#i can see so much of myself in both jc and wwx it's not even funny

[yunmeng-jiang]

Honestly I think that as much as Wei Wuxian thinks of Jiang Cheng as his little brother... Jiang Cheng also thinks of Wei Wuxian as his little brother? Like, he showed up when Jiang Cheng was, what, 7? and he was this feral little kid who had a severe phobia of something Jiang Cheng wasn't afraid of at all. One parent pampered him like the baby of the family and one parent didn't want him to outshine their kid who was there first. Jiang Cheng has a protective instinct toward him even though Wei Wuxian is technically more talented. Jiang Cheng was brought up to be the leader, while Wei Wuxian was always going to be the second-in-command, the one without the responsibility of the entire sect on his shoulders. Wei Wuxian is older, yeah, but in so many ways Jiang Cheng has the role of older brother to him. I feel like the fact that they both feel like the older sibling is actually the cause of a lot of their strife - they both see themselves as the one who needs to protect the other, the one who's got to have things handled for their little brother's sake. They sacrifice themselves for each other like it's a game of ping-pong. I'm in charge of looking after you because I know the rules and you don't. No I'm in charge of looking after you because I don't want you to get hurt and I'm stronger. No I'm in charge of looking after you because I'm responsible for taking care of you. Back and forth with the older sibling bullshit.

[sonik-kun]

Reminder that WWX did use a homophobic slur (cutsleeve) before he found out he was, in fact, a "cutsleeve" himself.

I'd also argue that him taking advantage of MXY's body and the rumours associated with him by acting as a "stereotypical gay" to get out of situations was a form of homophobia in itself.

He assumed this was how crazy, gay people act - like sexual deviants. He used that stereotype on top of the rumours about MXY just to get out of sticky situations and avoid being captured.

Whilst this isn't aggressive homophobia, nor would I consider him a raging homophobe myself, he still took advantage of the world view he was raised in, which, in modern terms, was problematic in itself.

Think the harmful, stereotypical, predatory gay trope in anime that a lot of anime fans have taken issue with. That's the stereotype WWX was trying to perpetuate and brush off as a silly joke which is bordering that harmful stereotype territory mentioned above. And yet I don't see the moral "holier than thou" crowd talking about that in their analysis on "fictional characters in an ancient Chinese setting."

(Note before I get jumped on: I don't think WWX was being cruel or malicious when he did this. Nor do I think he purposely intended to sully poor MXY's image further. And I ofc don't think that WWX is a terrible person for doing so either. The guy was desperate and needed to pull tricks to avoid capture. But that still doesn't make things right by modern standards. Even if said stereotype was used to goad a load of "homophobes." Would also like to add that even after coming out, WWX didn't really challenge the societal standard or think ill of anyone who thought like that. It's not like he toured the CW with LWJ, promoting gay rights. He'd be very extraordinary for doing that and brave, too. But he didn't. Instead, he just got up to sexy times with his husband daily and lazed about living the good life. Which is valid of him, tbh, giving the shit he went through. But my point still stands. The social norm persists.)

Also, bare in mind, WWX was heavily in denial about his own sexuality at first and struggled to come to terms with it in the beginning due to the societal norms back then, anyway.

Homophobia was the norm. Stop denying that when you know most of the characters found it bizarre.

By their standards being gay was, unfortunate as it is, unusual and to them, perhaps even immoral in its own right.

By modern standards, we know now that it is wrong. And the moral consensus is that being gay is normal and should not be vilified (even then, not all cultures today have reached that consensus and LGBT rights still have a long way to go).

With this in mind and the notion of what morality meant to people back then, you mustn't hold the characters to modern standards because that was simply the world view. What was "right" back then.

You cannot say with certainty that you wouldn't be homophobic back then, in a world where people called it strange and immoral. As much as I'd like to believe that I would be one of the few who find it wrong to treat gay people poorly, most of us probably would find homosexuality strange because that was the moral consensus of that time. As such, it is unfair to hold characters like JC, JL, and JGY to modern standards for that reason. That's the point we've all been trying to make here.

(Even then, JC and JL both watched as WWX left with his hubby into the sunset and didn't speak illy of their relationship again, nor consider them social outcasts like the Jins and Mos treated MXY. It's almost as if people can change their world views entirely (or to some extent) after things become normalised. Hmm. 🧐

Furthermore, MXTX herself said that JC wasn't a bad person. She wouldn't say that if he's the "aggressive homophobe, incapable of change" like you all seem to imply he is.)

You all make this point about historical context when us JC fans criticise WWX for his clear breach of bodily autonomy with the core transfer and his own war crimes. You should apply that logic to the period typical homophobia too. Because as I have said before, you cannot say for certain that the characters would be homophobic had this taken place in a society where being gay was the norm whilst homophobia was frowned upon. Let's use some logic and context when talking about characters from an ancient time period, shall we?

[coolshadowtwins]

It’s time for the next part of my MDZS Pokémon Au, with part 1 here and the last part here.

Reminders for this series- 1) Everyone’s starter Pokémon is the equivalent to their sword, and has the corresponding name. If they have a second, named weapon, then a second Pokémon on the team gets a name! 2) Everyone has a team of three, because that makes things easier for me!

Last time I told you about the main characters, JC and WWX. This time, they get to fight their first gym battle and meet a rival! The boys have left Lotus Pier, and have made their way to the next big city with a gym - Qinghe.

There, in the Pokémon center, they meet-

It’s Lan Wangi! I made Swablu a ‘Lan’ Pokémon, much the way I made Alolan vulpix one as well, and it’s the equivalent to Bichen. His ChingLing is the equivalent of Wangi. Yes, that does mean that he named his ChingLing after himself, not I will not change it. This is the rules of the world I have made for myself, and so it’s what I am sticking with lol

I imagine that when JC and WWX meets him, these are the two Pokémon he already has. He gets bunneary later, probably with something to have to do with WWX, but I don’t know what happens for him to get it.

You saw it before with the Juniors, but the Lan Pokémon have little headbands! I just thought it would be cute!

My imagining of this first meeting is WWX, knowing that a gym battle is coming up, is getting excited! Pokémon battling is fun to him! JC, who also normally likes battling, is really nervous about this because Qinghe’s gym is a hard one. Historically, it was supposed to be a rock gym, which would be incredibly had to get through with just an Eevee. In more recent years, it’s turned into more of a general ‘hits hard’ gym but it will still be very difficult.

Then WWX sees a new trainer walk into the Pokémon center! LWG, who already has two Pokémon! WWW thinks this would be the best practice, and jumps up to challenge LWG to a battle!

LWG just stares at him for a long moment, before telling him no and walking right back out. WWX wilts, and JC gets on to him for trying to start a battle in a Pokémon center.

The idea of LWG that he’s also on his gym journey and will run into the boys often as they journey.

JC and WWX decide to skip the training and go scope out the gym. When they get there, they are greeted to two men arguing. It’s Nie Huaisang, arguing with an older Nie cousin!

NHS wants to leave the city, and go on his own journey. Except it’s not a gym circuit challenge like the other heirs. I haven’t decided if I would want him into Pokémon contests or something else, but it’s definitely not the gyms. His older cousin, who had been out in charge of him while NMJ is gone to do Elite four things, can not let him go because NHS the one suppose to be looking over the gym! Except he hasn’t even been doing that- the cousin has been the one to take challengers. In fact, he had been the one to just fight, and lose to, LWG earlier that day.

So when the Nie cousin realizes that JC and WWX are there, he has to turn them away.his Pokémon aren’t up for another two fights.

NHS jumps in to give a bet- if NHS could beat both of JC and WWX in a battle, then he can go out on his journey. Clearly he would be a good enough battler then! The cousin is skeptical, but JC jumps on the opportunity- surely this would make the gym challenge easier! (Or maybe WWX jumps on the idea. I can’t decide which would be more up to it)

So that’s the deal made. NHS has only two Pokémon right now, so it’s a double battle with JC and WWX sharing a side.

The two Pokémon NHS has right now is his Teddiursa and his Bonsley.

I imagine that he just… finds a bird on the road later lol. I’m giving him a gun.

Teddiursa is his starter. It matches his brother who, spoiler, has an ursaring. I felt that it fit them. I then gave him a bonsley because I felt the fake crying really fit NHS. Can’t you imagine NHS crying, yelling that he doesn’t know something, while both his Pokémon are doing the same thing at his feet. Also, both Teddiursa and Bonsley are little crafty pos in the anime, and I feel like really fits NHS character lol

I want NHS to put up a fight, and maybe even knock an Eevee out. A lot of tricky moves- charm, fake tears, attract. But ultimately JC and WWX win, as we knew they would, and they get the badge.

Somewhere along the way in the episode, the three boys get to bond, but I don’t want to write that bit. But WWX is sad for NHS about having to stay behind in town.

