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impatiencegyu · 9 months

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Jin Ling and his Jiu-jiu

Jin Ling is seven when he almost understands love.

It's past midnight, and he had had a very bad nightmare. Someone was chasing after him, calling him names and yelling that he was an orphan, and that his uncle was dead, and that he had no one left in this world, and so on and on and on—

He had woken up screaming, rousing his uncle who was fast asleep and had gone to sleep dead-tired. I woke him up, Jin Ling thinks guiltily as he twists his fingers into his uncle's shirt, burrowing his teary face deeper into his neck.

"What is it, A-Ling?" Jiu-jiu's voice, though rough from sleep, is soft and comforting as he cradled the boy into his lap. "It's just a nightmare, alright? No one is going to hurt you — I'll break their legs before they get to you."

Jin Ling giggles wetly, wiping at his eyes before leaning his head on his uncle's shoulder and looking up. His jiu-jiu was the best in the whole world. He was so handsome, and so cool, and all his friends were jealous of him because he was just so cool. Everyone loved him, though he was often grumpy — the only person he didn't get grumpy at all the time was him. And Sang-gege, of course.

Ah, Sang-gege. Jin Ling thinks, suddenly straightening up, before lying back down against his jiu-jiu's chest.

"Jiu-jiu?"

"Hm?"

Jin Ling hesitates, before leaning his head slightly up. "Jiu-jiu, can I ask you something?"

"Well, go on," his uncle tilts his head to a side.

"Jiu-jiu," Jin Ling whispers, closing his eyes as he leans his head back on his uncle's chest.

"Jiu-jiu, do you love Sang-ge?"

He hears his uncle's breath hitch, and smiles a bit when he felt his heart speed up under his ears. "Jiu-jiu?"

He heard his jiu-jiu huff before he asks, "Suddenly? What brought this on?"

"Well, Sang-gege loves you. So I thought you would—"

"He said that?" Though he doesn't look up at him, Jin Ling heard the sudden softness and something — hope? — in his uncle's voice.

"No, but he looks at you like that."

"Like what?"

Jin Ling makes a face as he continues, "Like Zhan-ge looking at Wei Wuxian."

"That's Da-jiu for you," his uncle corrects, and laughs as Jin Ling makes a face again.

"Like Da-jiu and Zhan-ge look at each other."

"Do I look at him like that?"

Jin Ling contemplates that for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, you are different. Your eyes go all soft, and sometimes I think you don't even breathe when Sang-ge is here. You go all warm and soft even if you snark at him all the time, and you almost always look at him like that."

Jiang Cheng's mouth has fallen open at some point. He opens it, closes it, then lets out a snort. "That's way too observant for a 7 year old."

Jin Ling smiles smugly at him, before commenting in wonder, "Jiu-jiu, you are so red right now, you look like tomato soup."

His uncle's smile gives way to a scowl as he lifts Jin Ling off his lap.

"That's enough for now. Go to bed."

"But jiu-jiu!" Jin Ling whines as he's dragged into his uncle's bed, and immediately smothered by blankets. "I don't wanna sleep! I wanna talk about Sang-gege!"

"I said sleep." Jiang Cheng climbs under the covers with him, switching the light off, and cuddling him close. Jin Ling sighs, observing his uncle's face in the soft glow of the nightlight. Then he whispers.

"Jiu-jiu."

"What?"

"When am I going to fall in love?"

"Sleep."

"But jiu-jiu—"

Jiang Cheng now cuddles his nephew closer, closing his eyes as he hugs him tight to his chest.

"Another word and you can go back to your room. Sleep."

Jin Ling huffs, annoyed, then gives up and closes his eyes too.

"Good night, jiu-jiu."

"It's almost morning now, idiot child. Sleep. Wake me if you get a nightmare again, okay?"

Jin Ling smiles wide at that, and nods against his uncle's chest, before dozing off.

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sillygoofyqueer · 25 days

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The Untamed review: episode two!!

Yes, Wei Wuxian, Little Apple IS a picky eater, because he deserves only the best and KNOWS IT

Bro's complaining about a donkey to a donkey, what a guy

"You're like MY master"

"Yo, there's a well!" Wei Wuxian immediately moves out of the way, what a gentleman

HE'S JUST TALKING TO THEM, WOAHHHH

Wei Wuxian helplessly listening to them argue over his inventions is so funny to me

"IS WEI YOUR DAD?!??" "HE'S MY IDOL!!"

The way that Wei Wuxian just gives up and peaces out

Fighting with a donkey now

Take the fucking apple, you dumbass

How old is this woman? She looks about twenty five

IT'S JUST LIKE IN MINECRAFT

Push her off, it'd be so funny and no one would know

Yo, what is Yan doing?? She's busting some moves

Does he just flick any random person?

Ohhhh, I see

Got killed by the mist, that's an embarrassing way to go

Bro is dead, goddamn. Poor lass has no soul

This woman has been through so much, she doesn't deserve it

Someone's catching humans, cannibals in every universe

JIN LING!!! <3

Laughing at the richness of people

"Naur, stay up there. See you later xoxo"

How is this woman here????

LITTLE APPLE BEHAVE YOURSELF

It's fine, he's wearing a mask that covers his eyes

"It's you?" Aw shit, the guy who was a baby when you were around is onto you

Joking, he knows Mo Xuanyu

Mock him and see how it ends up

BRO JUST INSULTED HIM BECAUSE HE'S MOTHERLESS

Stop trying to get up, jesusss

Nice throw

He looks so done with people's shit

STOP FUCKING MOCKING HIM, WEI WUXIAN

Oh, hey Jiang Cheng, you're baby girling quite hard today

No need to crush it

"break his legs? No, feed him to your dog, kiddo"

His boyfriend has come to rescue him

"I'm so unlucky today", on the contrary, I think you're very lucky, these characters are key to the plot and you didn't even have to go looking for them!!

I like the music that plays when the Lan Clan is around

Lan Jingyi stepping up for his father- teacher

Lan Sizhui, how do you know so much

HE CAST THE SILENCE SPELL, I LOVE HIM

He says it like a slur hahahaha

Lan Wangji is too busy mewing, don't break his streak!!

"If you don't get that spirit, don't come back to me!!" Jin Ling was never seen again 😔

He's like a grumpy toddler, I love him so

"Don't worry, we'll pay for the nets we broke!" "Nuh uh!!" Lan Sizhui, you're an angel, don't listen to him

HIS MEWING STREAK NOOOOO

Nice voice though

"I thought I saw my boyfriend 😔"

There are spirits in the lake, I wouldn't suggest drinking from it

Jiang Yanli 😭😭😭

Stop smiling, you're hallucinating

Slander my boy and sees what happens

Slap yourself, go on, like the books

Don't put the blame all on him!!!

Nice, like the books

Feel the shame

That cannot be comfortable, those are literal rocks

LITTLE APPLE!!

He's like they're little leader

That's a fast old man

Lan Jingyi's first instinct is to point a sword at an old man, lmaaoooo

"anything strange here?" "Duh"

Leaving him alone while he's trying to give important plot information, rude

Glowing grass, what the fuck

I think you should eat some

He just wants to clean, leave him alone

WEN QING!!!!!!

Flashbacks lmao

Where'd the old man go

Dirty

No way is that naturally formed

Lan Jingyi, you're surprisingly knowledgeable..I didn't know you could read

Jin Ling and his group of people

AAAAAHH WHAT THE FUCK

"what's up baby girls"

Ugh, it's been moving for a while now

Maybe you should, I don't know, LISTEN TO THE GUY WHO KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING??

Also, y'all ditched him, minus points

"We're out" "fuck, y'all are gonna soooo be punished"

The look he gave, as if this isn't like, a sixteen seventeen year old. No, wait, he's probably eighteen...how old was he before Wei Wuxian's death? ANYWAY

Criticising the Lan education system while you're at it

"wait, you can't be crazy, because that makes sense!!" Lan Jingyi my beloved

Shit, my cover as a crazy person has been blown

Are they having a mewing contest or what?

Well done, Lan Jingyi

WHERE'S MY NEPHEW

I swear it wasn't that big before

Y'all are doing a shit job at running from something this slow

Nice attack, it's still stone though

Dude, listen to Lan Sizhui

"Hey, my sword 🥺😔"

Considering this flute playing is supposed to be shit, it's not too bad

"ugh, you're playing the flute this bad? You must be crazy" Lan Jingyi, make up your mind

STOOOOOP JIN LING

Nice kick, it's still stone though

WEN NING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE'S HERE TO KICK SOME ASS FOR YOU!!!!

They both look mildly terrified

Dude killed it so easy, well done. Naur, it's just an illusion.

"y'all, no need to be scared, the Yiling Patriarch ain't here" he's standing over there, wearing a mask

I THOUGHT THE LANS WERE BETTER THAN THIS

Luring him over with shitty flute playing

LET GO OF THE COMEDIC RELIEF

His robes are even blowing, just for you

Me leading my next snack away from the bag

Walk faster, goddamn

"hey bbg, it's been a while"

Listen guys, I know you're in love but there's a corpse there

He flew away, like Jesus

So...how is everyone surprised when they do turn out to be gay???

DON'T PIN THE BLAME ON HIM. MY MAN'S IS GUILTY BUT PRETTY

Uhh uh oh. Mom and dad are fighting again

Lan Wangji already looks so bored

The fucking GLARE I CAN'T

"Take off the mask!!!" "Nuh uh, I'm too handsome"

Lan Jingyi needs to stop being smart, it's scaring me

Stoooop, he didn't kill his brother

Okay, so he did, but he didn't want to!!!

He passed out, okay man

Answer the stupid call

FAMILY!!!!!!!

They're so happy 😔

Give him what he wants, it's SYMBOLISM

Lecturing him better than Lan Qiren

You lost him already, not very good at this, ey?

Alcoholic

Of course he will, it's Wei Wuxian

They're so happy :(

#four being a dumbass #Four's live review #mo dao zu shi #cql #the untamed #the untamed spoilers #wei wuxian #lan jingyi #lan sizhui #lan wangji #jin ling #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #little apple #wen qing mentioned!!

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anqelbean · 1 year

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I have many mdzs fanfic ideas (or mxtx in general) that I'll never write because I'm a coward with no time to spare so I'll just share what's supposed to be a 100k fic in my head into a long tumblr post.

So I have been thinking of this tgcf x mdzs crossover for months basically.

You know those AUs where hualian adopt wwx? What if. Hear me out. Wei Wuxian is their actual blood son?

Like. One of the two of them finally took that childbearing pill and popped out little A-Ying, who's basically the first human to be born immortal. Little young master of Ghost City. Little prince of the heavens. Spoiled with love and care by his parents and endless list of uncles and aunts. Crimson red eyes and a bright smile.

So, of course, in this au, his last name wouldn't be Wei, but what if they couldn't decide whose name he should take? I don't think hualian would care much for that anyway, but the realms have different opinions. The heavens want his name to be "Xie Ying" after his godly father, but the ghosts want it to be "Hua Ying" after their king.

So, why not both, you know? The Gods call him "Xie Ying" and the Ghosts call him "Hua Ying".

He grows up a very happy child with incredible parents, beloved in all three realms, by Heaven, Earth and Ghost.

Then, he turns 22, and decides he wants to know what mortality felt like, being the only one in his family to have never experienced it. He asks his parents to grant him the chance to see how it felt to be mortal, at least for a while.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng take this with a heavy heart, as both of them are incredibly worried over their son. They agree of course, but they make a deal.

It goes like this: A-Ying will be reverted to a 9 year old, and until the day he reaches the same age as he was the day he gained his mortality, he shall not have the memories of his immortal life. He will not remember his fathers, he will not remember how it's like to walk through the golden streets of the heavens, or the colourful ones of Ghsot City. He will not remember his relatives, nor will he remember his friends. He will lose all of them, for 13 years as a mortal.

And so, the little young master is sent to Earth, with no memories nor spiritual power. His parents sent him purposefully on the path of two young newlyweds, who unfortunately couldn't have children. They send word to their friends that they have adopted a child. He gains a third name, one for the Earth to call him, Wei Ying, a normal silver eyed boy.

Then, his mortal parents die, and Wei Ying is alone. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are worried sick as they watch their little boy from afar. Then, while Jiang Fengmian is searching for his da-shixiong's child in Yiling, he spots something quite peculiar.

A butterfly, with wings that seemed as if made of pure silver, looking neither alive nor dead. He decides to follow it, thinking it the will of the heavens.

He finds a young boy, cornered by a pack of stray dogs in an alley. He rescues the boy and asks for his name.

"My name is Wei Ying," The boy bows to him in gratitude. "Thank you for saving me, kind shushu!!"

Jiang Fengmian thinks it the blessing of the heavens.

And so, Wei Ying gains a new family, a kind shushu and an angry madame, a sweet older sister and a grumpy little brother and he couldn't be happier.

So he works hard, he learns how to cultivate, he does everything so that he doesn't disappoint this new, fragile family he has. Soon enough he becomes da-shixiong, just as his adoptive father before him. He even gets a his own sword, one made specifically for him!

(Xie Lian's hands itch to see his son's spiritual weapon, especially since it's a sword, but he cannot help but laugh at the name)

The madame is harsh, but he'll take any punishment if it means keeping his family.

His little brother is often jealous of him, insecure in his standing as heir to their clan, but he still cares for his older brother, even when he is reckless, so Wei Ying tries everything to help his brother with his woes.

His shijie is the best. But she's in love with an idiot. So he needs to protect her. It's the least he can do for her.

His shushu is still as kind as the first day he met him, but he is too harsh on his shidi. He cannot have that, so he tries everything to get him to acknowledge his son.

And then there's Cloud Recesses.

Then there's long black hair and sharp golden eyes. Bright white and soft blue against a moonlit night. An uptight personality and a face he cannot get out of his head. And easily triggered annoyance, an even but deep voice, a natural rule follower. Someone who he can spar with on even ground.

Wei Ying, now Wuxian, has always been smart. He realizes why he wants this boy's eyes and attention to always be directed at him. He wishes he could ignore it. It would be preferable to dreaming of being pressed to a desk at the Library Pavilion by an angry Lan Zhan and being kissed within an inch of his life.

Although not by much, if such a fantasy were to come true.

Then, he punches Jin Zixuan and gets sent home. It's worth it, it's to protect his shijie's honour. But as he says goodbye to Lan Zhan, as he leaves him with two small bunnies, as he sees blush seep into the top of his ears and back of his neck, he thinks he should've been more careful about it.

(As Xie Lian watches his son from afar, he cannot help but chuckle at his son's first love, and thinks that maybe, that Lan Wangji would be a good son-in-law. His husband is not as convinced, protective over his child. Maybe this is how Guoshi felt when he found out about him and Xie Lian.)

When Wei Wuxian sees him again at the archery competition, he feels overjoyed, and, wanting to show off in front of Lan Zhan, wins the competition single handedly, but not before accidentally taking off Lan Zhan's forehead ribbon, and angering him in the process. He really didn't understand what's so serious about it.

(Feng Xin could not be more proud of his nephew for winning in archery, but he does wish he could smack him on the head for not realizing the meaning of his actions. Mu Qing rolls his eyes as his husband's boisterous laughter fills the room.)

Then there's a dark cave and a murderous monster, blood and hunger and wounds. But there's also a kiss, soft, speaking a thousand promises, a song, a sweet melody to lull him to sleep, and the lap of his beloved, supporting his head as he rests and Wei Ying thinks he could happily die like this, in Lan Zhan's arms.

(There's also a brother, who's frantic to return home to get help. There's also a silver butterfly, guiding Jiang Cheng back to the cave, where he finds his brother hurt and battered, sleeping peacefully on Lan Wangji's lap.)

Then. He wakes up alone to the ceiling of his room. He would think it all a dream but his wounds say otherwise. He understands, of course, why Lan Zhan couldn't stay, but oh how he wishes he did.

But then there's fire.

There's fire and a mountain of corpses. There's hands around his neck, and tears falling on his face. There's Zidian, pressed to his brother's palm.

Then there's steady hands cutting him open with precision honed by years of experience. There's pain worse than anything he's ever felt. There's a peak in Yiling, there's a golden spiritual core.

Then there's darkness and resentment. There's spirits around him. He learns to wield it. To bend it to his will, no matter the cost. Asks the spirits of the dead for their bodies, to help his cause. They agree.

But then there's a worried father dressed in red. There's an unplanned reunion. Unplanned memories. Unplanned tears. Unplanned consequences.

Hua Cheng tries everything to save his son from the pain, but even with the knowledge he was given again, his A-Ying, his A-Xian, couldn't stop.

He had loved ones to protect.

(After all, his A-Ying always took after his love)

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wise-tortoise · 2 years

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I'm posting this threadfic from twitter here for archival purposes, with format adjusted for tumblr, but no other modifications from how it originally was. If you would like to read the polished version (which still has minimal changes but is a bit prettier to read I think), check out my Ao3!

***

Jiang Yanli was determined to spend time with her brothers, like they used to when they were kids. She really missed them! It was nobody's fault that, after she'd gone to high school, she'd had too many obligations to just hang out with them.

