#jc's love of dogs but his determination not to have one because of wwx is both heartwarming and heartbreaking

[viterbofangirllovestheuntamed]

if JC had access to cell phone cameras he'd be unstoppable and by unstoppable i mean unbearable (via op)

a headcanon ask: what do you think was going through Jin Guangyao's mind when he bought Fairy for Jin Ling, and was it by any chance part of an on-going "who's the best uncle" war with Jiang Cheng?

"Every boy deserves to grow up with a dog, you know," Jiang Cheng said for the fiftieth time, continuing to make absolutely no move to purchase a dog for Jin Ling. "You know, when I was his age..."

Not the Jasmine, Lovey, Princess story!

"- Princess was the littlest one, not quite a runt -"

Jiang Cheng had hundreds of these stories, each going into extraordinary detail about some feature about the dogs - fur, paws, ears, nose, smile, each feature utterly peerless - and they invariably ended with him complaining about the unfairness of them being sent away, or at least they did once he'd put back a few jars of wine. And yet, despite all of his complaints and no matter of blunt Jin Guangyao's increasingly more desperate and less subtle hints got, he did not buy a dog.

Nope! No dogs in the Lotus Pier. So sad. Tragic.

In fact, that reminds Jiang Cheng of another story...

(tl;dr: Jin Guangyao ended up buying Fairy in self-preservation because otherwise he was going to slaughter Jiang Cheng in the middle of his Ode To The Beauty of A Dog's Tender Paw, No. 86 and that wasn't part of his plans)

of course then Jin Ling also became a Dog Person

[silenteyes]

If Wei Wuxian Grew Up In Different Sects (or with our lovely Rogue Cultivators)

ft. fanfictions I’ve read for each of them - excluding Yunmeng Jiang Sect

Warnings: Spoilers for MDZS, Canon-typical Yu Ziyuan and her treatment to WWX, a few uncensored cursing

Yunmeng Jiang Sect

Clearly, we know that he and the Jiangs have a- complicated relationship. With Jiang FengMian it’s on a thin line, and though it’s clear he cares for WWX - JFM still sees WWX as just a disciple, not a son because the last words he says to WWX are “A-Ying, A-Cheng... you must look after him.”

With Madam Yu it’s clear that their relationship is unhealthy, she basically abuses him. With Jiang Cheng it’s also unhealthy - as much as I loathe to say it, they will NEVER get the reconciliation we want because WWX has done too much for JC to forgive and JC and his anger issues are not safe for WWX. The only ACTUAL healthy relationship he’s got in the Jiang Sect is with Jiang Yanli. She forgives a lot and it’s clear she loves WWX.

Gusu Lan Sect

Ah - yes, this one. In all honesty, if he WERE to be found by the Lans he would’ve probably be well-behaved since he was just a child and easy to, how do I say it - teach. 

He might still have his playfulness but it would be toned down quite a lot. I also like to think that he would get along with Madam Lan and most probably prevent her death. This may be an unpopular opinion, but he and Lan Xichen would get along well, and LXC would be the one to make him comfortable first. WWX would still grow close with Lan Wangji of course, but if anything happens he would not go to LWJ first.

If they grew up together, I’m sorry - but I can’t imagine that he would date LWJ then. But, you can think the other way around! I don’t boss you and tell you who to ship and who not to ship! 

Fanfiction: ‘Some call it kidnapping. The Lan Clan call it adoption.’ by IceBreeze 

Summary: “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, look!” Wei Ying did a twirl. “I’m the same as you now! Am I pretty? Say Lan Zhan, am I pretty?”

Huan muffled a laugh behind his sleeve as A-Zhan said “Mn,” eyes never once leaving Wei Ying. There was something a little like awe in his stare, like Wei Ying was the only one in the world to him at that moment, and if Huan hadn’t already known that his little brother cared deeply for Wei Ying then that look would have been all the confirmation he needed.

(If A-Zhan knew what marriage and romance was beyond the vague explanations he’d heard then he’d probably already be courting Wei Ying, with all the dogged determination he shows everything he puts his mind to. It’s adorable, and Huan supports it wholeheartedly, no matter what direction it heads in the end).

Or: an AU Wei Wuxian is taken in by the Lan clan instead of the Jiangs.

Qishan Wen Sect

Hm, this one is quite complicated. To be honest, WWX would probably fit in well in the sect, and Wen Ruohan most possibly cares about power, and WWX is powerful so he’d care for him AND Wen Xu. Wen Chao is just there in the background being bullied, I like to think.

WWX would make Wen Qing their head doctor and give her more power, while he would also help Wen Ning with archery. All and all he would be alright in the Wen Sect, but there would still be a couple casualties here and there, because of Wen Chao’s jealousy.

Fanfiction:  ‘ He was brighter than the Sun’ by AncientOceanmelody

Summary:  Wei Wuxian was the head disciple of Yunmengjiang Sect, he was the pride of Yunmeng. Jiang Fengmian see him like a son, everyone (except Madam Yu) love him.

He would do everything for those who were dear to him.

So why do is feel horrible when Uncle Jiang didn't hesitate when he offer himself to the Wens instead of Jiang Cheng?

Why is he crying?

After all, he was just the son of a friend, the son of a servant, is was obvious his Uncle would prefer his Sect over him.

Qinghe Nie Sect

Again, I’m gonna be honest, but this sect would be the BEST one for WWX to grow up in. Nie Mingjue would get along great with WWX (we’re ignoring canon GROWN WWX) and Nie Huaisang has another brother :D

NHS and WWX would use their time to cause mischief and plot stuff while NMJ is like “These are my brothers. They’re annoying. Don’t you fucking dare lay a finger on them.”

Just - THEY WOULD BE THE HEALTHIEST RELATIONSHIP EVER IN ALL THE SECTS! NMJ taking care of WWX and NHS, NHS constantly worrying over WWX and NMJ because they fight (you know- war I mean) and WWX just being the self-sacrificing moron he is and protecting NMJ and NHS

Fanfiction: ‘shades of grey’ by cl410

Summary: This was why he didn’t like to leave the Unclean Realm, Nie Mingjue thought with dismay. Guileless dark eyes blinked up at him, tiny hands clutching at his robes.

Or: Nie Mingjue comes across Wei Wuxian before Jiang Fengmian, and decides Nie Huaisang could use a friend.

Lanling Jin Sect

OH BOY! I just love Jin Zixuan getting along with WWX and being an older brother to him. I would think that if JZX (Not Zixun, I despise him) grew up with WWX they would definitely get along and have a healthier relationship than the Yunmeng Bros. Jin Guangshan would definitely not see the point in having WWX in there, and Madam Jin is much more empathetic and she would be the on to take care of WWX.

You may be wondering - Jin Zixuan is Jin Zixuan. Wouldn’t his pride get in the way of things? He’s not called a peacock for no reason, and yes! I can see why you think that! But look at MianMian! She’s JZX best friend BECAUSE she probably grew up with him, and it’s clear in terms of temperament she’s better than JZX and she might even rival him in swordsmanship. If given the choice to grow up with him, WWX would have an amazing brotherly relationship with JZX, and would most likely accept the fact that WWX is amazing and would be PROUD of him. 

Also JZX’s relationship with Jiang Yanli may improve JUST BECAUSE WWX is there

(I might just be biased, idk)

Fanfiction: ‘Twin Treasures’ by crossdressingdeath

Summary: When Madame Jin happens to come across Cangse Sanren's orphaned son on a trip to Yiling, she can't bring herself to leave him there. Wei Wuxian finds a somewhat different family. Jin Zixuan finds a little brother. The course of history changes accordingly.

(Some things are written in fate, but even fate itself changes.)

Rogue Cultivators - Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen

Let me point out first that Xingchen is ETHEREAL! HE’S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PERSON ON THE PLANET! (Song Jiyang is amazing istg I’ve never watched The Untamed but I’ve SEEN clips of them like 哥你怎样那么美). 

ANYWAYS, BACK TO THE POINT! Xiao Xingchen and Song Zichen would be amazing parents, don’t deny it. SZC would be rocky at taking care of WWX at first but he would get the hang of it and be the most over-protective person on the planet and would KILL ANYONE who hurts his family. Xiao Xingchen on the other hand would be the doting and loving parent. He spoils WWX but not as much as SZC (though he would never admit it). SZC and XXC would be the best if you want WWX to have parental figures.

Fanfiction:  ‘Frost moon's sun’ by RenaFair

Summary: Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan had dreamed of founding a sect together, that is until Xingchen heard what happened to his shijie. The two then decides to put their little dream on hold as they care for a pair of tiny hands between them, protecting the little boy with a sunshine smile as best as they can.

Alternately; Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan adopted Wei Ying after his parents' death.

[plan-d-to-i]

Im fcking crying. Someone rly just excused Jc's action of using Fairy on Wwx bc it was to confirm his identity and that it wouldnt rly hurt anyone besides Wwx. So does that mean if it's Wwx, it's okay to hurt him by using his trauma?????

