#cultivation sect politics

[wangxianficrecs]

🔒 As good as by apathyinreverie

🔒 As good as

by apathyinreverie (@apathyinreverie)

T, 6k, Wangxian

Summary: Cangse Sanren would be disappointed. (Where LQR, right smack in the middle of the war, realizes that WWX doesn’t have a Core. He promptly enlists his own pining nephew in ensuring that, after winning the war for them, WWX is going to end up with GL instead of YJ. He owes that much to Cangse Sanren.) Kay's comments: Read this and understood why the author was struggling whether to tag good uncle Lan Qiren or bad uncle Lan Qiren lol. I mean, he creates a fix-it and is the force behind Wei Wuxian getting a better life during and after the Sunshot Campaign even with the outlook of a new golden core, but his methods are questionable, intentionally making Wei Wuxian addicted to regular energy transfusions which Lan Wangji is happy to supply. Really great read and a fascinating take on Lan Qiren. Excerpt: Wei Wuxian had been one of his brightest students. Clever and smart and curious in a way that spoke of a brilliant future. Qiren has been furious at the thought of the potential lost to the boy falling to the temptation of power. And yet. Qiren has done nothing to aid him, nothing to turn him back towards the righteous path. Not now. Not while it is the boy’s unorthodoxy that lets him carve a path for the Sunshot Campaign’s forces to march onwards. They are at war. Many of those fighting are still young, but many of them are also old enough to recognize a child risking his own soul for the benefit of all. It is disingenuous for the allied to claim distaste at his powers when they are also relying on him to aid their war. To win it for them. Yes, Cangse would indeed have been disappointed. But not only in her son. If anything, most of her disappointment might have been reserved for everyone else. For everyone watching and whispering and condemning but not doing anything to help.

pov lan qiren, canon divergence, lan qiren is so done, lan qiren tries, fix-it, golden core reveal, colden core transfer fix-it, addiction, manipulation, dual cultivation, tired wei wuxian, genius wei wuxian, developing relationship, getting together, friends to lovers, sunshot campaign, possessive lan wangji, protective lan wangji, angst with a happy ending, cultivation sect politics

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[hollowwhisperings]

I will remind the Fandom that Nie Huaisang very pointedly made it a point to never wear a saber (in public), to Loudly Complain when forced to, & that he did not go around "Swordless" in an Active Warzone.

Wei Wuxian, in contrast, spent most of his life wearing a sword & that, as First Disciple of the Yumeng Jiang, teaching swordforms was part of his job.

In xianxia settings, it is generally assumed that, by default of being cultivators, a Cultivator is always "Armed". At public events, cultivators give each other the "courtesy" of showing where that weapon is and, in turn, their hosts do not ask them to set said weapons aside.

So if Wei Wuxian, Famous Prodigy of the Jiang Sect & Current Military Powerhouse, is Not Visibly Armed? It means he is Non-Visibly Armed.

Wuxian Tried to Follow Courtesy via wearing his dizi in his sword's place: while sound in principle, this fails because no one believes a dizi is Wei Wuxian's "real" weapon.

This paranoia is then "justified" via WWX taking a Tiger Seal of all things out, mid-battle, from his robes and using that as his Weapon.

Of course Rule Abiders like Jiang Wanyin, Nie Mingjue & Jin Zixuan Challenge Wei Wuxian's breaching protocol by Not Wearing His Sword: if WWX is not openly wearing a sword, he is Actively Concealing his Weapon(s) and that, if challenged, he won't be using a sword. Given that they were in 1) an active warzone and then 2) the politically tense state of "we were just at war" (where WWX kept Pulling Random New Objects of Mass Destruction seemingly out of nowhere)? People want the "comfort" of seeing WWX wearing a sword: they know he's Dangerous but if he's wearing a sword, they can believe that he'll go for his sword first (and not, say, a stamp containing the souls of the damned to destroy them all).

