#of course i don't blame lwj for not saying such things

[lanzhansexual]

Thinking about if LWJ had literally said "I don't like girls" when WWX was completely (subconsciously) testing the water with him when he invited the dude to Lotus Pier for a date "to play" and "sweetened the deal" (totally vibe checking if LWJ even liked girl) by telling him their were pretty girls there (all who strangely enough never managed to turn WWXs head... 🤔 huh).

I have very little doubt that WWX would have taken that information and ran with it! He would have had an epiphany! That cloud of comphet would have been blown away and he would have flirted with LWJ so badly the boy would make the cold spring boil!!!

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

???

Both WWX and LWJ are highly ideal characters, so there wouldn’t be too much dispute on their moral standing. They’re perfect as the protagonists.  - MXTX's end notes (chapter 113.5), EXR translation

I'm not one to say word of the author is word of god – I definitely lean more towards Death of the Author in that regard. But an important part of that is that you look at what happens in the novel – and, from WWX's actions in the novel, it's pretty clear that this is supposed to be the case. Even if you don't agree with that statement, there's no doubt that acting on his morals is something extremely important to him, and those morals lean heavily towards doing the "right thing" in his perception. That is not "neutral".

Examples of this: WWX was not killed for being the only person to do the right thing and defend the Wen remnants for people to say he's chaotic neutral. He didn't risk his life alongside LWJ to protect both innocents and people who participated in the first Siege, during the second. He didn't go to save Su She from the Waterborne Abyss (at no personal gain), defend Mianmian (at no personal gain), join LWJ in going wherever the chaos is post-canon when they night hunt (despite preferring more difficult, exiting ones – though of course, spending time with LWJ plays a very large role in here too!), etc and do so many other things in the novel, for people to say he's chaotic neutral. He doesn't say this for no reason:

"But, let the self judge the right and the wrong, let others decide to praise or to blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on." - Chapter 75, EXR

He says it because it's an important part of his philosophy (it fits with his actions, and, from a writing standpoint, would you include that with no indication of a lie otherwise?)! Because judging the right thing, and doing the right thing, is important to him! That's not chaotic neutral!

"He does whatever he wants pretty consistently" well... yes? That is how decisions work? Morality isn't determined by whether you act independently or adhere to other rules – that's where chaotic and lawful come in, but not evil or good. If you do what you want to do, and what you want to do is help people, that's not neutral! It's good!

There's more to the tags, but I won't go into that right now since it's a different point. I would like to say that are multiple posts talking about how WWX doesn't just act disrespectfully/arrogantly for no reason (he knew he'd have to "keep his status in mind" if he wanted to run wild, he was hardly the only person being rowdy and breaking rules in Gusu yet nobody says the same about people like NHS or JC who did that too, post-SSC he was playing up these traits so nobody would look deeper into his reasons for things, ie not having his GC, etc. He enjoys running wild, yes, but it doesn't mean he does it mindlessly!), such as the one I just reblogged, because that's a point that needs adressing here as well. Please don't try to search up these tags and harrass anybody, as it only leads to harm – I just really, really disagree with this take. The WWX of MDZS is neither stupid nor chaotic neutral...

[xiyao-feels]

Tbh I feel like something similar happens when people get really angry about LXC allowing LWJ to be beaten -> are people supposed to feel happy about it? It was neither politically savvy nor compassionate. How was he going to cover his brother��s death or permanent disability? Why would people cheer for a dude who chose something convenient yet blames another person for what happened to his brother?

I may suggest that there are options other than getting angry at LXC or feeling happy about it! Sad is a decent option, or anger at the entire system which led to WWX fighting in Nightless City. Or frustration at the limited options available to LXC! You have some options.

As to your arguments: I feel like it would actually have been pretty trivial to blame the fighting at Nightless City for LWJ's death or permanent disability? I mean there was just like...a huge battle. People believe that LWJ and WWX are serious enemies. I feel like this one works pretty well.

Beyond that though—when you say it's not politically savvy, I kind of get the sense you're failing to consider Lan internal politics. It's worth remembering that after LXC sees LWJ trying to save WWX he's worried that being found by someone from another clan could lead to LWJ being executed on the spot. What LWJ is doing is already a serious crime in-universe! And then after LXC goes and gets various seniors who already think very well of him...LWJ heavily injures all of these seniors!

LXC is in charge of the Lan clan, but he's not an absolute dictator; it's clear the seniors have some influence, not to mention LQR. Do you think that they'll all be just dandy if LWJ is unpunished? Of course not! He's seriously seriously trangressed!

I mean, attacking a senior is of course itself a serious transgression. But beyond that...man, I feel like people just aren't taking this seriously, not even in terms of cultural taboos but in terms of—

If someone attacks and seriously injures bunch of politicians who are trying to help them, do you actually expect the politicians to just go "yeah sure it's fine, he can do whatever?"

This is mostly a terrible analogy but the point I'm trying to make is that the seniors LWJ injured are political actors too. Moreover, so are many people who aren't the seniors LWJ injured, but who would be deeply offended by the idea that LWJ can do this and get off scot-free. LXC's not an absolute dictator; he doesn't have complete control over clan; he cannot actually just say that LWJ shouldn't have to suffer any consequences and that's that.

(He also probably actually does himself think LWJ did something wrong in heavily injuring the seniors. I suppose you could get angry at him for that if you wanted to.)

And the thing about this punishment is—you know, I don't know? Maybe he could have gotten away with a lesser punishment and then had LWJ spend the rest of his life in permanent disgrace. Or maybe not! I don't know, and it's hard to say without knowing information we just don't know. But this punishment functions as expiation: it's punishment enough for what he's done that after this he can resume his role and his internal status. He's allowed to keep Lan Sizhui, he's allowed to mostly wander around and do what he likes. I think sometimes the way it does count as sufficient punishment for what he's done, leads people to think he didn't need to be punished at all: after all, look at how the clan treats him! But that's backwards; if he hasn't been punished, he wouldn't still be treated in this way.

[llycaons]

ep44 (2/2): not that I like him but the antagonism towards su she seems a little classist

why did wwx terrify children for fun lol. more importantly, why did wen ning go along with it? he seemed intentionally intimidating. I don't think he wants to be seen that way

anyway wwx bemoaning the fact that he can't strike fear into children's hearts is so funny. like he doesn't want to be blamed for everything going wrong but he DOES want to be seen and respected and maybe even feared for his power. and actually I get that. he is super powerful and he's been disrespected by the kids for weeks

oh yeah, again they have the same skin tone BUT lwj is shinier. must have something to do with the lighting or makeup

omg my favorite minor character, Female Cultivator With Dirt on Her Face. you can tell she's an antagonist because of the. because of the dirt

aww I forgot this. good old ozz, standing up for wwx. jgy's plan was quite bad honestly because if he starts shit and blames wwx then all wwx has to do is show up to prove his innocence by saving the kids. saving children is the number one way to rehabilitate your image. also sect leader ouyang's hanfu is tight as fuck

CLASSIC NHS LINE

who tf is this and why is he named. who cares. would be funnier if we wasn't named

aw sweet we got a visual of lwj standing with wwx against the world. well, another one

SWEET hanfu my leige

wwx shouting and pointing at the jins: THERE CAN'T BE ANYONE ELSE!!! LOOK!!! THEY'RE THE BAD GUYS!!!

this section of the show always felt kind of awkward and pointless to me. just a lot of people yelling and wwx not liking it very much and also lwj is there

uh oh. that wwx expression...oof. when you still really care about someone even though they've hurt you really badly and don't want anything to do with you and you feel guilty for what happened between you but you also can't stand how they treat you. and they're bleeding in front of you. anyway he jumps in to protect him

lqr too! lwj jumps right in as defense. I don't think his relationship with lqr is actually too complex. lwj doesn't deal well in vagueness or uncertainty. he defied his uncle and will do so again, and certainly disagrees with him about things, but he still respects him and cares about him as an elder and as his uncle

and look...a wen saving them. the irony

locked in a room with no spiritual energy and the yiling laozu, who says this to you. everyone's worst nightmare

nhs is bleeding?! I don't know if we've EVER seen that. he keeps out of danger pretty well

also, he's pushing the narrative into wwx's hands.

