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]

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.

[weifinder]

I was going to say how to annoy each other, but I suppose also how to compete, what was it like with your sister?

( yanli is shijie, and jiejie in his heart of hearts and by her own claim of him, before, but he's not sure if all sisters would even remotely be like her.

... wen qing is, in her fierce defense of her brother. )

[3point0]

Maddie? Oh, she was always protective of me. Makes me want to do the same.

Makes me sad that I didn't when she needed me to.

She's about ten years older, and got into some trouble back when I was a kid. I guess she was also kind of a kid herself.

[weifinder]

We don't always clearly see what kind of help our families need from us in what way. Especially not when we're going.

( not touching on cultural biases he's more aware of not being shared by everyone here, as those nuances don't change certain broad concepts. )

We can only decide to do better, be better, from now going forward.