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#lan wangji has golden eyes
mdzsartreblogs · 2 years
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Art by @/retiredpeach on Twitter.
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khattikeri · 3 months
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one of my favorite things about mdzs is that for how heavily its plot involves politics of classism and misogyny... even the characters most directly impacted by it can't and don't free themselves from it. literally the closest exception is mianmian.
meng yao being the "son of a whore" wasn't some sort of commie awakening for him that led him to wanting everyone to be socially equal. he played the political game, climbed the ladders, sucked up to and backstabbed and murdered people, including other prostitutes who actually had nothing to do with how he and his mother were treated at the brothel he grew up in.
he put in so much extra excessive effort for even a fraction of the same respect that members of gentry cultivation clans got. and he did deserve to be treated more humanely! but he feeds into the exact same system that created him, leading to his own undoing.
his efforts were for a fragile upward mobility that was never going to hold up. he never surpassed his origins nor did he empower others in similar stations, because the society he lives in is not one that would accept that.
the second he got caught and all those crimes exposed, he was scapegoated to hell and back, replacing wei wuxian as society's terrible one-sidedly evil boogeyman overnight.
speaking of not-quite male gentry, i think it's interesting that wei wuxian explicitly doesn't try to climb the ladders in BOTH lives, knowing full well that anything he does will be punished just for the sheer fact that he is wei wuxian.
wei wuxian is scolded for giving intelligent and correct answers in school. lan wangji does the same and is praised.
wei wuxian occasionally lounges around with fellow disciples and is punished. jiang cheng does the same and mostly escapes.
wei wuxian refuses to carry his sword around in public (after losing his golden core, which nobody knows) and is scorned as an arrogant upstart. nie huaisang has been doing the EXACT SAME THING for YEARS and nobody bats an eye.
unlike jin guangyao, wei wuxian knew subconsciously from the start that his acceptance was superficial and that he could be cast out any time. when he was 10 and recently taken in by the jiangs, he canonically would not eat or use "too much" food and water because he thought they'd find him a nuisance for "wasting their things" and kick him back out.
now away from just the classism, yu ziyuan is a proud and strong noblewoman in a society that belittles and derides women for everything they do. her strong cultivation doesn't matter. she's victim to the vicious rumors of her husband loving another woman who is strong like her but apparently had a more likeable personality.
it doesn't matter even if jiang fengmian didn't cheat or that wei wuxian is wei changze's son with cangse sanren; yu ziyuan can't bear with the humiliation of herself (and by extension her children) not being "good enough". she's ridiculed for "failing" in that one duty as a wife, mother, and woman.
she lashes out and takes out that anger on everyone present for years, giving her children lasting trauma and also being a key element in how the jiang family and yunmeng jiang sect are effectively wiped out at the hands of the wen clan.
madam jin doesn't even have a name outside of the fact that she's married to jin guangshan. i don't even remember reading anything that indicates if she's a strong or weak cultivator, or what, which in itself proves that to most people, it doesn't matter. she's "just" a woman.
of course she's angry at her husband's affairs and all the bastard children they bring in. but she also can't do anything about them, so she lashes out at the few people she can: servants. non-cultivators, probably. those very same bastard children.
shoutout to meng yao getting shoved down a flight of stairs at age fourteen, because if madam jin tried that move against her husband instead, it would make her lose even more face, which as a noblewoman she'd never do.
and that's not getting into how jiang yanli is consistently sidelined for being physically weak.
that's not getting into how mianmian was actually a good cultivator, but was mocked by everyone around her for trying to stand up for wei wuxian when everyone was turning on him. how everyone scoffed at luo qingyang's words as "just some lovesick woman" who "obviously wants to marry or bed him since he saved her".
luo qingyang is the only one of these characters who HASN'T died. she didn't play society's games like jin guangyao. she didn't dig her heels in confidence of her own abilities like wei wuxian.
she didn't bitterly lash out like yu ziyuan and madam jin. she didn't gently accept it like jiang yanli.
she just LEFT.
she married an ordinary merchant and cultivates separately from mainstream cultivation society, and therein found her own peace and happiness.
mxtx doesn't bother with particularly class conscious or feminist vocabulary to hand-hold readers into understanding these disparities, but that choice highlights them & the deeply entrenched politics of their society even more. i really love it.
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shanastoryteller · 3 months
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Happy holidays! Lady mo please?
a continuation of 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
Jiang Yanli does not often feel old. Her golden core does not keep her eternally young like it does her brother, does not prevent the more persistent illnesses from plaguing her, but it does east the aches and pains non cultivators her age often complain of, does keep her skin youthful without the aid of strange poultices and she’ll probably never need dyes to keep her hair dark. But she feels old now, watching Xuanyu and Lan Wangji fumble around one another, watching her struggle for the affection of a husband who might care for her, but does not treat her with care.
At least by the time she married Zixuan, he’d told her that he loved her.
 “What was all the commotion about?” Zixuan asks, arms encircling her waist as he tugs her back against his chest now that they’re back in their own quarters.
“Your cousin got drunk and pissed off the wrong people. Again.”
He huffs, his breath warm against her neck. “Yanli. You know that’s not what I’m talking about. I know A-Yao thinks I’m stupid, but even I notice servants running about and clan leaders and their wives going missing. Especially when one of them is mine.”
“A-Yao doesn’t think you’re stupid,” Jiang Yanli says, even though he kind of does. He thinks most people are stupid and Zixuan has at least grown out of taking it personally. That doesn’t mean she has to rub it in. “Xuanyu was just – a little upset. About things.”
“Lan Xichen likes her. Lan Wangji’s kid adores her. And we all saw what Lan Wangji thinks,” he says. Defending is also not the same thing as caring, but she doesn’t say that. “A-Yao even calls her our sister. Do you remember how long it took him to call me brother? It seems like it’s going well.”
If it had gone a little less well, she’d be less distraught.
Jiang Yanli is debating how much she can say without revealing Xuanyu’s pregnancy – enough people know that it won’t stay a secret for long, but Zixuan is terrible at faking surprise – when there’s a loud, frantic knocking at their door.
Zixuan frowns and goes to open the door.
“Fuck off,” slurs a familiar, beloved voice.
Jiang Yanli hides a smile and goes to stand next to her husband.
A-Cheng is standing there, sort of, considering he’s mostly being supported but a long-suffering Li Jun. “Meimei said she won’t deal with him anymore.”
“Ah,” Zixuan says, already resigned.
A-Cheng stumbles forward, grabbing her wrist and tugging her towards the table. He blearily glares at Zixuan. “Go away.”
He sighs, leaning down to kiss her and then saying, “I suppose I’ll be in a guest room.” He makes a face, remembering that the tower is full of foreign disciples. “Somewhere.”
He’s going to end up sleeping in their son’s room and A-Ling is going to complain about it. Loudly.
“Good night,” she says, barely keeping from laughing as she closes the door on Li Jun side eyeing Zixuan. Her sect has never completely forgiven Zixuan for being a teenage boy, not matter that she’s spent over a decade in the Jin rather than the Jiang.
She lets A-Cheng pull her down beside him at the table, leaning his head on his arm while he stares at her. She pours him a cup of water that she hopes he’ll drink. “Are you all out of sorts because of Xuanyu too?”
His face goes blank then it creases and he’s turns to hide it in the bend of his elbow.
With the first stirrings of genuine alarm, Jiang Yanli realizes he’s crying.
“A-Cheng? A-Cheng, what’s wrong?” she asks, putter her arm over his back and pulling him into her side like she used to when they were kids.
The words come out muffled, but he says, “I hate him. How could he – I hate him.” Then, quieter, in a tone that doesn’t match the words at all, “I hate him.”
She runs through everyone who’s here, every cultivator she saw A-Cheng speak to, but it’s a fool’s errand. No one gets to him like this. No one but –
“Wei Wuxian came back.”
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wangxianficfinder · 18 days
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Fic Finder
Apr 7th
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1. Would have been Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian.
After the Sunshoot campaign and for some reason Wei Wuxian is in Cloud Recess and Lan Qiren discovers that they don’t have a core. But the lan clan had a technique to fix a lost core for others that had been attacked by others that could melt their core. @nikkiwhitecraft
I was the requester for #1.
I am sure that part of the story that Wei Wuxian and Lan Q had to travel, and that was when it was discovered that Wei Wuxian had no core, and Lan Q was annoyed he never said anything and the Lan Clan had a technique to restore a core that was lost/melted as the core melting clan was known.
Thats all I remeber
NOT FOUND Righteous at a Cost by thunderwear (G, 21k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, no one dies, LQR finds out about WWX’s core, WWX and LQR are friends??, In My Fic?, its more likely than you think, LWJ in the bg like whats happening?, Fluff, WWX goes to Gusu, Mutual Pining, Golden Core Reveal) Might be this? LQR discovers WWX lost his core, brings him back to CR & finds a way to restore it
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2. Hey! Im looking for a fic where the jins got the tiger tally, and that they wanted to 'flood the world with vermillion light'. I remember that it was post-the first siege of the burial mounds, and WY was maybe dead? After which the other sects had to fight the Jins, and there was also something about the people wishing that WY was alive. Please help me find it! Thank you so much!
FOUND! I'm pretty sure this is the deleted "When the World Comes Crumbling Down, you Will Call my Name" by pft_a_Frog22. The archive link was https://archiveofourown.org/works/35867848.
the deleted fic for #2 can be found at the wayback machine here
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3. Hi! I’m searching for a fiction on AO3 where Wei Wuxian is a Rogue cultivator, he founds Lan Wangji floating in a river/lake and saves him. Wangji don’t remember anything due to the trauma he has suffered and his core is damaged altogether. He had a severe injury on his back but when he recovers he starts to travel with Wei Wuxian, not knowing his brother is searching for him. Because of his poor health issues he breakdown with a fever in the middle of a hunt, far from everything, during this time Lan Wangji loses consciousness, Wei Ying is visited by a strange fox spirit, really creepy whom he made a pact with to save Lan Wangji life's. In the history, Wei Ying has an uncle that reach both of them to advise something, Lan Wangji discorver to be a really powerfull fox spirit, i think they call him Huxia or something like this, Wei Ying "dies" by the venom of a fierce corpse (most like become one of them) and is ressurected by the Jade Emperor himself, the Demon subdue palace is actually a palace and Wangji's mother was the previous Huxia.
I’m going crazy cuz I remember ALL the history, but not the name of the fiction.
I appreciate the help with all my little heart. ❤️ @myukisora
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4. Hi, could you please help me find a wangxian fic? I apologize for the inconvenience, especially because i don’t remember much of the plot except select few parts of it and i dont remember if it was a thread on twitter or on ao3.
