xue Yang has wondered -- and Jin Guangyao hasn’t shut him down -- if Wei Wuxian might recover to a useful degree faster if they were to give him a core from somewhere else (after he’s strong enough to survive the procedure). Wen Qing has been claiming it won’t work with an unwilling donor. That’s not an unreasonable supposition given that it wouldn’t have worked under sedation, but she doesn’t know it. Wei Wuxian meanwhile is claiming he couldn’t possibly recreate the Stygian Tiger Seal outside the Burial Grounds and/or without all the pieces and/or while he’s still so weak. The last one is true, the others are... not completely false?

Mo Xuanyu, weird 13-year-old. Inexplicably if usefully devoted to Jin Guangyao. Jin Guangyao doesn’t trust him to do more than some very basic reading on demonic cultivation, but when the secret prison acquired the gravely wounded Wei Wuxian it became important to have someone other than Xue Yang checking on things, refreshing supplies, and getting Jin Guangyao immediately if necessary. Mo Xuanyu also likes Wei Wuxian, and Wen Qing, and Wen Ning, and (for some reason) Xue Yang. Not enough to impact his devotion to Jin Guangyao, though.

Xue Yang, spite elemental. (This Xue Yang has never worked for Wen Ruohan -- I may keep the Yin Iron in this universe mashup, it just had no particular connection to Xue Yang.) Half feral (at least). Demonic cultivation natural talent. Delighted to have the opportunity to independently recreate the Stygian Tiger Seal, not that it stops him badgering Wei Wuxian for tips. And, at some point during this stage, takes off to “test the Seal” on Yueyang Chang! Whether Jin Guangyao okayed this unclear. I don’t see it as implausible that he would (especially since he probably didn’t count on it being traced back), but it’s also plausible that Xue Yang just goes “better to ask forgiveness than permission”. No, that’s not it. “Better to say ‘yeah, I did it, what are you gonna do about it?’ than ask permission.”

Definitely featuring in Stage Two, if I get there: Nie Mingjue. Possibly featuring in Stage Two: Jin Rusong, depending on whether I go with the theory JGY had problems with Rusong because he had/might have disabilities which would attract attention, or did he have problems with Rusong because he wasn’t a person to him but the personification of disgusting incest. (If it’s the first one, he brings the baby and demands Wen Qing “fix him!” If it’s the second one... not sure there’s anything we can do with that.) Possibly featuring in Stage Two: Xiao Xingchen and/or Song Zichen. (If they’re really lucky Xue Yang will be too distracted with the additional people to hit Baixue Temple, and they can go about their business peacefully. If they’re middling lucky Baixue Temple will happen like before, but Jin Guangyao with a hoarding problem isn’t going to “eliminate” Xue Yang, so he never shows up in Yi City. If they’re unlucky Xue Yang will decide one or both of them would make a good experimental subject and/or golden core donor and Baixue Temple ends with an abduction.)

#things i'm not writing #that's a lot of words for something i'm not writing #seriously i have enough to do already #writing babble #more random mdzs thoughts

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ambistep · 4 years

Text

On My Block

Retribution Spoilers. Part 4 of 5. Each part will be a vignette for a member of the crew. This one is for ZaZa. Gang members are mostly my headcanon built off the bit parts they get in Retribution.

It isn’t discrete. It isn’t professional. It’s a statement, it’s ego. It’s a cherry red corvette tearing down Reservoir Street, taking a sharp turn and slowing as it pulls into a neighborhood, slowing to a crawl. Street game at the end of the cul de sac stops play, kids turn and shield their eyes from the glare to take a long look at that gleaming ride pulling into the driveway of an old green one-story pre-quake residence.

There’s a whistle from the gawkers, “Here comes money.”

“Oh shit, somebody got lost.”

“Old man’s got a guest with drip .”

The engine cuts, the music stops and he takes his time stepping out. Showing off for neighborhood kids. It’s petty as fuck but what’s the point of getting paid if you can’t be petty about it. He takes a moment to straighten his cuffs, nice suit, no tie, flashy look but not too loud, that kind that says ‘this is every damn day for me.’