And then she'd gone to university and they'd gone to high school, and everyone was too busy and doing things together seemed like an impossible task. And then she'd graduated and her brothers had gone to college instead, and with exams and projects they never had time for her!

But Jiang Yanli was determined. Now that they were done with exams for the moment, she asked them to meet up the next friday and they agreed, also eager to spend time with her (at least, she presumed...)

"A-Cheng, A-Xian!!! Here!!!!" She waved at them from the park bench she was sitting on.

They hugged tightly like they hadn't seen each other in months (not true, but family dinners didn't count) and helped her spread out the contents of their picnic baskets.

It was such an enjoyable time! All three of them, hanging out again, talking about their lives. She'd missed them so much!

After a while, seeing that they rarely mentioned someone else in their tales, Jiang Yanli got curious and asked:

"So is there no one that you like?" And that's when things started to get... Weird. Jiang Cheng got somewhat cagey - but what was fine, he's always been shy! Maybe he wasn't ready, so she wasn't going to press. But Wei Wuxian also avoided the question.

She would have expected Wei Wuxian to either be upfront about not liking anyone, or be excited to tell her if he'd met a girl he liked! But maybe... Oh, was it because it wasn't a girl? It wasn't something she'd expected, but it was nothing to be ashamed of!

She decided to show her support "So there's no girl, or boy? Anyone? You know you can tell jiejie, right? You too, A-Cheng! I will always support you ☺️" "Eh? Ah, haha, thanks, jie, but there's really no need to..."

Wei Wuxian trailed off as he looked at Jiang Cheng's closed off expression. Jiang Yanli saw some kind of shift in him, as he seemed to change course of action "Actually, there is someone I like, quite a lot" "Oh?? Do tell me more, if you can ☺️"

"they are always shy and grumpy, but very kind. They're like tofu that's crispy outside but soft inside!" Jiang Yanli laughed at the comparison, while Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and turned his head away from them

"i really, uh, I really like spending time with them, it's fun and they. Uhm. Jie, they make me happy" Wei Wuxian said, turning shy and looking at the grass under them. Jiang Cheng was now looking at him, too. Jiang Yanli was surprised. Could it be that her A-Xian had found his forever?

"Wei Wuxian... You- you really mean it?" "Of course I do. This person is... very important to me and I- I want to make them happy as well. If they'll let me" Aw, so her A-Xian really was in love! But why did A-Cheng look like he was about to cry...?

"Stupid" Jiang Cheng said as he threw his arms around Wei Wuxian, who hugged him back immediately, their momentum bringing them down half on their blanket and half on the grass...

...huh? Jiang Yanli was very confused. Who was this special person?

Why would A-Xian's confession get such a reaction out of A-Cheng? But as she saw how the two were entangled, smiling with tears in their eyes, and had maybe even forgotten about her, she realized who that special person was.

Jiang Yanli smiled and cut three more slices of cake. There was something to celebrate, after all.

#chengxian #xiancheng #mdzs #jiang yanli #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #yunmeng shuangjie #yunmeng siblings #the untamed #my fic

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coffeeandritalin · 2 years

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MDZS Ch. 7 Swoons

(Note: Passages are taken from ExR's translations.)

I love how WWX has just come back to life and is seeing LWJ again for the first time and the boy is already smitten again.

The pair of white boots passed around Wei WuXian and calmly walked three steps forward. Wei WuXian raised his head and got up. As he walked past the former, slightly brushing their shoulders, he made eye contact with him for a short moment, pretending that it was unintentional.

Like really, WWX? You’ve just bumped into the love of your life LWJ again, and you immediately need to orchestrate a moment to physically bump into him and make him look at you? Things brings to mind CR days and especially the Qishan Discussion Conference/shooting competition where WWX is repeatedly determined to make LWJ pay attention to him. WWX might be in a different body but his need to make LWJ look at him is innate to his soul.

He had an aura of smooth moonlight. The seven-stringed zither that he carried on his back was narrower than most. Its body was black, made using wood of soft color. The man wore a forehead ribbon with cloud patterns. His skin was fair, features both refined and elegant, as if he was a piece of polished jade. The color of his eyes was especially light, like they were made of colored glass, causing his gaze to be overly distant. His expression held the traces of frost and snow, stern to the degree of being stiff, unwavering even as he saw Wei WuXian’s ridiculous face. There wasn’t a single spec of dust or wrinkled spot on him, from his head to his feet. It was impossible to find any fault with his appearance.

So this bit here… Arguably, this isn’t necessarily WWX swooning over LWJ. Every novel will take a moment to describe its main characters. At the very least, this description is just letting us know that LWJ is important to the story and is starting to set up his character. It’s important to me to remember that the actual narrator is not WWX (so we do not actually get all of WWX’s thoughts and opinions), but the narration is heavily colored by WWX’s heart eyes perspective.

Even so, two capitalized words jumped into Wei WuXian’s mind. Mourning clothes!

We see here that there is actually a slight separation between the narration and WWX’s actual thoughts.

Mourning clothes, indeed. Although all of the clans in the cultivation world used extravagant words to describe the GusuLan Sect’s uniform as the best-looking uniform and Lan WangJi as an incomparable beauty who only appeared once in a blue moon, nothing could help the bitter facial expression that made him look as though his wife had passed away.

However, as we can see in the passage above, the narration and WWX’s perspectives are very much blended together. This is where I think MXTX makes wonderful use of the ‘unreliable narrator’. How much of the narration is exposition, uncolored by WWX’s opinions? How much of the narration is his conscious thoughts (‘Mourning clothes!’)? How much of the narration is his subconscious thoughts (‘nothing could help the bitter facial expression that made him look as though his wife had passed away’)? Because the narration and WWX’s perspectives are blended, we can’t really tell, and that’s what creates questions and uncertainty for the reader until they get to know the characters much better as the story progresses. I just love and freak out so much about the way MXTX tells her stories and I just ahhhhhhhhhh… Anyway… ahem. I digress.

If I had to say, I would say that the passage gradually goes from exposition to WWX’s unconscious thoughts. Exposition: ‘Mourning clothes, indeed… best looking uniform’ WWX’s unconscious thoughts: ‘LWJ as an incomparable beauty…as though his wife had passed away.’

Sorry, another freak out about the author moment here. I love that you wouldn’t necessarily know that this second part is part of WWX’s unconscious until we get to the CR arc. During the CR arc, WWX repeatedly comments on how cold and grumpy LWJ looks and how that’s ‘no way to attract the ladies’. It really takes knowing this history between WangXian for us to know that this is actually WWX’s personal brand and way of describing LWJ’s stern face X-D.

Anyway, back to the point… WWX unconsciously thinks that LWJ is an incomparable beauty ^_~.

Powerful cultivators from prominent clans usually didn’t care to pay attention to lower level preys. However, Lan WangJi was an exception. He never cared for the prey of a night-hunt, and wouldn’t refuse to go just because the creature was not threatening enough to increase his fame. If anyone wanted help, he would be there. He had been like this ever since he was young. “Being wherever the chaos is” was the comment that the public gave him for his night-hunts and, also, praise for his moral character.

This bit here is probably mostly exposition and uncolored by WWX’s own opinions since WWX was dead during the time most of this would be happening. Notice that there’s not much regarding how pretty LWJ is ^_~.

Lan WangJi seemed as if he didn’t want to engage in conversation, throwing Lan SiZhui a look. Lan WangJi frowned. Jin Ling was about to speak again, but he suddenly realized that, shockingly, he could neither open his mouth nor make any sounds.

Okay… so these two are just thrown in for fun because I absolutely cannot get over how f***ing petty LWJ is. Petty LWJ is definitely among my top favorite things.

Okay so I went from swooning over WWX swooning over LWJ into freaking out about how much I love MXTX’s storytelling… I guess one could say I'm also swooning about the author here... but we shall resume the WangXian swooning in ch. 8.

#mdzs #mdzs novel #random thoughts #wangxian #swooning over wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mdzs thoughts

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robininthelabyrinth · 2 years

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Prompt - canon divergence. Wei Wuxian makes it to Jin Lings one month celebration without being ambushed and now his family, friends, Lan Wangji and the rest of the cultivation world has to deal with him holding, playing with, his totally not, nephew and maybe crying from it. Bonus with his loved ones noticing how he is suffering from malnutrition and how big the bags underneath his eyes are. And Lan Wangji dying from feeling overload from seeing the love of his life holding a baby.

ao3

“Look at this magnificent hero! So young, yet he’s already defeated the dreadful Yiling Patriarch!”

That got some odd looks.

Admittedly, the odd looks were mostly due to the fact that it was the dreadful Yiling Patriarch himself, Wei Wuxian, who was shouting out those words in quite such an enthusiastic manner. He was lying flat on his back in the middle of the hall, a tiny little baby boy cradled in his arms and looking exceedingly grumpy and confused in the way that babies generally did at that age.

Jin Ling did not look the part of a magnificent hero having just defeated great evil.

He mostly looked like he wanted to burp.

“What a brave warrior he’s going to be!” Wei Wuxian continued crowing. “Look at him! Brave – capable – intelligent –”

“If you keep swinging him around like that, he’s going to spit up on you,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Don’t be such a spoil-sport. Look at him, victorious and amazing and – argh!”

“Told you,” Jiang Cheng said, looking smug, and reached out his arms to pluck Jin Ling away. “Go get changed.”

“I told you that he’d be able to defeat the Yiling Patriarch,” Wei Wuxian grumbled, rolling up and heading out the door. “I never specified exactly how…oh, this is disgusting…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that right,” Jiang Cheng said. “Did Master ‘Corpses Aren’t Gross What Are You Talking About’ say something?”

“Shut up.”

“Oh, he hasn’t let go of the baby since he’s been here,” Jin Zixuan said. He was still slightly bleary-eyed from the unfamiliar experience of having slept through the night in full – his mother had laughed at him when he’d said that he wanted to assist Jiang Yanli in taking care of the baby personally, rather than leaving the bulk of it to the servants, and he was starting to think she’d been right. “I think he’s taken him off somewhere. Possibly the park?”

“Is that wise, Young Master Jin?” one of the subsidiary sect leaders said. Jin Zixuan couldn’t remember his name, and had been making vague conversation with for the longest time while quietly hoping that someone would address him first – sadly, no luck yet. Possibly no one else remembered his name either.

“In what sense?” Jin Zixuan asked, rubbing his forehead. “He’s a good swordsman; he’s got good enough balance that he’s not going to drop him no matter how much A-Ling wiggles.”

That had been a profound concern of his own for the past month, almost entirely aimed at himself, and one he couldn’t quite get rid of no matter how many times Jiang Yanli laughed at him or how stupid he knew it was. He, too, had good balance – he could wield a sword perfectly well – a wiggling baby was nothing. And yet.

The subsidiary sect leader coughed. “Not in that sense, Young Master. He is the Yiling Patriarch – is it wise to allow him to take the heir out alone?”

“…are you suggesting he might want to take A-Ling hostage?” Jin Zixuan asked, humor fading into a serious expression.

The other sect leader looked relieved by his comprehension and nodded.

“I only have one question, then,” Jin Zixuan said. “What the fuckis wrong with you? A-Ling is his nephew!”

“Wow,” Wei Wuxian said. “I hate this.”

“You’re not alone,” Jin Zixun said. His eye was twitching. “Zixuan, can we stop this farce?”

“Absolutely not,” Jin Zixuan said. “I warned you both that if you got into one more argument around A-Ling, I’d make you both regret it, didn’t I?”

They were both silent in a way that suggested they were both thinking I didn’t realize you meant this.

“You’re in-laws now, and have been for over a year. You have a nephew in common. You can’t keep doing this and fighting all the time – I told you both that already. You didn’t listen.” He shrugged. “So now we’re going to sit here and enjoy each other’s company until you two learn to actuallyenjoy each other’s company.”

The silence took on a distinct quality of But must we be doing it naked?

“Jinlin Tower is known for its marvelous bathhouses. It would be a shame for Wei Wuxian to come all this way and not try them out,” Jin Zixuan said peaceably. Nie Huaisang was right: making trouble for other people on purpose was really very relaxing. “Especially since Zixun was concerned about the possibility of Wei Wuxian being the one who cast the curse on him and kept insisting on him stripping down; this seemed like the perfect solution to that problem. I suggest the two of you start talking.”

I don’t want to and you can’t make me.

“A-Li agreed with me that this was top priority,” Jin Zixuan said. “She and Jiang Wanyin have agreed to watch A-Ling for as long as this takes – even if it means I have to sit here until it does. Just…sit here. Quietly. Restfully. Without having to run over to watch over a screaming baby…”

“We’re going to be here forever if he has anything to say about it,” Wei Wuxian said to Jin Zixun, who grimaced in agreement. “Fine. So who’d you piss off enough for a curse like that? They can remove it voluntarily, you know – you probably just need to apologize.”

“If I knew who it was, do you think I would’ve suspected you?” Jin Zixun grumbled. “I may not like or approve of you, but I’m not stupid enough to fuck around with my life at stake.”

“How did you get the idea that it was me, anyhow?” Wei Wuxian asked, tapping his chin. “I’m not actually known for curses – just corpses.”

Jin Zixun frowned. “You know, now that I think about it, I don’t actually remember.”

Jin Zixuan leaned back in the bath and closed his eyes with a happy sigh. Look at that, he thought. They’re finally bonding!

“You have an overwhelming urge to adopt a baby now, don’t you,” Lan Xichen said to his brother, not bothering to make it a question.

Lan Wangji glared at him.

It wasn’t a denial.

(This was just like the loquats, no matter what Lan Wangji pretended to himself.)

“I can’t blame you. Wei-gongzi really does make it look terribly appealing, doesn’t he? Pinching A-Ling’s cheeks and talking to him, showing him around…”

Lan Wangji’s ears had gone red.

Lan Xichen did not allow his smirk to show on his face.

“They’re an awful lot of work, though,” he said mildly. “It’s much easier to do it with another person around.”

Lan Wangji looked like he wanted to die, which was not a uncommon reaction to this sort of teasing.

“And, of course, you can’t just pay attention to taking care of the baby yourself. It’s important to make sure that they get an appropriate amount of interaction with other children their own age.”

Lan Wangji slanted a glance towards him. “Brother.”

“Yes?”

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Lan Xichen smiled. “I was just thinking about what you said when you came back from the Burial Mounds last time, about there being a small child there,” he said. “He must be the only one there, don’t you think? All alone. Perhaps you might see fit to borrow little Jingyi to go for a visit…?”

If Wei Wuxian has anything of the same reaction to Wangji holding a baby as Wangji does to Wei Wuxian holding one, we’ll have a marriage settled before spring, he thought happily. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

#mdzs #wei wuxian #jin ling #jiang cheng #jin zixuan #jin zixun #lan wangji #lan xichen #my fic #my fics

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inessencedevided · 4 years

Text

What your favourite mdzs/cql ship says about you

So, by absolutely nobody's request I made a shitpost based on Eldena Doubleca5t’s awesome youtube videos. I included the link to the channel in the source because this post won’t show up if i put it here. Go give her videos a watch and then read this post in her voice because I swear to you it'll be a 100% funnier

Also, these are absolutely NOT to be taken seriously. I was just procrastinating by taking the piss out of these characters. I’m not here to start any ship wars. I don’t even have a legit opinion on over half these ships ^^ (though I DID jokingly include why I ship some of these. You can guess which)

Lan Wangji / Wei Wuxian (cql)

You’re always a slut for period dramas.

Lan Wangji / Wei Wuxian (novel)

You’re always a slut for the exact OPPOSITE of period dramas, which is sexual tension culminating in kinky consensual dub-con sex and copious amounts of pda.

Nie Mingjue / Lan Xichen

Your ideal high-school romance is jock/nerd.

Lan Xichen / Jin Guangyao

You’re a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of devotion, deception and despair.

Wei Wuxian / Mo Xuanyu

You were looking at that tumblr memes about fucking your clone and thought “Mhh ...”

Wei Wuxian / Wen Ning

You don’t understand people who say they wouldn’t date their best friend. Like, aren’t you best friends for a reason?

Wen Ning / Wei Wuxian / Lan Wangji

You either just wanted good things for Wei Wuxian (and really who wouldn’t?) OR you’re just ... really horny.

Luo Qingyang / Jiang Yanli

You read mdzs and watched cql and each time a woman was in a scene you just thought “Aren’t you tired of being nice? Don't you just want to go ape shit?”

Wen Ning / Jiang Cheng

You are YuBin. (there’s a post on his Weibo. it’s brilliant)

Wei Wuxian / Xue Yang

You have a secret necrophilia kink that you won’t admit to under threat of torture.

Wei Wuxian / Wen Qing

You want a girlfriend who not only can kick your ass, but will do so upon request.

Wen Qing / Jiang Cheng

You are a firm believer in 👏 men 👏 getting 👏 pegged.