Until, of course, they go to leave the town, only to be stopped by NHS running after them with a bag. He cheerfully explains that his cousin let him go, but only if he had company! JC is grumpy about is but WWX is all for it. Welcome NHS to the team! ( the cousin did not give him the right to leave. NHS just decided that the only one that can boss him around is his brother, who isn’t here right now. Then he snuck out a window.)

See you next time on this thing! It’s time to meet the evil team of the region!

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. Hi! I’m looking for a fic I read on AO3, I don’t remember anything really more than that there was some kind of big entity in a town which noone but Wei Ying could see? The other character’s would be like ”nothing is wrong with this town :-)”. Thankful for help! Have a nice day and thank you for your work <3

#1, can u ask the requestor is Wei ying lived at the edge of the woods/forest ??

FOUND! Not What We May Be by brooklinegirl (E, 29k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Mutual Pining, Bedsharing, casefic, Hurt/Comfort) though its not only wwx who sees it. Great fic.

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2. Hello! I'm trying to find a fic where LWJ was cursed/blessed by his mom with a truth spell for LWJ's safety? It's not really the typical, your average "I speak the truth" one, but it's how LWJ can hear lies in the form of sounds that only he can hear! If i remember correctly, LXC knows about it and asked NMJ (blunt truths) and NHS (white lies) to help him control it. There's also scenes where he's stumped because WWX almost always speak the truth (thus making no lie detector sound for LWJ — which boggles him so much because no one always speak the whole truths even in CR — except the couple of times when he was speaking about his time in Lotus Pier). Thank you! (I'm pretty sure this is a fic by @i-like-plan-m but I can't remember the name rn 😅 - Mod C)

FOUND! in the shadow of moonlit flowers by Reverie (cl410) (T, 48k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, cloud recesses, NHS & LWJ friendship, developing relationship, LWJ pov, minor injuries, autistic LWJ, implied/referenced child abuse, aka YZY warning, genius WWX, light angst, hurt/comfort, WWX protection squad, WIP) this one perhaps?

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3. hi i’ve been looking for a fic that i read a while ago but can’t remember what it’s called. Basically WWX is hired by LWJ for company/sex and he’s kinda like a sugar baby and stays at his house a lot. LWJ is a rich lan and both end up having feelings for eachother but bc LWJ started basically as WWXs client of sorts there’s some confusion. I remember at one point WWX gets sick and lets LWJ come to his house which he usually wouldn’t do with past clients and LWJ helps him shower and there’s a line where he talks abt the intimacy of letting LWJ wash his crotch (pretty sure he lives w wen qing) Then i think LWJ takes WWX to like new york or something on a work trip

these were the only things i could remember lol @st3wartladle​

FOUND? The Sugar Daddy AU Series by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 106k, wangxian, modern, sugar daddy, sex work, dom/sub, aftercare, semi-public sex, exhibitionism, bondage, boundary setting, relationship negotiation) specifically the first part A Sure Thing

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4. Hi! For the fic finder, two fics I enjoyed but apparently failed to bookmark, and now cannot find back...

A) Complete, medium length: Lan Zhan steps into the path of Wen Zhuliu coming for Wei Ying, loses his golden core. Afterwards, he tells no one but goes into seclusion. WWX is fine, and eventually comes to visit in Gusu. LWJ is reclusive as he is not a cultivator anymore (so he grows old faster than WWX), but they still build a connection. No solution for the golden core, just dealing with the new facts of life for LWJ, and building back some hope.

B) Similar in vibes, also complete: WWX travels to an alternative universe, where JC died and WWX is somehow the Jiang Sect Leader. He meets LWJ at a conference. The new universes' WWX was not friends with LWJ. LWJ's leg was still broken after the Wen Indoctrination and never healed, so LWJ is wheelchair bound (pushed by Jingyi). WWX builds up a friendship with LWJ but I think in the end he goes back to his own universe. This one sounds like that one fic where the theme was something like 'be careful what you wish for', iirc WWX wanted to see either his parents or JYL alive 🤔 ~Mod L

Any help would be much appreciated! As well as any other dimension travel recs anyone has. Thanks again for this wonderful blog! @vasterthanempires

I found 4A myself! It was love some littler things by shipyrds

4B remains elusive, although the comments so far seem to refer to the same fic. still looking for it!

4A)

FOUND! love some littler things by shipyrds (G, 17k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, LWJ Loses His Golden Core, Canon Divergence, No Golden Core Transfer, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, Disability)

4B I have read but also cannot recall! Additional details, it was an alternate dimension talisman WWX created, and when he leaves any changes he might have cause are erased but somehow wheelchair!LZ starts an actual friendship with local!WWX? not sure if it was a bonus chapter or an endnote but I recall I was happy that it was a hair ending for both sets...

4B)

FOUND? empty as the sky by incendir (T, 23k, wangxian, JYL & WWX, CSSR & WWX, be careful what you wish for)

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5. Howdy fine folks of the internet! I'm looking for a Twitter thread fic that disappeared from my bookmarks during some twitter turmoil, if any of yall can help. It was a modern au where wwx got kicked out of the Jiang home and stayed in a shed on school property while using the school showers and eating leftovers from the cafeteria overnight, until lqr, lxc, and nmj catch him. It had some really great depictions of panic attacks and I want back. Thanks

FOUND! Where is home? by SpicyRamen_10969 (M, 16k, wangxian, modern, high school au, implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced homophobia, coming out, not Jiang family friendly, supportive LQR, good sibling LXC, fluff, angst w happy ending, WIP)

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6. Hi, I'm looking for a fic where lan xichen had harsh realization of his wrong doing by supporting jin guangyao. (If this is actually an Itmf let me know and I will move it - Mod C)

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7. Hi, I've been trying to find this wangxian fic so badly. Like canon divergence lan xichen notices that wei ying likes lan zhan during cloud reases arc and starts convincing his teachers to change their style for him and his ADHD Genius and teach him about his own self worth so as to steal him away from Jiang sect. Like Jiang chan has an argument where Wei Ying finally stands up to him and it's so good. Think its ABO, dont remember. Please help

FOUND? might be 💖 Hoards and treasures by apathyinreverie (T, 21k, WangXian, Siblings, Family, not particularly Jiang friendly, YZY Bashing, slightly darker Gusu Lans, LXC being the best brother, Some manipulation, But with the best of intentions, and not between wangxian, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Smitten LWJ, Fluff, perfect happiness, adorable WWX, Romance, Some worldbuilding, courting) although it's FoxWWX and DragonLans not A/B/O

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8. Hello <3 I'm looking for a modern AU fic where Lan Wangji contracts Mo Xuanyu as a companion for the night but mistakes him for Wei Wuxian in the hotel they would meet up. So they spend the whole night together and the chemistry is off the charts until Mo Xuanyu sends him a message later (or in the morning after, I can't exactly remember) saying that he never showed up. Lan Wangji tells Wei Wuxian about the misunderstanding and Wei Ying, who was thrilled with his attention, gets pretty hurt and they end things pretty tense. I remember that it's the anniversary of the passing of his mother or her anniversary, and Lan Wangji didn't want to spend it alone. After he explains that to Wei Ying, they try giving their date another chance. That's all I remember for sure that happens, I hope these details are enough!

FOUND! Many happy returns. by orange_crushed (E, 25k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Past Suicide of a Parent, References to Depression, Anxiety, Therapy, References to Anti-Depressant Medications, Escort Service, Loneliness, Everybody’s Abandonment Issues, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Moving In Together, Oral Sex, Penetrative Sex, Hopeful Ending, Recovery, References to Escorting/Sex Work but No Actual Escorting/Sex Work)  

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9. I need help on finding a fic. It's about how wei wuxian created his own sect from a past syndicate movements, he transformed it into a merchant/shops/silk road or something similar. He never went with the jiangs or any sects. When he was still on the streets he got betrayed by an "esteemed" cultivator because of false accusations (vendor told the cultivator that he caught wei wuxian stealing from him, but in actuality wei wuxian was at the wrong place at the wrong time), it was another kid that stole a toy from a merchant, if I'm not wrong. He was also a part of an illegal underground fights where he "won the bet" against the strongest fighter. He's also claimed by wen qing to be the killer of a murder because the only one who knows around needles is herself, and she met wei wuxian and taught him the arts of needles. There's also a wei wuxian - xue yang connection by said syndicate because the chang sect was a part of it.

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10. hi! i was wondering if you could help me find this one fanfic that i can't for the love of me remember at all!!!

the details are a bit hazy, but basically burial mounds era something happens that fucks up wei wuxian mentally and physically and he starts dreaming about things in the future,,,, meanwhile the whole jianghu is plunged into chaos with disasters and that one specific bird thing.

i think there was one time wei wuxian did a "no shit serlock!" joke but then said "oh wait, wrong timeline."