“I know that ain’t ZaZa.”

“Been a minute. That ain’t him.”

“Didn’t your brother used to run with him?”

“Kinda.” A bolder onlooker calls out, “‘ey, man! You lost or something?”

He waves off the kids, “I dunno, you supposed to be in school or something? Damn.” It’s an act, being irritated, but it gives him an excuse to slow his walk up to the door.

“Oh, oh shit , it is him.”

“ZaZa, ZaZaaaa, come on, man, what’s good?!”

He twists his old key in the lock and ducks through the door, and immediately wishes he hadn’t. Pictures all on the wall. Himself, at graduation, when wearing his JROTC uniform and that shitty ass high fade. Old pictures of a woman he can hardly remember - and doesn’t want to. Pictures of his old man, mostly in uniform, on deployment, a wedding photo. A newer picture, too, of Dad with a grave-looking Asian dude - with fancy ass mods on his arms, subtle but easy to spot when you’re really looking. Not a new picture, he realizes - he just recognizes the face now, from Clarity’s briefings. Wei Chen.

“Xavier, you damn near gave me a heart attack. Can’t just go walking into other folks’ houses.” Captain Wesley Alexander, USAF (RET). Seen better days, still got his hair short.

Xavier catches himself staring a little too long, then rubs the back of his neck, “Didn’t think it was ‘other folks’, my bad. You should change the locks.” He plays it cool, because he’s cool now. He’s not a dumb kid. He looks back to the picture. “This the Marshal? Never noticed before.”

“Yeah. Used to come to my groups. Probably not supposed to tell you that.” But dad’s a little proud is all. His service mattered to him, and Xavier telling Uncle Sam to fuck off had always been a sore spot. “You look good. Like the suit.”

There’s a nod from Xavier, he leans in for a quick hug, a pat on the back. Too light for the time it’s been. “Missed you, old man. You still letting Terrence cut that hair. There’s gotta be a better way.”

Caught off guard by the hug, he shakes his head, a big grin, “VA doesn’t cover barbers and Terrence ain’t raised his prices since the 90s. Come on, sit down.” Father leads son on back to the kitchen table. Dodgers playing on that same boxy old TV.

“Place hasn’t changed since high school.”

“Know you didn’t think so, but it’s a good house.” He frowns, picking up the beer that had been interrupted.

“Wasn’t the house that was the problem, dad.” ZaZa shakes his head, “You ever think about moving?”

“Not gonna move.”

“I can help out, I mean, I got a new job, no reason you gotta grow old being cooped up here at the end of the old block.”

“Not about the money. I like it here. I like cooped up.” He lifted his chin up, “New job? Better not be anything stupid. Don’t get why you couldn’t have just stuck with the army -”

“‘Cause I like my feet and I’m not about to listen to some redneck from Jawja bitch at me in bootcamp, damn.” He snaps a little, goes for a low blow, and regrets it at once. His dad shifts a leg, moves his prosthetic foot on impulse. “It’s not for me. And don’t worry. It’s just another private security thing. Like the last one, but better. Got a good team of folks and everything. Keep it professional.”

Wesley knows the lie but not how to cut through it, so he shakes his head and looks back to the baseball game. “Keep your head on straight, don’t shoot yourself in the foot.”

Good advice. “Relax, it’s not Afghanistan. We hardly even leave the city, and my boss, she’s good at looking out.”

“Lady boss? Definitely don’t let a woman talk you into anything stupid.”

Xavier snorts. “It’s 2020, old man. Pretty sure she’s seen more action than you ever did.” The point’s taken though. Clarity was solid, seemed solid. But the politics thing… People like that thought they could change the world, wanted to take on the world. Hard to see that going well. “Maybe she already did.”

“Xavier Alexander, don’t you go getting twisted over a woman and a job that pays too much.”

The money’s good, the tech is fun. Working with the others is good, even that tight-ass Pelayo. Fucking over the government, the military, that felt good too - they still owe him, big time. The only problem is that - that feeling that maybe it’s too much for him. Maybe his dad had a point. Is that why he’d come on over? Get grounded, reassess.

