#he and Jiang Cheng also just have an entirely different relationship!

[annalacerda17]

So, I was thinking about how it seems like a huge part of the MDZS fandom has really poor reading comprehension, and I came to the conclusion that that's true, but also, that CQL is partly to blame for rampant misinterpretation of several characters. I think people who came to this fandom through CQL and only read the book afterwards (or not at all) are more likely to have formed certain opinions that are very different from what the book says.

When it comes to CQL, I think basically the entire pre-timeskip part of it is a mess. First off, the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng is totally different. CQL insisted on inserting Jiang Cheng in places where he wasn't needed, they made up that disgusting romance between him and Wen Qing - like, book! Wen Qing wouldn't spare him a second glance. She literally saw him throwing tantrums left and right like a total toddler for a while, and she'd never consider him a potential love interest, she saw right through the pretentious prick- and to me that's made all the more horrific when we consider their actual relationship in the book: Wen Qing saved Jiang Cheng's life after Wen Ning had already taken huge risks to rescue him and she helped him hide and evade the Wens, she gave him medical care, which is already a huge favor if we don't take into account the core-transfer surgery, which Jiang Cheng didn't know Wen Qing was a the surgeon of (he did know, however, that Wei Wuxian was the one who helped him get a new golden core, so he doesn't get a pass there). But in return, Jiang Cheng refused to help her and her people after the war, and worse, he joined hands with the Jin sect in order to destroy his savior and her people. But CQL inserted a romance there????

Still on Wen Qing, CQL made her somewhat complicit - even if reluctantly so - in Wen Rouhan's evil schemes by making her go to the Cloud Recesses as a Spy. This plot didn't exist in the book at all. But what this does is to blame her for how the sects treated the Wen remnants after the war. This muddies the waters in a truly terrible way,when in the book it's very clear who is the victim and who are the perpetrators.

Then, there's the actor who played Jiang Cheng, and I don't know if he just chose how he wanted to act this character or if he was instructed to act this way, but the Jiang Cheng in CQL very strange. I think they interpreted the character as that misunderstood poor baby that his stans think he is, and that's how he is portrayed in all of the CQL-only scenes. But when he appears in a scene that's from the novel, he is portrayed as he is in the novel - a selfish, self-centered, angry, and violent man. So I can see how someone who first met this character in CQL might've come out of it confused about what this character is like, because the Jiang Cheng portrayed in CQL is inconsistent.

CQL definitely played up the "friendship" between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, which was mostly done in the beginning, before the sects' disciples were made into hostages by the Wens. Up until that point, their relationship is portrayed like a normal friendship and when Jiang Yanli is inserted, it sometimes does look like a brotherhood. Especially in the Cloud Recesses arc and later when they go chase the pieces of Yin Tiger Tally. However, that's not how their relationship is portrayed in the novel, and that whole arc of chasing the Yin Tiger Tally is non-existent, because in the novel it's Wei Wuxian who creates the Yin Tiger Tally, and it works differently from what's shown in CQL anyway. In fact, everything about Wei Wuxian's cultivation is completely different in CQL.

Then, after Lotus Pier was attacked, we stared to get a few glimpses of book Jiang Cheng. But even then it was mixed with a lot of crying and toddler like tantrums that even the book version of Jiang Cheng - who also loves to play the victim no matter how unreasonable it might be - would feel embarrassed.

Only at the first siege of the burial mounds do we get a more book like version of Jiang Cheng - a murderous asshole - and even that is framed in an ambiguous way. Like, remember that scene in CQL where Wei Wuxian falls down that cliff? A lot of people thought Jiang Cheng had hit the stone (with his sword) on purpose, and that he hadn't meant to kill Wei Wuxian. Now, I personally think it's quite obvious that Jiang Cheng was, in fact, trying to kill Wei Wuxian, and the book tells us that that's what he did during the first siege of the burial mounds, although that didn't involve a cliff, but I also think that for someone whose first contact with this character came from CQL, they might look at this and think of that first part of the story, where their "friendship" was played up a lot, and then look at the actors crying face, and reach the wrong conclusion. I think the portrayal of Jiang Cheng is awful. The actor only showed 2 expressions throughout: moderately happy or angry-crying. That can make it difficult for the audience to discern what emotion they are supposed to see there.

Then, by the end, they inserted that line where Jiang Cheng thinks of Wei Wuxian and says "live well" with a nostalgic smile on his face. Where did that come from????

Moving on, CQL is also responsible for spreading the idea that Wei Wuxian had depression or that he was suicidal. This i don't think is the fault of the actor, because he was clearly told to act this way. But CQL tried to make the story a lot more angsty in general, maybe to make up for the lack of an explicit romance. Although I have to give them credit for making sure everyone who watched it knew without a shadow of doubt that wangxian was a couple, despite censorship.

CQL also downplayed Wei Wuxian's genius. This to me was a poor choice. I understand that they had to make some changes when it came to Wei Wuxian's cultivation because of censorship, but I'm sure they could've done it ia a way that didn't take away his accomplishments.

Another thing that I blame CQL for is the abominable existence of the XiYao ship, or at least for it's popularity. First, they inserted Jin Guangyao into the Cloud Recesses arc, then they played up all of his interactions with Lan Xichen, and framed it how we would typically see a romantic couple's relationship develop in most dramas. I think this gave a lot of viewers the idea that Jin Guangyao liked Lan Xichen first, but then became corrupt as the story progressed. However, in the book, Jin Guangyao had been manipulating and using Lan Xichen from the beginning. Their relationship has much more of a sinister feel to it from the beginning in the books.

Anyway, right now I can't think of any other problem brought into the fandom by CQL, but I'm sure there's a lot more. My brain is tired now, so I'll stop here.

