#cql rants

[gentlegentian]

i feel like one of the biggest things the mdzs fandom tends to forget is that lan wangji is silly

like yes he's stoic and jade faced and perfect but he also:

blushes SO often

loves bunnies and anything related to them

throws little tantrums when he's away from his husband for too long

gets flustered easily

is a MENACE when drunk

messes around with his husband

buried his son in a bunny pile

is a biter

so yes, whilst hanguang-jun is a big scary warlord, lan wangji is just a silly guy who likes bunnies and messing around with his husband :3

[classygreydove]

The perfect contradictory character of wei wuxian

i'm writing this as i eat chocolate instead of working on my WIP lol - but essentially i've been thinking a lot about when a fic characterization of WWX just hits the spot for me, and when it doesn't. Now whether this type of characterization is canon I think is always partially a matter of opinion, because by its very nature a fanfic cannot be...well, canon. And it is made all the more complicated by the existence of CQL canon and MDZS canon, and the different MDZS canons with different scenes and levels of censorship, and the way fans and fic writers often franken-canon it together. So this post is only my rambling about characterizing WWX in fic.

Whenever I write WWX, i always find it a balancing act. Talkative, but not too talkative; golden-hearted, but willing to question what society sees as moral; confident, but complicatedly so depending on what point he's at in his character arc; oblivious, but not oblivious; impulsive, but analytical. I'm also constantly asking myself "Is this a personality trait, or a result of his environment? Both? What would impact his character if there are different events or circumstances?

And then there's the appearance of what his character is, which is almost just as important as his actual character. The masks or roles he puts on for others, or the ways those around him willfully misinterpret him. How does this character perceive WWX's actions in this or that context? Do they find him reckless, oblivious, or call him morally wrong (even when he isn't)? Does WWX want them to react a certain way, and does that impact how he acts around them?

In my opinion, writing WWX in a modern setting or genderbend is perhaps the most challenging. Not only do you have to ask yourself what personality he'd have if it were shaped by different cultural standards, gender roles, or backstory, a fic author might also want to do their best to preserve his character integrity as a "classic golden-hero turned dark anti-hero" archetype, but have no idea how to translate that into completely different set of circumstances.

For instance, WWX and gender roles. I really love that WWX is a subversion of the classical masculine hero archetype in cnovels. As a teenager, he's confident, flirty, intelligent, skilled, enjoys having fun and not taking life too seriously. As a resurrected MXY, he has no issue pretending to be a lunatic cutsleeve, so no toxic masculinity there lol - he also likes getting swept off his feet by LWJ, and playing up the "helpless maiden" role, and is very much a romantic with cottagecore dreams, saving his first kiss (traditionally that kind of innocent romanticism is attributed as a "feminine" trait, regardless of whether it actually is or not) - LWJ in contrast falls into many feminine tropes such as being known for his beauty/grace, the way he carries the money pouch (women traditionally managed the finances), can cook, has petty jealousy, etc - while at the same time undeniably also has masculine traits. The way Wangxian subvert gender roles and tropes is wonderful and i love their characters for it.

But then how does one even begin to translate that dynamic into a genderbend? Does teenage WWX still have that masculine classic hero personality? Or does she become traditionally feminine with LWJ the one acting more masc? Do different gender roles and expectations affect how WWX interacts with the world, such as how they react to her flirting, her confidence, her heroic tendencies? I read a fic a few years ago that I thought it a fabulous job exploring some of these very questions in the canon setting. I am still devastated that it remains incomplete.

Whenever I read a fic with Wei Wuxian, I always fall in love with depictions of his character that capture some of this balance, these "contradictions," so to speak (I don't have a better word to describe it than contradictions, even though these traits don't actually contradict. Ig I could say character complexity? But people often throw that phrase around without explaining what they mean by it, so). It's what makes him such a cool character to read about. It's also what makes him so unbelievably difficult to write sometimes. So many fic authors struggle with his character, whether attributing a trait to him that he only appears to have, like thoughtlessness. Or project a trait onto him that he doesn't seem to have that much, like insecurity, or not knowing his own worth as a person/or not knowing the magnitude of his abilities.

