#and wen ning too

[incarnadinedreams]

This isn't really new or anything but the more I reread random passages the more convinced I am that there's something very unique about the way Jiang Cheng reacts to Wen Ning and it's just so interesting!

I'm convinced it's more than just being angry. It's more than just hating him, or blaming him for Jin Zixuan's death or his sister's life. It's more than being a Wen, and it comes long before so many of those tragedies unfold anyway.

There's a sort of urgent, visceral reaction to Wen Ning's presence that just has this different feeling to it than how he reacts to any of the other characters. Even characters he has strong emotional responses to, it's never with the same panic or recklessness. It's not the same as the whole "vengeful wrath, fathomless hatred, or raving ecstasy" situation he's got going on with Wei Wuxian (sexy as that might be).

When it's Wei Wuxian, it's all "...well, well. So you're back?" and "Haven't you got anything to say to me?" Even when he's not being very nice, even when he's throwing teacups and furious at Wei Wuxian, there's still an edge of calmness in the way he lashes out. He's fucking mad but he's had more than a decade to think about this and he's got things to say and he's trying so hard to get a reaction from Wei Wuxian that he just won't give him.

But he can't tolerate having Wen Ning anywhere near him. Much of the time he instantly lashes out, physically, in ways to create space between them. He's mean to Wen Ning, but he doesn't really have much to say to him; he just wants to get away from him.

It really stuck out to me how instinctive and instantaneous and emotional that reaction is when I was reading this passage from chapter 81 (ExR translation since I've got it on hand in digital text form), when Jin Ling returns Zidian and rushes back into the fray during the Second Siege:

When Jiang Cheng was unaware, he stuffed Zidian's ring back into his hand and sprinted toward the crowd, all the way up to the most dangerous area before the mouth of the cave. Jiang Cheng was about to chase after him when he managed to slice a few corpses, staggering. He felt that Sandu was no lighter than hundreds of pounds. Two female corpses threw themselves at him from both directions.

Jiang Cheng cursed. As he lifted his sword again, another pair of hands tore the two corpses into pieces, "Sect Leader..."

Jiang Cheng lost his temper as soon as he heard the voice. He kicked Wen Ning away and cursed, "Get the fuck away from me!"

Obviously that is not very nice and poor Wen Ning didn't deserve a kick for being legitimately helpful there, but the point is that not only does he lash out - the reaction happens even when he's clearly got higher priorities going on in a chaotic situation. Throughout that entire event he reacts in a somewhat more even-keeled way to almost everything except Wen Ning being in his vicinity.

And it's not just after Wen Ning's death, not just after he became Wei Wuxian's greatest weapon, not just after he was forced to kill Jin Zixuan - it's specifically a pattern established from the moment he woke up in the Supervisory Office without a core:

Before he could say anything, those sun robes reflected against Jiang Cheng's eyes. His pupils suddenly shrunk.

Jiang Cheng kicked Wen Ning, toppling over the bowl of medicine. The black liquid all spilled onto Wen Ning. Wei WuXian wanted to take the bowl of medicine. He pulled up Wen Ning as well, who had been shocked speechless. Jiang Cheng roared at him, "What's wrong with you?!"

At this point he doesn't even know how he was rescued, since he was unconscious for all of that, and thinks they're in a Wen trap and likely going to die (or worse). But there's so many echoes of that interaction again, and again, and again between them.

And combined with Wen Ning's remarks during the scene just before this, where he tells Wei Wuxian about the discipline whip injuries and how Jiang Cheng 'should have other injuries as well', the way the narrative is so deliberately ambiguous on what exactly occurred, it all makes me want to crawl up the walls and gnaw on the light fixtures wailing WHAT DID YOU SEE, WEN NING?! WHAT DID YOU SEE?

At a minimum, Jiang Cheng knows that Wen Ning was there at Lotus Pier prior to his capture by the Wen guards, because they'd both seen Wen Ning examining Jiang corpses on the training field before they fled for Meishan.

But everything after that is only implication and subtext and suppositions and speculation, not directly stated in the text. But based on his reaction, you can pry my headcanon from my cold dead hands that that Wen Ning probably witnessed all or much of what happened to Jiang Cheng after he was captured, and Jiang Cheng knows it.