He looks back over at the picture wall, at Marshal Steel’s uncovered face, like a challenge.

And the answer is no. Fuck that. He’s the best shooter on the West Coast. Deadeye had her boosts but he’s all homegrown and better believe he’s every bit as good. Better even. Fuck them Rangers, too. Clarity had a plan, she always had a plan, and he’s more than good enough to keep up. Finish this job, and that’d be it, folks would know - ZaZa is a legend in our time.

“I got it, Dad. I’m good. Your son’s the best in the business.” He gets up and heads to the fridge, grabbing one of the old man’s beers, “‘A job that pays too much.’ Tch, you mean a job that pays me what I’m worth. Listen to you, that’s why your ass still stuck in this musty house.”

“Musty - boy, sit down. I’ll still kick your ass with my good foot.”

“Easy, easy, don’t hurt yourself.”

“Kid coming over and interrupting my afternoon. Just watch the damn ballgame.”

#fhr #fallen hero: rebirth #gangbabies #ZaZa #scribbly

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bloody-bee-tea · 5 years

Text

Holding Back (and giving in)

This fic was inspired by this pic, which I have lovingly dubbed soft bathing pic, and it’s exactly what the fic is about. You can read it either here on AO3 or watch out for the read more since it’s longer than 3.6k.

~*~*~

Shen Wei knows that Zhao Yunlan has to deal with his superiors, that he owes them explanations for what the SID did or didn’t do in the past year, but he has barely seen Zhao Yunlan in the past three days and he is beginning to worry.

He hasn’t heard of a new threat, there is no recent report of a Dixing-ian getting out and causing trouble, and Shen Wei would have been informed about that anyway since it is the duty of the Black Cloaked Envoy to bring stray Dixing-ians to justice.

But everything has been quiet these past few days. Too quiet, Shen Wei admits to himself, because he misses Zhao Yunlan’s ever-present voice.

Shen Wei is standing in the middle of Zhao Yunlan’s apartment, desperately searching for something to do. But since Zhao Yunlan hasn’t been home lately, he hasn't had a chance of undoing Shen Wei’s work. Everything is still as tidy as Shen Wei left it yesterday evening. Even the bed is still made, and Shen Wei worries about Zhao Yunlan’s sleep. He doesn’t get enough as it is; he can’t afford to lose even more sleep. Shen Wei already fears that the dark circles under Zhao Yunlan's eyes will be permanent.

Shen Wei turns towards the kitchen, but he has already prepared dinner, choosing dishes that can easily be put into the fridge should Zhao Yunlan not come home again this night, so there is nothing left to do there either. Everything is already bottled up and put away, because while Shen Wei’s heart holds out hope that Zhao Yunlan will come home tonight, his head knows better.

Just as Shen Wei wonders if he should do his paperwork in his own apartment or here, like he has in the past two days, the door opens and Zhao Yunlan stumbles in.

“I hoped you’d be here,” he mumbles instead of greeting Shen Wei like a normal person, shrugging his jacket off and letting it drop to the floor.

Shen Wei watches it with an exasperated sigh that even to his own ears sounds too fond, before he turns a questioning gaze at Zhao Yunlan.

“I tried your apartment first, but you weren’t home,” Zhao Yunlan explains, shuffling across the room towards Shen Wei.

When Zhao Yunlan reaches him, he leans against Shen Wei, resting his whole weight against him.

For a second Shen Wei doesn’t know what to do with his hands in face of this sudden closeness, but then he carefully settles them on Zhao Yunlan’s upper back. “What are you doing?” he asks, mindful not to dislodge Zhao Yunlan even as he adjusts his stance to support his weight better.

Zhao Yunlan lets out a content little sigh and almost melts against Shen Wei for a long, wonderful, torturous moment, before he moves away again.

“Now I can go to bed,” he mutters, rubbing his eyes, but Shen Wei stops him with a hand on his wrist.

“You should shower first,” Shen Wei softly admonishes him, and Zhao Yunlan deflates.

“I just spent three days explaining every little detail of every case we had in the past year to my superiors. I think I earned going to bed.”