WWX to me has always seemed to know exactly how skilled he is and what he is capable of, and he at least intellectually seems to be aware that he is not unlovable or worth less than others, even if he is required to act or treat himself as less than his peers due to classism and society. I've always felt that his attitude towards himself, his own worth and his own ability, is a sort of practicality that would come from growing up as a street kid whose only goal is survival, and who is completely aware of just how little the world cares if he does or not.

Then there's the concept of him being ridiculously oblivious/emotionally unintelligent, which many others have talked about before me. I think this idea in the fandom largely stems from the fact that Wei Wuxian doesn't pick up on a lot of small details that he later recognizes and realizes later on. But there's been a lot of discussion of how much of that was because of comphet, situational circumstances, and LWJ's own reticence that prevented or distracted WWX from making those connections earlier in the canon timeline. This means that this "obliviousness" is likely something that would change if the circumstances are different, such as WWX existing in a world with no comphet, or existing in a timeline where he isn't dealing with Wen indoctrinations or being severely traumatized by the burial mounds and a war, LWJ being less repressed and hot-cold etc, etc, etc.

Now, one WWX characterization i genuinely have such a hard time reading is manic pixie WWX. The ones where he's just... chirpy. Bubbly. (Usually really oblivious. Never intentionally breaking rules, he just can't help it! he's just too cute and enthusiastic uwu) I can't explain why, I don't even know why, but it grates on my every. last. nerve. (that being said, if u want to write manic pixie WWX, then write whatever u want, seriously. Don't even think about letting my opinion stop u from doing what you like and having fun)

As for depictions I really love to see: a WWX that kind of scoffs at rules/the system. One who genuinely has a somewhat poor opinion of LWJ's character before LWJ proves himself, because I like a good enemies/rivals-to-friends-to-lovers because that's how I believe he sees LWJ until LWJ punishes both himself and WWX and WWX goes "oooh u don't use the system to self-benefit or aggrandize or oppress, you're actually trying to be like, moral. I respect that, actually. Let's be friends and go on bromantic outings in Lotus Pier"

Or when WWX's teasing gets a little mean, because WWX can be a little mean, often unintentionally so, but still (think WWX showing LWJ porn/intentionally pushing LWJ's buttons, WWX making that comment about JL's mom). I think it's a character flaw of his that adds depth/complexity.

Also, WWX trolling people/enjoying mischief and making people question the "system." I've always felt his first-life self had the kind of annoying swagger that a guy who Knew He Looked Like That and Knew Exactly How Smart He Was that would honestly make me so annoyed if I knew him irl. Like, Mianmian, I get it. LWJ, I get it.

Basically, I like when his character is written to make u so mad you aren't sure if you want to throttle him or kiss him silly (especially if it's a LWJ pov). Or when he acts super carefree/silly, at the same time as he shows how scarily smart he is. It's the juxtaposition. The contradiction. *slaps hand on the metaphorical table in emphasis*

[TL;DR] So what i'm trying to say is, writing WWX is a challenge, but one that is so worth it.

Alright I've spent like an hour on this post, so though there's so much more I could talk about, I'll leave it at that for now. For those of you who would still really like a part 2 of that "so i read a comment bashing LWJ" post, i do plan to write more on that, so keep an eye out 👁️

[lavender-phoenix-flames]

Mdzs fandom made me realize how bad, absurd and absolutely irritating popular fanon misinterpretations could be cuz I have to see and tolerate posts calling wwx an oblivious unreliable narrator, jiang cheng an actual good person and lxc an angel have thousands of notes on daily bases and try my hardest not to explode in rage.

Seriously mdzs fandom really made me realize how horrible people can be at reading smh. Like I know media literacy and reading comprehension is low but this low damn...