Baoshan-Sanren / Lan Yi

You are a lesbian who loves MILFs

Jin Zixuan / Jiang Yanli

You’re ideal relationship dynamic is sitcom-wife/sitcom-dad

Lan Wangji / Jin Zixuan

Your ideal date involves awkward silence and stilted conversation.

Wei Wuxian / Jiang Cheng

You're really into sibling incest, but manage to pretend that you're not.

Ouyang Zizhen / Jin Ling

You're always a slut for grumpy “tough” boys who go soft for one ☝️ man.

Wen Qing / Jiang Yanli

Your ideal relationship dynamic is just girls bein’ friends, gals bein’ pals.

Jiang Fengmian / Yu Ziyuan

This is just the same joke as Wen Qing / Jiang Cheng but you also have a strong fondness for MILFs

Lan Sizhui / Jin Ling

You got your start in online fandom shipping drarry.

Lan Sizhui / Ouyang Zizhen

You love soft boys (too good for this world, too pure) so much that one day you were like, “Hey! You know what’s better than one soft boy? Two soft boys!”

Lan Jingyi / Jin Ling

You're a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of being bullied.

Lan Sizhui / Lan Jingyi

That’s just the same joke as Wei Wuxian / Jiang Cheng, but you just can’t with all their trauma.

Song Lan / Xiao Xingchen

You don't understand why anyone would care about a couple with a canonical happy ending when there’s a worst-timeline-au parallel ship right there.

Song Lan / Xiao Xingchen / Xue Yang

Based on my experience with this side of the fandom you‘re either into hardcore psychological horror or fluff so sweet it’s cotton-candy and there is no in-between.

Xue Yang / Xiao Xingchen

That’s just the same joke as Song Lan / Xiao Xingchen / Xue Yang, but you never forgave Song Lan.

Cangse Sanren / Wei Chanze

You're a firm believer in keeping things ☝️ canon and keeping things ✌️ wholesome.

Yu Ziyuan / Cangse-Sanren

You love the dynamic of teenage Wangxian, but you’re also a lesbian.

Jin Guangyao / Xue Yang

You were absolutely fucking thrilled when be gay do crime became the hot new meme.

Jing Guangyao / Su She

You’re a firm believerin the inherent eroticism of class-solidarity.

Luo Qingyang / Wen Qing

Honestly, this is just the same joke as Luo Qingyang / Jiang Yanli, but you’re also into girls out-topping each other.

Madam Lan / Cangse Sanren

You just want good things for Madam Lan and really, who wouldn't?

Wei Wuxian / Jiang Yanli

That's just the same joke as Wei Wuxian / Jiang Cheng BUT you're also heterosexual.

Nie Mingjue / Jin Guangyao

Your new favourite meme is that exchange that's like "go fuck yourself!" - "fuck me yourself, you coward!"

Nie Mingjue / Lan Xichen / Jin Guangyao

You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of failed conflict negotiations and unsolved moral dilemmata.

Nie Huaisang / Wei Wuxian

You're ideal date involves wacky hijinks after which PAIN ensues.

Lan Xichen / Nie Huaisang

You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of shared trauma.

Lan Xichen / Jiang Cheng

You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of shared trauma AND working through it together.

Wen Ruohan / Lan Qiren

I can’t say for sure that you wanna fuck dads, but you definetly want to fuck father figures.

Luo Qingyang / Luo Qingyang's husband

You’re always a slut for characters who are in dire need of more screantime.

Lan Wangji / Jiang Cheng

You don't understand why anyone would care about a happy marriage when there's an unstable love/hate relationship to fuck around with.

Luo Qingyang / Lan Wangji

You ... are Wei Wuxian

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guqin-and-flute · 3 years

Note

nieyao or 3zun + prompt 64 with cat!baxia

64. “I think your cat wants to kill me.” [This got way away from me WHOOPS]

“So. This date is going fantastically. Do I make top 10?”

Meng Yao huffed a short, polite laugh through his nose at Mingjue’s rueful question. “Being nursed back to health by a handsome man is certainly adding back points lost in the cat attack,” he replied, and some of the frustrated dread bled from the ball in Mingjue’s chest. “I really could do this myself, you know,” he added.

Mingjue sighed. “Yeah, well, since it was my cat attack, I feel like I need to make reparations. I’ve also taken First Aid more times than I can count and cat scratches can get really nasty.”

If this were a one of the sappy romcoms Huaisang loved so much, standing at the sink together as he tended to the 2 gashes scoring down Meng Yao’s forearm with several antiseptic soaked cotton balls had the potential to be romantic. Except Mingjue had never liked those movies and he just felt like a fucking asshole who owned an unruly animal.

He had met Meng Yao at the grocery store. Mingjue had looked up from his phone at the sound of a sharp voice--a middle aged business man was snapping at a young man in front of him in line; "Fucking Christ, you're going to hold up everyone."

"You can go ahead of me if you'd like--"

"There's a whole line of people here! We all have places to go!"

The man being yelled at--(the very attractive man with round, dark eyes, he noted)--had grimaced placatingly, as the cashier was saying, "We can hold his groceries while he goes out, sir, you won't have to wait."

A the business man threw his hands into the air in disgust, Mingjue had slid his phone into his back pocket and interrupted in his 'is this guy bothering you' voice; "What's the problem?"

3 pairs of eyes had darted to him immediately and gone wide. The very good looking man had tensed completely, eyes darting to the door in a way that looked involuntary--and well, Mingjue had been struck by the completely overwhelming urge to tuck him back behind him and make this asshole between them shit his pants in fear. And anyone else that made him look that scared, for that matter. "I'm sorry," the scared, attractive, adorable, fragile-looking, harassed young man had said a tight smile, "I forgot my wallet in my car, we can just--"

"Here," Mingjue slid out his credit card handed it--pointedly--over Mr. Business-Asshole's head to the cashier. "I'll cover it. You know what," he had added, fixing the quickly wilting dickhead with his best 'I-can-bench-press-you-and-then-feed-you-your-own-esophagus-no-problem' stare, "Why don't you get the nice lady behind me, too. Once this guy is done running for the biggest jackass award. I'll wait."

And, you know, weirdly enough, Mr. Asshole had actually left the line, red faced and without his shitty little protein shakes. As the cashier bit back a grin and rung up the card, the harassed young man--who was even prettier up close, holy hell, it made his lower back sweat--had tried to insist that it wasn't necessary, that really, he had the money, he could just go get it, he appreciated it but didn't need Mingjue to put himself out. Mingjue had just shrugged and held out his hand. "It's the principle of the thing. Nie Mingjue."

The man had opened his mouth, looked down at his hand; then, he had smiled and holy goddamn fucking shitballs he had dimples. Shaking it firmly in a hand that was soft and cool and slim, he had said, "Then...thank you. Meng Yao. I'll have to pay you back. Do you have a cash app?"

"Don't bother."

"I insist."

"You can buy me dinner sometime, then," Mingjue's mouth had decided to say without permission, but luckily he agreed with the idea and so had been quite pleased to see Meng Yao's ears go pink.

"...That sounds fair," he replied, finally, those lovely dimples returning.

The cashier had cleared their throat, brightly. "Do you by chance have our loyalty card?"

They agreed on a first date in a public restaurant where they could verify that the other wasn’t some sort of serial killer. It had even been a nice one that Meng Yao had insisted on where they had also shared a bottle of wine and interesting conversation. Meng Yao was exceedingly smart and easy to talk to--the perfect conversational partner with a knack for solving many of the problems that Mingjue hadn't even realized he complained about. In return, he had made his attraction quite clear and Meng Yao had ducked his head.

"I'll have you know that I don't go home with anyone on the first date," he had said carefully, eyes on his fingertip as he ran it around the rim of his wineglass. "It's a personal rule of mine. I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression."

"That's fine with me," Mingjue shrugged. "If you're up for it, I'll wait for as many dates outlasts your rule, 'cause I grill a mean steak."

Those dimples came back and he had sat back in his chair, voice light as he asked, "Oh? Won't you get bored?"

Mingjue had snorted and finished off his glass. "Just because I'd like to sleep with you doesn't mean I don't also want to get to know you, you know."

Mingjue was just getting to know the guy, so he couldn't be sure, but that answer seemed to please him.

The night of the cat disaster was the 4th on their run of dates--Mingjue had shooed Huaisang over to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng’s house for the night and invited Meng Yao over via text for dinner and a movie and also the option of sex, if he wanted.

Apparently, the bluntness had made Meng Yao laugh. Mingjue had texted back that he preferred honesty in all things and could handle a ‘no, thanks’ with plenty maturity. Meng Yao had replied, ‘I’m sure you can,’ which, he had very keenly noticed, was not a ‘no, thanks.’

Dinner had gone great--homemade meals always seemed to impress--and they had been preparing to split a chocolate lava cake in front of a shitty action movie they had both agreed on with the understanding that neither of them minded missing anything if they decided fooling around was more interesting.

But now, there was blood everywhere--on the dishes in the sink, on the towel they had hastily staunched it with, on the countertop and the mood was ruined because his giant, grumpy ass cat had decided to savage his date as they were cleaning up the table. Baxia had sniffed his leg suspiciously when he first came in, flinching away as he knelt down to offer his fingers. Then, she had fixed him with a glare, hissed, and turned around and stalked away, fluffy gray tail held high--which, for her, was practically a warm welcome. She had her boys--Huaisang and Mingjue--and hated pretty much everyone else (except for Wei Wuxian's older sister Jiang Yanli when she had dropped him off to hang out with Huaisang when his license got suspended. Which had happened a few times, now).

Everything had been fine with her while they ate--she had even spent it under the table, rubbing up against Mingjue's legs, staring up at Meng Yao without making so much as a peep. It was when they had risen that disaster struck. She had hopped up onto Meng Yao's chair and decided to take personal offense to his existence with absolutely no warning at all when he passed by with his hands full of silverware.

Now, Meng Yao’s long fingers curled into a fist as the cotton passed over a particularly deep part of the slice, though his face remained calm, so Mingjue winced for him. "Sorry. I swear, she's never done this before, I don't know what the hell her problem is."

Meng Yao shook his head, smile pressed and polite as he said, "Really, it's fine." He shifted on his feet to lean his hip against the cupboards and, immediately, Mingjue seized his elbows.

“Are you dizzy?”

The other man had stiffened at the sudden movement, staring up at him. Then, he blinked and smiled, shaking his head. “No, I'm alright.”

Mingjue eyed him suspiciously. “You’re sure?”

He laughed. “I’m not going into shock, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ve had much worse, trust me. I’m not going to pass out.”

Mingjue remained unconvinced. Instead of arguing further, he simply lifted him by the waist to sit on the island across from the sink for lack of a chair. Meng Yao let out the beginning of a squeak, hands automatically flashing up to bunch in the front of his shirt for balance. He blinked down at Mingjue, then the ground, then back at him, eyes wide and nostrils flared. Mingjue couldn't tell if it was annoyance, horniness, or a combination of both--and that was all well and good except that he was still bleeding and he knew from experience what a bitch blood was to get out of clothing. So he just pulled Meng Yao's arm out again and went back to work, asking, "So what was the 'much worse'?"

"Pardon?"

"You said you knew you're not going to pass out because you've had 'much worse'. What's the story there?"

"Ah. No story. I broke my arm. Compound fracture. I stayed awake the whole time, so a cat scratch is fairly minor, in comparison."

Mingjue hissed in through his teeth reflexively in sympathy and scanned him. Either he healed fantastically or the scar was higher up on his arms, under the soft cream sweater sleeves that were rolled up to his elbows--luckily, they had been rolled up before the attack and had escaped blood thus far. "Fuck. How'd that happen?"

"Fell down some stairs."

Mingjue raised an eyebrow at the stark explanation. "Well, maybe you shouldn't fall down stairs. Ever thought of that?"

Meng Yao smiled thinly down at him, dark eyes glinting in the fluorescent lights. "Mm. I'll have to keep that in mind." The dimples he searched for avidly were there, faintly, and Mingjue found himself wanting to nibble on them.

They hadn't done much else besides a kiss goodnight in the shadows near the entrance to the parking garages of their dates, because Mingjue was being good and keeping his hands above the belt. And he should probably figure out whether or not this date was going to have the eject button pressed, first. There was blood everywhere, still.

"Why all the First Aid classes?" Meng Yao asked suddenly, keeping his arm extended out even as Mingjue released him to rummage for the antibacterial spray. "Was it because your demon cat kept attacking people?"

Mingjue barked out a laugh and sprayed down his arm--Meng Yao didn't flinch. "At first, it was for lifeguarding, every summer since I was 16 until I graduated college. Now, I take refresher courses because I run a martial arts studio and shit can get real real fast, especially with newbies who try to fuck around." Tearing open the packet of sterilized gauze with his teeth so he could still hold his arm, he situated it and held it with a gentle thumb. "Tape or gauze wrap?"

Meng Yao shrugged. "I have no preference. Surprise me."

Gauze wrap it was. It would hurt less than pulling tape off his arm later. Meng Yao watched him finish up quietly, ankles linked, posture straight and proper even sitting on a kitchen counter. On impulse, Mingjue lifted his now bandaged arm and kissed the skin of his wrist, just below where the gauze stopped and got a slight shiver for his trouble. He looked up at him, then, an angle he was not used to but was definitely enjoying. "This has been a piss poor date. I really am sorry."

"The dinner was lovely before it ended in bloodshed, I promise," Meng Yao assured him, smiling. Then, it grew a little sly and he leaned in, slowly, stretching his arms out over Mingjue's shoulders to link behind his neck. "Although, you could always kiss it better."

Well, there was no possible way to misinterpret that particular invitation and he heartily took it, snugging Meng Yao up against him with hands on his hips and devouring him just as indulgently as he would the forgotten lava cake cooling on the stove top. He hummed in appreciation as Meng Yao's arms wrapped tighter, his thighs squeezing around his hips as he kissed back with just as much enthusiasm. He tasted like the dry wine they had finished the meal with.

All at once, though, Meng Yao froze, hands stilling in his hair. Before Mingjue had time to be confused, he whispered against his mouth, "I think your cat wants to kill me," eyes fixed on something over Mingjue's shoulder.

Mingjue craned his neck around to find Baxia perched on the counter next to the sink, tail swishing, gaze locked with Meng Yao, ears flicked out to the sides. She let out a low, quiet growl.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Mingjue growled back. "That's it. You're going in Huaisang's room for the night."

#little-smartass #SO LIKE WRITING THINGS CHRONOLOGICALLY IS APPARENTLY DIFFICULT FOR ME #But this was fun!! Nice low stakes! Cat attack!#Nieyao #modern au #ask #prompt #my fic #my stuff #this became much longer than I anticipated

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

Text

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 24, first part

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Banquet Proposal

Manspreading Champion Jin Guangshan is trying to pressure Jiang Cheng into marrying Jiang Yanli into the Jin clan. Because this is the cultivation world, where everyone reflexively agrees with the most powerful man in the room like he's Frank Sinatra and they're the Rat Pack, the whole room starts pressuring Jiang Cheng to agree.

Then Wei Wuxian comes striding in and suggests the radical idea of asking a woman's opinion about her own marriage. He tries to pressure Jiang Cheng into agreeing with him. Today is Pressure Jiang Cheng Day. Every day for the next several months is going to be Pressure Jiang Cheng Day.

Jiang Cheng stands up and agrees that it should be left up to his sister, citing his late father's beliefs so that everyone will know that this unconventional behavior isn't his fault. This is a pickle for him; he knows his sister wants to marry Jin Zixuan, but it's not a good political alliance for the Jiangs right now, which is the opposite of the situation when his parents first made the match. While saying all this he takes the opportunity to get in a dig at Wei Wuxian for meddling.

Jiang Yanli sadly says, thanks for the offer, but the Jiang Clan is just coming back from being massacred, and I have, like, SO much laundry, I can't even. It's not that I don't want to be with you, Jixuan honey; I would just rather scrub blood off of the courtyard.

Jin Zixuan suddenly realizes that being dumped in front of a bunch of your peers is not as fun when you’re catching instead of pitching.

Clan Leader Yao is completely flummoxed by this whole "let young people decide things" concept and hopes it goes out of fashion soon.

The only really happy person in the room is Jin Guangyao, who is looking for a scapegoat for his upcoming villainy. Wei Wuxian will be a perfect fit.

(more behind the cut!)

Chillin Like a Villain

Jin Guangyao and Jin Guangshan have a villany-plotting conversation that's mostly as boring as every other villainy-plotting conversation.

Jin Guangyao starts the ground work for blaming stuff on Wei Wuxian, saying that Wei Wuxian was alone with Xue Yang back when the 4th chunk of Yin Iron went missing. This kind of harks back to that moment when Wei Wuxian searched Xue Yang (not, incidentally, alone) and XY asked if he wasn't worried about what people would say if they heard about it.

Jin Guangshan is pretty ready to think badly of WWX, who just crapped on his marriage plans, so he quickly decides that Wei Wuxian’s Yin Tiger amulet is made out of Xue Yang’s Yin Iron, not that it actually, like, matters where it came from? It’s all the same dang metal.