Consider Madam Yu & Zidian: Yu-Furen wears a sword and is Pointedly Open about her Ring doubling as a Spiritual Whip. That said whip in ring-form "flashed" according to her Mood was, I suspect, Purposeful: it declared that Zidian was a secondary weapon, one she was just as willing to use as her sword.

While classism is a Genuine Theme within MDZS, Wei Wuxian's not following protocol as "First Disciple of Yumeng Jiang, Founder of [necromancy] & One-Man Army" by Not Showing His [Weapons] Openly was dangerous: Nie Huaisang "frivolous second son" & "lifelong noncombatant" was, in contrast, just "an embarassment" to everyone around him.

That WWX's detractors defaulted to [classism] was more reflective of the Nature Of His Wrongdoing than of his being "lowborn" (though that plays a part): WWX's breaching etiquette "proves" he lacks Respect for his Elders (held responsible for teaching Etiquette) &/or that his Elders are Not Respectable.

That second part is the Greater Slight, not really to WWX's Dead Parents but to Yumeng Jiang.

More specifically, WWX's going around with [concealed weapons] & sans his sword is an insult to: Jiang Fengmian & Yu-Furen, his foster-parents & formative teachers in sword cultivation; Lan Qiren, renowned master of Ettiquette & WWX's last known teacher... and Shijie (though only WWX & Jiang Wanyin really consider her as such).

Classism comes in but WWX's suddenly not wearing his sword anymore, during & after a war he actively fought in, has Much Higher Stakes than NHS going without a saber in public his entire life, a Known & Ridiculed "Non-Combatant". NHS worked very, very consistently to make himself as non-threatening as possible: WWX was terrifying when he was just a "genius" showing up Young Masters in public. Since the War & WWX's sword being nowhere in sight, a dizi "mockingly" in its place, it was Assumed that WWX was going around Secretly Armed with the Tiger Seal, something small enough for him to use at anytime with no one the wiser until it was too late.

I like how Nie Huaisang straight up refuses to cultivate and carry a sword and no one has anything to say about that because he’s a sect heir but when Wei Wuxian, son of a servant, does it suddenly it’s a problem.

[rejectedfables]

Given the way that Headshaker Huaisang goes to Jin Guangyao (and LXC) for solutions to so many of his problems, possibly/probably including struggles with running a sect, do you think maybe the Headshaker persona was as much a part of the revenge plot as it was a veil to hide behind? Like, oh you killed my brother, the head of the Nie sect? Fine. YOU run the sect then 🙃 It needs a leader and you killed him so now it's YOUR fucking problem, and I'm going to make it an incredibly annoying problem. Not a single cog will turn smoothly 🙃

[cubbyhole-for-flea-bee]

additional work doodles on stolen printer paper ft. Jiang Cheng meeting various dog breeds

cuz I feel like it would be a hoot watching this guy react to the ecclectic variety of pooches the world has to offer

[travalerray]

ideally what I want from MDZS is an epic length series telling me the details of the Sunshot Campaign (HOW DID JC BUILD THAT SECT UP FROM THE GROUND) and everything that happened in the 13 year gap (JGY and his time being the Chief Cultivator is something that can be very personal actually)

okay maybe what I ideally do want is something that delves into the nitty gritty details of the politics and the war in mdzs because I keep crying everytime I have to comprehend the insane amount of things that Just Happen in canon

[mxtxfanatic]

Hi there, I have a question that may seem mixed (its a bit culturally mixed in my head) I totally get that WWX wasn't adopted and so he didn't expect (or got) parental affection never something close to equal standing to the Jiang children. But, as a mere disciple, what were his responsibilities and rights and what was his sect leaders (shifu & shimu) responsibilities towards him or had the right (considered rightful) to demand of him as a child that joined their sect? Or to broad things to more than orphans (in case it doesn't weight there) what level of care should expect parents for their children once they joined a sect???

Was there an even remote Chinese equivalent to: "in loco parentis"?