...reading the scene makes it clear that jiang cheng is not in fact using Fairy as a canine lie detector to establish WWX's identity bc he already addresses him with full certainty of his identity. Not to mention the whole reason WWX was caught in the first place is because he was running away from a dog... Jin Ling even describes jc's triumphant expression :

"he had never seen Jiang Cheng’s face make the expression it was currently making. His uncle...had been cold, severe, and gloomy for years and years on end. Not a single lenient or merciful word left Jiang Cheng’s mouth if he could help it, nor was he ever willing to offer charity and kindness. But right now, though the man spent every ounce of effort suppressing all unnecessary expressions, his eyes held a terrifying glimmer. The face which had always and everywhere been etched with sneering arrogance, the face which had forever been shrouded in a layer of dark haze, seemed to fill with light. But it was difficult to determine whether the emotion which penetrated and lit all its corners was a fuming, teeth-gnashing rage; a festering, bone-penetrating hatred; or a mad, violent ecstasy.

and no it's not a 'VIOLENT ecstasy' bc he 'found hiS brOthER 🥺'. It's a violent ecstasy bc the guy he's been violently hunting down for 13 violent years to violently torture to death after he'd already ensured his violent death by strategizing and leading a siege against him, is now ACTUALLY in his hands. He can take his time making him suffer and taking out his 'teeth-gnashing rage' & his 'festering, bone-penetrating hatred' directly on him. jiang cheng takes Fairy in the room precisely to psychologically torture WWX because he knows it's WWX's greatest fear. He doesn't use the dog right away, as one would if they felt any trepidation they might have the wrong person. He goes right into demanding shit of WWX & he uses the dog to hurt WWX in the most potent way he knows how after WWX refuses to be cowed in his second life.

“So you refuse to repent,” Jiang Cheng said in a low voice. In their past conversations, they had frequently tried to sarcastically undermine each other. Wei Wuxian thus replied without thinking, “Similarly, you haven’t improved a single ounce either.” Jiang Cheng’s answering smile was brimming with fury. “Fine. Then let’s see which of us truly hasn’t shown an ounce of improvement.” He sat motionless by the table and let out a shout. The spirit dog immediately stood up. Wei Wuxian’s entire body had already become covered in a layer of cold sweat from sharing a room with the animal. He eyed the dog, who was more than half a man’s height, with fangs protruding from its mouth. His ears filled with the dog’s low growl, and every part of him, from his toes to the top of his head, went numb. His memory of his period of childhood homelessness was blurry, but if he remembered anything, it was the panicked terror of being chased down the street, and the unbearable agony of sharp teeth and claws digging into his flesh. The fear ran deep in his heart, buried inside like thick roots in soil—no matter how much he tried, he could not soothe or overcome it. (Chapter 24)

But as you said, it wouldn't have even mattered if jc had been using Fairy on him to torture out his identity bc either way he's torturing him ♪ & they think that means he missed him and is sad he didn't go straight to Lotus Pier for a loving reunion??!!

[crossdressingdeath]

I'm actually impressed people can say that LWJ is petty toward JC with a straight face. The grape literally killed the love of his life (tried to do it time and time again) and got A-Yuan's family killed. When WWX got ressurected, the first thing that JC does is trying to kill him yet again. Then LWJ learns about the torture (with dog and Zidian), GC transfer and witnesses JC being absolutely the worst human being. Of course he wouldn't want WWX to be near that ahole ever again!

Yeah. LWJ sometimes expresses anger in petty ways, like when he cost the Jiang sect a small fortune in nets by just breaking them all (although even then to be fair the nets were catching people and JL and JC were quite happy to leave them there until the hunt was done no matter what the death toll of that would be), but the root cause of his anger? Not so petty. LWJ doesn't hold petty grudges! The one time we see him (as an adult; teenage LWJ was obviously a teenager and so more petty than he is when he matures) get angry for petty reasons is when he shoves WN because WWX was playing for him, and he was blackout drunk in that scene!

I think a lot of people assume LWJ hates JC because he's stealing WWX's attention or something since that's probably a large part of why JC hates LWJ, but... no. LWJ clearly finds JC irritating from the start, he never liked him, but he hates him for betraying WWX and causing his death, plus the slaughter of the Wen remnants (y'know, his son's family). Not to mention it's common knowledge that JC's a serial killer. And also JC's just generally a dick, no one likes him. And that's before he learns about the transfer. Of course LWJ hates him! Who wouldn't? I think people find JC an entertaining character (or are... rather determined to claim he's a wonderful person) and so miss how entirely detestable he would be to actually know. He doesn't even have superficial charm, nor is he generous enough with his wealth or power that people would stick around hoping for handouts; I doubt there is a single person in the MDZS setting outside of his family who's met him and doesn't loathe him, even among people whose beloved he didn't betray to their death.

[viterbofangirllovestheuntamed]

he's the worst! like maybe he thinks HE'S happy so therefore... jc must be? seen some fics where it was like well they're puppies how attached could he possibly be because jfm has no gd clue about how a-cheng has struggled to make friends or maybe he's like look I got you an Obligatory Friend that's better than dogs right? which I think it worse way to immediately put a shitload of pressure on that relationship ddoes jfm know how to i teract with children?? he did okay in that fever dream jc had during core transfer but was that a memory or a fantasy? madam yu being nice means signs point to fantasy anyway why would you expect a seven year old to be mature about this it's a miracle that they DID become brothers despite everything insert platonic soulmate theory here (via heavymetalalchemist)

I’m being mean to Jiang Fengmian for fun now but what kind of asshole:

 takes away a kid’s puppies

tells him it’s because the orphan he just adopted is afraid of dogs

tells the poor baby orphan “my kid will definitely want to be friends and share a room with you don’t worry! He’s your shidi now!”

leaves the sad orphan in the courtyard while his kid has a meltdown about the dogs so they can work it out between themselves?

 If he’d tried to introduce cats to each other that way he’d be down a cat.

[sneakydraws]

Well, here it is - a lengthy explanation of each card in my mdzs major arcana deck and what I meant to convey/what i would have changed in retrospect/what alternatives i considered! It’s a bit messy and my typing style is lazy but hopefully it will be an interesting read to some of you :)

And so you don’t say I didn’t warn you - jiang cheng’s section (11 justice) is absurdly long lmao