The scenes i do remember are as followed: Prior to this scene, wangxian might have had an argument or were avoiding each other because i dont think they had spoken to each other in a while. The scene i remember is WWX going to JYL’s place where everyone is gathered for a get together, wwx dotes over JL, going on about how he’s the favorite uncle. When he enters the living room, he sees LWJ on the couch, and sitting next to him is JZX half brother MXY talking to him. He thinks they are sitting a little too close and he gets a bit jealous but doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure if I remember it right, but i think people or mainly nhs kept saying how MXY resembles WWX, worsening the situation. Wangxian and their whole eye contact happens and everyone in the room is tense because of their interaction or lack their of. WWX suddenly goes to the bathroom, leaning into the sink…waiting and LWJ follows him in. They end up reconciling.
Thats all I remember, I know its not much, and i have been struggling as well because of it going through my bookmarks on ao3 and twitter. I’m hoping someone remembers this part as well and can mention the fic. Thank you!
Hi, the fic you mentioned is not the one :/ i am so sorry for the inconvenience. I can try adding more context. It’s the fic about WWX entering JYL’s party at her place and finding LWJ sitting on a couch with MXY. The scene is towards the very end so MXY’s presence is more of a cameo, he wasn’t present for the fic. WX might have a fwb situation that went wrong or it might be a lwj fucks fic. Lwj follows wwx to the br, its tense as wwx stares at him through the mirror but they both make up
NOT FOUND Talk Hard by DeviyudeThoolika (E, 161k, wangxian, LXC/JYL, JZX/WQ, JC/MM, Modern, College/University, Roommates/Housemates, rare pairs galore, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Separations, Getting Back Together, BAMF WWX, Drunk LWJ, Protective WWX, Good Parent YZY, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Cultivation Sect Politics, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Angst with a Happy Ending)
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5. Hi,
I’m trying to find a fanfic where instead of Jin Zixuan dying to Wen Ning at the pass it was Wei wuxian who pushed him out of the way and died instead? I’ve been trying for ages and still can find it. Thank you!
neither of these are exactly what you described, but it might be
NOT FOUND! A Butterfly Flaps, A Sword Stabs by RadAceFriend (T, 37k, JZX/JYL, JZX & WWX, JZX & LWJ, JZX & JGY, JZX & JL, Major Characted Death, JZX Lives, WWX does not, background wangxian, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Sect Leader JZX, POV JZX, Canon Divergence, the horrifying experience of killing someone you didn't like much, and finding out that you're one of the only people you know upset about it, Wen Remnants Live, LSZ is a Wen, WangXian Get a Happy Ending)
NOT FOUND! in this place where we don’t have a prayer by Cerusee, Mikkeneko (T, 42k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, WWX dies at Qiongqi path, Demonic Cultivation)
FOUND! finding you always, all ways by BlueFrogs (T, 31k, WangXian, ChengQing, Reincarnation, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Romance, Memory Loss, technically there is character death, but he comes back lol, Age Difference, due to reincarnation)
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6. Hi, hope you are having a great day! Could you, please, help find a fic, which, I think, had a wangxian arranged marriage due to growing Wen threat, but honestly cannot remember the exact premise. But there was a scene where wrh manages to get wq married to lwj as a second wife, and wwx felt like he failed the Jiang-Lan alliance. And there was a big confrontation between wq and wwx, where she tells him the reason for the marriage was to save her family. And lwj might have been ill or cursed and wearing a mask (not sure).
FOUND? The deleted "A Price to Pay" by wangxianist.
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7. Looking for help finding the name of this fic on ao3 I’m have trouble hunting it back down. Burial mounds settlement days canon divergence.
Essentially the premise is that the people living in Yiling often see Wei Ying taking care of and teaching A-Yuan by the river and a woman one day who was also there to wash her clothes asked him to look after her son while she was busy. This snowballed into Wei Ying basically running a little informal school out of Yiling where he teaches and just looks after any child that is brought there, including orphans and prostitute’s children which is kinda illegal. Lan Zhan knows and regularly visits. If the children show aptitude for cultivation they usually get sent to the Lan or (later in the story) the Jiang. The rest of the Wens kinda accidentally become a part of the Yiling community so much so that they all move out of the burial mounds and into the town proper. Because they’ve all left the mounds and disconnected pretty hard from the cultivation community they don’t even realize that the Jin’s sent people to attack the mounds. They found no one and declared to the world that they had slayed the rest of the wen dogs alongside Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng only finds out his brother is alive because he’s been informed that a small school in the Jiang territory hasn’t been paying taxes and when he goes to investigate finds Wei Ying safe and sound. @coffeehousefanfics
FOUND? Just as the Snow Melts by draechaeli (T, 66k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, SL/XXC, Everybody Lives AU, Canon Divergence)
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8. Hello, could you please help me find a fic where Lan Zhan finds a number to call Wei Ying which Help? to people at night and calls himself patriarch yilin afterwards They (wei Ying and lan Zhan) meet in the university library
FOUND? Maybe You’re the Reason by Clearpearls (E, 67k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Phone Sex, slight D/s, Secret Identity, Praise Kink, Phone Sex Operator WWX, he’s part-time though, slight internalized sexual repression, Fluff, Light Angst, Dirty Talk Orgasm Delay/Denial, Slow Burn, Sub LWJ, Bottom LWJ, Vibrators, Aftercare, Introspection)
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9. There's an au where Wangxian are like murder husbands and it has very dark themes. It's a series but I remember one of the fics in it had a scene where a woman tries to get their attention so the other cuts off her body parts or something like that? Would you be able to help me find it?
FOUND? So Full Of Love (Wouldn't Know Where to Start) by witchupbitch (M, 63k, wangxian, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ, Blood and Violence, Killing, Idiots in Love, Humor, Mafia AU, Modern, Flirting, shameless WWX, Confident WWX, Explicit Language, Swearing, Mutual Sexual Tension, dark LWJ, Dark WWX, They're both twisted, Exhibitionism, Sex, Possessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings)
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10. Hey!!! Love your work!
Do you know of a fic where jiang cheng's younger self sort of takes over his future self for some while before going back and this repeats for some time? I remember a young jiang cheng talking to older wwx. Older wwx doesn't believe that it's really the younger jc so he asks him to ask about why wwx dislikes dogs (i think). Young jc asks young wwx and it's because www had a pet dog named 'doggie' who had turned on him during the winter. Sorry that's all I can remember
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11. Hi, I dunno if my ask got lost in the mail but i was looking for a fic that had a line "lan wangji was a musician, he know how to make his hands do different things" in reference to one hand jackin wwx off and the other up his ass. if this sounds familiar lemme know please
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12. Hi! I really am looking for this story in AO3 and still can't find it. It was about Wei Wuxian who got married to Wen Chao but Lan Zhan couldn't take it so he plans to take Wei Wuxian back by claiming Wei Wuxian each time he got (even in the wedding night of WWX and WC) and destroying the company of the Wens. As they (LWJ & WWX) continued the deed, WWX ended up pregnant and LWJ is more than determined to take WWX back. I do hope you can help me find this story. Thank you in advance!😘
FOUND? 姻緣 | this marriage was always predestined by saccharinings (E, 43k, wangxian, Cheating, Infidelity, not between wangxian, WWX is married and LWJ persuades him to cheat on his husband with him, Dark LWJ, A/B/O, Feminizing Language, Exhibitionism, Size Difference, WagnXian Have a Breeding Kink, Stomach Bulge, Possessive LWJ, Manipulation, WWX Wears Lingerie, Rape/Non-con Elements, for one part, Hair-pulling Kink, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mirror Sex, Vibrators, Phone Sex, Rimming, Edgeplay, slight choking kink, Light Bondage, Inappropriate Use of Gūsū Lán Forehead Ribbon, LJY's Big Fat Crush on Milfxian, Pregnant WWX, WangXian Endgame, Spanish Translation)
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13. Hello! I've been trying to find a fic I lost on AO3 for a few days now so hopefully you can help 💚💚
It was canon-verse but an AU where lwj and wwx hadn't met and wwx was still the Yiling Patriarch. Someone has an idea to give wwx a "bride" and wwx picks lwj and he goes to live at the burial grounds with wwx and the wens. At some point lwj gets stabbed and almost dies and wwx reveals he picked lwj because he assumed lwj would be in on some kind of plan to spy on/hurt wwx and the wens but lwj wasnt a part of that at all. It had a happy ending but i cant remember exactly what it was. Pls help 🥺 i want it in my bookmarks soooo bad
FOUND? 💖🔒 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Mutual Pining, EXTREME SLOWBURN, the inherent eroticism of the forehead ribbon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, neither wwx nor lwj want to be Perceived, but sorry kids! it's gonna happen!, rated E but the the NSFW stuff doesn't begin until chapter 19!, bottom LWJ in chapter 20 and 27)
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14. For the next fox finder
Pls help me find this fic where wwx and lwj are night hunting and wwx gets hurt badly lwj makes a deal with a spirit/god but in exchange to save wwx he will lose his love/ emotions (he only acts on what’s needed not on the things he like or is want)
Wwx ofc suffers because of this but is able to re awake lwj love after 3 years while he’s playing wangxian (( he has already lost hope lwj would recover his emotions))
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15. hi! im looking for a post canon fic where jc sends a letter to cloud recesses saying that gusu lan owes him a debt since wwx married into the lan. lwj responds very angrily. it wasnt jc friendly and at the end of the fic, wwx finds a bitter letter from jc who dies alone. wwx and lwj live longer and happier lives. id love it if you could find it, thank you!
