#iwannalearnhisways

[wittytrixter]

Nie Huaisang is not Jin Guangyao 2.0

MXTX leaves him in very morally gray territory, I'll give it to you, but it isn't because of his revenge arc-- it's because he got to the revenge dishonestly and involved folks without their consent.

Now, that being said, there's a reason he's not totally reprehensible, too: Nie Huaisang (like Wei Wuxian) uses the resentment of Jin Guangyao's victims to take him down. He learned it from Wei Wuxian back in the Cloud Recesses lectures. That's why his reaction is included after Lan Qiren blows a public gasket.

Just because Nie Huaisang didn't use the ghost path to do it doesn't mean we should get it twisted. He demonstrates a great deal of respect for Wei Wuxian (bordering on reverance), and while we don't know the circumstances of his connection with MXY, it is odd that someone so victimized by Jin Guangyao would go so far to bring back one of the people who terrified him (and JGY very directly victimized) while a NMJs hand is running around in the background. Like it couldn't happen that way without consent or an agreement of some sort.

He isn't the other side of the JGY coin, he isn't JGYs replacement. He is a mirror (mdzs is very literally a novel of mirrors) of both WWX and JGY. He believes he is doing the right thing (and he is) and he's going to use resources wisely to do it. Better if folks are consenting, but... dead people can't consent and there's no good way to learn your husband offed your kid and lied about being your brother, so.....