Flare Star to the Brain

I found my start in writing through fanfiction, and this is my way of returning to my roots as I try to find my way.

[neonwingedstar]

I wonder has anyone hit on if Jiang Cheng had been at Qiongqi Pass and died there rather than Jin Zixuan? Would it have made things better or worse?

I’ve seen quite a few awesome fics of him showing up and generally stopping the fight one way or the other but have yet to see that idea.

I do know regardless of outcome, Wei Wuxian likely wouldn’t have come out that fight alive or if he did, not very sane, considering his more than complicated feelings about Jiang Cheng.

But now I’m just terribly curious over the idea and if anyone has any fics or thoughts on it, I’d love to read either or.

[neonwingedstar]

Ok, maybe I’m a little confused. I was pretty sure Wei Wuxian threw himself off that cliff. Also pretty sure that whether Jiang Cheng came along or not, Wei Wuxian was going to die because that boy had no intention of survival at that point. Lan Wangji was not pulling him back up that cliff side, power of love or Lan arm strength or whatever regardless because he grabbed him with the wounded arm. Maybe they might have gone over together, but considering Wei Wuxian was already slipping because of the blood and not trying to pull himself up, that’s a fifty fifty.

Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng loses the heart to kill Wei Wuxian right when he was going to. Wei Wuxian uses that distraction to finish the job, even though he was clearly hoping Jiang Cheng would kill him himself. Anyone can tell that from the relief on Wei Wuxian’s face when he sees him. He doesn’t want to be saved, he wants to die. And Jiang Cheng couldn’t give him that at the last minute because Jiang Cheng couldn’t do it despite all the rage he had.

I don’t know where this Jiang Cheng cracked the cliffside to kill Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji thing came from because seriously? If he wanted to kill both he could have easily stabbed Lan Wangji while he was lying defenseless on that cliff. He could have stabbed the top of the cliff where it would have broken much easier and plunged both down. He had opportunity and the motive because Lan Wangji is aiding the enemy but that’s not his objective.

Oh, and as for Jiang Cheng’s look afterwards, the man is in shock and still doesn’t know how things got this bad. He’s just watched the guy he grew up with die by suicide and his sister, his last bit of family, is dead not too far behind him. His entire world is shattered once again, and he couldn’t even take revenge for it. It’s amazing he’s walking off that battlefield when there’s still infighting everywhere around him. The only way he’s managing to survive is to pull what’s left of himself together long enough to do that. So no, I don’t blame him for not breaking to pieces like Lan Wangji. He can’t, because now he has no one to save him but himself, and he still has to get his tiny sect out of this mess. Plus deal with the fallout afterwards.

[neonwingedstar]

It’s kind of amazing how people base a person by how they are in stressful situations, Expecially book characters. Especially Jiang Cheng in this point. Antis and supposed half fans say he’s perpetually angry yet they base this all on his actions after/during the gap. Where we never see him not stressed. Every scene he shows up in post the gap is a bad situation. Wwx just insulted Jin Ling so yeah, he’s angry plus this is Jin Ling’s first ‘solo’ night hunt so he’s already stressed. Then WWX is revealed to be alive and that’s a whole nightmare to JC because damn, that was a trainwreck from hell the last time he was alive. And it’s never resolved, they never really talk, every situation after that is a bloody crisis aside from the tea scene. So JC is never allowed a calm moment to breathe at least when ‘on screen’.

The few times when he’s not stressed are all before the gap. And he’s not always angry during those scenes, but it’s convenient to forget that and shuffle him promptly into ‘angry guy’ category. Would love to see how these people react to multiple stressful situations in a very short amount of time. Because seriously, a lot of people would have handled themselves way worse.

[neonwingedstar]

Well, alright then, that’s a new one. Jiang Yanli should have sold her wedding robes before her wedding to support her obviously starving brother. Yes, totally don’t see how that’s going to cause issues, especially since she’s marrying into that one family who has a severe personal grudge against WWX, (ok, just Jin Guangshan but since he’s head of family, it’s a mess).

Guess we forgot that one, Wei Wuxian is amazing at acting like he’s fine. He would not accept charity from anyone, especially not the people he loves most. Two, the above mention that this is before she gets married, she kind of needs those. Three, doubtful the Jiang are all that wealthy right now, what with rebuilding their sect (people have to eat and be clothed and that sort of thing), repairs and so forth. So replacing said robes would be impossible. Plus wedding gifts and her dowry probably took a chunk of that money anyways. Four, they find him selling radishes in the market so they know he has food. This is several months after the fight as well, so while Jiang Cheng had a baseline of how they were doing then, he might assume they’re doing better if they have a surplus enough of a crop to sell it.