THIS TO SU SHE 😭 he's so polite too with his 'allow me to ask a question' then so rude even if unintentionally lmao

rly embodying the teacher role here.

lwj's love language is acts of violence, as petty a misuse of power it may be. you know that quote from bottoms? it's so them

lqr either likes ljy or hates ss because ljy did NOT quiet down about criticizing the su sect and he's right next to lqr and only lsz chastised him

okay I do not like su she but the fact that people hate him for 'copying the lans' is so fucking stupid. if he wants to found his own sect, what else is he going to do? he has the skills the lans taught him, of course that's his basis. in criticizing him so harshly, the lans come off as petty and really insecure for a rich and established clan. and this in the screenshot...THEY started in on HIM. the man was just defending himself. as soon as he complains about the disrespect, suddenly they're all 'well we have to be civil!' I swear this series makes really good point about classism with wwx but then it turns around and uncritically reinforces gentry hatred of lower classes by making characters like su she jealous antagonists who just aren't good enough to respect

anywayt. I always liked how wwx turns his back on everyone to ask lwj something. he gets all quiet and intimate

ohhh neat idiom

I love wwx verbally demolishing antagonists so much. he's that bitch

this is smart tho. like this is what I'm saying. granted betraying the sect was bad but he was a teenager and like he's shat on and disrespected for his entire life for not being very talented or original I guess when I KNOW there's gotta be untalented cultivators in other wealthy sects that still have a place in the cultivation world. but like he's SMART he figured that this would work and it DID.

here's nhs pushing the narrative for wwx again, helpfully verbalizing his thought process so everyone else gets it quicker.

personal highlights:

lwj's smiles in the very beginning of this episode were so nice

mm family <3

wwx's radiant gorgeous smile when looking at toys with lwj

wwx's moment remembering the wens, and his decision to let the past go with that beautiful scene of letting the dirt pour out

Lady with Dirt on Her Face my favorite minor antagonist

all the gathered cultivators' sick threads

wwx's 'why don't we have a chat' and his polite rudeness and his teaching voice

nhs nudging things along

everyone like 'noooo don't be divisive' once su she starts insulting the lans after first BEING insulted by them. come on guys

[youhideastar]

Your WIPs list - what a peek into exciting possible futures! I'm intrigued by all of them, it feels impossible to pick, but... maybe "They’ll say I seduced you"?

Awww, thank you! This is a response to this ask game post, and "They'll say I seduced you" is the obligatory Episode 42 "WWX and LWJ bang it out in the Jingshi after the Jinlintai Steps" fic of which there are 5,000 versions. 😂

It's interesting to me, though, that I rarely see fics acknowledge what seems to me a pretty clear thread running through those Jinlintai scenes: the insinuation by JGY that WWX/MXY has seduced LWJ, very literally, and is using sex to suborn LWJ's good judgment, moral convictions, etc. It's all done very delicately (as you would expect from Lianfang-zun) but I think it's pretty hard to dispute that it's there. And for a WWX who's been holding back on pursing LWJ out of concern for LWJ's reputation (a trope that I find very plausible), having that insinuation out there and to all appearances confirmed by LWJ's actions... well, that kind of lowers the barrier to reaching out, you know? That's my thesis, anyway. 😉 Snippet below!

While Lan Zhan is sitting on the bed, gently inspecting Wei Wuxian's bandages, Wei Wuxian replays it all in his mind, compulsively - I don't want to see it again, he thinks, but it's a lie. He wants to wrap himself up in it, drink it down: the tenderest thing anyone has done for him in this, his second life.

He wants to say, Lan Zhan, you shouldn't have done that, but he tried three times and Lan Zhan wouldn't be moved. So that battle is lost.

So much is lost.

"There's no coming back from this, for you," Wei Wuxian tells him, hearing an echo of rain pouring down; remembering the flash of a white umbrella in the dark.

Lan Zhan doesn't deign to respond to that, of course. It's obvious. He walked into this with his eyes wide open. Inexplicably.

"Of course, they'll blame me anyway," Wei Wuxian says lightly, looking away. "I'm sure they're saying I've seduced you."

THE TINIEST LITTLE STARTLE FROM LAN ZHAN.

Wei Wuxian looks up at him to trace its cause...

And suddenly, there they are, on a bed. Eyes locked; Wei Wuxian half-clothed; Lan Zhan's lips are slightly parted, and his breath is almost imperceptibly faster, and why not? After all that, why not?

What reason is there for restraint, anymore?

[ninjakk]

WWX had a major crush on LWJ in his first life - not just his second life

I recently read someone commenting about WWX only becoming more attracted to LWJ after he was in his new body. That WWX might have had admiration for LWJ, but there was no attempt at intimacy in his first life.

I can understand the OPs original comments about how they might think WWX didn't really show feelings for LWJ until he was reborn - but I really have to say I don't agree.

According to the comments, WWX had plenty of opportunities where he could have gotten closer to LWJ during his first life, but he didn't take them. But I think people might be forgetting a number of things. They didn't have that much time together. There was so much going on in the cultivation world, they just didn't have time to process their feelings. Now of course LWJ reacted in a seemingly cold to him originally as well. But this was just him being, for want of a better word, shy! He was trying to understand his feelings for WWX also. Not to mention, WWX giving him mixed signals unintentionally. He was probably feeling more confused than ever!

WWX tried on a number of occasions to get close to him and every time he did LWJ shrunk back or made him think he didn't like him. LWJ even tells WWX that he doesn't like physical contact while they are young. Obviously LWJ's actions aren't to blame, he was young, fighting with his own feelings for WWX and he couldn't work out how to show him how he felt.

When they are bathing in the cold springs after the double beating, he won't let WWX near him. When LWJ is limping after the burning of the Cloud Recesses, WWX is concerned and offers to help him, but he refuses. While they're trapped in the cave together, people have said they had plenty of opportunities, but let's not forget they were both quite injured for a start. And again WWX tried to get close to him but was met with rejection again. LWJ even bit him! He even wanted LWJ to let him use his lap to rest on (something he also does leaning against LWJ later when pretending to be exhausted or asleep in his second life).

Let's be honest, poor WWX has tried to get closer to LWJ on a number of occasions but was met with a apparent frosty reception.

Now in his second life he's acting the same as before, but LWJ doesn't reject him. That's the only difference. He lets WWX get close to him, which allows WWX in turn to be more bold and at times physical with LWJ. Granted WWX is a lot more bold at times, but again if you think about this it's either because he's 'apparently' playing up to his new body's reputation to get away from people he assumes hate WWX. Even after he stops the 'act', he only dares to be really physical with LWJ when he's got the poor bloke drunk and knows he won't remember. He never got the opportunity to get LWJ drunk in his first life.

Then as others have said, when WWX and LWJ are hiding in the barn and hear a conversation that a husband and wife are having about boy's teasing those they like, WWXs smile freezes and that's when he starts to realise he's always flirted with LWJ from the minute they met. He was attracted to LWJ straight from the off also, as he's the only guy (or girl for that matter) that he really thinks is extremely handsome from the minute they meet and continues to mention so throughout his first life.

As WWX later says to LWJ:

"I don’t want anyone but you - it can’t be anyone but you." In other words, it was always you.

Now this is conjecture, but take away LWJ shyness/ unwilling to let WWX get close to him in WWXs first life - do you think WWX wouldn't have gotten a little more physical with him perhaps? If LWJ had drank some Emperor's Smile back at the Cloud Recesses one of the nights WWX was caught with it, do you not think WWX wouldn't have been a little bit naughty with him in some way or form? WWX was younger and possibly not as bold as he made out back then, but it's not too much of a jump to think that if the above factors were in place back when they were younger, as they are in WWXs second life, things would have eventually been as they are now - and they would have eventually become a couple regardless.

[reviewting]

The Untamed

C-c-can we talk about this poster first because HAWT DAYUM, they are so attractive. I have no idea why I didn’t watch this series sooner? I didn’t know about its existence until 2020 and finally decided to watch it in 2022. Did I just waste 3 years of my life sitting around and watch trash dramas? YES AND I REGRET EVERY SINGLE DECISION THAT I HAVE MADE.