FOUND? To Ride A Stygian Tiger by Madyamisam (M, 93k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel, Angst with a happy ending, BAMF WWX, Dark LWJ, Slow burn, Family Feels, Misunderstandings)

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11. hwoooooo! :D back at it again with the asks, thank you so much for your services to the community!

im looking for a time travel fic for my bff!

it's in Lwj's pov in which he dreams about an older version of him, who tells him to treat wei ying kindly, and how the future lwj's world is completely frozen as a result of his sacrifice in order to safe a different timeline.

Future Lwj gets a happy ending in the last chapter!

FOUND? 💖 Looking at You Always, All Ways by Keysmashed T, 29k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, fluff, nostalgia, mild angst w/ happy ending)

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12. hi! i'm looking for a fic where there was quarantine and wangxian went to stay at the family house (it was so big like a mansion or an apartment i don't really remember).

remember a scene where jingyi was having a panic attack (?) and wei ying came to calm him down. they were at the balcony. i think they were adopting jingyi.

i don't know if it is finished or deleted.

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13. hello!! i hope y’all are doing well ☺️ the fic I’m looking for was definitely on ao3 but idk if it got deleted or I just can’t find it again but here’s what I remember

1) Wei wuxian died taking the arrows to save jin zixuan’s life. Initially people celebrated until the (sentient) burial mounds retaliated and destroyed most of the jin sect and people started panicking and trying to bring back wwx (jin zixuan, jin ling, and Jiang yanli all live)

2) parts of Wei wuxian’s diary was scattered amongst the cultivation world and Jin ling buys the pages and develops a sort of parasocial relationship w his dead uncle who he idolizes based on the image he creates of him thru wwx’s writing

3) i think one of the latest updates (it wasn’t finished when I read it) is wwx coming back as Mo xuanyu and running into jin ling and jiang cheng who recognize him.

Im pretty sure the wens are alive as well (not 100% tho). If this rings any bells please let me know - I’ve seriously looked for this for a solid couple of weeks and I loved it a lot 😭 thank you!! 💓

FOUND? To Be Named by Suibian_613 (T, 18k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, WQ is out of character, Everyone is probably ooc, canonical violence, Canonical Character Death, Somewhat Sentient Burial Mounds)

FOUND? I shall pay for all your sorrows by MidnightLightHowlite (G, 3k, JZX & WWX, XuanLi, angst with bitter ending)

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14. A fanfic where Wei Wuxian is found by Lan Qiren as he saves him from something and then faints. It’s a modern AU, Lan Qiren takes him to the hospital and later they learn that he has fits and he becomes a teacher at the school. Lan Zhan and he marries later on and adopts Wen Yuan from an orphanage run by Wen Qing and Wen Ning. @hebbbb

FOUND? Against Entropy by Duochanfan (M, 40k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, of an underaged character, Amnesia, Drama, Romance, Family Feels, Hurt WWX, Older JC, Homelessness, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective LWJ, Protective LXC, Supportive LXC, Protective NMJ, Supportive LQR)

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15. Hi I want to ask is there a wangxian fanfiction where lan zhan is a prince and wei wuxian is a huli jing and becomes his consort by forced marriage but instead wei ying is against this loveless marriage and so everytime they sleep it's always hate s£× until he gets preg and gives birth to a yuan and tries his best to give him love until he dies protecting a yuan from a wen attack and that day he realises wangji actually loved him dies and gets reincarnated and tries to fix things @random-online-reader

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16. Hi there! I am looking for a fic that takes place during the war against the wens and mo xuanyu does the self sacrifice to summon wwx who is thought to project himself as his original form, but (SPOILERS) he is immortal and lwj is the reincarnation of his lover. Baoshan Sanren also makes an appearance after the last stand against wen ruohan

FOUND? Old Foreshadows by protos_metazu_ison (M, 15k, WangXian, YLLZ WWX, BAMF WWX, War, Universe Alteration, Sunshot Campaign, Rated For Violence, Timeline What Timeline)

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17. Hello, can you help me find a fic?

Generally, all I remember was that WWX went back to the past (Studying at GusuLan Arc) after dying during the Burial Mound Siege. He was so traumatized over it that he has decided he does not want anything to do with the cultivation world anymore. His personality changed (from cheerful to downright depressed, from lively to soulless) so much that everyone began to notice and wondered what was up.

However, I remember a scene which pushed him to flee Gusu. He was walking and listening as NHS talked and talked trying to get him back to his old personality. They met NMJ on the way. WWX on pilot mode said that he (NMJ) has heart demons and without ado removed the resentful energy lingering inside NMJ. This shocked the Nie brothers, the Twin jades and JC (the latter two having just arrived and witnessed WWX manipulating resentful energy).

WWX obviously panicked, packed his belongings and flees from GusuLan because he thought they would kill him again due to his manipulation of resentful energy.

Please help me find this fic. I've been searching the web for weeks. Sadly, my browser history was disabled at that time and I don't remember the title. @heratheslytherinqueen

FOUND? Possible Works 2 - Numb by Hauntcats (M, 6k, wangxian, angst w happy ending, unhappy WWX, time travel fix-it)

FOUND? Without end by barisan (M, 70k, wangxian, major character death, time travel, suicide attempt, hurt/comfort, depressed WWX, protective LWJ, good uncle LQR, bad parents JFM & YZY, not YZY & JFM & Jiang friendly, implied/referenced child abuse & self harm, BAMF WWX, WIP)

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18. So there was this fic in which wei wuxian modified nei huaisang's fan or something like that so it can be used as a weapon while in CR and also at some point nmj wrote a letter thanking him and asking him what he would like as payment but wwx replied that it was a gift for a friend

I don't think this was a major plot point of the story though. Thanks

FOUND? Eyes Wide Shut by Netrixie (T, 65k, LXC/NMJ, wangxian, canon divergence, no sunshot, everyone lives au, enemies to friends to lovers, identity porn, mistaken identity, misunderstanding, slow burn) when I read that I immediately thought of this fic just bc it sounds so similar, but it's lxc that gives nhs the fan, and nmj gets mad at lxc for it. and also it's nielan. maybe this is what you're looking for?

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19. Hi again! I'm in need of help for finding a fic that I forgot to bookmark AGAIN🥹

How i remember it, It's how WWX died and get "resurrected" as a ghost thing by another character (could be Hua Cheng, could be Luo Binghe idk they definitely wore robes with the color red and black lol). So WWX started chatting with his "savior" and they told him that he can grow powerful by eating other demons in the BM(?) But as he grew powerful, he also shapeshifted as a white tiger for a while because he needs to hunt to maintain his human form, and by doing so he needs a lot of demon meat so he needs to catch food with his tiger form a lot (I'm kinda confusing myself if WWX started as a tiger from beginning or not, but it definitely involves him as a ghost/tiger!)

Other details that I kinda remember: 1) he re-introduced himself to the cultivation world as "Wei Wuqian" or something similar, he thought it was funny 2) nearby people who lived around the place WWX would hunt depicted him as a guardian/god and would gift him some spicy meat as prayers 3) said people would defend him when cultivators were trying to hunt this weirdly nice, babysitting as a secondary job, only likes his meat spicy tiger kitty that they call "evil spirit, dangerous and needs to be gone" 4) I think he has white hair but can change to black, it could be somewhat glowing hair but I'm not sure about this detail 5) LWJ definitely tried the "give big kitty spice and he'll play nice" trick he got from the village people to see if it was a malevolent ghost or not 6) tiger!WWX had been written eating a corpse in the fic at least once

FOUND? Wuqian, the Local God of Yiling by Grace_ShadowWolf (TaubeLePigeon) (M, 77k, wangxian, WWX & LSZ & LWJ, major character death, canon divergence, angst w/ happy ending, god WWX, Chinese mythology & folklore, pining, temporary character death, WIP)

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20. Hi, I'm looking for the the story I've read before. I think it's about Wuxian are cursed to feel pain each time Jiang Wanyin close to him at Cloud recesses. It's kinda Jiang Wanyin bashing. I think Wei Wuxian took the cursed meant for Lan Wangji.

FOUND? I’ll Take the Path of Thorns by Admiranda (G, 6k, wangxian, cloud recesses study era, curses, not JC friendly, clever WWX, baby wangxian)

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[sailormelanie]

Outing myself here as a Jiang Cheng apologist. By the end of this post, maybe I’ll even be a stan, who knows!

I was browsing MDZS fan discourse on the relationship between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian and found some fans frustrated with fanfic portrayals of their relationship being more friendly than it is in canon.

I hard disagree on that, but I certainly get it. (spoilers for MDZS obvi, if for whatever reason you haven’t read it/finished reading it)

Or rather, I agree that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng dislike each other (or parts of each other), but I contend that they still very much love each other. The problem is that, at least in canon, neither of them knows how to love the other in the right away. Their upbringing just complicates things a lot :/ Weird family shit. Weird BROTHER shit too, tbh.