I've answered a similar ask to this on the duties of a first disciple, since he was one. Truth is that we actually don't get the details of what was actually expected of Wei Wuxian (or any disciple, really) as disciples per the rules of their affiliated clans. As for the responsibility of the clan and clan leaders: the clan is meant to take care of you like family. If a family sends their child off to be the disciple of someone else's clan or sect and that clan or sect accepts them, the clan/sect is fully responsible for the care, education, and training of that disciple until the day that they separate from the sect or die. Same with orphans as with disciples who still have family outside. In other novels, the divide between orphaned and non-orphaned disciples could be a source of conflict (non-orphaned disciples in a sect might be the direct descendants of a cultivation clans or just have rich parents who send them material resources and offer prestige that an orphaned disciple would obviously have no access to other than through their own hard work). But mdzs isn't about the conflict in that way, especially since it operates with clans as the dominating organization system of the cultivation world, no longer sects.

For the Jiang in mdzs, their responsibilities towards Wei Wuxian as a ward and disciple were to make sure that he was clothed, fed, educated, and trained up in martial arts. Wei Wuxian would then, in turn, bring prestige to the clan with his skills and, as first disciple, help with other upkeep attached to that title (whatever they may be). The things that were not a part of his duties as disciple were: being close to the head family of the clan or being the clan heir's personal companion. Those came with him being the son of the clan leader's deceased close friend, not because he was a regular disciple.

[labyrynth]

ok so your first problem was assuming mdzs is a story where Good People are Rewarded and Bad People are Punished.

your second problem was assuming that MXTX—who goes out of her way to showcase unresolved, tragic, undeserved endings in all of her works—would ever write a story with such a shallow notion of “deserving.”

the only reason wangxian makes it out unscathed is because they’re literally the protagonists. authorial intent and plot armor ensure their happy ending. that’s it.

[stiltonbasket]

absolutely love the wrh raises wwx au! is there a reason that the sunshot campaign is happening so many years later than canon in this au? did wwx play any role in delaying the start of the war?

Yes! It's my personal headcanon that novel!Wen Ruohan only started the war because he realized that his own sons were nowhere near as talented as Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji, etc; but in this verse, Wen Ruohan postponed the start of the war because he had Wei Wuxian.

As in canon, Wen Ruohan destabilized the Nie sect several years before Wangxian met by murdering Nie Mingjue's father, and Lan Xichen never stood out as a threat because he dropped out of the competitive cultivation circuit to raise Jingyi when he was only 23. Lan Wangji stopped attending tournaments the same year LXC did, so Wen Ruohan paid very little attention to the Lan sect until he stumbled across Jingyi night-hunting with Jin Ling about fifteen years later.

At that point, Wen Ruohan was reasonably confident that Wen Xu would be a decent successor; but Wen Xu and his wife had three daughters and refused to keep trying for a son, and Wen Chao had been unable to father any children despite having a wife and several mistresses. What was worse (to WRH) was that Wei Wuxian was unmarried—under Wen Ruohan's own orders—and had no heirs other than Sizhui, who was categorically incapable of fighting anything but fierce corpses/yaoguai because he was terrified of injuring or killing another person. As a result, Wen Ruohan finally attacked the Cloud Recesses when Sizhui was about 17.

[staunchen]

so i was thinking about lan wangji and how he has this reputation of being righteous while also in my opinion acting like an asshole? like he acts very petty and is ready to pull his sword on people a lot and isn't really involved in politics even in a way that makes sense as a high ranking member of a sect? like the silencing spell on jin ling is uh. bad.

it's like lan wangji has scary dog privilege by virtue of his reputation and his brother and uncle who will wreck you if you do or say anything to/about him. except thats not right because theyre not scary dogs at all, they just protect him. it's like lan wangji is a scary dog and lan xichen and lan qiren smooth things over and stop him from doing something too awful and calm others down after lan wangji does something not too great. and i guess with the reputation for being righteous (second jade of lan) is enough to deter people from saying/doing things like "hey he's a dick" because dude that's hanguang-jun, what are you talking about???".