Back to Lotus Pier

Then we get an establishing shot of the dock in Yunmeng and the subtitle unhelpfully says QISHAN. Not because the scene is in Qishan, but because there are red Wen banners flying that say 岐山 on them, so the subtitle is for the banner, not for the location. Not only are there Wen banners still flying despite their defeat, there are at least six Wen guards standing guard at the dock. Perhaps there is a teensy continuity error here.

The Yunmeng trio return to Lotus Pier with a group of disciples in tow. Leaving aside the boys' (apparent) stealth trip to the ancestral hall in Episode 20, this is their official return to their home and the seat of their clan, having survived the Wen clan's attempt to exterminate them.

They are battered, bloodied, but not broken and one of them is also broken. But still persevering. I get choked up at this scene every time. Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian would be pleased with all three of them. Jiang Yanli has supported both of them through all the turmoil, giving them an emotional home even while they were homeless. Jiang Cheng has done the impossible, even more than he himself realizes. And Wei Wuxian has acted as a faithful servant, sacrificing a precious part of himself to save his clan leader.

The place is a mess, with the evidence of a final battle against the Wens all over the place. As they look around Wei Wuxian thinks back on one of the many times that Jiang Fengmian paid attention to him instead of to Jiang Cheng, and smiles affectionately. Wei Wuxian is consistently able to remember the good things and smile about them, even when those memories are overlaid by endless trauma.

The three of them look at the Wen symbol on the roof line and the boys get identically angry...

...starting with the teeth of anger...

...followed by the fist of anger.

It's a powerful moment; they still do have an awful lot in common, despite everything. Jiang Cheng uses his mother’s weapon to smash the Wen symbol and reclaim his home.

Jiang Yanli: The fuck!? Are you trying to slice my face off?

Back to Gusu

Next we get a nice fly-through of the Jingshi, where Lan Wangji is sitting in the side room playing guqin. In later years he will move the guqin to the living room, while this room gains a wine-drinking table.

The Lan clan do love their knick-knacks, and this room features several. There's a teapot suspended from a chain over a brazier, with a tied-up fish sculpture for a counterweight, which is definitely not an indication of any future kinks. The brazier is surrounded by Zen sand with some surprisingly untranquil lines raked into it.

Lan Xichen has dropped by to tell Lan Wangji that the disciples are gossiping about him, saying he’s been checking out books from the library and practicing music. Seriously? The Lans are a sect that focuses on musical cultivation. Practicing music, verrry suspicious. Also, gossip is forbidden, but sure, check up on him.

In response, Lan Wangji jumps right to "I want to enter the forbidden chamber of the Library" Lan Xichen asks him why, and he says he wants more music scores. Lan Xichen, who knows about the secret murder music book, isn't delighted with that answer. Just then, Lan Qiren summons them, so they table the conversation to go see him.

Lan Qiren talks about the battle they just went through, and says "I've heard about Wei Ying." Everybody makes significant faces without clarifying what LQR actually heard about Wei Ying. Lan Qiren then philosophizes about how war is hell, particularly for idioms about eggs and nests. They need to go clean up the leftover resentful energy, but he's sending Lan Xichen on his own, while Lan Wangji gets to stay home and repair/rewrite all of the Lan rules.

Lan Qiren says a bunch of stuff to Lan Wangji about rules, being super hinty without actually coming to the point. He refuses to let Lan Wangji speak or ask questions, while he’s doling out punishment for, basically, thought crime. He wants LWJ to reject Wei Wuxian but he wants him to do it without being directly told.

To make sure Lan Wangji is extra frustrated, he snarkily refuses to give him permission to read the forbidden books, asking him if he’s already read all of the books in the regular library. Surprisingly, he hasn’t yet; I guess he was busy winning a war while you were in a coma, jerkface.

Lan Xichen is super on edge during this conversation--scared, even. He's trying to keep the peace, trying to keep Lan Wangji out of trouble, and avoid a confrontation. Lan Wangji is increasingly uninterested in peace, but he follows his brother's unspoken commands, and shuts up.

Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen both really fail as teachers here. Lan Wangji believes that resentful energy is bad. He believes this VERY STRONGLY. He broke up with his boyfriend for a while because of it. They are punishing him for having doubts, and they’re not giving him any opportunity to talk through those doubts with them. I say “they” because Lan Qiren is the one giving the punishment, but Lan Xichen is silently assenting, and making sure Lan Wangji doesn’t argue.

As they leave, Lan Qiren stops them to ask Lan Wangji if he understands why he's grounded, and Lan Wangji just looks at him without answering, which would be counted as sass when I was growing up.

He face says he’s appropriately chagrined, but he’s not. Before the end of this episode, he's going to directly disobey Lan Qiren, and he’s going to go on disobeying him in the future, over and over again.

Later, when Lan Wangji is alone with the pristine, definitely not in need of repair, rule book, he seems genuinely chagrined. He loves these rules, and has depended on them; that’s why he’s been a model disciple for so long, not because he fears his uncle’s punishments.

But now he also loves Wei Wuxian. So some of these rules will have to be broken.

Clan Leader Jiang

The Jiang Clan are having the ceremony to install Jiang Cheng as leader.

Wei Wuxian is sitting alone, away from all of the other disciples, watching the proceedings rather than participating. His placement in the ceremony is very strange for a head disciple.

But it’s perfect for a ghost.

Later, Jiang Cheng is practicing his "yelly boss" leadership style, and being extra grumpy because Wei Wuxian is slacking off all the time. Jiang Yanli is having trouble deciding if she should be more worried about the brother with the drinking problem or the brother with the anger problem.

Jiang Cheng is miserable and feels completely unsure of himself but he's plowing the fuck ahead.

You might put your love and trust on the line It's risky, people love to tear that down Let 'em try Do it anyway Risk it anyway And if you're paralyzed by a voice in your head It's the standing still that should be scaring you instead Go on and Do it anyway Do it anyway

Help Me to Help You

Wei Wuxian is hanging out in a tavern window, being a thirst trap and hitting on passing Lans.

Lan Xichen joins him for a drink and a lecture. Things start off fairly well, with Wei Wuxian being impressed with his ability to drink wine, and attempting his usual flirt-tease-charm routine, bragging about smuggling wine into Cloud Recesses.

Where Lan Wangji would be adorably flustered and hostile/sexy in responding to that, Lan Xichen just shuts him down with a look, and Wei Wuxian suddenly realizes that he's talking to an adult clan leader who isn't here for his shit, and is a lot more worldy than Lan Wangji is.

Wei Wuxian knocks it off and apologizes. Then he talks fondly about Lan Wangji, saying he wants to come visit him, and daydreams cutely about dominating him supervising his rule-copying work.

LXC says that he should come listen to new music that LWJ has composed, and the tone of the conversation changes completely. Wei Wuxian is on his guard, and he's getting ready to throw down. He asks if LXC came to Yunmeng specifically to hassle him, and LXC...kinda says no?

Wei Wuxian smiles sweetly while he asks if everyone in the Lan Clan is a meddler.

Lan Xichen has never encountered the nasty version of Wei Wuxian before, but he's a grown up, and he's very, very hard to provoke, unlike his brother. He cuts to the chase and says he's got something to say, whether WWX listens or not.

He says Wei Wuxian shouldn't be self-centered because the people he cares about are affected by his choices. This gets through to him, for a second. But then LXC offers to help him go back to sword cultivation, and Wei Wuxian is done listening.

He tells Lan Xichen he doesn't want to go back to sword work, and LXC is stunned into silence for a moment as Wei Wuxian takes his wine and starts to walk away. Lan Xichen makes a last ditch attempt to warn him about the dangers of the yin tiger amulet, and WWX says he knows, but he wants to try to master it anyway. Then he leaves with a rude little wave, and no bow.

This whole conversation seems like a disaster but Wei Wuxian does, in fact, remember Lan Xichen’s words, the next time he meets up with Lan Wangji.

Soundtrack: Do It Anyway by Ben Folds Five

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #the untamed meta #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs

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tanoraqui · 4 years

Text

okay so yet another MDZS/Untamed fic idea: post-canon “accidental de-aging leads to some rebuilding of the Yunmeng Bros’ relationship” fic, but instead of WWX (like I’ve seen several times) it’s Jiang Cheng who becomes Smol

it should be Wei Wuxian. It would have been Wei Wuxian, if Jiang Cheng hadn’t happened to arrive a day early for a cultivation conference at Gusu and come say hello by kicking open the door to the classroom in which Wei Wuxian was testing an experimental new array, and as he kicked open the door, Jiang Cheng saw that it was about to backfire dramatically - possibly bc he startled WWX? - and, of course, the angry shout of his brother’s name turns into a panicked one and he bodily tackles him out of the way

the magical backlash hits Jiang Cheng instead and boom. smol scowly boy. grumpy baby. actually, mostly just bewildered, and about 8 years old - old enough to be very definitely Wei Wuxian’s brother, but still Baby, u know?

no memories of later events, except maybe dreamlike slivers of moments, more memories of emotion than anything

despite some half-remembered reflexive resentment/fury/hatred he doesn’t understand, he latches himself onto Wei Wuxian like an imperious, grumpy limpet...once WWX convinces him that he in, in fact, Wei Wuxian, bc you know. Wrong body.

so the next several days are just Wei Wuxian desperately trying to fix this while bb!Jiang Cheng tags along after him. FEATURING:

bb!JC can accept that, like, if everyone his age is adults, he’s clan leader and his parents have passed away. That’s fine

but he assumes Wei Wuxian is his First Disciple, and it’s right at the beginning when he’s really freaked out so Wei Wuxian doesn’t have the heart to correct him

(also u know. fraternal yearning. maybe he can pretend just for a while...)

Lan Qiren is rude to Wei Wuxian and bb!JC just fucking lays into him

bb!JC is extremely skeptical of Lan Wangji, but willing to trust a little bit bc his brother is happy with this guy so it much be okay. Ish.

by instant unspoken universal agreement, Everyone Lies Desperately About Jiang Yanli

Jin Ling arrives for the conference and has to cope with this “baby uncle” situation somehow

Jin Ling absolutely fails to cope with this

bb!Jiang Cheng somehow slides into exactly the same relationship with Jin Ling that they have when he’s an adult

someone lets slip or bb!JC just figured out that Wei Wuxian seems to spend his life alternately at the Cloud Recesses or wandering the land. He is both confused and consternated, because why isn’t he at Lotus Pier?!? Wei Wuxian hastily lies that he spends half his time at Lotus Pier, obviously, being First Disciple yes

Jiang Cheng has only has Wei Wuxian as a brother for a couple years but it’s long enough to know that Wei Wuxian can never do anything normally, and frankly this sounds about like how he’d be happiest. begrudgingly, he’ll accept it

bb!Jiang Cheng keeps getting screaming nightmares about things that happened when he’s older, ends up crawling into bed with Wei Wuxian pretty much nightly

needless to say but Wei Wuxian being the most doting and protective shixiong to bb!JC throughout

bb!Jiang Cheng scowling while covered in rabbits

Jiang Cheng does eventually figure out that Wei Wuxian is lying about the whole First Disciple thing, and he doesn’t get the whole story but he’s FURIOUS and BETRAYED and HEARTBROKEN and probably runs away or some nonsense

dunno how he calms down from that - bunny therapy or Jin Ling or both, probably - but it’s right before they finally figure out how to re-age him. So he ends up standing in the new array (basically inverse of the first one) and glaring at Wei Wuxian and saying that even if everything did go wrong, and everyone they love is dead and it’s mostly Wei Wuxian’s fault and he’s a demonic cultivator now, married to Lan Wangji, he should still - [jutted chin, fierce 8yo scowl] - come home, because they’re brothers and that’s what brothers do.

WWX: [wuxian.exe has stopped working due a sudden influx affection and yearning for what he believes lost]

then they turn him back of course, and Wei Wuxian is hesitantly, like, “...what do you remember?” and Jiang Cheng says shortly, “Most of it” (the week of being a child again was like a dream, the sense of his own stubborn affection for Wei Wuxian is still painfully strong and as usual he wants it to go away, and even more than usual he couldn’t bear to give it up/just wishes it’d be reciprocated again.) And there’s a couple more snappy comments, the last of which Jiang Cheng says bitterly as he sweeps out, but -

- but the combination of whatever vague bitter thing Jiang Cheng just said plus bb!Jiang Cheng’s descriptions of his nightmare-memories PLUS the memory of Jiang Cheng thoughtlessly tackling him out of the way of a magical effect of unknown-but-likely-dangerous origin, taking the hit himself...leads Wei Wuxian to suddenly be Pretty Goddamn Sure why exactly Jiang Cheng got caught by Wens and lost his core in the first place

and hand-in-hand with that, of course, the realization (supported by the past week of evidence) that Jiang Cheng...well. still loves him. didn’t stop when the Wens took Lotus Pier, didn’t stop when Jiang Yanli died, certainly didn’t stop when Wei Wuxian came back. He just shoves it under an awful lot of anger...just like he always did. The anger is more real, now, but that doesn’t mean the love isn’t/ He just still can’t ask for it

so Wei Wuxian, who’s never needed to be asked in his entire goddamn life (which is part of the problem, see: Golden Core, but in this moment a solution) shouts after him, dashes forward, slings an arm around his brother’s shoulder and clings like a particularly loud, obnoxious limpet

Jiang Cheng doesn’t shove him off particularly hard

#mdzs #the untamed #ficlet #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #my fic

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bookhooc · 3 years

Text

Xicheng Fic Recommendations

Alrighty so being as this is my favourite ship, I thought I would take this chance to compile a list of the favs!!

[UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED, ALL OF THE FICS BELOW ARE COMPLETED]

Ok I will start this list off with a imo a great introduction to the the character dynamics and relationships to each other and it's an aspect of why I really love the Xicheng ship!

The Beginner's Guide to Moving On - messenger18 (Teen and up) 189K - post canon: https://t.co/XtJYqR93l1?amp=1 (thank you to @panmoo for sharing the link).

All Time Favourites (READDD IT PLS)

Upon Our Silver Bridges - TheWanderingHeart // Mature (443K)

THIS. SHIT. WAS. AMAZING. THE PLOT. THE CHARACTERIZATION. MY EMOTIONS. THE ARTS INSPIRED FROM THIS FIC. ALL CHEF KISSES.

Ok, now that I’m done gushing, this is a post-canon fic and it deals with a lot of Chinese mythology and is a slow burn (but it hurts so good). That’s all I’m going to say about it because I think finding out what’s happening is part of the fun (yes, it’s plot heavy but it’s good plot :))

Lan Xichen's sorrows have caught the attention of something. Unlike the adventures and foes they have faced before, there is no obvious enemy here to defeat. If this is the same thing they thought had taken Nie Mingjue's life, then he believes it is fated for him to die as well. Nothing can stop the black fire when it wants to burn.

Jiang Cheng is sure his part in this is over. Wei Wuxian is back, his grand adventure concluded, and he'd never been at the centre of it anyway. So what does it matter what happens to him in the end?

Slowly, he will come to realise that there will always be a battle to fight, a story to tell, a choice to make, and there is no such thing as an end to anything.

A Small Measure of Peace - Sandstone112 // Mature (122K)

Canon-divergent au. This takes place in the period after Wei Wuxian died and Lan Wangji is in seclusion from the whippings (the in between years yanno). Anyways my heart is filled with love for this fic. It's wholesome family loving that my boys deserve and ARGH I JUST LOVE HEALING FAMILY FICS OK.

With his brother in seclusion, Lan Xichen finds himself in temporary custody of his nephew with little to no expertise in the child-raising department. Uncertain and alone, Zewu-Jun is willing to do everything to be the person Yuan needs—even if it means inviting Sandu Shengshou to a playdate.

Running Our Hands Through Embers - MarvelousMar // Explicit (136K)

Reincarnation au. This is a bit different from the rest. It’s more Jiang Cheng centric (more of a character study) and it’s not as Xicheng heavy in the beginning as the rest BUT I implore you to read this! I think it gives a great character and healing arc for JC and we all need some healing ok? (plus you get JC telling JFM like it is.)

If asked, Jiang Cheng would compare falling in love with Lan Xichen to a moth inevitably drawn to a flame. It burned.

*** In which Jiang Cheng discovers that even death can't help him escape from his trauma, so he embarks on a quest to save the people he loves, fix what he can, make the love of his life fall for him, and maybe, somewhere along the way, do a little bit of healing.

Audience of One - WinterDreams // Teen and Up (16/16 - 181K) **EDITED: HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Modern au. OK I’LL ADMIT. THIS IS INCOMPLETE BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT. AND FINE I’LL ALSO ADMIT THAT I HAVEN’T READ CHAPTER 15 YET (bc ya girl tryna wait till it’s all out to read it). So I can only speak of this fic up till chapter 14. ButTTTTTT I LOVE IT OK? This deals with a celebrity LXC and a grumpy CEO JC and best of all: FAKE PRETEND RELATIONSHIP TROPE. Mhmmmmmm give me that fake to real shit. I love it.