FOUND! The Price of a Golden Core by AshayaTReldai (M, 9k, wangxian, LXC & WWX, WWX & JC, Major Character Death, Angst, Tension, Aggression, JC pays the price for his choices, demanding letters, JC is a Brat, Supportive Lan Brothers, WWX deserves the best, Life Debt, Sad Ending, Sad Ending for JC)
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16. Hi! So, I’m looking for an AO3 fic, Lán Zhan/Wei Ying, that I read what feels like years ago and I can’t find it again. I remember it is a bit of a dark lan zhan or dark cloud recess fic, with Wei Ying being brought to this ‘hunt’ type thing with a group of people. I believe all the people brought are given Lán Zhans scent, so that he may track them. I also believe that it’s not expected that the participants will survive, and they’re being offered a reward if they do. Please help me find it! @diabolic17
FOUND? 🔒 Five Fifteen by 3neetee (M, 11k, wangxian, rape/non-con, modern, ABO, alpha LWJ, omega WWX, mating runs, graphic depictions of violence, dom/sub undertones, light bondage, rape/non-con elements, dark LWJ, betrayal)
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17. Hey mods! 💜
I’m pretty sure I found this fic on here but now I can’t seem to find it. I’m not sure if it was on a itmf or fic finder. But it’s the one where wwx takes a curse from some ghost in order for her to move on. It’s a curse where he can’t see or feel anyone that feels “strongly” about him. He assumes the juniors all either hate or fear him and I forgot what he assumed lwj. They say to break the curse he has to accept the others’ feelings. So he tried to accept the fact that jin ling hated him although jin ling did not mean what he said and was confused at how wwx reacted. I think lan jinyi was the one who figured out wwx couldn’t see them because he launched at him as if he was going to attack him and wwx didn’t flinch. In the end he starts seeing and feeling impressions of them until he can see them in full again. Please help? I’ve been through my history and bookmarks and all open tabs of ao3. No such luck.
Thanks for all that you do! @jikcf
FOUND! See Me, Feel Me (Listening to You) by Ghost_Honey (T, 29k, WangXian, POV WWX, WWX Needs a Hug, WWX’s Abyssmal Self-Esteem, Emotional Healing, Angst, The Juniors love their Senior Wei, Curses, WWX is an Unreliable Narrator, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling)
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18. Hi! I’m searching for a fic that I’m pretty sure was a threadfic on twitter... It was foxian and dragonji, and LWJ came across WWX while he was in heat in a cave and they mated. WWX went back to Lotus Pier not knowing who he’d been with only to find himself pregnant. He has hybrid babies and LWJ eventually tracks him down and he turns out to be a prince or something? WWX goes to visit Cloud Recesses, still unsure about LWJ. There was also a scene when one of the babies gets snatched by an eagle or some other bird and LWJ saves them? I think that’s as far as I got, as it was a WIP at the time and I lost track of it. Thank you!
FOUND? Twitter thread by cerbykerby (wangxian, cw: dubcon, mpreg, memory loss)
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19. Hello! Hope you're well! I've been looking for a fic like crazy and have not been able to find it, so hopefully you know it? It's a fic where instead of nie mingjue dying, nie huisang dies as a result of jgy and nmj attacks the cloud recesses because he blames Lan xichen in part due to him defending jgy. Please help me find this if you can. Thank you in advance!!! 🫶🙏🏼 @cherryblossom8
FOUND! Digging Graves by nirejseki (Not rated, 13k, NHS & NMJ, WWX & XY, wangxian, Revenge, Broken Moral System, Non-Graphic Violence, the masterless sabers)
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20. Pls there was this one fic in ao3 , I was so looking forward to it but I lost it 😭😭😭I don’t know much about it but the summary was smth like Wwx getting pregnant and being in an island?? Shizui grows up and smth please 😭
FOUND? The Winner Takes It All by YilingSani (M, 46k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Parent WWX, Old Friends, One Night Stands, No Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Forgiveness, Second Chances, Inspired by Mamma Mia! (Movies) Teen Pregnancy, Mpreg, mention of miscarriage, Birth Trauma, amniotic fluid embolism)
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wangxianficrecs · 23 days
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Heart of hearts by apathyinreverie
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Heart of hearts
by apathyinreverie (@apathyinreverie)
M, WIP, Series, 23k, Wangxian
Summary: It won't be until several days later that Wangji will know to be grateful for Jiang Wanyin’s insistence to split up in their search. (Or, JC and LWJ spend those months searching separately and LWJ ends up finding Wei Ying a little earlier. Wei Ying who doesn’t remember anything beyond his own name. So, LWJ takes his chance and takes Wei Ying home. To Gusu.) Kay's comments: AO3 user apathyinreverie has done it again and left me absolutely devaststed. When I originally bookmarked this, it wasn't a series yet and more of a WIP (?) but now, a second work has been posted and it's probably going to be finished soon. I love this start to a canon divergence, where Lan Wangji is the one who finds Wei Wuxian after his time in the Burial Mounds, without Jiang Cheng being there and with Wei Wuxian suffering from memory loss. As devastating as it is, Lan Wangji gets to see the full extent of the hurt Wei Wuxian suffered in the Burial Mounds and also gets to be beside him before he managed to build his walls up again. Really loved this, so heart-breaking, so soft. Excerpt: Wei Ying. Wei Ying is here. Alive. Wei Ying who looks terrified of him. Wei Ying who drips resentment as though oversaturated. Wei Ying who looks barely present but still, somehow, desperately unbroken. “Wei Ying,” Wangji breathes, aching at the terror swimming in his zhiji’s eyes. There is the slightest falter in Wei Ying’s posture at the sound of his name, a sudden uncertainty in his eyes, dragging to focus quickly on Wangji’s hand that had so briefly lingered against his shoulder, as though uncertain whether what he felt might have been real. “Wei Ying,” Wangji repeats, desperate and joyous and devastated at the state he is in. He watches Wei Ying’s grip on the blackened flute loosening, the dark swirls of energy around his feet calming slightly. There is silence, a careful sort of quiet as neither of them speaks. “You know me?” Wei Ying finally asks, voice roughened in a way that speaks of no words spoken for months and entire weeks spent screaming at the same time, a helpless uncertainty vibrating within. There is no recognition in Wei Ying’s eyes. As though Wangji were a stranger. “You’re real?” he adds carefully, softly, breaking Wangji’s heart further.
pov lan wangji, canon divergence, not cultivation world friendly, memory loss, amnesia, hurt wei wuxian, possessive lan wangji, protective lan wangji, domestic lan wangji/wei wuxian, caring lan wangji, caring, bathing/washing, golden core reveal, golden core transfer fix-it, wei wuxian goes to gusu, sunshot campaign, wei wuxian's three months in the burial mounds, hurt/comfort, wei wuxian has ptsd
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(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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lilapplesheadcannons · 9 months
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Nie MingJue has a pet chicken. No, it's not a spiritual rooster. It's not his emotional support animal. It's not smart enough or loyal enough to be anything other than dinner. Which it was supposed to be. Except the cook is not as nimble as she was, and the chicken made a mighty escape from her arthritic fingers. Nie Mingjue came out of his study room to shout at whoever was causing the ruckus and was hit by what seemed like a moulting feather duster on his midriff. The kitchen staff were banished promptly to the kitchen by him. But in their hurry to get away, they left him holding the chicken.
Most people think the chicken is significant to him. Even Jin GuangShang made sure to ask Nie MingJue about his new pet and its extraordinary feats. Nie Mingjue will strangle HuaiSang the moment he gets his hands on the little rat because who else would spread the rumours that a chicken can count up to 10 and sing like an oriole? Who has ever heard of a chicken singing? Damn it, damn it, damn it!
But despite the headache caused by a chicken in his living quarter (spilt ink, upturned rice bowls, feather under his pillow), Nie MingJue doesn't order the kitchen to take away the chicken.
"What do you call him?" Lan Xichen brings out few grains of rice from his sleeve.
Nie MingJue runs a tired hand over his face. He wishes people wouldn't attempt to feed a chicken in his living quarter. Or assume he's actually raising that chicken.
"Nothing. I don't call it anything."
"Nonsense. You must give him an appropriate name. How about...."
"Her."
"Pardon?"
"It's a she." Surely Xichen knows the difference between a rooster and a hen? On the other hand, you can never tell with the Lans.
"Oh. How about Xiao Hua?"
"I am not naming it."
"Come on. You can't raise her without giving her a pretty name."
"I am not trying to raise her, I swear. For heaven's sake, it's a chicken!"
Xichen turns to meet his eyes. "Are you angry? I am sorry, it was presumptuous of me to try to name your chicken."
Nie MingJue growls before stomping away. Tonight, he'll order the kitchen to make stewed chicken.
Except the chicken doesn't really end up stewed. Or boiled or fried or anything else. It ends up with a golden ring on its ankle. Jin GuangYao only smiles apologetically when Nie MingJue asks him about it. People start referring to the chicken as Jingwei, much to MingJue's chagrin. He gets confronted by the sight of a bunch of Lan teen disciples intently staring at the chicken pecking at the ground and taking notes. On the next discussion conference, the Yiling Laozu himself plops down beside him and goes into a rant about headstrong pets and their antiques. Nie Mingjue is so exhausted, he nods along even though he's pretty sure he'd catch fire any moment from the glare Wangji is sending his way. Jiang Wanyin drags Wei Wuxian away after a while, and Nie MingJue sighs. But his relief is short-lived as Jin GuangYao carefully carries the chicken to him.
"She was beginning to get restless," he offers as an explanation.
Nie MingJue wants to scream. Instead, he takes the chicken and starts patting its bony spine.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
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Financial statements
Wei Wuxian returns from a four day night hunt with the juniors - and Lan Wangji couldn't have been happier to see his husband again. Had Lan Xichen not asked for his help with the discussion conference last minute preparations, Lan Wangji would have joined in the night hunt as well, loving any and all occasions for some family time with his beloved and their unofficially adopted children.
Wei Wuxian loves to travel - and he loves bringing little trinkets from wherever he goes, which is why the jingshi has been furnished with extra shelves for all his quirky finds... but not this time.
He hands Lan Wangji a beautifully decorated wooden box, the seemingly only thing that he's brought from the seaside village he's just been with the kids.
Lan Wangji opens it, and softens upon laying eyes on a beautifully crafted jade hairpin, glistening jewels catching onto the golden candlelight bathing the jingshi. He leaves a brief kiss onto his husband's lips, and places the gift on the table, gentle so as not to break it.
"Have you bought anything for yourself?" Lan Wangji asks, carefully surveying Wei Wuxian's reactions.
"No." comes the reply, though the smile on Wei Wuxian's face doesn't falter, and he's just as easy-going. "I didn't have any more money left."
"Wei Ying, I've already told you that you can take however much you want from the-"
Wei Wuxian disguises his reaction behind the cup of wine he downs. "I've taken enough, I just spent it on stupid things and-"
Lan Wangji takes his husband's hands in his, caressing his knuckles with his thumbs. "Wei Ying."
He sighs, and smiles to himself as he looks away. "I should've known there was no point trying to hide anything from you... You know me too well."
"What happened? You can tell me, Wei Ying."
"Last time I went to withdraw money, I was... told," Lan Wangji knows that's codeword for scolded, "...that I was... overstepping your budget and it would cause you trouble with the elders."
Shadows of disbelieving anger cross Lan Wangji's eyes. "There is no such thing as a budget for me, Wei Ying. I can spend whatever I want."