I've also posted before how I think there's an at least nonzero chance that Jiang Cheng was never directly told that Wen Ning wasn't actually there with Wen Chao when they saw him early on, but came later to try to help (because when Wen Ning gives Wei Wuxian that information Jiang Cheng isn't conscious, and nobody tells Jiang Cheng anything. I don't think that headcanon changes much either way, but there is a slight difference, at least emotionally, between 'I helped you while I was there to slaughter your clan and destroy your life' and 'I came when I heard my crazy cousin was slaughtering your clan and tried to help you' and I think it's a juicy thing to add to the pile of misunderstandings they each have of the other's motivations and actions).

Which, if I go with these two ideas together, really drives home what a bespoke and specific nightmare the way the Golden Core reveal played out - not only the substance of the reveal, but the fact it was Wen Ning who revealed it.

He was already furious that they were even there at Lotus Pier, particularly Wen Ning. But the way it all happens it feels like it's not just echoes of the amplified emotions of the confrontation with Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian in the Ancestral Hall, it's not just Wen Ning being a Wen, or even Jin Zixuan's death, the way the narration calls out. It feels like there are deeper layers to it.

I also feel a bit stupid for not noticing before this probably extremely obvious to literally everyone else who isn't a dumbass like me parallel of Wen Ning getting a gruesome scorching whip mark across his chest at Lotus Pier in the course of saving Wei Wuxian (more or less, sort of - we know as readers Jiang Cheng was intentionally trying not to hurt them with Zidian, but I don't think Wen Ning knew that when he jumped in).

Jiang Cheng looked to find that the uninvited guest was Wen Ning. Immediately, he raged, "Who let you inside Lotus Pier?! How dare you!"

He could manage to tolerate others, but definitely not Wen Ning, the Wen-dog who put his hand through Jin ZiXuan's heart and ended both his sister's happiness and her life. Just a look, and he felt the urge to kill him right there. How dare he step foot on the earth of Lotus Pier—he really was looking for his death!

Because of the two lives and many other reasons, Wen Ning had always felt guilty, and so he'd always been somewhat scared of Jiang Cheng, consciously avoiding him all the time. Right now, however, he blocked Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi as he faced him, taking the hard lash. A gruesome scorch climbed across his chest, but still he didn't flinch.

I don't know that it actually means anything but it's making me FEEL THINGS incoherently at this specific moment, so. Also I find it legitimately sad that Wen Ning has to live with guilt over things that happened when he was controlled by someone else, though the scene before the Ancestral Hall when Jin Ling starts crying on the boat is probably a better example of that. Anyway.

It's just there's so, so many layers to how uniquely horrible it is for Jiang Cheng that he not only finds out about the Golden Core transfer this way, but also that Wen Ning, specifically, directly witnessed this life-shatteringly huge deception and sacrifice too - while Jiang Cheng was unconscious, no less.

And, well, we know how everything got capped off in that scene...

Obviously the shock of the information was going to get a huge reaction no matter what, no matter who or how he found out. Even without the Wen Ning element, it already hits every one of his deepest weaknesses and insecurities and fears.

But to come from the guy who'd witnessed his family being slaughtered, who'd witnessed who-knows-what humiliations heaped on him (who also happens to be the same fucking guy that Wei Wuxian thought it was worth leaving Yunmeng Jiang for, breaking his promise for...), the guy he blames for his sister's tragic fate (whether that blame is misplaced or not), the guy he exhibits a panic response towards even decades later, and goddamn.

There are just so many layers to this perfect little nightmare reveal on so many different levels aren't there?

There's just SO much meaty stuff for these two to dig into post-canon and all we get is an extra with a 'oh yeah sometimes Jiang Cheng yells on night hunts and Wen Ning is there' about it?!

I should probably just shut up and go read some Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning focused fics or something (whether romantic or platonic that's probably an area I really haven't explored enough vs. the amount of sheer interesting hints and material the novel gives to work with! If by some miracle anyone made it to the end of this beast feel free to drop any recs that explore them, especially that 'what did Wen Ning see?!' aspect of the whole situation because that is the current little brain worm haunting me right now).

[greyenbee]

Pov you spot the Yiling patriarch grocery shopping with his undead bestie and his adorable son

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker.

