Summary: Lan Wangji had come to Carp Tower to seal an alliance with the Yiling Patriarch, in order to prevent a war the Lan Sect couldn't win. But the deal was brokered by the Jin sect for reasons of their own, and instead Lan Wangji found himself all but coerced into an unexpected marriage.

My comments: I just want to live in this series. I'll bring my comfy chair and my cats and favorite bits of art and I'll never leave. This world is engrossing and I love it to pieces. The characterizations are perfect, and entertaining, the set up is great, just... the whole story is on fire in the best way.

In this AU, wwx has been in the Burial Mounds for most of his life (well, he's on his third life now, but...) and alone for much of it. But now he's got the Dafan Wens to protect and be his family. But the Jin want something from him, and he's been 'encouraged' to visit Carp Tower through some strategic hostage-taking and information that Cloud Recesses had plans to attack them. Meanwhile, the Lan have been told that Cloud Recesses is under imminent attack by the Yiling Patriarch unless they cement an impromptu alliance. So with no time to breathe or ask questions, boom, wangxian are married, willy nilly.

Of course, nothing is as it seems, and these two smart boys figure it out quickly. But that doesn't mean that lwj isn't committed to his new husband and his family, a stubborn attachment that only grows stronger as he learns wwx's tragic past and witnesses his bright humor, fierce love for his family, and very sharp mind. (The fact that he's young and beautiful is purely incidental.)

Excerpt 1: ...they had no choice. The wars of the previous generation and the volcanic eruption in Qishan had left the countryside devastated, cities and sects in ruins, all across the continent. The Lan had been lucky to survive at all, and now they were lucky the powerful Jin had chosen to intercede in order to stop the attack on Cloud Recesses by the Burial Mounds. Lan Wangji said, "I agreed to this, Brother." He didn't add, "It will be fine," because it wouldn't. It would be what it was.

Excerpt 2: Fortunately, Wei Wuxian had an affinity for Yin Iron that came from spending a lot of time dead with it.

N.B. [If you loved this story, you should probably go read... everything... by Moominmammashandbag, because I feel like the tone, characterizations, and blend of both humor and actually fraught situations is similar.]

Summary Part 1:  As the two groups parted again and Jin Ling led his disciples back to pick up their packs, Jin Chan said, "So we're not going to murder him but did you consider that he might murder all of us?"

Word has it that the Yiling Patriarch is back up to his old tricks somewhere in the woods of Tingshan. But the truth is, it was Jin Ling's idea.

My comments:  

Part 1: Wherein Jin Ling looks for a way to make things better between him and his weird Uncle after the whole 'stabbing' thing, and settles on giving him an old outpost in a ruined city so he'll have somewhere to live (because he won't stay for long in Cloud Recesses) after an enlightening conversation with Lan Jingyi. But it all falls apart when the outpost is already claimed by a pair of demons, and Jin Ling learns a lot by watching the Lans battle them, and learns even more about his uncle.

*** This excerpt from Part 1 is such a beautiful concept, I loved it: ***

"It helps to know what you're looking for. Here." He bit his thumb and sketched a talisman on Jin Ling's forehead, then turned him to face the courtyard.

And Jin Ling saw it: a writhing map of painful death, of unfinished lives, of resentful wronged spirits burned into the earth and the wood and the stone. Living spirits, too, glowing out of the disciples. Hanguang-jun was too bright to look at. Wen Ning had a glow too, but his was off-color, not quite centered in his body, and hazed around with ward talismans. The breath caught in Jin Ling's throat. "Do you see this all the time?"

"I used to. Now I see it when I look for it. Wen Ning sees it." Wei Wuxian raised his voice. "Wen Ning! How many ghosts in the well?"

Wen Ning, dragging a larger dead spider demon across the court, said, "Eight, Senior Wei!"

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Part 2 shows how much ostracism and hostility wei wuxian has regularly been exposed to since his return. There's a scene in the middle where lan wangji delivers a DELICIOUSLY SATISFYING smackdown to sect leader yao during a banquet that will live on in my head rent free for years. Mostly POV wwx and lsz.

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Part 3 is mostly POV wwx with flashes of lwj and lsz. In which they discover a sliver of Yin iron and in trying to destroy it, wwx is snatched through a portal straight into great danger and mystery. (Of course those that remain behind - lwj, lwz, wn - are not about to let him face that alone.

Summary:  It was either a kidnapping or an invitation to a sleepover; Wei Wuxian honestly couldn't tell which.

My comments:  When wwx is injured, Nie Huaisang sees an opportunity to mend fences after puppeteering so many people for so many years.

Excerpt:  When they reached the Unclean Realm, they flew over the walls of the fortress and landed in a court that Wei Wexian didn't remember, a terrace above a garden space with ponds and potted trees and lush plants. The rooms facing it had wide open doors, revealing interiors rich with embroidery, tassels, and bright paint. If this was the way to the dungeons now, Nie Huaisang really had done extensive remodeling. As they landed, people in Nie colors appeared in the doorways, staring with startled curiosity.

Summary:  A missing scene from episode 33.

The Zidian didn't knock Wei Wuxian out of this body but it rattled his brain and turned his bones to jelly. This is a transformation, not a possession, and poor Mo Xuanyu is not coming back, no matter how many times Jiang Cheng whips Wei Wuxian.

My comments:  Ahh, this missing scene (one chapter from each POV) soothes my fretting soul, having just read a much more stressful story. I needed this, it's quiet and happy and purely lovely. 

Excerpt:  "Why are you smiling?"

Lan Wangji moved around to pull Wei Ying's boots off. "Because this can't be a dream."

Wei Ying was skeptical. "How are you so sure?"

"The donkey."

"Ah, the donkey." Wei Ying flopped back on the pillow. "Good point, Lan Zhan. The donkey."