and the people he saves on night hunts or whatever are random civilians who don't interact with him enough to see him behave badly, and a cool and aloof powerful cultivator saving them gets a lot of leeway on account of being a famous powerful cultivator and also being someone who saved them from fierce corpses or spirits or healed their kid or grandparent or whatever. who cares if theyre quiet and kinda rude they saved their sister!!!!!

so when lan wangji is a dick to jin ling or fucks off from political stuff or is ready to pull his sword on jiang cheng in the jiang ancestral hall or whatever he's doing so with the reputation of hanguang-jun who saves people and also is supported by lan xichen (lan sect leader and brother) and lan qiren (former acting sect leader, uncle, teacher) and they are protective and dare i say overindulgent of lan wangji???? like bro you are a political figure whether you like it or not, your actions have effects on things besides your own direct personal circle. like the heir of gusu lan pulling a sword on sect leader jiang is fucking political incident whether or not theyre both being assholes or not. the adult heir of gusu lan using the lan silencing spell on the teenage heir of lanling jin is a political incident. not engaging with other sects politically, ever, says important things about your priorities and your influence both within the sect and without.

also like. what if something happened to gusu lan? like say lan xichen is injured, and lan qiren is also out of commission for some reason? that means lan wangji is acting sect leader. can you IMAGINE lan wangji as sect leader. imagine it. really visualize it. there's a lot of jokes about lan wangji being a petty bitch and people love it but imagine a petty bitch as a sect leader. the situation would blow up faster than lans get drunk on a glass of wine. like dude. so much stuff would be totally fucked.

anyway lan wangji as he is in mdzs would be a shit sect leader/chief cultivator/etc. he doesn't behave like he's intimately involved in the politics of his world (which he is) and may or may not have training in doing so - maybe he has training and just doesn't do it? which is also really bad, then he would know better and still not do it or help in any way.

[wangxianficrecs]

Going on charmingly by scribbet

Going on charmingly

by scribbet

T, 21k, Wangxian

Part of the MDZS Reverse Big Bang: 2023

Summary: He pulled the door open smoothly, leaving the noisemaker with their fist still raised mid-knock. He could glimpse white robes underneath a thick and practical-looking travel cloak, but surely no member of his sect would think to barge in upon him in such a way. “Hello!” the interloper exclaimed, a bright smile coming into view as he lifted the sopping veils away to one side. “Would you happen to know how to reach the Cloud Recesses?” Or, a teenage Wei Wuxian arrives at the Lan sect as a (mostly) respected disciple of the Immortal Baoshan Sanren instead of the well-known troublemaker of Yunmeng Jiang. Lan Wangji learns to come to terms with this (eventually). Kay's comments: I haven't read many Baoshan Sanren disciple Wei Wuxian stories so far and I'm always delighted to see them, especially if they are as well done as this one! I really enjoyed Wei Wuxian arriving at the lectures (unknowingly) a few weeks early and getting to integrate himself into the Lan Sect before the other guest disciples joined and him being given the opportunity to bond with Lan Wangji first outside of a classroom. Lan Wangji himself also got his eyes opened to the culvation world's hypocrizy a lot earlier, which I appreciate! All in all, a lovely story! Excerpt:“Your Grandmaster is?” “Baoshan Sanren.” The stranger uttered this as if it was no way remarkable, but Lan Wangji found himself once again lost for words. The immortal Baoshan Sanren had secluded herself and her disciples away for nearly a century now, and it was incredibly rare for any news at all to make its way from her hidden mountain home, never mind an actual person. The last time it had taken place was over a generation ago, and it had caused considerable uproar among the cultivation world – due, as far as Lan Wangji could glean for vague references, to both the exceptional talent of the individual and the thwarted interest several prominent individuals took in them. “Your mother…” He tried to settle on some part of the blithe statement to address first, “…you are the child of Cangse Sanren?” Lan Wangji hadn’t realised it was possible for that smile to light up any further but apparently he’d been mistaken. “Yes! You’ve heard of her! I wasn’t sure if anyone would remember her by now but they must have if you know her name. And you don’t look much older than me, you can’t have met her yourself –someone must have thought her interesting enough to tell you about as well!”