[touchlikethesun]

my last post was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but why i headcanon jiang cheng as being aroace really has nothing to do with his colour palette (okay maybe a little to do with that), and more to do with how he clearly centers platonic relationships in his life.

like this does not apply in the untamed and the added romantic subplot with wen qing (which i have complex and not entirely positive feelings about tbqh), but in all other versions the only relationships that we see mattering to him at all are the ones with his siblings, parents, and nephew. and it's not that he doesn't have the opportunity to pursue a romantic partner (even with how busy he is... other characters are just as busy and they still find the time for romantic relationships...), he just doesn't have an interest in it.

for all his unpleasantness, jiang cheng really cares about his family, and he puts a lot of effort into looking after them, protecting them, and just plain spending time with them. and from the way he behaves, i think it's obvious that he gets the fulfillment he needs purely through those relationships.

what makes this headcanon a bit sad is that jiang cheng also deals with similar struggles that aroace people face, because while he consistently prioritises his platonic relationships, the allo people he's prioritising in his life do not do the same to him. with jin ling it's different, because he's jin ling's care-taker/quasi-parent, jin ling doesn't owe him anything and jiang cheng really doesn't expect that from him (except maybe keeping himself safe and fucking listening to jiang cheng for once in his life goddammit!!! but like yk). but with jiang yanli and wei wuxian, his siblings, people he views as equal partners?

i am not saying that jiang yanli and wei wuxian don't care about jiang cheng, they do they do they do care for him so much! but they also have romantic partners. jiang yanli moves out to live with jin zixuan, so she's not around every day. wei wuxian is always chasing after lan wangji, and leaving jiang cheng behind. regardless of how much jiang cheng wants for his siblings to be happy, it still hurts to be the one left. idk i feel like that is a pretty relatable part of the aroace experience, and it felt pretty poignant with jiang cheng.

aroace!jc isn't necessarily angsty for me tho, especially post-canon, after he's had time to heal and rebuild xx

[thelyinggrapevine]

What is below the cut is a list of some extra headcanons (+ Relationship Dynamic Headcanons) for MDZS.

FOREWARNING! I do not ship bash, nor do I tolerate it. If your opinions on ships and their relating dynamics differ from mine, that's okay! I may have ships of my own that I prefer to be romantic, while you may think the opposite, and vise versa. THAT IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. Just, for the love of the gods, do not bash the ships. They are fictional characters, who cares that much?

It is rather short as of now, but hopefully that will be rectified! if you have any ideas or headcanons of your own that you wish to add, please feel free to say them!

Extra Headcanons

The stronger your cultivation level, the more you are able to do that others may not realize is possible. For Example, if a cultivator’s spiritual power is high enough, they can make their spiritual weapon turn into a tattoo somewhere on their body.

The Sect Leader outfits are like those of the game version, or at least more intricate than how they are perceived in canon.

Cultivators are known to have very long lifespans, long enough to where someone in their 90s would be considered young. The longest a cultivator (who wasn’t immortal) lived was recorded to be 328 years old.

Relationships (Romantic/Platonic)

Wangxian (One-sided(?) → Romantic)

[...]

Xicheng (Platonic → Romantic)

[...]

Zhuiling (Romantic)

[...]

SangCheng (Romantic → Platonic)

They had developed a crush on each other during their time at the Cloud Recesses but only acted on those feelings in a moment of shared grief after Wei Ying’s death. They dated for a few years but ended up ending things when Huaisang became too distant after his brother’s death. They still ended up staying friends, though, and later became sworn brothers.

Being sworn brothers was not intended to be a secret, but they also never said anything about it (but they also didn’t hide it either, people were just either completely blind to it, or thought they started dating again).

Xiyao (Romantic(?) → Enemies(?))

They had feelings for one another, but unlike Sangcheng, they never fully acted on them, as Lan Huan was a sect leader and Meng Yao was (for a little while) only classified as the “son of a prostitute” by others. The way their relationship was shown to others only became closer when Meng Yao was publicly/formerly accepted into the Jin Clan and became Jin Guangyao.

There was a time when they were in a “situationship” of some sort, but it never got any further than that as Jin Guangyao was quick to put an end to anything since he was set to marry Qin Su (his sister 🤢) in the coming months.

During the following years, Lan Huan never completely lost feeling for the other until the events at Guanyin Temple happened and Jin Guangyao’s masterplan was revealed in front of all of them.

Jin Guangyao has a hard time determining his exact feelings for Lan Huan. He can’t entirely say that he was in love with him, but he can admit that he did have feelings for him, even if it was only a small amount and lasted for not even a year

Jin Guangyao knew of Lan Huan’s feelings for him and used them for his benefit.

Zhancheng (Rivals(?) → Familial/Platonic)

While they were younger in the Cloud Recesses, they felt as if they had to compete against each other for the attention of Wei Ying, so in consequence, they didn’t like each other too much.

During the three months that Wei Ying was gone and they went on all of those search missions together for him, they began to get closer. 

When Lan Zhan was out of his (forced) seclusion, he asked Jiang Cheng for help in order to raise a child (Lan Huan bugged him about asking the Sect Leader since they were both single parents and similar in age). He was reluctant about it at first because of the falling out they had during the Burial Siege, but they started to get closer after a few months.

Jiang Cheng knew immediately that “Lan Yuan” was actually Wen Yuan, but he didn’t say anything about it. 

During the times when both Lan Huan and Lan Zhan would be away on official business, Jiang Cheng would be the one to take care of Lan Yuan if the boy couldn’t go with the Twin Jades. While the boy was at Lotus Pier, he was taught to swim and had small playdates with Jin Ling (as well as following Jiang Cheng like a little duckling all around YunmengJiang).

[hamliet]

Your MXTX metas are the only thing keeping me sane while I’m bedridden with COVID, lol. Anyways back to the question. What do you think Wei Wuxian’s most prominent character flaws are? While I personally believe he’s a good person, I often feel like people try too hard to portray him as almost perfect and in the right in every situation he’s in, when he doesn’t by any means have to be and in fact shouldn’t be for the themes of the story to make sense.

OMG I hope you feel better soon!! I've had Covid and it suuuucks.

I think his most prominent flaw is essentially that he doesn't think he matters. Which is ironic because on the surface, it comes across as "isn't that a good thing, to focus on others?" Or as "but it only hurts himself!"

Not true, though. MDZS takes a really nuanced look at the individual and society, and while it warns against groupthink and encourages people to make up their own minds, it also warns against cutting yourself off from human ties and relationships. WWX does exactly this.

In thinking he doesn't matter, he can push people too far without realizing what he's doing because it's just him, he doesn't matter, so whatever he does won't actually affect them. And in thinking he doesn't matter, he sacrifices himself again and again and again without realizing that this is hurting the people who love him, like Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli.

Wei Wuxian's other flaw is pride--that he thinks he can control things that he ultimately can't, because he's just a human being. Human beings have impact and make a difference, but they can't control outcomes. Clearly, this is what led to Jin Zixuan's death.

I often feel like people try too hard to portray him as almost perfect and in the right in every situation he’s in, when he doesn’t by any means have to be and in fact shouldn’t be for the themes of the story to make sense.

