#mdzs thoughts

[incarnadinedreams]

It will forever be hilarious to me that there are people who wholeheartedly believe Jiang Cheng is the main villain of MDZS desperately trying to murder Wei Wuxian should he get the slightest opportunity... when he is just some guy that shows up late & sleep deprived with resting bitch face, says something funny but a little bit mean, and then either doesn't kill Wei Wuxian or actively tries to sacrifice his own life for Wei Wuxian's every chance he gets

Like the worst thing he can think of actually doing is throwing a teacup and saying "haven't you got anything to say to me?" so scary

[askew-d]

the wildest thing about lan wangji is the way he’s immediately enraged at his own feelings for wei wuxian. because we’ve seen wei wuxian fall in love slowly and surely, right? he goes from a quick interest to an oblivious attraction to liking lan wangji then being infatuated after his return to life, then to straight-up loving the guy intensely. we watch him develop his sexual and romantic attraction equally.

but lan wangji’s different. from the very first second he’s desperately smitten — all it took was one sly smile and he was going through the four stages of love: the desire to marry, kiss, bed and die with him. and he’s so goddamn outraged, because how dare this troublemaker trespass into his house and steal his heart so easily??

he was so conflicted that he didn’t see any other alternative if not to unsheathe his sword and fight the hell out of that idiot. feelings?? for a rebellious teenager?? right in front of my clan’s three thousand rules??? not today, devil.

[xiaokuer-schmetterling]

podlet #10 is 🆙

what am i reading? this tumblr collaboration (about 30 mins listening commitment btw) that has turned into a mdzs soulmates modern au h/c setup AND GDI SOMEBODY BETTER WRITE THE COMFORT PART. FOR THE SAKE OF MY SANITY ISTFG. pls. pls. pls. i beg on my knees orz. unintentional (?) tumblr collab by: @maelstrom-of-emotions @undercover-stories @sun-ashes

EDIT! UPDATE! there's a part 2!!!

part 2 I am reading this continuation by @sun-ashes and this idea expansion by @undercover-stories (also about 30 mins listening time)

☝️ and don't miss out on the continuation of our fun tumblr collab in podlet #11!!!

[twistedappletree]

I love Wen Ning so much because Wei Wuxian could literally say any bullshit and WN would be like “absolutely, I agree 100%!” and Wen Qing would immediately debunk WWX’s bullshit and WN would be like “absolutely, I agree 100%!”

[esoteric-oracle]

//long rambles ahead!

I think what really lingers with me about MDZS is that it's not a novel with a cathartic ending at all. It's a bittersweet story that leaves you slightly hollow. Yes, it's a beautiful and epic romance. It's a piece of social commentary interwoven with a love story and murder mystery. It's a cautionary tale. But it is also very much a tragedy. It's a story about being too late, second chances, and moving on.

By the time the truth of everything JGY and JGS did comes to light, it's 13 years too late. Everything that mattered has already happened. Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan are long dead. Jin Ling is still an orphan. Wen Ning is dead, and sometime in the future, his death will be permanent. Wen Qing was burned to death at the stake for no fault of her own. Nie Mingjue has already spent ten years in a no-doubt agonizing state of un-death, and Lan Xichen will have to bear the guilt of loving both Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, and by doing so, forsaking them both. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's once-close bond is irrevocably broken, and the woman who sowed the seeds of resentment when they were still children will never face the consequences of her vitriol.

People sometimes say MXTX was too hard on the side characters, and only gave the Wangxian a happy ending, but what stuck with me after finishing the story is how… sad things are. Yes, Wangxian finally get the happy ending they've deserved for nearly 20 years - but at the same time, it's not a happy ending where the people who've wronged them get the consequences they deserve.

Wei Wuxian will spend the rest of his life haunted by guilt and loss, over what happened to Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, over the loss of the Wen remnants. The rest of his years won't even be lived in the body his parents gave him.

Lan Wangji will spend the rest of his years wondering if he'd chosen to stand with Wei Wuxian when it mattered - would his son have had to grow up without his birth family?

Nie Huaisang is left wondering if his brother had been a little less trusting and had never taken Meng Yao in as a Nie deputy, would his brother have died a less wretched death? Would he have been forced to stoop to ruthless machinations and manipulations to seek some semblance of justice?