All of their conversations, even during their teen years, don’t really feel “loving” (though I would still contend that their combative-ness is a form of love). Their interactions in general feel awkward at times, and words feel constantly loaded, with both of them leaving those interactions feeling relieved that it’s over. But all the actions they take on behalf of the other are surely indicative of some form of love (JC rushing without rest to save WWX from the Xuanwu of Slaughter cave; WWX GIVING HIS GOLDEN CORE TO JC; JC distracting the Wen soldiers from WWX; JC tirelessly searching for WWX when he’s presumed dead at the hands of the Wen; WWX cutting himself off from the Jiangs because while he can’t compromise on his ideals, he’s not willing to drag the sect down with him etc. etc. etc.).  By the end of canon, they may not be friends, but they’re certainly family :P Essentially, when it comes to these 2, the mantra seems to be, “I can’t love you with my words, but my actions should speak for me.”

Which like. Ugh. UGH. ACTIONS ARE ALSO GOOD, BUT PLEASE USE YOUR WORDS.

I don’t mean to speak for “The Community” (I’m an ABC), but this kind of dislike-love relationship feels pretty typical of a Chinese family dynamic.

Anyway, this is why I like reading fics (post-canon, AU or otherwise) in which they learn to communicate and/or they learn how to interpret the actions of the other, because although it’s definitely softer than what we see in canon, I like to hope that even the worst relationships can be remedied so long as love is at the baseline. Maybe I’m projecting a bit, but I think there’s enough textual evidence to at least support the basic idea.

[sasukimimochi]

i wanna ramble about my view on JC but i'm so bad at words

so like, i see posts where people talk about these things JC does or WWX holds back from, i don't wanna go searching but also want to leave these details out cuz i don't want to accidentally call people out cuz that is not my intention (not that i have the audience to do something like that) so i'm just gonna go from my memory and kinda summarize what i think abt him...

gonna add a read more line bc this gets long!

Uh, btw please no hostility i'm not trying to start arguments, these are just my thoughts i really wanted to get out there. i'm definitely no therapist or psychologist so take this with a grain of salt, this is the view of just an average reader who retains a lot of info [tho still manages to miss details at times]. Anyway if you have info you think i should have addressed, reply and i'll make additions if i agree/want to expand on the info presented to me!

So, WWX and JC have a weird thing going on, it's not exactly brothers but they definitely wanted that, the reason why i say they aren't solidly brothers is because i'm pretty sure Madam Yu has influenced JC from the start of his arrival which is why he doesn't call wwx a-xian or Wei Ying or A-Ying- Why he doesn't allow himself to let loose properly around anyone even in private, why he constantly scolds wwx, etc. i believe firmly he's been quite influenced by his parents due to him being the next sect heir and the pressure that comes from it, as well as what he feels like madam yu is correct on- wwx is uncle jiang's favorite.

Madam Yu still chides Yanli for doing domestic acts for WWX but not on the same level as JC, who is constantly under pressure by her to be the perfect heir to the sect. She wants him to be better than WWX, which of course affects all of the family but Yanli gets left out of the fire a bit, which i think is what gives her such a strength to do these supportive acts for the brothers [and why she's also both the brother's favorite. She's basically the mom they wish for. Supportive, understanding, and helps mediate them]. Though this is a burden she has to bear, it's not that big of a burden to her because she loves the two so much.

Jiang Fengmian... i might be spelling his name wrong, so i'll call him Uncle Jiang cuz it will be faster for me to type with no mistakes haha. Anyway, I have complicated feelings about him.

At first i thought he was great and did no wrong, but that was on my first pass and when i had just watched the donghua only. My opinion of him since i read the novel isn't bad, but it's not super good. He's in a complicated position! There's only so much he can do about his wife, they argue super often and while its not usually crazy loud, it's pretty intense. [also, i'm not sure if separation is really a thing that happened back then, i think that's really a modern thing.] I feel like we're likely seeing Uncle Jiang's will to fight dimmed down by the wear of time.

Consider: you have a family member who won't ever listen to what you say, regardless how sound your argument is- you can be completely in the right and have all the facts, but no matter how long you press on, the result never changes. Do you put in the same amount of effort for the rest of your life? No! You understand that no matter how much you argue that their answer will remain the same. I personally have a family member like this, and while i defend myself regularly, it does not go anywhere. That is the nature of some people, no matter what they may not treat your view with the respect it deserves.

anyway back to the main line here, i dont think wwx is wrong about what he said regarding JF to JC. "he's just hard on you cuz you're going to be sect leader" or whatever it was along those lines- WWX does not seem like the type to lie to make someone feel better and i think this is why JC appreciates that conversation so much (besides the heartfelt twin prides which is obviously something that stuck to him for a long time). And i agree, JF is definitely trying to prepare Jiang Cheng for his position as sect leader one day.

do i think Uncle Jiang is completely guilt free of favoritism? No absolutely not, he canonically holds wwx more as a child, which i think is hard to argue against- but i do think the context of that is missed in part by most. WWX may have been a bright kid with sun shining out his ass but he was also a scared kid that just got rescued off the streets after his parents never came home. A kid that was fighting for food from dogs and likely starving and scared because he was on the street for like 5 years [if i remember it was from age 4 to 9 in the novel]. Of course he got held a bit more- i can't imagine he would be completely unphased immediately upon arrival, at least with his Uncle Jiang who was totally willing to provide him comfort- which wwx probably desperately missed from his now dead parents. We know canonically that the memory of those parents, however small, is unreplaceable and dear to wwx- but having JF treat him dearly is truly a balm to what has happened to him.

I'm not gonna say JC didn't go through things that made him cry and want to be held, in fact if WWX came into the house and suddenly got a lot of attention, it's going to feel pretty shitty for JC! Of course this combined with abruptly losing his privacy and puppies was what initially had him pushing the other away, but as you could see, after WY breaks his leg after running off and they make up, they get really close and despite this looming responsibility and family troubles, the two are very bonded. imo making them look like 6 year olds in the donghua is an injustice to their relationship, because 9 year olds tend tend to have more emotional intelligence (?) at that age. I'm not sure how to phrase that, but basically making them look younger and act like giggling children took away from the scene a bit for me lol. Jc is old enough to realize he doesn't dislike wwx! This isn't a child quickly getting over his anger, he's young here yes, but he's decided in this moment that he cares about this new member of the family, despite being called the son of a servant. [which yes madam yu is once again influencing his view of this segregation but i think he is much better at ignoring this particular in his youth]

I am rambling more than i thought i would lmao- i have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i think it's skipped over so much

um, i'm not sure which direction i was going in before i went onto the parents. Let's skip forward.

lotus pier fell and not only did JC see wwx get humiliated and whipped and nearly disfigured, his mother who he was about to lose blamed wwx for so much. When you lose a family member you have an attachment to, whether it bad or good, this influences your thoughts about them and with no way to resolve said thoughts. i find this hard to explain, so i'm just going to hope you understand what i'm referring to here. Especially in ancient china though, i believe it's a big thing to hold such a high regard for your parents, but especially if they have passed? i can't say this is fact but i believe that is the case i just am sticking to my memory here. So these things in combination with Trauma, i believe starts this heavy, negative emotion in JC that is hard to unstick.

JC and WWX may get into a one-sided scuffle but soon after they cry together like children. They just experienced hundreds of lives lost- people they grew up with and trained with and cared for as well as the people who provided and cared for them- their family was unstable, but still was a family and support system- now they had only two people and one of them was far away, the one that was typically their pillar. I feel like a lot of people hold JC to an impossible standard in his situation- having a bad day and taking it out on someone is one thing, going through a traumatic massacre i think allows someone to get a bit unreasonable [though of course nearly choking him was quite far, remember, he's extremely unstable emotionally at this point].

"WWX didn't do that though!" of course not. WWX is a different person with a different personality, is older (though i don't know by how much), and is extremely resilient, but he does process his trauma just differently. As you see over and over in the novel, wwx goes through many things others wouldn't dream of, but he starts acting differently even before the golden core removal, not only after. He's going through the same things, but i'm pretty sure no one reacts to trauma the same way to the T. JC's just happens to be misplaced anger, which is probably way too simple a way to put it, but anyway...wwx also gets angry. very angry. The two both have the correct target of anger in the end, despite Jc's breakdown. He still harbors his mother's words, but at this point they're still in the background of his mind.

Now again we go forward- JC willingly sacrifices himself for WWX. Look, if he doesn't like wwx at all i think this is extremely contradictory. even if he was s*icidal, he could have chose other ways to get to that end if that was the case. and a gentle reminder that JC perks back up and is ready to fight once he believes WWX knows how to fix his core! i don't think he was truly wanting to die or anything like that until he thought he had lost everything except wwx and jyl. He believes in wwx's strength despite his constant fear of inferiority, so if he was gone, what would it matter if wwx was there to continue to protect yanli?