Yeah, I feel like this is the case a lot in the fandom, and The Untamed's censored adaptation also meant that they had to scrub away a lot of his flaws. The donghua even more so. So, people are inclined to lead with that framing, when in reality the entire story is founded on the idea that no one is entirely right all the time, or entirely wrong all the time either.

[yunmeng-jiang]

ok it's time for my Official Jiang Cheng Ship Opinions Post. buckle in this is gonna take a bit

Xicheng: I like it in 1 extremely specific circumstance (bonding over very similar experiences post-canon) but I've only seen that done well like. twice. NEEDS to have good characterization (also rare unfortunately) and take into account what they can and can't do as their own sect leaders with regards to courtship/marriage.

Chengqing: perfect in every way. that's it that's all I need to say.

Sangcheng: ehhhhh? Cute in Cloud Recesses summer camp era, not feasible post-canon due to irreconcilable differences in worldview and how much danger it's acceptable to put Jin Ling in.

Zhancheng: honestly I prefer this to be platonic. Hatefucking is not my jam and LWJ is Wei-Ying-sexual in canon anyway. Give Jiang Cheng a friend who is as weirdly obsessed with Wei Wuxian as he is but in a slightly different way. I want to see them coming to terms with that.

Ningcheng: again, someone just as weirdly obsessed with Wei Wuxian, but a little to the left. I don't think either one of them is ever going to look at the other and not see "the guy WWX likes better than me." Maybe someday they'll form a relationship that isn't based entirely around Wei Wuxian, but it seems kind of unlikely.

Chengyao: I'm actually coming around to this a bit recently? Again, it really needs to keep good characterization at the forefront and consider their positions as individual sect leaders, and remember that their "divorced couple energy" is part of the Guanyin Temple shitshow and not the way they would usually behave, especially for Jin Ling's sake. I want to see more fics where Meng Yao grows up with the Jiang sect so that Jiang Cheng is attached to him from the very beginning.

Mingcheng: meh. I don't really think about this ship that much because it honestly doesn't compel me at all. sorry to the mingcheng enjoyers it there I simply do not get it

Chengxuan: same as above, I don't really get this one. Their dynamic is just not that interesting to me.

Chengyi: that is a child. hard no on this one.

Miancheng: kinda cute? I like it when Jiang Cheng recruits her into the Jiang after she gives up on the Jin, it's a fun idea, but I think I like them better as friends.

Ruocheng: no. just no.

Zhucheng (chengliu? Wen Zhuliu and JC): also no.

Chengsu: I could get behind the idea of JGY desperately contacting Jiang Cheng and being like "help I just found out my fiancee is my sister can you please pretend you've been in love with her all this time and get married to her instead??? I'll negotiate to get you more Jin Ling rights if you do." she fits JC's list of desirable qualities in a wife. unfortunately she gets like 6 seconds of screen time and then dies so we really don't know very much about her, which makes it a bit hard to form a strong opinion on the ship

Other Chengsu? Sucheng/Mincheng/Chengshan/whatever this is: I actually think it's interesting that Su She and Jiang Cheng share the trait of "treat them nicely within this narrow window of time in their life in order to get them to become loyal to you forever, otherwise fuck you." It's possible that if Su She had grown up with the Jiang the two of them would have found some common ground and maybe become friends. I'm more interested in non-romantic interactions here

Cheng...yang? what do you call the Xue Yang/Jiang Cheng ship? Xuecheng? idk. again, not really my jam.

Chengjiao. Lingcheng? Jiang Cheng/Wang Lingjiao. Do people even ship this? I could see it as character development for her I guess. At this point I'm just fishing for possible pairings.

and finally, saved for last...

Xiancheng: this isn't romantic or sexual or platonic, it's all three and also a secret fourth thing that's more intense than all of them put together. As a ship, I don't prefer it, because it's too easy to flatten it out into either a boring cutesy fluffy cliche or a boring jealous/possessive boyfriend type thing. I need to see them being weird about each other in a way that no one can possibly identify, especially themselves. They'll die for each other. They'll live for each other. They'll destroy themselves and be happy about it as long as they believe that the other is going to be okay. You really can't make it as simple as "yeah these two want to fuck."

[mxtxfanatic]

It's interesting how Madam Yu is so adament about Jiang Fengmian hating Jiang Cheng because he's her son, and yet she... Doesn't do that with Jiang Yanli.

Of course, we understand that it's because JYL does not have a lick of her personality, but also. Madam Yu's been saying that since before WWX came to the sect. Probably their entire life.

Do you think she ever said such things to Yanli too, when she was younger? Or did she only start with Jiang Cheng because she barely considered her daughter as her actual kid due to the internalized mysoginy that I feel she's definitely suffering from?

That the only kid that matters is her son, and so she made her son to be (like) her, because I feel like the kids were too young to exhibit such behavior consistently enough for Madam Yu to see that only her son acted like her.

It's a very interesting thing to think about.

Why did Jiang Cheng never realize the dissonance between what Madam Yu said (Jiang Fengmian hates you because you're my son) and how Jiang Yanli was treated by both of her parents, both so different with her than with him? Did he think that JFM hated Yanli too? Or did it just never occur to him because, like to his mother, Yanli didn't ACTUALLY matter as a person?

I feel like this is an entire new can of worm opened here. So much to think about.

Idk, I think Madam Yu just dissociated from Jiang Yanli because from the moment her daughter was born, she was "someone else's wife." No need to live vicariously through a kid that's gonna eventually end up in someone else's household. Instead, she spends the few times we see her intact with Jiang Yanli admonishing the poor girl for acting "beneath" her station (interacting nicely with Wei Wuxian). Jiang Cheng is the child who will eventually inherit the Jiang Clan. Better to sink her claws into him so that her influence on the Jiang Clan is unshakable.

I don't think Jiang Cheng thinks Jiang Fengmian hates Jiang Yanli, but he realizes that Jiang Yanli has a better personality than him and his personality is why he doesn't get along with their dad. But also like, Jiang Cheng's logic around Jiang Fengmian's parentage is that as his actual children, they deserve his love and affections exclusively. Jiang Yanli is Jiang Fengmian's daughter, so she deserves to have a good relationship with him, meanwhile he is robbed of the affection that is "rightfully" his "because Wei Wuxian, the outsider's child, robs it from him." In the end, Jiang Cheng is truly his mother's child: he knows the reason why things are the way that they are, but to accept it means that he has to accept that he is at fault for the consequences he has reaped. He doesn't want to acknowledge his responsibility in his own failed relationships, so he believes in the lie that paints him as a victim to others' scheming.