Wen Ning will have to live with the knowledge that if he'd been a little less kind, if he'd let Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng die that fateful day - his family would still be alive. The Wens would've won the war; Wen Qing might've even succeeded Wen Ruohan.

No one really gets the ending they deserve. MDZS isn't a story where good people get happy endings, and bad people get their dues. Sure, Jin Guangyao's crimes are revealed and he faces the consequences of his actions. But what about the people who stood by and made him into a monster? If anything, the side characters and antagonists who survive get better than they deserve. The real villain of MDZS - society - will never face retribution. Those cultivators who always believed in their own bigotry and righteousness over and over again, will never face justice.

Do you think those cultivators and the public will ever feel any regret for the innocent people they condemned to death in their own prejudice and blind self-righteousness? Do you think the people who gathered at Nightless City to call for Wei Wuxian's death considered for one second that he was the biggest reason they won the war? When the cultivators who sacked the Wen settlement at the Burial Mounds threw the bodies of the Wens into the blood pool, do you think that was a sign of shame?

Do you think Jiang Cheng will ever regret leading a siege on a small settlement of innocent farmers? Do you think he's haunted by condemning to death the same people whom he owes his life to?

Do you think those people like Yao-zongzhu will ever feel an ounce of remorse for so easily believing rumours and hearsay, and spreading speculation and vitriol about innocent people?

Do you think that unnamed cultivator out there will ever lose a single minute of sleep over smashing in Wen Popo's head?

In the years that follow, Wen Ning will have apologized a hundred times for lives he did not take, crimes he did not commit, because of the name he bears. People, both in-universe, and even readers, will condemn him for actions he could not help, for doing the right thing. But did Jiang Cheng ever apologize for killing his family? Did the Jins ever apologize for their horrific treatment of people in the labour camps?

People will continue to demand that Wei Wuxian apologize for causing the deaths of their friends and family. But how is Wei Wuxian meant to do that? No one ever apologized to him for taking his family away. No one ever apologized for condemning the Wen Remnants to death for crimes they took no part in. The Wens were his family too.

There's so much potential for bitterness and corruption in MDZS. Instead of saving everyone, Wei Wuxian could've stood aside and let the people who tried to kill him die. MDZS could've been a story of succumbing to hatred and grief, but it wasn't. MXTX could've gone on and on about how society wronged the protagonist, but she didn't. The narrative is one of forgiveness and moving beyond past grievances. The story chose to close the story on a positive note. I truly love that aspect of MDZS, where MXTX leaves just enough room for hope and love at the end.

A-Yuan will finally get his closure about the family he lost as a toddler. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian get their happy ending together after being separated by nearly two decades by war, miscommunication, cruelty, and death.

Wei Wuxian will never regret protecting survivors of an attempted genocide, because it was the right thing to do.

And Wen Ning will still stand in the way and take a fatal blow meant for Jin Ling, despite everything the Jins and Jiang Cheng did to the people he loved.

Because they chose love. Characters like Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning and Lan Wangji have the chance to move on and live a happier life because when they could've succumbed to hurt and fury and resentment, they chose to be kind and do the right thing. Wangxian get their happy ending because they learn to recognize the toxicity of the cultivation society's self-cannibalizing prejudice, and chose to pursue righteousness above personal benefit.

MDZS isn't a story about good people getting good things. Just look at what happened to Xiao Xingchen. There's really nothing satisfying or cathartic about everyone's fates at all. There's no promise about society facing the consequences of their mob mentality or Wangxian actually changing the world together. Even in TGCF, for all its makings of a love story, we get the promise of societal change once Jun Wu is deposed.

It has all the makings to be a tragedy or tale of vengeance of epic proportions - but instead, it's a love story. It's a story about making the best of what you've got, and staying true to yourself and your morals, even if that's sometimes a bitter pill to swallow. It's a story where everything that could go wrong went wrong, but the characters still managed to fight their way to a better ending by choosing kindness. At its core, MDZS is a testament to choosing compassion over cruelty no matter how tragic and hopeless life gets, no matter how long the journey gets. Even though the happy ending is more personal and only applies to the specific characters, even though we don't actually get the promise of their society becoming a better place - we still have the hope that Wei Wuxian's second chance brings. The hope that sometimes, no matter how cruel the world is, some people who deserve it still get their happy endings. That's what makes MDZS such a memorable work of art. That's why it stays with you.