"I'm not you..." But Wei Wuxian shakes his head and smiles, "It's fine, though, I don't care about money, so-"
"What else did they say?"
Wei Wuxian sighs, again, and decides he's not going to tolerate the distance between himself and Lan Wangji anymore, sliding into Lan Wangji's lap with practiced ease.
"They told me I should spend less of your money because it's becoming obvious I'm only with you because you're rich."
Lan Wangji takes in a deep breath, his arms tightly wrapped around Wei Wuxian's body. "I will talk to them. This is not acceptable."
"Please don't kill anyone. Killing is forbidden-"
Lan Wangji leans down enough so he can lock eyes with Wei Wuxian. "There are no rules when it comes to you."
--
Early in the morning, Lan Wangji regretfully leaves his bed, and becomes only slightly jealous of the pillow Wei Wuxian hugs in his absence, to go have a discussion with the treasurers.
He's in a much more amicable mood than he was last night, but that isn't much improvement - and though he is not up for physical violence anymore (he wouldn't want to be locked up and away from Wei Ying, after all), that doesn't mean he's going to be in any way merciful.
After all, though he cannot convince anybody to overstep their ridiculous prejudices against Wei Ying and get to know him beyond the stereotype of the cruel Yiling Laozu, he does expect them to be at least respectful. And if they will not, Lan Wangji has no business making them.
"Hanguang-Jun." the treasurers bow, "What can we do for you?"
"I would like to know what my spending limit is."
The treasurers look to each other, confused.
"I have been made aware there is one, so I wish to know what it is." And his eyes narrow towards the chief treasurer, an old man Lan Wangji has never liked, "Unless the limit is for my husband only?"
"Hanguang-Jun," the chief treasurer begins, "there are budgets-"
"Are there? Then should the monthly deposits you send to your estranged daughter in Lanling be counted in those budgets?"
The man's eyes widen.
"Or are my husband's expenditures more outrageous than the missing financial reports from so-called diplomatic envoys you send your relatives on near hot springs retreats every winter?"
The man looks away, hiding his shaking hands in his sleeves.
"I do not care to flaunt my status and I do not believe power lays in titles. However," And Lan Wangji makes it a point to rest his hand over Bichen's hilt, "Be sure to remember I am the second heir of this sect, and Wei Ying is my husband. I am expecting the same level of respect be awarded to us both. It is neither your duty, nor your place to impose any limits on either of us."
"Even so, you yourself cannot impose on us to like him-"
Lan Wangji cuts in, his tone even but much colder. "I can impose on you to do your job. Nowhere in your tasks is it required of you to comment on the nature of my marriage."
"It is quite obvious-"
Lan Wangji turns to the other disciples in the treasury. "Henceforth, I will be taking over the treasury and will be handling all financial matters personally. Should you have any gripes with that," his eyes return to the chief treasurer, "do inform my brother of the reason why you have been demoted. I am quite sure he would be thrilled to know."
--
"Lan Zhan, what happened to the old treasurer? I haven't seen him around much..."
Lan Wangji kisses his husband's forehead in place of a response.
"Lan Zhan, what did you do?"
But the man moves on to softly kissing Wei Ying's lips, and entirely innocently continuing a path of pecks down his neck.
"Lan Zhan."
He sighs, as if annoyed for having been interrupted. "He is not dead."
Wei Wuxian laughs, "That's a very low bar, Hanguang-Jun."
"Yet I have not crossed it." He bites at the junction between Wei Ying's neck and shoulder.
"Good boy."
"I would have liked to, though."
"Lan Zhan!"
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sasukimimochi · 10 months
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.✦ Word count - 1001
Springtime in Gusu✦.
“Lan Zhan~!” Wei Wuxian smiled and stretched his legs out over his husband’s lap, watching those snow-white ears perk up with a poorly veiled peak in interest. Lan Wangji lowered his book somewhat, those beautiful, wintery, golden eyes peering over the pages as if greatly inconvenienced, but Wei Wuxian knew better. “Wei Ying.” Wei Wuxian grinned, stretching out his bunny feet without a thought before rolling over and hooking one of those long legs over the man’s shoulder. “Didn’t you know? It’s spring.”
Read the full Ficlet on Ao3! (It is rated Mature so keep in mind!)
THE AU IS NAMED "Sun's Out, Buns Out!" ❤ (so, SOBO!)
This is a gift for @mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess and as a secondary perk, a feel-good bit of writing for you guys to read after the GOM update! I hope everyone has a good week, it seems everyone's having a hard time lately.
Check out other MDZS Projects on my masterpost! ❤
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drama--universe · 5 months
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Quick confession
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Requested by anonymous: Hello there! I once sent you a request for Xichen (for the mask reader), so here I am again with a new request for Xichen, because there is never enough Xichen!😁A reader from another clan who has a certain rule - not to reveal her true name unless it's someone she can fully trust. This is a form of safety since most cultivators were persecuted or wanted for various reasons (to be sold, convicted for something they didn't do, etc.), later a clan was formed so that these people could live a normal and safe life. So these cultivators use a alias, a nickname. From the beginning, she was mostly independent and not very social, which gave rise to her nickname - The Loner. She meets Xichen when she comes to Cloud recesses for lessons. Xichen hears the other disciples slandering her, that she's not a cultivator, but a coward, a fugitive, a traitor. They also laughed at her because of her nickname. Xichen was a little sad that she always walked alone and hardly talked to anyone. But once the disciples went so far as to make a very harsh joke of her. She didn't expect it, so she didn't have time to defend herself, because she was thrown to the ground, in which she injured her hand. Seeing this, Xichen sent Wangji to find and punish the disciples while he took care of her injuries. It was such a loving and kind gesture to the reader that she finally revealed her real name to him. And Xichen knew that meant she had full confidence in him. Later they fell in love❤️❤️❤️
Pairing: Lan Xichen x fem!reader
Word Count: 2.0k words
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The Loner, a name that felt so familiar and yet so distant. Xichen was surprised when he finally met the person behind the name, whether it was a chosen one or a given one, and even more when he realized that you were here for the lessons at Cloud Recesses. However, he was not pleased to see you wander alone at any time he saw you. Like right now, as he walked next to his brother while talking about something involving Lan Qiren's lessons, and you were all alone.
You were dressed in your own clan clothing, white underclothes and turquoise dress on top of it with a golden belt that held multiple trinkets along with your sword. Xichen had to admit that you looked ethereal, which was partially thanks to your clear confidence as you walked. While yes, you were all alone, you didn't look unhappy with the loneliness. Rather, you looked relaxed if anything.
The first time he tried to approach you, you didn't talk to him in the slightest. You nodded along to his statements before excusing yourself and walking off, which ended the first interaction between the two of you. The second and third went about the same way, just a bit longer than the previous ones.
This time, Xichen relucted in approaching you. It was clear that you were rather alone, not talking to anyone and choosing to study in lonesome. However, his eyes were still trained on your form as you walked, hands neatly folded in front of you with your head high. It was quite ironic, how you tried to remain invisible and yet had all eyes on you. Only, it was clearly not out of interest like Xichen's gaze and rather something else. Disdain, pity or even hate... It was obvious to you, but you chose to ignore it.
Until the dam breaks and all emotions break lose, but not yours.
Rather, the emotions of a group of seven Lan disciplines were the ones that broke and they chose to take that out on you. Now you weren't unfamiliar with taunting, quite the opposite if anything, and you certainly weren't unfamiliar with the hatred that the Lan disciplines had for you. You were everything they were against, or at least that's why they believed at first glance. A coward, a runaway and traitor. All names were often used to describe you, some more than others, and all were insulting in every way.
Today wasn't any different.
"Loner!" The nickname you grew accustomed to and hated at the same time, yet you responded to it every time as well. With a slight turn of the head to acknowledge the call, the seven disciplines approached you with sneers on their faces. One of them stepped closer, a bit too close for comfort, and pushed your shoulder softly with their hand. You didn't care much for it, rather you chose to ignore the rude gesture and instead focus on the conversation at hand.
"Shouldn't you be running now, coward?" One sneers and you almost wanted to scoff, but didn't get the chance as the next insults rang. They ranged from normal insults to degrading words that you had never heard before. Xichen didn't even need to hear anything that was said, your expression said enough, being one of shock and slight disgust. Inching closer, Xichen could hear the conversation much more clearly.
"Is it true you just left your companions to die? I mean, they all said that you just ran off like a coward." "They were torturing the demon and I wasn't going to wait for his friends to show up and kill us all." You answered, to which you were harshly shoved back.
"Watch it, those are my elders." Another one of the group sneered before shoving you even harder, which ended up in you stumbling down due to your dress. You fell to the ground, softening your landing by stretching your hands behind you and in turn landing on your hands first. A sharp pain shot up your left hand, reaching 'till your elbow before stopping as you lifted your arm again. Now sat on the ground and arm cradled against your chest, the people surrounding you suddenly felt much more threatening. They loomed above you, all grinning menacingly at you, staring at you like you were prey. You felt small, all confidence from before now long gone.
"You don't deserve to be called a cultivator, you and your whole clan of traitors. You run like cowards and hide behind silly names. You're a -" "That's quite enough." Lan Xichen's voice rang out, freezing everybody in the area as they heard the tone of his voice. Xichen was kind and gentle, yet now his voice sounded cold and distant that it was terrifying. The disciplines scrambled together, all coming up with different explanation that would make it seem like they did not just break a million of their own rules. It didn't seem to matter, however, as Xichen gaze moved to you. He crouched beside you, gently helping you up before moving his head towards to his younger brother.
"Take care of their punishment... Make sure the elders also get investigated, because if watch she says is true then they will receive punishment as well." Xichen said and Wangji bows his head before turning to the disciplines while Xichen guides you away. Although you could walk fine, Xichen's arm remained around your waist as he walked you to the doctor to check out your hand. Like expected, your hand was sprained along with a small fracture in your hand. With a simple splint and bandages, you were sent away again with some pain relieving medicines.
"Thank you for your help." You turned to Xichen again, bowing your head to him before softly whispering your name. Xichen didn't hear, however, so you repeated it louder.
"(Y/f/n). That's my name... Please only call me that in private." You bowed your head once more before turning away and walking off awkwardly.
From then on, you were a bit more social than before. You greeted others awkwardly before finding your way to Xichen's side and happily talking to him instead. He is quite surprised to hear the strict rules from your own clan, even more surprised when he learned that him knowing your name was a rather big deal to say the least. Then again, he could not freely use your name when he pleased and thus he opted for nicknames that left you a blushing mess.