“If you didn’t have time to sleep in the past three days, you didn’t have time to shower either,” Shen Wei says, and he is helpless against the smile that plays around his mouth at Zhao Yunlan’s pleading look.

“Shen Wei,” Zhao Yunlan whines, but Shen Wei gently steers him towards the bathroom.

“You’ll feel better afterwards,” Shen Wei promises and Zhao Yunlan groans.

“If you want me to shower so much, you can do it.”

Shen Wei briefly freezes in his steps, sure that he must have misheard what Zhao Yunlan said, but when Zhao Yunlan notices that he was no longer following him into the bathroom he tugs Shen Wei along.

“I’m too tired to stay upright in a shower and I’m definitely too tired to not drown in a bath. If you want me to be clean that much, you have to help,” Zhao Yunlan explains, and Shen Wei wishes he would turn around so he can read his facial expression.

“Zhao Yunlan, I don’t think—,” Shen Wei starts but is cut off when Zhao Yunlan turns around, a pleading expression on his face.

“Please? I’m just gonna fall asleep where I stand,” Zhao Yunlan says and Shen Wei knows he should say no, but he is always so weak where it concerns Zhao Yunlan.

“Fine,” he gives in, silently wondering if Zhao Yunlan is just playing up his tiredness in an attempt to get Shen Wei close. It wouldn’t be the first time he tried something like this.

But when Shen Wei steps closer he can see the utter exhaustion in every line on Zhao Yunlan’s face and so he doesn’t think twice about helping him undress.

Zhao Yunlan moves where Shen Wei directs him to without complaint and so his shirt is quickly discarded to the floor. Shen Wei feels the faint itch to pick it up again and bring it to the hamper, but he will have enough time to do that once Zhao Yunlan is in bed. Shen Wei keeps his gaze averted as best as he can, because for all the time he has spent in Zhao Yunlan’s apartment, taking care of him and tidying up, he has never seen him without his shirt, let alone completely undressed. It is a lot to take in all at once, Shen Wei can tell just from catching glimpses, but then he realizes that he is about to help Zhao Yunlan bathe and he should probably get used to looking at him right now.

So he drags his eyes over Zhao Yunlan’s upper body, absently noting that he could do with a little bit more weight, taking it all in and suppressing the urge to immediately touch him, before he remembers that there are still clothes left he should help him take off.

Shen Wei kneels down, undoing Zhao Yunlan’s laces, and he has to hide a small smile when he hears a cut off noise at that.

“Up,” Shen Wei orders with a small tug when the boot is ready to come off, and Zhao Yunlan leans forward to steady himself against Shen Wei’s shoulder as he lifts first his right and then the left foot so that Shen Wei can take off his boots and socks.

“Didn’t think this through,” Zhao Yunlan mutters when Shen Wei stands up again and quickly undoes the button of his jeans.

Shen Wei ducks his head to hide his amused expression, but when his gaze falls on his hands, which are still lingering on the button, he has to swallow.

Maybe Zhao Yunlan isn’t the only one who hasn’t thought this through.

But there is no turning back now; Zhao Yunlan has asked for his help and as long as he doesn’t tell him to stop, Shen Wei will always do everything he can for him.

Shen Wei hooks his thumbs underneath Zhao Yunlan’s jeans and underwear and drags both down in one go, gently tapping Zhao Yunlan’s leg when he is a little bit too slow to lift his foot.

Shen Wei averts his gaze as best as he can, but it is almost impossible to not at least catch a glimpse. And Shen Wei wants so much more.

He wants to look his fill, wants to touch until he gets tired of it; he wants to roam his hands over the so tantalizingly displayed skin. But that isn’t what Zhao Yunlan wants and it definitely isn’t what he needs. So Shen Wei pushes down the urge to reach out, he has some experience with that after all, and fixes his gaze on something that is safer, like Zhao Yunlan’s face.

Shen Wei still notices the faint shiver that runs through him, because noticing Zhao Yunlan is what Shen Wei is best at, sees the goosebumps springing up on his arms, and Shen Wei pushes him towards the bathtub with a gentle hand to his back.