“Then let an established star go first,” Lan Xichen interrupts again before Lan Wangji can give a stubborn reply. Both men twist toward Lan Xichen, and he smiles at Wei Wuxian’s tilted head. “If I publicly date a man for awhile first, your engagement shouldn’t receive as much backlash.”

Or, that AU where everyone is famous in some way or another, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have been dating in private for years, and Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng pretend to date publicly for their brothers' sake.

Modern Universe: Ok modern aus, expect at least a little bit of OOC and a lil bit of crack with it ok? bUT I enjoy reading them from time to time because they’re usually more lighthearted and everyone isn’t dead :)

Emergency Help Wanted - Piyo13 // Teens and Up (76K)

Lan Xichen lied about having a family to leave work early so now he needs to Craiglist his way for a fake one. This one was fun and fluff!

EMERGENCY HELP WANTED

I lied when I got my job. I told them I had a kid so I could leave early from work to pick him up from daycare, take him to doctor's appointments, and occasionally miss a day when he's sick. Long story short, I'm in too deep. I didn't think it through. Looking to rent a kid for bring your child to work day. Must be a boy ages four to six, longish dark hair, likes soccer. Must also be artistic as the macaroni noodle paintings I made seem a little advanced for his age. Also, I will pay extra for someone willing to play the role of husband when dropping him off. He's a prosecuting attorney who often brings his work home. Message me for further details. Serious inquiries only.

Just Two Lost Souls - rivlee // Teen and up (46K)

We have here CEO au! Just some good ‘ole fun.

Even if it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, husband, or companion, all Jiang Cheng really wants is to run his company, take care of his pets, and maybe get some sleep. Unfortunately the new job promotion to CEO comes with a loaded social calendar and a need for some sort of companion.

So clearly the most sensible answer is to start dating the man he's had a crush on since he was a teenager.

Because nothing could go wrong there.

Never Had I Ever - Kicchin // General (56K)

Ok ‘tis might be a lil crack but honestly, it’s kinda sweet so I enjoyed reading it! But basically you see the crew trying to set them up and some misunderstandings would obviously have to occur with a lil bit of tears.

Nie Mingjue is almost certain that Jin Guangyao has an ulterior motive for dating his best friend, Lan Xichen. However despite voicing his concerns, his best friend seems unconvinced and Lan Xichen continues to date the said man. Unable to give up just yet, Nie Mingjue tries a different tactic--convincing his best friend the man is not the right person for him by setting him up. Fortunately for him, Wei Wuxian's youngest brother is very much single and seems to be just the kind of person his best friend needs. Can Jiang Cheng truly change Lan Xichen's mind, or will Nie Mingjue's plan is a disaster from the beginning?

One Shot

you're for me (and i for you) - RennieOnIceCream (Hitsugi_Zirkus) // General (2K)

It’s cute and fluffy!

One early morning, Lan Xichen does Jiang Cheng's hair.

green color corrector - yeasting_laozu // General (1K)

It’s implied xicheng so you only see lan xichen and wei wuxian but it’s cute.

To help his brother-in-law hide some lovebites, Wei Wuxian gives Lan Xichen a quick crash course on color theory in return for some juicy gossip. He gets more than he bargained for.

I'll Always Find You - Arashii // Mature (9K)

(I really like this author so you’re probably gonna see more of them) This is reincarnation au and its floofly? Yea? Yea.

Jiang Cheng spent his whole life thinking he was crazy. Dreams of flying swords, an electric whip and a handsome man in white clothes plagued him every night. Visions took him every day. Until the day he met a man with the same face of the stranger in his dreams.

Or, how Jiang Cheng and Lan Huan got together in the past, and how they found each other again in another life.

Let Me Show You My Sincerity - Bgtea // Teen and Up (5K)

Modern au. This is a floofly fluff. It’s some good ‘ole Twin Pride shenanigans (Wei Wuxian instigated of course).

Three gin and tonics, half a bottle of red wine, and four pints of beer in, Jiang Cheng comes to a couple of realizations in quick successions. They part the fuzziness of his mind like a beam of golden sunlight shining through a break between churning grey storm clouds. A veritable lightbulb going off in his foggy, groggy mind.

“You,” Jiang Cheng squints at his equally drunk brother sprawling upside down on the couch beside him, “are pining!”

Two Sides of the Same Coin - JiangChengLotus // Teen and Up (4K)

Post-canon. THis is just pure crack. Yup. It’s actually part of a multiwork fic that focuses on LWJ and JC being best bros (it’s really cute actually so you should keep reading them). But out of all of them, this was the one that I got the most kick out of (laughter and tears).

“Lan Zhan, you slept in! Did I wear you out last night?” Jiang Cheng’s hand stilled. Wei Wuxian- his brother, his very shirtless brother- smiled up at him and leaned in for a kiss.

Jiang Cheng shrieked and flung himself from the bed.

“Lan Zhan?!” Wei Wuxian rushed over, wearing a worried expression on his face.

(Basically, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji swap bodies on the same day as an important Discussion Conference. Chaos ensues.)

Injured/Illness/Curses List: (no deaths cuz I don’t fuk with unhappy ends).

Flight - Bloodcoral // General (11K)

Post-canon. You have LXC in seclusion and yet somehow JC just worms his way into his heart (like he did mine) and bAM. Love :)

In which Lan Xichen finds himself being coaxed from seclusion by Jiang Cheng of all people.

And Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow - brokenbutstillstanding // Mature (12K)

Hanahaki disease au. Ok so yup. It’s for Jiang Cheng obviously because him and pain might as well be a thing right? I will say though, if you can read while listening to music I recommend listening to the playlist that the author put there! Also!!!! Read the sequel as well Lotus Bloom, because it makes the whole work feel complete and it’s good!

He coughed a bit harder, a bit of phlegm seeming to be caught as he beat at his chest to try to dislodge it. It took a moment but Jiang Cheng could feel it working its way up, coughing into his hand.

It wasn’t phlegm. It wasn’t a cold either. In his hand lay a single bright yellow winter jasmine petal.

Well, yellow had always been his favorite color.

It's easier to let go (let me hold you) - Iamthedarkoverlord // Mature (24K)

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME TEARS?! Ok but I will say *Trigger warning: suicidal thoughts/attempt* But it's a happy ending alright guys. I, too, do not like unhappy ends so we good there. This is a 5 times + 1 -esque fic and takes place post-canon.

Five times someone noticed something was wrong and the one time someone did something about it.

Don't let me go - 2009190801 // Teen and Up (8K)

A little bit of some misunderstandings that gets resolved yea? (canon universe)

Jiang Cheng wasn't suicidal.

He had an explanation for this madness, though, admittedly, it was a very, very stupid one.

Yeah okay, he fucked up.

I am cursed to love you (to the grave) - Iamthedarkoverlord // Mature (39K)

Post-canon. This is definitely an interesting fic that makes you continually ask yourself -- What the hell is going? But that’s what makes it fun though, right ;) This is also not sUPER Xicheng heavy (dw it’s still there), but it’s just really different from what I’ve read before.

Jiang Cheng can’t sleep.

Mythology

The Form of Boneless Ice - TheWanderingHeart // Teen and Up (76K)

Ok so I LOVE THE ART that’s part of the story in this! It’s I believe by @baiwuzhi on twitter, and the art style just makes this story better! But yup, alternate world where the Jiang fam are MERPEOPLES. It’s a different read and the heart makes your heart just go /uwu/

Mythical beasts have long ago been driven to extinction by the gentry — hunted for sport, but more importantly for their magical cores. Since then, there remains only one creature that has never been caught. The Jiang’s retreated a long time ago. Abandoning land altogether, they sought safety where the humans could not reach.

It all comes to a head though, purely by chance. (Or is it by fate that a spontaneous decision allows for them to meet? If fate were a rock!) Jiang Cheng suddenly finds his whole life balanced on the head of a pin — on the flimsy promise of a human boy. In his opinion, things cannot possibly get worse!

(But then they do when the Wens decide it’s finally time to search for the elusive merpeople, and suddenly nowhere is safe.)

WIP List: Ok so these are the ones that I started, greatly enjoyed so far, but they’re not completed (YET- I HOPE). **EDITED TO SHOW WHICH HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Rewrite the Stars - Arashii // Mature (7/7 chapters - 74K) *COMPLETED

Royalty au. Enemies to Lovers. What more is there to say? (But honestly though, the writing is really good so far and I love their dynamic and interactions with each other in this setting.)

Five great kingdoms have been fighting for years and when the kingdom of Yunmeng is destroyed, the Crown Prince Jiang Cheng vanishes.

In Gusu, Lan Xichen makes an offer impossible for Jiang Cheng to refuse. His life or revenge? There’s only one option and Jiang Cheng swears loyalty to the man he hated the most his whole life, the Crown Prince of Gusu, Lan Xichen himself.

The Fate of Us - Arashii // Explicit (5/5 chapters - 67K) *COMPLETED

A/B/O au. Ok I’ll admit, this fic is perhaps more on the um… self-indulgent side alright?! (*/ω＼*). But basically the story is: Jiang Cheng is a beta… until he isn’t :)

Jiang Cheng grew up thinking he was a beta. He was fine being a beta, he even liked it despite his parents disappointment. No crazy hormones, no heats, no ruts, never smelling the air like some dog… But why, why now every smell and every alpha close to him was giving him an urge to fight or flight?

In a banquet to celebrate the end of the Sunshot Campaign, Lan Xichen scents a delicious alluring smell and it seems to be coming from the young Sect Leader – Jiang Wanyin – who everyone thought was a beta, even him.

[SIDE NOTE: You should check this author’s other works out! They actually have this other fic that I’ve been eyeing (No Paths are Bound), but I decided to wait until it’s completed before I touch it because I am a binge reader at heart]

A Kind Word and a Gun (Will Take You Far) - actually_its_lem // Mature (7/? - 56K)

Mafia au. I LOVE GOOD MAFIA AUS!! Ok so Lan family be the big bad here and JC and WWX had a secret past? ANyways I just remember the beginning chapters to be super fun to read!

Jiang Cheng stared blearly at the unfamiliar smiling man across from him. His temples were throbbing much worse now than they had been before…before...

Before he had lost consciousness.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, disbelief dripping from every fiber of his being.

“You kidnapped me. You kidnapped me off the goddamn street.”

How to Escape Your Problems and Live Your Life in Denial – the Jiang Cheng Edition - Bgtea // Explicit (24/24 - 160K) *COMPLETED

Modern au. Cat. Barista. Cat Cafe. Yup, that’s the plot. (But ok for real I’m waiting for this to update so plsplspls. It’s cute and fun between JC and LXC and tbh I love modern fics where JC decides to branch off from his parents and learn to live his own life yano?).

So, this may not be the life Jiang Cheng's imagined for himself - he’s living in an apartment slightly bigger than a closet above a café filled with sassy, judgmental cats, penny-pinching and coupon-cutting his way to stave off starvation and scurvy.

And of course, just to make his life more complicated, there's the Lan Xichen Problem.

undeniably, you - HamsterQinghua // Teen and Up (15/15 - 28K) *COMPLETED

Post-canon. Ok I’ll admit that at the time there was only 5 chapters and I had read it and then subscribed to it to wait until it’s complete. But from what I saw in those 5 chapters was that this was going to be fun! So check it out!

Jiang Cheng can tell something is wrong when he sees Jin Ling's face ---or, Jiang Cheng gets cursed on a night-hunt, and turns into a 5-year-old

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bloody-bee-tea · 3 years

Text

Not the end of the world

Previous part

Jiang Cheng feels numb when he sees the percentage on his test, though he knew to expect this already when his teacher handed him the paper.

Her looks spoke volume and the glaring red 61% is not as surprising as it should have been.

But still. Jiang Cheng’s hand shake as he quickly puts the test away, hoping that no one else saw that he barely—just barely—passed something that seems to be so very easy for everyone else in class but of course Wei Wuxian notices that something is wrong.

Ever since he learned that Jiang Cheng is no longer living at home, he has been a lot more attentive; usually, Jiang Cheng would love that, but right now he would give anything to have his oblivious brother back.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Wuxian asks as he sits down next to Jiang Cheng, Lan Wangji in tow like always these days and Jiang Cheng briefly debates if he’d get away with just getting up and sprinting off.

Probably not.

“Nothing,” he still tries, even though Wei Wuxian’s look already tells him just how much he believes him and then Wei Wuxian is reaching for his bag.

“Don’t,” Jiang Cheng rushes out, just barely managing to catch Wei Wuxian’s hands before they can get to the test but Wei Wuxian only raises an expectant eyebrow at him.

“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” he asks again and Jiang Cheng works his jaw, because he really, truly doesn’t want to tell him.

“You passed,” Lan Wangji says, as if that is the most important thing and Jiang Cheng glares at him until Wei Wuxian moves between them.

“A-Cheng, did you pass or not?” he asks and Jiang Cheng deflates.

“I did,” he whispers, though he knows it will still be a problem.

He doesn’t know how Lan Qiren reacts to bad grades, didn’t have to experience that yet, and he can’t say that he’s looking forward to changing that.

“He won’t be mad,” Wei Wuxian tries. “Really, what is the worst that could happen? What is the worst that Madam Yu ever did?” Wei Wuxian asks and Jiang Cheng flinches.

“A-Cheng?” he more carefully asks when he sees Jiang Cheng’s reaction and Jiang Cheng huffs out a bitter laugh.

“You wouldn’t know,” he mutters. “You always brought perfect grades home. Mother resented you for that, but it wasn’t something she could scold you over, so instead she turned to me when my grades weren’t as good,” he tells them, without meeting their eyes.

“You mostly weren’t there when I brought back bad grades, because you were busy celebrating your good ones,” Jiang Cheng goes on. “I only stayed to find out her reaction once,” Jiang Cheng admits and shudders with the memory, desperate to push it back into the farthest corner of his mind again.

“Usually, I would just put the test on the table and then—not be there.”

“For how long?” Wei Wuxian wants to know and just by the tone of his voice it’s clear that he’s already expecting the worst.

Jiang Cheng shrugs and tries to be as nonchalant about this as he can be, but it’s hard, especially with Wei Wuxian’s desperate and Lan Wangji’s searching gazes on him.

“For as long as necessary,” Jiang Cheng finally admits. “I’d stay with Huaisang, sometimes, when he was available.”

“And the other times?” Wei Wuxian asks.

“Well, the university’s library is partially open at all times,” Jiang Cheng admits. “And remember how mother insisted on me going to a gym? I chose one that’s also open during the night. It worked out somehow. No one in the library cared if I fell asleep there and no one in the gym bat an eye when I went there early in the morning to shower.”

Jiang Cheng knows that it’s only thanks to his grumpy face that no one dared to ask any questions; otherwise, people would have probably taken note of an underage boy out and about in places where he really shouldn’t be alone in the night.

“A-Cheng,” Wei Wuxian breathes out and he sounds close to tears. “I am so sorry!”

Yeah, it’s a little late for that, Jiang Cheng thinks bitterly, but then he reminds himself that Wei Wuxian is only a few months older than him and really shouldn’t have to deal with any of this shit either.

It sucks that it all fell on Jiang Cheng, but it’s not really Wei Wuxian’s fault that he didn’t pay enough attention to Jiang Cheng to notice this.

At least like this one of them had a somewhat happy and relaxing childhood with some good memories.

“It’s done now,” Jiang Cheng awkwardly gives back when he sees tears in Wei Wuxian’s eyes.

He says it easily, but deep inside there’s a part of himself that’s shaking in fear.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know how Lan Qiren will react to a grade like this. He was helpful when Jiang Cheng struggled with his homework a few weeks back, but homework and a test are two different things, Jiang Cheng knows that very well.

Lan Qiren’s helpful nature then is no indicator of how he will react to the glaring red mark on his test.

“Brother said you looked familiar,” Lan Wangji suddenly says and effectively jolts Jiang Cheng out of his thoughts.

“What?”

“After the first dinner. Brother said you looked familiar to him, but he couldn’t place you. He probably saw you in the library.”

“It’s possible,” Jiang Cheng says, his face burning with shame at the realization that Lan Xichen saw him effectively being homeless and it’s yet another thought he simply pushes away.

Lan Xichen doesn’t know about that after all; Jiang Cheng has other things to worry about than this.

“But you’re not going there, right?” Wei Wuxian suddenly asks and Jiang Cheng has to admit that it’s a tempting idea.

He knows Lan Qiren works late today, so it would be easy to simply slip into his house, put the test on the table and then simply not be there when he comes home.

It’s a nice thought, but absolutely useless, too.

“What good would it do?” Jiang Cheng scoffs out. “Lan Qiren is the headmaster. He probably already knows about my result.”

A chill goes down Jiang Cheng’s back when he realizes that Lan Qiren probably knew about the almost failed test before Jiang Cheng himself and Jiang Cheng can’t deny that it makes him sick with worry.

“Uncle will not be mad,” Lan Wangji tells him with a firm nod.

Jiang Cheng is just about to relax, because if someone has to know this then it’s Lan Wangji, right, but then he goes on.

“He will be disappointed.”

“Oh,” Jiang Cheng breathes out, going cold all over.