0 the fool  I elaborated on this in the post itself but yeah basically jin ling is kind of representative of all the damage and trauma caused by the past, and there’s a kind of danger there of him falling victim to the same vices as the older characters and repeating the same mistakes and perpetuating the cycle of war and misery (the cycle that we already see with how the jin sect became the new wen sect, and later with how jgy became the new wwx) and he has a lot of room to grow! He grows so much over the course of the novel, comes to realise the complexities of the past and gets a harsh life lesson in how nothing is as black and white as it seems. But ill save talking about his progress for the end, for now whats important is that he has room to grow and also a dog. I don’t really have a justification for the sun, i mostly just thought it looked sick? It made its way to the next card as well, where it makes a bit more sense, but then i realised it was a dumb motif to include 1 the magician I still very much like wwx for the role, and that illustration would have probably had him raising a corpse on his left and pointing threateningly to the sun on his right. I considered including the table as well, with some mdzs relevant items replacing the card suits. Anyway, like i said wwx got a few cards to himself already so i went with the alternative wq design, since i think she fits the card as well. Both she and wwx are highly skilled people, extremely driven once they set their mind to something. The card to me symbolises the creative mind as well as a general drive for action, which fits them both - wwx was famously a prolific inventor, and wq came up with a previously unheard of surgery, after all. This card strays pretty far from the rider-waite deck design, largely because i was still figuring out how i wanted to approach this series, but you can still see the influence. 2 the high priestess I was actually going to skip this card at first because I couldn’t think of a fitting character, but once i considered a qings character post death, it all fit pretty well. She was already a highly intuitive person in life, and in sharing her memories with wwx she is, in a way, relaying a kind of secret knowledge. Anyway she’s one of my fav characters so im glad i got a chance to include her. The coffins could be interpreted to be xxc and sl or xxc and xy 3 the empress Theres other mother figures in mdzs who got to be mothers for a longer time, but jyl definitely embodies the positive aspects of this card the best. She’s nurturing, kind, emotionally supportive, she already mothered wwx and jc quite a bit when she was young. Plus i liked that the rw card had both water and flowers, making an easy lotus connection. In retrospect the stars look kind of out of place and i should have replaced them with something more relevant... Also, i should have had her hold a lotus seed pod instead of a flower, haha 4 the emperor Like i said I considered jc for the role but hoching bullied me into admitting that nmj was better… they’re both more of an inverted emperor than an upright one but then again theres hardly any character in mdzs who would fit upright emperor so. Jgs was also considered but he’s even uglier than nmj so i couldn’t bear to draw him 5 the hierophant It was pointed out to me that lqr would have fit this card better and the truth if that statement haunts me to this day. Unfortunately I have no space in my brain for lqr so lxc got the role instead. My main reason was his role during the wen destruction of gusu lan, when he ran away with the contents of the library - this is why there’s bookshelves behind him. The keys, take, from the rider-waite deck, are meant to represent the gusu pendants that allow you to enter 6 the lovers Im sure many people would have chosen wangxian here but I uhh don’t really care abt wangxian personally? And also their love story is so convoluted that jyl and jzx seem idyllic by comparison lol. Also i didnt really have an idea for who to put in the angel’s place for wangxian… mme jin certainly did not get these two together in the end but undeniably she and mme yu did initially give them a chance to fall for each other so. Thats something i guess. Anyway the trees became their sects’ flowers and the mountain became the burial grounds - an omen of their tragic fate, basically 7 the chariot There might have been other characters who fit this card better but i couldn’t really think of another card for lwj and i thought it would be weird to not include him… anyway i don’t really care for current timeline lwj BUT i do like that he was clearly influenced by wwx to walk his own path in life based on his moral convictions rather than follow his sect’s rules blindly. The chariot is to me a card of self control, self determination and focused action, so it seemed fitting. The composition felt kind of empty without the actual chariot so i padded it out with the guqin, the cloud recess in the bg (it doesn’t look great but i tried to replicate the drama design….) and the bunnies which conveniently fit the colour scheme of the sphinxes in the rider-waite design 8 strength Like i said before, my interpretation of this card is more… morally ambiguous than the quote unquote official meaning, so i thought about manipulative or duplicitous characters more than kind characters whose strength is expressed through gentleness (though i did consider jyl briefly for the latter interpretation). As such, i considered both jgy and nhs, but ended up going with jgy largely because i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to put the nie sect’s beast as the lion. 9 the hermit My thoughts immediately went to bssr lol. It may be an overly literal interpretation but whatever, i like it just fine. And i like that i managed to echo the rider-waite silhouette in the mountain and the tree (and even in bssr herself) 10 wheel of fortune God i love the parallels between these 2… this card to me is about how you cant trust your current situation, good or bad, to last forever, and these 2 embody that perfectly imo. Wwx went from son of a well off servant and a powerful cultivator, to street rat orphan, to adopted son of sect leader jiang, to double orphan, to MIA, to terrifying but admired warrior, to terrifying and despised traitor, to dead, to, at the very end, suddenly respected and trusted again. The dishonesty and cheapness of whatever the public’s current opinion of him is is portrayed beautifully as far as im concerned. And jgy of course claws his way up to power only to instantaneously become public enemy number one, to the point that he’s probably blamed for stuff there’s no reason to believe he had a hand in. Wei wuxian’s silent astonishment at how quickly the cultivation world turns against jgy and towards him again is a delicious moment of thematic resonance.  11 justice I settled on this card for jc after he got booted from the emperor seat but i do think it fits, in a somewhat convoluted way. I turned both the sword and the scales into visual representations of the golden core transfer (can you tell im obsessed with it). According to biddy tarot, the justice card is partly about searching for the truth, and the scene where jc finds out about the transfer is of course a big deal. I was also very influenced by the reversed meaning again - which is about being reluctant or unwilling to face or accept the consequences of your actions. I feel on an intuitive level that this fits jc but I’m not sure how well i can explain it - it’s something about how he’s a little too comfortable scapegoating wwx for things that were also, if much less so, influenced by his actions, and also something about the way he keeps wwx at an arm’s length emotionally but still leans on him and accepts his support when he really needs it, and somewhat hypocritically expects wwx to put the needs of him and the jiang sect before the needs of others. And also something about the core exchange is the consequence and proof of wwx’s deep - terrifyingly deep, even - love and care for him, which is something jc doesn’t seem to let himself acknowledge. Maybe even something about how you could argue that the way all of the jiangs acted around wwx - jfm’s favouritism that left him with the feeling of a debt he needs to repay, mme yus insistence that he be a servant more than a brother to jc, prepared to give his life for jc, and jc’s own unwillingness - or inability, he was a child after all - to clearly acknowledge wwx as an equal to himself, enabling wwx’s self sacrificial and protective tendencies - that all of this was what caused wwx’s complete and unquestioning willingness to do whatever it took to protect jc, and therefore paved the way to the golden core transfer. And i don’t mean this to be scapegoating jc - especially considering how young he was when this all went down, it wouldn’t be fair to expect this level of emotional perceptiveness, awareness and maturity of him - but i think adult jc has to grapple with the fact that the chain of cause and effect was not as simple as wwx fucking everyone’s lives up to be a martyr, and that both jc and his parents had a role in that story as well. I don’t even necessarily think this is something that jc only realised in the current timeline - i think it’s something he felt on some level this whole time, and it probably led to a lot of feelings of guilt - but the suibian reveal definitely puts it in sharp focus, and i think he’s now better equipped to handle this introspection than he was as a recently orphaned, traumatised teenager, lol. ANYWAY the window with the fabric is both a nod to the rider-waite design and a reference to the destruction of lanling - i actually did some basic ass research for this, and it seems that in ancient china fabric would indeed be hanged in a window if the normally used paper was damaged. The design of the window, as well as the very idea to use it to imply the reconstruction of lanling, was taken from this great piece of jc angst by my pal moroll1! Oh yeah also the covered window kind of works as a denial of forgiveness for jc because it’s like a halo but covered up... Also I completely forgot to put a blindfold over his eyes which would be perfectttt because blind justice and the core exchange......... ok moving on 12 the hanged man I always have issues with this card because i cant find a satisfactory summary of what it’s really about. Best i can tell it symbolises a need to hit pause, surrender or let go of something… ive also seen it tied to sacrifice? So mo xuanyu doesn’t fit perfectly, but sacrifice is definitely there in a surface level reading kind of way, and the idea that you have to surrender or let go in order to achieve your goal does fit the whole deal of getting revenge but giving up your life in exchange and not being there to see it 13 death This is probably one of my favourite cards, definitely not because I have huge issues with change or anything…. I see this card as signalling the necessity of change or putting an end to something / leaving something in the past in order to start anew? At first i considered putting past wwx, mxy and current wwx here as a kind of transformation and one cycle flowing into the next... But firstly, I’d already used mxy in the very previous card, so putting him in again would feel like overkill, and secondly, the longer I thought about it the less convinced I was that this would even fit with the card’s meaning? Because coming back from the dead doesn’t like... trigger an internal transformation within wwx or anything? Anyway, fun fact: the design I ended up going with was actually originally intended for judgement! I thought I was being very clever with the whole “figure plays an instrument and the dead rise” parallel, but apparently I’d just completely forgotten that the judgement card had a completely different composition... Truly I was boo boo the fool... But yeah anyway at the end of the day I figured the design would kind of work for death as well, with Wen Ning and the theme of transformation, (since in his case coming back as a fierce corpse does actually mark a certain transformation in behaviour) and Wei Wuxian’s protection of the Wen people essentially signifying an attempt to break the cycle of oppression if that makes any sense? Like, wwx is trying to revolutionise the way the world works a bit, if you catch my drift 14 temperance  The centrist card! Again this is probably going off track from the “official” interpretation, but to me this card has a certain “don’t commit fully; do everything in moderation; don’t take either side” flavour to it that i personally find infuriating irl and that i very much assign to lxc. It’s entirely possible that I’m misinterpreting his character because i didn’t really pay him (and the 3zun in general) much mind while reading, but hell, I’m allowed to pick favourites and choose who i want to interpret deeply vs shallowly. Again, i wish id chosen lqr for hierophant because its so annoying for a character i don’t care about to get two cards…. But oh well 15 the devil My alternative idea for this was jgy as the devil and lxc plus nmj as the figures, but since all three had been featured already (multiple times, even!) i figured I’d go with xy instead, especially since he’s among my faves lol. I think the devil signifies something along the lines of unhealthy attachment, obsession or addiction, which isn’t 100% accurate in the case of xxc and a-qing, but if i stretch it a bit to cover toxic relationships in general, and especially manipulation or negative influence, i don’t think it’s half bad. My main struggle here was to choose who amongst the xxc/sl/aq trio to choose for the human figures. 16 the tower Arguably jin zixuans death and the following massacre of nightless city were the final and most direct reason for the siege of burial mounds, and the tiger seal is good shorthand for wwx’s loss of control over his powers, which led to the deaths of jzx and jyl. When reimagining major arcana i like to feature some kind of building in this card (spoilers for a possible future project but in my rose of versailles major arcana set the tower is bastille) and even if it’s not a tower, the image of wwx looming over the gathered crowd from atop a rooftop is so good i couldn’t resist 17 the star Struggled with this one - considered both jin ling and lsz for it, as symbolising a hope for the future, but that was kind of covered by the world so it wouldn’t make sense to include here as well... As usual when I struggle with interpreting a card (as opposed to understanding it but struggling with matching a character to it, like with death or moon) I went to biddy tarot and read all the details about its meaning. What i got was that this card signifies an incoming period of introspection and inner peace following a time of turmoil, as well as a general moving on into a new, better phase of one’s life or finding new meaning and purpose. The figure also suggests someone vulnerable, but possessing a keen sense of intuition as well as a good degree of practicality and common sense. Given all those, I settled for mianmian because IM LOVE HER..... I also kind of see her as a prelude to the “just one person is enough” theme present in tgcf!! And i think her decision to abandon her sect because she saw the toxicity and corruption in it is a very inspiring action - even if it didn’t make a large visible impact, i think the appearance of her and her idyllic family at the very end of the novel - paralleling and mirroring wangxian - implies that at the end of the day, it was a meaningful one 18 the moon Another card i ALWAYS fuxking struggle with - this time less because i can’t grasp its meaning and more because I can never find a character that fits it well. I usually get fixated on the “dreams and subconscious” part, but if i lean more on the “disguise, deceit, anxiety and fear” part, i eventually figured the whole yi city arc wouldn’t be a bad fit. I say the entire arc because it really does encompass all those themes if you include both the past and the present - xue yang’s disguise, his tricks with the villagers, a-qing’s lies and even xxc’s reluctance to talk about his past as well as xue yang pretending to be xxc all fit the disguise and deceit angle, and the general mystery and creepiness of the current timeline yi city work well with the anxiety and fear - the mist, the slow uncovering of the past, even a-qing being revealed to be an ally after scaring the shit out of the protags. I definitely struggled with including all the elements and characters, and even moreso with making them vaguely fit the rider-waite composition, but i think it ended up okay ish. OH and i completely forgot to draw mist swirling around them :( 19 the sun I was considering mianmian’s family for this one, but since I used her for star, I ended up with wwx and his parents instead. Once again I’m reinterpreting the card a bit - normally I think it symbolises incoming times of pure happiness and abundance, as well as a connection with the inner child, but I gave it more of a nostalgic or sentimental twist - wwx looking back at the brief glimpse of his happy childhood. 20 judgement another card that i struggle to interpret a bit... Here i actually used the tgcf tarot zine as a reference! In it judgement is summarised as “rebirth, following duty, absolution” SO i figured that nhs, mxy and wwx all together would fit pretty neatly... wwx achieving (public) absolution through clearing his own name after being reborn, and nhs sort of calling on wwx to expose jgy’s crimes... It’s a bit messy but not bad I think! 21 the world This ties very closely to my read on mdzs as a story - which is that it’s, at the end of the day, largely about cycles, and about how hard it is to break them, but how we gotta keep trying and have hope anyway. Or maybe more precisely, that the people directly involved with and influenced by the trauma of the past might not be able to get over said trauma and that the hope for healing from it will be shouldered by the new generation. Or something like that… Basically what i mean is that jc and wwx and lwj and lxc and nhs and jgy and all these people who were in the thick of the sunshot campaign and the siege are so profoundly affected by it that it genuinely feels by the end of the story like there is little hope for them to ever truly overcome that trauma and build a better future without repeating the same old mistakes - but there is a glimmer of hope in the new generation, specifically in jl and lsz. And it’s a bit paradoxical, because they have also been directly impacted by the past tragedies - lsz having his entire clan wiped out after wwx failed to protect them, jl losing both his parents to wwx’s mistakes - but despite that loss, and despite coming from arguably the two opposing sides of the past conflicts, they are both, in the end, capable of moving past that tragedy, of recognising the complicated nature of those conflicts (jl’s moment of clarity at the end is both heartbreaking and hopeful) and forging friendships between clans in the process. I honestly think that the extra where jl is struggling to assert his authority as sect leader, to treat his subjects well and to cooperate with other sects in a truly amicable way is the single hopeful ending note for the larger themes of the novel - it allows us to imagine that maybe these kids can learn from the mistakes of their elders rather than getting sucked in by resentment at those mistakes, and actually build a brighter future for the cultivation world. And sidenote, this is also why i have a soft spot for jin ling and lan sizhui as a ship... speaking of which their poses were directly referenced from the lovers card ehehe