Shen Wei starts the water and plugs the tub with a blatant misuse of his power, but he figures staying close to Zhao Yunlan and allowing him to not only lean on him, but also leech a little bit of his—albeit scarce—body heat is more important.

“You’re lucky there’s no one who monitors the use of your powers,” Zhao Yunlan mumbles, leaning heavily against Shen Wei.

“Are you complaining?” Shen Wei wants to know and Zhao Yunlan hums happily.

“Never,” he gives back, and Shen Wei has to duck his head again, desperate to try and hide his blush. It is still novel to him that Zhao Yunlan isn’t afraid of his powers.

Shen Wei quickly checks the temperature when they are close enough and then he nudges Zhao Yunlan.

“Get in.”

“You’re not going to leave, right?” Zhao Yunlan asks and clings to his arm. “It wasn’t a joke when I said I’d drown.”

“I’m not leaving,” Shen Wei promises and Zhao Yunlan nods once before he steps into the tub.

He lets out a satisfied groan when he sinks into the hot water and immediately sprawls back against the tub, his eyes closed with something close to bliss on his face.

Shen Wei wants to always see that expression on him. He wants to be the one who puts that expression there, makes it permanent, but before he can do anything that he will regret, he takes a deep breath and stops the water that is now reaching up to Zhao Yunlan’s chest.

“Don’t drown for a second,” Shen Wei says, resisting the urge to run his fingers through Zhao Yunlan’s hair, and turns away to find a washcloth.

“Shouldn’t leave me alone then,” Zhao Yunlan mutters, but when Shen Wei turns back around, cloth in his hand, his eyes are following Shen Wei’s every move.

“You really should lose that,” Zhao Yunlan says with a nod towards Shen Wei’s chest, indicating his suit jacket.

Shen Wei looks down on himself, realizing that Zhao Yunlan is probably right, but if he takes off the jacket it will only leave him with his shirt; stripping him yet again of another layer of his defenses. And Zhao Yunlan is already dangerously close to breaking all the way through. Shen Wei doesn’t know if he can do it.

“I’m not asking you to get naked with me,” Zhao Yunlan mutters when Shen Wei takes too long to respond, closing his eyes and turning his head away, though it did nothing to hide the odd tone in his voice. “I’m just asking you to not ruin your suit because of me.”

Shen Wei can’t help the image that springs up in his mind; one where he does get naked with Zhao Yunlan and slides into the bathtub behind him, cradling him close and keeping him safe. But it won’t happen and Shen Wei bans the image from his head.

“You’re probably right,” he admits after a long moment and Zhao Yunlan lazily grins up at him.

“When am I ever not?” he mutters, closing his eyes again and leaning back against the tub, completely relaxing into the hot water.

Shen Wei knows that he will fall asleep rather quickly, and while manhandling him while he is asleep would be no hardship for Shen Wei, he prefers to get Zhao Yunlan into bed before he is completely asleep.

So he shucks off his suit jacket, quickly rolling the sleeves of his shirt up and then he takes the shower head and puts the washcloth down in reaching distance.

He uses his powers to turn the water on again and aims the spray away from Zhao Yunlan until it has an acceptable temperature.

“Lean forward,” he gently instructs Zhao Yunlan, who sluggishly blinks at him and takes a little bit too long to get his body moving.

If Shen Wei doesn’t want him to fall asleep in the tub, he has to be quick and efficient about this.

When Zhao Yunlan is slumped forward, Shen Wei gently tilts his head back, his fingers under Zhao Yunlan’s chin, feeling the breath flutter in his throat and his pulse beating against his skin.

These are stolen moments, and Shen Wei hates himself a little bit for taking them like this, but he also can’t help himself. Zhao Yunlan is like a siren’s call to him and he never learned to resist him completely.

Shen Wei brings the shower head up, directing the spray onto Zhao Yunlan’s shoulders before he carefully wets his hair as well. He follows the flow of the water with his eyes, watches it sluice over Zhao Yunlan’s skin, and before he knows it he is trailing one finger down Zhao Yunlan’s spine, feeling every vertebra under the tip of his finger.