Disappointed is always so much worse than mad.

“I see,” he whispers and quickly gathers his things. “Well, I better get going then. If dinner is not ready by the time he’s home, he’ll find even more reason to be disappointed.”

There’s a rushing in his ears that Jiang Cheng doesn’t like at all, but at least it prevents him from hearing whatever it is that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji say after this.

Nothing can make this better after all, and in the end, Jiang Cheng really only has himself to blame. Again.

~*~*~ Jiang Cheng is still in the middle of preparing dinner for this evening when he hears the door. He freezes for long enough that he almost hurts himself but by the time Lan Qiren steps into the kitchen he mostly has himself back under control.

“I’m sorry dinner is not done,” Jiang Cheng says, keeping his eyes on the food instead of turning around to Lan Qiren and Jiang Cheng knows that it’s a stupid thing to do.

It will tip Lan Qiren off to the fact that something is not right, because this is not how Jiang Cheng usually greets him, but Jiang Cheng can’t help himself.

In situations like these he still—foolishly, stupidly—operates on the believe that if he can’t see Lan Qiren or how mad he is then it won’t be so bad.

“Wanyin,” Lan Qiren says and Jiang Cheng flinches at his serious tone. “What’s wrong?” Lan Qiren asks and Jiang Cheng huffs out a laugh.

He never knew he was that easy to read, but it’s also quite cruel of Lan Qiren to make him say it himself when Lan Qiren so very clearly already knows what’s wrong.

But before Jiang Cheng can put any of that into words—or simply admit to his failure, like he knows he truly should—the doorbell rings.

“Are you expecting someone?” Lan Qiren asks him, but when Jiang Cheng shakes his head, he simply leaves to open the door.

“Xichen, what are you doing here? Did something happen?” Jiang Cheng hears Lan Qiren ask and he can’t quite make out Lan Xichen’s answer, but he must have asked after him, because Lan Qiren leads him into the kitchen a moment later.

“Wanyin,” Lan Xichen greets him warmly, but Jiang Cheng can only nod at him.

He didn’t expect to disappoint two people this evening.

“What’s going on here?” Lan Qiren demands to know and Lan Xichen sighs.

“Wangji called me, and said that he made a mistake,” Lan Xichen says.

Jiang Cheng finds that hard to believe because he doesn’t know Lan Wangji to make any mistakes but then Lan Xichen steps up next to him and gently turns him away from the stove.

“You did not yet talk with uncle,” he says and Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

“What mistake did Wangji made that affects Wanyin?” Lan Qiren wants to know and he sounds tired.

Jiang Cheng feels bad all of a sudden, because Lan Qiren worked long hours today and he shouldn’t have to deal with this at home now. He should get to relax however he wishes and not have to be disappointed with the kid he practically picked up on the streets.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Cheng gets out and he hunches in on himself before Lan Qiren can even open his mouth. “I almost failed a test.”

“Almost?” Lan Qiren asks and Jiang Cheng doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that Lan Qiren apparently doesn’t yet know about his grade.

Jiang Cheng can’t decide if that makes it better or worse.

“Wanyin, there’s nothing to worry about,” Lan Xichen suddenly says lowly and it’s only then that Jiang Cheng realizes that he’s shaking all over.

“I’m so sorry,” he chokes out but when he wants to run away, wants to leave this horrible situation, Lan Xichen won’t let him.

“Wangji didn’t mean he will be disappointed in you,” Lan Xichen suddenly says and it’s surprising enough that it freezes Jiang Cheng where he stands.

“What?” he breathes out and now it’s Lan Qiren who sighs.

“What happened? Can someone please tell me what is going on here?”

“I only got 61% on my test,” Jiang Cheng whispers when Lan Xichen gives him an encouraging nudge.

“So you passed,” Lan Qiren says and he doesn’t sound angry or disappointed and it’s confusing enough that Jiang Cheng dares to look at him.

“Barely,” Jiang Cheng says, but Lan Qiren should know that, he has to know that, he’s the headmaster after all, but Lan Qiren seems as confused as before.

“Will it be alright if I explain?” Lan Xichen asks and Jiang Cheng gives himself a moment to feel betrayed that either Lan Wangji or Wei Wuxian told him everything, before he gives in to the gratefulness that he doesn’t have to say anything at all, so he nods.

“Wanyin was afraid of your reaction to this grade,” Lan Xichen says as he guides Jiang Cheng over to sit down at the table. “It seems barely passing was not something his mother liked to see. As far as I understood it he was afraid you’ll be mad. Wangji told him that you wouldn’t be mad, but disappointed without further explaining anything to Wanyin.”

“What’s there to explain?” Jiang Cheng mutters because he damn well understands the concept of disappointing a parental figure.

One could almost say that it’s his most defining character trait.

“That uncle won’t be disappointed with you,” Lan Xichen explains, “but with your teacher or the teaching material. Or maybe even the fact that he didn’t realize that you were struggling.”

“Wanyin,” Lan Qiren now speaks up and he takes a seat at the table as well.

The table that should be set with dinner, Jiang Cheng realizes with a start, but when he’s about to get up, Lan Xichen puts his hand to his shoulder and pushes him back down again.

“I got it,” he says and then turns away to tend to dinner, leaving Jiang Cheng and Lan Qiren alone at the table.

Jiang Cheng can’t say that he likes it.

“Wanyin,” Lan Qiren says again, and Jiang Cheng jerks.

“I’m sorry. I am studying, I promise, it’s just—I’m too stupid to understand that concept, you saw me struggling with the homework before, and I’m sorry even your help wasn’t enough, I’ll study more, there’s still—I can—” Jiang Cheng rushes out but he only stops to take a breath when Lan Qiren puts a hand to his arm.

“Breathe,” he says and Jiang Cheng sucks in breath after breath until he doesn’t feel like he’s drowning anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Cheng whispers again and by now he doesn’t even know what he’s saying sorry for.

There’s just too much to choose from.

“Don’t be,” Lan Qiren gently tells him but he also takes his hand back and Jiang Cheng doesn’t know what to do with those mixed signals.

“I’ll work harder, I promise,” Jiang Cheng says, more to the table than to Lan Qiren but he still sees how Lan Qiren shakes his head.

“You’re already working so hard. It’s not your fault if you can’t grasp a concept. You can’t excel in everything; Huaisang for example is brilliant in poetry and the arts but he couldn’t solve a math problem to safe his life. It’s okay if you struggle with this. It’s normal,” Lan Qiren says and he sounds stilted, like he isn’t sure at all what the right thing to say here is.

“And I am not disappointed in you. I know you’re trying your best and that’s all I can ask of you. Xichen is right. I’m mostly disappointed in myself for not noticing that you required more help in that area. We can go over it together again if you’d like,” Lan Qiren offers and Jiang Cheng realizes that this must be hard for him as well.

Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen probably weren’t students who failed a lot; it’s likely that Lan Qiren has no clue how to deal with a situation like this.

“If you’d like, I could help,” Lan Xichen suddenly says. “I’m studying to be a teacher; I should probably get a bit of practical experience with a student, if we’re being honest,” he says with a sheepish smile but Jiang Cheng understands it for the easy way out that it is.

He would probably refuse knowing that Lan Xichen would take precious time out of his schedule to help him when Jiang Cheng really should be able to grasp this stupid concept like all of his classmates did.

But like this is sounds like he’d be doing Lan Xichen a favour and it’s much harder to say no to that.

“I see what you’re doing there,” Jiang Cheng mutters and the sheepish smile on Lan Xichen’s face only gets bigger.

“Don’t see it. Accept his help. It’s something that has to be learned as well,” Lan Qiren chimes in and Jiang Cheng jerks with his words.

It’s not like a lot of people offered him help before; there really hasn’t been any opportunity for him to learn this but Jiang Cheng swallows his angry words down.

“Alright,” he whispers.

“And my offer still stands as well,” Lan Qiren says, and pats his arm again. “We can go over it again, together.”

“Okay,” Jiang Cheng agrees and he doesn’t know what to do with all of this confused, panicked anticipation inside of him.

This didn’t turn out like anything he expected and it leaves him floundering.

“There really is no need to be sorry about an almost failed test,” Lan Qiren says again as he gets up. “You passed. And even if you did not, one failed test is not going to ruin your future. Xichen failed a test in chemistry once and Wangji in philosophy. Philosophy, can you even imagine?” Lan Qiren asks him, clearly aiming for a lighter mood, and he succeeds too because it startles a laugh out of Jiang Cheng.

“I can’t speak for Wangji, but chemistry is entirely evil and doesn’t make sense at all,” Lan Xichen complaints clearly not at all too bothered by the fact that he failed something once and going by the small smile playing around Lan Qiren’s mouth he doesn’t mind it much either.

That, more than anything, proves to Jiang Cheng that maybe a failed test doesn’t have to be the end of the world for him.

Jiang Cheng watches as Lan Qiren shoos Lan Xichen away from the oven, clearly intent on taking over preparations himself and Jiang Cheng is just about to get up to help him when Lan Xichen sits down next to him and leans in close.

“Wangji also told me what else you said. About staying elsewhere,” Lan Xichen mutters and Jiang Cheng goes cold as his eyes dart over to Lan Qiren.

“I do not want to see you in the library again,” Lan Xichen whispers and then puts a piece of paper in Jiang Cheng’s hands. “This is my and Wangji’s address. We keep a spare key hidden in the third red pot on the left side of the house. If you ever feel like you can’t go home, then you come to us.”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes start to burn and he clutches the paper close.

“Okay,” he chokes out, desperately trying not to let the tears fall but he loses that fight when Lan Xichen pulls him into a hug.

“It’s alright now, Wanyin. We’re your family now, there’s no need to be afraid anymore,” Lan Xichen whispers into his hair and Jiang Cheng clutches at his shirt, frantically trying to keep even a last shred of composure.

He fails that spectacularly when Lan Qiren joins in with a hand to Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and squeezes lightly before he says “Family is not something to be afraid of, Wanyin. It’s something to draw strength from.”

Jiang Cheng almost breaks down at that, but he also nods as best as he can.

“I’m trying,” he sobs out and Lan Qiren pats his shoulder.

“No. You’re learning. That’s much more important,” he says and then leaves Jiang Cheng to cry into Lan Xichen’s shoulder again.

A tiny part of Jiang Cheng is aware that he should be embarrassed over this, but the bigger part just figures that if they are family, surely this should be okay.

And going by how patiently Lan Xichen keeps holding him until Jiang Cheng can compose himself again, and how Lan Qiren makes just enough noise to let Jiang Cheng know that he’s still there as well, it must be okay.

And that is all the reassurance Jiang Cheng needs right now.

Next part!

Link to my ko-fi on the sidebar!

#bt writes #the untamed #mdzs #jiang cheng #lan qiren #lan xichen #found family #modern au #bad parenting #trust issues #hurt/comfort

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nillegible · 4 years

Text

“Oh? Who’s this?” mother asks, voice teasing, when she finds them sneaking lotus cakes from the kitchen. Jiang Fengmian is confused by the question.

“That’s Changze, mother,” he says, and shares a glance with his daemon. Maybe seeing him in Fengmian’s robes and the hairstyle he’d fixed his hair into had left him unrecognizable?

He’ll remember the expression on her face forever. The way her cat daemon steps back, hissing, hair raised. The way Changze turns back into his sneaky-weasel form and throws himself into Jiang Fengmian’s arms in fright, the robes he was wearing collapsing discarded on the ground.

They’re marched to father’s office by mother’s firm hand on Jiang Fengmian’s shoulder, Changze still shivering against his chest. Jiang Fengmian will never forget that for just one moment her hand hovered before settling, like she’s too afraid, too disgusted to touch.

“Why is it wrong?” Changze asks Father’s daemon.

“It’s not wrong,” she says. But she sounds tired. Unconvinced. “It’s never been done before. We didn't know it could be done.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” whispers Jiang Fengmian. He doesn’t understand.

She doesn't answer him.

By the time Changze settles into his final shape at age fifteen, ‘Wei Changze’ has already been given an identity, a position as Jiang Fengmian’s personal servant. An excuse to be at his side, night and day.

Mother has long since given up on her deviant son, but father is kinder. He teaches them both how to run a sect, and lets Wei Changze practice his calligraphy while Jiang Fengmian goes through the expenditure accounts.

There are rumours about Jiang Fengmian, none of them particularly kind. The rumours reached the Cloud Recesses before they did.

Jiang-gongzi is a pampered prince, gets to bring a servant with him.

Jiang-gongzi doesn’t even have a daemon.

Jiang-gongzi’s a weakling, his daemon is a spider he hides in his sleeve.

Jiang-gongzi cuts his sleeve for that kid they call his servant.

It doesn’t bother Wei Changze, that people think he is Jiang Fengmian’s pleasure servant. “Fengmian-gege, I am your soul. Don’t be ridiculous. And I’ve spent many days in your bed.” He says the last seductively, lowering his head and batting his eyes, and Jiang Fengmian cuffs him on the ear. Wei Changze just laughs, then drops down to sprawl on Jiang Fengmian’s bed in the shared room. “I know Fengmian-gege likes women, I’ve seen how much you paid that Nie disciple for the erotic artwork of the-”

Rumours be damned, Jiang Fengmian climbs onto his bed to wrestle his daemon into a headlock, and tries to shut him up.

They meet Cangse Sanren and her tiny thrush-daemon, Suyin, who is remarkably grumpy for such a small bird, but Wei Changze says it’s because her human is far too much for one small bird to handle.

Jiang Fengmian understands the feeling; within just a few days of meeting her he’d noticed that she had the personality of a small storm, pushing and pulling people into flying with her, or leaving them battered and confused in her wake.

There are rumours about her too, about how the bird perched on her shoulder can fly long distances sometimes, farther than any respectable person could stand to have their daemon go.

“Is it true?” asks Wei Changze, addressing Suyin, as they make their way down the back mountains on a free afternoon. In answer, Suyin takes flight from Cangse’s shoulder, flying over the gorge they’re nearing, far enough that she’s nothing but a speck.

Jiang Fengmian’s heart beats fast in terror long before she turns back, and instead of immediately throwing herself at Cangse, instead of holing each other desperately and trying to soothe the crippling pain that separating should have caused, Suyin lands on Wei Changze’s head, chirping cheerfully.

A witch. Cangse was truly a witch, it was not merely an insult that people threw at her for being so powerful.

Jiang Fengmian swallows, and then says the words aloud for the first time since he told his mother nearly a decade ago. “Changze is my daemon.”

“We know,” say Cangse and Suyin in unison.

Jiang Fengmian asks Cangse Sanren to marry her, and she refuses. “I left the mountain to travel, to help people who need it.”

“You can help the people of Yunmeng,” Jiang Fengmian insists, but knows it’s a lost cause. CZ is kneeling beside them, Suyin cupped carefully in his hands, rubbing her head over his fingers intimately. But that Cangse cares for them is not in dispute here.

“The people of Yunmeng have you,” she says. “I’m sorry, A-Mian.”

She presses a soft kiss to his cheek, as if it would lessen the crushing pain of heartbreak, then goes to where Changze is holding Suyin close.

“Come, A-Yin,” she says, and takes her daemon from Changze’s hands. The slight brush of their fingers is electric and unfair. Then she leans down, and presses a kiss to Changze’s cheek as well, before summoning her sword, ready to leave them.

Jiang Fengmian sets a hand on Changze’s shoulder, hears the desperate, broken, “Fengmian-gege,” and realizes that they could never live with watching this woman leave.

“Wait!” Jiang Fengmian cries.

“A-Mian I will not change my–”

“Teach us to separate,” he says, and she falls silent.

For the longest moment he thinks she’ll say no, that she cannot, but she laughs, and Suyin flies back into Wei Changze’s hand.

Since Jiang Fengmian had received his parents blessing to ask Cangse Sanren for her hand – a difficult campaign in itself – before he asked her, the proposal was no secret.

Did you hear? That Cangse Sanren ran off with Jiang-gongzi’s servant! Even though he proposed to her as well!

Those who know the truth, his parents and their most trusted aides find it difficult to meet his eyes. Their daemons skittered away from him in the hallways. His father’s otter daemon, Xinya, speaks to him directly once. It’s Taboo, but then so is separating with your daemon, and letting him marry the woman you love.

“Does it hurt?” she asks.

“Not as much as before,” he answers. He has no better answer to give her.

Yu Ziyuan is introduced to him, a young woman with a fierce reputation and pressured by her family to snag the heartbroken and still eminently eligible Jiang-zongzhu, who had recently come out of mourning after the death of his parents.

Her daemon Yunye watches him suspiciously at their first arranged meetings, never saying a word, even when the elderly Jiang and Yu chaperones and their daemons are out of earshot.

“If this is to go anywhere, then there’s someone you have to meet,” Jiang Fengmian tells her, and sends out a series of letters to the places that his daemon might currently be.

Wei Changze arrives alone for the next meeting, and Jiang Fengmian’s heart aches that Cangse Sanren had not bothered to come with him.

