Cloud Recesses Arc But Modern And Less Depressing:

Need to see more people talk about Hua Cheng’s intelligence.

He literally learnt a language just by looking and studying it despite having no context for it. He has a near perfect memory and can recall multiple facts in any given area. He runs a gambling house and city and manages all the money. He’s picked up multiple art forms and can recreate Xie Lian perfectly down to his exact robes just from memories he had of him when he was a child. He learnt how to use a saber just through watching Xie Lian once and got so good at it in such a short span of time Xie Lian assumed he was a general and then he won Mt Tonglu. Have I mentioned his memory it’s genuinely scary the other immortals in the series don’t have a memory like his. He reads multiple academic essays and books from multiple kingdoms and time periods implying he’s a polyglot on an insane level. He’s amazing at investigating.

HE BEAT MULTIPLE CIVIL GODS AT DEBATING.

Like just incase you don’t get that, these guys got to heaven for being so smart. They were considered good enough to become a god because of their intelligence and he outsmarted them. He’s so so intelligent like yeah he’s great with a sword but that is Xie Lians thing, he’s only as good as he is because he wants to be Xie Lians equal.

This guy spent his immortality learning literally everything (except calligraphy) and he mastered all of it and sure he is immortal but it’s clear he mastered it in short spans of time. He was carving statues like Michelangelo in under 10 years. Again he learnt to be amazing with a sabre while he was still alive so like 3 years max and mostly from memory. He established a full city with labour, homes, jobs and runs it despite dying as a starving orphan at 17.

HE BEAT MULTIPLE CIVIL GODS AT DEBATING.

I find it funny how jiang cheng experiences misogyny despite NOT being a woman??

Like he is emphatically not a woman, alright, but he's an 'ex' in the narrative sense. The bitchy love rival between the BL couple fandom would have hated on a couple of years ago before we accepted it was cringe to hate on the rival, she deserved better etc etc except. He's neither a woman OR technically, a romantic rival. Most of the subtext is sibling subtext.

He's paralleled with his mother who is also somewhat given the hysterical woman treatment by her husband. Jiang cheng says "Father doesn't like me because I'm my mother's son". Did jfm take one look at this kid and go "I hereby assign him his mother at birth"??? Even in wei wuxian's narration he subconsciously parallels Jiang cheng to his mom. They both have tempers, wield zidian, wear purple if you want to go there lmao, but that's a surface level 'woman are unreasonable and somewhat the same' reading. Like.

He is actually not his mom. He arguably breaks generational abuse cycles because jin ling is confident Jiang cheng loves him in his own way. He did not set out to have that kid, he chose to be responsible anyway because that's his sister's son. Jiang cheng doesnt spend years not-communicating in a bad marriage and taking it out on his kid. He lets wei wuxian go at the end because there's no point in dragging it out and everyone being more unhappy after he somewhat gets an explanation on WHY wei wuxian went off the deep end (aka golden core reveal).

But the easy read is to go, 'quick temper and harsh words- that's yu ziyuan's next coming'

So it's deeply funny to me that he's assigned scorned-ex-wife by narrative, if I'm making sense.

Wei Wuxian: Lan Wangji is just as if not more chaotic than I am you have to believe me. He’s constantly playing pranks and running into danger

Jiang Yanli: Oh please, brother, he’s the picture of solemnity and levelheadedness. He would never do things like that

Lan Wangji, who slept with his eyes open and seated on the bed the night before specifically to scare the shit out of Wei Wuxian because he knew he was coming home late: *stonefaced* It’s true I’m a saint

Here's my art for @tgcf-reverse-big-bang ! For this one I've been paired up with two amazing writers and eventually you'll be able to find the links to both fics in the reblogs for this post. I personally can't wait to read them!!

god jin guangyao’s fucking face when they announce zewu jun at the post war celebration at nightless city will never not make me scream. the suddenly giant saucer eyes, the hopeful lift of the eyebrows, the tiniest little curve of a smile - zewu jun is here? i get to see him? now? socially? all dressed up in my jin clan best? as equals at a banquet? do you promise??

winning card

Madam Yu: *Kicking out wwx after the broken engagement thing* AND STAY OUT

Lan Zhan: Finder's keepers

Wei Wuxian: Where did you come from?