Zhao Yunlan really ought to eat more, Shen Wei decides and mentally runs through a list of hearty foods he can make him.

He is startled out of his thoughts when Zhao Yunlan lets out a content hum, and Shen Wei remembers what he’s supposed to do. He takes his hand off Zhao Yunlan, reaches for the shampoo before he puts a generous drop into Zhao Yunlan’s hair.

He puts the shower head back, letting the spray add to the water in the bathtub, and gets his hands into Zhao Yunlan’s hair, massaging his scalp as he works the shampoo into the hair. Zhao Yunlan trustingly tilts his head back, lets Shen Wei hold his head, and Shen Wei is yet again overwhelmed with the urge to get his hands on Zhao Yunlan in a different way than this innocent action.

He can picture himself leaning down, trailing kisses up the so beautifully exposed throat; he could tilt Zhao Yunlan’s head to the side to get better access, could slide his hands down Zhao Yunlan’s front, but he doesn’t. He can’t. He’s not allowed to do any of that.

Shen Wei mentally berates himself, and focuses back at the task at hand.

Once he deems Zhao Yunlan’s hair clean enough, he carefully washes the lather back out, mindful not to let anything get into Zhao Yunlan’s eyes.

He gets the body wash next, grateful for the barrier of the washcloth between his hand and Zhao Yunlan’s skin, because even like this he struggles to keep his movements short and perfunctory.

All he wants to do is caress Zhao Yunlan until he’s putty in his hands.

Shen Wei cleans the washcloth and wrings it out, before he washes the lather off Zhao Yunlan’s body.

He could spend another hour with Zhao Yunlan like this and it would be no hardship, but he deems him clean enough and going by the way Zhao Yunlan’s head lolls on his shoulders it’s high time for him to sleep.

Shen Wei shuts off the water and unplugs the bathtub before he gently grabs Zhao Yunlan under his elbow.

“Alright, up,” he says, ignoring the unhappy sound Zhao Yunlan makes when the warm water drains away.

“Can’t be done yet, I just got in,” Zhao Yunlan sleepily protests and Shen Wei chuckles.

“You’re done, I promise,” he tells him, unable to hide his smile when Zhao Yunlan narrows his eyes at him.

“Impossible,” he mutters. “Gotta have to do it again when I’m more awake.”

Shen Wei presses his lips together at that, reminding himself to not read too much into it, because Zhao Yunlan clearly isn’t at peak mental capacity.

Zhao Yunlan clumsily gets to his feet, leaning heavily into the hand Shen Wei still has on his elbow, and Shen Wei steadies him as he steps out of the bathtub.

Shen Wei quickly puts a towel over the toilet and drops Zhao Yunlan off there, as he searches for a second towel and the hair drier. The first is easy enough to find, and Shen Wei has to admit that he isn’t too surprised when he can’t locate the second. Zhao Yunlan seems like the reckless type who would rather risk a cold than own a hair dryer.

But without it, all Shen Wei can do is towel his hair dry as best as he can. He tries to be gentle about it, and Zhao Yunlan seems to rather enjoy it. Shen Wei wants to untangle his hair by brushing his fingers through it, but he stomps down on that urge and instead puts the towel around his shoulders and gets the hairbrush. He runs it through Zhao Yunlan’s soft strands, careful not to tug too hard, and he can tell that the motion is lulling Zhao Yunlan into sleep, even more so than the warmth of the bath did. Shen Wei stops the motion, even though he wants to keep going indefinitely, but getting Zhao Yunlan into bed takes precedence. He towels the rest of his body off, quick and efficient, Zhao Yunlan allowing himself to be moved like Shen Wei wants him to. Soon enough he’s dry, skin flushed a lovely shade of pink,and Shen Wei clenches his teeth.

He can’t do it, he reminds himself. Can’t just trail his lips over the flush, as if he has every right to it. Instead he takes a step back and pulls Zhao Yunlan up.

Shen Wei guides him out of the bathroom, glad to see Zhao Yunlan’s sleeping clothes on his bed.

“Time for you to sleep,” Shen Wei tells him and Zhao Yunlan eyes him curiously.

“You’re not going to insist that I eat first?”