Looking back, I’d like to add some symbol of jin ling’s trauma so that it mirrors baby wen yuan in the tree stump... maybe his father’s sword? 

[pharahsgf]

I'm sure it's been said before but I was rewatching cql and the part where wwx gets captured by wen chao I just realized the significance of wwx calling him a dog or saying all he hears is a dog barking when wc talks. I wasn't into the novels or any other adaptations so going into it at first I had no idea that wwx had a phobia of dogs so I just thought he was being cheeky but once you know his greatest fear is dogs it hits different! He seems fearless in that moment but now I know he was probably terrified and there's no doubt a significance to wwx comparing wc/being captured in that moment to his terror of dogs. I think it's interesting too that at least in cql you don't know about his phobia until the second half which I think is fun because before his death, wwx has to hide a lot of himself and constantly put on a brave face. None of his loved ones, barely anyone at all, got to see his true terror until the very very end. But part 2 is about him finding closure and learning to trust lwj and have the space to heal so it makes sense that we'd become privy to how much fear he actually has/had inside all along. It recontextualizes a lot of scenes like the one where wwx is thrown in with the dog too. Just makes me think that no one, not even the audience, was really allowed to know how much wwx was suffering While he was in the middle of suffering, wwx was just that practiced and determined to hide it. So many characters performing some kind of act in cql with false narratives and red herrings, most notably wwx, jgy and nhs. Even lwj's supposed hatred of wwx was a falsehood. Honorable mention goes to jc's hatred of wwx being real but actually not justified in the end, his version of events being heavily twisted by himself. But we ain't taking about him now I don't mean to go on a jc rant. It's just fun. Wwx needs a hug tho

comparing ppl to dogs is a common insult in the setting, esp re: the wens ('wen-dogs' i think is the subtitled term) so idk if it was intentional, but it is an interesting parallel with how both incidents left him traumatised and how helpless he was at the moment. & i absolutely agree he was a lot more fearful than he let on! wei wuxian is determined to hide what he's really going through and it's only after his resurrection that we're allowed to see & able to understand who he really is, what he's done, and how much he's suffered.

one of the central themes of cql & mdzs is that you can't tell the full story from a glance, and wei wuxian embodies this idea both to the characters and the audience - which i think is a really cool thing to do with a protagonist. nie huaisang and jin guangyao are also definitely examples of this, but lan wangji doesn't apply in cql as much as he does in the novel, since his feelings and intentions are a lot more clear. i guess that's the beauty of lan wangji: while we do come to better understand him over time, he's a stable, constant presence in wei wuxian's life, with no jarring revelations or big surprises. for someone like wei wuxian, who rarely gets to just... settle, that must be a g-dsend.

and jiang cheng is just a fake bitch ig

[devianta]

MDZS/Persona 5 xover that literally no one asked for

I just feel like there’s so much potential for this. Think about it, both of these works have themes surrounding the damage gossip can cause, getting punished for doing the right thing (no good deed goes unpunished), what constitutes justice, and the consequences of shitty parenting, amongst other things. 

Mostly I just want to run wwx’s palace. He has a palace, there’s no doubt about that, and I want to run it. I’d kill 500 men for the opportunity. Also, pretty sure his treasure would be his lost golden core. Meaning, that if you successfully steal that shit you get to give to it him and then he’d have a new one without 1) him having to die and be brought back in a new body or 2) having to fuck anyone else up. (Phantom Thievery ftw!) You’d just have to successfully complete the palace. That’s all. 

Can you imagine wwx as a boss? Like, can you imagine that boss fight? He’d have at least 12 health bars. I mean, this is the guy who got shot by an arrow, pulled it out, and threw it back, instantly killing the bitch who shot him. This is the fucker who got disemboweled by his brother, stuffed his intestines back in, and then went and bought potatoes. This guy got a super experimental operation done on him, got stabbed with his own sword by wen chao (at least in the donghua, can’t remember if this happened in the other adaptations), and was then thrown into burial mounds. Like after all that, he was literally thrown off a cliff and he was still able to move around. Wwx is not unlike a termite: there’s really not much that can kill him. During the Sunshot Campaign he managed whole battlefields on his own. He played the flute days and nights on end without rest. 

His boss fight would be near impossible but I would be so willing to try. BTW, I’m imagining this taking place after he’s moved into Burial Mounds with the Wen Remnants but before jzx gets dead. You know, before everything gets irreversibly fucked. So the Stygian Tiger Seal will definitely feature in the boss fight. Most likely it’ll be something you need to steal it during the fight. I’m imagining that he uses to summon endless waves of corpses that prevent you from getting any hits in so you have to distract him in order to steal the seal off him and finally be able to deal actual damage to him. That’ll be stage one of the fight. Stage two will be fighting wwx and shadow wen ning. You have to defeat wen ning before you move on to stage three. Wen ning exclusively uses physical attacks. Wwx never uses physical attacks. He mostly commands wen ning but throws out curse and almighty attacks every one or two turns. Stage three is just wwx and he starts hitting you with a crap ton of curse damage with some almighty mixed in to spice things up. He repels most physical attacks and all curse moves. He’s weak to bless skills but has a 50% dodge rate for them. Beating wwx earns you no money (b/c he’s poor af) but he drops 2x Shijie’s soup (restores full sp to all party members), 5x wen qing’s needles (cures any status condition), 5x curse talismans (does 50 dmg), and one (1) golden core. 

What does wwx’s palace look like? Where is it? I want to say Lotus Pier and the distortion (what he thinks of it as) is a graveyard/mausoleum/something along those lines. But an argument could be made for burial mounds. I’m not sure what the distortion would be though in that case. I feel like wwx sees burial mounds pretty clearly. No, I think wwx’s distortion revolves around Lotus Pier and his family there. Mini bosses? Jiang Cheng definitely. Maybe Madame Yu? Shijie would show up (his palace wouldn’t be complete without her) but she wouldn’t be a shadow you’d fight. She’d offer guidance or healing items. Lwj’s shadow would definitely be there but I’m not sure what his role would be. At that point in the story, wwx’s unknowingly in love with lwj and sees him as a nice guy who asks wwx questions he can’t answer. He believes that he and lwj will inevitably end up on opposite sides of the battle field but ultimately wwx does not want to fight him. He feels that a death at lwj’s hands would be a good death. So he might be a shadow you have to impress or prove yourself to before receiving help. I feel like wwx’s palace would be a bit like Futaba’s in that he wouldn’t have full control over it because he no longer has complete control over himself or his demonic cultivation. Which is why I think there would be shadows in wwx’s palace that act counter to his purpose of pushing others away (not unlike in Futaba’s palace). If anything, I feel like his palace would be like a weird mix of Futaba’s and Nijima’s palaces. Because wwx has that distinct self-blaming loneliness that so permeated Futaba’s pyramid but he also has that single-minded determination and overbearing hubris that featured so strongly is Nijima’s casino. I don’t know. Nijima, in her boss battle, repeatedly yelled “I must win! I must win at any cost!” and I can kinda hear wwx saying something similar but it would be more along the lines of “I must protect them! I must protect them no matter what!” “Them” of course being his family and the Wen Remnants. 

 Other palaces to conquer in the MDZS universe? (It might be easier to list the people who wouldn’t have palaces.) 

