Fanfic / The Same Moon Shines

The Same Moon Shines is a Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi and The Untamed fanfiction series written by sami. The premise of the series involves Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Wanji (as well as an unseen, ghostly Jiang Yanli) running into a Time Travel array created by Wei Wuxian. They are separated and taken to alternate versions of the past, where they get the chance to change their fates.

The series is complete. There are four main timelines:

• And Time Is But a Paper Moon, which follows an Older and Wiser Wei Wuxian as he starts over from the beginning. This timeline also includes several side-stories, some of which explore far into the new future created by Wei Wuxian.
• For Both Of Us (And Time Is But A Paper Moon), which follows the new timeline created by both Jiang Cheng and Lan Wanji.
• Sail Away Sweet Sister, which follows the timeline created by Jiang Yanli.
• The Dreams of Youth, which follows the timeline created if only Lan Wanji got transported to the past (sans Jiang Cheng).

Beware of unmarked spoilers.

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This series provides examples of:

Applies across all timelines

• Child by Rape: Both of the Twin Jades, by different men, no less.
• Cool Old Lady: Both the Lan Clan and the Yu Clan (and by extension, the Jiang Clan) have one.
  • Nainai rules over and has ruled over the kitchen at the Cloud Recesses for a long time. Even Lan Qiren defers to her.
  • Grandmother Yu, or Popo, is an immortal artificer capable of creating very powerful spiritual weapons. She is the one responsible for creating Zidian.
• Death by Adaptation: Qingheng-jun dies in pretty much every timeline, either during the Wen attack on the Cloud Recesses or some other occurrence. No one misses him.
  • Jin Guangshan also croaks in pretty every timeline. No one misses him either.
• Domestic Abuser: Qingheng-jun. He not only forced Tang Lijuan into marriage after his teacher raped her, Qingheng-jun then goes on to lock her up and rape her (possibly repeatedly) himself.
• Fix Fic: The premise of this series. Canon Wei Wuxian creates the time-traveling array in order to Set Right What Once Went Wrong. Jiang Cheng and Lan Wanji run after him to try to stop him, but end up getting their own chance to fix things as well. Jiang Yanli just so happened to be there (what with being a ghost and all), but decided to follow her loved ones into the unknown.
• For Want Of A Nail: Many of the events from canon, such as the Sunshot Campaign, still occur, but take different paths due to the interference of the main characters.
  • In addition, certain family members or other characters survive, while others do not. For example, both Madame Yu and Jiang Fengmian survive in 'And Time Is But a Paper Moon', but only Madame Yu survives in 'Sail Away Sweet Sister'.
• Friendly Ghost: Normally, the children of cultivators undergo rituals that prevent them from coming back as vengeful ghosts. Jiang Yanli went through these rituals, but refused to move on after her untimely death out of love for her brothers and her son, rather than resentment. She doesn't do anything harmful to others; rather, she has torn apart her spirit so that a part of her will always remain with her loved ones and watch over them, no matter where they are.
• Named by the Adaptation: The author give multiple characters names, such as:
  • Duan Ai: Jin Zixuan's mother
  • Tang Lijuan: Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji's mother
  • Cangse Sanren: Xiao Xiulan
• Older and Wiser: The series takes place many years after canon (before they all travel back to the past anyways). That means that they are all older and more experienced, allowing them to carry over their skills into their new lives. Those that previously acted impulsively (looking at you, Wei Wuxian) have learned to stop and think before jumping into action.