The first was simple, just blossom. This was followed by lotus and eventually sunshine, which is where it remained since it had the biggest reaction from you. No matter how many times he called you by that name, it always made your face heat up and render you speechless. You didn't know why, maybe because it was coming from him specifically. He wasn't one that you expected something like that from, he didn't seem like a type to call someone rather flirty names. At least that's how you perceived it, anyway.
Now how you got here, was a bigger mystery. If anyone had told you that you'd be here in Xichen's room later in the evening, then you would've laughed at them before moving on with your life. Yet here you were, awkwardly drinking the tea before you while Xichen just stared. Not an uncomfortable one, as weird as that sounded, and rather a loving one that made your stomach flip and your heart beat just a bit faster.
"May I ask you a question?" Xichen suddenly asked and you looked up from your cup before nodding as you put it down, giving a soft smile. Xichen returned the smile with one of his own before clearing his throat softly.
"Your clan doesn't talk about themselves nor do they often interact with other clans, so why are you here?" "Honest answer or the nice answer?" You asked with a smile and Xichen raised an eyebrow at this before answering with 'an honest answer'. You looked away slightly with a sigh before turning back to Xichen.
"I was bored..." You held back your laughter successfully for a few seconds before bursting into giggles as you looked at your hands again.
"It's stupid, I know~ But I barely having anyone my age to talk to and the elders are... Well, I'm sure you understand." You giggled again before grabbing your teacup again and casually sipping from it while watching Xichen's reaction. For a few seconds, he looked confused before he joined your giggling with his own soft laugh.
"Ridiculous, huh?" "No, no. I understand." Xichen spoke with a shake of his hand, all while trying to hide his smile from you. Unsuccessfully, of course, as you immediatley caught the action.
"You're laughing at me... Really?" You scoffed at him jokingly, to which he only smiled at you once again before filling his cup and yours again. Lifting the cup to his lips, he halted before talking again.
"I hope it's to your liking then." Downing the cup of tea, he stood up from his spot and lifting the tea pot while moving to make another.
"Ah, you don't have to. I should leave anyway... It's improper for me to stay here so late in the evening, people will talk." "Now since when has that bothered you?" Xichen spoke as he lifted the pot up above the fire, filling it with water and herbs before returning to his seat opposite of you.
"One more tea pot can't hurt, the sun hasn't gone down yet either." He continued, sighing softly as you nodded and agreed to his proposal.
"Spending so much time with me, some might say you're in love with me." You joked, quickly stretching your back and legs before looking back at Xichen. He wore a soft and yet surprised smile, which made you freeze for a few seconds.
"What?" "Do people say that? That I'm in love with you?" He asked and your eyes widened before shrugging, sipping your tea. "I mean, some do... I talk to you exclusively and you listen, so." You chuckled awkwardly, but stopped again when his expression changed to an amused expression.
"I did not think my emotions were so clear to everyone, I'll have to work on that." With another chuckle, he moved back to remove the kettle from the fire and letting it cool down. You, on the other hand, were staring at him in shock. How someone could just speak their feelings so easily without any care, saying it like it meant nothing even when it meant so much. Then again, Lan's were prohibited to lie about anything so maybe that was a reason for his bluntness.
"You're in love with me?" You asked, just to be sure that you had heard what he said just right, and Xichen nodded before adding that he wishes to court you as well. Like his first statement wasn't shocking enough, he drops an even bigger one and once again it's like it's just an average statement.
"You are aware that people don't usually say that out loud so easily, right?" "Now since when were we normal? It's no fun that way." He chuckled at you to which you only rolled your eyes at him before filling your cup again.
"I love you, (Y/n). I know it might be early to say something like that, but I can't deny it." He confessed once more, much more softly than before as he took ahold of your hand. You looked at him before laughing softly.
"Well, you're not the only one in love. So lucky you, huh?" You chuckled at him before pulling your hand back, downing your tea before getting up.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow." You softly kissed the crown of his head before walking out of the room with a smile. Xichen stared at his hand, which he held yours in, before laughing softly. At least he'd have enough time to come up with some new sickening love declaration.
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gentil-minou · 3 months
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Lanuary 2024 - Day 12, Sizhui's Birthday
The gentians in his mother's garden grow late into the season, as if her spirit still tends to them. A-Yuan's laughter flutters on wings toward where Lan Wangji sits on the wooden deck and watches.
"He's doing well, Wangji," Xichen says.
Lan Wangji nods, the corners of his eyes softening despite himself.
He is. A-Yuan has come a long way in the long months that have passed since…since…
His fingers clench tight and he hides them in his sleeves.
"Soon he'll be of age to join the little ones' class. He'll be a bit behind in core formation, but with diligent study and practice I am certain he will catch up in no time."
Xichen smiles, as if he has no memory of why A-Yuan is so behind his peers. Why he will be starting late.
Lan Wangji's back itches. The bandages stick uncomfortably to his skin. He'd split the stitches open again the other night. He hadn't even done anything this time. His scars just tear open and blood spills from them afresh, uninterested in healing and moving on.
Lan Wangji cannot blame them.
Xichen continues speaking, unaware as always. Lan Wangji knows his brother has other responsibilities and his concerns about the Nie sect leader's growing sickness have recently taken precedence. But sometimes he wonders what sort of world Brother resides in. It cannot be the same world Lan Wangji inhabits.
"He will need a courtesy name soon," he says as his gaze drifts to the ribbon A-Yuan is still getting used to.
He'd marveled over the cloud pattern when Lan Wangji first presented it to him, delighted in being able to match his gege.
Again, his thoughts stray to another caregiver with a different colored ribbon. He wonders, not for the first time, what A-Yuan would have said if Wei Ying gifted him a red ribbon.
A-Yuan has not mentioned his Xian-gege once since he'd arrived. The masters say his memory has been altered forever. How mournful a life never knowing Wei Ying would be. Or would it be a mercy? Lan Wangji still does not know.
His brother gently tugs him away from his thoughts. "Have you thought of a courtesy name yet? If he is to be your heir then—"
"He is already my heir."
Rule number 24. Do not interrupt. Let them add another scar to his back, if they so choose.
Xichen sighs. "Yes. As a Lan heir, normally his name would be chosen by the elders, but I suspect you would disagree."
"Mn." He will, when the time comes.
The boy already has a name, though Lan Wangji will not share it with Xichen or Uncle or anyone.
The only one who's heard it are ghosts lingering at night by his bedside, when Lan Wangji is weak and whispering that name alongside another.
No one else will know the name until it's time. And they will have no say in it. Bitterness swells rotten and tired on his tongue, poison in his teeth. After all, why should they?
The person who should have given A-Yuan his name is no longer here. Why would anyone else ever deserve that privilege?
Eventually, Xichen stops his patient waiting, shaking his head and pretending Lan Wangji can't see. They spend a few more moments watch A-Yuan chase after a bunny, giggling as he trips over his ribbon. The garden is awash in color as red and golden leaves fall to join their brethren in the small pond. Curious carp swim to the surface for a nibble, dashing away once satisfied.
"What about a birthday?" Xichen asks. "You have not yet given one. Will you choose the day you brought him back?"
The day Lan Wangji found A-Yuan and brought him back? The day he learned of Wei Ying's death? The day he spent hours and hours scouring a barren wasteland for a ghost, for a body? The day he found only bones and misery, and one small sickly boy breath so sallow he'd been afraid to take a step lest he hurt him?
No. Nothing on that dark, horrible day. If he could, Lan Wangji would wipe that date off the calendar forever.
But his brother is right. A-Yuan deserves a day to celebrate.
"Mn. I will think of one," he tells Xichen, then says nothing as he waits for his brother to leave. Sometimes Xichen refuses to budge. Other times, he leaves Lan Wangji in peace, and Lan Wangji can let himself feel the fury that spikes in his veins at the sight of him.
This time, Xichen leaves quickly, blessedly. But simmering fury does not flow through his veins. How can it, when A-Yuan's laughter is music that lifts his spirits and fills this quiet space with life it hasn't had in decades.
A breeze scatters leaves into a whirlwind, spinning around A-Yuan as he yelps and holds his prized ribbon to his head. A red leaf gets caught in his hair, nestling unnoticed near his small ponytail.
This time of year…soon it will be Wei Ying's birthday. It would be fitting for A-Yuan to share that date with his Xian-gege.
It could also become a curse.
Lan Wangji swallows down the rising shame at his cowardice. How can he claim that day for A-Yuan when he cannot even speak Wei Ying's name to him? How can he pretend he has any right to that day, to anything belonging to Wei Ying.
No. That day will stay Wei Ying's. It will remain as Lan Wangji's day to repent.
But then, what else? Lan Wangji had so little time with A-Yuan and the Wens, he wouldn't know where to start. Should he seek out a fortune teller for an auspicious date. Another person assigning them their fate?
The idea sours low in his stomach and he casts it away. Whatever else, he wants A-Yuan to live a life freer than his predecessors. He wants him to have more than they ever had.
But he still needs a birthday.
A memory whispers along a winter's wind, carrying a chill from long ago.
"Zhanzhan, come, come. Let's eat cake."
In his memories, his mother's voice sounds like wind chimes and glass. Beautiful, yet breakable. So fragile, and so precious, something to handle with care and polish as needed.
"Mama. We have not yet eaten dinner," he'd said, already following rules that sought to bind.
"Mhm, but that's okay, little one. We can keep it a secret. Come, come. I want to celebrate your birthday early this year."
"But why? Won't I see you next month to celebrate?"
In his memories, his mother's smile is sweet and sad, but stubbornly sticks to her face.
He cannot remember what the cake tasted like, time becoming a chasm he cannot cross. But he remembers his mother's joy as she ate, how she dabbed frosting on his nose, how she laughed at the face he made, how she kissed it off with tenderness.
He remembers how a month later, long after her body had turned to ash, he refused to eat the cake set out for his birthday for years to come.
Eventually, he grew to love the taste anew, finding his mother in every sweet. Sugary syrups and fluffy dough, the same as her laughing cheeks. Honey eyes and candied laughter. Powdery warmth that cradled his back when she'd press him to her heart.
Now, he's grateful they were able to share one last cake between them, the memory better than any treat.
"Gege, look at this pretty flower!" A-Yuan's voice wraps warm around his thoughts, a hug that gently lifts him from his memory.
Lan Wangji blinks down at the purple-blue gentian sitting in his lap as A-Yuan's strokes gentle fingers over soft petals.
"There's so many. Can we keep them? I want to put them in my bed."
Lan Wangji's hand drifts to the stem, hesitant to touch the petals lest he break them.