“San-Niang,” says Jiang Fengmian politely at their next meeting. “What I am about to tell you is highly classified. Only Two people alive know the truth, and I request that you keep it to yourself. Please meet my daemon, Changze. He goes by Wei Changze. Changze, this is Yu Ziyuan of Meishan Yu, and Yunye.”

He braces himself for the disgust that Mother had betrayed, but Yu Ziyuan just presses her lips together thoughtfully. Yunye speaks for the first time since they met. “It is good to meet you, Wie Changze,” he says, voice deeper than Jiang Fengmian had imagined. “We were afraid that Jiang-zongzhu did not even have one.”

“No, he does,” says Wei Changze.

“I do,” says Jiang Fengmian, then meets Yu Ziyuan’s eyes. “My daemon is married to Cangse Sanren. Our marriage would not supersede that.”

“I understand,” says Yu Ziyuan.

She is, surprisingly, more understanding than one would expect. There is the comfort of honesty between them, and soon, a child, a baby girl with the sweetest smile and sunniest personality. Things sour a little when three years later, Changze visits with a baby of his own in tow, when Yu Ziyuan is pregnant with their second child. “We named him Wei Ying,” says Wei Changze while Jiang Fengmian takes the little one into his arms. Yanli tugs on his robes, trying to get a closer look.

“He’s beautiful,” says Jiang Fengmian, instead of all of the other things he could say.

Foremost among them, is: Is he mine? How does this even work?

He lets Jiang Yanli chatter happily to the giggling baby, and presses a hand to Changze’s shoulder. His daemon reaches up to squeeze his hand.

Wei Changze and little A-Ying leave after a week, with the name Wuxian whispered into his dearest friend’s ear, when asked to choose a name.

“I did not know that they would –” he says to Yu Ziyuan. He had promised not to sire any bastards, after all.

She presses her lips together, and he winces, steeling himself for one of her sharp tirades, words nearly as cutting as Zidian. “That… boy,” she says, as if unsure that she should say boy there. As if ‘abomination’ would work better. “does not have a daemon.”

[Background for my Wei Wuxian is half-daemon AU! Feel free to ask about it, this one is WILD]

[Read Part 2 here!]

#daemon au #mdzs #jiang fengmian #wei changze #yu ziyuan #cangse sanren #alternate universe: daemons #fengmian/ziyuan #I can't help it I LIKE them!

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needtherapy · 3 years

Text

The Necromancer’s Apprentice

Xue Yang has seen The Dark House and he’s heard the rumors that a zombie, a witch, and a necromancer live there. It’s stupid, obviously, but...well...maybe he’ll just sneak in one night and find out.

It’s better than doing nothing. It’s better than going back to the group home. It’s better than sleeping on the street.

Aka, three mildly feral twentysomethings are forcibly adopted by one (1) very feral thirteen-year-old Xue Yang.

Read on AO3

Many thanks to @coslyons for co-writing this with me (all the funniest parts belong to them) and @kevinkevinson for beta.

There is a Dark House in Ballard, and people say to avoid it.

It is probably not called the Dark House because evil lurks inside, although there is some debate about that. It is called the Dark House because it is black from threshold to cupola, from shutters to frames, and it looms on a block where whimsical shops of brick and steel are far more common. Unlike the thrift store and the record shop, the hiking outfitter and the vegan patissiere, no ivy reaches toward the roof of the Dark House. Unlike the local yarn store, no dogs sniff the Dark House’s gate, although at least two cats—also black, naturally—are always sitting on the porch.

It may not be fair to judge a house by its color, but the local legends are clear. If you step on the cracks in the sidewalk, the Dark House will steal your soul. The wrought iron gate of twining snakes comes alive under the light of the full moon to snap at unwary joggers. Children who walk alone after dark get eaten, and the yard is full of bones that wail songs of their murders.

Xue Yang sits on a bench, across the street, eating ice cream and admiring the house. He wonders about the sanity of people who mow the lawn and trim the roses, yet painted their pretty little house black, until it occurs to him that he could just go inside and find out.

He waits until dark, not to stay hidden, but because it’s a more terrible idea, and Xue Yang always gives himself permission to do more terrible things whenever he gets the chance. The high iron fence buzzes with a strange kind of energy that crackles in his palms, so Xue Yang wraps his hands tightly in his flannel shirt as he climbs over. His mother always said he was a practical boy, back when she was still around to say things.

Xue Yang lands in the backyard with a quiet thump onto thin and scraggly grass. The center of the yard is dark under the watery moonlight, with the dirt churned up and loose, and for the first time, a tiny twinge of warning pings in the back of his mind.

He ignores it.

With a flick of his wrist, he summons his knife, a long black switchblade that is seven kinds of illegal and which he loves more than anything else he has ever had, not that there is much competition. With nimble and practiced hands, he slides the knife between the door and the frame, twisting just right when he reaches the lock. With a grin of triumph, he turns the handle, shaped like a gaping mouth, and opens the door.

In the center of the room, there is a long sort of table that seems somehow to pull all the darkness of the room toward it. The shadows gather most thickly around a large, human-shaped lump laid out stiffly on top of it. Xue Yang reaches out to poke it and feels something unexpectedly warm give slightly under his finger.

The shadowy lump on the table sits upright with a sudden jerk.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Xue Yang shrieks.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” the shadowy lump shrieks back.

“Why the fuck is everyone yelling?” a voice says, and the room is suddenly filled with light.

The shadowy lump rips off the sheet and turns into a guy in his early twenties with a scraggly little beard and wicked bedhead. The voice belongs to a grumpy-looking woman wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe. She squints at him in the oppressive brightness, glaring for a long moment before apparently deciding to deal with the man on the table first.

“Wei Wuxian, I’ve told you a thousand times that the workshop is not a place for sleeping.”

“Technically—” the man begins, before being abruptly cut off by the woman.

“If the next words out of your mouth aren’t ‘yes, Wen Qing,’ then I don’t care. Go to bed.” She rounds on Xue Yang and he takes a tiny, involuntary step back. “You. What are you doing here?”

Before Xue Yang can answer, another guy—this one with long hair, killer tats, and a dedication to the goth look Xue Yang has to admire—runs in with a baseball bat held in his hands like a club.

“Jiejie! Is there something wrong?”

The woman—Wen Qing, she’d said—pinches the bridge of her nose and says, “It’s fine, A-Ning. I’m just trying to figure out what this little hooliganthinks he’s doing breaking into my house and tripping all of my wards while I’m trying to fucking sleep .”

Xue Yang is now convinced that what he’s broken into is some kind of madhouse, and he pastes a charming smile on his face, the one he uses when fists are clenched and the smell of alcohol burns in his nose. The smile whispers words like “anger issues” and “prone to destruction,” and it’s usually weapon enough, but he holds his knife a little tighter too, just in case.

The woman snaps around like she’s felt his fingers grip the handle of the blade and holds out her hand. “Give it to me.”

No. He will not. His chin tips dangerously, his smile grows icy spikes.

Her eyes narrow. “I could just take it.”

They face off for a minute, the tension almost palpable. Actually, Xue Yang thinks, it’s not tension after all. There’s something else in the air. It reminds him of the buzzing fence, and he doesn’t like the way it confuses him.

“Ah, Wen-jie, let him keep her. Can’t you tell? The kid is scared, they’re both scared, and it’s not like he can hurt us.”

Xue Yang is offended. He is not scared, but he’s relieved that Wei Wuxian spoke up all the same, because even though Wen Qing purses her lips and looks annoyed, she drops her hand.

“Fine.” She crosses her arms again. “Wei Wuxian, make sure our little guest leaves. I’m resetting the wards in five minutes and going back to sleep.”

“Yeah, sure.” Wei Wuxian grins and shoots finger guns at Wen Qing. “Sleep well and dream of me.”

Wen Qing rolls her eyes. “Yes, because I love having nightmares.”

“Oh shoo.” Wei Wuxian flicks his hand at the goth man and Wen Qing. “To bed with you both. I can handle it.”

Their footsteps creak on the wooden floors as they walk further into the house. Xue Yang and Wei Wuxian wait in silence until the footsteps quiet, and then Wei Wuxian turns to Xue Yang. The grin he’d been wearing drops off his face and he looks serious, his eyes shaded and dark.

“Look kid, you should know better than to piss off powerful witches. It tends to be bad for the health.” The side of his mouth just barely tilts upwards, more wry than mirthful, and he looks old now. Old and grey and tired. “So, we’ll just call this a learning experience, and you’ll never come here again, right?”

Xue Yang snorts. “Are you kidding? If you’ve got real magic why the fuck would I leave now?”

“Toddlers shouldn’t swear.”

“I’m almost fourteen, fuck you very much.”

“Ah yes, I am now so convinced you are an adult.” Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. “It’s two in the morning. You want to go home and go to bed. There’s nothing here for you to be curious about at all.”

Something sibilant and musical weaves its way through the words, and Xue Yang has his hand on the door knob before he fights off the slithering compulsion.

Holy fuck that was cool.

“Nah, I think I’ll stay,” he says, sauntering back casually, pausing to look at a weird painting of a monster facing off with an axe-wielding guy in front of a lighthouse. He feels a very strong sense of camaraderie with it right now.

Wei Wuxian sighs. “Sure, maybe you’ve got a little gift. But you’re a kid. Don’t you have parents who are going to, you know, notice you’re missing?”

Xue Yang stares him in the eyes, willing himself not to flinch. Something tells him this is a chance he’s never going to have again, a chance that requires honesty.

“No.” Xue Yang lifts his chin stubbornly. “I don’t.”

Wei Wuxian stares back, and Xue Yang gets the feeling that he sees all the years and all the disappointments that fit into that no. He doesn’t care. No one gives you what you want unless you take it.

This standoff lasts forever, or maybe it’s only a few seconds.

“She’s going to kill me,” Wei Wuxian mutters, and a little louder, “You can sleep on the couch tonight, but I’m locking you in the room and if you touch anything, I will turn you into a mannequin.”

He turns to leave, but looks back with a frown. “Wen Qing builds beautiful, elegant wards that you’ll never feel, never even notice if she doesn’t want you to. Mine will hurt. Don’t. Touch. Anything.”

Xue Yang decides, in the principle of magnanimity, to agree. “Whatever.”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head and points a finger at Xue Yang. “Go to sleep, kiddo.”

The words hold Xue Yang’s hand and lead him to the couch, make him lay down, and within minutes, he is asleep.

He opens his eyes to piercing sunlight and a pale face inches from his.

“What the fuck!” he yelps, instinctively grabbing for his knife and snapping it open.

“Mr. Wei, he’s awake and noisy,” the face says, and Xue Yang focuses on its features.

It’s the goth guy. His arms have full-sleeve tattoos, matching patterns of stark black geometric lines and circles, but his neck has weird black veins tattooed on it. His eyes, which are still way too close to Xue Yang’s, are so dark they’re practically black.

“Where’s the witch?” Xue Yang asks, sufficiently recovered to be an asshole.

“Boiling children,” Wei Wuxian retorts. He’s leaning over the table and taking notes in a tattered book, poking something with a tiny screwdriver. “It’s the only reason we let you stay.”

“Really?” Xue Yang can’t decide if that’s cool or terrifying.

“He’s always like that in the morning,” Goth Guy says conspiratorially. “By ten, he’s pretty nice again.”

“I’m never nice,” Wei Wuxian grumbles. “A-Ning, can you take our miscreant home, please? The last thing I need is cops knocking on The House door asking if we’re kidnapping children. Again.” “Okay, Mr. Wei.”

Xue Yang panics. He can’t go back there. Not since they found him alone with the fire. He knows what they’ll do, and he can’t go back. He won’t . He ducks under Goth Guy’s arm and has his knife angled under Wei Wuxian’s chin before he’s even processed the motor function commands “get up” and “don’t let him send you away.”

“No! You have to…” He scrambles though thoughts, desperate ideas, each one crazier than the last before he hits on words that work themselves loose from his mouth. “You said I had a gift, you have to teach me to use it.”

Wei Wuxian frowns, but instead of being afraid or angry, he tips his head and whistles, two notes that almost sound like a name. To his great shock and horror, Xue Yang’s knife vibrates in his hand, and his fingers snap open like a broken trap, dropping the knife onto Wei Wuxian’s waiting palm. He carefully folds the blade back into the handle.

“Jiangzai,” he says, almost affectionately.

It doesn’t mean anything, but then it does , and it hits Xue Yang so hard he collapses to the ground. The knife has a name, and he knows it’s right as soon as Wei Wuxian says it. Xue Yang’s heart pounds, and he hates it. He hates this motherfucker who just took his knife away and he hates the Goth Guy who is helping him back to his feet. He doesn’t want to stay anymore, and he shakes off Goth Guy, wishing he could throw his kindness on the floor and stomp on it.

Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. “Okay, maybe you have a little bit more than a little bit of a gift. But you still can’t stay, and I’m not teaching you anything.”

Xue Yang snatches his knife— his Jiangzai—out of Wei Wuxian’s hand and stomps to the door. “Fine. Fuck you.”

He gets as far as yanking the door open and slamming it against the wall before he realizes that there is a person in the way, and she doesn’t look inclined to move.

“Here you go, kiddo,” she says, handing him a bag. “I bought you some clean clothes and a toothbrush. A-Ning will show you where the bathroom is. Come back down for breakfast when you’ve changed.”

This is somehow more terrifying than when she was yelling at him. Yelling he understands. Now she’s just being...creepy. He stares at her belligerently, and she sighs.

“Listen, you little shit,” she says, bending over to look him dead in the eye. She doesn’t have to bend very far, he realizes. She’s actually tiny, even though she seems as big as the Fremont troll. “You will either go willingly with A-Ning, who is very nice, or you can test my patience and get buried in the yard with all the rest of the naughty children who break into my house. Your choice.”

Yeah, that’s more solid ground.

“Fine.” He grabs the bag from her and waves at the Goth Guy. “Lead the way, A-Ning .” He means it to be an insult, but Goth Guy just grins.

Xue Yang hears Wei Wuxian ask, “Wen Qing, what the fuck,” before Goth Guy herds him up the wide staircase, and he doesn’t hear any more of her answer than, “A-Xian, I can’t let him leave. You don’t understand, I did a location…”

This close to the Goth Guy, Xue Yang decides to acknowledge that the pale translucence of his skin is probably not makeup.

“I’m Wen Ning, by the way. I doubt Mr. Wei or jiejie introduced me,” Goth Guy—Wen Ning—says in a casual tone.

“So are you actually dead or what?” he asks Wen Ning, and Wen Ning grins.

“Or what,” he answers enigmatically, and gently shoves Xue Yang in a bathroom with pink tiles and a claw-foot tub.

Once he’s bathed and changed, Xue Yang heads back downstairs. Breakfast is bacon, eggs, and toast, and he doesn’t even pretend it isn’t the best food he’s eaten in a week. It is, in fact, the first food he hasn’t stolen in a week, and that alone is a novelty.

He’s halfway done with his food when Wei Wuxian, who hasn’t touched a bit of his and looks as sullen as an orange, says, “I have been informed that there is some arcane rule about teaching a gift you discover, and my...how did you put it, dear Wen Qing? My immortal soul and earthly being will be in danger if I don’t capitulate to the inevitable?”

He glares at Wen Qing, and she smiles sweetly at him.

“Whatever,” Xue Yang says around a mouthful of eggs. “Are you going to eat that?”

Wei Wuxian passes him the plate of food, and Xue Yang closes his eyes in bliss. Food is amazing.

“There are conditions—don’t look at me like that, Wen-jie. I agreed, okay? I get to set conditions. First of all, you do whatever I tell you. If I tell you to sell turnips on the street corner, you better sell some goddamn turnips. Second, you don’t touch anything unless I say it’s okay. A lot of this stuff,” he waves his hand around the white and yellow room, which looks surprisingly cheerful for a kitchen in a black house, “is priceless and dangerous, so…”

Wen Qing clears her throat and glares at Wei Wuxian.

“Uh...don’t touch anything.” Wei Wuxian finishes, snaking a piece of bacon from Xue Yang’s plate and shoving it into his mouth before disappearing back into his workroom.

Wen Qing rolls her eyes. “I promise he’ll actually teach you stuff once he pulls his head—” She visibly checks herself. “Once he stops being an idiot. More bacon?”

The rest is on AO3

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #xue yang #wei wuxian #wen ning #wen qing #Seattle #modern au #modern with magic #found family #the untamed fic #13k words #I just think teenage Xue Yang would have been very different with a family

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ibijau · 3 years

Text

How to Woo a Lan pt3 / on AO3

The issue with getting Nie Huaisang’s assistance in seducing Lan Sizhui was that Nie Huaisang wasn't an easy man to get a hold of. Except for conferences, or to go beg for help from his brother's sworn brothers, he rarely ever left the Unclean Realm. The second reason wasn't going to ever happen again, and Jin Ling wasn't in the mood to wait for both of them to attend the same conference.