Score

Storyline          : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (8/10)

Plot                  : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ (09/10)

Pace                : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (8/10)

Acting              : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (10/10)

Rewatch value : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (9/10)

Let me sit for a bit and cry. I finished the show last night and I still can't stop thinking about it. This series was adapted from a BL novel. LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THIS SERIES IS BASED ON A BOYS LOVE NOVEL!! But of course, because of China's restriction on LGBT+ content in their media, the production got clever and found the best solution for it...THEY MADE IT BROMANCE. But of course who are they kidding here? No friends would gaze longingly at each other like Lan Zhang and Wei Wuxian. I mean, it's pretty easy to read their love for each other. Despite my initial irritation after learning about the restrictions, I have to give it to all the casts for their great performance. UGH I just love them!!

Storyline

The story is about Wei Wuxian (WWX), he's the adopted son of a Clan Leader. He is a young, powerful, cultivator with authority problems. Despite his rebellious nature, many people love and adore him, except this one guy, Lan Wanji (LWJ). LWJ thinks they're rivals. Knowing LWJ thinks of him as a rival made WWX likes to tease him even more because LWJ is just so easy to be teased.

Moreover, WWX is very close to his adopted brother and sister (they're like triplets). One day, the triplets’ parents were killed in a civil war that was happening in their cultivation world (the war that was instigated by an evil clan, Wen Clan). Swore to protect his brother and sister, WWX made an ultimate sacrifice that left him without power. In order to replace the power that he lost, he had to do something and found a very unconventional way (it's borderline scary) to made do with his powerlessness which is a demonic cultivation.

Many people disapprove of his method even when he doesn't really bother or harm anyone. To the point where LWJ (who swore that he doesn't care about WWX), feels concerned and becomes very protective. Because of this unconventional way to cultivate, a lot of people become more suspicious towards him and started to make up stories. People also blame him for everything that's going wrong in the cultivation world (I guess it's very easy to just blamed things on the scary guy).

However, when everyone turn their back on WWX, his rival, LWJ, was actually the only one who stands up for him and the first to offers help. Then shit hits the fan, causing the death of WWX. Sixteen years later, though, WWX reincarnated into someone else's body. WWX and LWJ are reunited once again and a new adventure ensued.

Characters

Can we talk about WWX? I love his smiles, he only smiles very sweetly at his brother, sister, and LWJ. I just love him, I love his relationship with his sister Yanli. So so adorable, he's like 5 every time Yanli is nearby. He's very funny, considerate, and brave too. The only thing I want from him was to tell the truth to his brother so all these drama don't have to happen (but I mean if there's no drama then the series would not be here).

LWJ is a very quiet person, there are times where I think this guy has the patience of a rock because no matter how many people antagonise him, he stays calm. Except when it comes to WWX, somehow that guy knows how to push his buttons. The conversation that they had after their reunion was very touching, I love that scene so much. He doesn't say much but you can see that he cares about WWX from all his actions.

I have mix feelings about Jiang Chen, WWX brother. I love him throughout the episodes but I just can't stand him after WWX reincarnation. I mean, it changed again at the last episode but I still can't believe all the things that he did. Like, wow, your love is so fucking cheap man. He was always volatile as kid but I never thought that he would be like that even after raising a kid of his own.

the villain is actually fucking genius, I feel so sorry for all the things that made him evil but at the same times I just want him dead. How can you do all those things just for power? I mean I know many people have done evil things for less but dayum. I just want to ask him why? Why WWX? Like whyyyy? I mean he answered that question at the end of the series but I still don't understand whyyyyyy.

I love Yanli and Zixuan's story. It was so annoying but was so cute. You can see the love just by looking at their non-verbal interaction. Zixuan really knows how to create such a unnecessary drama, he's acting like a child LOL.

Wen Ning and Wen Qing, I just love them. They are so precious. I want more of them to be completely honest with you. AAAAAA.

There are so many characters and they have their own stories and their stories are so touching. Even the villains got their own backstory that made us more sympathetic to them. I love them all, I love the casts as well :') this series truly exceeded my expectations.

Where to watch

Netflix

WeTV

[antebunny]

Hello I’m sorry if it’s to late to ask about the parent trap AU (I’m not sure how long ago it was a thing), but I have to ask, does Suzhui resent LWJ for what happened? Not saying I’m blaming LWJ, I’m just curious about it.

(parent trap AU)

Wei Sizhui's been lying for most of his life.

Not intentionally, at first. When Papa asked him if he remembered his father, he said no, because he didn't, not really. But he's thought about it over the years, and the more he thinks about it the more a distant collection of sensations forms in his brain, all labeled father. They're emotions, mostly. Warm hands. Safety. Low, soft singing at night when he couldn't sleep. Father loved him; that's the most dangerous memory Wei Sizhui has kept all these years. He's sure of it. Father loved him, and Father kept him safe.

He keeps this memory a secret, of course. Even before he was old enough to comprehend just how much Papa had given up to keep Sizhui safe, he knew it was dangerous to talk about Before. But on quiet nights when it's just him on a mattress, him on a train, him and Papa on a boat crossing the Indian Ocean, he dares to dream. Of returning to that place that screams safety. The singing, the warmth, the man who meant safety to Wei Sizhui. The man who was supposed to love him and keep him safe.

Even the dream is a betrayal so fierce Sizhui cannot breathe. So he does not speak of it to Papa. He doesn't suggest contacting Father, to see if anything's changed, to see if he is alright. Sizhui knows enough about what happened that he could never forgive Father. He knows Papa was accused of crimes that he hadn't committed. He knows that Father turned his back on Papa–not because Wei Wuxian would ever say so, but because he gets misty-eyed whenever Sizhui brings up his other dad. Somehow Papa ended up on the run. Somehow Sizhui ended up with him, meaning either Wei Wuxian thought Father wouldn't be able to protect him or that he'd be unwilling to. Neither speaks favorably of Father.

But the fact that Sizhui doesn't know is a thorn that he's never been able to pull out. He could ask Papa, but asking, when even after all this time the memory clearly still hurts him, seems unbearably rude to Sizhui. He's tried to content himself to waiting until Papa is ready to talk about it or simply never knowing.

Then along came Lan Jingyi. Ready and eager to share stories about his amazing stick-in-the-mud uncle. Hounding Wei Sizhui incessantly with plans to get them back together. Refusing to let him ignore it all and pretend he'd never even learned his father's name. Proposing plan after plan, always so stalwartly believing in Lan Wangji's goodness. Lan Wangji is good. Such a simple statement to Lan Jingyi that Wei Sizhui simply couldn't wrap his head around. How could the man who'd married then betrayed Wei Wuxian be good? How could he care so much for Lan Jingyi, a distant nephew, like his own son, when he didn't care for the son he'd actually had? Already Wei Sizhui knows that some of the memories Lan Jingyi has told him of Lan Wangji will be stored in his brain as false memories. Finally, at long last, is his father, so close yet so far. Is it so much to ask to have a real memory of him to take back with him? Can't Wei Sizhui meet him again, even if Lan Wangji doesn't know who he is, at least once?

Wei Sizhui makes a decision.

"Jingyi," he whispers, knowing that of the three other boys he's the most likely to still be awake. "Are you still doing the plan?"

A silence. Then: "You mean the plan you said was stupid and terrible and would never work? That plan?"

Wei Sizhui rolls his eyes at the darkened cabin ceiling. "Yes, that one."

More silence. He hears shifting blankets; Jingyi, propping himself up on his bottom bunk so he can peer at Sizhui on his top bunk.

"Why?" Lan Jingyi asks suspiciously. "Are you warming up to it? D'you think it's an amazing plan now? Is Operation: Parent Trap a go?"

Already Wei Sizhui is regretting his decision. "I don't want them to meet," he says. "I know my dad doesn't want to see him. But I do."

A longer silence. For one horrible moment, Sizhui thinks he's going to ask why.

"Okay," Jingyi says eventually.

Gratefully, Sizhui closes his eyes. He knows he's asking a lot of Jingyi. In this scenario, the only one taking the fall is Jingyi, who's not getting what he wanted–a reunion–while still getting kicked out of summer camp.

"You still have to teach me how to hack," Jingyi adds.

Sizhui opens his eyes just to roll them again. "For the last time, I don't know how to hack, Jingyi."

"But your dad does," Jingyi whines. "Surely he taught you something."

"He's taught me everything important," Sizhui says, mildly offended on his dad's behalf.

"Doesn't that include hacking?" Jingyi cries.