[satbiym]

That sentiment of "there are two cringe phrases everyone has to say (thank you, and I'm sorry) and if you don't, some day you'll be saying them through tears"

And Lan Wangji telling Wei Wuxian, "between us, there is no need for thank you or sorry"

As if he's reassuring Wei Wuxian, that between them, no matter what, there will never come a time where there will be regret or repressed negative emotions

Wei Wuxian, whose life until then had been just that - with angrily bitten back, barely hidden resentment and we need you now, so u can stay but u are not welcome in this space. That would have a very special meaning

Where, no matter what, next to me is a place that is yours, here is a home you can keep and stay.

[aella081]

Something that legit shocks me is how many ppl actually have actually like- dumbed Wei Wuxian down. Like how ppl manage to somehow forget how smart he is. I can get it, he does act dumb sometimes, but the key word is act. Because Wei Wuxian did in fact manage to create an entirely new cultivation path. And made inventions so incredibly useful that despite the cultivation world's hatred for him they still used them. Idk it just always makes me sad to see ppl portray him as someone who just goofs around and simps for Lan Wangji. While yes, he does that, but it's not the only thing he does!!

[mafuyussweater]

What I think some of the characters from mdzs would order from a coffee shop:

Wei Wuxian would get a quad espresso over ice with a lil milk (maybe oat or soy) or nitro cold brew. If he is feeling fancy he'll get one of the seasonal drinks.

Lan Wangji would get a hot chamomile tea or jasmine but only if it's loose leaf. Sometimes he'll get a soy matcha unsweetened but only before 8am (hot or iced depending on the weather).

Lan Xichen would drink an oolong tea (hot or iced depending on the weather) or a decaf hot latte bc he likes coffee but can't handle the caffeine.

Jiang Cheng gets a hot chai latte or a hot chocolate (maybe a hot caramel latte if he needs caffeine).

Wen Ning drinks energy drinks so when he is at a coffee shop he just gets a hot chocolate.

Wen Qing gets an espresso if she is in a rush or cold brew if she is gonna study. She needs the caffeine to get through being in the medical field tbh.

Nie Huaisang is an iced fruity tea bitch for sure. He may get an affogato to be fancy~

Nie Mingjue gets straight black coffee. He only drinks hot drinks. Occasionally he'll splurge for a breve cappuccino.

Jiang Yanli drinks London fogs with almond milk. She needs the calming beverage when dealing with all the silly men in her life.

Jin Zixuan used to get an espresso and add 3 sugar packets because he thought it was too girly to get a "fancy drink" 😅 his wife gets him to try a vanilla latte which he loved and gets that now.

(Let me know what your headcanons are!)

[thegreatgremlingang]

reddit post asked me what wwx would smell like, I personally vote for sweat, lake water and alcohol but in a very mindful, demure, cutesy and pleasant way

like his protagonist ass really got all the ratios right to make sweat/lake/booze actually smell fragrant

with like a tiny hint of incense for the time he spends indoors perhaps

[lavender-phoenix-flames]

I feel like it is absolutely absurd that the only canon-fix it you can give wei wuxian in fics would be to make him a son of a prominent sect leader i.e make his dad a prominent sect leader, cuz wwx didn't fell because of his actions, he fell because of the corrupt and classist system.

It is just a thought. Feel free to correct me :)

[scorpiondancing]

Grocery Meet-cute: Wangxian

Wei Ying knew he looked good, really good. With his hair pulled back in a high ponytail, red ribbon tied in his hair to match his red button down shirt that only had the last 3 buttons done up, and his tight jeans that make his ass look even fatter than usual.

He layered gold necklaces that complimented his skin tone and wore way too many rings and finished it off with dangly dagger earrings. Never mind that he was dressed like this as he walked into a grocery store, he always loved being the hottest bitch anywhere he went.

