I do so love stories about cities that are full of malice. This is gonna be so good. These first sections that describe the Yiling Laozu and how the city came to be are sending shivers down my spine. So good.
Lan Wangji has also read the poems, though those have not been taught in class.
Love a romantic.
has witnessed the improvement in the air quality and the infrastructures and the decline in murder rates.
Ah, I really enjoy this bit of worldbuilding.
despite his excellent sense of direction, Lan Wangji is not certain he would be able to find his way out without him.
Love the Lovecraftian vibe of it all.
Lan Wangji isn’t planning on straying.
Feels like foreshadowing to meeeee.
Then the water supply becomes tainted, and before the elders can even ask, Lan Wangji volunteers to visit Yiling again.
Lan Wangji's thirsty for a different tall glass of water, I see.
"Lan Zhan." His tone is soft, and the syllables sound sweet on his tongue. "I would like that, Lan Zhan. Please call me Wei Ying."
Aww, Wei Wuxiannnnn.
Lan Wangji’s mouth falls open, and when Wei Wuxian notices he winks, his playing continuing seamlessly, his graceful fingers twirling over the keys.
How sexy and cute and competent Wei Wuxian is.
It attacks and Wei Wuxian parries, a dance, a flirt, a deadly courting ritual.
I love this description so much.
"But that was so long ago! Lan Zhan, there are so many more people now. The population nowadays is way denser, and everyone is worried all the fucking time, and people have to deal with all kinds of expectations and hardships that no one has even imagined before. The toll on the spirit, Lan Zhan. It’s heavier than it has ever been at the time the books were written."
Rip modernity.
"Is this what you are doing?" Lan Wangji is suddenly curious, parched, desperate to find out every single thing that he does not know about the world. He could reconcile himself with never seeing the stars, with passing up on the wonders that the outside world has to offer. But to think that he has been living in ignorance of pain — that thought is far harder to bear.
Ahhhh, Lan Wangji is such a good man. T_T
Wei Ying takes care to point out to Lan Wangji its sources — here, a cursed traffic light, quite literally bowing over under the weight of countless angry hisses and remarks. In the Gusu Lan library, turned haunted house overnight — not because of some gruesome massacre, simply because of the panic of a young girl who stayed and studied for three days straight to impress on her first official exam.
Such good worldbuilding. I love thisssss.
"My clan is falling apart," he says. It comes out harsh. "Even with all the work that we have done, something is wrong. Something has been wrong not only in Gusu, but everywhere." Wei Ying shifts restlessly in his place at the words. Lan Wangji takes a deep breath. "My duty is to the living, first and foremost. And since the elders are very set in their ways —"
Ahhhhh. Lan Wangji, wanting to go find out if his dream is true, but staying out of duty. Waaaaaah.
His heart is seizing up in his chest, prepared for an unknown agony, a grief that is yet to be put into words.
Waaaaaaaah. He's too ready for bad things to happen. I'm scared for him.
All the high council members owned cars, of course — flying regulations being what they were, and also the limitations due to lighting, and skyscrapers, occasionally concentrations of power lines could also prove tricky to navigate — why hadn’t they been using more of the regular methods, Lan Wangji wonders suddenly.
I think it's really cool that you've turned it so that the magical means of doing something is the inconvenient way of doing things. It's a really unique twist on fantasy.
"I know the chord assassination technique." Lan Wangji says. "I will cover you."
A team-up!!!
"The Yiling planetarium," Wei Ying answers quietly as he sits on the floor. He tugs on the hem of Lan Wangji’s shirt, until Lan Wangji folds his knees underneath him and sinks down to sit by his side.
They're not even boyfriends yet and Wei Wuxian's already the best boyfriend. T_T He takes his man to see the stars. Peak romance.
"Are you evil? Am I about to fall victim to your wicked plan?" For one wild moment, Lan Wangji thinks that even if Wei Ying answers affirmatively, then Lan Wangji won’t mind. Then, more sensibly, he realizes that even if Wei Ying answered affirmatively, Lan Wangji wouldn’t believe him.
Peak romance!!!
"I trust you." Lan Wangji says. "I trust that you will help me, when I need it."
Peak romance but now I'm sad and worried about it. :(
He raises his arms forward, notes the slight change in Wei Ying’s expression, and then in one smooth move prostrates himself on the ground, groveling before the Yiling Laozu.
Peak sadness. Oh, Lan Wangjiiii.
By setting loose resentment? Lan Wangji wants to ask, but he doesn’t. He has fallen too hard, and he has made his choice. He can only hope that some of what he’s seen of Wei Ying — his kindness, his bright mind, his inherent selflessness in everything he does — that it would be enough.
Oh, I'm hurtingggg.
You don’t have to hide your sadness, Lan Wangji thinks at him, but he does not speak, he only listens.
I'm really really hurting.
Everyone only cares about themselves — their personal gains, if they’re particularly disgusting, but even the rest of you — it’s always about the benefit of the clan.
Oof.
"You’ll never be able to leave, remember?" Wei Ying looks him in the eye. "That’s just another part of it, and there’s more — restrictions — obligations — rules…"
Oh, gosh. One dream pitted against another. Omg. My heart.
And Lan Wangji, unhesitatingly, says, "Me. I want you to have me."
Ohhhhhh. My heart.
This was such a lovely fic. I'm so, so enamored with this whole concept. I just want to crawl around in this city and learn everything about it like Wei Wuxian. I love how ride or die Lan Wangji is for Wei Wuxian immediately. I love that the world needs genuine balance between spiritual and resentful energy. Ah, this is just too, too good.
Thank you so much for sharing. I so enjoyed reading this!
These first sections that describe the Yiling Laozu and how the city came to be are sending shivers down my spine. So good.
Oh, I am SO happy to hear this, I am not used to doing the whole atmosphere setting opening and I worked hard on that. 😅
Feels like foreshadowing to meeeee.
Or... was it?
Lan Wangji's thirsty for a different tall glass of water, I see.
loooool you see right through him
How sexy and cute and competent Wei Wuxian is.
So sexy! So competent! So cute!!!
Such good worldbuilding. I love thisssss.
I had a lot of fun with this :D
I think it's really cool that you've turned it so that the magical means of doing something is the inconvenient way of doing things. It's a really unique twist on fantasy.
Thank youuuu I just love the whole, just because you're more powerful than regular people doesn't mean you should restrict the way you're thinking, and how it ties to the overall themes
A team-up!!!
Yes! In fact this whole thing started from me trying to think of a modern-day equivalent to the team-up in xuanwu cave. I mean, a demonic train job in an abandoned subway tunnel IS the obvious first association, right?
They're not even boyfriends yet and Wei Wuxian's already the best boyfriend. T_T He takes his man to see the stars. Peak romance.
CHEESY PLANETARIUM DATE CHEESY PLANETARIUM DATE CHEESY PLANETARIUM DATE he is the BEST
That transition from peak romance to peak sadness is really all I ever aim to do, thank you for mirroring that <3
Oh, gosh. One dream pitted against another. Omg. My heart.
No easy decisions for wangxian :)
I am so happy that you liked it! Thank you so much for your comment, it feeds my soul <333
Comment on underneath a starless sky, the wind blows towards the future
spookykingdomstarlight Sun 28 Mar 2021 11:19PM UTC
Comment Actions
ilip13 Tue 30 Mar 2021 12:09PM UTC
Comment Actions