Jiang Cheng definitely has a palace. A very purple palace. Lotus Pier, the Revenge. But what does he see his home as? An empty house? Jyl did say in the Untamed that three of them must remain together forever. And what happened? Wwx ran off with the last of the Wens and Jyl got married and left. If anything, jc is lonely. All he wants is his family back. So his palace would either reflect the state of his existence: alone in an empty home with no one to call his own, or it would reflect his deepest desires: his whole family returned to him. What sort of palace ruler would he be? He has that inferiority complex and brother and mother and father issues. (So. Many. ISSUES.) I can see his wwx shadow being completely obedient, because that’s sort of what he wants. He wants his brother home again and fulfilling his promise, to be the other half of the twin heroes of Yunmeng. It might be fun to fight shadow!jc and shadow!wwx at the same time. The Phantom Thieves vs the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng, loser gets sent to the Shadow Realm! (Just kidding. Unless...?) The other possibility is that wwx is completely absent from the palace but his absence is blatantly obvious to anyone that gazes upon the palace, like walking into a bedroom with no bed. There should be a bed there. Everyone knows a bed belongs here but there is no bed. Jc’s palace should have a wwx but wwx is not here. But he should be.

What would jc’s treasure be? His original golden core? Probably not. As far as he’s concerned (at this juncture) the golden core in his body is his original, restored by baoshan sanren. So it’s not that. The puppies that he lost as a boy, that he was forced to trade for an errant brother? A possibility. That was seemingly the start of jc’s problems. First he lost his beloved dogs, then he lost the love of his parents. Jfm focused on wwx to the detriment of jc and madame yu wouldn’t shut the fuck up about how jc couldn’t compare to wwx. If wwx hadn’t come to lotus pier, jc’s parents might’ve been satisfied with him. But I sincerely doubt that. There were clearly problems between J-fucking-M and Mad-Yu’s (can you tell that I think nothing of these two assholes god what I wouldn’t give to kick their asses in the metaverse I’d tear their fucking hearts out to quote ryugi) marriage prior to wwx’s arrival. Wwx’s presence there only brought those problems to the surface. Whether jc is capable of recognizing that truth is another matter. (Sorry, jc but your parents are shit and their marriage was doomed to failure before they even made their bows.) 

Or would wwx himself be the treasure? Jc’s parents are dead; they can’t be returned to life and therefore are unattainable. Jyl didn’t necessarily abandon jc and I doubt he sees her leaving as a betrayal. Jyl’s marriage was more or less inevitable. She’s able to easily visit. There’s no real conflict there. Wwx, on the hand, defected from Jiang sect. Jc has to pretend to loathe him, to not want him back when the opposite is in fact the case. Most of jc’s problems, wishes, and desires center around this one person. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that wwx is the locus of jc’s world, the axis upon which all turns: the triumphs and failures, tragedies and victories. When wwx is missing, jc looks for him. When wwx drops his sword, jc picks it up and returns it to him. Whatever happens to one brother affects the other. Even if/when wwx isn’t obviously present in jc’s life, he’s still there, even if you don’t see one brother next to the other. Even though jc doesn’t know it at that point in the story, wwx is the core of jc’s body and, therefore, it would make thematic sense for him to the be the core of jc’s palace.

Other palaces? Well, Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao obviously. Su She is debatable. I feel like he’d be a Mementos run. Besides, he’s not important enough to warrant a palace. Likewise, Jin Zixun would be a Mementos case. Wen Ruohan would have a palace but we don’t get to really know him as a character so I can’t say what his palace would like look except that it would encompass the whole of Ancient China. Wen Chao would likely have a palace even though he doesn’t deserve the attention ripping his palace apart would require. Most likely it would be a cross between Kamoshida’s and Kanoshiro’s. Jgs’ palace would probably look like Kamoshida’s and Jgy’s would probably be like Shido’s. 

Am I missing anyone? What do you think the characters’ palaces would look like? Whose palace would you most like to run? Let me know! 

[noirbriar]

MDZS AU Headcanon dump: Stay (8)

(Part 1 here)  (Part 2 here)  (Part 3 here)  (Part 4 here)  (Part 5 here)  (Part 6 here)  (Part 7 here)

“Ze Wu Jun.What are you talking about-”

“Wei Wuxian, this I’m afraid would be a family matter.I would like to ask you to kindly leave.” LQR is not having any of it and JC knows his brother, quickly holds him back, eyes urging him to stand down. LWJ knelt before his elders.

“Wei Ying...Its fine.” This was coming anyway.

WWX being WWX he breaks away from JC, telling him to close the doors behind him. JC breathes heavily and rolls his eyes, he chooses to not deal with WWX’s whims now for his own sake and does as asked.

Amongst the crowd of white robed cultivators, the Grandmaster’s inky garbs stands out in stark contrast. Before he makes his way and kneels together with LWJ.

(Its almost a bastardised ceremony of acceptance but thats getting ahead of themselves.) 

”Since I’m Lan Zhan’s partner, and I’m the reason why he is to be punished then all the more I must stay no?”

”YOU-”

”Uncle, calm down please.”

”THIS-!” Some younger disciples quickly tries to calm LQR down, who is on the verge of choking on his own blood ( “Cangse Sanren you and yours-!” ) LXC taking this moment to proceed.

”Wangji.”

”...”

“Your punishment has been decided.You have a choice.”

“Seclusion within the caves in the depths of Cloud Recesses.In solitary isolation for 3 years.”

“Or we will strip part of your cultivation and be banished from the Lan Sect.”

Neither were ideal options. GusuLan has never killed unless in the worst scenarios.Like during the Sunshot Campaign.As a peace seeking clan, they seek enlightenment, and reform the mind, the body, the soul.But the caves...they are Spirit caves where they hone their cultivation. However, when one stay in the labyrinth long enough, they forget worldly desires. Their attachments.Their feelings. Themselves. As the immortals do. He knows what the caves can do...Afterall, it was where he spent as a child after his mother’s death. It is why he can barely remember her now, if not for his brother and back then he was too young to decide against the elders who no longer remained once his brother has taken leadership.

LWJ knows that they know.

They have given him an ultimatum. Have your way and lose your home, your status.Or come home, and re-cultivate yourself as a Lan. If 3 years your heart remains, they will not anything either after that.They can’t.

LWJ is ready to choose when WWX stops him. LWJ has given up much in staying beside him, he won’t let him sacrifice more for his sake. They are LWJ’s only family and WWX knows how important that is.

But you are important too.

“3 years Lan Zhan.Besides I have to deal with the Burial Mounds and the Stygian Tiger Seal during this time.By the time you are out, my obligations would also be finished.It’s not as if we’ll be apart 13 years right?” (hahahahhahahaha please dont hurt me)

“The process is dangerous, all the more I need to s-”

“Lan Zhan,trust me.”

Just as I trust you.

The following days, preparations were made. The Wens will be under surveillance, moving down into Yiling now they no longer need to stay in the mountains. WWX will move to Lotus Pier so the 3 sects can work with him better ( read: control ). LWJ will follow the Lans back to Gusu with a-Yuan. They told him he was going to board with a respected sect, he can learn and become like his Zhan gege. He will change his surname from Wen to Lan only because of his unique status as a ward of the Lan clan.LXC makes a promise to let them reunite on Lunar New Year.The only kindness he can give to the Wens.

WWX and LWJ were kept busy themselves, both with their new obligations, and the only time that have alone were the nights after.( “Lan Zhan, how long do you plan to not tell me?””?””About you and Wen Qing plotting behind my back.Feeding me all those horrible, disgusting medicine and meditation with you?””....You knew?””Its my body.I told you I know what is going on with it when I started demonic cultivation.So?So?Was it long?””...””Ahhh look at you Lan Zhan.Do I have to feed you wine to get the truth out of you again?””What?””Ah.Nothing.Nothing.Ahhhh-Lan er gege Wha-Noooo! Forgive Xian Xian!I’m sorry!””Asking for it.””But honestly Lan Zhan now that I can start cultivating again...should we try double cultivating?As cultivation partners?””Shameless.””Ahhh I knew you would say that-Wait.Lan Er gege what are you doing?Why are you peeling my robes-!””Double cultivation.””I DIDN’T SAY NOW!AH!” )

The morning before the departure from the Burial Mounds, they had a ceremony for a-Yuan at their home for the last time, where he thanks his family and his grandmother for their care before he leaves for another.WWX laughs to himself, watching the tiny child struggling in the stiff new robes.Almost bittersweet as he thinks about the child’s fate and purpose. At the end, a-Yuan instead, waddles over and pulls WWX and LWJ to the seats, face in a huffy determination only a way a child could have.

”A-Yuan wants to thank Xian gege and Zhan gege too.”

A tea, and a bow.

”Thank you for your care and love for a-Yuan.”

If WWX has cried, nobody makes mention of it.Even as he held the tiny boy, the innocence he had chosen to protect against the world.

It was worth it.

As the Sects leave Yiling, WWX following the Jiangs back to Lotus Pier and LWJ to Gusu, the pair stood beside each other, steps heavy in their wake.Finally, as they could not let the couple delay their plans further, a cough here and a nudge there.Its goddamn time.

WWX makes the first step, throwing his arms around LWJ. Poise and image be damned.Let them look.They were already talking at Koi Tower anyway.LWJ thinks as he returns the embrace, hoping to remember this man before the long years they have to spend apart.He feels WWX’s warmth, his breath at his neck before the demonic cultivator leans nearer to his ear, whispering words that he never dreamed he would hear.