Essentially he was like 'well what are we going to do if i can't lead the sect? We would be in a homeless situation and there is a war.' aka there's not a lot of hope all around, i don't think he was only upset about the core, but it was definitely the main force because if he didn't have a core, how would he survive what was happening anyway? he's like 'if i'm gonna die let it be on my terms' yk? He also doesn't feel like he's strong enough before he lost his core to protect anyone. Without it? fat chance.

whew... this is a lot already, so maybe i'll post this and do a part two later addressing YLLZ arc, then the "present" one. i just have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i'm sad to see so much negativity around him...JC is quite flawed, but a lot of the characters are flawed! that doesn't make them bad characters, it makes them interesting and human.

[worstmdzstakes]

One of the worst takes: that Wei Wuxian was in any way wrong for nightless city, or that Wen Remnants and Wei Wuxian died because he was too arrogant to ask for help

These are definitely both stupid takes!

💩Fanon bullshit💩 - WWX was in the wrong at Nightless City:

Can people in the fandom not grasp when someone is being treated unfairly?!

The sects stated that the matter would be settled for the time being if WQ and WQ gave themselves up and they would leave WWX and the remaining Wens remnants alone.

How would anyone feel to find out they had sacrificed their lives for nothing? That the cultivation world was still planning an attack on the burial mounds, intent on murdering every single innocent person that lived there.

What happened at Nightless City was straight up defence. Granted, WWX was out of his mind with trauma, but overall, it was the congregation of sects that made a move first.

As WWX concluded himself:

“Oh?” Wei Wuxian helped the one who’d spoken dissect his statement. “So if he wants to kill me, he needn’t have any misgivings about dealing a lethal blow. If I die, that’s just my bad luck. But if I defend myself, I must have reservations about who I hurt—even about whether I should touch a single strand of anyone’s hair in the first place. In short, you can ambush me, but I can’t fight back. Is that right?”

7S vol 4

It seems that some people in the fandom are more like the idiots of the cultivation world who blindly followed without question.

MXTX wished her readers to be like LWJ in virtue and WWX in character - not the mob who could not see what was truly right or wrong.

💩Fanon bullshit💩 - WWX won't ask for help:

There was never anything truly arrogant about WWX. He put a bravado on to stop people attacking him and finding out he no longer possessed a golden core, that he had a weakness which could be exploited. It was all to stop people looking too closely at the fact he had no spiritual powers and was weaker than before.

Throughout the novel WWX has no qualms with asking for help - just look at him when he was trying to save the ungrateful Su She from the waterborne abyss. He asked for help. The only issue is, people don't usually give him it. He's used to fighting things out on his own, relying on himself and his own skills. Then LWJ comes along and he helps without even being asked.

Just who could WWX ask for help when he was protecting the Wen remnants at the burial mounds?!

He rather unfortunately concluded LWJ disapproved of him and his methods - yet, unbeknownst to him, LWJ helped him as much as he could, defending him and the Wens during meetings and when the fierce corpses broke out alongside WN after they met in Yiling.

His own sect leader threw him to the proverbial dogs and declared him the enemy of the cultivation world! Hardly helpful! WWX knew JC wouldn't help, even though he owed the Wen remnants a life debt and was honour bound to repay such a thing. Why the hell would WWX ask JC for help when he already knew the answer. He knew JC was too full of resentment and hatred to even lift a finger and JC only proved it the minute he arrived at the burial mounds and sneered at the old and weak before trying to kill a defenceless WN who he personally owed so much to. Even an idiot could see that he wasn't going to help - so what does that make the people saying otherwise? Hmm...

[khattikeri]

Mdzs for the shipping grid? 👀👀👀

YESSS here we are! v surprised at how strong my opinions are for this fandom but probably shouldn't be sldkfjlksd

**I COMPLETELY FORGOT THE YI CITY CREW ON THIS BUT I DON"T WANT TO DELETE THE IMAGE AND RE-ADD IT INKLDSFHKLDSJ so

- xue/xiao compels me and is in the middle of the makes sense line - song/xiao is closer to makes sense but compels me a bit less - song/xue/xiao is somewhere in between them.

further explanations of all other pairings under the cut!

quadrant by quadrant bc my explanations are Long for this one

out of the way: wang/xian undoubtedly peak! xuan/li v cute, love em. xi/yao is my favorite of the possible 3zun pairings, they're just too juicy and such good narrative foils to wang/xian...

nie/yao is also fun to me because of how much tension and strife they have.

i like nie/lan the least of all possible 3zun pairings just bc i like the conflict jgy brings to the table LOL

even though zhui/ling is the most popular junior pairing i... am not a huge fan of it? they're not blood relatives at all but both are still family to wwx in ways that make me feel weird about them romancing each other. in no war/wens are good aus i'd be more into it...

jingzhui isn't on the chart but they're also both inner lan clan members. so. weird to me! i like ling/yi best. they banter a lot but still get along well as friends

i can see why people are compelled by wen ning and wwx. i love their fucked up codependency too. i just don't see it romantically

i also see why people might ship cheng/xian, i just sincerely think their relationship is most compelling as siblings or pseudo-family due to the social class tensions.

chang/mian is quite rare just bc both characters are so minor but like... god can you imagine all the jiang cheng & wwx parallels. pointing. those are their dads

sang/cheng is like... most of the time it feels very pair the spares-esque. BUT. they both have a lot of similarities underneath the surface and if people tap into that i do like it. BUT (again) i just really prefer it platonic. jiang cheng is like peak "this man is aroace and does not know what either of those words are" to me. celibacysweep and all that

sang/yao. honorable mention to my favorite fucked up ship that literally nobody ships (including myself!). i can't like em romantically, only enjoy the dynamic, but it's so fun to think about. like spy x spy but worse.

and finally stuff that i don't like

no real reason for sang/yu, i just don't see em that way. i'm too novel-only to like wen qing/jc.

LWJ/anyone else feels too much like blasphemy. similar to shipping hua cheng tgcf with people who aren't xie lian LOL

AND FINALLY. THE MDZS SHIP I LIKE LEAST. <3 </3 xi/.cheng

this is like peak pair the spares to me. they're literally coworkers. they're just two people who lead clans and only talk business with each other. they aren't friends, they don't even make smalltalk. their relationship is the equivalent of sometimes bumping into a linkedin connection at the grocery store. come on. COME ON. they have zero personal ties except for the fact that their brothers are deeply in love and have a torrid romance spanning decades

for lxc especially this just feels like such a weak ship to me bc you have TWO whole other people he has fascinating, actually existing dynamics with (nmj and jgy), and xi/yao especially has so so so many parallels to wang/xian. 3zun ships have so much angst and what-ifs and there's so much more meat to it.

see also my thing about jc just... honestly i cannot see him romantically working out with anyone. nobody. whatsoever. this is a man for whom romance is not the solution, ever

so i can't. it literally drives me crazy. i cannot make sense out of xi/cheng whatsoever it doesn't compel me one bit and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say i hate it when there are other ships right there ahahahghdskljfdslk

[admirableadmiranda]

I am clueless in reading between lines or seeing from an outside perspective when reading. So I really appreciate people who writes metas, and let me tell you, learning about Jiang Cheng changed my life. Actually, when I read SVSSS, I didn't know that SY was actually in denial the whole time before chapter 82 hit me in the face. He had to say it directly for me to realised that he actually loves LBH. I thought he just treasure him very much. I didn't know very much about SVSSS before reading it so I didn't know the pairing, but in MDZS, after finishing both SVSSS and TGCF, I kinda knew that WWX and LWJ is the main pairing. So I didn't notice the signs of internalizes homophobia. I've been reading fics of MDZS even before finishing the whole thing. But when I encountered a fic that has a tag in the lines of JC being homophobic, I was surprised. So I searched it up on Tumblr (best site for reading metas gosh there's so much people here who write good shit). I feel like I've been slapped to my face. Now I can't read fics with him the same way again. I have no particular feeling against JC, in fact, I had hoped for him and WWX to reconcile after finishing it. I had nothing against XiCheng, I did enjoy a couple of fics before but after reading character analysis about him, and reading JC being such a soft character and encouraging WWX and LWJ relationship while being with LXC... I just quietly press the back button, shut my phone, put it down, lay on my side and contemplate life.

Although I can read fics about them if there's like an outside force causing for JC's top level inferiority complex and overall antics to acceptable level. I can't enjoy fics with him being so OOC and not atleast one thing about him staying true.

I can understand that sort of difficulty with looking at metas and then coming back to fics that you were enjoying and just no longer being able to stomach them. There were fics that I really liked that after I shook myself from the JC stan haze that tried to convince me that he didn't do the things he did and wasn't the character he was, that I could no longer go back to. Certainly the reconciliation fics became impossible to read, especially as so many of them now throw the blame on their relationship falling apart solely at Wei Wuxian's feet and make him beg and plead for Jiang Cheng to forgive him, ignoring or flat out lying about the things that Jiang Cheng did as well.