"Go the fuck to sleep," Jin Rulan groans into his pillow, woken up by all of their talking.

"Sizhui's agreed to my plan!" Jingyi says instead, delightedly sharing this news with the first person who'll listen.

"Who, and I cannot stress this enough, cares," Jin Rulan says. A pause: "Wait, the hacking plan? Can he teach me to hack too?"

"For the love of–" Sizhui closes his eyes and prays for patience. "What if I do the plan? We can just blame it on Jingyi."

"So you do know how to hack!" Jingyi shouts. "You just don't want to share your secrets!"

Ouyang Zizhen mumbles something unintelligible.

"I'm fine with that, by the way," Jingyi says, very much not fine with it. "I mean, I'm getting the credit. So long as you do something cool."

"If I say I will, will you stop shouting?" Sizhui begs.

"Yes," Lan Jingyi says immediately.

"No," Jin Rulan says at the same time. "You woke me up."

"Wouldn't you want to be woken up for this very important discussion?" Jingyi sniffs. "I would."

Wei Sizhui rolls over in bed and acknowledges to himself that he's not getting any sleep tonight.

[plan-d-to-i]

Hot take I never really see in the fandom, but Lan Jingyi is a bigger supporter of Wangxian than Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen just wants Lan Wangji to be happy whether that involves Wei Wuxian or not. He literally calls Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji's biggest mistake. Of course that's protective big brother mode being activated, but still seems like there is some resentment against Wei Wuxian. Lan Xichen also denounces Wei Wuxian at Nightless City. He tells Lan Wangji that Wei Wuxian essentially committed unforgiveable crimes and that Wei Wuxian is wrong like right after he finds out about Lan Wangji being in with Wei Wuxian. It's never stated if he was at the siege or not, but if he was after knowing Lan Wangji's feelings that's not exactly supportive. He'll always be civil to Wei Wuxian because he's like that with everyone, even people he hates. Also it would greatly upset Lan Wangji if his brother hated his husband. I don't think Lan Xichen hates Wei Wuxian, but that doesn't mean he likes him either.

Totally agree about JingYi!!! I love him so much.

LXC was not at the siege LQR was.

I honestly never gave that much thought to what LXC said to WWX by the temple pre fandom because he didn't let it affect his actions. To me clearly LXC's devotion is firstly to LWJ's safety, wellbeing and happiness. I've seen people say: how come LXC isn't blamed as much for what happened to WWX as jc hypocrites >:-/... LOL because LXC didn't grow up together with WWX?! LXC had JGY pouring poison into his ear about WWX's heart changing AND jc- the guy who was supposed to be closest to WWX- visits the Burial Mounds and comes back saying he's a traitor to the Clan, the YunmengJiang Clan will have nothing to do w him and he's the enemy of the entire cultivation world? What was he supposed to think? LXC spoke up for the Wens more than jc did and his home was burned down by them, his father died, and he was never helped by WQ and WN??!!? He didn't try to ban LWJ from bringing WWX into the Cloud Recessed to be healed in his second life, even after his identity was revealed; or from sheltering him and helping him and leaving with him. The guy has just gone through some harrowing days. He's found out his sworn brother killed his other sworn brother and made him into a jigsaw puzzle and did all this other terrible stuff. Now he's sealed his power and taken him as hostage. His little brother's boyfriend shows up and acts like he doesn't even know he's his little brother's boyfriend! LXC is holding on by a thread. Now none of this would be an excuse if he'd truly acted heinously BUT the reason I find his anger forgivable is that he didn't shut down communication. He doesn't tell WWX to go to hell and die or try to hit him etc. He actually explains everything and lays it out for him so WWX can finally understand what's happening. He calls him LWJ's only mistake, which may not be the nicest thing to hear but it makes sense in the context of LWJ protecting him ended in 33 strikes of the whip that kept him injured for three years...

"ZeWu-Jun had always been an image of grace and carried himself with a mild temperament, but when it came to his younger brother’s affairs, he could not help but lose his calm. Yet, upon closer inspection of Wei Wuxian’s reaction, his anger dissipated slightly, and asked again, “Was your memory…damaged?” (chapter 98)

I think people don't quite realize how impressive it is to still retain one's logic and relative calm in a situation like this. LXC is upset over something so personal: the wellbeing of his little brother. He could have so easily prioritized making himself feel better by just venting out all his frustrations and anger of these many years on WWX but instead he holds his anger in check and prioritizes his little brother's happiness by trying to clarify things and untangle any misunderstandings between WangXian:

Lan Xichen replied, “Whatever Wangji did then, if you can’t remember it yourself, then I’m afraid he would never bring it up in this lifetime, and you wouldn’t ask him either... Very well then, I shall tell you on his behalf.”

I don't get why fandom thinks he was so brutal?! He's not shown being mean again to WWX after things are finally settled between him and LWJ. He seemed to like and approve of WWX in his time studying in the cloud recesses. Now that the misunderstandings have been cleared up I can't see why it wouldn't revert to that. When the two bunnies are playing around him and LWJ, LXC says it's not bad to be boisterous, etc. Like jc's most heinous actions are perpetually excused w "omg it's sibling love" -EW no and LXC who actually shows a nice example of protectiveness and love gets dragged.

[grewlikefancyflowers]

About JFM, and WWX's back story,

Actually, perhaps Wei Wuxian's back story as "his parents died , he wandered in the streets for years, before he was picked up by JFM" was perhaps made to be just a back story, without any meaning, just the reason to make the protagonist have a tough bone and a firm heart because he had tasted the bitterness of the world.

Though, it also can't be denied that perhaps...this back story meant something as well.

After all, LWJ's parent back story, "his mother killed his father's teacher, and then his father who love her but can't forgive her, finally decided to imprision her in the gentian house, and also imprisoned himself for guilts".

That back story about LWJ at a glance was just like WWX's back story.

They seemed to be made to add the protagonist's complex characters.

BUT!

It turned out, LWJ's parents back story was the foreshadowing for Gusulan's hypocrites about their rules applying in life.

They just apply the rules of "no killing" and "no befriending evil" to imprison Madam Lan.

But they forgot the rules of "uphold the value of justice".

What is justice? It's to see who's right who's wrong. The Lans back then directly blamed Madam Lan without investigating the case first.

It's the prove of the way they justify their own sect and disregarded other's grievances.

Thus, if the back story of LWJ's parents that at a glance was seen as "love-hate relationship" but actually harbor such a deep foreshadowing,

then it might also be true that WWX's back story might harbor something deep as well..

When talking about the Lan parents' backstory, we have to keep in mind that we really know the bare minimum, and are given almost no context to these characters or why they made the decisions they did.

All we know is - QHJ was in love with Madam Lan, she did not reciprocate, and she killed one of his teachers. It is indicated that the consequences for that would be her death, thus QHJ married her to prevent this, but kept them both in seclusion.

We don't know why she killed the teacher, we don't know if it was justified or not, we don't know if QHJ thought she was right or wrong. We don't know if she agreed to the marriage and terms for her life, or if QHJ forced her. We know he kept them both secluded to repent, but we don't know if it was out of guilt, or principle, or another reason. Additionally, we don't know if the Lan sect at the time properly inquired the circumstances or not. I suppose we can't assume that they did, but we also can't assume that they didn't.

I know everyone seems to like the 'Madam Lan was right, QHJ was a scumbag' interpretation, but actually, we aren't given any reason to believe this, we aren't told anything at all, other than the basic sequence of events.

As for what this means in the story, I'd say it has several purposes.

It embodies some of the continuing themes in MDZS - Firstly, how far the truth can be distorted or conclusions jumped to. Some of the more out-there fanon interpretation of these events speaks to this. It also gives some context to LWJ's strong adherence to the principle of not judging situations before understanding all the facts. Secondly, it's another example of children suffering due to their parents' hang ups (Eg, Madam Yu puts all her grievances on Jiang Cheng, he does the same to Jin Ling), LWJ and LXC grow up with the burden of their parents' actions, and the consequences, without even fully understanding them.

Then, of course, it serves as a parallel for WWX & LWJ. Though I think the extent of this tends to be overstated, and I don't think we should make any assumptions on either of the Lan parents based on WWX and LWJ.