“I put the food I prepared into the fridge. It will keep.”

“Ah, Xiao Wei, Xiao Wei, you really are too perfect for me,” Zhao Yunlan mutters under his breath and Shen Wei’s stomach does a funny thing at hearing that nickname.

“Nonsense,” he brusquely says and sits Zhao Yunlan down on the bed. “Can you dress yourself?” he wants to know, and Zhao Yunlan tilts his head in consideration.

“No,” he finally decides, and Shen Wei suppresses a sigh. He really doesn’t make it easy on him.

“I’m not your nanny,” Shen Wei scolds him, half-heartedly at best and Zhao Yunlan’s eyes spark, despite the tiredness in them.

“No, you’re definitely not,” he gives back, and Shen Wei ducks his head again, busying himself with grabbing Zhao Yunlan’s sleeping shirt.

“Arms,” he instructs, and does not feel a rush of warmth go through him when Zhao Yunlan obeys him without hesitation. He slides his arms into the sleeves, tugs the shirt down and over his head, and once it’s settled on Zhao Yunlan, he reaches for the pants.

Shen Wei gracefully kneels, desperately ignoring that there are many other things he could be doing in this position as he slides Zhao Yunlan’s feet into the pants.

“Up,” he says, but Zhao Yunlan is moving almost before Shen Wei voiced his command and he’s quick to tug the pants up.

Zhao Yunlan is not helping him at all, amusement clear in his face, before it’s all washed away when he has to yawn.

“Go get some sleep,” Shen Wei says and pushes Zhao Yunlan back down on the bed, still gentle, always gentle with Zhao Yunlan, but not allowing any resistance.

Zhao Yunlan flops down as if all his strings have been cut and Shen Wei wrestles the blanket out from under him, leaning over him in a way that would make it so easy to lean down and press a soft kiss to his full lips.

Instead Shen Wei just tucks him in, securing the blanket around Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan has his gaze on him, Shen Wei can tell, but he tries to ignore it as best as he can.

“There is one more thing you can do for me,” Zhao Yunlan sleepily mumbles, and Shen Wei bites his tongue to not let the ‘Always’ spill out. Zhao Yunlan doesn’t need to know that.

“What?” he asks, but his tone is softer than he has intended, even he can tell.

“Come to bed with me,” Zhao Yunlan says and grabs Shen Wei’s hand when he pulls away in surprise.

“Zhao Yunlan—,” Shen Wei starts, but he doesn’t really know where he’s going with the sentence. There is nothing he wants to do more than join Zhao Yunlan in bed, and with the pleading gaze fixed on him, he can’t remember the myriads of reasons why he shouldn’t.

“Please,” Zhao Yunlan adds when Shen Wei stays frozen with indecision for too long, and Shen Wei deflates.

There is nothing he wouldn’t do for Zhao Yunlan.

“Scoot over,” Shen Wei instructs as he bends down to undo his laces, almost kicking off his shoes with impatience, and going by the amused look on Zhao Yunlan’s face, he will be teased about this mercilessly later.

Zhao Yunlan makes space for him in the bed, and Shen Wei only hesitates for a second before he slides under the covers. He doesn’t know how he will keep the proper distance between them after this, but when Zhao Yunlan pulls him close by his waist, rests his head on Shen Wei’s shoulder and presses a lingering kiss to his throat, he figures maybe he doesn’t have to.

“Wanted to have you here for a long time,” Zhao Yunlan mutters, sleep clearly already tugging at him and Shen Wei hides his helpless smile in his hair.

“All you had to do was ask,” he tells him lowly, gathering him closer in his arms and reveling in the way Zhao Yunlan goes boneless against him.

Shen Wei closes his eyes, concentrating on the weight of Zhao Yunlan half on top of him, his warmth seeping in against his side, the soft sound of his breaths tickling the skin at his throat. For the first time in way too long, Shen Wei feels at peace.

He doesn’t know who drifts off first but they both do it with a smile on their faces.

#bt writes #weilan drabble #weilan #guardian drabble #they own my soul #getting together #washing/bathing #non-sexual intimacy

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