Fortunately or maybe unfortunately for him, someone else beat him to it. Wei Ying couldn’t help gape at the tall well built man currently intensely inspecting a mango very careful. His smooth chestnut colored hair falling out from where it was tucked behind his ear.

You would think a guy wearing a turtle neck would look modest but it definitely did not look that way on him. The baby blue sweater clung to every curve of muscle (!!), all stretched out. It was obscene!

Surely his massive biceps should have ripped the poor material in two?

Wei Ying couldn't even move on to the white wide leg jeans or the light grey peacoat because he was still processing that sweater (which he both loves and despises and definitely wants to ruin)

Feeling someone staring (drooling publicly) at him, he glanced up and made eye contact with a very sexy guy currently obviously ogling him and he decided he would ogle back.

He was definitely glad he wore this sweater today.

The universe had sent him a delectably toned man who was just the perfect amount of "rebel" to suits his tastes. And he was very glad for the obvious signs of attraction this man was sending his way.

It seemed like being caught staring had turned this guy into a statue because he just stood there, mouth open like a fish.

So, it seemed like it was up to him to take the line and reel him in.

Wei Ying was screaming in his head over and over again. The words took the shape of "oh my god" and "do something" but it was hard to grasp onto any coherent thoughts when he realized the mango hottie (ignore the bad nickname) was walking over his way.

"Lan Zhan." The man said with a firm handshake (so formal).

And Wei Ying, who normally did not struggle to talk was having trouble even making some sort of response in acknowledgment and ended up sort of releasing an embarrassing mix of "hi" and "ah"

Lan Zhan subtly laughed thru his nose, obviously amused by his display but trying to be polite.

"Do you have a name or shall I call you 'hehaahh'?"

(Oh this man could make jokes, oh no)

"Wei Ying. Um, call me Wei Ying." He mentally scolded himself for sounding so nervous, (he was the hot and desirable Wei Ying!) and coughed to try and ease the tension lodged in his throat.

"So, Lan Zhan. What brings you here looking like-"

Wei Ying looked him up and down. Gesturing vaguely, finishing his sentence feeling slightly more sure of himself and said,

"Looking like that."

He held back on the many terrible food pickup lines. His brother would be (somewhat) proud.

"I might ask Wei Ying the same."

Lan zhan replied. His eyes traveled down to the open space of his chest that was left exposed by the poorly done up buttons of Wei Ying's shirt.

"He looks... cold."

Wei Ying laughed and leaned in to whisper, "ahh I see. Lan Zhan was just concerned for my health. Certainly there was no other reason he came over here to talk to me."

"Mn. I thought I'd offer my services to warm you up. I've heard I'm quite good at that."

"Oh gege, you are warming me up already." Wei Ying dared to trace his finger lightly across Lan Zhan's chest.

With that, Lan Zhan's control snapped. He took both of their baskets, threw them back to their place by the front of the store (he wasn't an animal) and turned around motioning Wei Ying to catch up.

[incarnadinedreams]

Hot Take Time #2309209 (edit: actually this isn't a hot take it's lukewarm at best. it's a room temperature take) but I really don't understand the argument "mo dao and gui dao are different and therefore everything WWX does is completely fine!"

Like, yes, it's a difference that plays into the public discourse vs. real truth themes of the novel to a degree, and I of course absolutely appreciate all the explanations and meta around the nuances and differences. But like. What he actually does with it is... still not good whether it's mo dao or gui dao? And there are many very significant reasons that gui dao is still not great? (Which I won't get into here because there are other people far more qualified with cultural/genre knowledge who have written about it way better than I ever could anyway)

Like y'know. The several hundred people he tortured to death, the thousands of desecrated graves, the mini-harem of pet zombie girls he kept after the war for purely entertainment purposes...? Like, those behaviors aren't inherent to the method (well, except the method sort of uniquely facilitating the keeping of pet ghosts), but they're not... good...? (Note: 'morally good' is completely different than 'fun & sexy, having a great time torture-bonding with shidi, etc'.)

I just cannot agree that keeping a little harem of pet ghost girls nor anything that happened with the Wens is being "gentle with the dead, empathetic and respectful". Even WWX thinks his past self was kinda cringe with it and went way too far!