I can still enjoy myself a softer Jiang Cheng in fics too, though! But for me, it has to be modern au where he's not in the same position of power. Part of what makes it really difficult to enjoy that in canon outside of all the Terrible Actions is that for him, there are little to no repercussions for what he chooses to do. Who's going to hold him accountable in a way that actually stops him? He's the leader of one of the Four Great Clans. In the world of MDZS, there is no one above him to stop him. In a modern au where he's just a grump though, none of those dynamics are there and I can enjoy him just fine as long as he's not aggressively homophobic and having it cooed over in the process.

I hope you continue to have a good time and find your own comfort metrics for the fics you want to read, anon. This is such a wide fandom, I'm sure that there will be plenty of chances for you to find stuff you adore.

[fengshenjunlang]

im sorry if this is such a weird ask but is it weird that I don't block JC stans, not because i want to fight with them ( i dont interact with them at all) but because i genuinely like reading their metas and so on. it's fascinating to me how one character can have different personalities as long as you put your mind into it, you can convince yourself to see this as the subjective truth. its like how JC has WWX being the one on fault for nearly every problem he has, and hoe the cultivation world just accuse WWX of everything. That character may not have that ability to affect them because he is quite not alive, but as it was already engraved in their mind that WWX is to blame for everything, every logic must be bend to suit this truth. I do get angry most of the time but im sadistic enough to put myself through that then try to see how they come to such conclusions. ive been doing so for 3 years now and i really think its not a healthy coping mechanism. i have contracted a lot of headaches, but i thinks it's worth it as i have trained myself to see both sides. frankly after reading a lot of uwu jc and victim jc i still firmly believe in canon jc. say what, should i stop while its not too late, im quite afraid of reading metas made by literal children who are biased but I've suffered long enough, shouldn't i continue until i found something else to fixate on??

Hi, Anon.

To block or not to block is up to you. Personally, I think reading their metas is quite refreshing, it's like you're watching how a cult spreading their God and Savior things in earnest, and you just watch and hear them to amuse yourself by their ridiculous rhetoric. So, yeah, not to block them is totally fine and normal.

Though frankly speaking, reading too much of them aren't good either. Like, why do we have to read something that obviously are different to our views on a... Frequent basis? Especially JC metas are, prone, and almost certain, written by slandering either Wei Wuxian, Jiang Fengmian, Jiang Yanli, the Wen Sibling, or even other characters on the way. Their metas are mostly than not, end up feeling like a hate speech. It's exactly the same as JC and YZY's type of dialogues in mdzs. Unpleasant. Baseless. Ridiculous. Selfish driven logic. Delusional.

So, if you just want to amuse yourself it's free not to block them, but do remember to pay attention to your mental health as well, lol.

Oh, lastly, if you're someone who actively posting or reblogging about canon JC content or things that is against their belief, like posting XiYao rather than XiCheng (lol), then you better block them up, to avoid harassment. They're mostly kids who finds it difficult to control their emotion and attitude.

[llycaons]

ep28 (1/2): jc comb L

I burned out most of my allocated images in this first conversation because !!! it's EVERYTHING!!!

well first of all wwx saying that not living up to his promises would impact his reputation is hilariously ironic given the situation, and he knows it. but jc is not messing around

I've said before he's easily manipulated and not a great political mind, and I stand by that, but he's got a decent grasp of the situation here honestly, and this cnversation is so painful and emotional because they both care so much but they can't get around their differences. I don't even think there was much miscommunication. but I'm getting ahead of myself

yeah he noticed. also sorry for getting that shot of wwx. my bad, man

and here's the kicker. jc and wwx are in agreement here. jc says 'this is dangerous, you have to completely stop this or else they'll find a pretext to kill you'

and wwx counters with 'if these people are doomed, I have to stay with them because there's no other way to protect them' and jc says 'WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT PROTECTING THEM'

and wwx gets so mad at that he doesn't even deign to emphasize 'murdering innocent people is wrong' because...obviously

jc says keep your head down! this is a lost cause! nobody will help you or support you!

the barehanded sword grasp oof

and this is honestly jc's most iconic monologue (?)

like he kind of gets is. he understand the trials that wwx is facing. he's just unwilling to face them with him. he's a pessimist, and has no genuine moral compass.

I actually don't judge him too harshly for these choices until postcanon, until we see how entrenched he's become in this position. he never once expresses regret for deciding that turning over the wens was the right choice. he never reflects on his behavior. he fails to take responsibility for the role he took in this. too insecure, too traumatized, too fragile, too grief-stricken to look inward. he bears some of the blame for what happened and he knows it but he's too burnt out on his own losses to care

and wwx goes FINE! then I'll do it alone! because jc is right, this is doomed. but wwx is also right, he can't just abandon these people

this is the line that kills me. bc it's clear how painful this is and it's clear that jc wants to protect wwx but he just doesn't see a way he can. not the imaginative type. but this is as clear communication as we can get

another strike to the heart! wwx loves his family and his home so much! he's not doing this because he wants to!

but even if these were all total strangers he'd do the same. ugh he was too good for this world

now that is a very hurtful thing to say, jc. you know what your mom was like

THEY ARE BOTH CRYING??? I NEVER NOTICED

we get a shot of jc in his pjs with his little sleeping boots (?) and he doesn't have a blanket. anyway

very very funny that jc asks wq why she didn;t come to him and she was like 'well would you have HELPED me' and he can't even say that he would have. WHY DID YOU OFFER THEN. in his mind he's like 'of course wwx did exactly what she needed because he's better than me,,,,he just HAS to be a hero....the woman I love likes him better and he doesn't even care bc he's gay...fml'

not haunted by the people there he wants to condemn to death, but by his own failures and inadequacies. he really is quite a self-centered character and it boggles the mind that he's portrayed as anything else. I mean in his essential characterization, not one-offs

missed the shot but there are truly so many fucking candles in this place. aren't they worries about wasting them

HE'S SAYING HOW MUCH IT HURTS 😭

wwx playing rest out in the night in his iconic outfit....love it

[red-talisman]

My ask is about the golden core transfer and what it would mean for jc. So, if it triggers you, don't read it! I feel the need to alert about this! Be safe!

I don't know you, ( and yes! wwx was just a traumatized teenager!), but the golden core transfer gives me so much negative emotions. Fandom focuses on wwx's pain (and it's interesting! ) but jc's situation is dismissed with "you have to be grateful about it. What a disprectful brat he is" and I am like, dude, you okay? (maybe their opinions are influenced by what wn says, without understanding that what he says isn't the truth, but only what he knows would hurt jc, because he *wants to make jc suffer*). I tried to think about what *I* would feel and I triggered myself, lol. I would get insane if I knew that someone put my brother's golden core in me (transferring organs is okay, but in this? I don't know that it's from my brother! Also when people say that jc agrees to the surgeon, I don't know if they understand the concept of "informed consent") . It's disturbing. I can't even imagine how jc feels about it! How can you live in a body which is modified in this way? Do you feel shame? (this is something a lot of victims feel). And I am not even talking about what this would do with jc insecurities! No one ever appreciated his efforts! Maybe in the moment doesn't , but wn's "you would never compere to him!" would destroy jc! And that's terrible and unfair. And more unfair it's how fandom treats this argument! My loved ones manipulated me for my sake : this doesn't make anything better! I can't imagine jc's feeling. This ask is messy, but my emotions are messy about this. The only thing that I know is that disturbed me the way fandom treats all of this. I don't want to be too harsh but I would see wwx and wq as monsters more then heros for this. And I am not even thinking about how can you trust again someone who did this to you! People can't forgive cheating in a relationship, lol. Oh, and the "jc and wwx's relationship is destroyed by jc's jealousy" : I am like: you okay, dude?? But maybe I am the weird one. Sorry if I seem rude! But this argument just triggers me

Thank you for the warning. 🥰

(Under a cut for both length and content. Reminder that I'm a CQL-only fan.)

Fandom focuses on wwx's pain (and it's interesting! ) but jc's situation is dismissed with "you have to be grateful about it. What a disprectful brat he is" and I am like, dude, you okay?

From what you're saying, I think I'm hearing that while the whole golden core scenario itself is upsetting for you, what's worse is really more about how fandom tends to talk about it. If I'm interpreting that correctly, then...yeah, honestly, I agree. 😕 And it sucks, because I think the characters of MDZS/CQL are supposed to be messy, and there are some truly delicious, nuanced discussions about justice and love and sacrifice to be had! Unfortunately, I've had to be more liberal than usual with the block button to avoid losing my love of the show due to the impact of fandom discourse.