The story explains LWJ's internal conflict during the SSC and WWX's YLLZ era, which can perhaps be summed up a little clumsily as 'he was afraid of becoming like his father'. I've seen some takes that suggest that this internal conflict was preventing LWJ from doing the 'right' thing in WWX's first life, which, when looking at things purely from the POV of LWJ himself, has a ring of truth to it. The younger LWJ is uncertain of himself, and his own motivations, the present LWJ is the opposite. Though the circumstances are very different when LWJ first encounters WWX in his second life, he does make the decision to take him back to the Cloud Recesses.

But on a metatextual level, I think this story serves to indicate that the decision LWJ made in WWX's first life, in maintaining his distance, was the correct one. Interestingly, the Lan parents' backstory was added during the edits of MDZS. While the explanation as to why it wasn't there in the first place could just be something simple, like MXTX didn't have time to include it, since there are still people now that feel LWJ didn't do enough in WWX's first life, to the point of even thinking he should have taken him back to Gusu, perhaps MXTX was reading fan interpretations and felt that this point needed to be made in the edits.

Anyway, while LWJ decides after Nightless City that he's willing to share the consequences with WWX, QHJ's actions take the would-be consequences away from Madam Lan, not only does he, his brother and probably his whole sect suffer for this, but his children do to. WWX made his decisions for himself, and accepts the consequences for himself. He would not want LWJ to override those decisions, and especially would not want a knock-on effect of consequences for people who wouldn't overwise be involved, for the sake of lessening his own, either. This is the same line of thinking that leads to his defection from the Jiang sect. As WWX says, 'let the self judge the right and the wrong' - this applies to him, but others to. He considers right and wrong to be a matter for the self, and the consequences to be a matter for the self.

Less metatextually, LXC's decision to share this story with WWX gives some insight into him, and his perception of LWJ, and his relationship with WWX. I think @orion-flux made a post about that.

Onto what WWX's backstory says about him, well, I don't think it holds as much meaning as LWJ's, but there are some things to say about it. I'm curious as to whether anon or anyone else has some deeper thoughts about this.

For one thing, he has a fairly typical 'abused orphan' backstory, however WWX himself doesn't really embody the tropes expected of such a character at all. Aside from the dogs, he really can just brush off most things, whether he doesn't actually fully recognise how badly the Jiangs treated him, or simply doesn't focus on it is up for debate. Either way, none of these things define him, he doesn't really consider them to be an important part of his identity either, and his childhood doesn't really tell us much about him that we can't see for ourselves in his adult life. Although WWX obviously changes and matures throughout MDZS, his core characteristics remain the same, his sense of self isn't really tied to any outside factors, so despite all the upheavals throughout his life, he remains himself, and still lives by what his mother told him in one of his earliest memories.

JFM taking WWX in is another example of debt and obligation in MDZS - he takes him in out of obligation to his deceased friends, this leaves WWX indebted to the Jiangs, and parallels both LSZ and WZL. Between LZS and the Lan, there is no debt, he is raised in the Lan clan, and told nothing about his past so that he can grow up without that burden. Though he also loses his original name, and his memories, and doesn't rediscover them until he's older, he is given the space to explore his past and reconcile that with who he is. WZL takes on the Wen family name, but is still just a glorified babysitter for Wen Chao, he sets aside his own beliefs for the Wen clan. WWX teeters on some weird edge of appearing to be treated as part of the Jiang family, but when you look into things, that wasn't the case at all. WWX is never separated from who his parents were, but only in the sense of frequent reminders from Madam Yu that his father was a servant, and his mother is only ever brought up as a point of contention. Other than that, JFM never even speaks to WWX about his parents - 'Jiang Fengmian had never reminisced about his old friend in front of Wei Wuxian ... Most of the things Wei Wuxian knew of his mother and father he had heard from other people, and he didn’t know much more than they did.' (Ch.29, fanyiyi translation)

I've mentioned this before at some point, but JFM and WCZ are obvious parallels to WWX and JC. WCZ is free to leave the Jiang sect, even marry a woman that JFM possibly had romantic feelings for, and JFM doesn't hold this against him, and fulfils his obligations to their friendship by taking WWX in... Though he doesn't do a great job of raising him, he's not great with his own children either, so I guess it could be said that he treated him like his own son. JC, on the other hand... well, I probably don't need to say much more about him. RIP to A-Yuan if LWJ didn't hide his identity, I guess... I suppose the parallel exemplifies that JC's actions are not only shitty, but a direct departure from the things his father taught him, the same can be seen in what he says to WWX when he defects - ‘To attempt the impossible’? Fine. You understand the YunmengJiang Sect’s motto. Better than I do.' (Ch.73, ExR translation). JC's decision to turn against WWX is done with the awareness that he's turning against his own sect's teachings, and his father's teachings. (This really belongs in a separate post but WWX's introduction in the prologue as someone who betrayed his sect is subverted no only by the fact that the defection was for the sake of the Jiang sect's public image, but also in the fact that he was the one following the sect's values, and JC the one betraying them...)

Something I wonder, is why JFM never talks about his old friends. It seems like the sort of thing that would cause Madam Yu to flip out, so that might be the reason. Or perhaps he does feel some bitterness towards them, not necessarily because he was in love with CSSR, though that could be the case, but possibly because after their departure, JFM was pushed into an unhappy marriage with YZY, thus he's filled with regret and finds them painful to talk about. Maybe he's just not a sentimental person, not the type to reminisce, and didn't care for WWX enough to make sure he knew things about his parents. I can only speculate.

WWX and LWJ are similar in the sense of knowing very little about their parents other than basic facts that can easily be distorted. But WWX has a very strong sense of self, and though he obviously wishes he knew more about his parents, he doesn't consider them to define him. He never feels inferior due to his father's status, nor egotistical due to his mother's. LWJ on the other hand, is very affected by his parents, his mother's death contributed to his withdrawn personality, his father's actions caused significant internal conflict and self doubt. Though by the time of WWX's rebirth, LWJ has grown into his own person, and isn't weighed down by his parents anymore. It's when both he and WWX are at this stage that they can be together, which is neat.

[bewareof12metersfrogs]

Warning: long rant. Probably messed up grammar. Not LXC-friendly.

So Pinterest gave me this:

And I was like

Ah yes, Lan Xichen.

I mean, I love that guy, but oh gosh that man is BLIND. Like, man's so blind Xue Yang could use him to slaughter people.

(I'm so sorry for that joke)

I really loved him when I first read the book, esp pre-Nightless City, but then I read it for the second (and third) time and that love turned into "uhh, I guess I kinda like him?"

I mean, in Sunshot Campaign arc, NMJ just got freaking tortured. He just got beaten, made to watch his men die, and his former deputy "betrayed" him -- and then LXC was just like, "oh da-ge CALM down, this is all part of OUR plan, A-Yao's our spy lol put Baxia away don't shout at him smh"

Why didn't LXC say to NMJ that the whole thing had been orchestrated? Okay, I get it, maybe he couldn't risk JGY getting caught, but couldn't he just tell NMJ, "hey, this is the plan. You're gonna get caught at Yangquan by WRH and our spy will take care of the rest of it" ? I'm pretty sure NMJ was angrier about his men getting slaughtered than himself getting beaten. NMJ is kinda like WWX; they were both idiots, but they cared about their people. Pretty sure he cared more about his men than himself. If he knew about the "plan", he'd most likely bring the disciples who were ready to die.

THEN LXC just went to NMJ like, "Hey let's be sworn brothers!". Xichen, dude, his wounds aren't even healed. I mean, it's a bit insensitive right?? I think it is. The whole sworn-brotherhood-right-after-shunshot-campaign thing still bothers me. To me, it seems like no one cared about NMJ. I mean, he was the leader of SC, people used his skills, his men, his everything, and then he was just, like, casted aside?? Pretty sure man's got PTSD. Also, qi deviation. Oh gosh I forgot about qi deviation.

Anyway, yeah, LXC was blind throughout the novel. I won't talk about the scene where Wangxian tried to tell him that A-Yao = bad, but I will talk about the scene where NHS decided to "use" his er-ge to kill his san-ge. Was it intentional? Perhaps. Was NHS lying? Maybe. Was it bad? Absolutely. Was it expected? Of course.