"No, little one. We cannot."
A-Yuan pouts and whines, "But whyyyy? I want to make them my friends…" His bottom lip sticks out and trembles dangerously. He doesn't often throw tantrums, too well-behaved to try. But Lan Wangji has held him through silent tears after nightmares. It is not any better.
He swallows, wishing again for Wei Ying's guidance. The boy would never shed a tear if he were here. His eyes drift towards the flower bed where the buds drift in the wind.
"The flowers," he start haltingly, "need to rest in their bed. The way A-Yuan must rest in his."
A-Yuan tilts his head, "Really?"
Lan Wangji nods, anxiously on the lookout for any tears gathering in the corner's of big brown eyes.
A-Yuan's faces scrunches up as he thinks. "They have to stay in the soil… so they can grow big and strong? And make lots of friends?"
Lan Wangji nods in a hurry, not sure what else to say. Where did A-Yuan learn this?
But the rain does not pass, and churns into a storm.
"Then—then," A-Yuan quietly sniffles as he stares at the flower in his hand. "Then, then then when I— when I picked—picked the flower, did I—did I take it away from, from, from…its family?"
His tears slip like morning dew, with not a sound like there's no one there to notice. Lan Wangji helplessly cradles A-Yuan's face and tries to wipe them away before the can fall.
"I, I, I," A-Yuan whispers, "I did a bad."
"No, no little one." Lan Wangji repeats desperately. "You did not." He casts his glance around as he tries to think of something to salvage this.
There. An empty tea cup. He rises swiftly and fills with with water from the pond. Then, he holds A-Yuan's hand and guides him back to the flower bed.
He thinks of what Wei Ying would say. The story he'd tell.
"Your flower went on a little trip," he says. He digs a small hole in the ground and with gentle, slow movements shows A-Yuan how to plant the stem back in the ground.
"It went on a trip to see its friend, and now it's back home." He gestures for A-Yuan to pour water over the soil. "And now, it's been fed and it will be with its family."
A-Yuan sniffles and stares at the patch of disturbed ground. "It's having dinner with its family now?"
"Mn."
"Is it loud? Are they laughing? Are they eating soup?"
"…Mn." Water is technically soup.
"…I don't like soup…"
"…Plants enjoy soup. Water soup."
A-Yuan accepts his answer with a nod before smashing his face in Lan Wangji's robes. Lan Wangji gently brushes back his hair and straightens his ribbon, letting A-Yuan have a moment as long as he needs.
Eventually, A-Yuan lifts his head and pulls back, wearing a sheepish look. Lan Wangji crouches down to eye level and waits.
"Sorry gege, A-Yuan will get you another present…sorry…."
Lan Wangji shakes his head as he wipes away the remaining tear tracks. "No need."
"Gege doesn't like presents?"
"No, I like presents," he says, thinking of rabbits and fruit and pink flowers. "But I do not need one."
"Not right now?"
"Mn. Not right now." He tickles A-Yuan and his giggles sing across the garden.
Sugary syrup and fluffy dough cheeks, honey eyes and candied laughter. Powdery warmth that settles in his heart as he cradles the boy to his chest.
Gentians that bloom late into the season, petal soft and vibrant against red and yellow trees. Alive well after they should be, as if cared for by spirits unseen.
Gifts that have no end, that do not fade with time. That stay soft and sweet in his memories.
"A-Yuan, would you like a birthday?"
A-Yuan hiccups around a giggle. "What's a birthday?"
Lan Wangji's lips twitch, just a tiny bit.
"A day where we will celebrate A-Yuan."
"Hmm," A-Yuan ponders as he taps his nose in an achingly familiar gesture. "Does gege have a birthday?"
Lan Wangji blinks mist from his eyes and nods.
"Then A-Yuan wants a birthday too!" His cheers echo against the walls until stopping instantly. "How does A-Yuan get a birthday?"
Lan Wangji lifts A-Yuan into his arms, holding him close. He steps along the garden path winding through his mother's flowers and over the bridge that looks out into the small pond.
For a long time, after his mother's death, nothing seemed to grow in this garden. For a long time, Lan Wangji took satisfaction in it. Nothing should grow here where death festers.
But despite his past wishes, death begets life, and one year the gentians bloomed as if they had every year, and the next year again and the next year again. Year after year, stubbornly clinging to life.
His mother, he thinks, was probably the same.
The day she died, he vowed he'd never celebrate another birthday. They'd remain quiet days for reflection. After all, he never learned his mother's birthday. The elders never saw it fit and mother had never mentioned it.
But Lan Wangji has grown tired of choices being made for him. Perhaps he should make more choices of his own.
Although he won't ever learn his mother's birthday, he can celebrate her life over the memory of her death. He can give new meaning to the day, give new meaning to all the days.
"Your birthday," he tells A-Yuan, who resettles after attempted to grab the carp from so high up. " will be several days before mine, on a very important day."
"Yay!" A-Yuan cheers. "How will we celebrate? Do we celebrate together? Will we get presents?"
"Mn. A-Yuan will have many presents." He will make sure of that.
"What about gege?"
"No need."
He doesn't need them, he thinks. The gifts he'd wish for are impossible to receive.
But there are gifts he has, right in his arms. Gift that life in memories, close to his heart, polished to a shine.
(threadfic here)
(A/N My headcanon is that Sizhui's birthday is the day Mama Lan passed, but because he can't properly mourn her, this way he can celebrate her life alongside this boy who was his gift from another loved lost one.)
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youhideastar · 2 months
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WujiWatch: CQL Rewatch Episode 9
The moment that stood out to me on this rewatch is from the scene at the Wen clan graveyard after Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji kill the Dire Owl. In the graveyard, Wen Qing tells the remnants of the Dafan Wen that they “can go anywhere” but Qishan, and that they cannot stay here on Dafan Mountain. In past watches, I’ve thought to myself, “Okay, but… where can they go?” Seriously, where?!
But this is the rewatch where it occurred to me that Wen Qing is saying this right in front of Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, either of whom probably could have offered to find a place for the Dafan Wen, but didn’t—and wouldn’t. That’s just not who they are. If the Wen motto is “Every kindness must be returned,” Jiang Cheng’s and Nie Huaisang’s shared motto is, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” How different would the course of the plot have been if Wen Qing had waited just one minute longer to say those words—if she could have said them in front of Wei “let me make your problem my problem” Wuxian and Lan “hero of the common people” Wangji?
Two more quick things from the scene where Wei Wuxian traps Nie Huaisang, Wen Qing, and Jiang Cheng in the golden silk thread barrier to protect them from the definitely-not-zombies. first, Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng to “take care of them,” which would really offend me if I were Wen Qing. To be treated as if I’m no more capable than Nie Huaisang!? Come on! Second, and finally, there’s the weird moment when Wei Wuxian grabs Wen Qing’s wrist as he tries to persuade her to tell him how to save the villagers. The gesture is very unlike him, and I’m still not sure what to make of it. Given the height difference and gender difference between them, it inevitably comes off as threatening—but when Wei Wuxian wants to threaten someone, he doesn’t look them in the eye and speak to them earnestly; he does pretty much the opposite of that. I’d love to know if anyone has a good read of this moment that could help me make sense of it!
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shanastoryteller · 9 months
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Happy Pride!!!! Living Blood or Lady Mo please!
a continuation of 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 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
Xuanyu disrobes unashamedly, hesitating only at the last second with the sleeve covering her left arm.
Jiang Yanli laughs. “Bit late to be modest, I think.”
“Modesty is overrated,” she returns, which is something that Zixuan would say and A-Yao would think. She slips the rest of the robes off and steps into the steaming bath, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction.
The changes her body has undergone are even more obvious without the thick layers of the robes obscuring her form. The extra weight seems to have settled in ideal places, not only thickening her waist and limbs but settling heavily along her hips and breasts, which hadn’t exactly been small to begin with.
She sits behind Xuanyu, filling a bowl with water and then pouring it over her hair to rinse it of blood and dirt that had been hidden by her dark hair. Acting as a bathing assistant is far below her station, but Xuanyu had sent all the servants away and she doesn’t mind, really. Xuanyu is her sister, likely the only one she’ll ever have considering A-Cheng’s track record with matchmakers, and she’s been worried about her. This gives them time to speak alone. “How has your marriage with Lan Wangji been? Has he been kind?”
Xuanyu pulls a face, which isn’t encouraging. “I guess. He mostly left me alone, and then we had a couple fights and he was a jerk, and now I think he’s trying to make up for being a jerk, but it’s a little – well, it’s nice that he’s making an effort. I suppose.”
Not as good as she’d hoped, but not as bad as she’d feared. “Sect Leader Lan seems fond of you.”
“Oh, Lan Xichen is great,” she says easily. Better than reaction to Lan Wangji, but still not what Jiang Yanli had been hoping for. Then her eyes light up. “Sizhui is wonderful! I’ll give Wangji one thing, he’s raised a good kid. He’s so sweet, and a great cultivator, and he’s always trying to help out everyone around him. I’m glad Jingyi’s always hanging around – without him, I think everyone would just take advantage of Sizhui’s good nature.”
Well, that’s something. Surely Lan Wangji can’t resist Xuanyu’s charms for long, not when she dotes on his son and gets along with his brother.
“What trouble did you get into on the road?” she asks, running her hand over the wound on Xuanyu’s shoulder. It looks nearly fully healed already and there’s another mostly healed wound on her hip, a thin slice on her left arm, and the shadow of various bruises that were likely much worse a couple hours ago. It’s of course a good thing that Xuanyu has a strong golden core, but Jiang Yanli can’t help a moment of wistfulness.
Her own core never lived up to her mother’s expectations, or her own. If she’d had a stronger core, she could have given A-Ling siblings. A child should have siblings. She would have had a calmer childhood without two little brothers underfoot, but a lonelier one too.
Xuanyu shrugs, lazily scrubbing herself down. “Looks like Xiao Xingchen picked up the girl, A-Qing, while he and Song Lan were separated and was trapped in this place that was basically a ghost town.” How could he be trapped by a place that had no people? “And I’d heard some rumors so when we ran into Song Lan I helped him find Xiao Xingchen, but there was a bit of a fight with someone who didn’t want him to leave. I just happened to get caught in the crossfire, so to speak.”
She’s stretching the truth to outright lying. Before Jiang Yanli can call her on it, her stomach growls.
“Didn’t get a chance to eat on the road?” she teases.
Xuanyu flushes, ducking briefly beneath the water to hide her flaming cheeks before resurfacing. “Things were a little hectic. It may have slipped my mind.”