Honestly, I feel like the whole fandom response thing often comes down to a few overlapping things:

a person is inclined to defend whichever character they like more and/or reject the character who reminds them of people who have hurt them in some way, which is totally normal! But doesn't lend itself well to textual analysis so much as an analysis on this how a piece of media affects me personally, which is an entirely different thing;

whether some element of the golden core transfer reflects a personal trauma (e.g. bodily autonomy) closely enough to shape their perspective on this whole episode in a way that's different from someone who lacks a similar experience;

a person's comfort level in allowing a character's actions -- especially a favorite character's actions -- to be complicated, messy, and maybe even morally questionable;

whether or not someone has access to evidence-based, accurate information about larger social issues like abuse, consent, etc.

I tried to think about what *I* would feel and I triggered myself, lol. I would get insane if I knew that someone put my brother's golden core in me (transferring organs is okay, but in this? I don't know that it's from my brother! Also when people say that jc agrees to the surgeon, I don't know if they understand the concept of "informed consent") . It's disturbing. I can't even imagine how jc feels about it! How can you live in a body which is modified in this way? Do you feel shame? (this is something a lot of victims feel).

Tbh, I also have some pretty strong feelings of my own. I talked about some of that here, from the perspective of a religious person whose faith has some distant parallels to Taoism. And as a survivor who hasn't always had a say in what happens to my body, I struggle with some of exactly what you describe when I think about the golden core thing and especially fandom's common responses too deeply. (It's why I'm writing a JC-centric fic like Crashing Like Stars in the first place, honestly, lmao.)

I think what I struggle with most is the pageantry that's shown in CQL: how WWX and WQ have a whole theater around it that somehow feels almost as bad to me as the act of transfer itself, maybe because it shows how much premeditation went into what is, by definition, gaslighting. I always have to skip this scene on rewatches, tbh. The non-consensual core exchange is bad enough; the playacting feels like a humiliation to me.

And I am not even talking about what this would do with jc insecurities! No one ever appreciated his efforts!

True, but to be fair...why should they? As far as most other characters are concerned, JC is unfriendly, probably not very fun or pleasant company to sit down to tea with, very obviously cares more about his own sect than anyone else's**, and has had the reputation of a disfavored son for years. The only reason to make nice with this guy is purely for politics, but everyone else has enough of their own stuff happening that there's no incentive to try giving JC the benefit of the doubt -- which he wouldn't even accept anyway, since he'd probably interpret it as condescension or pity.

**Which is true for everyone, of course, but he doesn't have the charm or charisma to at least fake concern for people or 'play the game' like JGY.

If you mean that fandom doesn't appreciate his efforts...I'm not really sure what to say to that mostly because I'm still puzzling over HOW DARN POLARIZING this fictional character is. 😂 Even his haters can't be chill about him and it's rather fascinating to watch, like a trainwreck.

And more unfair it's how fandom treats this argument! My loved ones manipulated me for my sake : this doesn't make anything better! I can't imagine jc's feeling.

I think a lot of people confuse things like context and motivation for justification, and even more so when it's a family member and emotionally charged beliefs about family relationships get pulled into the mix.

This ask is messy, but my emotions are messy about this. The only thing that I know is that disturbed me the way fandom treats all of this.

Unfortunately, when not treated carefully, discussions about fictional characters can cross into more real-world consequences. I've certainly blocked people less because of a disagreement in interpretation and more because their line of argument betrayed much deeper biases that made me feel actively unsafe, and I don't always have the resources or bandwidth to try educating folks who aren't here in good faith.

I don't want to be too harsh but I would see wwx and wq as monsters more then heros for this.

I think it's a false dichotomy, honestly. I don't think WWX and WQ are heroes or monsters: I think they're young people put in horrific circumstances with limited resources and support, forced to make decisions with no good possible outcomes. Again, not meant to justify anything, but I think recognizing that the things we label monstrosity is, itself, a very human thing to do is the best way to begin recognizing why it happens so that effective interventions, preventions, and methods for taking responsibility for one's actions to encourage real healing can be put into place.

And I am not even thinking about how can you trust again someone who did this to you! People can't forgive cheating in a relationship, lol.

Oh man, forgiveness is complicated. Some people DO forgive cheating and even worse, for a whole host of different reasons and motivations! (Me, I hold grudges for years.) But forgiveness can also be customized to a situation: maybe forgiveness is earned, not freely offered; maybe it means letting go of one's resentment towards another but not letting that person back into one's life; maybe the refusal to forgive is itself an act of self-empowerment because forgiveness was always coerced and guilt-tripped prior to that. But again, we come back to folks in fandom not always having a solid grounding to have productive, informed conversations about this sort of thing, which can lead to some REALLY unhelpful hot takes going around.

Oh, and the "jc and wwx's relationship is destroyed by jc's jealousy" : I am like: you okay, dude?? But maybe I am the weird one. Sorry if I seem rude! But this argument just triggers me

I don't think you're weird at all. 😊 JC and WWX's relationship is thorny and messy and multi-layered, compounded by unaddressed trauma and mutually conflicting coping strategies and perspectives, exacerbated by the people around them playing political games with their relationship because of their respective positions of power. I think JC's jealousy is a factor, but it comes from being constantly compared and found wanting since childhood, and we have multiple scenes in CQL where WWX does something Cool (TM) and JC will do that half-exasperated smile or roll his eyes with a laugh or something that clearly isn't mean-spirited. The evolution of their relationship is made by a progression of smaller decisions on both of their parts in the context of family dysfunction, loss, war, and political powerplays, and I think flattening it down to "JC is just a jealous bitch" or, conversely, "WWX is just an arrogant asshole" does a disservice to WHY these goddamn characters have taken so many fans emotionally hostage, lmao.

LONG STORY SHORT I agree or am sympathetic with a lot of what you say, anon, with maybe some different perspective on other pieces, but I found that MXTX fandoms became a lot more lovely when I began using blocking features liberally (and, frankly, avoiding Twitter altogether).

[oddishblossom]

If no one’s sent it in for the ask game yet, Wei WuXian 👀

Hey!!! Thanks for giving me the perfect excuse to ramble about my favorite necromancer boy 🥰

Favorite thing about them: Can I say everything? He’s just such a great character! I love his sense of humor, how kind he is, and how smart he is! He can be a bit of a flirty airhead, but that’s what makes him so charming! Did I mention the cool glowey red eyes? He can turn from sweet to dangerous when he needs to. Oh, but he has such a big heart, perhaps a little too big for his body. I both admire him for his strength and just wanna wrap a blanket around him ❤️❤️❤️

Least favorite thing about them: Oh, dear. He’s too giving 🥺💔. I wish he knew that it doesn't always have to be him to be the one to sacrifice and that he could learn to share his burdens. I know it’s incredibly hard for him to do something like that because it’s never been in his nature to let go. He has to be strong. Has to be brave. Has to be always smiling. Always the one to take the blame, always the defender, always going to extremes to fix things. I know this is a product of his upbringing and his surroundings. He was a teenager suddenly thrown into war after the death of nearly his entire clan. I don’t know if there was another way around this, I’m not sure if speculating would be of much use. What I do know, is that at the end of his first life, after everything wwx did, after learning about how he died, I kept thinking to myself: “It’s too much. No one should have to give so much.”

Favorite line: “But from now on, what you say to me, what you do for me, I’ll remember it all—I won’t forget a single thing! I really like you, Lan Zhan. I love you, I want you, I fancy you, I whatever you. I want to night-hunt with you for the rest of my life.” Basically his entire speech from Chapter 100 ❤️

BROTP: Okay. I know there’s a lot of people I could choose who would fit this role better, like Wen Ning or Wen Qing, my beloved. But if I’m being honest! If I'm being truthful! My answer would be Jiang Cheng (Plz don’t throw a pitchfork at me 🥲). And I get it. Maybe these two brothers are destined to just go their separate ways. Maybe there isn’t a timeline where these two can ever be happy around each other. But idc. I just can’t let go of the idea that the love is still there, buried, smothered, quiet, but there. I know that some things can’t be forgotten and things may never be how they once were; there were many flaws in their relationship, so I wouldn’t want them to go back to being the same. But I choose to believe that with time, even if it’s at a very slow pace, wwx and jc can reach a new state of being. Where they can learn how to just talk to each other again. About the small things. About the memories that aren’t painful. About Jin Ling. And maybe then, and only then, would they begin to heal and close the gap, one tiny step at a time.

OTP: Y'all know who it is! I don’t have more to say about them because the book has already given me all that I wanted! They’re the heart of the story and my favorite ship ❤️

NOTP: Any ship that is not Wangxian. I’m not really a big multi-shipper. I find a ship I like best, latch onto it, and then crinkle my nose at the idea of them being shipped with someone else lol.