Let's put ourselves in NHS' shoes for a second. Your big bro, who is also the one who raised you and the only family you have left, died. People are quacking "oh it's the Nie curse, and isn't it such a tragedy?" BUT NO! One day you be minding your own business and then BAM you found out that da-ge'd been murdered and mutilated AND betrayed. So you started scheming for like a decade. Everything was going great, as great as a 10 years revenge plan could ever be. You just gotta wait for a few more hours, you just gotta listen to your nemesis' retelling his sad background story, you just gotta endure the pain of seeing your dead big bro wrecking havoc, and you'd have your revenge.

Then of course your er-ge, your big bro's best friend, gotta help your big bro's killer. He just gotta treat his wounds, huh? Pretty sure NHS was unstable. He was desperate and maybe even full of wrath. I understand that, at least, the same way I understand that maybe LXC tried to treat JGY's wounds because he still saw him as his brother -- he didn't want to lose another brother. But how about NHS? He was watching the man whom he thought was his brother treating the man who betrayed and murdered his actual brother. NHS was being a dick, yeah, but it was expected.

Think about this for a second. NMJ's corpse was still right there (and gosh, NHS had to sew his big bro's corpse by himself). NHS was RIGHT there, and LXC had the audacity to tend to JGY's wounds after the man himself admitted to his crimes. I think it's understandable if NHS felt at least insulted.

Also, he was perhaps sick of people not thinking that his big brother was as important as other people, that he was also a human being instead of just a war machine or even a mere tool that can be casted aside whenever they want to. Why did his brother have to die because of other people's greed and selfish decisions? Why did he have to lose the only family he had left forever and why did he have to just sit back and accept it?

Most importantly, LXC had been too blind for more than a decade too long.

Also, the bit about "You're Wangji's only mistake":

Bruh.

If WWX is LWJ's only mistake, then (trusting) LXC is NMJ's only mistake. I mean, sure, WWX is as dumb and oblivious as a rock, but can you really blame him?? HE WAS TRYING TO KEEP HIMSELF, HIS FAMILY, AND THE WEN REMNANTS ALIVE, DUDE'S GOT NO TIME TO THINK ABOUT FKING ROMANCE.

Sorry, I got carried away.

Anyway, are we just gonna ignore the fact that LWJ had been acting like he hated WWX since, like, the first time they met?? I mean, I really love LWJ, but his only mistake is his communication skills (or lack thereof).

But LWJ never gave up on WWX. He learned to express himself way better. Man's got dedication and he's not afraid to learn. I really love that about him.

Also, I understand that LXC was angry because LWJ took beatings to protect WWX, but I don't think he had the right to blame WWX for that. Yes, I know WWX did plenty of things wrong; he was extremely reckless and untrusting, but he never asked LWJ to protect him. LWJ did everything voluntarily. Ffs Xichen WWX didn't even know that LWJ did that. You know why? CAUSE HE WAS FKING DYING THAT'S WHY.

TLDR: LWJ was a grown ass man.

Okay. So, do I hate LXC? No. But do I find him flawed? Yes. But that's why I like MXTX's characters, including WRH, JGY, and LXC (the only exception are perhaps JGS and MXY's fam, and I think we all know why). They all have flaws. For me, LXC is too naive and blind, JGY is too power-hungry and selfish, and NMJ is too stubborn and unyielding. NHS? Well, he's a lot of things. He's manipulative, unsympathetic, and IMO he's got a problem with obsession too. He and JGY are alike, in my opinion. The main difference is their goals: JGY seeks power, NHS seeks revenge.

Everyone has flaws. LWJ and WWX have flaws too; they're EXTREMELY flawed. Heck, even our lord and saviour Shijie also has flaws, as much as it hurts me to type that.

Then why do I get so worked up about LXC's flaws? Honestly I don't really know. Maybe it's because I'm tired of (almost) the entirety of fandom treating him like a god, maybe because I'm tired of people who treat NHS like the devil himself, or maybe because I'm disappointed in him. I mean, JGY's our main villain, but I still love him so much. Heck, I love him even more than I love LXC. Bruh, nowadays I even like WRH more. At least that guy is downright evil and he looks cool while doing whatever evil things WRH does (I'm talking about the novel and donghua mmkay).

Anyway, this is the end of my rant. I apologise if I'm offending you, this is just something that's been bothering me since the first time I re-read MDZS. This whole thing is like a plot bunny but instead of a "plot", the bunny is shaped like a "rant". This is a rant bunny. I need to get this outta my head. I've edited this thing like four times already because I keep finding errors and stuffs. I also added like two new paragraphs.

I'm sad now.

[cloudyevaa]

im in the mood for more jiang cheng opinions, , ,

I see a lot of people who hold the wen remnants issue against jc, and tbh, while I do agree there was a lot of miscommunication involved between wwx and jc ( as always ) and a bunch of other solutions if the two had just had one civil convo, I don't blame jc for not defending wwx's actions, nor not granting the wen remnants amnesty.

while it is the morally wrong thing to do, the circumstances jc faces at the time calls for such a hard decision. then, he was the youngest sect leader among the great 4 sects, the one who had lost the most from this war. what, you want him, the person with the weakest political influence at the moment and minimal military forces to try and protect the wens who are labelled war criminals? and i'd like to clarify that the wen remnants were NOT just the elderly and children, but also cultivators - all innocent nonetheless, but don't you see how bad it looks when your entire home was decimated to the ground by wens and suddenly you want to protect them with what little resources you have?

jiang cheng is ALWAYS the one who tells wwx no, you can't do this. no, you can't do that. he says no because he cannot embody the yunmengjiang motto of reaching for the impossible, because his ambitions do not surpass his humanity. he is not like wwx - he does not have that raw power nor mind to back it up. he can't afford to say yes, because he knows that he'll just end up losing another person knowing he was helpless to stop them.

he always has to be the bad guy who pops wwx's bubble, while lwj enables wwx and supports him regardless. both want the same thing: for wwx to be safe. they just had different ways of going about it. in the text, jc says that he can't protect wwx - not that he wouldn't. he is now the head of a weakened clan who is currently depending on other sect ( namely the jin considering yanli and jzx's betrothal ) to rebuild their forces. whatever actions he'll take now will reflect upon his sect, unlike lwj who is not in such a position. his course of action is constricted.

not to mention that the cultivation world views wwx as a dangerous, unstable individual who has diverted from orthodox cultivation. had jc sided with wwx, he would've started a whole other war against the rest of the cultivation sects. wwx always makes it hard to defend himself, and though his anger is justified, it's not something the cultivation world is willing to comprehend. we're able to empathise with wwx and the wen remnants so easily because we're omniscient readers. we get to witness wwx's story, but the characters don't.

im running out of brain cells so in conclusion, I think jc was out of options at the time, and that he isn't fully to blame for the siege of the burial mounds.

[llycaons]

Ep5: the gay porn episode

even tho we know that lwj is at the very least attracted to wwx, this early on it really doesn't come off like that at all to anyone else besides lxc. he's even harsher and stricter with wwx than he is with anyone else. of course, later on he does a 180 because he's incapable of acting like wwx means as much to him as anyone else does

a boy is FLIRTING

wwx goes to a lot of effort this episode to repair his relationship with lwj, which indicates a lot more responsibility and maturity than, say, jc would have us believe. though tbf, wwx isn't trying to become friends for political reasons, he just wants lwj's attention. but he's also defending and explaining his actions, and the fact that he'll retaliate when attacked is of course extremely important later on. even with all the changes he goes through and and nuances we see, his core character is intact throughout. such strong writing

saw a blog once claim this wasn't necessarily sexual but um that's definitely how I read it. with that look? come on.

their rooms are so gorgeous

ICONIC APPEARANCE OF HISTORICALLY ACCURATE GAY PORN!!!!

this is so funny to me. wwx is so shocked that the extremely uptight young heir of a famously conservative and traditional sect hasn't seen gay porn. my boy idk how open-minded the jiangs are but you are not in yunmeng anymore...tbf lxc and lqr aren't even homophobic, but the kind of distress that his feelings cause lwj have got to come from somewhere, and I don't think it's just 'not wanting to be into someone so different from the lans'

wwx turning back the rules on lwj extremely fucking funny

aw :(

JIANG CHENG IS NOTHING EASY.GIF MOMENCE

nooooooo jc don't say that

jc is so happy to see wq, and his little pleased smile when wwx complains that she's only paying attention to jc....oh boy. boy oh boy. this is so sad

young jc is like. he's so fragile. he still has potential. he hasn't done anything he can't come back from yet. he loves his siblings. he likes a pretty girl. I mock him for the comb but it's not a great wrongdoing to be a little awkward and go for the thing that adults say girls like. it's not like he has any healthy relationship to emulate. ough.