“This time, I’ll come find you. I’ll come to Gusu.”

And WWX reaches up, tugs his forehead ribbon off,wrapping it around his wrist, giving LWJ a smirk before sauntering off to a stoned JC and a smug Wen family.

(Somewhere behind, LXC is smiling widely before scrambling to assist LQR who is resembling one experiencing a qi deviation.JC has a jaw on the ground, thoughts escaping him.The Wens are glad and relieved, because goddman it finally.If you had to live with the 2 you would be too.)

“I’ll be taking this Hanguang Jun! You can have it back in 3 years!”

“Mn.”

As they share one last parting glance, they turn away with much difficulty, parting after a long while.

LWJ has waited this long.He can endure this.

Just 3 years.

-----

On the way to Lotus Pier-

“Why...do I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“Ahhh a single dog won’t get it.”

“I dare you say it again you ass.”

“Single dog.”

“Hahaha.Let’s go Jiang Cheng.I’m a guest of Lotus Pier now, aren’t I? Have your disciples carry my things properly now. And I want to drink Shijie’s soup.”

“You and your shamelessness.Which part of guest do you not understand?!”

(Part 9 here)

[lansizhuis]

*lurks from your posts* I see someone stans Jiang Cheng here as well helloooooo Can you give some thoughts about him and his relationship with Wei WuXian? Also if you happen to know any fics about them (shippy-wise, brotherly, anything with them), can you recommend some? Thank you!

HELLO!!!!! i got your ask when you sent it days ago but i needed some time to calm down over my feelings for my boys so i’m only answering it now lol

*coughs* WHY DO I LOVE JIANG CHENG???

- his interactions with wwx (the teasing, the brotherhood, the dog story when they were kids — “Although, because of this, he held hostility toward Wei WuXian for a long time, after the two grew familiar, they had begun to cause mischief together. Whenever he ran into dogs, Jiang Cheng would always chase them away, then have a good laugh at Wei WuXian, who jumped onto a tree.”)- he really does care for wwx (his reaction when he found out from lxc that the whippings on wwx would take days to heal, when he carried him, when he tried defending him against his mom despite being scared of her, when he saw what happened to him with the branding iron, his worry when wwx couldn’t swim away, THE WHOLE CONVERSATION WHEN WWX GOT BACK***, how he wanted to help wwx when his mother whipped him, clinging to his mother’s leg when he thought she was gonna cut off wwx hand, when they met again after he “restored” his golden core and wwx has finally started controlling corpses, when he defended him against lwj when they thought lwj wanted wwx punished)- “The two knew how to continue each other’s words ever since they were young. Now, one sentence after another, the argument flowed seamlessly…” shows how close they really are (let’s not talk about the context for this bc that one HURTS)- ***the second time he met w/ wwx in a new body (“From the beginning of his memory until now, Jin Ling had never seen such a look on Jiang Cheng’s face before…Although his face had always been clouded, marked with arrogance and satire, it seemed as if every corner of it had come alive. It was difficult to determine whether it was vengeful wrath, fathomless hatred, or raving ecstasy.”) MAN HE HAS BEEN WAITING and i feel like it’s a confusing mixture of hate (why did he kill shijie) and hurt (where did everything go wrong between them) and a very big bulk of relief (wwx is alive, ALIVE and maybe—maybe they can fix things)- OUR BOY KNEW IT WAS DEF WWX y’all perhaps even from the start and WWX knew this as well (“…he exclaimed in his heart that Jiang Cheng really knew the best way to deal with him.” + “…in front of someone who knew him so thoroughly, it’d be impossible to argue. This was an obstacle harder to overcome than Zidian.”) and he even controlled zidian’s force so it wouldn’t really truly incapacitate wwx- The first person WWX became truthful to upon his return was JC even going as far as to somehow admit who he truly was. His first legit conversation was with him im ahdhkslahdkala (‘Jiang Cheng pulled a curt smile on his face, “… Don’t you have anything to say to me?”’ ‘With a sincere tone, Wei WuXian replied: “I don’t know what to say to you.”’)- BUT ofc since our resident chaotic bi is a runner up for miscommunications this conversation went downhill pretty fast. OK BUT IMAGINE IF THE CONVERSATION WENT BETTER AND WWX ACTUALLY EXPLAINED SOME STUFF - and istg it’s not that im rolling on an ocean of my tears here but jiang cheng fucking kept chenqing (wwx’s flute) for the past 13 years and just in case you guys wanna suffer, just think about these two boys who were brothers that became two men unsure of where exactly things went awry bet them- in short, jiang cheng shouting at wei wuxian = jiang cheng caring for wwx in the past (maybe even a bit of that in their present??? nope dont mind me im just crying in the corner here about my boys)

ps to the anon who sent me the headcanon of jc letting zidian recognize wwx as another master without anyone else knowing I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I THINK AND SCREECH ABOUT THAT EVERY NOW AND THEN

FOR THE FIC REC, im so sorry for failing you but i don’t know of anything ahshfdlalajdh IF ANYONE KNOWS ANY, PLEASE DO SEND THEM IN ❤️

tl;dr JIANG CHENG: *aggressively cares*

[robininthelabyrinth]

....Ok so I know that wwx & lwj are hardcore soulmates, but I honestly want too see what would happen if lwj loved jc instead? Like if he saw jc pet a dog or something, while at the same time protecting his brother? Idc but I’ve had the idea in my head for days

Donghua verse

Lan Wangji didn’t have much of an impression of Jiang Cheng at first, during his time at the Cloud Recesses.

He was supposed to have joined in the first round of lessons with him, in fact, but he’d instead chosen to remain in seclusion a few extra months, focusing on strengthening his will and his heart. This had meant, according to his brother, that he’d missed a truly epic showdown between Jiang Cheng’s unruly shixiong and his uncle – something Lan Wangji was grateful for, to be honest. He knew too well that if he was there that his uncle wouldn’t be able to resist comparing them, or requiring Lan Wangji to watch over him, or something like that, and honestly this Wei Wuxian fellow seemed like he’d require a great deal of effort and forbearance.

Instead, Lan Wangji came out only after Wei Wuxian had been sent away and Jiang Cheng left behind, and he found Jiang Cheng to be a serious and earnest young man, which was much more to his taste. He was diligent and hard-working, talented and intelligent and a little bit gullible, and it was a relief to learn next to someone who was neither as silly and frivolous as Nie Huaisang – who was so devoted to being useless that it routinely amazed Lan Wangji – nor as arrogant and self-absorbed as Jin Zixuan. The only flaw Lan Wangji could identify in Jiang Cheng was that he was a little chatty sometimes – always looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to chime in – but in some ways that was good, too; he could sit next to him and let Jiang Cheng fill the silence, and having a regular companion made his brother stop looking so worried about him all the time.

Still, they were only classmates, not true friends. He thought he was nice, but nothing to really trouble himself over – and that was a relief, too, given how much his yang qi had been out of control around that time. Adolescence truly was a burden.

It wasn’t until later that he started appreciating Jiang Cheng.

Perhaps it was at the indoctrination camp, when Jiang Cheng had quietly passed along his condolences but didn’t burden him with too much company – he was too busy trying to keep the famous Wei Wuxian from starting trouble with the Wen sect, which honestly pissed Lan Wangji off; it was as if the other boy didn’t realize that they were representing their families as well as themselves, and that whatever nonsense he got into would be paid in blood and tears by them. If even Lan Wangji were willing to set aside abstract questions of justice and righteousness in favor of protecting those he loved in the only way he could, couldn’t Wei Wuxian do it too, even if only for a little while?

Perhaps it was only that he thought if he were clever enough about it, they would blame only him.

It was the tired expression in Jiang Cheng’s eyes, the burdens of the sect that Lan Wangji recognized from his brother’s face merging in with the familiar mix of love and mild irritation at an older sibling’s ridiculousness that Lan Wangji knew was often in his own, that had drawn Lan Wangji over to him – he couldn’t do much without threatening what was left of his family, his still-injured uncle and his dying father and his missing brother, but he could sit near to Jiang Cheng on the nights that he couldn’t sleep and offer him the silent support of company, if nothing else.

He found himself wishing that he could play the guqin for him, though of course he wasn’t allowed an instrument; he ended up drumming his fingers against a convenient log to create a calming tune, and Jiang Cheng would smile at him from across the flames of the campfire; sometimes, it even felt as if they were back in their quiet schooldays, sharing with a glance their mutual amusement and frustration with their classmate’s ridiculousness.

Jiang Cheng was someone who understood the burden of duty, while Wei Wuxian looked only at the burden of sacrifice, Lan Wangji had thought to himself then, and he would later be proved right even if he wouldn’t know about it for years on end.

Perhaps the indoctrination camp was where it started, but it was during the Sunshot Campaign that the spark finally caught, kindling in his heart. Jiang Cheng had lost everything, just the way Lan Wangji had, and his beloved shixiong had gone missing as well, just like Lan Xichen had after the burning of the Cloud Recesses; Lan Wangji at once volunteered to go help him in whatever way he needed.

It was good for sect unity, and safer, too, so Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren had agreed, but in his heart of hearts Lan Wangji wondered if he hadn’t gone just because he wanted to see how someone else was handling the same pain that he had.

The answer, to be frank, was badly, but – but Jiang Cheng was still that serious and earnest young man, diligent and hard-working, and armed with nothing more than his own determination he managed to resurrect a fallen sect and turn it into one of their most deadly weapons against the Wen sect.

