extended staring at this gif has been known to cause serious fandom side effects, such as sighing, putting your face in your hands, feeling goddamn motherfucking sad, getting actual real life teary, and wanting alternate universe fics. https://twitter.com/wayofcloudbrain/status/1273983041040457730

not alternate universes where they end up happy, mind you.

an alternate universe where he executes meng yao, lan
xichen dies in the wilderness, & sunshot never happens. three years on, the wen show up at the nie ramparts with the jin behind them, sky black with demonic smoke.

an alternate universe where he doesn't execute meng yao, but demotes him and stops fucking him. lan xichen dies in the wilderness, sunshot never happens, and three years on, meng yao lets the wen through the nie ramparts by cover of night.

an alternate universe where he doesn't execute meng yao, but sends him out for xichen, who survives the wilderness. meng yao doesn't. without him, they lose sunshot. huaisang's headless body dangles from the great gate of the nie; the ghost general wields a great saber.

an alternate universe where he doesn't execute meng yao, but sends him for xichen, who survives. meng yao, too, but there is no sunshot, only a ballad about a sect leader who gives his life to avenge his home, killing a tyrant on his throne. the servant appears in a single verse.