pov lan wangji, canon divergence, cloud recesses study arc, different first meeting, wei wuxian is baoshan sanren's disciple, wei wuxian isn't adopted by the jiangs, genius wei wuxian, petty lan wangji, meddling lan xichen, cultivation sect politics, fluff and humor, getting to know each other, developing relationship, pre-relationship

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[backpackingspace]

once again I am on my it's hilarious that lan wangji is chief cultivator bs

[coresurgery]

after some thought I've decided that the mdzs "contractually obligated f/f ship with no canon backing bc women aren't allowed to talk to each other" that I'm most into is jiang yanli/mianmian

I guess it's cheating a bit because I think jiang yanli/jin zixuan/mianmian could also be a REALLY interesting throuple, and wwx is so oblivious that it could technically be canon too lmao

[yunmeng-jiang]

This got a little long, so my thoughts on it are under the cut!

Personality:

"Personality not too strong" (like a lot of these requirements) comes off to me as JC saying "the opposite of my mom." Therefore, I think his idea of a personality that IS too strong is:

talks over you in conversation/doesn't let you get a word in, insists that their view is the right one and they if you disagree you're denying reality

imposes their will over yours, doesn't want to let you make your own choices, doesn't support you in your decisions

nags and belittles you, complains loudly and incessantly about your habits

Lan Xichen doesn't fit that description at all - he's gentle, offers advice rather than demands, is willing to make compromises when needed, and is supportive of his loved ones.

Talkativeness:

I think this falls partially under the first point in the section above, but also involves a willingness to set aside quiet time - this one, I think, is also influenced by Wei Wuxian in some ways. Jiang Cheng is shown to be frustrated by WWX's constant conversation and noise, expressing a desire to be left alone sometimes or at least not be constantly talked at.

Lan Xichen is very good at discerning people's needs and wants, including in conversation; he doesn't overwhelm LWJ by talking too much, and he's willing to just sit and spend time with JGY, or quietly drink tea with his uncle, or just play music on his own. I think he perfectly fits the bill on this one.

Hard-working and thrifty:

We see that he is hard-working in the novel, when he insists on helping Meng Yao with house chores despite his physical state - admittedly, laundry is not his strong suit, but with that plus his dedication to cultivation training to the point where he's considered to be one of the best cultivators in his general, and his efforts to lead his sect well, I think we can say he's hard-working.

"Thrifty" is a bit less obvious, considering that he grew up in luxury, but the fact that he was an efficient and effective leader to his heavily-affected sect during and after the war, and rebuilt Cloud Recesses when it had suffered significant damages (and probably the loss of many sect treasures) while also recruiting and training new disciples and restoring their library, tells me that he has a good mind for budgeting. It's true that JGY did offer him some monetary help with the rebuilding efforts, but that was still a difficult and expensive task!

Must treat Jin Ling nicely:

Given that he's kind even to those rejected by society or deemed too difficult to deal with and generally has a gentle, polite, and friendly demeanor - even towards Wei Wuxian, who he's pretty upset with post-timeskip - I think it's also safe to assume that he'd be good to Jin Ling!

Summary/caveats:

All in all, I think Lan Xichen fits all of Jiang Cheng's requirements except for the one about cultivation not being too high.

Now, it's probable that JC was thinking of women when he created this list, since he cares about his duty to his sect and part of that is producing heirs (though he is unmarried post-timeskip, I would guess that he's either planning on adopting, naming one of his disciples as heir, or just putting it off until Jin Ling is older, or - unlikely but possible - he already has a wife and he just never mentioned it/she never came up,) and it's very possible that he's not attracted to men - same with LXC, if you don't read xiyao, nielan, etc as romantic.