[wangxianficfinder]

Hi, I need help finding an MDZS fanfic, please. I have a snapshot of the summary of fanfic, but I can’t seem to find it.

Summary: The Third Jade [MDZS Fanfic]

[Jiang Cheng x OC] Lan Zhu, courtesy name Lihua, is the younger twin sister of Lan Wangji, younger sister of Lan Xichen and the pride of the Lan Clan, after her two elder siblings. Known as Ànyĩng Shàonữ, or Shadow Maiden, she is a prodigy in cultivation and is also one of the Three Jades of Lan. Lan Zhu is the second known cultivator to have actually reached immortality. She is also engaged to Jiang Cheng, though this arrangement was made by his mother and her uncle a year ago. They both eventually fell deeply in love during his stay in Gusu. Personality-wise, Lan Zhu is the exact opposite of both her elder brothers. Others describe her as manipulative, cruel and an excellent actress. Her eldest brother describes her as a girl who covers up her true personality to stop herself from becoming too attached to someone not of her clan. Her twin describes her as someone who is loyal to the ones she sees as friends and as someone who he can fully trust, even if she gives him reasons not to trust her. Her fiance, Jiang Cheng, and his sister, Jiang Yanli, describes her the same way her twin describes her. Wei Wuxian would describe her as his best friend, who is unlike any Lan he has ever met. After Wei Wuxian dies a few years later, Lan Wangji grieved for him and waited for him, while Lan Zhu turned her grief into cruelty, broke off her engagement to Jiang Cheng after learning of his role in Wei Wuxian's death, and became a totally different person entirely, and her family could do nothing but watch. Or, in which Lan LiHua chooses to leave her anchor [Jiang Cheng], slowly losing her humanity as a result, and tries to ignore Jiang Cheng's relentless attempts at trying to fix their relationship, in favor of helping her twin and best friend solve a mystery. However, fate (and love) will not be denied.

Do you mean this one? The summary is different but I checked the first chapter and the character's name is Lan Zhu and I think the first chapter has the same summary as you wrote?

FOUND! The Third Jade by Jeweled_Lotus (T, 84k, WIP, JC\OC, WangXian, Slow Romance)

I just searched the name in the JC\OC tag search bar so let me know if this isn't it 😅

- Mod C

[sillygoofyqueer]

I have been summoned by the newest chapter of losing hope :3

Not much happened but I’m taking this as a “I will give you fluff both after and before things go to shit”

Jingyi being Jin Ling’s reluctant friend is honestly pretty hilarious and I can’t wait to see those two start to get close because I feel like that’ll be like “I hate this person with every fiber of my being but if you make him cry there will be nobody searching for your body and no body to find either.” Especially after they realize the type of environment he was in his entire life in comparison to their childhoods. They’re goofy and I love ‘em.

Wangxian being shameless is always amazing (love that it’s LWJ doing it too!) but Wwx missing his sword. Jesus, that made me sad. It’d be interesting to see how suibian communicates with Wwx because in canon we know that the swords have spirits but that’s never really expanded upon. Especially since suibian sealed itself. It’d be nice to see them communicating with their weapons (also imagine suibian mother henning Wwx? Or even Wwx thinking of suibian as a sibling/parental figure? The angst for that would be great especially combined with the scene of Wwx giving away his golden core. Both of them would know Wwx would never be able to properly use suibian again and wow that would hurt. Also I’d imagine since Jiang cheng can also use suibian, suibian does care for him much like Wwx but also it’d be funny if it didn’t particularly like him. Like, the entire time Jiang cheng uses suibian it is fluently cursing at him.)

Jingyi picking up on LWJ pining/flirting is very funny but probably not as funny as it will be when sizhui realizes that A) they’ve both been pining for each other for almost two decades B) 100% they are not in a relationship even if they’re totally shameless with each other and C) they both SOMEHOW have NO IDEA that the other likes them back. The facepalm when that realization sinks in will be funny :3

As always fuck JGY.

Also as always, your writing is amazing four and I wish I could give you more Kudos <3333

Remember to take care of yourself and take breaks!

Just...just picture me holding you close right now. That's it, that's the sentence.

Now, I don't know what you meeeaaaan, there is barely any angst in my fic whatsoever and there will never be anymore angst-...*checks timeline doc*....for nowwww....In all seriousness though, I can't actually remember/decide if there will be any angst next chapter, but oh boy if there was wouldn't that be silly. Wouldn't that be sooo goofy? Guess we'll never ever ever EVER know. I was feeling soft and silly, and this was more of a filler chapter, so I was like, "fluff be upon ye" I guess.

Jingyi and Jin Ling are going to have a very interesting friendship - Jin Ling's been raised differently because Wei Wuxian has kind of been a part of his childhood, so I wonder if that will affect how he builds/views relationships with other people - what do you MEAN I can't foreshadow in my post, who said that?! Anyway, I can't wait to think about it from Lan Sizhui's perspective; dude feels bad for Jin Ling because it is OBVIOUS that this poor guy does not know how to talk to people and if he is befriending what everyone labels as a dangerous criminal, then he is in severe need of friendship. Then there's Jingyi in the background, barking like a chihuahua every time Jin Ling does something that the Lan doesn't like until they devolve into fighting.

Ever since I learned about sword spirits, I've always wondered how Suibian would interact with Wei Wuxian and how they work together. I read one too many SVSSS fics where sword spirits hold a big value in them and it was all downhill from there. Think about it - Wei Wuxian had a lot of people who knew him in Lotus Pier, but he was never truly vulnerable with anyone (except maybe Jiang Yanli, but even then, it wasn't much) because he didn't want to sound ungrateful. So, imagine a Wei Wuxian who found solace in ranting to Suibian. Now imagine a Suibian listening and soothing in their own way. You see my vision, right? Imagine losing that when he needed it the most, during the Burial Mounds. Imagine finally being able to get it back after years of unforgettable trauma and torture, when he desperately needs someone he can rely on without second guessing everything to do with human duality. That doesn't exist with a sword spirit - Suibian just cares.