SO MEAN. in contrast lwj is just a huge fuckin brat

see we rag on wwx for not telling people shit but early on at least, he was a good communicator! he saw that his actions could be misread and he took steps to clarify where he was coming from and why he did what he did

this is still one of my favorite jokes

wq literally is doing her job as a doctor and jc is like 😳 lady wen... I don't blame jc for having a crush but I DO blame shippers for being shitheads about a woman who is literally just doing her job

wen ning rushing in to save su she is so. he's the weakest cultivator here and he still put his life on the line to save this guy. this is something else we'll see later, when he uses his meager position to save jc and the jiang parents' bodies, and when he tries to stand up for his fellow wens at the camp

ppl who ship jc and wn are unhinged for various reasons but the kicker is right here. wq briefly held fast to her principle of looking after her family and nobody else, but wen ning never did. he puts himself in danger for people he barely knows over and over again, with no possible reward. this mindset is so alien to jc's caution and 'I got mine' outlook that there's no conceivable way that they could ever make a relationship work. even in an AU, I could barely see them becoming friends. they're just too different at their core

whew, what a long episode. ngl, this sequence at the lake ties with the maze forest as my least favorite parts of the show. it's just so BORING. there's some character work, like wwx saving wen ning and giving him the amulet, jc getting himself a crush, and wwx flirting, but it's not enough to liven up this very dull passage. regardless, the ending where lwj bought the ES for wwx was sweet

personal highlights: ep5

wwx being very openly and vocally into male erotica. I mean how are people STILL saying he didn't know he was into dudes. boy was about to start crying when lwj destroyed his treasured collection

wwx flirting in the library. he knew what he wanted. oh and him being really good at communicating. nice job, wwx!

jc has such a nice smile it breaks my heart for him

wwx giving wen ning the protection pouch 🥺

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

[1/?] Sorry for venting. I just saw some bad takes that gave me a lot of feelings. Personally, JC stresses me out every time he comes on screen, but I don't mind it when JC fans say fan-typical things like how they like JC because he wears purple, or is grumpy, or they think he's hot, or that they ship x*ch*ng because the cql actors have nice jawlines. They're harmless, fun takes, and while I don't agree with some of them, I see where they're coming from

Hello there anon, vent away as that is what my blog is open for as I love/hate on Jiang Cheng as he is in the plot, as well as all of my beef with what has been done to him for the EN side of the fanbase! I am more than fine listening and engaging with the unsavory "unpopular" discussions of his canon behavior and this goes for anyone of course that needs an open play area. I'll try to engage with what you have sent point by point as succinctly as I can.

[2/?] (some of these are obviously crack, and I am a fan of a few problematic faves). But then there are stans that just have to put other characters down to make JC look good. Like, I think some fans take their freedom of interpretation for granted because most of these takes aren't even labeled 'headcanon,' 'ooc,' or 'crack' anymore. Stans feel that their interpretations are valid, and while they are, valid =/= canon, and they're treating these takes as canon, which becomes popular fanon.

I enjoy Jiang Cheng for what he is, however as I had said it took me another reread to get to my stance of him being the negative mirror to Lan Wangji's positive and my comfort with that for the story once I realized what purpose he served. He is only insofar tragic in regards to his circumstances, but it does not absolve him for what he is at his core (no pun, but I can make a very nice metaphor that even with a piece of Wei Wuxian in him he is still forever unable and unwilling to stand by him equally all while stagnating where as Lan Wangji is able to flourish, grow and mature with nothing of import left from Wei Wuxian in a technical sense). As for ships, I am a little dirty Xicheng whore for fun and can say there is a sense of entertainment for me making it work with two people where one is wildly ignorant and the other wildly rabid. But that is outside of what is established as canon in the work and I always try to keep the two strictly separate due to the skew fanon perpetuates.

3/?] And now, it's not clear what part of the fanon references canon JC or the canon events of mdzs. JC is an asshole; I don't like him as a person, but I do think that he's a complex character motivated by many issues (sup, YeeZY), which makes him fascinating to explore. Unfortunately, erasing his culpability also removes his agency. JC should be allowed to be an asshole character who makes his own decisions even if they're the wrong ones. He has made his own tragedy by constantly casting Wei Wuxian as the villain of his life.

Now thanks to you I will be using YeeZY to forever and now to acknowledge Madam Yu (this is your fault for the new tag). From a standing from storytelling I agree that he is complex in the Jianghu for MDZS. Where in the usual political intrigue of Wuxia, he would be the mustache twirling villain that is outright unforgivable in narration, it is by favor of Wei Wuxian's narration that has an early steeping of empathy for him. And he is not meant to be seen as ultimately sympathetic, the work builds up his hate against Wei Wuxian who tries to rationalize it all several times until he is finally unable to. Jiang Cheng is the antithesis to Lan Wangji and the false bait to get attached to in Wei Wuxian's first life. I will make the note their meeting in Yiling is lukewarm between both as they exchange nothing really in terms of conversation and all pleasantries are left in terms of Jiang Yanli for Wei Wuxian. By this point Wei Wuxian has already switched his yearnings of platonically wanting a part of Jiang Cheng's life, to subconscious romantic inclinations about Lan Wangji and the perceived loss of being in the other's life.

The very point of Jiang Cheng as the deconstruction, is that he has no passion in life despite his apparent exploits because he put a shadow to hang over himself as an excuse to say others think he is not good enough. He has no deeper motivations than pure selfishness by the end of the work and is pure frivolity that he has built up losing the meaning of his sect as a tradition. He had his agency (more than anyone I might add in the work due to his social position) that he used to build his reputation as a passive rich sect leader that has little to do with civilian problems.

4/?] And I think a JC, somehow, that realizes that he did something wrong and is working hard to change for the better and gain self-actualization to become that UWU best jiujiu the stans want him to be, who is ready to talk (not yell at) with WWX, apologize to him, and create a better, healthier relationship with him is a much more powerful reconciliation and happy ending than 'everyone is wrong and mean and they all apologize to JC, which magically gets rid of all his issues'.

He is forced out of culpability in reconciliation because simply put, his audience do not like the reality that relationships fray and dissolve with no further resolution other than we as adults both need to move on for safety and good health. It is not acceptable in real life and fiction is allowed to place that also in it's thematic relationships. He has a small, small spark of recognition at the end of the main story, however he himself seems to choose to ignore it, as change is hard and he has never taken to that well as was foreshadowed with his dogs and the idea of sharing a space with Wei Wuxian. To write this is an awful lot of work into his psyche which is not a nice place, he is a terrible being and downplaying that to make a sugar sweet person does not work instantaneously. He is the one responsible for the entire fallout with Wei Wuxian and he hysterically realizes that even as he tries to continue to blame Wei Wuxian.

The issue that I have with his current stan culture, is that they already view him as something he is not. They play at bicycle with all of the other protagonists that have positive traits that they strip as they see fit; Good affirming loving to children adult Lan Wangji, Self-sacrificing ultimately did it all for love and care Wei Wuxian, Hard exterior but softened to who they consider an annoyance Wen Qing, Loyal as partners in their exploits on the field and always have each others back Wen Ning. They even take Jin Guangyao's persona of playing damsel and using that as a positive to soften up Jiang Cheng into something he has never been for anyone for ships.

[5/5] Also, making WWX/WN/LWJ apologize just makes them look better than JC. Like, stans supposedly love JC, so they ahouldn't be lazy and work hard to give him actual character development. Again, I'm sorry for spamming your ask. It just really baffles me about where they get these 'hot' takes (All I'm going to say is that JC was ungrateful, and WN had a reason verbally dismantle him).