About Jiang Cheng not giving money or aid, the above applies, he has a sect to look after, his sister to take care of and Wei Wuxian would not accept the aid from him anyways. He never easily accepts aid from anyone excluding Lan Wangji and that’s a whole other thing.

Plus he loves Jiang Yanli a lot, he wouldn’t even dream of accepting money, let alone her dress. He’d be shoving that back into her hands faster than she could begin to offer it. And since both Jiang siblings know Wei Wuxian fairly well, excluding certain secrets, they know that.

[qiu-yan]

honestly getting sick of entry-level MDZS analyses that go “ummm WWX and JC are foils bc WWX cares about other people and JC only cares about himself” from people who don’t have the object permanence to realize that the Jiang sect postwar is also made up of people

[qiu-yan]

#Gonna say something controversial:#Wwx doesn’t throw his entire life away for just any group of refugees#He does it for the family of someone he owes a tremendous and very personal debt to#I would say his personal reasons are a bigger factor than any kind of good-hearted altruism tags via @bodhimcbodeface

[neonwingedstar]

This. Exactly this. One hundred percent.

[neonwingedstar]

Thoughts as I finally finished 2ha 9 a few weeks ago.

I have to appreciate how Meatbun approaches death. As morbid as that is, Meatbun really wrote excellent death scenes here.

Some spoilers below.

All too often you get half assed scenes that don’t feel weighted enough. Death is often serious (unless it’s not meant to be but that’s another topic) and should be handled with respect. And Meatbun does it brutally and beautifully in a horrific way.

It’s actually why I stopped reading for three months. Mo Ran honeymooning right before death was very close to what I’ve seen in real life, that last gasp of energy and good feeling before the body just gives out. The way he knows it, accepts it and continues on anyways was so gripping and painful. Too real in some ways even if not in others, (I’m not going to touch on the after effects of death on a body), that I couldn’t really face it then, likely because I face that situation far too much to read about it. However, pushing through now I really appreciate how it ran its course, how much grief and poetry was put into it.

And how much it contrasts against the later deaths of Xue Meng’s parents. The sudden, violent end, even when you know it’s coming. The stop is like a full fledge car crash, you can see it about to happen and still the impact is so intense and sharp. Beautifully done in how much agony both are given, how much sacrifice and love that is shown in such acts.

That’s the main point in all three deaths really, they bring out a form of love. Deep, heart rending love that can destroy a person and yet still persist after that person is gone.

Gah, I just really appreciate the whole work at times.

[apathetic-tortoise]

Shao yu: How old were you guys when you found out Santa wasn't real?

XiaoBao, whispering to Huaien: How old am I?

Huaien: You’re 24 baby

XiaoBao, near tears: I was 24

[neonwingedstar]

So Huai En is about to be short a half brother huh. Because no one is allowed to upset his baby but him. Lol

[neonwingedstar]

Oh, so that’s why I stopped reading this four months ago.

‘Me picking back up 2ha 9 again after stopping a third of the way through’

[neonwingedstar]

You know, as much as there is about how evil Jiang Cheng is and how he’s such a villain, he doesn’t actually do a whole lot in the present. All his really ‘evil acts’ are off screen or straight up rumor that happened in the gap between past and present. The worst he does in the present is berate Jin Ling and terrorize Wei Wuxian briefly, then picks a fight with Wangxian that he loses brutally to the guy that wasn’t even invited to that party. Otherwise he’s kind of just doing his own thing off camera. He flat out disappears for a bit after catching Wei Wuxian and doesn’t even bother to look for him when Jin Ling releases him. Then doesn’t expose Wei Wuxian later when he sees him at Carp Tower. He’s only at the second siege because of Jin Ling and he breaks down at the temple scene. I guess you could say he didn’t have the opportunity to do much but honestly he doesn’t seem to be trying all that hard. Like where is this big bad villain?

Though I guess I could be totally wrong on my facts, it’s been a year since I’ve read MDZS.

[neonwingedstar]

Actually to add on to this. For all his hunting and torturing and murdering in the name of destroying Wei Wuxian, he’s rather mild with Wei Wuxian himself post resurrection. Snarky and bitter, yes. Threatening to drag him back to Lotus Pier, sure. Threatens him with Fairy, ok. Which makes little sense if you took all the ‘he killed and tortured demonic practitioners’ thing at face value. Because he supposedly did all that to obliterate Wei Wuxian. Yet just kind of doesn’t bother when faced with the real thing? When he supposedly hates him so dang much?