I do think there's meant to be a significant amount of ambiguity about what elements of his downward spiral are caused by the corrosive nature of his method vs. the trauma of the Burial Mounds and his own, internal, homebrewed mental crisis. The alcoholism, rapidly shifting moods, anger and inability to control his temper, before and after the war. How much of it is Wei Wuxian and how much of it is the impact of the resentful energy he's using, and the use/proximity of the Yin Hu Fu?

I do think there's a reason why there's just as much brutality carried out by characters using orthodox cultivation methods. But in the end, his behavior was a problem, and the novel hints that the methods were impacting his mental state, and it was overlooked because of his usefulness to the war effort, but it did significantly damage his credibility leading up to the parts where he is in the right, which is also part of the point of the story. And you know. The subject of Jiang Cheng's whole 'the flower that blooms alone' monologue in the cave.

Anyway. 'He's using gui dao not mo dao and there's a difference' is super not the same thing as 'Wei Wuxian is morally justified in every action'?

Anyway this book is a lot more fun to me when you approach it from 'look what absolutely insane things these boys will do when they go absolutely feral for each other, it's so cool' with a side of 'look how fucked up he is now, that's hot' and not, like, trying to somehow figure out how to make pet ghost girls into a moral ideal.

So much of the story, for me, is about what desperate, wild lengths a person will go to for survival and revenge when pushed, and then what do you do after? When the danger is past and the revenge is done, what then? How do you come back from that?

[askew-d]

if wei wuxian had ignored lan wangji a little, that would be the utmost fix-up. because, listen to me: if wei wuxian had decided to play hard to get after so many times receiving the cold shoulder from hanguang-jun, the man would be so dejected. imagine he decides ‘oh, well, guess i’ll just stop pestering him and do my stuff instead’. lan wangji would be so confused, he’d start begging inside during public appearances for wei wuxian to pay attention on him once more.

he’d struggle to get first place in every competition to be noticed by the yumeng’s head disciple. he’d stare at him so intensely all the time that at some point every cultivator will already understand or he wants wei wuxian naked or wants him tied somewhere, whimpering. or both, for the matter, but who cares at that point??! the cultivators just want some peace!!

lan wangji would buy him stuff. write him stuff. indulge his mischiefs. ask his laughing brother for advice. paint a ‘wei ying… notice me,” in his white clothes, making lan qiren go mad (alright, he wouldn’t do it, but you get what i mean).

it’s just that, canonically, i believe he absolutely loves wei wuxian’s undivided attention (his teenage self wouldn’t ever admit though). but if wei wuxian had ignored him a bit, lan wangji would have learned long ago how much he doesn’t want wei wuxian away, causing him to protect him harder.

but that’s just another theory that’ll never get proved because wei wuxian is a simp. he’s a hanguang-jun worshipper. the gayest gay to have ever gayed. his sleeves are so cut that the fabric’s now gone and he’ll walk around naked. he couldn’t have not bothered lan wangji — if you ask him, he’ll say he was born for that.

[xiaokuer-schmetterling]

podlet #11 is 🆙

what am i reading? more tumblr collab! by @maelstrom-of-emotions

about 20 mins listening time. the beginning of this story series was actually the last half of part 2 of podlet #10 lol. written by @undercover-stories and all of it inspired by a soulmates au prompt from @sun-ashes (as detailed in the podlet #10 post btw)

norbert. doing his very tough and tiring work as my emotional support kitteh

(=^・^=) btw his collar glows in the dark!

ps. if you enjoy her prose writing style (and how i read it) pls check out my very first podfic ever: https://www.tumblr.com/xiaokuer-schmetterling/772526632788459520/podfic-1-ch-1-12-of-12

[twistedappletree]

Just had an ‘accidental time travel’ thought where Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui suddenly wake up in present-day China but find out it’s only them who got sent to the future

and while LSZ keeps calm and lowkey gets excited about all the new things around him, JL straight up has a mental breakdown in public and all everyone sees is some weird kid dressed in ancient clothes, strapped up with a bow and sword and curled up in a ball in the middle of the street while screaming and sobbing for his “jiujiu”

[yumemiruuuu]

Wei Wuxian would do this 1000% in Gusu just to fuck with everyone