How has she managed to put on weight while also forgetting to eat? Perhaps Lan Wangji deserves more credit.
“I think I have some candies in my room, if you want something before the banquet,” she offers. “I know the speeches take forever.”
Her eyes light up before dimming and she slumps in the bath. “Thanks, Yanli-jie, but I better not. Sizhui gave me some on the road and I usually love them but just putting it in my mouth almost made me sick. It was awful. And weird! They’re my favorite.”
Jiang Yanli blinks then gives Xuanyu’s significantly larger chest a considering look. It could be nothing. It’s probably nothing. She hasn’t even been married a year and it doesn’t sound as if she and Lan Wangji have been seeing eye to eye.
Then again, the same could have been said about her and Zixuan.
“Can I ask you something personal, Meimei?”
Xuanyu nods. “You can ask me anything, Yanli-jie.”
“Are you and Lan Wangji having sex?”
She turns bright red and ducks beneath the water for so long that Jiang Yanli is starting to get concerned before she resurfaces, still red faced. “Um. We did once. Well – I guess, technically, it was three times, but it was only one night.”
Well. Apparently Lan Wangji has stamina on and off the battlefield.
“One moment,” she says, briefly squeezing Xuanyu’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
It takes one whispered conversation with the servant outside the hall and approximately ninety seconds before her personal healer is standing in front of her. Jiang Yanli ducks back inside to see Xuanyu out of the bath, in a thin bathing robe that’s clinging to her as she wrings her hair out. “I’d like my healer to take a look at you, Meimei.”
Xuanyu freezes, slowly standing straight with a wary look on her face. “That’s really not necessary. The wounds were just superficial and they’re basically healed already.”
“It’ll be quick,” she says, because if she’s right then she can’t let Xuanyu go down to the banquet without letting her know. “She’s very discreet – she’s been my personal healer since I was a child.”
“Jiang Xingyi?” Xuanyu asks, some of her tension draining away.
Jiang Yanli nods, trying to think of some reason that Xuanyu would know her healer’s name, or her reputation, but all the servants are terrible gossips and her health is a frequent topic of derision. “Just your wrist, okay? Your golden core has changed a lot. I just want her to take a look.”
She feels bad about lying, but Xuanyu had lied to her first.
Xuanyu relaxes even further. “Okay, Yanli-jie. If it’ll make you feel better.”
“Thank you,” she smiles, then opens the door to usher Jiang Xingyi in.
The old woman doesn’t smile, but Xuanyu grins back undeterred, and says, “Hi, Granny,” before paling and adding, “uh, um. Sorry.”
Jiang Yanli feels a familiar pang of grief go through her. A-Xian had referred to Jiang Xingyi as Granny, the only disciple both bold and beloved enough to get away with it.
Jiang Xingyi ignores her, instead reaching for her wrist and pressing her fingers against it. Xuanyu fidgets, shifting from one foot to the other, but says nothing as the moments stack on top of one another.
Finally, Jiang Xingyi drops her wrist and steps back. Her stern visage breaks, a smile stretching her mouth across her face. “Congratulations, Madame Lan.”
She knew it!
“Thanks,” Xuanyu answers before wrinkling her nose. “Um. For what?”
“You are expecting,” she answers. “At least a couple months along, I believe, although I’d have to do a more thorough examination to be sure.”
Jiang Yanli moves to embrace her, but Xuanyu’s face drops and she turns dangerously pale. “What? No. That’s not possible. I can’t be.”
“Three times,” Jiang Yanli reminds her, trying to goad Xuanyu into laughter.
But instead she just shakes her head. “No, no I can’t, I – this can’t be happening,” she whispers to herself, grabbing her own arms in a white knuckled grip. “It’s not. It’s impossible. I can’t be.”
She’s young, and this wasn’t a marriage of her own choosing, and it’s so new. Of course she’s surprised and nervous. Jiang Yanli touches her elbow, intending to say something soothing, but Xuanyu collapses into her arms, gripping her waist and hiding her tears in her shoulder.
“Xuanyu!” she says, hugging her back just as fiercely, her heart breaking for the younger girl’s anguish. “Meimei, it’s okay, I know this is scary, but it’s going to be fine.”
“It’s not,” she says, voice thick with tears, “A-jie, this is awful, this is – it can’t happen! It can’t, Wangji is going to be so mad, he’s going to hate me, and everything is ruined and awful, I can’t be – I can’t! I’m going to die!”
Jiang Yanli’s whole body goes cold and she grips Xuanyu even tighter against her. “You’re going to be fine,” she says, pushing her conviction into every syllable.
No matter what Jiang Yanli has to do, Xuanyu is going to be fine.
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ninjakk · 2 years
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Our first glimpse at how deep WWXs feelings for LWJ truly were
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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.
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wangxianficrecs · 2 months
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💙 Hold on to the reason that you stayed by tawaen
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💙 Hold on to the reason that you stayed
by tawaen
M, Series, WIP, 62k, Wangxian
Summary: Once, Wen Qing vowed to preserve the lives of others, to rescue all living beings from their sufferings. It's a pity the Jin sect killed her. Now, no vows restrain her. (Two years after her death, the ghost of Wen Qing flees Golden Carp Tower with her brother. They accidentally kidnap Mo Xuanyu on the way out. Then, they set about collecting the scraps of Wei Wuxian's shattered soul.) Kay's comments: This series absolutely gutted me. Like, the end of the main story actually left in tears and it's been a while since I cried over fanfiction. Absolutely loved it, 10/10, would recommend, very cathartic. I loved Wen Qing's POV in the main story, how her anger and her thirst for revenge transformed the story and the cultivation society at large. Everything about this felt very satisfying and I loved how certain minor characters got second chances (via kidnapping) as well. Resentful ghost Wen Qing and martial god Wei Wuxian is such an awesome combination as well and Wangxian in this story were very adorable as well. Excerpt: She uses memories of her family as a bulwark against influence from the tormented yin energy. She needs this energy to become hers... If she fails here, A-Ning will be destroyed. Her family will never be given a proper burial. They will suffer eternally, trapped in the blood pool at the Burial Mounds and left out of the cycle of reincarnation forever. The people responsible will escape their karma. The resentment tries to crush her, wants to influence her and consumer her power, but Wen Qing has an anchor – Wen Ning's eyes widen slightly, and he reaches out to her. Pupils have returned to his eyes. “A-jie...” Her brother is finally conscious. Wen Qing will not fail him, not ever again. She pulls, letting her own will clash against the sentient portions of the power. They have suffered longer, but her resentment is fresh and fully remembered. She is not a fragment. She will not lose herself to them. The spirits go dormant – Wen Qing absorbed all the resentment fueling them. Her hand closes around Wen Ning's. “A-Ning.” She reaches out and brushes his hair out of his face with her other hand. She can actually feel the strands under her fingers. She no longer lingers as an incorporeal apparition, full as she is with resentful energy. “I missed you so much... But we need to leave quickly.” He leans into her touch briefly before nodding and pulling away. As she turns to grab a bag from one of the shelves so she can stow away the shattered pieces of the Yin Tiger Tally, Wen Ning gasps. Which is nearly impossible, since he doesn't breathe. When she looks back, she also releases a gasping sound. Hovering over the broken shards of the Tally, a nearly transparent image of Wei Wuxian flickers. His eyes glow red, as his ghostly image lifts an image of the fully completed Yin Tiger Tally, but then he disappears back to a flicker of ghost flame, fading.
pov wen qing, pov nie huaisang, canon divergence, thirteen years of wei wuxian's death, ghost wen qing, ghost general wen ning, mo xuanyu lives, rebirth, yiling wei sect, eventual lan wangji/wei wuxian, pov outsider, families of choice, cultivation sect politics, wen remnants deserve better, martial god wei wuxian, jiang family dynamics, golden core reveal, revenge
~*~
(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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darlingpwease · 10 months
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rabbit!LAN WANGJI who likes to just sit. you don't mind — he's tiny, cute, serious and warm, and when he sits, he looks even more charming, especially with those protruding ears, like two radars that easily turn in the direction of an interesting sound, but usually always stay in place. however, his golden eyes never leave you, constantly glancing sideways and as if waiting for you to do something to immediately react, and you can't deny that this puts a certain pressure on you when something is expected of you, but you don't understand what. after all, rabbits are social hybrids, and you realize that this is probably a signal for another rabbit, — but you are not a rabbit, and not even close.
you really need a lot of desire, patience, time, interest and Lan Xichen before you understand what the little rabbit expects from you — grooming. after all, it's natural that rabbits have their own rules of communication, and as he explains to you, "grooming is a very important and necessary thing in the social interaction of rabbits."
when your hand gently appears in front of LAN WANGJI'S face to see how he will react, he is silent for a few minutes before lowering his ears, slightly closing his eyes, watching you, but pretty much still letting you do what you want. his hair is soft, almost silky, and when you lightly rub him behind his soft, fluffy ears, you hear a soft "tooth purr" that Lan Xichen has already informed you about, unexpectedly taking your question seriously about what LAN WANGJI is trying to hint at. LAN WANGJI'S body is cute, much softer and warmer than you initially thought, and he doesn't even mind when you put your hand on his cheek while you keep rubbing behind his twitching ear. cutie.
... maybe you should have listened more attentively to something there about the "important thing" and "social hierarchy" when LAN WANGJI starts following you when he sees you, expecting that you will always join if he goes somewhere and you need to go there too, and almost impatiently asking, "what are your plans" and "can you go with him." but, hey, you didn't know that in the rabbit hierarchy it works this way, especially when he starts stroking you himself, expecting you to accept a return offer of grooming, and seriously offended if you refuse.
and when he starts to see that you dare to groom someone else? oh, you've never seen someone so jealous, angry, hurt and cold at the same time, as if you offered a candy to a child only to give it to another, — and by the emotions in his eyes you can be sure that this is the most accurate comparison that came to your mind.
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rayan12sworld · 5 months
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💠💙Troubled by the Emptiness
By:DecemberCamie
Summary:
Ten years after the end of the Sunshot Campaign, a Night Hunt leaves Lan Wangji depleted of spiritual energy and Lan Xichen heavily injured. The townsfolk in Yiling advise Lan Wangji to seek help from the Wei Sect however there is a problem with that.
Lan Wangji has never heard of the Wei Sect before. He doesn’t know of a single cultivator who bears the name.
And yet there is something hauntingly familiar about Sect Leader Wei Wuxian, something that makes Lan Wangji reconsider everything he’s known of his own past and everything he wants for his future.