[jcs-singular-slut-strand]

Has anyone done chengyao for the ship bingo? I'd love to know what you think

Haven't thoight about these two in a wee while 💛💜

@zelizelizel also asked for chengyao

It's one of those ships where i don't care if they're platonic or not, i fuck with both. If a fic has chengyao in it, I can quite enjoy it, however I also enjoy it when it's a strictly platonic, professional relationship

I can defo see the appeal, but in my opinion they don't really understand each other. In guanyin temple jin guangyao says that if maybe jiang cheng trusted Wei Wuxian more things would've been better, this is 100% not true as Jiang Chengs problem is actually trusting Wei Wuxian too much. I just can't really see them clicking beyond a professional relationship

When you add Jin Ling to the mix I 100% prefer Jiang Cheng x Qin Su (chengsu) but that's a different ship entirely

But obviously ship and let ship, I truly do not mind them. Sorry I don't have anything else to say on the matter 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

(To answer your question zelizelizel, I think that jin ling definitely means "dad" when he calls out "jiujiu")

Blank bingo sheet

[thepurplewombat]

Character headcanon ask: LXC + JGY!

Okay, so it's finally cooled down enough that my computer has stopped making distressed noises whenever I turned it on, PLUS! we even have power for a few hours today, so here goes:

Lan Xichen

Sexuality Headcanon:

I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't give a lot of thought to characters' sexuality, at least not in terms of having headcanons for them. In my head, LXC is probably some flavor of bi, except that in practical terms, he's A-Yaosexual.

Gender Headcanon:

I think I've read one fic where LXC was actually a woman - not in the sense that he any flavor of trans, at least that was not the impression I got, he was biologically and emotionally a woman, but he was presenting male because of Political Reasons, and I thought that was quite interesting. But in general, I think he's a cis male.

A ship I have with said character:

Oh I don't know, I just don't know, who could I possibly ship the incomparable First Jade of Lan with - it's Jin Guangyao. Like, I'm not going to say that xiyao is canon and everyone who disagrees is wrong (even though they are) because everyone is allowed to be wrong on Beyonce's internet, but any version of Lan Xichen that isn't in love with Jin Guangyao is a Lan Xichen who is so wildly out of character to me that I just don't know what to do with him.

A BROTP I have with said character:

I think he'd get along really well with Jiang Cheng as friends - like, among the reasons that I don't think they work as romantic partners is that I think Lan Xichen would find being in a relationship with JC utterly exhausting. As a romantic partner, you feel somewhat responsible for managing your partner's moods, in a way that you don't necessarily feel the need to do in a friendship. I just think that the distance of a friendship would give him the opportunity to enjoy Jiang Cheng's cunty tendencies and temper, while not making him feel in any way responsible for managing Jiang Cheng's moods.

A NOTP I have with said character:

That being said, Jiang Cheng is not actually my NOTP for this character. I remain convinced that chengxiyao is a viable ship that just needs the right story to take off, and I'm sure that if I were to read a really good x!cheng fic, where Jin Guangyao is not demonised or erased, I would probably enjoy it.

No, my NOTP is Nie Mingjue. Mainly because I think he's an abusive jerkweed who reminds me of both my murderous ex and my late father (although to be fair to the Great Old One, he never tried to kill me) and I don't think that someone who is incapable of understanding that maybe other people have different priorities and points of view, is a good fit to be in a relationship with anyone who doesn't precisely share his values.

Oh and also Nie Huaisang. Just no. NOPE.

A random headcanon:

Not long after the end of canon, Lan Xichen disappears from his house of seclusion and is never seen again, because he's given the entire jianghu the middle finger and fucked off.

General Opinion over said character:

When I finished the book he was my favourite, and I was initially drawn into thinking more about Jin Guangyao because I was looking for stories where Lan Xichen has a happy ending, and a lot of the time, a happy ending for Lan Xicnen requires a happy ending for JGY as well. In the months since, he's been somewhat supplanted by JGY - it's not that I love him less, it's that I love JGY so much more (send help I am genuinely unwell about Jin Guangyao).

More general opinion - I think Lan Xichen should have the opportunity to go absolutely feral.

Jin Guangyao

My lovely boy, my sweet cheese, my rotten soldier, I love him so much.

Sexuality Headcanon:

I mean, canonically he loves both a man (LXC) and a woman (QS) so, bisexual?

I do think he has a complicated relationship with sex, because of his mother's profession and his father's...everything, but I think that like most of his traumas, he pushes it into a box and never ever thinks about it.

Gender Headcanon:

I think that when he was a small boy, his mother went on her knees every day and thanked all the gods and ancestors that he was a boy, because at that point she must have still hoped that JGS would come for them.

So I don't think that JGY has ever actually thought about his gender beyond 'thank the gods I wasn't born a girl'. Like, he could never allow himself to even consider anything other than being a man, because he was his mother's son, you know?

A ship I have with said character:

Xiyao. They're just so *clenches fist* I love them, your honor. Like, they just so obviously love each other - it's more obvious in CQL, but it's not exactly subtle in the novel either, and I just...my heart breaks for them and I love them so much.

I can also be convinced about Chengyao, because I think that Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao have got some things in common, and the ways in which they differ are very complementary.

A BROTP I have with said character:

I think that he and Wei Wuxian could have been great friends, if the stars had aligned properly.

A NOTP I have with said character:

Obviously it's a free internet and everyone can do what they want, but personally I can't ship my blorbo with someone who tried to murder him three times and hated him so much that even without knowing that JGY had killed him, he became a fierce corpse and escaped the grave to come after him. Just nope.

A random headcanon:

I don't think that JGY would have left the temple that night. I think he was genuinely trying, because at base he's an engine of survival, but honestly I think when push came to shove and he had to leave Lan Xichen and never see him again, I'm not sure he would have done it.

General Opinion over said character:

I love him. he's my favourite character in MDZS, and he's near the top of my list of all time favourite characters.

[tavina-writes]

Sorry may I ask you a question? Your meta is so interesting! In mdzs "debts" is a recurring theme and can you please explain it? I've read meta about how in Chinese culture jc's owed the wen siblings a debt and he should have saved them, but I've also read meta about how he owed a hugger debt to his own sect. I've read how jgy killed whr and nmj, people who he owned his educations (debts). I thought that mdzs was more about "Who is wrong? Who is right?" so that everyone is a bit wrong and a bit right but this kind of meta make me doubt myself and think that maybe in mdzs someone is really morally right (wwx and lwj) and everyone else is wrong. I am going a little crazy, that's why I asked you. Anyway, thanks in advance and have a good day!

Hi Nonny!

There's no need to apologize for sending an ask! I love asks!

