NICE

nICE

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

OMG i FINALLY finished this. There are concept arts for Wen Ning and Wei Wuxain female versions. WWX’s jewelry is JFM’s gift by the way)

How come it lead this? Yu Ziyuan thought fervently, her lips trembling in anger as Jiang Fengmian refused yet again her request to watch her spar.

She could only watch him go, purples robes swaying behind him as he walked in that calm manner that Yu Ziyuan once thought was charming.

Now, everything it brought to her was frustration, anger and confusion. How dare he make her watch his back everytime she sought him!

But it was not just to her requests to spar. Everything! Every single thing she asked for him to come, he didn't even seen to consider it!

A walk around Lotus Pier, drink tea together...

Yu Ziyuan felt her fist clench painfully at her side. She wouldn't be humiliated by a man that wouldn't even explain himself to his fiancé. She didn't do anything wrong, did she?

"Hmph!" Yu Ziyuan turned her own back, not willing to take anymore of this nonsense.

------

Jiang Fengmian, for all his growing affection for the Third Lady of Meishan Yu, wouldn't, couldn't tolerate her belittling his friends.

It was not just Wei Changze, but Cangse Sanren as well!

"What a shameless, insufferable woman! How come a Cultivator as talented as her is interested in a lowly servant?! Surely, she is out of her mind."

Yu Ziyuan, as strong and firm she was, just couldn't mince her words. It was as if she didn't care about how could it affect the others around it.

And Jiang Fengmian, even though thise insults weren't directed at him, felt like he was personally offended for seven generations.

He turned his back on her, because even though he disliked this part of her, his foolishness didn't allow him to confront her directly and simply talk about it.

Perhaps, had he just come to her and spill out his feelings, his marriage wouldn't have been as badly as it ended up being.

Short...

jfm loved yzy with all his heart since back when they were young. the reason he rejected her was simple. she had called wcz a worthless servant and no, jfm wouldn’t have anyone belittling his best friend as close as a brother

She thought nothing of calling Jiang Fengmian’s servant worthless and weak when he lost in their sparing match one afternoon. She had looked over to the Jiang sect heir, expecting him to be laughing at the other mans expense with the others or smiling at her, proud that his betrothed was so skilled. She hadn’t been expecting for his eyes to be like ice.

The change had been so sudden that it shocked her. Her fiance had been nothing but wonderful to her during her families visit to Lotus Pier. He had been kind and patient and gentlemanly to her. 

But after she had mocked Wei Changze everything changed.

Jiang Yanli felt her eyes widen, a sudden feeling of dread coming to haunt inside her as she looked at the boy clad in golden robes, the same robes that her beloved wore the last time she saw him, so long ago.

'That can't be.'

"You..." Now, she could see the similarities-- how, how could she not have seen it before?

"...Mother?" The young boy called, slow and low from hesitation-- and fear- no, not fear, but sadness, the way his eyebrows drawn together and his lips curled downwards making a perfect picture of pitifulness.

Jiang Yanli, the Yiling Matriarch, tensed, her shoulders that were covered in dark, tattered robes stiffening. She could feel, even though she didn't look back, that Wei Wuxian, her dear young brother, that didn't deserve the fate that had befallen him, was glancing at her anxiously, his eyes begging her.

"Mother--"

"Go back!" The once smiling young girl screamed, her tired, worn-out complexion making her sudden outburst all the more fearful as she glared at Jin Ling with reddened eyes, teeth gritting together as she took deeps breaths.

Jin Ling had recoiled back, his demeanor all the more hurt and shocked as he stared at her and the fierce corpse that had spoke-- his uncle.

"B-but, I--" "Leave! Never come back!"

Jiang Yanli couldn't see this child-- the son she bore. He didn't deserve to have a Mother as fallen as her, she couldn't ever redempt for leaving him or her other young brother.

Jiang Yanli gathered her breath, composing herself.

"Shi... jie.." Wei Wuxian let out, knowing what was going on inside her mind, and hating that he couldn't do anything to help her, but... she couldn't just yell at her son like that...!

"Silence." Jiang Yanli let out, not turning her head to look at the Ghost General, her once gentle yellow eyes staring down on Jin Ling coldly. "Get out of here and never come back," She repeated her previous word, ignoring the unbearable feeling in her chest, struggling to keep looking at the boy that resembled Jin Zixuan so much. "This isn't your place and I am not your mother." Not anymore, not ever since a long time ago.

Jin Ling felt his fist clench painfully at his side, looking at his Mother's- no, the Yiling Matriarch's ugly red eyes with his trembling ones, unshed tears dancing at the corner of them.

This wasn't fair!

At their matching stare down, a Mother that had forsaken her child and a Boy that pitifully hoped with the innocence of a young child that he would find his Mother, all that Wei Wuxian could do was watch, face as blank and pale as a paper.

Even though he wanted to yell.

Even though he wanted to say to his beloved Shijie that she shouldn't do this to her son too-- Wasn't Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng enough?

Slowly, Wei Wuxian felt his mouth curl in distate. Jiang Yanli didn't see it, too busy trying to hide her own emotions in front of Jin Ling to notice anything else around her.

Seconds, maybe minutes, passed, but it felt like an eternity there and then.

Jin Ling had surrendered.

Jiang Yanli couldn't celebrate.

He left, not wanting to take any more blow than that. His own Mother didn't want him-- Just why?

He had to cry, he wanted to, but he couldn't lower his head so easily. He would leave with, at least, his head raised and proud, even if it was a facade.

Jiang Yanli watched her son go, her red eyes empty and dead, and expression that had become usual of lately.

Jiang Yanli turned on her heel, she wouldn't look back, too.

"Let's go, A-Xian."

"... Yes, Shijie."

Hahahaha, it's horrible but-- I had just... the urge to write...

Yiling Matriarch Jiang Yanli but Jin Ling is born before she starts demonic cultivation and after Wei Wuxian dies. He hears stories that talk about his uncle Wei Ying and his mother who lives in the burial mounds with the Wen remnants. When he asks about what happened to Wei Wuxian, nobody answers. It's when he's on a night hunt and almost killed that he meets his mother and uncle. He realizes why nobody told him anything because Jiang Yanli brought Wei Wuxian back as her ghost general.

She … isn’t what he had been expecting. The portrait his father kept in his room showed a young, pretty woman in purple robes. Uncle Jiang said she was always smiling and that she was the kindest person he had ever known. The woman before him wore dark clothes and looked like she hasn’t had a decent meal in weeks. She had dark circles under her red eyes and there was no smile on her face.

She didn’t recognize him and that hurt more than words could describe. She called him a pest and was about to command the corpses surrounding them to attack until one of them spoke. 

“Shiji,” he said. Jin Ling is shocked to realize that he recognizes the corpse. His Uncle Jiang had a drawing of him when he was alive. Could it be-? “The bell on his belt… I recognize it.”

Some basic terminology for traditional chinese clothing I made for a twitter poll. 

Most of them are called hanfu 汉服, but the qipao and a lot of other traditional chinese clothing are not necessarily called hanfu, depending on the chinese ethnic origin and era. Hanfu is just clothes from the Han ethnic group and is most widespread. References from @ziseviolet used. 

A lot of costume designs have been influenced by hanfu (eg tolkien elven clothing and star wars padme) so I thot it’d be nice to know some og terms. Hope it might help some of you.

instagram / twitter

I have a guilty ship and I apologize