[sunderwight]

Thinking about Lan Qiren being online and I'm pretty sure that he would fall for the Smooth Sharks Fallacy like every single time.

People would try and explain it to him and it wouldn't matter. He would still keep trying to bring academic articles into pie fights.

[seineko]

lan wangji and lan sizhui's relationship isn't discussed enough!

a-yuan was the reason lan wangji lived and i will stand by it as long as i have to.

i'm not talking about living in a physical sense. he would've done so being the light bearer he is, but the peerless hanguang-jun lost his light the second he knew wei wuxian breathed his last.

hanguang-jun was just that, a light bearer, not the source of it. he was the moon that depended on the sun to provide it to the people, but he already lost his sun.

he probably would've gotten sucked into the black hole that was left behind after his star died that he did not realize there was another sun right beside it until he heard the faint cries of a child.

a-yuan. (he was the sun that the last of qishan wen couldn't even hope to be.)

it's the ways in which lan wangji and sizhui's interactions are so subtly domestic that melts my heart completely.

the relationship they share that of a guardian-ward, of a father-son.

the way sizhui (along with jingyi and a few other lan juniors) scream 'hanguang-jun!' and are able to smile while being held hostage really says a lot about both the trust they have in him and how safe they feel around him.

sizhui saying that feels as if he has nothing to fear or worry about, so long as lan wangji or wei wuxian were around. the bone deep trust that he has that he will be safe if he's around either of them even if he was in the middle of a literal death trap had me pause for a few seconds to let myself bawl out.

it's in the way sizhui so willingly and so enthusiastically interacts with lan wangji while everyone around him (except a few of the lan juniors) are scared witless to even breathe the same air as him. even the lan juniors don't seem to have the ease that sizhui has. (okay, this may probably be me over reading into it, but i really did feel that way while reading.)

and, my favorite interaction, sizhui encountering that lan wangji buried a-yuan in a pile of rabbits will never ever make me stop smiling like an idiot.

they have one of the healthiest parent-child relationship i've seen and i so, so long for it.

it's as surprising as it is devastating how less they're talked about. a crime really.

[rininis]

favourite xiao zhan looks [1/?]

[wangxian-the-zhijis]

I didn’t want to say something. But I’m seeing a lot of posts that irritate me lately.

I saw a twitter/X thread back then that calls out artists who draw WWX as someone who’s shorter/extremely shorter than LWJ. Reading the comments on that thread and people just supported it and even said that those artist have no idea about canon. They also mentioned CQL and said that WWX is obviously much taller than LWJ there.

And the thing is… so what? If artists draw WWX as shorter than LWJ so what? Firstly, it’s canon but that’s not the main point of this argument. The main point is: Let artists have the freedom to express themselves however they want. If they want to draw WWX as a baby-height and LWJ as an overly tall man, then LET THEM! It’s their fucking right and who the fuck are y’all to shame them for doing something that they enjoy? If you don’t want the art, simple, SCROLL PAST IT. Or much better, try to fucking do your own version.

You see, these artists have probably spent years practicing/perfecting their own craft so they have the freedom to do whatever the hell they want because they earned it. None of you have any say to tell what an artist is supposed to draw except for the artist himself/herself.

And these days, I’ve also seen posts here in tumblr now shaming fanfic writers for liking a certain trope. I’m not gonna elaborate but they’re simply just saying stuff like “i can never understand people who depict lwj as—“ “why the hell do people think wwx is—“ I’m not gonna elaborate but basically they’re calling out fanfic writers.

So again, SO WHAT?! SO. FUCKING. WHAT? Whenever you click a fic, you are already in the writer’s territory. You are already in the writer’s mind and imagination that you are lucky enough to be in because the writer was skilled enough to share it to the world. These writers have talents and that’s why they chose to express themselves. Just like artists, writers also have the freedom to express themselves HOWEVER THE HELL THEY WANT and none of you have any say in it. If you don’t like a content, SCROLL PAST IT.