Lan Zhan: Gusu

Madam Yu: What do you think you're doing!!?

Lan Zhan: Going back to Gusu

Madam Yu: With my head disciple!?

Lan Zhan: You didn't want him. I do

role reversal + body swap + time travel bingqiu au:

binghe reverses time to the moment he and shen (yuan) qingqiu met. figures out the whole not-shen-jiu business, but that's less important and mind boggling than the fact that he's somehow ended up in shizun's body.

(under any other circumstances, he would be overjoyed. now, though— well. it's just not optimal shizun wooing conditions. still will take advantage, just. give him a moment.)

he goes to find himself (he has a hunch) and finds shen yuan literally moments after transmigration, helps him up, and takes him to the bamboo house.

luo (yuan) binghe looks up at shen (binghe) qingqiu and faints. that's as far as luo binghe gets in his master plan of fixing their relationship, because by then the system has wisened up to what binghe's trying to do, and it's come seeking death (trying to get binghe to be cruel to shizun via ooc lock).

this is as far as i've gotten with this idea, but. do you. do you see the vision

"Why else would Wei Wuxian do what he did for Jiang Cheng if not because of love?"

Jiang Cheng dodged to the side before attacking, “When does not now mean? I’ve had enough of you—get lost right now!” Wei WuXian shouted, “Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu said for me to look after you, for you to be well!”

—Chapt. 59: Poisons, exr

Does Wei Wuxian still care for Jiang Cheng as a friend at this point in time? Yes. Is that friendship the driving force behind his decision-making between the fall of Lotus Pier and his later defection from the Jiang? No. That's why Wei Wuxian can defect with no psychological burden later on in life: he got Jiang Cheng to live and live well. He fulfilled every debt that mattered. Jiang Cheng, unburdened by such a debt to look after Wei Wuxian, in turn places blame on Wei Wuxian:

Under the grief and the fury, Jiang Cheng had lost his mind. He couldn’t control the strength that he used at all. Wei WuXian pulled at his wrist, “Jiang Cheng...” Holding him on the ground, Jiang Cheng continued to roar, “Why did you save Lan WangJi?! Why did you have to speak up?! How many times have I told you not to stir up trouble! Not to strike! Do you really want to play the hero so much?! Have you seen what happened when you played the hero?! Huh?! Are you happy now?! “Lan WangJi and Jin ZiXuan and those people can just die! Just let them die! What’s their deaths got to do with us?! To do with our sect?! Why did this have to happen?! Why?! “Go die, go die, go die! Everyone!!!” ... In his heart, Jiang Cheng knew clearly that back in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter at Dusk-Creek Mountain, even if Wei WuXian hadn’t saved Lan WangJi, the Wen Sect would have found some reason to come over sooner or later. But he had always felt that, if the whole thing with Wei WuXian didn’t happen, maybe it wouldn’t have been so soon, maybe there would’ve been some way to turn things around. It was this torturing thought that filled his heart with hatred and wrath.

Not every conflict or sacrifice in a work of fiction need be motivated by love. At some point you gotta stop chasing ghosts between the lines and simply read the lines.

wangxian au where wei wuxian keeps getting kidnapped cause people think he's powerless and depends on lwj for everything. kidnappers always think "well if he's so strong, why is he always trying to hide behind hgj??"

and like, wwx COULD easily free himself. but why would he? they aren't a real threat and above all, he LOVES to see his beloved hanguang-jun annihilate any threat that steps towards him

and lan wangji is never really worried. everyone always doubts wwx, writes off his abilities because he can't possible be "that strong." he knows wwx could handle, really, any situation.

but why should he have to?

wwx has been "handling" situations non stop his whole life. as far as lwj is concerned he shouldn't have to lift a finger anymore