That meant he had to invite Nie Huaisang to Jinlin Tai (an invitation he was almost sure would be refused) or invite himself to the Unclean Realm. He'd need a decent reason for that, or else the Nie wouldn't allow him inside their fortress, sect leader or not. He also needed an excuse to give the Jin elders and Jiang Cheng, who might not want him anywhere near Qinghe at the moment… but that part would be easy enough, when he had a lifetime of experience in dealing with overprotective relatives. He’d just say he had been invited by… well, not the Lan, that’d be too odd when he’d just been on a Night Hunt, but Ouyang Zizhen was always up for some mischief, and he was weak to a good love story.

Or a bad love story, for that matter, but Jin Ling knew his future romance with Lan Sizhui was definitely going to be a great one.

So he’d tell everyone he was going to meet up with Ouyang Zizhen for a made-up Night Hunt, and they’d head for Qinghe together, and… and it wouldn’t be difficult to dig up some official sounding business that he’d need to urgently check with sect leader Nie.

It would be easy.

It was easy.

Ouyang Zizhen loved the idea, especially since he’d had yet another argument with his father and wanted some space. That seemed to happen every other week, and Jin Ling suspected that his friend spent more time away from home than with his family. He suspected, also, that sect leader Ouyang wasn’t quite the tyrant that Zizhen made him out to be, but rather a grumpy old man who didn’t know how to deal with his emotions, much like Jiang Cheng.

The two of them, after meeting in the place they’d decided, headed for Qinghe together. Ouyang Zizhen stayed behind at an inn, so he wouldn’t get dragged into a bad situation in case sect leader Nie didn’t take too well to having his past affair with Lan Xichen thrown in his face. So it was alone that Jin Ling made his way to the high gates of the Unclean Realm, alone that he faced the guards standing at the entrance, alone that he announced he needed to urgently meet with Nie Huaisang on important business.

The guards, quite predictably, refused to let him in so easily. They insisted on being given details before bothering their sect leader, while Jin Ling absolutely refused to share any critical information with low ranking disciples. It was, quite frankly, a little insulting that people so low in importance could dare resist him in that manner, especially when Qinghe Nie hardly counted as a great sect anymore these days, but Jin Ling was starting to have some experience in dealing with obtuse underlings. He insisted, and insisted, and insisted some more until at long last the highest ranking of the guards gave in and sent someone to warn their sect leader he had a guest.

Jin Ling was allowed inside.

Not only was he allowed inside, but Qinghe Nie’s first disciple in person came in person to fetch him, and after he refused to talk to her about the business that brought him there, she promptly took him to see her sect leader. Everything was going according to plan. Jin Ling was starting to feel mildly nervous, especially as quite a few Nie disciples glared at the sight of an intruder wearing robes of gold… but that was to be expected. He’d known he wouldn’t be a welcome guest, and the Nie weren’t exactly warm people to begin with.

It came as something of a relief when Jin Ling realised that he wasn’t being led to the normal reception room to meet Nie Huaisang, but instead towards private quarters, most likely the sect leader’s office. It meant there would be no witness to their conversation. Then, just as quickly, Jin Ling panicked a little when he realised that meant he’d probably be alone with Nie Huaisang, a man who had every reason to despise him for being related by blood to his beloved brother’s murderer. It occurred to him that maybe this whole plan wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever come up with, but at that point it was already too late: the door to Nie Huaisang’s office was being opened for him, revealing the man himself, sitting at his desk.

As he walked inside the room, Jin Ling thought there was something different about Nie Huaisang. Maybe it was just that he’d so rarely seen him in a state other than “drunk and making a scene” or “crying and making a scene” or even “just making a scene for no discernable reason”. Instead, Nie Huaisang looked calm and collected, a bit annoyed perhaps, but there was enough paperwork on his desk that the annoyance might not even have been caused by Jin Ling’s visit.

“Leave us alone,” Nie Huaisang ordered his first disciple, in a voice firmer than Jin Ling had ever heard from him. To the boy’s mild horror, the first disciple did leave immediately, closing the door behind her. “Well? What urgent business do you have to share with me?” Nie Huaisang asked, opening an elegant fan and using it to gesture that his guest was welcome to sit down.

Jin Ling took the invitation and knelt down on the other side of the desk. He realised, a little late, that he hadn’t really thought of something to say, having half expected he wouldn’t even making it this far. In the end, Jin Ling decided that the best way to deal with this situation was to be brief and to the point.

“I remember about your affair with Lan Xichen,” he announced. “And I want to talk to you about something regarding that.”

The fan in Nie Huaisang’s hand closed with a sharp sound, and for a brief moment the man glared at Jin Ling with such open hatred that Jin Ling shivered and unconsciously leaned backward. Then, just as quickly, Nie Huaisang’s expression turned so perfectly indifferent that Jin Ling might as well have imagined that brief moment of rage.

“So you remember that,” Nie Huaisang pleasantly mused, tapping his fan against his chin. “I suspected as much, but Lan Xichen seemed to believe you’d forgotten. He’s always been the hopeful sort. I must commend you for keeping that secret, Jin zongzhu,” he said, his smile turning sharper. “And for trying to blackmail me now. A very bold move certainly, though not exactly smart, I’m afraid. After all, you know what sort of things I’m capable of, and I doubt you told anyone you were coming here. I might well do something regrettable to protect Lan Xichen’s reputation.”

“Someone knows I’m here,” Jin Ling retorted, suddenly glad Ouyang Zizhen was waiting for him. “And anyway you’re not stupid enough to kill me. You know if there’s one thing that could make Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng reconcile it’s that, and if they’re working together they’d find out the truth for sure.”

Nie Huaisang’s smile became milder, yet somehow Jin Ling still felt half threatened. “You’re a smart boy. Smarter than I expected. Very well, I’ll listen to what you want, if only because I’m very bored lately.”

Jin Ling nodded, and took a deep breath.

“Right. I want you to help me court someone from Gusu Lan!” he said. “Because everyone else I could ask for advice is a damn idiot, and you at least had that fling with Lan Xichen, and I don’t know when the two of you broke up, but…”

Nie Huaisang chuckled somberly, reopening his fan and moving it in a lazy manner.

“Of course you know. You were there. Let this be a piece of advice for you, Jin zongzhu,” Nie Huaisang added with an innocent expression. “Don’t make your lover kill his best friend, no matter how just and deserved the death. It can put a strain on a relationship.”

Jin Ling gaped, and awkwardly stared at Nie Huaisang who placidly returned the stare. He had expected the break-up to have happened a while before all that business with Wei Wuxian’s return started. But if those two had been together, then…

“Why didn’t you get him to willingly help you avenge your brother, if he was still your lover?” Jin Ling asked.

“That’s none of your concern, Jin zongzhu,” Nie Huaisang snapped, before mellowing back into a pleasant, if insincere, smile. “So you have a thing for someone from Gusu Lan… I heard you’ve been very friendly to that loudmouth boy, what’s his name again?”

“It’s not Jingyi!” Jin Ling protested, offended at the very idea. “I have better taste than that!”

“Then my second guess is Lan Sizhui,” Nie Huaisang mused, his smile falling. “Hm… of course you’d have to make this complicated for yourself. It runs in your family, I’m starting to think. You Jin can’t ever do things the easy way."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Nie Huaisang’s fan stilled, and he glared at the boy.

"It means give up, Jin zongzhu,” he said coldly. “If I'm right about the object of your affections, he'll refuse you even if he likes you. Especially if he likes you,” Nie Huaisang corrected after a moment of consideration. “He was raised by Wangji, he'll be just as stupid. No, find yourself a nice girl who'll let you play under her skirts, marry her, have a few babies… love isn't worth it, my generation should have proved that."

“Well, my generation isn’t going to be stupid about it,” Jin Ling hotly retorted. “If I had problems, I would trust Lan Sizhui to understand, and to do the right thing about it, because he’s the best person in the world! I just… need to figure out how to let him know I like him, first. I’m making a bit of a mess with that so far.”

“Truly your father’s son,” Nie Huaisang muttered, appearing unimpressed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nie Huaisang didn’t reply right away. Instead he resumed fanning himself and stared a long while at Jin Ling. So long, in fact, that it was becoming uncomfortable, and Jin Ling found himself wanting to shout at the other man for being a creep… but ultimately Nie Huaisang was his elder, and someone of equal rank, and Jin Ling was pretty sure shouting at another sect leader could get him in trouble if his uncle heard about it.

Then again, just being there at all would get him in trouble if Jiang Cheng heard about it.

“I don’t suppose people have told you all that much about your father, have they?” Nie Huaisang asked, something going softer in his face. “A good man. Not the smartest, terrible with people, but… yes, a good man. A kind man, even. Bit of a prick when he was a teenager, but we all were, and he grew out of it in time. We had good fun together, back in the days.”

Jin Ling stared right back, and nervously pinched the hem of his sleeve.

“I didn’t know you were his friend?”

In truth, he didn’t know a lot about his parents, aside from a few basic facts. Few people had actually known them well enough for that, and those few people hadn’t been very willing to talk. Even Jin Ling, capricious as he could be, had quickly figured out how unkind it would have been to ask Jiang Cheng too many questions about the family he’d lost. But if Nie Huaisang had known his parents too… well, Nie Huaisang didn’t deserve Jin Ling’s pity, did he?

Nie Huaisang shrugged, and looked away.

“Zixuan and I got along pretty well, but I’m not sure I would have called us friends.” He sighed, and turned silent for a moment, before a half smile crept on his lips. “Well, I might have, I’m just not sure he would have agreed. But I helped him write poetry to woo your mother, back then. Heavens know he needed the help. Lovely, wonderful man once you knew him, but he had a gift for always saying the worst thing possible, no matter how well he meant.”

“Everyone told me my father was a perfect young master,” Jin Ling protested, fidgeting harder with his sleeves while heat creeped up his face at the insult, however slight, “and that he was well liked everywhere he went!”

“Oh, they said that when he was alive as well,” Nie Huaisang said with a short laugh. “People always find something nice to say about rich young men. No, your father was a disaster, and it’s a miracle your mother ever gave him a second chance.”

“A second chance?” Jin Ling gasped. “What’s that supposed to mean? They were engaged from birth, and they fell in love over the course of that engagement, and then they got married, what second chances were there to be had?”

It was the story he’d always heard. Even Jiang Cheng hadn’t ever said differently, on those few occasions he’d agreed to talk about Jin Ling’s parents. Their story had been beautiful, and romantic, and…

And come to think of it, Jiang Cheng had always firmly been opposed to any efforts by the Jin sect to pick a fiancée for Jin Ling, insisting that it should wait until he was old enough to have his say in the matter. Jin Ling had thought it was just his uncle expecting him to be a confirmed bachelor as well, or guessing that he usually liked boys more than girls, or…

Nie Huaisang grimaced, and closed his fan so he could toy with it.

“So you really don’t know the whole story, hm? You should ask…” he trailed off, and frowned. “Ah. Well, I suppose there’s not really anyone you could ask, so that’s the problem. Guangyao’s dead, Wanyin can’t stand speaking about his sister… I’d suggest you turn to Wei Wuxian, but quite frankly he’d already ran off to the Burial Mounds for the truly fun parts of the story. Of course I could tell you about your father’s great effort to seduce your mother once he realised that she was, in fact, the best woman in the world, but… I don’t particularly feel like it,” Nie Huaisang admitted with a disdainful smirk. “Nor do I feel like getting involved with any of your family’s problems. So shoo, off you go,” he ordered, chasing Jin Ling away with a gesture. “You’ve come to make a request, I have refused it, now leave me alone.”

“But you have to help me!” Jin Ling protested. “If you don’t, I’ll have to ask Wei Wuxian! Do you want that to happen?”

“Or you could just give up,” Nie Huaisang retorted. “I’ve told you, even if he likes you, that boy won’t… It would be a bad idea.”

“And it wasn’t, when you got together with Lan Xichen?” Jin Ling asked, slamming his fist against the desk, earning an unimpressed glance from his fellow sect leader.

“Of course it was a dreadful idea,” Nie Huaisang replied. “It’s a choice I’ve regretted almost every day for the past few months. Every day since I’ve discovered what was done to my brother. And now, the man I loved is in seclusion because I kept secrets from him and turned him into a murderer, almost ruining his reputation. If I could go back to the past…” Nie Huaisang paused again, his face tightening. “I should never have become involved with him. Love is a mistake, Jin zongzhu. Look at me, look at your parents, what good did love ever do anyone?”

“My parents were happy, before things went bad,” Jin Ling retorted, getting annoyed by all the self-pitying happening before him. Maybe Nie Huaisang really was as pathetic as he’d seemed to be, in the end. How disappointing. “Jiujiu doesn’t talk much about them, but he always says that: they were happy. Even after my father died, my mother said she didn’t regret that she’d at least had a little time with him!”

Nie Huaisang blinked at him, his expression softening.

"They were happy," he said. "Your parents. Out of everyone I’ve met from our circles, they were… I remember when your father told me your mother had agreed to marry him. I've never seen a man happier than that, except for the year after when he told me that they were expecting a child."

"I want to be happy like that, too," Jin Ling said. "And I know if I could just convince Sizhui… and I'd make him happy too! I'd do anything to make him happy! I just… I'm not sure how, because he's so perfect, and I'm me!"

Nie Huaisang blinked a few times, and put his chin on his hand, resting his elbow on the table.

"Oh dear, you have it bad, uh ? Ah, you remind me of… well. Nevermind that. And I suppose I'm the last person who could blame you for falling for a Lan. You are really sure it has to be a Lan, and that Lan in particular?"

Jin Ling thought of Lan Sizhui, kind and strong and unwaveringly good, and nodded firmly.

"Yes. I love him, and I'll court him, with or without your help!"

Nie Huaisang grimaced, but this time it looked almost like a smile.

"I see. Well, I suppose someone needs to make sure you don't cause a diplomatic incident like your father almost did a few times. I'd like to go a few years without Lanling Jin causing any trouble, if that's not too much to ask. Fine. Fine! I'll help."

"You will?" Jin Ling gasped, trying to restrain a happy grin.

"Sure, why not. I'm bored enough," Nie Huaisang sighed. "Fine, let's just… Tell me about Lan Sizhui."

"But you know him already. Better than me, probably."

"Oh, without a doubt I know him better than you," Nie Huaisang agreed. "But I want to hear this from you. I have to figure out how serious you are about this. Yes, yes, very serious,” he said, raising his hand to stop Jin Ling from protesting. “I remember being fifteen, thanks, and I thought I’d die if he didn’t look my way for too long. But he was a few years older than me, and there’s a lot I didn’t understand at the time, so I want to see how much you understand.”

Jin Ling opened his mouth to answer, than closed it again as he realised what Nie Huaisang had just said.

“You were already in love with Lan Xichen at fifteen? How long…”

Nie Huaisang raised a hand again, a severe expression on his face.

“Let’s establish something right now,” he said. “I am helping you, out of pity toward you and because your father was, in fact, one of very few people I’ve ever considered a friend. Aside from this, I still consider you an annoying brat, and the grandson of the man who had my brother murdered. Just because I’m willing to help you doesn’t mean I intend to confide in you, least of all on the subject of Lan Xichen. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you never mentioned him again in my presence.”

Jin Ling grimaced, but nodded anyway. Nie Huaisang, however, wasn’t done.

“And let’s be clear on something else,” he said, slowly, as if to make sure Jin Ling wouldn’t miss a single word. “If you ever tell anything, to anyone, about his relationship with me, nobody, not even Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian, can save you from my wrath. I will not let anyone ruin Lan Xichen’s life, least of all another Jin. Do I make myself understood?”

Jin Ling shivered at the threat, which he felt to be a very serious one. Then, because he just didn’t know when to shut up, he said: “Oh. You still love him, don’t you?”

It was the wrong thing to say, and Nie Huaisang startled at the accusation, tensing like a wounded animal cornered by dogs. Of course it had been the wrong thing to say. Otherwise, Jin Ling wouldn’t have said it.

“I’ve just said I don’t want to confide in you,” Nie Huaisang hissed, but he couldn’t quite make himself feel scary again, and instead just looked again like the sad, pathetic man Jin Ling had known all his life.

“Have you told him that you still feel like that?” Jin Ling asked before he could stop himself. “Because I think you should. Maybe you can still mend this! I mean, if Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji got together, then anything in the world is possible. You should…”

“I should kick you out of my house and let you deal with your boyfriend alone,” Nie Huaisang snapped, his face redder than cinnabar. “Now tell me why you love that damn Lan kid, and stay out of my business.”

Jin Ling pinched his lips, annoyed that yet again, every adult around him was apparently determined to ruin their own life by refusing to just talk. First there had been his uncle with Wei Wuxian, now Nie Huaisang… Apparently, growing up made people stupid. Jin Ling could only hope he wouldn’t end up like that, too stubborn to do the right thing.

He was sure he wouldn’t, because Lan Sizhui wouldn’t let him.

Ultimately, though, Nie Huaisang’s private life really wasn’t his problem. So Jin Ling dropped the matter, and instead prepared himself to explain every little thing that made Lan Sizhui the most amazing person in the entire world.

#xisang #zhuiling #lingzhui #nie huaisang #jin ling #mdzs #jau writes #operation woo a lan

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