Regarding your question about debts and what is "owed" in relationships, I think it's important to clarify that like, presumably if someone saved your life you'd also owe them a debt of gratitude, a life debt, or however and whichever other 'debt' terminology you'd care to use there. So this concept of "debt" because you owe someone for doing something for you is not in and of itself a 'unique to Chinese culture' problem, and I think looking at "oh this person "owes" this other person a thing" is not entirely a great? way to analyze how character relationships "should" or should not go. There are lots of ways we as people in a society owe other people in our society and the characters in this book, much like us, are trapped in a confluence of factors that pull them in different directions regarding what they should or should not do.

The book itself (at least from my own opinion) is meant to read as "everyone is both right and wrong at various points in this text because this is a book with complex characters and not a morality lesson" because lest we forget, WWX made a woman eat a chair leg at one point, which. We cannot say this was correct in really anything except the most reductive main character centric interpretation.

Regarding debts themselves that say, WangXian might owe their families in accordance to their society that sound just about the same as the examples mentioned above, we can say things like "since Wei Wuxian was raised by the Jiang, he should've been helping Jiang Cheng rebuilding Lotus Pier instead of sitting around drinking or running off with the Wen!" or "how dare Lan Wangji injure thirty-three of his family elders, doesn't he know he should've been filial to them and owed his education and position in society to the Lan Sect?" and "why is it that WangXian got to go fuck in a bush at the end of the story when other people who arguably did fewer crimes end up dead? Does this mean they owed less to society or made all the right choices compared to say, the other people who are still in fact super dead and don't get to fuck their beloved in a bush?"

Does this start to look like this concept of "debts" doesn't,,, actually explain anything about the moral complexities of the character's situations? That's because it isn't a good indicator of if character x made a moral choice or not.

But again, this whole concept of "debts" to explain why a character does a thing and why they're morally good or evil and reprehensible for not doing this other thing is entirely a thing fandom does in meta to make their fave look good or character they're an anti about look extremely bad under a case of "well ACKSHUALLY morality says they SHOULD HAVE done this!" None of these characters exist either as Perfectly Moral Beings or Perfectly Evil Immoral Beings inside a decision making vacuum.

It...also doesn't really matter if your fave is right or wrong either :D just for context. They're all fictional blorbos upon a page and or screen. No real person was harmed in over the course of the story. No woman deep throated a chair leg, no child was tossed down the stairs, no groups of people were massacred, no brothers were abandoned, no one was poisoned with rage disease until they died, nobody committed incest... etc etc and honestly debating about if fictional characters were right or wrong fascinates me a lot less than "what does the story tell us about what drove them and made them tick?" and "what adaptational and translational choices did other people before me make about this story and do I agree with them on their adaptational choices."

:( sorry this came out so messy anon! I just don't think the "did this character repay their debts -> is this character a good person -> a morally good character therefore doesn't owe anyone anything anymore and if they do owe someone something that doesn't count/no they don't." pipeline is particularly useful from an analyzing the story standpoint.

[veliseraptor]

potential (and very self indulgent) au: jiang yanli and jiang cheng join wei wuxian in becoming demonic cultivators

oooh, fun. I have kind of a hard time making this one work in my head (especially for jiang cheng, actually), but let's see here, I've been Challenged so I'm going to make it work

first off, Jiang Cheng - I think the initial requirement here is that the Jiang Sect is never reconstructed. whether that's because it's just too wrecked to rebuild or for whatever reason Jiang Cheng can't hold it (the sect) together (unfair to Jiang Cheng imo, but handwave), but if Jiang Cheng has a sect to protect that he will never see decimated like it was before again, I don't think he would ever turn to demonic cultivation and the risks it entails (politically, socially, etc.). even though in the immediate aftermath of Sunshot Wei Wuxian's skills aren't considered with quite the same hostility they are later, they still are pretty quickly increasingly suspect by society at large.

the other possibility here would be the core transplant not working out, somehow - either temporarily succeeding and then there's some kind of rejection, or it just never succeeds and both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian end up coreless. Jiang Cheng seizes on the one means he now has to get revenge for the death of his family, and maybe believing that he couldn't lead a sect without his cultivation (I don't think it would necessarily be impossible, but he didn't ask me) he doesn't try to rebuild Jiang Sect at all.

the hard one here I think is Jiang Yanli, who doesn't seem to have significant cultivation ambitions in general, and certainly her brothers would both heavily push back against her practicing something as dangerous as demonic cultivation, particularly considering she seems to have a delicate constitution.

(I'm personally partial when it comes to demonic cultivator Jiang Yanli to it happening after Wei Wuxian's death, with also a dead Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan, driven by a need to protect and fear for Jin Ling, but that doesn't suit this particular AU. in this maybe she's just driven/motivated by the need to protect her brothers, who are both walking a dangerous path now.

this would have the side effect of probably nixing her marriage to Jin Zixuan entirely, since she's not going to be looking terribly eligible under the circumstances - and wouldn't be bringing a sect alliance with her. Jin Guangshan isn't going to go for that one, love match or not.

all three of them in this scenario no longer have the protection of a sect behind them, though, which puts them in an even more precarious position - pressure to join one, certainly, but also putting them on the fringes of things, which is not a good place to be in the cultivation world.

the trouble here is going to still come with the Wen remnants, though - Wei Wuxian still feels obligated to protect them, and Jiang Cheng perhaps even more emphatically in this AU (particularly if he's coreless) does not. without the need to protect the sect Jiang Cheng might land in a different place than he does in canon, but it definitely would put a strain on their relationship, and the last thing that they need at that point would be to be divided as society gets increasingly hostile.

I have a hard time envisioning this AU going anywhere good, tbh; I feel like it ends in a blaze of glory with all three siblings dead in a siege on the Burial Mounds. but maybe that's my pessimism talking. maybe their powers combined could hold off the force of the cultivation world's hostility pressing down on them. but it doesn't look great for our heroes.

[whetstonefires]

10 and 29 for the ask game?

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I try not to have expectations, so I'm sure it's happened a lot and I didn't remark upon it enough to remember.

I do recall that All the Roofs of Uncertainty was originally a one-shot that was much better-liked than I expected, so I wrote into the what-happens-next and changed the original open ending into a whole plotline, that consisted almost entirely of Jason Todd talking to people in a hospital.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Oh gosh I have so many fics that lie unfinished because the work necessary to complete them exceeded my interest in the premise. I could do this for weeks and not run out. Let's see.