Chapter:5/5
Words:27,195
Status:Completed
“You don’t know me because I was always just passing by. We never spent enough time in the same space for us to get to know each other. You wouldn’t have liked me if we met as kids, anyway. I talked too much and got in trouble all the time.” He grins, as if degrading himself is something that should be considered funny. Lan Wangji frowns. “I disagree.” “Oh? About what?” “I…I would have liked you, had we met when we were younger.” Wei Wuxian leans back, blinking. Then he laughs. It is a bright, bold laughter. Unrestrained and loud. It sounds exactly as it does in his dreams every night, echoing in his ears and haunting his waking hours. A perfect replica, an impossible reality. Lan Wangji had not been entirely sure before this moment. But now he is certain that Wei Wuxian is the mysterious stranger in his dreams. And Wei Wuxian, unaware of how his simple existence has shaken Lan Wangji to his core, beams. “Aiyah, Lan Zhan. That’s nice of you to say. But I don’t think that would have been the case at all.” “You don’t?” Wei Wuxian’s smile saddens and Lan Wangji’s heart aches as if it’s being torn in two. “No, I don’t. I think you would have really and truly hated me."
~~
his eyes land on a jar in similar size and color to the one Wei Wuxian had been drinking from on the roof. “I drink to forget,” Wei Wuxian’s words come back to him. “So it’s pretty great.” Lan Wangji doesn’t want to forget. Rather, he feels as though he has already lost something precious to him. Staying here at the Wei Sect is the closest he’s ever come to grasping at something he has no shape or reference for. Drinking will most likely not help with that. But so far, nothing else has. And tomorrow he will leave without coming any closer to the truth. Lan Wangji steps towards the jars.
~~
Lan Zhan,” he whispers. “Are you—Are you drunk?” Lan Wangji frowns. He presses his finger harder against Wei Wuxian’s mouth, repeating, “Shhhhhh.” Wei Wuxian doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He and Lan Wangji had talked about his non drinking habit not even two hours ago, yet he’d gone and sneaked some alcohol out of his own will! What could have possessed him to let go after so many years?
~~
“Who,” Lan Wangji begins quietly, haltingly, “are you?” Wei Wuxian hesitates, not knowing what kind of response is expected. Lan Wangji’s expression crumples. He gives Wei Wuxian a rough shake, growling, “Who are you?!” “I—I’m Wei Ying! I’m Wei Ying, remember? Wei Wuxian, leader of the Wei Sect—” “No!” Wei Wuxian grunts as Lan Wangji shoves him against the wall once more. He doesn’t fight against Lan Wangji’s hold, knowing it's pointless. The Lans are famous for their arm strength. Even a golden core wouldn’t help him much in this situation. “Why?” Lan Wangji chokes out. His fingers dig into Wei Wuxian’s shoulders and Wei Wuxian hisses in pain. He’ll have bruises there for the next week. “Why, what?” he grits out. “Why are you in my dreams?” Wei Wuxian stills. Because, what? Lan Wangji lifts a trembling hand. He cups Wei Wuxian’s cheek with a surprising gentleness. “Your laugh…it’s been there. For ten years, you were…and now you say we’ve never met.” To Wei Wuxian’s horror, Lan Wangji’s bottom lip starts to wobble. “You are in my dreams. How can we not know each other?” “Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian breathes, heartbroken and unable to give the answers Lan Wangji craves, and Lan Wangji adamantly shakes his head. “No.” He leans forward to bury his face in the crook of Wei Wuxian’s neck. His shuddering breath causes goosebumps to rise across Wei Wuxian’s skin. “No, why…why can’t I remember? Who are you?” He slumps over. Wei Wuxain automatically slides to the ground with him, arms coming around Lan Wangji to stop him from falling. “Lan Zhan?” he asks quietly. He gently lifts Lan Wangji’s face off his shoulder to see his eyes are closed. He’d fallen asleep. Wei Wuxian huffs, a smile tugging at his lips. “What am I to do with you?” he wonders aloud as he brushes a stray lock of hair out of Lan Wangji’s face. Lan Wangji looks years younger like this. Younger, even, than when they first met as teenagers on the roof of Cloud Recesses. All the tension in his face is gone, his furrowed brows are smoothed out and the hard line of his lips are soft. Wei Wuxian’s gaze lingers on Lan Wangji’s mouth. He shouldn’t. He really, really shouldn’t. But he’s never been one to shy away from a bad idea and, well, he most definitely won’t ever get this chance again. After tomorrow he’ll have to go back to pretending he doesn’t miss Lan Wangji like a severed limb. So he leans forward and gently kisses Lan Wangji’s soft lips. “I’m sorry, Lan Zhan,” he murmurs after he pulls back. “It’s mean of me to steal your first kiss. But don’t worry—I’ll be gone forever once we say goodbye. You’ll never have to be sad or angry because of me ever again.”
~~
“He says he dreams of me,” he says as they walk back down the hall. Wei Qing looks at him sharply. “Who? Hanguang-jun?’ Wei Wuxian nods and Wei Qing’s expression turns thoughtful. “Interesting. But I’m not surprised.” Wei Wuxian blinks. “Really?” “Yes. Remember, we didn’t know the side effects of the array when we activated it. We assumed there was nothing serious when there was no immediate news from the cultivation world, but what if there were only side effects for those who had important memories with you?” “Lan Zhan didn’t have that many memories with me.” She ignores him. She also kindly ignores his flinching at her next words, “Lan Wangji and the Jiang siblings were extremely close with you. And now all three of them seem to suffer with headaches, from which Lan Wangji only found relief when you were near. My guess is that they have some kind of phantom pain.” “What’s that?” “Imagine you lose a limb. You won’t adapt to not having an arm or leg so easily. Your mind will play tricks on you, make you think that body part is still attached to you even though it is gone. I believe the same thing happened when you removed their memories—your presence was so ingrained in their lives that their body and mind is having a hard time adapting without you around. “That’s why Lan Wangji also knew your name. He has no memory of you, but it is reflective for him to call you by your birth name. He dreams of you not because he still has memories of you but because his subconscious cannot stop thinking of you.” She pauses before adding, “It’s flattering. You are truly loved, Wei Ying.” Wei Wuxian flushes. “I don’t know about that. Lan Zhan had nothing but bad things to say about me while we were in the war.” “Only because he was worried about you.” “You don’t get it, Qing-jie. He couldn’t stand even looking at me back then. If he learns the truth about what I did, about how I cultivate, he would only hate me more.” Wei Qing shakes her head. “I’ll never understand how you can be so brilliant yet so stupid at the same time.”
~~
“So we were at the very least friends.” “At the very…what do you mean?” Lan Wangji dares to cup Wei Wuxian’s face, gently brushing his thumb across gaunt cheeks. Wei Wuxian sucks in a quiet breath. The skin under Lan Wangji’s hands warm with a blush. It’s a clear sign, and relief and bitterness wash over Lan Wangji in a crashing wave. He had not been reading their interactions incorrectly. Something had been between them before. Something unspeakable and warm and beautiful. He murmurs, “Were you really so cruel to take this from me, Wei Ying? How long had we been courting before my memories of you were erased?” Wei Wuxian’s eyes grow impossibly large. “N-No, Hanguang-jun. Lan Zhan. You’ve got it wrong. We didn’t—We weren’t—” Wei Wuxian stiffens, as if realizing something, and his gaze hardens. He jerks away from Lan Wangji, snapping, “If this is some kind of trick to get me to confess, think again.” “Why would I need to trick you with the truth? I only wish to know now why you gave us up.” “Shut up! There is nothing between us. You’re painting a rosy picture based on half truths you made up in your own head.” Wei Wuxian pushes past Lan Wangji and moves towards the door. Lan Wangji catches Wei Wuxian’s hand, stopping him from getting too far. “Wei Ying. What did you do all of this for? Tell me.” Wei Wuxian tries to pull out of Lan Wangji’s grip and snarls when he fails. “Are you going to trap me here until I tell you what you want to hear? What would the cultivation world say if they heard of their precious Hanguang-jun keeping someone hostage?” Wei Wuxian’s words remind Lan Wangji of his mother. He immediately shies away from the comparison. “I would not do that. But you cannot leave just yet.” He has a feeling if Wei Wuxian takes a single step out of this room, he will never see him again.
~~
Wei Wuxian throws himself against Lan Wangji’s hold. He tries kicking his legs, tries bucking his hips, tries squirming and cursing. Lan Wangji remains immovable and unflinching throughout it all. He will not let Wei Wuxian run away. He will not let him escape to a place where he cannot be found. He will not let Wei Wuxian make a decision on his own that impacts both of them—not again. He just needs to focus on that mission and not on the very distracting way Wei Wuxian’s body presses against his. “Wei Ying,” he hisses, heart hammering in his chest. “Be still. Why did you erase all memories of yourself?” Wei Wuxian is red-faced as he growls back, “You can’t keep me here! Qing-jie and A-Ning will come for me. You won’t be able to fight all three of us.” Lan Wangji opens his mouth, about to retort, when a thought occurs to him.
He asks, “What are Wei Qing and Wei Qionglin to you?” Wei Wuxian laughs breathlessly, head thrown back to reveal a pale throat. “Why do you care? Don’t tell me you’re jealous.” Lan Wangji increases the pressure on Wei Wuxian’s wrists. “What did they do to earn such a grand sacrifice? Wei Qing is a doctor. Did she heal someone important to you?” He remembers the massacre at Lotus Pier, how Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli had been temporarily on the run before joining the Sunshot Campaign. “Did she save the Jiang siblings?” “Hanguang-jun, rather than focusing on something like that, you should think of yourself. You shouldn’t be affiliated with me. It’s bad for your reputation.” “I don’t care.” “Oh, I think you do.” Wei Wuxian lifts his head, angling it just so, and then all Lan Wangji can see are dark silver eyes. “Remember what I told you? I fought in the war against the Wens. But I didn’t have a golden core. And you just saw me leaving the Burial Mounds covered in resentful energy. How do you think I fought back then?” Wei Wuxian’s whisper brushes against Lan Wangji’s lips, “Fraternizing with someone who practices demonic cultivation is against your Sect’s rules, you know.”
The Lan Sect rules are the farthest things on Lan Wangji’s mind right now. The only thing he can think of is kissing Wei Wuxian, of turning off his lies and distractions and prying the truth out of him with his own mouth and tongue. He wants to hear Wei Wuxian spill his secrets in gasps and moans. He wants to find a way to ensure Wei Wuxian won’t sacrifice the new memories they share like he had their previous ones.
I don’t care,” he repeats.
"Oh, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian murmurs. “You’re such a liar.” “The only one who has lied here is you.”
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