And Time Is But a Paper Moon

• Ascended Extra: Lan Qiren plays a much more important role in this fic as Wei Wuxian's student (in illusion magic) and mentor. It helps that Wei Wuxian isn't as interested in goofing off and driving Lan Qiren up the wall in this timeline.
  • Madame Yu also has an increased role, given that 1) she survives the Wen's assault on Lotus Pier, and 2) she isn't overcome by her own jealousy and resentment this time around.
• Barrier Warrior: Jiang Yanli's specialty is in defensive spells. She can not only create powerful arrays that ward off nightmares, but in one of the later stories, she can also freeze and ward off a storm of bullets.
• Child Prodigy: A-Yuan begins purposefully using spiritual energy as a toddler. That is an amazing accomplishment.
• The Consigliere: Meng Yao, or rather, Jin Guangyao. After Jin Zixuan takes over the Jin Sect, Jin Guangyao quickly becomes the Number Two to his brother.
• Death by Adaptation: Su She gets ganked relatively early on, forcing the new Moling Su Sect to dissolve.
  • Jin Guangshan also dies much earlier than in canon. Jin Zixuan kills his father in front of the sect leaders after it's revealed that Jin Guangshan impregnated a teenager and raped Madame Qin.
• Dirty Old Man: As in canon, Jin Guangshan. In this fic, however, it's made explicit that he impregnated Second Lady Mo while she was still a teenager.
• Endearingly Dorky: Wen Ning. His flustered response to meeting Qin Su for the first time immediately endears him to her.
• Ghost Memory: Lan Xichen uses Book of the Mind in order to see Wei Wuxian's memories. What he sees freaks him out pretty badly.
  • Madame Yu uses a different technique to see Wei Wuxian's memories after the Wen's attempted invasion of Lotus Pier.
• Grumpy Old Man: The Lan Elders. They make even Lan Qiren look flexible and open-minded.
• Happily Adopted: As in canon, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji both adopt a young Wen Yuan. Unlike canon, A-Yuan is still an infant when they find him.
  • Xue Yang becomes a disciple at the Cloud Recesses.
  • Meng Yao falls in love with Second Lady Mo and marries her. He adopts her child, his infant half-brother Mo Xuanyu, as his own son.
  • Wei Wuxian. Due to Madame Yu's more relaxed attitude toward him, Wei Wuxian has a much easier time growing up this time around.
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Since Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji get together much sooner, Jiang Yanli feels the need to give Lan Wangji a very polite, yet absolutely chilling shovel talk.
  • Wei Wuxian delivers one to a teenage Jin Zixuan (that doesn't involve physical violence!).
• In Spite of a Nail: Wei Wuxian still earns the moniker of Yiling Patriarch, even though he isn't known as the cultivation world's boogieman anymore. In the new timeline, he gets his nickname by successfully purifying the Burial Mounds of its concentrated resentment.
• Marriage of Convenience: Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing enter into one of these in order to protect the Dafan Wen. Over time, it becomes a Perfectly Arranged Marriage as they grow closer to one another.