So what if I want to depict LWJ as a shy teenage girl who gets flustered every time his crush is around? So what if I make WWX suffer even in his second life just because I want angst? So what if I make LWJ a damsel in distress?

You see, artists and fanfic writers all have different perceptions and imaginations. So please stop shitting on it. Or I will fucking step on you.

If you have time to complain, then you also have time to draw or write your own imaginations. And it’s better to do the latter than to fucking shit on someone’s happiness and freedom.

[pastriesandpuffins]

why do jgy/xiyao haters think that xiyao only knew each other for like a couple of years, rather than like….. at least 15.

did they even read the novel??? are they not aware there’s a 13 year time skip???

[black-n-white-wings]

Yet again fascinated by tumblr users and how they feel the need to show they are such great people (/s). Just saw a post talking about how JYL, when she died, was focused on WWX, and how WWX was focused on her. Dramatic. Tragic. So much to say about it. The pain, and all. And in the tags, we have a "fuck JC" and basically "serves him right for being awful" (not exactly that but won't read it again).

Yeah, man, serves you right that your big sister died in your arms in the middle of a battlefield. You surely deserved to lose your entire family in such rapid fire because you weren't nice or stg like that. Drenched in the blood of your sister, the one that mothered you, saw you, cared for you the best she could, when you were barely out of childhood and already spiraling from the constant horror of wartime. You ass.

... Why? Were those tags necessary? Did you have to shit on a character that wasn't even relevant in your post that clearly focused on the relationship between JYL and WWX? Not even on him? Why did you have to say that anyone (even if they are fictional characters in a world where the author clearly tries to show nuances and grey morality) deserves to have their siblings die in their arms while they're powerless to do anything? Free of charge?

Anyway, I hate this app sometimes and my blocklist keeps getting longer.

[bionicpaladinarts]

I'm actually on the aroace spectrum. However... @yall-need-a-better-dm and a few others know my weakness...

[liverbiver9]

honestly, if someone got wwx wondering how big lwj’s dick was i think he’d figured things out sooner.

[gentlegentian]

I feel like the true cruelty of the lan sect is a really overlooked topic in the mdzs fandom, because when you think about it...

they practically forced madam lan into marriage so she wouldn't be executed because she killed one of her teachers, but gave her no trial or chance to explain why, and once she was married they simply locked her away and that was that. qingheng-jun then locked himself into seclusion once he had a kid and that was that, had no business with the rest of the sect and left xichen and wangji to grow up alone.

not to mention the fact that wangji even being born is suspicious... xichens conception makes sense, as they would've needed a sect heir, but wangji? how would he have been concieved, if madame lan was trapped away and qingheng-jun was in seclusion. either this is a plot hole im looking way too deep into or theres something darker happening there

in any case, the twin jades most likely did not have a good childhood. like at all. their father was completely absent, and once their mother died they were practically parentless. sure lan qiren raised them, but he was also acting as the lan sect leader whilst qingheng-jun was away, so i doubt he held much involvement in their raising other than making sure they stuck to the rules and were fed etc

SPEAKING OF THE RULES. the punishments the kids in the lan sect had to deal with?????? the fact that nhs, wwx and jc were beaten for rule breaking whilst they were staying at the lan sect as pupils just makes me wonder how badly they treat their own lan disciples if thats how they treat special guests from other clans. they were fifteen when that happened, FIFTEEN, so clearly the lan sect has no problem with LITERALLY BEATING children to teach a lesson.

its basically just abuse to keep a system in place, and it makes me wonder just how many times the twin jades suffered like that as kids to be as 'perfect' as they are as adults

the lan are so corrupt in their ways and i hate how we dont fully see that in the story until wangji is whipped for protecting wei ying. the whole situation is so fucking cruel and unnecessary it makes my blood boil whenever i reread/rewatch that part, because yes wangji did wrong by injuring the elders but the only reason he did so was because they were refusing to listen to him and quite literally trying to murder his lover.