Another aspect of this is that Lan Xichen is also a sect leader. Jiang Cheng obviously doesn't want to give up his sect for the sake of a marriage, and I don't believe LXC would either, so that's a definite hurdle! Maybe they could get together post-canon if Lan Xichen ends up leaving his brother in charge of the sect, but I don't know how likely that is.

lan xichen vs jiang cheng's partner requirements

the image is a screenshot of lan xichen from MDZS Q.

was not too sure about a lot of these so i did kind of guess.

explanations:

naturally beautiful: yes

graceful and obedient: is graceful. also seems much more respectful of authority and tradition than his brother; will try to find a compromise or do as he's told rather than directly oppose you?

hard-working and thrifty: uncertain how thrifty he is given that he comes from a rich sect. then again maybe he learned when hiding with meng yao.

comes from a respected family: yes

cultivation level not too high: no

personality not too strong: tbh idk what this means? he's more willing to hear you out than most of the cast but you probably could not steamroll him in an argument.

not too talkative: idk man he seems to like to chat. but idk man.

voice not too loud: seems to speak at a normal volume.

must treat jin ling nicely: uncertain, we don't really see him interact with jin ling.

[fairsweetlonging]

time travel au where liu qingge and shen qingqiu (yuan) end up accidentally traveling a decade back in time before luo binghe was amitted to qing jing peak and before shen qingqiu had his qi deviation, but after their generation has risen to peak lords.

which means, shen yuan realizes quickly, as they're accosted by said peak lords, that he will have to face shen jiu.

as they're being cleared for demonic energy and the likes, mu qingfang of course instantly detects the poison without a cure eating away at shen yuan's meridians. liu qingge pulls a copy of the treatment plan out of his sleeve (shen yuan blushes a bit, did liu qingge always keep that on hand?), and just like in the current timeline, they agree to keep it under wraps.

shen jiu tries various times to get a moment alone with shen yuan, but he never quite manages because liu qingge is there, who is also... nice?? to him?? for some reason?? shen jiu gets a bit flustered at the solemn politeness and skitters off.

it comes out pretty quickly that shen yuan has "memory loss", and thus can't remember anything that's currently taking place in this time. shen yuan expects scorn, hatred and disdain from shen jiu, expects to be grabbed and interrogated, to arouse suspicion.

but shen jiu looks....... sad???

being transported here threw shen yuan's qi off-balance (even liu qingge had to sit down, which means it's bad), and his cultivation is already so unstable, so when the peak lords are all squabbling and arguing and threatening and raising their voice, he can feel his body shut down. he sees yue qingyuan start to move towards him, which, knowing the future yue qingyuan, he really isn't up for right now—but before the sect leader can get to him someone else is at his back, transferring him qi, holding him up gently by his shoulders, then coaxing him up, leading him outside

shen yuan's been fed qi by every peak lord at least once. he doesn't recognize this one. that means it can only be one person.

he looks up. it's shen jiu.

and it's bizarre, getting fussed over by the scum villain, having gentle hands run along his back, his hair, that clear, soothing voice calming him down. and somehow shen jiu knows exactly what to do?? somehow it works perfectly on him?? it's almost as if shen jiu has known him his whole—

oh.

bodies, like homes, hold memories, even if the original occupants are no longer there. it's the milestone marks on the doorpost that chart a child's growth, blurry photographs faded by time, scuffed floors from well-walked paths, and tiny holes in the walls where pictures once hung.

shen jiu takes him to the bamboo house, pours him tea, and asks, calmly, what he remembers from their childhood.

it's not his childhood, so shen yuan doesn't actually remember anything, but the body he's in does. the memories it holds are emotional rather than visual; he remembers being alone, scared, and hungry. he remembers anger, pain. a dark room. loud voices. he remembers his heart skipping a beat when heavy boots stomp his way. the sound of a whip.

he doesn't have to lie. the memories aren't his own, and they're from long ago, which means shen jiu has them too. and, he supposes, this is his only chance to find out what really happened.

but shen jiu doesn't say anything about it. he just nods and stares, intensely. then he asks shen yuan if he remembers yue qingyuan. shen yuan says no, he doesn't. the conversation takes a very strange turn after that. shen yuan can't help but feel a little queasy when shen jiu asks him if yue qingyuan has taken advantage of his memory loss.