Okay, the funniest fic that I will never ever finish is the one that was me trying to draw up a plausible background scenario for an AU (which I couldn't decide if it ought to be modern or not) where Su She was dating Wei Wuxian.

(This in turn was inspired by the fact that I kept reading modern AUs where various canon villains were cast as wwx's shitty boyfriend or ex and it was never Su She, aka the bargain bin version of Lan Wangji, who seemed to me to be the least improbable option on offer. Like if you feel the need to lampshade repeatedly within your fic that it's incomprehensible that Wei Wuxian would ever voluntarily date Jin Zixun, maybe that's a sign you should change that bit.)

The plot of the story that Su-She-uses-his-words-and-pulls-wwx embedded itself in would have revolved around Lan Wangji subsequently agreeing to a date with ten-years-younger Mo Xuanyu, presumably in an attempt to move on, and Su She picking up on his hopeless pining when both couples happened to be in the same room, as dates to the same function or something, and then following a characteristically self-destructive course where he got so wrapped up in rubbing it in Lan Wangji's face that he finally had something the Lan scion wanted and couldn't get that he wound up entirely destroying his own relationship.

Wei Wuxian is a very good judge of people who also attracts strong personal loyalty once people get attached to him in the first place, and notably something that simply never happens to him is someone betraying him who he trusted not to do that. (Jiang Cheng does not count; Wei Wuxian maneuvered him into most of it, he wasn't taken by surprise.) So it could be really neat to finesse the character work of him understanding Su She's basic character flaws, but not expecting them to manifest or affect him quite the way they end up doing.

In the same way he mostly gets Lan Wangji as a person from the start but, lacking insight into certain things he's hiding, is unable to reliably reconstruct his perspective. To an increasingly noticeable degree, as lwj acts on that aspect of his motivations more openly.

I am never going to write that though, because I just don't care enough about that kind of story, although concept free to a good home.

I did write out a little of the backstory to how Su She could have wound up in a position of wanting to date Wei Wuxian on his own merits, which was a fun bit of character study because Su She is basically Jin Guangyao's Wen Ning, you know? Evil Wen Ning.

His understanding of Jin Guangyao as someone who respects and values him earned an insane amount of personal loyalty from a basically very selfish guy--like sure, it's clear he got a steady stream of favors out of the bargain, but he also puts himself on the line way in excess of the practical value Jin Guangyao has provided and is likely to provide; the real inducement was the validation.

So, if Wei Wuxian had happened to be carelessly kind and supportive to Su She the way he was to Wen Ning, having met him in a weak moment before Su She had had a chance to make an impression as a petty asshole rather than just a bit of a dumbass (not that he actually in canon managed to make any personal impression even by shooting him in the arm) you could probably arrange for him to glom onto Wei Wuxian instead, as someone like him, who didn't get the respect he deserved because of his birth station.

And Wei Wuxian would be perfectly willing to reciprocate that friendship, even though (as with Wen Ning) if Su She didn't reach out promptly he'd have totally forgotten he existed until prompted lmao. Su She would never forgive that insult.

You can see in the passage here where I still kind of wanted it to be a modern AU so they're texting, but the setup I'd written previously worked as a clean canon divergence because that's my usual preference, and I really wasn't interested enough in a plot that's entirely about romantic relationships to figure that out and write the rest.

But I did enjoy doing this study of how Su She could have gotten stuck on Wei Wuxian, only to later go on to fuck himself over with his Lan Wangji complex.

It was nice to have someone to complain to who got it. When Su Minshan talked about having no family to turn to, about owing everything to the Sect that had raised him when, to the Lan, everything came down to the clan and he would never have a chance to truly distinguish himself— Sometimes I think about just leaving, Su Minshan wrote, because Wei Wuxian wouldn’t scold him for being ungrateful. You can, if you want, Wei Wuxian wrote, as if it was that easy. Only if you came too, Su Minshan had written back, shaken by his own daring. Of course, Wei Wuxian refused. Jiang Cheng would never forgive me if I ran off. Because he’s counting on you to run his Sect for him. He absolutely is not. Jiang Cheng will work himself into the ground before he lets me do his job for him. He didn’t admit that of course the Sect Heir was counting on him, but he didn’t disagree, which was basically the same thing. Wei Wuxian worked very hard and was rewarded for it, but Su Minshan knew that even in Jiang the equal opportunity only went so far—he was the Sect Leader’s pet for personal reasons, not just on merit, and even so he could never rise to be the equal of the blood heir. It was infuriating sometimes how that didn’t bother him. Have more ambition! You’re so lucky, Su Minshan wrote, because he was jealous, he was so so jealous. I am! <3 But let’s see, outside the main family how important can a person get in Lan Sect? You can make a plan. Weeks of effort did not produce any particularly good plans. The most realistic one took forty years to show results. Maybe I should just kill Lan Wangji and use a spell to disguise myself and take his place, Su Minshan joked. Haha! Minshan-xiong, I’m sorry, you couldn’t pull off being Lan Zhan. That hurt, an unexpected cold dagger to the ribs. Wei Wuxian was his friend! Why not! he typed angrily. Was his playing too weak, his swordsmanship, his deportment? Would even Wei Wuxian tell him he was just not good enough? Because you could never resist saying something bitchy when you had the chance, and he keeps all the bitching inside his head. Su Minshan put his head down and laughed until he thought he might cry.

I have the sneaking suspicion I already shared this one for one of these games, because it really is by far the funniest thing I'm definitely never going to finish, so I'll reblog this post later with another offering.

[thememecrown]

ALERT RED. ALERT RED. I JUST FOUD A TREASUR.

I was complaining that I didn't have anything to get me excited about Lan Xichen x Jiang Cheng right? GOD TUMBLR HAVE ANSWER MY PRAY! GOD HAVE ANSWER.

Under the name " @a-sky-full-of-ideas ".

I found this post from 2022 about JC a food critic and LXC a chef, I'll leave the link here.

It so happens that I have friends in the restaurant business (a friend of mine is the chef of a restaurant for 5 years) and I criticized his recipes in the first years of his career because i have developed a very fine palate. Also being Italian my entire culture revolves around food, i know at least seven different ways to roll out handmade pasta (I also count the various Italian and Asian grannies, who teach me their secrets) .

I read this post and I get emotional and I said/commented in the hope that no one had their hands up (I don't like taking ideas that others have already done out for respect) and when he said "I haven't seen anything like this out there yet, you can do it!". I JUMPED OUT.

