#i just... hate it when censorship is brought in as an explanation for the cql writers' TERRIBLE CHOICES

[crossdressingdeath]

I assume CQL made LWJ chief cultivator instead of NHS because of the black/white morality. In CQL where everyone got more good (LWJ, WWX) or more bad (JGY) NHS is a rare case of grey. I feel like in CQL they felt as if NHS ending as chief cultivator would be the show rewarding his "evil plans" so instead at the end WWX tells NHS the rule to not befriend evil and NHS says the will not meddle in things that aren't his bussiness, and they made chief cultivation the totally good guy LWJ instead.

I guess but like... this is where CQL’s decision to take the simplest choice to get around censorship really fails them, because while from a censorship perspective making LWJ chief cultivator makes sense from a story perspective it does not. LWJ doesn’t want to be chief cultivator! He’s shown no inclination towards that role! His political ability is limited at best! He’s bound to obey a sect leader who would be under his command as chief cultivator! To make this decision work they would have had to rewrite parts of LWJ’s character to make him interested in and experienced with politics! You know who would make a good chief cultivator if they’re going for black and white thinking and want the decision to make some modicum of sense? Fucking LXC! He’s a sect leader and so experienced with politics! He’s well-respected! He’s a peacemaker, or at least he tries to be! His missteps come from lack of knowledge and can only be seen as malicious if you’re deliberately trying to read it that way!

People excuse so much of the bad writing in CQL “because censorship”, is the thing. “Oh, but the Yin iron is because of censorship!” “LWJ is chief cultivator because of censorship!” “Wangxian split up at the end because of censorship!” I don’t care! I do not care! The plot changes could be mandated by a fucking unicorn sent from the heavens and I wouldn’t care! Bad writing is bad writing no matter what the reasoning is! The things they did were not their only options! WWX can’t invent demonic cultivation and he has to be completely innocent of all wrongdoing? Maybe have him be possessed by some sort of entity in the Burial Mounds that uses him to achieve his own ends! NHS can’t be chief cultivator because he’s too morally grey? Put LXC, the most morally pure adult sect leader alive at the end of the show who’s shown to have any political knowledge, in charge! Wangxian can’t be together because that’s gay? If LXC’s the chief cultivator WWX can just work for him on his request, removing WWX’s relationship with LWJ from the equation! It would take some shifting of characterisation, but to a certain extent that’s inevitable in adaptations even without censorship and they’ve changed characterisation around with other characters! And those three things are options I came up with on the spot at 11 pm and they’re not bad ideas (if I do say so myself), so imagine what professional writers could come up with given time and a full team! The changes CQL makes are downright lazy, and them having to make changes because of censorship is no excuse for laziness.