Thread by @CultivateSpite

thinking about wtf Wen Chao thought he was doing with the indoctrination bureau because he was clearly making zero effort to keep anyone alive and: imagine an AU where no one made it out of Xuanwu cave like - what would all of the sects DONE!?

Like - Nie Huaisang wasn't on the hunt in CQL so he goes back home and NO ONE ELSE DOES because they're 'dead'. Wen Chao is all "wow so tragic how this powerful beast took out all the indoctrination disciples and sect heirs and only I was able to slay it after a long battle!!

I, for one, can't see anyone at Lotus Pier being like 🤷‍♀️ welp, nothing we can do here!

And while who knows what JGS might do on the cowardice/pride scale, I feel like Madame Jin might have Quite Some Things To Say About That

Nie Mingjue is pretty permanently Down To Fight (in general, but especially the Wens), regardless of NHS coming back home, and hey his bby bro is probably pretty upset from all that trauma and ALL HIS FRIENDS BEING DEAD (and maybe needing to sneak out to get home?)

And Lan sect at this point is probably generously twenty disciples of varying fighting capability and Lan Xichen.....but it has a Lan Xichen Who Has Nothing To Lose and has LOST HIS BELOVED BABY BROTHER, I personally would be very interested in contemplating what he'd be like

Just.....very interesting to contemplate 🤔🤔🤔🤔

OFC: i cannot emotionally handle Literally All The Youth dying and like that's #NoFun and also a significant reduction in team sunshot's fighting capabilities so: I'm going to lean in on my Fantastical Reality License

Everyone is NOT DEAD, but they are very delayed. See, the maple leaves showing the exit from the cave didn't come from a mountainside. It is the entrance to the LARGEST CAVE EVER (think: Sơn Đoòng cave), complete with trees, pheasants, and water.

Perfectly livable...but trapped

If they had swords still, they could pretty easily fly out of the two giant sinkholes letting in light up at the top, but they don't & they're all exhausted and some are injured and have some decisions to make. Are they actually trapped? How big IS it (5miles+)? What do they do??

So now you have: WWX+LWJ fighting the Xuanwu and waiting for rescue, JC+JZX+MianMian and assorted disciples in Cave Survival with some tough choices and team work.... and some ANGRY sects who think they've lost their heirs and disciples due to the Wens & their own inaction 😈

1) WWX+LWJ get rescued much sooner bc Team Cave come back bc might as well grab them, they're stuck and we're stuck so hey might as well be stuck together! The Xuanwu is dead by this point so it takes some digging and WWX is not doing so hot, but now we're all Team Cave together

2) Team Cave is a hilarious comedy of survival horror and I'd read an entire fic centered only on that lbr. CAN YOU IMAGINE?????

I can, it would be reality TV worthy in the way fanfic has lead me to understand Naked and Afraid or similar is and i would just sit there 🍿🍿🍿

So many arguments! What's the best way to get food - do we spend our time hunting, fishing or eating Dubious Fruits? Do we look for exits or try to climb out or...build our way out??? Talismans??? WWX has a spooky screaming sword and needs medical attention so fun challenge there

who isn't doing their fair share of the work? what is the best way to build the fire? Why is everything so terrible?

and most importantly: whose fault is it that we're in this mess!!??!??

I foresee people stomping off to sulk and fume in their own patch of forest on the regular

JC and JZX butting heads on principle but getting along really well, actually! JC being REAL angry at LWJ because his brother is sick & all that worry transmutes to yeling ITS YOUR FAULT HE GOT INJURED FOR YOU!! LWJ is at the absolute end of his tether and just wants to be Home

3) Team Cave makes it out like 3 months later, leaner, angrier, & with pretty good teamwork purely focused on Fucking Wen Shit Up (the 'whose fault' argument was finally settled with "Wen Chao" to avoid bloodshed) and then shit gets R E A L bc they're behind enemy lines + 'dead'