I think I'll use something my grandmother said (who always found an excuse to make me warm vanilla cookies) "Food is not just quality is also feeling… do you know that to say I love you to your grandfather every day i made him ginger biscuits with brown sugar on top? Even if I didn't like it i ate them with him, alone to see him happy?"

LXC works hard for every dish he makes and JC only gives him 4.5/5 stars every time, and an affront to his cooking and his mother's recipes!!

So I would say that with a good base of angst and fun and a pinch of love that is worked with a little desire and tension, with another pinch of growth relationship… and a piece of conflicting feelings and incompression. May it be a perfect recipe to break a dish! + I foresee a serving of 20/30 dishes for this (this one waited years for this. YEARS. I feel entitled to make it last as long as possible!!!!)

In the meantime, I thank you for giving me permission to use your idea little star, I will treat this rare pearl well (because is absurd that someone hasn't done it yet!! ABSURD!!) You are not obliged to follow it but if did, it is much appreciated! !!🫂🫂🫂

In the meantime, you know who to thank little stars!

See you with the updates tomorrow 🫂 !!!

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

Word Count: 4,766 (oneshot).

Genre: Angst/Romance

Pairing: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

Characters: Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng, Wen Xu

Summary: Modern AU. Wei Wuxian is still reeling from Lan Wangji suddenly breaking off their relationship. Hearing from again only makes things more tangled.

Written for the @mdzs-mixtape exchange.

~0~

“And I wonder what would have happened If we were together, still in love And I wonder what would have happened If we were together, still in love.” - Si Estuviésemos Juntos, Bad Bunny

~0~

His phone’s been turned off for three weeks. Everyone else, as the word has gotten back to him, is a lot more concerned about his abrupt leave of absence from the Jiang Company. But what sticks in Wei Wuxian’s mind is that he hasn’t once felt the urge to open up his notes and jot anything down. It’s like his entire being has gone numb, nothing new able to shake off this misery clinging to him like grime.

Probably that’s also why he has been back to his apartment only sparingly. His siblings are dying to see him, talk to him about all this, which he would have guessed even if Nie Huaisang hadn’t confirmed it during the few sporadic days he’s crashed at his place.

(“What do I do if Jiang Cheng tries to break down my door?!” the poor guy had pled the last time, near tears. “You know I can’t hold him off for much longer!”)

But he can’t be caught there and made to voice his own thoughts, any more than he can be cooped up inside those four walls alone with them.

So here Wei Wuxian is again, well past midnight according to a glance through a blurry window at the analog clock on a corner store wall. As usual, he isn’t tired. Part of him wishes he could just get exhausted like everyone else and spend all this time rotting in bed instead. But that isn’t him: he needs to move. To be touched. To do anything if it means he might feel something again.

The rain is freezing, but soft on his tied-back hair, as he weaves through the crowd on the sidewalk, looking with mild interest at the many different umbrellas and hoods hiding faces. Absently, he rubs at the notch at the base of his throat, still feeling as if there’ll be something to take reassuring hold of there.

[continue on AO3]

[ultfreakme]

Do you agree if said that Megumi and Tsumiki are "toxic doom siblings" (like wei wuxian, jiang yanli and jiang cheng from MDZS)?

Also, I'm surprised your fav MXTX is SVSSS (I thought it will be MDZS). I always think that most people love to dismiss SVSSS and said that it's not as serious or deep as MDZS & TGCF (but I still love SVSSS the most). So happy when I find other people who also love SVSSS.....

For me

Best MXTX protagonist : Wei Wuxian

Best MXTX male lead : Luo Binghe

Best MXTX couple : Hua Cheng/ Xie Lian

Overall story and best comfort read : SVSSS

How about you, Riki? (Sorry if I'm wrong in calling you, I did not mean to be rude, it's just in the end if every 'ask' you wrote : Riki ask)

Also sorry for this long ask....

Hi Anon! I'm answering this in reverse order a bit hehe. I go by Riki it's not rude at all dw dw! No need to apologize for asks, long or short, I'm grateful someone wants to interact with me and talk about shared interests <3

Megumi and Tsumiki being toxic siblings...hmm....idk if toxic is the word I'd use to describe them but there definitely were a lot of issues. Primarily because I think their ideals on life clashed. Tsumiki is someone who wanted to be nice to everyone, but Megumi can't afford that, he's a lot more practical about what kindness and helping people means because of his reality as a sorcerer. Megumi's convinced that she's faking her kindness or is trying too hard.

I don't think Tsumiki is totally faking it, I think she is a genuinely nice person but like every teenager, likes messing around and isn't perfect. Potentially, she's trying to live up to what she preaches and is having a hard time.

I think a lot of the conflict is teenage angst and him being a little brother. She's the only constant in his life, he may have took that a little for granted and when she got cursed it brought into sharp relief the differences in their reality of being a sorcerer and non-sorcerer. No he's the one who has to protect her and he's been left alone. It's easier to probably harbor resentment for her doing something as 'stupid' as getting cursed than confront that their relationship wasn't on the best terms when she fell into a coma and there's no way for him to fix it anymore.

It had a lot of potential to have gotten better if Tsumiki remained, or if she came back any time that wasn't the Culling Games and they got to grow up together. But alas....It's less toxic and more "bad timing".

Also SVSSS fav???? They're so rare to find right? Omg yes!!!

I've only read SVSSS and MDZS, I haven't gotten around to TGCF but my irl friend and everyone online says it's the best one. I'm just intimidated by how long it is. I might get around to to it someday but who knows.

SVSSS is definitely less deeper than the other two but it's got its own charms. I know in terms of everything it's lesser but idk, the potential and the meta story is really intriguing. The extra chapters changed my entire perspective on so many characters (Shen Jiu my guy you had so much potential I am sorry).

Also hmmmm I haven't really thought about them in terms of like, best protagonist, best couple, best male lead.....If I really had to rank then:

Best Protagonist: Wei Wuxian, novel version especially. He's a lot more flawed and genuinely devious in a lot of place in there. I love his arrogance and his confidence.

Best Male Lead: Luo Binghe. Pathetic man, horribly evil. I love you king.

Best Couple: Mobei-jun/Shang Qinghua tied with Yue Qingyuan/Shen Jiu

I like side couples and rarepairs that have no content I hate my life why do I do this to myself? MoShang;s dynamic when it focuses on SQH being MBJ's creator and in many ways, equally powerful or more powerful than him is fun. YQY and SJ are so tragic like, love toxic doomed yaoi.