"has he come into your home? has he brought you gifts, sweets? does he invite you for tea? did you accept?"

he has. shen yuan doesn't know why that would be a problem, the sect leader has been nothing but kind and helpful and patient. and generous, too.

when he says yes shen jiu looks furious.

liu qingge (his one) comes to pick him up, and his time with shen jiu is cut short. somewhere he's glad, cuddling into liu qingge's back as he holds him while they fly. he feels a little bad for yue qingyuan, knowing he's probably caused a big fight, but it doesn't sit right with him. he wishes he knew what happened.

.

liu qingge, meanwhile, is having the time of his life fighting himself. it's good practice!

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

No hate to cql or anything but every time I read a fic that has Lan Wangji be the Chief Cultivator I die inside. Because like. NO. That’s a TERRIBLE IDEA for everyone involved. First of all, Lan Zhan cannot communicate properly enough to be a politician, and his main priority is his husband. He is not suited for that role. Second of all, the novels’ implication that the next Chief Cultivator (if there even is one) would be Nie Huaisang is actually very important for Wei Wuxian’s character development?? Like, Wei Wuxian knows that Nie Huaisang is a lil conniving bitch who painstakingly arranged for the downfall of the most powerful man in the cultivation world, manipulating multiple people to their deaths (or at least emotional ruins) all for his own revenge. He knows that Nie Huaisang is capable of as much damage as Jin Guangyao, and that he’s poised to take over his seat of power. Wei Wuxian knows all of that and, very deliberately, decides not to give a fuck.

Wei Wuxian, who spent his entire life picking up the messes of other people, destroying himself in the process, only to have those same people spit in his face and make him a pariah, sees this potential Problem for the cultivation world and goes, “You know what? That’s none of my business.” and runs off to elope with his boyfriend. Like, Nie Huaisang probably won’t be as bad as Jin Guangyao. He’s been shown to have more human decency, at the very least. But he also spent the entire series expertly lying to everyone, so much so that we really don’t know what he plans to do now that he’s gotten his revenge. And you know what? That’s fine. He can fuck over all the four great sects if he’d like, because the cultivation world’s politics have been a corrupt shitshow for decades, and it’s their job to sort that shit out. It’s certainly not Wei Wuxian’s job. He’s done enough, and he deserves this one moment of selfishness. He deserves to get his own happy ending and settle down with the family he’s always wanted and not have to worry about saving all those ungrateful assholes. Wei Wuxian is at least on good terms with Nie Huaisang (it was awfully convenient that his old friend’s revenge scheme coincidentally involved resurrecting him and setting him up with his crush) and he trusts that he won’t fuck with him or his family.

And that’s good enough for him! Lan Wangji is similarly happy to spend the rest of his life with Wei Wuxian, and after 13 years of mourning he’s sure as fuck not gonna ruin his second chance to go play politics with the most obnoxious people in the world. The ideal ending for both of them is a happy marriage that mainly involves doing their own thing, night hunting together, fucking every day, and teaching the kids. Their calling, where other people are concerned, is absolutely as teachers, and nothing more.

[sunderwight]

Yue Qingyuan is a fun character because depending on what angle you look at him from, he is either surprisingly well-adjusted or surprisingly unhinged.

If you're looking at Yue Qingyuan, the composed, reasonable, ever-polite sect leader, you will probably be taken aback by how much of that is just smoke and mirrors. And not just like one layer, either, it's not simple like "beneath that smiling facade he's actually an ambitious asshole" or something, no, beneath the first layer of smoke and mirrors there is another one, and then another one, all piled up and twisted together over a core that is a terrified and starving child. He's like one of those old English pubs where the wood rot is so thorough that it's actually what's keeping the roof from collapsing.

But if you're looking at the former slave child who had to be the biggest, most responsible of a gang of neglected and traumatized urchins, who ran away to become a cultivator only to make a wrong choice that got his entire body and spirit taken apart and put back together again, only to lose the one relationship that mattered to him, then the fact that he's anything other than a weeping mess on the floor is genuinely impressive.