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[qourmet]

[lewiscarrolatemybrain]

bby a-Yuan as cute things my niblings have done

a-Yuan, fresh out of the bath, sitting naked in LWJ’s lap and using his big sleeves like blankets

LWJ: Can you dressed now, please? It is cold.

a-Yuan: No! I want to be cold!

LWJ: You want to be cold? Why?

a-Yuan: So you have to hold me UwU

----------------------------

a-Yuan: Qing-jie, you wanna know how tired I am?

WQ, dryly: I’m sure you’ll tell me.

a-Yuan flops face down on the floor and then just lays there

----------------------------

a-Yuan: Where’s Qing-jie, Xian-ge?

WWX: She’s at work, radish.

a-Yuan: Why?

WWX: Because she needs to make money.

a-Yuan: Why?

WWX: ... Capitalism.

a-Yuan, suddenly furious: CAPITALISM?!

---------------------

a-Yuan: Rich-gege, the sun is not up. I’m sleeping.

LWJ: I know, baobei. That’s because it’s raining. You need to wake up now.

a-Yuan, very tired: But the suuuuuuuuun.

-------------------

WWX walks into the kitchen to find a-Yuan and Wen Ning hard at work

WWX: Oh? Whatcha making?

WN: Popo gave me her recipe for--

a-Yuan, delighted: A MESS!

----------------

a-Yuan: I’m telling on you!

WWX: Oh yeah? To who?

a-Yuan pauses to think for a moment, then puts his head down and begins to pray.

[cephalopodish]

the best napping place is your undead best friend

[shake-this-poet-out-of-the-beast]

Saw this cat & all I could think about was Wen Ning trying to sell his radishes

[talesfromnatea]

My post-canon hc for Wen Ning is that he settles down outside of Caiyi, and then he just... starts helping out. Manual labour first, then people realize he's the gentlest thing and he becomes the town's inofficial daycare, and all the old ladies start asking him to hold their yarn when they knit, and soon he's just like. Adopted by everyone

And any time some non-Lan cultivators come to Gusu and try to start shit when they run into the Ghost General carrying firewood and he's like oh no.... Wei-gongzi will be upset if he hears... but then there's like a dozen people surrounding him, going HEY DON'T YOU FUCKING TALK TO WEN NING LIKE THAT HE'S ONE OF US, FUCK OFF!!!

[nonestcurrentis]

my bby Sizhui knowing some of the YMJ and QSW sword techniques because he has been night hunting so often with Jin Ling, and his Ning-gege is so important to me actually

MXTX i am kissing you on the lips these extras are everything

[trans-xianxian]

one thing about the core reveal scene is that it's one of the only times someone defends wei wuxian just out of like. anger and contempt. there's the desperate way that jiang cheng protects wei wuxian from his mother and the wens, and the gentle quiet way that lan wangji stands up for wei wuxian against the world, but it is So endlessly refreshing to see someone just be fucking mad that wei wuxian is being mistreated. wen nings fearsome, righteous anger is so good especially considering that wen ning is a character who so rarely ever let's himself show any anger at all, even when he has so much to be angry about

and he doesn't even get angry in a reserved, polite way either he literally tells jiang cheng to his face that he will never be as good as wei wuxian. saying that serves absolutely no purpose other than to hurt him. it doesn't reveal anything more about the core, its not a cold truth that jiang cheng needs to learn, it's not even really something that strictly Defends wei wuxian against anything. he literally just says it because he Knows it's exactly the thing that will hurt the most, and in that moment what wen ning wants to do is to hurt jiang cheng. and it's delicious

[twistedappletree]

MDZS characters as stoners 🍃💨

________________________________________

wei wuxian: actual weed connoisseur, has a collection of unique/vintage pipes and bongs

lan wangji: does not partake but keeps a stash of the good stuff in his floorboards for wei ying

lan xichen: is literally zonked 24/7, my dude is living in another dimension

nie huaisang: the dealer

jiang cheng: claims he’s drank like 2 marijuanas before

wen ning: “what’s a marijuana?”

[deadsince1973]

Already eliminated:

10. Jin Zixuan

11. Xue Yang

12. Jin Guangyao

13. Su She

14. Jin Zixun

15. Wen Chao

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

No Sharing.

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[mariemarion]

mdzs kofi comms from a while ago x'D