Lan Wangji played him the guqin whenever he could, and listened to Jiang Cheng when he spoke – still looking over his shoulder for Wei Wuxian, an instinct he couldn’t seem to break – and found to his surprise that he had, somewhere along the way, grown quite fond of this man, grumpy and bitter and always trying so very hard to do his best.

It wasn’t what he’d thought love would feel like, the way his father had suffered from it: a sudden explosion in his heart that overwhelmed him and swept him away, a flood that consumed him and destroyed all self-restraint, a sudden single-minded selfishness, a single person becoming the light of his life to such an extent that it cast all else into shadow, with no room left behind for anything else, not self, not sect, not family.

No, this was – quieter. A recognition that his days were richer for having Jiang Cheng filling his eyes and ears, the feeling of comfort and familiarity that before had only been associated with his family, the slow realization that he wanted this to be his every day: this companion, by his side, working together.

The realization that he wanted more than this.

He wanted to have the right to take Jiang Cheng into his arms when he was sad, to take him to his bed when he was happy, to be greedy for those rare soft smiles and proud when others admired him –

Lan Wangji had long ago come to terms with the fact that he was a cutsleeve (it had been struggling to accept that realization, in fact, that had kept him in seclusion those extra few months), and he knew that there was a greater than average chance that he would be rejected, but he knew Jiang Cheng well enough by now to know that following his first instincts to keep his feelings hidden within his heart would only hurt Jiang Cheng more later on.

After the fall of the Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng had learned to despise things outside his control – it was what he didn’t know that terrified him, the hidden motives in people’s hearts of which they never spoke, and he hated most of all the idea that people were making decisions on his behalf.

(He spoke of that hatred, sometimes, when the other sect leaders or remaining Jiang sect elders tried to order him around for what they believed was his own good, and his hands would always rise up to rub his arms as if he were cold; it was only after Lan Wangji heard the full story of how he had been bound by Zidian and forced away to save his own life, his parents overriding his desires and treating him as a child for the final time, that he understood the source of it.)

Lan Wangji knew that if he broke Jiang Cheng’s trust, his dreams of a future would never come to anything, and so he stiffened his spine and told him.

Well, he wrote him a letter, knowing his own lack of eloquence would trip him up if he tried to say it out loud, but he handed him the letter and waited while Jiang Cheng read it. The letter contained a myriad of assurances that Lan Wangji would never take any action if the feelings were unwelcome, that he was fine with being rejected and that nothing would change, that he merely wanted Jiang Cheng to know.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes went soft when he read the letter, and for a moment Lan Wangji had hope, but in the end he was rejected – but not for the reason he’d thought.

“You haven’t met Wei Wuxian yet,” Jiang Cheng said, casting his eyes down. “One archery competition and a few distant glimpses during the indoctrination camp don’t count. You can’t – I know you think you like me, but you haven’t met him yet. And you will, one day, when we find him again, and that’s why I can’t agree.”

Lan Wangji hadn’t understood what Wei Wuxian had to do with anything.

“It’s like a man who’s only ever seen the moon suddenly encountering a sunrise,” Jiang Cheng tried to explain. “I can’t let you make a mistake that you’ll regret later on.”

In the end, Lan Wangji did get a chance to meet Wei Wuxian, and he understood a little of Jiang Cheng’s fears: Wei Wuxian was indeed a rising star, his utter brilliance in all aspects too-easily eclipsing Jiang Cheng’s not inconsiderable talent. He was witty and charming, charismatic without trying, a clever and imaginative thinker that refused to take no for an answer – he took the Jiang sect motto of ‘attempt the impossible’ as if it were a challenge that he were capable of living up to, and perhaps it was because of that no one noticed the dozens of impossible acts that Jiang Cheng quietly did every day.

It had been the same before, Lan Wangji suddenly thought to himself; in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter, Wei Wuxian had energetically challenged the creature, and nearly come to grief – if Lan Wangji hadn’t turned his back away from him, irritated for no reason in particular, he might have missed the shaky-handed disciple that would have undoubtedly shot Wei Wuxian himself instead of the beast, and the blood would have sent the creature into a frenzy from which they might not escape.

Jiang Cheng had been the one to lead the disciples out, finding a way out through the murky water while Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had fought the Xuanwu, but it was only Wei Wuxian’s brilliant idea of having Lan Wangji use Chord Assassination while he lured the creature in to be beheaded that anyone ever remembered; it had been Jiang Cheng who had put the injured Wei Wuxian on his back and walked seven days without rest to get him to the Lotus Pier for treatment, evading the Wen sect the entire time, but it was Wei Wuxian’s righteousness and witty challenge to Wen Chao that people recalled.

Wei Wuxian was as bright as the sun in the sky, but his light was blinding, the heat of it scorching those that came too close. Lan Wangji could have loved him, Jiang Cheng was right about that; Wei Wuxian had a way about him that was nearly irresistible. If he had been the first light that Lan Wangji had seen, he could have been blinded by it, unable to see any other, swept away the way his father had been – an explosion of love, a flood of it.

He hadn’t been, though.

Lan Wangji’s greatest achievement in his life, he would later think, would be that he had caught Jiang Cheng in a private moment shortly before Jin Ling’s one-month party and told him that he found that he preferred the quiet pleasures of stargazing by moonlight over the brilliance of a sunrise; it meant he had seen Jiang Cheng’s wide-eyed expression of utter delight, uncomplicated by sorrow or bitterness, for what may have been the very last time it appeared on this earth.

Later, after everything, Lan Wangji came to live in the Lotus Pier. He did not speak of love, for Jiang Cheng could not bear to think of such things at the beginning, and he only offered his company and his music, the way he had before. He helped Jiang Cheng learn the limits of his grief all over again, the line between righteous anger and merely lashing out; he helped guard against Jiang Cheng descending into nothing but bitterness and anger that would consume the rest of his life.

He stayed, and Jiang Cheng, who had started to doubt if anyone ever would, slowly grew to love him for it.

(It was Lan Wangji who realized that something had been off about Wei Wuxian’s demise, and started investigating it privately, although oddly enough in the end it was silly, frivolous Nie Huaisang who figured it out first – even if the way he went about it wasn’t something Lan Wangji would ever approve of.)

After Wei Wuxian returned in Mo Xuanyu’s body, after the three of them travelled together to investigate what had happened to Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng turned to Lan Wangji with old doubts he hadn’t seen in over a decade, and said, “You’re not going to –”

“Ridiculous,” Lan Wangji said, and Jiang Cheng smiled.

“Ugh, you two are so married,” Wei Wuxian whined, as if he wasn’t still very firmly in Lan Wangji’s bad books for the whole revelation regarding what he’d done with his golden core without telling Jiang Cheng about it. “Why aren’t you married, actually? Jiang Cheng! For shame! Be a man and do your duty!”

“Get lost,” Jiang Cheng said, but there was a lightness in his eyes that Lan Wangji rather liked. Even with all his secrets and his lies, having Wei Wuxian back was good for Jiang Cheng, and what was good for Jiang Cheng was something Lan Wangji approved of, even as troublesome a thing as Wei Wuxian. “We’re not married.”

“We could be,” Lan Wangji said, and predictably Wei Wuxian started whooping in joy even as Jiang Cheng turned bright red. Lan Wangji ignored the troublemaker and reached out to take Jiang Cheng’s hands in his own. “I am yours. First and foremost.”

Jiang Cheng’s hands tightened on his, and even if he turned his face away to hide the fact that he was crying, Lan Wangji knew that he’d won his prize – that future every day that he’d dreamed of for so long – at last.

[winepresswrath]

If you’re still collecting songs for the disaster brothers then can I offer Brother by Sam Tinnesz as a JC POV song?

I have been working on this post for a couple of days now and I keep on having to stop to either

1) accomplish things or

2) lie on the floor a little because of the playlist you crowdsourced into my inbox.

Anyway!

How long will you run? You're not what you've become Walking up there on a wire so high You know there's only one way down I can't save you now

for when you’re mourning a person who is technically still right in front of you. nice. I also love the idea of the mob as a dog Jiang Cheng thinks Wei Wuxian can’t help but feed!

Songs that jiang cheng should sing (but like, kinda passive-aggresively) @wei wuxian: 1. Someone like you by Adele, 2. Somebody that I used to know by Gotye

I feel you on the Adele but I feel like Jiang Cheng is ironically almost too dramatic for Gotye? I have a hard time picturing him being sullenly all “you didn’t have to send your friends to collect your magic flute” when he’s carrying the magic flute in his robes at this very moment, biding his time. It’s almost too well adjusted in its fuckboyery. On the other hand,

I heard that your dreams came true Guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you

but mean and sarcastic is just canonically what happens at the beginning of the ancestral shrine scene .

for yunmeng songs can i suggest seven devils by florence + the machine for jc's fury towards wwx when he was so determined to stamp out every last shred of him even after his 'death'. It also includes fun lyrics such as

"See, I was dead when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done"

that really encompasses how his grief and rage swallowed him up

Nice, anon. I also really like

And now all your love will be exorcised And we will find you saying it's to be better now

for the contrast between Jiang Cheng conceptualizing love as an evil that needs to be ripped out of him and the nod to Wei Wuxian, champion of letting it go and leaving the past in the past.

another yunmeng bros song, smile by mikky ekko perhaps?

And time will eventually knock on my door And tell me I'm not needed around anymore

I hate it here. I think this actually works really well as a Wei Wuxian song more generally, but that line is perfect for both of them.