Just kind of contradictory really. Most people when faced with the object of their undying hatred, which they’ve been projecting on other people for thirteen/sixteen years, would stop at nothing to do away with that specific thing. He doesn’t even try at Carp Tower when everyone else is trying to stop Wei Wuxian.

This is not debating that he did such in the past, but it’s interesting how it’s not overtly there in the present beyond him stating he’ll beat a confession out of him and he hits him once with Zidian, both before he was sure it was him. Even before he knows about the core, he’s really not trying that hard.

[neonwingedstar]

You know, as much as there is about how evil Jiang Cheng is and how he’s such a villain, he doesn’t actually do a whole lot in the present. All his really ‘evil acts’ are off screen or straight up rumor that happened in the gap between past and present. The worst he does in the present is berate Jin Ling and terrorize Wei Wuxian briefly, then picks a fight with Wangxian that he loses brutally to the guy that wasn’t even invited to that party. Otherwise he’s kind of just doing his own thing off camera. He flat out disappears for a bit after catching Wei Wuxian and doesn’t even bother to look for him when Jin Ling releases him. Then doesn’t expose Wei Wuxian later when he sees him at Carp Tower. He’s only at the second siege because of Jin Ling and he breaks down at the temple scene. I guess you could say he didn’t have the opportunity to do much but honestly he doesn’t seem to be trying all that hard. Like where is this big bad villain?

Though I guess I could be totally wrong on my facts, it’s been a year since I’ve read MDZS.

[neonwingedstar]

Odd thought but if Wei Wuxian had died at Nightless, I bet Yunmeng Jiang wouldn’t have bothered with the Siege. They wouldn’t have had reason to because their ‘guilt’ in the matter is tied strictly to Wei Wuxian. That however doesn’t stop Lanling Jin who would still likely have gone after the remaining Wen to destroy evidence and take Wei Wuxian’s work. The only reason Yunmeng Jiang would have gone with them would be because Jin Guangshan forced them to, since he still has hold on Jiang Cheng’s remaining family. Though it’s doubtful Jin Guangshan would have wanted the other clans involved since he wanted Wei Wuxian’s work strictly for himself. It likely would have been a quiet matter, pretty much an execution without fanfare or word spread about it.

[neonwingedstar]

It’s an idle thought that’s likely come up before but I wonder if Wei Wuxian even intended to come back to Yunmeng Jiang (what little left of it there was) after being thrown in to the Burial Mounds. He doesn’t try to contact anyone he knew after he got out of there, doesn’t try to get aid for hunting down Wen Chao. Doesn’t even send a short note to be given to either Jiang Cheng or Jiang Yanli. You could argue that he didn’t have time or straight up was too revenged fueled to bother with it but that doesn’t sound like the Wei Wuxian before who knew Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng cared about him and would like to know he was alive. Unless he couldn’t send word without risking Wen Chao finding out and that would have ruined the whole horror beat down he was intent on giving him. Which is always possible.

Just honestly curious if he intended to reconnect if they hadn’t found him or if he’d have gone on with his one man war before fading out after he was done wrecking the most damage on the Wen. It’s impossible to say ultimately but I feel like it could have gone either way.

[neonwingedstar]

Welp, it’s official, Jiang Cheng is very much my absolute favorite right now, because every time I come up with a fic idea for this fandom, he’s either dead or murdered in it. A true sign of love.

(Not that I’m ever writing any of them, but hey, can’t stop generating even with no intent.)

[neonwingedstar]

Thanatos. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Cannot get enough of him. And I thought my minor obsession with white haired pretty game boys was at an end.

Though is it just me or does he seem a lot more hurt about Zag leaving than Meg does? Cause ouch. Though could just be the difference in their temperaments.

[neonwingedstar]

And here I am looking for another fic. I really need to bookmark better. As is, it’s Sangcheng, post cannon. There had been a competition for Jiāng Cheng’s hand that the juniors were talking about that happened when they were younger. Nie Huaisang came in masked and then couldn’t reveal himself for years, until the whole revenge thing was settled. Any help would be awesome, thanks.

[neonwingedstar]

Bouncing back and forth between random rewatching Untamed and Word of Honor. I’ve really forgotten how many times Wenzhou get divorced during this thing. Not that it lasts, those two are the worst (and best).

[neonwingedstar]

Well I found a pairing I didn’t know I wanted to see. It would likely be on the extreme end of wild but dang has anyone seen a Xue Yang/Jiang Cheng/Jin Guangyao fic? Or any good ones of any combination of the three? I’ve read a few xue/jiang and chengyao but always looking for more.