My WIPs Folder Is Groaning, But I Just Started Another. This One Is Canon Era, Jiang Yanli-centric. It

My WIPs folder is groaning, but I just started another. This one is canon era, Jiang Yanli-centric. It really is: Jiang Yanli's love language is food. No one expects her to be hard at all, in any way. What can a weak woman do? Too bad for her enemies (JGS) she isn't actually a weak woman. She's spent plenty of time in Meishan. She has access to all the food.

Watching a show with my kids and they are doing a groundhog day episode and I was just thinking about how often that shows do that.. Like it is almost a requisite at this point.

Fic writers, put in the tags what the difference in hits is between your most and least viewed fics. Mine is 7,720 (7,779-59).

It starts like this:

If someone had told Lan Wangji at the beginning of Lectures that he would miss Wei Wuxian, he would have scoffed and ignored them. But he was sitting in the Jingshi, strumming on Wangji, thinking about the bright smile that was gone from Cloud Recesses. He didn't expect the letter. He almost didn't read it, unmarked as it was. But he opened it and recognized the handwriting immediately. It brought a smile to his face. Wei Wuxian had written him. It didn't last long, his eyes scanned the letter, and then scanned it again. He rose from the low table and strode from his home. His home he needed to save.

He brought the letter to his brother who read it and then looked at Lan Wangji. "How certain are you that this was written by Young Master Wei?"

Lan Wangji just stared at his brother for a moment and then exhaled slowly. "Very. The handwriting is a perfect match." He brushed his fingers over the characters. "And who else would address it to me, rather than the sect leader?"

And near the end of the writing it is like this:

He followed, his lungs aching with the need for air. And there, in the murk and darkness he found him.

He carried the body tight to him, up and up. And when he broke the surface there were many hands helping him into the pavilion. Jiang Wanyin in nothing but his trousers, crouched beside him, staring at the body. Jiang Yanli screamed and turned, Jin Zixuan, shielding her with his body, his arms around her. Wei Wuxian's spirit scowled at that and then the look softened. He crouched beside Jiang Wanyin and Wangji, poking curiously at the body, as if he didn't know it was his own. But, of course he knew. He backed away slowly and then began to speak.

His voice, as it were, was raw and rough and watery. "Madam Yu was furious." He said softly. "She said I would never harm her family again. That when she was done with me no one would ever find me." He fidgeted, so like himself in life that Lan Wangji broke and sobbed. "I'm surprised that much is still left." He turned and bowed to Jiang Wanyin and then to Jiang Yanli. "I've done everything I can. Everything I meant to do. My debt is fulfilled." He turned to Lan Wangji, who carefully and gently set the body aside and rose. Wei Wuxian's eyes crinkled into crescent moons. "Ah Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan..." He murmured softly. "I'm sorry." Wangji shook his head, refusing the apology. "I hope you got my letters?" He nodded. "Then you know." He nodded again, his cheeks soaked. "Take care of yourself, okay? Have some fun and relax sometimes." The spirit reached out and brushed his hand over his cheek and Lan Wangji leaned into it, the words all trapped in his throat. "The one who knows the music of my soul." He murmured, even as he started to fade.

Welp. I started a "what if Wei Wuxian was expelled from the Jiang Sect after he punches Jin Zixuan and breaks the engagement, but the Wen still come" fic. And I figured he would be out in the world, doing the rogue thing, or show up somewhere else. NOPE. This story had a mind of its own and it became a tragedy. I was not prepared for my own writing😭

I *need* to get pregnant by him.

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Just read a post about WWX and fandom mischaracterization of him. And they have good points! But they ask why people mischaracterize him. And like... honestly, I am sure that some of the people who do do it for funsies. Like.. writing no thoughts, bi-disaster Wei Wuxian is FUN! And it fits with the persona he sells to people. That is the thing. His entire persona is "don't pay attention to me, I am just a silly boy doing silly things."

Which brings up my second point. If the narration is centered around the rumors and perceptions of the world around Wei Wuxian (parts of it is, for sure) then it is easy to buy into those perceptions. If Wei Wuxian wants people to think he is a frivolous playboy, people will think it. Because yes, he is that good. But so... the reader might remember that most/ best.

Also, lots of fandom comes from CQL. I came from there. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember what was in CQL and what happened in the novel. But if you come at it from CQL, then we don't get much of his perspective, really. I mean a little. And his relationship with Lan Wangji is quite different. It is expanded. He gets more time before the bad things happen with Lan Wangji. He gets more time as a carefree (relatively speaking) youth.

I agree that he has immense social intelligence, he has to. People who live with volatile people often are. They are often hyper aware of the people's moods around them. They are careful to pay attention to the way others think.

He is a genius! He is amiable, lots of people like him. He seems impulsive. But I think that his "impulsivity" is a combination of two things: he doesn't bother to explain his mental leaps and he has a different set of priorities than most of his peers.

Remember, he is used to Madam Yu's style of punishment, where it doesn't matter if he actually did something wrong, she'll find some reason to be mad. So, he has to find his own morality. He has to listen to his own heart. If the rules don't matter to the adult in charge of guiding you (even just one of them), then you have to figure out what rules matter to you.

So, if he is brilliant and has his own moral code, he might seem quite impulsive. He might seem like the annoying friend. Is he absolutely aware of what he is doing? Yeah.

Have I forgotten where I was going with this? Lol Yes, yes, I have. But I don't think that writing Wei Wuxian as an annoying, impulsive brat is completely wrong, especially if you are writing from the perspective of someone other than Wei Wuxian. Lan Qiren absolutely thinks that of him and would see all his actions in that light. Jin Zixuan would think something similar. Might even consider him to be violent and dangerous, given their history. Even third person could be written that way, if that is what Wei Wuxian is trying to portray. Also, I think that people should write what they want. And people should read what they want.