We'll be lucky if we ever see the sun/Got nowhere to turn, and we've got nothing but time

gives me serious burial mounds vibes, and you can’t get more Wei Wuxian than smiling about how “the future is forgiven (the worst is yet to come)”

personally, my twin prides song is "weighted" by frank iero and the patience: "i only want the truth/that's one thing you can't do"

Let's hate what our love makes us do

If I try I may have to try my entire life and that just doesn’t feel right

Some quality Yunmeng Bros content here. This is an excellent song to throw up your hands and admit that your relationship with your brother is a disaster you need to develop a sense of humour about to.

Yunmeng bros music - 'Forever' by CVRCHES

And I will always think I'm right But I always regret the night I told you I would hate you 'til forever

Undeniable! Maybe I am just too much for you. One of the sadder entries in a really sad list, but I think it does a good job evoking the way their relationship can make them both feel trapped and exhausted and disempowered to do anything about that.

stonerxichen said:                                                                

Waste by Oh Wonder for the yunmeng bros. I watched an amv with this song and I've never recovered

oh god, I know the vid you’re talking about and I share the sentiment. Also just one of my favourite songs on this list.

There's a space in between Like a grey evergreen Where the hurt never mend

Knives out from the start, and that follow up- the waste inherent in knowing the exact edges of someone and all their bones but still not being able to fix anything. The exhaustion of futile knowing is like the inverse of the mortifying ordeal of being known.

morifiinwe said:                                                              

not to jump on the bandwagon but allies and enemies by the crane wives is such a yunmeng bros song (as is soap by the oh hellos but i know i’ve already sent you that one)

Remember when I could tell you not to smile when you were mad? And you would always crack, and we’d both be laughing in the end Now you’re not so quick to forget

I am in pain and it is your fault. This is another excellent one for that sense of helplessness- loving a person and wanting to be good to them and not being able to figure out how to do that properly, but I think what really gets me about this one is the way the uncertainty half resolves into

I’ll admit I’ve had my doubts But I want to be let in not out

Sometimes hopeful things are more brutal, actually, and this makes me think about the exact moment Jiang Cheng might admit to himself that he wants a relationship with Wei Wuxian and is immediately slammed in the face with the knowledge that wanting may not make it so! “Leave the past in the past.” “Take care.”

Shoutout to tumblr user @rozarria for suggesting Bullet by Clare Maguire

And i try not to feel

Oh i try not to feel Its so hard to believe it

but in the end of it all

its true

stop making me think about all the time Jiang Cheng spends trying to internalize the idea that Wei Wuxian never really loved him and it’s pathetic and delusional and a gross betrayal of the dead to hope otherwise!

Edit: I wanted to say that my personal favouite Yunmeng Bros song is Under Pressure, which did not make it onto my yunmeng bros playlist by dint of being hidden on my Wei Wuxian playlist. But love does dare us to change our way of caring about ourselves, even if we crack a little first.

[crossdressingdeath]

I know a lot of people refuse to believe/forget that JC did canonically torture people to death for 13 years, so I gathered some proof directly from the novel that basically proves that JC did indeed do those things:

“Jiang Cheng spoke grimly, ‘Break his legs? Haven’t I told you? If you see this sort of evil and crooked practice, kill the cultivator and feed him to your dogs!’.”- Chapter 7, Arrogance Part Two

As soon as JC sees someone who uses even the tiniest bit of resentful energy, and for this reason:

“The boy’s movements were already fast, but Wei WuXian had done a lot of “tripping someone while slapping a talisman onto their back”, which meant that he was faster. The boy suddenly felt his torso become numb, his back weakening, and he unwillingly collapsed onto the ground, with his sword also falling to the side with a clunk. He couldn’t get up no matter how hard he tried, as if a mountain was on top of him. On his back, there was a ghost who had died from gluttony, crushing him to the point that he couldn’t even breathe. Although the ghost was weak, it was completely capable of dealing with brats like this one. Wei WuXian picked up his sword, weighed it in his hands, and swung toward the direction of the deity-binding net, splitting it in half.”- Chapter 7, Arrogance Part Two

So as soon as WWX defends himself from JL, and keeps him pinned to the ground, and obviously not going to harm JL, JC says this. Kinda sketchy.

Another thing;

“After a moment, the corners of Jiang Cheng’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand started to unconsciously stroke the ring again. He spoke softly, ‘... Well, well. So you’re back?’”-Chapter 10 Arrogance Part 5

All because WWX just summoned a corpse to save JL. Remember, at this time, everyone thinks WWX is actually MXY. All the disciple says is that ‘MXY’ was the one who summoned WWX. What if it had been an accident? ‘MXY’ was only trying to save JL, and WN had been the first corpse to pop up. JC doesn’t say anything in thanks for saving JL, and instead does this;

“Sure enough, as if eyes grew on his back, Jiang Cheng saw that he went outside Lan WangJi’s area of protection, and was determined to grasp the chance. With a slanting crack of his whip, Zidian slashed out with the semblance of a poisonous dragon, precisely landing on the center of his back!”

He whips WWX immediately. Doesn’t seem like the actions of someone who didn’t torture people to death for years, simply because he believed they were WWX. Immediately. Let that sink in. And even if you want to argue that JC probably only whips him because of WN; here’s another thing.

“A moment ago, Jiang Cheng was certain that this person was Wei WuXian, and all of the blood in his body started to boil. Yet, now, Zidian was clearly telling him that he wasn’t. Zidian definitely wouldn’t deceive him or make a mistake, so he quickly calmed himself and thought, this doesn’t mean anything. I should first find an excuse to take him back and use every possible method to get information out of him. It’s impossible for him to not confess anything or give himself away. I’ve done things like this in the past anyways. After thinking it through, he made a gesture. The disciples understood his intention and came over.”-Chapter 10, Arrogance Part 5

We’re currently in JC’s POV. He has no reason to make things up in his head. His disciples also clearly help him capture demonic cultivators. HE LITERALLY FUCKING ADMITS TO HAVING DONE THIS BEFORE, TO THE POINT WHERE NO ONE WOULD CARE IF HE TOOK ‘MXY’ BACK TO LP, AND DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO HIM. But if people still need more proof.

“Everyone in the cultivation world knew that the young leader of the Jiang Clan watched out for Wei WuXian in an almost crazed manner. He would rather catch the wrong person than let go of any possibility, and took anyone who seemed like they held the soul of Wei WuXian away to the YunmengJiang Sect, inflicting severe torture on his victim. If he wanted to take someone back, the opposition would surely lose half of their life.” Chapter 10, Arrogance Part 5.

JC is a powerful sect leader! No one would dare spread false rumors about him! So why do these exist? Some more;

“Lan SiZhui tried to reason with him, “Young Master Mo, it was for your sake that HanGuang-Jun brought you here. If you do not follow us, Sect Leader Jiang will not be willing to let the matter go. During these years, there were countless people whom he caught and took back to Lotus Pier, and none of those people were ever let out.’... “Lan JingYi spoke, “That is right. You have seen Sect Leader Jiang’s methods, have you not? They are quite cruel…’”-Chapter 11, Refinement Part One

These are GusuLan disciples. Speaking about things that are false/spreading false rumors is forbidden! A strict no-no! As much as I love Petty!LWJ, even if it was about someone he hated, LWJ would correct the juniors if he believed/knew they were false! That’s his nature. But he doesn’t. Some more proof;

“Jin Ling replied with an ‘oh,’ and his footsteps faded into the distance. Seeing Jiang Cheng turn around, Wei WuXian immediately pulled a mixed expression of “I’m so shocked,” “my secret has been disclosed,” and “what do I do now that Wen Ning had been found.” Jin Ling was actually quite clever. Knowing that Jiang Cheng hated Wen Ning more than anything, he made up such a smooth lie with the previous knowledge he had. Jiang Cheng knew that the YiLing Patriarch and the Ghost General often appeared together, so he already suspected that Wen Ning was in the area. Having heard Jin Ling’s words, he was already mostly convinced, and Wei WuXian’s expression convinced him even further. On top of that, he burst into fury whenever he heard the mention of Wen Ning’s name. With his eyes blinded by wrath, how could he still have doubted?”

If JC really didn’t torture people to death, why the hell would JL feel the need to save ‘MXY’? This is JC’s own fucking nephew, why the hell would JL doubt him? Oh wait, let me guess. Maybe it’s because he actually does do that!

Some more, if they still don’t believe;

“Jin Ling, ‘It’s not the first time my uncle did such a thing. He has never let any of them go, even if it was possible that he caught the wrong ones.’”

What is not clicking? JC tortures them so badly, JL feels the need to save him!!! This is JC’s own motherfucking nephew. Someone who knows JC, and spends time at LP. He’s very clearly heard JC do this before.

Some more proof;

Here, I couldn’t find the actual chapter, but when JC’s own people are afraid of him, and genuinely believe he tortures demonic cultivators. (If you know the chapter, would you mind listing which it is?). But anyway, there’s also a quote where the screams of the tortured people can be heard in LP. People are so scared of JC, they can’t even ask the sect for help with reeenful energy problems! Quite telling, no?

Thus, this concludes my ‘JC really did torture people for 13 years’.

Yeah, it’s a whole thing. It’s quite a study in willful blindness, seeing people insist that it was just rumours and JC never did anything like torturing people to death. Like... they have to be actively ignoring every scene where the matter comes up to say with such confidence that JC is innocent of the thing that every piece of evidence we get says he’s guilty of.