un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang | video

[weifinder]

( The recording shows a small toad, black and red and gold, sitting in the palm of one hand. In another hand a brilliant emerald green toad is held, pointed in the direction of the smaller toad.

The smaller toad shifts to look "toward" the display, lifting up on front legs to address the one recording by pendant. )

I don't want to kiss the toad, Lan Zhan! Hnnngh.

( The toad, who spoke in Wei Wuxian's voice, shifts his legs and tiny bulk back around to stare down the larger toad. Who inflates its throat and offers a long, wheezing croak. )

Ugh. Fine. For the sake of proving this works before anyone else suffers through this —

( He abruptly leaps forward, smashing his small toad face into the larger toad's face. How does one kiss a toad when one has no notably amount of lip? Both Wei Toadxian's front feet plaster against the larger toad's face, attempting to keep the other toad respectable. Holding the awkward position for excruciating seconds. He falls backward, kicking off the other toad, to flop back into Lan Wangji's open palm. )

Was that long enough? I don't —

( Abruptly the image shakes with a yelp of Wei Wuxian's surprise as the screen is filled with pale flesh, mud, and the sudden forward falling scramble of a man who has now found himself with a palm filled with the weight of an adult human male. Welcome to the darkness, shifting, squelching sounds of mud and an irate toad expressing its displeasure even as Lan Wangji's equally excruciatingly dry voice ends the video with a: )

... efficient.

Comments

[3point0]

Oh, great. I think it'll really sell the bit if I have an eyepatch, don't you think?

[ And then Wei Ying can handle other stuff. ]

Wait so, in the memory stuff, were you two still married?

[weifinder]

It would also explain if you walked into anything when distracted, make noise about your missing eye!

( the question makes him blink, realising he never had wondered about the fact they had. )

I was only hoping we'd have enough to move out of the holy cave soon, but yes, we really did recall being married... different wedding, actually had a ceremony of some kind I barely remember now. Huh. It really did make things up in surprising ways, while being honest in others.

[3point0]

Oh.

Well... that's kinda sweet. That you had another wedding.

[ Aw. That really touches Buck's heart. ]

Sorry I couldn't come to either of them.

[weifinder]

Supposedly in memory, but ask me any details, I'm not sure I ever had any!

( he sounds vaguely amused by this, because those alternate memories had truly faded so fast, once his own genuine ones returned. partly because he wholly dismissed them once he knew them false, partly because within them he'd felt constricted and never knew exactly why. )

No, no, no apologies, the sentiment of your heart is enough! Besides, the weddings with seeing are with the youth. Celebrate the long lives they embark on together!

[3point0]

Uh.

[ Youth??? ]

Aren't you like, 22? If you're not young I am actually ancient.

[ And Buck, being the youngest member of his team who isn't a probie, takes issue with that. ]

[weifinder]

( a genuine, startled laugh at that — it's one of those things which should be obvious when he thinks about it, but he just doesn't. appearance and age are misleading for cultivators, even those who have no golden core, and he's hardly spoken about what he or a handful of the rest of their party are. )

Try about double that, ah? Martial cultivators tend to age slower, most of us continue looking like we're in our twenties well beyond them.

[3point0]

Holy crap, you're forty four??

[weifinder]

Close to! We cultivators, even at less prestigious levels of energy cores, age outwardly much slower than we should. I'll stay young and handsome for a long time yet!

( delivered with a laughing wink, since he does know it's startling. clearly only for the visual disconnect. clearly. )

[3point0]

What? Can I cultivate that too? You look amazing!

[weifinder]

The ideal age to start is under twelve, but it's not impossible for you to try. Lan Zhan could see if you have the possible makings of a golden core, ah? Then you'd need to train under and of the cultivators here, Jiang Cheng, Lan Sizhui, Lan Wangji, myself, Xiao Xingchen, Wen Qing...

( listing the people from his world in a musing fashion. )

[3point0]

All of them? Oh, I don't know, I don't wanna take up everyone's time like that.

[weifinder]

Or any one of them, most of us have been instructors at some point. Jiang Cheng, or as you might call him, Jiang Wanyin, he's the one with the most experience teaching people unfamiliar with cultivation when they have the aptitude to learn.

[3point0]

Oh, maybe I'll go talk to him. Is Cheng like, a nickname only you get to call him because you're best buds?

[weifinder]

Mm, he's my brother.

( for all ingredients and purposes, he's claiming this again. )

Wanyin is more polite, he'll appreciate the respect it implies! He's a bit of a grump, tongue sharper than his heart, and temper faster than his tongue, but there's no better teacher among us.

[3point0]

Oh.

[ He's trying to do the math on this one, initially thinking Wei Wuxian must've changed his name when he got married, except that he got married to Lan Wangji, so maybe Jiang Wanyin changed his name when he got married? ]

Well, I'll have to look out for him. Thanks!

[weifinder]

He has a strong chin and good cheekbones, you won't miss him! Also likes dogs. Also was diving into the river to save a puppy not that long ago, did you see that on this thing?

( the lack of clear image has shifting light and shadow real quickly, because Wei Wuxian has reached out to tug on the pendant his husband borrowed to make this whole thing. Not helping any of Buck's confusion over names and relationships, given by and large, no one's really asked about them before. )

[3point0]

[ Why did Wei Wuxian describe his brother like this. But also - ]

Does he have really thick eyebrows?

The angry-looking one?

Yeah, I've seen him.

[weifinder]

( he's trying to upsell his brother okay

his brother is really bad about it in his own )

Yes, that's him! Ignore the temper, it blows over fast, his insight is good!

[3point0]

Uh-huh.

[ Here is Buck, totally believing Wei Wuxian. ]

You gotta warn everyone about his temper? That kinda sounds like a problem.

[weifinder]

Better to have people prepared than startled, mm? He's all noise, you needn't worry about temper in any other fashion.

( wei wuxian does, but he's specifically... anyway. )

[3point0]

Yeah, okay... but I've been told I'm a little annoying, so. We'll see.

[weifinder]

( reflecting on this, and: )

I have a feeling I'm far, far more annoying to him!

[3point0]

Really? But you're so nice.

I guess if you're both brothers.

[weifinder]

Brothers best know, it's true, or at least it has been with us!

( best know what, Wei Wuxian )

[3point0]

Wait, what do they know best?

I've only got a sister.