• Odd Friendship: Nie Mingjue becomes Wen Ning's protector and friend after the latter is elevated to Sect Leader. Nie Mingjue prevents the other sect leaders from pushing Wen Ning around, while Wen Ning looks up to Nie Mingjue.
• Plagued by Nightmares: As a result of the PTSD he's carried over from his past life, Wei Wuxian suffers from frequent nightmares.
• Polyamory: Jiang Cheng, Wen Qing, and Lan Xichen eventually get together. Only Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing are officially married, but the three of them exchange their own vows in private.
• The Power of Love: Popo weaponizes this when making the Yin Tiger Seal. This allows Lan Wangji to control and calm it, allowing him to keep Wei Wuxian safe.
• Rags to Riches: The Jiang Sect not only survives the Sunshot Campaign intact, it comes out as the most powerful and influential sect, with Jiang Fengmian becoming Chief Cultivator.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Wei Wuxian suffers from severe PTSD. He sometimes forgets where and when he is, and believes that he's reliving the events of his past life. It doesn't help that he has to live through the Sunshot Campaign twice.
• Spared by the Adaptation: The Wen Sect is not wiped out after the Sunshot Campaign ends. Instead, Wen Ning becomes the next Sect Leader and the sect undergoes some rebranding.
• Summon Bigger Fish: How Wei Wuxian deals with the Wen incursion at Lotus Pier. Previously, he had, er, 'borrowed' the Waterborne Abyss. Here, he unleashes it on the Wen forces, allowing him to easily deal with the likes of Wen Zhuliu.
• The Talk: Madame Yu gives a very detailed sex talk to both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji before their wedding. Wei Wuxian is absolutely mortified. Lan Wangji, on the other hand, takes notes.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Madame Yu. She's still not exactly a nice person, but she isn't verbally and physically abusive to her children like she is in canon.
  • Lan Xichen takes a young Xue Yang back to the Cloud Recesses. This gives Xue Yang a chance to grow up in comfort and with a solid foundation for a sense of morality. As a result, he's much nicer and less homicidal than in canon.
  • Meng Yao as well. He's much less bitter and desperate for power here. Rather, he uses his impressive smarts to aid his half-brother, Jin Zixuan, and adopts Mo Xuanyu as his own son.
• Tsundere: Jiang Cheng, to a T. He's less emotionally insecure and can express his affection towards Wei Wuxian better. He still struggles with being emotionally honest and hides his worry behind sharp words though.
  • He adores A-Yuan and thinks that he's the cutest thing ever. What does he say when he meets A-Yuan for the first time? "He's okay, I guess."
• Undying Loyalty: The reason why Wei Wuxian created the time-traveling array? The reason why he willingly threw away his hard-earned happily-ever-after? Jiang Cheng was unhappy. Wei Wuxian couldn't live with himself knowing that his brother had lost everything, so he set out to give Jiang Cheng another chance at a happier life.