Random Headcanon: I think he has a music brain and would easily be able to pick up a new instrument! I could also easily see him writing and singing songs :)

Unpopular Opinion: I guess it’s the same as the BROTP section. I know my wish for him to reconnect with his brother again is an opinion that uh is divisive in the fandom 😅

Song I associate with them: Liar by The Arcadian Wild, Everything I Wanted by Denis Kalytovskyi, Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, Atlas:Two by Sleeping At Last, and of course, HOLD IT AGAINST ME BY BRITNEY SPEARS

Favorite picture of them: Oooh, no contest. The Yiling Laozu from the Untamed Mobile Game 🥰

Character Ask Game

[mostlikelytofangirl]

The relationship between WWX and JC really is fresh, isn't it? These are incredibly nuanced, human characters with a platonic relationship on par with the main romantic relationship (at least narratively). I'm hardly aromantic but I really do get sick of stories presenting romantic relationships as the only ones that can hold such importance. So refreshing.

OMG it is!

Full disclosure tho, I am an aroace, but the fact that that has never stopped from squealing and combusting at a good fluffy fic, I'm gonna say that it has no impact in my opinion XD.

Back to the subject, yes! While I can think of several examples where a brother-like relationship was very relavant to the plot, if not the main focus, it rarelly is portrayed as nuanced and changing, with two parties that had both their share of the blame, and whose circumstances were this extreme. Their relationship is one of the most complicated and influencial throughout the entire plot.

And I totally feel you. Neither am I a big fan of romance as a genre. I rarely like romantic subplots, and you'll never catch me going out of my way to consume romance media. It's just not my cup of tea to have the narrative tell me who I should ship, I decide that by myself with my heart and pussy after getting familiar with the characters first and foremost :P.

But more importantly, you are absolutely right. It gets tiring to have romantic love exalted like the ultimate form of love that you must have in your life in order to be happy, no matter what other kinds of love you lost or even sacrifice to get it. As long as you get yourself a partner, nothing else matters...

I personally have to roll my eyes at that. WWX and JC's tragedy is so big bc of all the emotions, feelings and love that was there at some point. I love to see that being such a powerful aspect of the entire story.

So I'm always celebrating media that presents platonic, familiar and other kinds of love as just as important and fulfilling, if not more. And that's also why I feel much more connected and invested on a non-romantic relationship that is extremely strong but also extremely complex, and that doesn't even have a happy ending (which is another thing Western media —especially certain mouse—, has forced as The Ultimate Ending even if narratively makes no sense).

Idk man, I just really enjoy their mess :'D

[puppy-phum]

fandom - the untamed! 👀

oh i haven't thought about cql in ages but i put on my playlist for it just for this so here we go. enjoy the ride! (i sure as hell did ♥)

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Jiang Cheng i have talked about him a million times but i still find it funny how i didn't really like him at first. the donghua version of him felt like a total ass, and as the donghua lacked the ending back then and didn’t give me closure, only during the live action i grew fond of him. he has made his fair share of mistakes but i love how flawed he is and how much his character promises hope of growth ♥

Least Favorite character: Jin Guangshan bitch ass man can go burn in hell for all i care

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): XiCheng, WangXian, NieMo , SongXiao, Jiang Yanli + Jin Zixuan ♥

Character I find most attractive: Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen i truly cannot choose between the twin jades of lan. they are both just so beautiful. there's such grace in both of them and i love it how different yet similar they are. i could write poems about their beauty but also just about their characters and their bond.

Character I would marry: Wen Qing my wife ♥ idk if i would truly marry any of the cql characters but i wouldn't say no to her haha 

Character(s) I would be best friends with: The One Braincell Trio i would absolutely drink myself under the table with jc, wwx, and nhs. it would be so much fun. as long as we don't get sad drunk hhhh

a random thought: our juniors are just a new generation of leaders in the making and in my head, ljy will become the chief cultivator, mark my words

An unpopular opinion: uuuhh idk if i have any. it truly has been too long. i cannot get into details, am sorry. 

My Canon OTP: WangXian they are the epitome of true love, of soulmates, of star-crossed lovers, of everything that is good in this dark world. they have all the tropes in them i love. they are both such strong and independent ppl but find gentleness, warmth, and easiness in each other. they make a home. they have defeated death, and if that isn't enough, then idk what to tell you. 

My Non-canon OTP: XiCheng they are two ppl attempting to heal together. they are fire and ice, storm and calm, winter and summer. they meet between the river and the mountain. but i think what mostly attracted me to them was the promise of hope and healing and finding love when it had once been lost. 

Most Badass Character: Lan Wangji only based on how he looks when he fights like. hell. that looks stunning?? he was born to wield a sword i swear (honorary mention goes to his husband yiling patriarch bc will we ever get over those wonderful vibes? never)

Most Epic Villain: Nie Huaisang our master mind ♥ he and his intelligence astonish me. he's just so cool. idk if we can properly count him as a villain bc who truly is a villain in cql (other than like. wen ruohan?? who just got cringe with his emo villain aesthetic byeee) but he is our Big Bad Guy in the end. he is a villain - yet also some type of hero. and doesn't that just make him even more epic?

Pairing I am not a fan of: ChengYi there are actually several similar ships (like wwx and wn or lxc and nmj etc.) that i find kind of... weird? or where i can only see friendship or familiarity/family bonds instead of romantic feelings. but everyone can like what they like. more for you. (also chengyi bothers me when on twt i go through cheng yi’s (the actor) tag and suddenly i get jc x ljy porn thrown at my face like,,, god dammit)

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): The Women i guess we all will die on the hill that cql women deserved better.

Favourite Friendship: Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing i love their bickering and their care for each other and their companionship. i also love how wq is the only person on this earth who can put wwx in his place. that man needs to hear the cold truth sometimes which is that he's an idiot. the smartest idiot in the world mayhaps but an idiot nonetheless. also imagine if they had both been allowed to live, they could've ruled the world sigh. we support powerful besties in this house.

Character I most identify with: Jiang Cheng under the anger and him being a bitch, i do find similarities between us. we have insecurities that cripple us at times; we regard love and family most of all in complicated ways. we don't know what to say to those we care about and struggle with emotions. we suck at accepting gifts too, even if his case is a bit more extreme than my average gift received from a friend :'D

Character I wish I could be: Jin Ling i adore this tiny brat even if he is, indeed, a brat ♥ but imagine how cool it would be, all responsibilities aside, to be him: you are the nephew of half the notorious ppl of the cultivator world. any time you have a problem, you just call one uncle for help. you also have a lot of dead uncles and you're an orphan bc of some of them but :) let's ignore that pain. you would be the coolest amongst your peers. absolutely bonkers.

thank you for sending me this ask! have a very good day ^^ ♥

[plan-d-to-i]

Much like that other anon, I can also see not-great parts of myself in JC (and YZY for that matter), and they're big flashing warning signs of: HEY MAKE SURE YOU KEEP WORKING ON YOURSELF SO YOU DON'T END UP BEING LIKE THEM (and maybe it's tooting my own horn, but I feel like seeing those horrible parts in myself makes it easy to write *canon* JC :p). But despite that, I also liked JC because I enjoy villains, redemption arcs, messy sibling relationships, and messy sibling reconciliation post-redemption...Except most of the fandom doesn't even see JC as someone as anywhere close to villainous, or someone needing a redemption arc, or needing at least a good fucking dose of self-reflection to reach a place to reconcile with his brother.

And I have to wonder if it’s other messy sibling relationships (Thor & Loki, Zuko & Azula, Gamora & Nebula, etc) that have so warped the fandom perception. Because JC and WWX don’t fit the pattern of the other sibling pairs, since JC is “hey what if we combined the *worst* parts of Thor *and* Loki or Zuko *and* Azula,” or etc. He has privilege and insecurity, pride and cruelty, anger and impulsiveness without a heart of kindness. He doesn’t have prodigious strength and skill, but neither does he have prodigious intelligence or creativity. He is not the outcast from society, but neither does he find a group of friends/found family/family. Maybe both JC and WWX get so warped as fans try to mash them into at least one of those other classic sibling patterns, even though JC is just painfully average in many regards (whereas WWX has so far above average in so many categories XD).

So JC just turns into...the always-perfect Gary Stu, the Jiujiu Knows Best who has to tell his poor, emotionally- and politically-inept brother what's what to make sure that idiot takes care of himself. Or whatever.

Anyway, I’d like to thank the fandom from turning JC in all his horribleness from one my favourite characters to someone I can’t *stand* anymore, and turning me off from pretty much every sibling reconciliation fic even though that used to be one of my favourite fic genres -_-

This is beautifully, brilliantly written. Your characterization of jiang cheng is completely on point. Seriously TOOT YOUR HORN! *toots it for you* (ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ :｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

I also completely agree that jc functions as a warning within the story, of what happens when you let the worst parts of your nature take free reign over your character and actions- the three poisons! That's such a powerful message/warning in this book. It's amazing to me that so many people who say they identify with jc chose to miss it entirely and instead try to excuse the things he did or reframe them as positive.