i get he committed treason or whatever by fighting the elders but 33 whip lashes all in one go with NO breaks or healing time?? with a magical cultivated punishment whip as well, its genuinely like they were trying to kill him. even if he didnt die from the lashings themselves he could've gotten an infection, or had severe blood loss, or hell they coulve broken his spine with the force of it. it took so long for him to heal from that, and it left him with so many scars both physical and mental. that level of injury would've likely left him with some form of chronic pain or illness as well, and it was just so cruel for a situation that didn't ever need to come to this.

they forced him into seclusion, just like his father, and punished him for defending himself, just like they did his mother. xichen ended up similarly as well, with his seclusion after the events with jgy. the lan elders had seen the horrific end qingheng-jun and madame lan had, and yet did nothing to stop their children from facing the same trauma, even making theirs worse.

the lans praise themselves as a sect that sticks to righteousness and principles, when realistically its just full of hypocrites holding onto power by means of fear and punishment. they say that lwj broke the rules by fighting to save wwx, and yet somehow torturing him was completely within the rules of the clan.

their rules and image are merely a cover up for the downright abuse and silencing of their disciples, and its just so fucked up. i could rant about this for so much longer, but also wanna see what other people think before i delve into some of the other topics i have in mind that relate

[starrywangxian]

the next time i see someone say that jc x wwx is wrong on the basis of ignorance of the cultural context, i will flip.

[thirteenis-myluckynumber]

Oh fuck

Okay, I sometimes do cry when my favorite character dies but this… this has never happened to me.

From ep 19 to ep 25 I was so anxious about what happened to Wen Ning. I just wanted to see him so badly, like tell me he is okay, tell me he is still alive. And then ep 26 happened and I was so proud of WWX, he stood up to those bastards killing innocents. And the way he described what Wen Ning did since we last saw him. My baby I was so proud of him.

And then that scene came on. I just, I felt like I was thrown into a frozen lake. No warning, nothing. I do cry when my favorites die. But it usually takes me more time, some sad lines and conversations, sad music and so on. This was just a few seconds. My sweet, innocent boy being impaled, not even technically dying yet. And the tears came instantly. I’m still shaking as I’m writing this.

I swear to God, Wen Ning is the little brother I’ve never had. This emotional connection, I’ve never experienced anything like it.

Well, thanks for reading, I just really needed to get this off my chest

[nixster627]

I do not understand how people can love Nie Mingjue but hate Jiang Cheng. Like objectively speaking, they are very similar. Like not only do they both just have anger issues in general, but they both direct their anger towards those who don't necessarily deserve it (Jiang Cheng towards Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling, Nie Mingjue towards Nie Huaisang and literally every Wen even though only Wen Ruohan was at fault for killing his father).

Even thinking about their missions in life they are similar. After his father died, Nie Mingjue wanted to kill all the Wens as punishment even though they weren't the ones to kill his father because they should have stood up to Wen Ruphan instead of letting him continue to be in power (I don't actually remember if this is canon in the book, but this is how a lot of people write it in fanfics). Jiang Cheng started hunting down and killing demonic cultivators after Wei Wuxian's death even though none of them were actually Wei Wuxian because (I'm actually a little unclear on the why so I apologize if this is wrong) he didn't want to risk Wei Wuxian coming back and ruining his life again (?).

So I don't understand how you can like one but hate the other. My assumption is because Jiang Cheng is a much bigger character than Nie Mingjue so we see him more often and his major conflict is with the main character instead of Nie Mingjue whose major conflict was always with the objectively bad people, but I also think that people forget that Wei Wuxian was in fact considered a villain by everyone (except Lan Wangji) in the canon universe for most of the novel.

[factsilike]

I have plenty of gripes about the live action Untamed, but one thing it did get right is how awkward Asian family dinners can be.