ATIBAPM Side-Stories

• Alternate History: China is known as the Five Nations, which was established by the Seven Immortals (Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing, and Lan Sizhui). The exact details of the government(s) of the Five Nations is never given, but it can be safely assumed that communism never took hold in China in this timeline.
• Animal Lover: Lan Wangji. He becomes a dedicated animal foster parent after cultivating to immortality (and is actually allowed to openly keep pets). He even gets a degree in veterinary sciences in order to be an even better animal dad.
• The Baby of the Bunch: Sizhui, to his chagrin. In Call An Ambulance (But Not For Me), it's shown that his entire extended family still treats him like a little kid, even though he himself is several centuries old and a highly-capable cultivator.
• Child of Two Worlds: Sizhui is a downplayed example. Even though his name is Lan Sizhui, he is very much considered a part of the Jiang Clan as well. The Lan Elders do not like this apparent division of loyalty and occasionally treats him (and Wei Wuxian) as outsiders.
• Drives Like Crazy: Wei Wuxian. According to Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian once managed to somehow drive Jiang Cheng's car into a lake. An underground lake. That hadn't previously existed. Halfway up a mountain. Wei Wuxian has also set multiple cars on fire and somehow gotten one stuck up somewhere (to the point where it's still featured on postcards).
• The Gadfly: Wei Wuxian (AKA Jiang Ying, Lan Ying, etc.) to the internet at large. He loves trolling people with his supposed identity as an "immortal human magic person" and livestreaming exorcisms.
• Grandparent Favoritism: Madame Yu is much more patient and openly affectionate towards her grandchildren than she was to her children. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are slightly miffed by the unfairness of this.
• Hopeless with Tech: Lan Wangji. An attempt at making a Reddit account somehow results in his phone getting so many viruses that the battery melts.
• Identical Grandson: Used by Wei Wuxian and the other immortal cultivators to allow them to blend into mortal society.
• Marry Them All: Nie Huaisang gets himself a harem of sorts by marrying any woman in a bad situation that requests his help. He does this in order to save women from unwanted marriages, unplanned pregnancies, or to otherwise give them better lives. He doesn't force the women to stay or even have any contact with him once they're 'married'. If they want to stay, or need his help with the, uh, biological necessities of making a baby, he's happy to oblige, but otherwise lets the women in his 'garden' sort things out to their own satisfaction.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Although Sizhui has no blood-related siblings, his extended family includes many cousins (both related by blood and not) that view each other as siblings.
• Mr. Alt Disney: An American animation company called Disnar with a resistance to showing same-sex relationships in their films is mentioned in Now Showing: Hanguang-Jun And The Yiling Patriarch. Now where have I heard that before...
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Or rather, obfuscating incompetence. Jin Xuanyu follows in Nie Huaisang's footsteps in pretending to be useless, while actually being a bonafide badass.
• Really Gets Around: Surprisingly, Sizhui. Jiang Cheng finds this out the hard way in The Secret Life of Lan Sizhui.
• Parents as People: The Flower That Touches You shows Yu Ziyuan's thoughts and emotions throughout the events of ATIBAPM. The fic makes no excuses for the abuse that she doled out to her children in canon, but does make an attempt to explain why she acted the way she did, as well as how the new timeline has changed things for her.
• Parental Substitute: Lan Qiren, to the Twin Jades. He acted like a father to his nephews, in place of their actual father Qingheng-jun. Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen love their uncle as a father figure, to the point where they consider Lan Qiren to be their children's grandfather.
  • Wei Wuxian becomes a father figure to several youngsters, including Jin Chan.
• Polar Opposite Twins: Jiang Kuo and Jiang Fa, Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing's twin sons. Jiang Kuo takes after his father in personality, while Jiang Fa is much more easygoing.
• Professional Killer: It's implied that the Meishan Yu Sect operate as assassins more than as righteous cultivators (in the vein of Assassin's Creed).
• Running Gag: Remember the notes Lan Wangji took when Madame Yu gave him The Talk? Well, they come back. In Be Not Gone, Lan Wangji presents a copy of his notes (complete with diagrams and explanatory notes) to a young Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan as a wedding gift. In New Edition, With Annotations, which takes place many centuries later, it turns out that Lan Wangji got his updated notes ''published' (in 178 languages!).
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Duan Ai, widow of known lecher Jin Guangshan, falls in love with the very proper Lan Qiren.
• Tsundere: Yu Ziyuan. Her habit of expressing her concern through sharp words and refusing to explain her emotions drives Cangse Sanren (who Yu Ziyuan is in love with) away.