They see this, but, they will spin it in any way to excuse Jiang Cheng due to the story itself showing that he was in the wrong to everyone he flung accusations at and his hate. No one but him is at fault for his spite as he had gotten his revenge on the ones that had ruined Lotus Pier and killed his parents. His own resentment pitted him against good and well meaning people that he refused to help as he mimicked his mother's words about raising their heads higher out of goodness instead of keeping low and staying self-centered. There is the underlying criticism of taking individual arrogance as self-care at the cost of others. Each point that Wen Ning makes is exactly what Jiang Cheng himself knows as he hated Wei Wuxian for being something he could not be or even wanted to be. Jiang Cheng wants kindness but does not understand that kindness to others needs to be selfless and accept the hurt that can come with that in life. He encompasses the fall from the path of buddhist lifestyle, "The Three Poisons" to Wangxian's "Without Envy" at the stories end.

[6/5] P.S. I'm not saying I want reconciliation fics, but I just feel that if stans want JC to have a happy ending, then I think that he should actively work for it. I think it would be interesting to see what force of nature would push him through a character development because throwing a therapist at him would result in a murder.

"I'm not saying I want reconciliation fics, but I just feel that if stans want JC to have a happy ending, then I think that he should actively work for it."

They do not think he has to work for it, they say his tragedy is enough, while heaping accusations against Wei Wuxian and saying his own are not enough to absolve him. Something Wei Wuxian has never denied and told all present they are allowed to forever hate him for what he had done in the past, but that they need to find a way to live in a life that is always moving on. He learned that grudges do nothing once they are absolved and it leaves you with hate with nothing else to do with it once that object is gone. In terms of reconciliation, I do not ever think that either want anything other than a distant peaceful out of each other's life set up. Jiang Cheng does not need Wei Wuxian in his life to be satisfied and never has since he used him as the handicap to hide behind to stay angry and miserable. Being without that fallback opens the world far more for him to change than him ever interacting like an old friend with Wei Wuxian ever again, if he ever had the guts to do that.

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

Hi momdad! I have a question. I’ve seen a bunch of post on your blog and others about purity culture and cancel culture and just general online bullying and it’s made me very scared to post things or interact with people in fandoms online.

I’d pretty much stopped participating in online fandoms 5-6 years ago do to physical and mental illness and I’m really wanting to write fics and draw fanart (I blame you for my current hyperfixation on The Untamed and MXTX’s books. THANK YOU SO MUCH!❤️) but I’m too scared to post anything for fear that people will get mad at me.

I loved being in fandom in the past. But with the current climate is it even worth it?

hello, dear! i completely understand why you have these worries.

ideally, i'd tell you that you have nothing to worry about whatsoever and everyone will always be nice and encouraging, but of course i can't promise that. but i can at least say that i've published four fics in the last couple years, to a relatively large audience here, and i was blown away by how supportive people were. i didn't get any hate at all.

there ARE people who just live to be mean and critical, but they're by no means the majority in fandom spaces. most people who consume fic and art are happy and excited to see new content, and most who see something that they don't like or doesn't agree with them understand that they need to just keep scrolling instead of being hateful.

it can get a bit trickier if you want to post darker, more controversial subjects in your work, such as incest, underage relationships, rape, suicide, abuse, and so on. i believe that you have every right to explore dark content in your work, whether it's to cope with your own issues or literally just because you feel like it, but that's the stuff that tends to draw the most ire from the purity/cancel culture types.

so if you want to publish any that deals with heavy/trigger-y topics (at least, ones that aren't canon-typical; everyone who reads MDZS fic expects there to be some stuff about death and necromancy), i would probably recommend that you start by building up your confidence with lighter content first. it's definitely less nerve-wracking to post stuff that almost no one could find offensive.

but if you're not into dark stuff at all, you're like, "i just want to write about lwj and wwx kissing," then i wouldn't worry too much about it, honestly. if it's a popular pairing in a well-established fandom, you're likely to get almost entirely positive feedback. probably your biggest problem might be just getting lost among the crowd, not getting picked on.

i know it's scary to think about a horde of morality police descending on your work and cruelly picking it apart, but those people are a loud minority, not the standard. most fandom content consumers are kind and supportive, and getting positive feedback on your work feels wonderful.

it really sucks when people get mad at you, believe me i know, but if we let the fear of people getting mad at us paralyze us into never taking any risks, we'll end up with a lifetime of regrets over all the things we were too scared to do and be. we have to step out and take a chance on being vulnerable in order to gain the rewards of acceptance. and to be an adult, we have to learn how to deal with someone getting mad at us without falling apart.

if you're interested, i have a drawing tag, writing tag, and ao3 tag that have advice and useful info for creating and posting fanworks. creating is good for you and good for the world, so practice, face your fear, and click 'publish'. you can do it. 👍

[crossdressingdeath]

I feel like people don't get that Jgy really did have a point about JC changing the course of the other sect's feelings towards wwx. Ultimately, Jc is the sect leader, his word would have been law. Lwj's action and subsequent punishment at CR is actually a perfect parallel to Wwx's. Only the outcomes are different in terms of reputation. Because Lwj did do the same things Wwx was accused of. He went against (and actually hurt with intent) his sect to protect his sect's enemy. (1/?)

(2/?) Wwx felt similarly. The only difference is ironically, he didn't help enemies, he felt clearly that the Jiangs owed a debt (and no it's not about the core) and Jc himself agrees. But Wwx agrees that to the world it's no different and his punishment is to leave the sect. And unlike Lwj, who actually hurt the elders, his fight with JC was staged. But despite these similarities, one person has a different outcome. Because ultimately the Lans stood by Lwj, his brother stood by him.

(3/?) This is not to minimize the horrific (and to me undeserving) punishment that Lwj gets. But he's still second master Lan after. No one seems to know about how he's gone against his sect. The Juniors love him (and don't seem to really anything about his 'crimes'). He's still seen as someone of status in the cultivation world, as the second young master of Lan. Infact, no rumours seem to reach them. Lxc, ultimately blames wwx more than Lwj for his actions. And this changes things.

(4/?) It means that whatever the Lans think of Lwj, because they closed around him his reputation recovers and is considered peerless. The others (even if the legitimate complaint, wnd they do) can't move against him. Because the Lans were like, this is our problem, you can't interfere. This isn't the first time either. Think of Qhj too. This is what Jgy meant when he was talking about standing by wwx. Ultimately the irony is that both Lwj and Wwx committed similar actions against their sect.

(5/5) In fact, I would argue Lwj is the more legitimate crime, as Wwx's rebellion was staged and his actions made to also protect the Jiang sect. But they had completely different results in terms of how the public sees them. All because, even when they disagree and punish him, they still grudgingly stand by him. So the world does. I am not saying this is more moral or not. Only that Jgy had a point about JC.

Here’s what I think is the other major difference between what JC does to WWX and what LXC and LQR do to LWJ: in LWJ’s case, he knowingly committed treason. The Lans didn’t know the full story, they didn’t know that WWX was acting out of righteousness or that the Wens were innocent. Why they didn’t know is a little unclear given LWJ did, but it is what it is and I never saw anything that would suggest the Lans knew anything beyond what the Jins and Jiangs told them. And also, LWJ himself acknowledges that when he defended WWX from his elders he wasn’t acting out of righteousness or a sense of justice; he defended WWX because he loves him, whether WWX was at that point in the right or not was immaterial. So while LWJ’s punishment was brutal, given the circumstances I’m not sure it was excessive, at least not by the standards of the setting. And yeah, the Lans very much keep it in-house as it were; the other sects don’t even seem to know that LWJ was punished or that he defended WWX (which probably plays just as much a part in his unblemished reputation as the Lans closing ranks and taking no shit on the topic, if not more). LWJ was just “in seclusion”, and no one would dare to gossip openly about Hanguang-jun or speculate about why exactly he was secluded for so long.

Meanwhile JC knew WWX was acting righteously and he knew the Wens were innocent, but he actively worked to turn the sects against WWX anyway. Despite knowing that WWX was upholding the debt that JC knew the two of them had towards the Wen sibs, he still abandons WWX to stand alone. He destroys WWX’s reputation as (or more) thoroughly as JGS and JGY ever did out of his own jealousy and possessiveness. So it’s like... with the Lans it’s an at least semi-justifiable punishment with them doing their best to shield LWJ from any consequences in the wider world of the sects. With JC, it was a childish lashing-out at his brother for doing something he didn’t agree with that very neatly destroyed WWX’s life despite acknowledging that WWX was in the right and also that JC himself did technically have a debt to pay there. So yeah, JGY was very right to call JC out on his shit.