For Both Of Us (And Time Is But A Paper Moon)

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Lan Xichen has it rough this time around. His little brother absconds with their mother, breaking ties with his sect with seemingly no warning. Unlike in canon, his bond with Lan Wangji is seriously strained for most of this fic.
• The Consigliere: Lan Wangji becomes this to Jiang Cheng after the latter becomes Chief Cultivator. Having previously held the position, Lan Wangji teaches Jiang Cheng the ins and outs of the job. He also becomes the primary point of contact for anyone that wants to see the new Chief Cultivator, allowing Lan Wangji to smooth the way somewhat by metaphorically screening Jiang Cheng's calls.
• Death by Adaptation: Su She, again. The Waterborne Abyss drowns him.
  • Meng Yao dies at the hands of Nie Mingjue, when the allied forces confront Wen Ruohan.
  • Jin Guangshan dies before the Sunshot Campaign even truly begins, allowing Jin Zixuan to fully commit his sect to the cause.
• Defector from Decadence: Lan Wangji joins the Jiang Sect in order to free his mother and so that he can properly be with Wei Wuxian. He isn't at all sorry to leave his original sect behind due to the way his mother was treated and the way he and Wei Wuxian were treated in his original timeline.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: Qingheng-jun previously escaped any kind of retribution for 1) forcing a woman into an unwanted marriage, 2)locking up his new wife against her will, 3) raping and impregnating her, and 4) allowing the elders of his clan to separate her from her children. He managed to get away with it for years because of his rank. His status as the Karma Houdini expires when a young Lan Wangji installs a locking talisman on his mother's door that would trigger a backlash against any who tried to force their way in. The talisman only returns as much power as is used on the door and is cumulative. Qingheng-jun activates the talisman when he tries to violently break into Tang Lijuan's abode in the middle of the night, presumably to assault her when she is at her most vulnerable. He dies, exposing his crimes to any in the know and freeing Tang Lijuan of her tormentor.
• Mistaken for Romance: Wei Wuxian mistakes Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji's reluctant friendship as romance. This, despite Lan Wangji not being at all subtle about his affection towards Wei Wuxian.
• Non-Promotion: How Jiang Cheng sees his new, unwanted promotion to Chief Cultivator.
• Not So Stoic: Downplayed. Lan Wangji is much more willing to express himself in the new timeline, but he still has a mean poker face. He's also more willing to indulge his pettier side, mostly by just doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and silently daring others to comment.
• Odd Friendship: Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji develop a sense of comradery due to the fact that they're the only two people that remember the other timeline. They aren't particularly close other than that, but their relationship here is miles above the hostility they showed toward each other in canon.
• Parental Neglect: Jiang Fengmian shows very little interest in his own children. He lets his 3-year-old son and his sister, who is only slightly older, run off to Yiling (not that he knows that, considering he doesn't even ask where they're going) without supervision.
• Parent with New Paramour: After Jiang Fengmian dies, Yu Ziyuan hooks up with Tang Lijuan. Jiang Cheng doesn't find out until after the Sunshot Campagin, after he sees his mom kiss Tang Lijuan. He promptly decides to leave them to it and tries not to think about it.
  • Lan Wangji finds out a short time later. He also decides not to think about it too hard.
  • Unsurprisingly, Wei Wuxian has to be outright told that his adoptive mother and mother-in-law are courting. He's supportive of their relationship, but keeps trying to bring it up even thoughneither Lan Wangji or Jiang Cheng want to talk about their mothers' sex lives at all. Ever. Under any circumstances.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: From as young as 4-years-old, Lan Wangji defied his uncle and the clan elders in order to see his mother outside of assigned visit days.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Lan Qiren figured out that Tang Lijuan followed Lan Wangji to Lotus Pier when she up and vanished shortly before Lan Wangji joined the Jiang Sect. He never told anyone, content to allow his sister-in-law live freely with his nephew.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Tang Lijuan is described as "disconcertingly beautiful". She received the unwanted attention of two powerful men due to her beauty, which resulted in years and years of mistreatment.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Lan Wangji is noted to look like a masculine version of his very beautiful mother. Given that Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji are noted in canon to look nigh identical, that means that Lan Xichen takes after Tang Lijuan as well.

Sail Away Sweet Sister

• Amazon Chaser: Nie Mingjue is very attracted to the powerful Jiang Yanli. Thankfully for him (and unluckily for Jin Zixuan), she reciprocates.
• Ascended Extra: Xiao Xiulian (Cangse Sanren), Madame Yu, and Tang Lijuan (the Twin Jades' mother) all survive and play important roles in this fic.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Lan Xichen acknowledges Su She, which convinces Su She not to betray the allied sects to Wen Ruohan.
• Came Back Wrong: Jiang Yanli, somewhat. She's still affected by the time she spent dead in the original timeline, which seems to have deadened her emotions to an extent and made her more callous. She can also use demonic cultivation, although with more of a focus on raising vengeful ghosts than the fierce corpses that Wei Wuxian favours.
• Curse Escape Clause: Xiao Xiulian is under a curse of sorts that marks her for death. Jiang Yanli can't completely dispel this curse; someone must die, no matter what. However, the curse is satisfied with any death, not just Xiao Xiulian's, so Jiang Yanli transfers the curse to Wei Changze and her father, allowing at least one of Wei Wuxian's parents to survive.
• Did Not Get the Girl: Jin Zixuan can't even get the time of day from Jiang Yanli this time around. He pegs onto his feelings for her much earlier than in canon, but she's already decided not to repeat her past mistakes with him.
• Given Name Reveal: Lan Qiren's given name is Lan Heng. Only Nainai uses it.
• Happily Adopted: Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen move with their mother to Lotus Pier at a young age. They quickly become part of Jiang Yanli's family.
  • Xue Yang gets adopted by the Lotus Pier family at an early age, along with a baby Jiang Yuan and Lan Jingyi.
• Head-Turning Beauty: While Jiang Yanli was considered to be average at best in terms of looks in canon, here she is considered one of the greatest beauties of her generation. She personally finds this mildly puzzling, since as far as she's concerned, she's still the same as she ever was.
• In Spite of a Nail: Jin Zixuan still ends up having a first-born son named Jin Ling, even though he doesn't marry Jiang Yanli in this timeline.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Jiang Yanli gains Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, Xue Yang, A-Yuan, and A-Bao (baby Jingyi) as adoptive siblings, as well as her biological brother Jiang Cheng.
• Parent with New Paramour: Xiao Xiulian, Yu Ziyuan, and Tang Lijuan all get together (after Wei Changze and Jiang Fengmian pass away, of course). None of the kids mind or really care.
• Practically Different Generations: A-Yuan and A-Bao are infants when they're adopted, while almost every other sibling is already an adult. Only Xue Yang is still a child and he's about 10 years older than them. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji act more like fathers to A-Yuan and A-Bao than brothers.
• Revenge Before Reason: A-Bao's mother, Lan Yun, leaves him behind at Lotus Pier so that she can throw herself at Wen troops with abandon. Multiple characters try to talk her out of it, but to no avail. She ultimately dies taking on a Wen patrol on her own.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Su She actually lives in this one!
• The Stoic: Jiang Yanli, in public. Once she becomes Sect Leader, she projects an air of cool, detached competence.
• Took a Level in Badass: Not only can Jiang Yanli use demonic cultivation without any training, she can also communicate with the dead without needing an instrument or another technique. She receives Zidian from her mother when the Sunshot Campaign begins, allowing her to kick even more ass.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Downplayed. Jiang Yanli carries the coldness of death with her into her new life, which colours her personality. She's still the same warm and loving person to her family, but presents a cold and imposing manner to outsiders, a clear contrast to her gentle personality in canon.
• Would Hurt a Child: Jiang Yanli lays a curse on a young Xue Yang, who is about 3-years-old at the time. Even though she welcomes him into her family, she still takes precautions to ensure that, if he ever hurts Jiang Cheng or Wei Wuxian, the curse will activate and kill him.

The Dreams of Youth

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Lan Xichen's mother and brother mysteriously disappear one night under suspicious circumstances, for which his father is blamed. The resulting conflict between his father and uncle results in his father's death. All the while, Lan Xichen has no idea if his mother and little brother are alive and well, except for some vague reassurances from Nainai.
• Berserk Button: Lan Qiren's is threatening the health and safety of his nephews. He fights Qingheng-jun when he thinks that the latter is responsible for hurting/killing Lan Wangji. Qingheng-hun later dies of his wounds.
• Cool Mask: Tang Zhan covers his face with a silver mask to prevent people from seeing his very distinctive face. It creates shadows over his eyes so that no one can see the distinctive colour of his eyes.
• Death by Adaptation: Once again, Su She bites it during the confrontation with the Waterborne Abyss.
  • Wei Wuxian and Tang Zhan kill Wen Zhuliu before the Discussion Conference at Qishan.
• Defector from Decadence: Once again, Lan Wangji. The key difference is that he's 5-years-old when he runs away with his mother in tow.
• Nom de Mom: Lan Wangji renames himself Tang Zhan, courtesy Zhengyan, abandoning any ties to his former clan.
• Parental Favoritism: As in canon, Jiang Fengmian favours Wei Wuxian over his own kids. The problem is, in this timeline, Wei Wuxian is not and was never his kid, adopted or otherwise. Wei Wuxian expresses discomfort at the amount of attention he gets from the Jiang Sect Leader.
• Shock and Awe: The Meishan Yu have this ability. Aside from Zidian, Madame Yu's eldest sister demonstrates the ability to create directed, localized lightning storms.
• Twin Switch: Lan Xichen and Tang Zhan aren't twins, but they look very similar to each other. This allows Lan Xichen, who is a wanted man, to switch places with Tang Zhan after the Cloud Recesses are attacked.
• Wound That Will Not Heal: Tang Zhan gets cursed by the Yin Iron sword, which manifests as black, painful cracks in the skin that will not heal.

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