Demonic-flute Solo

[skoofie]

Does it count as a doodle if they possess you

[anexperimentallife]

[labelleizzy]

Everyone reblog this. Mandatory.

[saja-55]

Everything changed the day Amira was born. The world outside was collapsing — bombs, dust, screams, and fear. Yet inside a small room, by the dim light of a single candle, a new life began. While others were running for shelter, I was holding my newborn daughter, trembling, crying, trying to believe that something so pure could still exist in a place like Gaza. I named her Amira, because I wanted her to feel like a child of life —not a child of war.

  A year has passed since that night, but nothing has really changed Our house is still rubble, our streets still carry the smell of smoke, and the sky still echoes with sounds that make Amira flinch in her sleep. She has just turned one. She’s learning to walk, holding my finger with her tiny hand, laughing at the smallest things — as if she doesn’t see the destruction around her. She doesn’t know the word “loss.” She never met her father, but when she smiles, I see him there. Sometimes I watch her sleeping, and I wonder what kind of world she will grow up in — whether she will ever know what peace feels like, what home smells like. And yet, when she opens her eyes in the morning and says “mama,” everything becomes bearable again. I want to rebuild our home. Not just for the walls — but for her future. For Amira to have a small room, a safe place to dream, a life that belongs to her, not to war. I’m not asking for much. Only for a chance to give her a beginning filled with warmth instead of fear

Help Saja Rebuild a Life After Everything Fell Apart

My name is Saja. I am a mother, a wife, and just one of many women in Gaza trying to hold on — to hope, to my family, and to a life that no

 A Mother’s Message

To everyone reading this — thank you for listening to our story. Your kindness means more than words. Every share, every message, every donation — it all helps me rebuild not just a house, but a future for Amira. From the heart of Gaza, from a mother learning to hope again — we will live. And I will make sure my daughter grows up in a world that knows love more than war.

[lanlishiba]

Saw this pic and immediately thought of him

[bluevanillacupcakemagic]

And they just had to kill him for it

[mxtxfanatic]

What’s wild is that fandom is so intent on calling Xie Lian “idealistic,” “naive,” or at worst, “just plain stupid” to want to “save everyone,” but… Xie Lian never said that? He said his dream was to save the common people, and whenever he was challenged on that principle as a child, his answer was always, “If I have the resources, it’s my duty to at least try.” He had the means to save a child falling off the city gate tower, so he did. He had the means to bring rain from a distant country for a territory of his kingdom in drought, so he did. He had the means to attempt negotiating with the refugees before they turned rebel, so he did, but the moment that negotiating become unreasonable, he took up arms to prevent as much bloodshed as possible while he thought of another solution. When everything went to shit anyways, he went, “I did what I could, as was my duty,” and it was only when he was tortured to a breaking point did he go, “What I did wasn’t worth it, so I should have done nothing at all and let people suffer without me.” That “I should hoard my resources while others suffer lest I be dragged down with them” mentality is exactly what the villains (Jun Wu, Qi Rong) and the antagonists (Mu Qing, Feng Xin) want Xie Lian to have come away with, that you are always more important than others, that you should never help anyone else if you gain nothing from it and especially if there's a chance that you suffer for it. And that is exactly the mentality that Xie Lian is rewarded for rejecting.

This is literally like the Jiang Clan motto from mdzs: it is not “achieve the impossible,” it is “attempt the impossible.” If you have the means to make a difference but won’t even try because “what if it backfires on me?” then you are a corrupt coward who does not deserve the resources you hoard. Let the money rest with those who give with liberal pockets to the poor, the strength with those who live in defense of the weak, the intelligence with those who think of solutions to ease life for the community as a whole. And let those whose concerns begin and end at their own desires wield only enough power to affect nothing outside of their own solitary life.

[truthseeker-800]

This is such an intelligent analysis. The pesimistic part of me+the coward part of me finds this all very daunting but I basically agree with everything. It's always better to be kind, and to work hard for the sake of others, whatever that means, no matter a persons situation. Something I'll definitely apply in my own life. There is a part of me that still doesn't like the jiang motto tho. I don't know why but it simply doesn't sit right with me. I think it may be because it encourages the sort of saviour complex that wwx has in the books, at least if taken at face value. I think you should always do what you can for others as long as that doesn't come at the cost of yourself to a detrimental amount, since in the end your the most important person in our own life.

I specifically don't understand this,“seeking to do right even when one knows that failure is imminent” Probably, since I think in an overly logical almost black and white way.What makes more sense to me is to attempt what is incredibly difficult or not tried before, to do what is right.

This specifically, "Let the money rest with those who give with liberal pockets to the poor, the strength with those who live in defense of the weak, the intelligence with those who think of solutions to ease life for the community as a whole. And let those whose concerns begin and end at their own desires wield only enough power to affect nothing outside of their own solitary life," will resonate with me forever.

[mxtxfanatic]

Wei Wuxian doesn’t have a “savior complex” in mdzs. He does the right thing because he can and his morality says he should. A savior complex would be Jiang Cheng distracting the Wen to help Wei Wuxian, getting caught, and then punishing Wei Wuxian for the aftermath of his actions because he wanted the praise but regretted the negative consequences it had on him. I think you find things like the Jiang motto daunting because you aren’t viewing them in light of the already daunting situation the characters find themselves in.

For example: saving Mianmian was unambiguously the right thing to do that led to a direct consequence for Wei Wuxian (Wang Lingjiao targeting him and attempting to get his arm cut off). But what was the alternative? Let her get bled in front of everyone to attract the xuanwu of slaughter, or let her face be maimed for shits and giggles so that everyone else makes it out the cave except her because—assuming she survives the brand to the face with decent mobility—she can’t swim out? On the other hand, Wei Wuxian rescuing Jiang Cheng from the Wen was the right thing to do even though getting caught would’ve seen him tortured and killed, yet I never see people talking about his “savior complex” when it comes to that. Is it because Wei Wuxian didn’t get caught and thus no one has to think about the consequences of his theoretical failure or because people think that only Jiang Cheng is worth Wei Wuxian risking himself for?

In tgcf, Xie Lian chose to be staked into the coffin by Lang Qianqiu because he deduced that it would be better than breaking a young boy’s heart and encouraging a cycle of hatred that would potentially provoke a genocide (or in the revised, leave an entire city full of malicious ghosts intact to haunt the mortal realm). He participates in the skirmishes on the Yong’an/Banyue frontier and refuses to let his soldiers murder civilians even though he’s turned against for it. He gives up godhood to carry water for his people who are in drought, and he never stops trying to find a solution to this until he physically cannot any longer.

None of these situations are “you’re the most important person in your own life” circumstances because they are bigger than just their personal lives. These are situations that affect whole groups of people, that involve life and death, that include generational cycles of malice and evil. You know what situations these characters don’t choose to sacrifice themselves in? Interpersonal dramas. Xie Lian in no way is overextending himself to save the likes of Qi Rong, Mu Qing, Feng Xin, or whoever else from the consequences of their own actions that have no rippling effects elsewhere. He has no relationship with those folks and so simply does not care (and with Qi Rong, specifically, there is a disdain that settles in after Qi Rong’s malice is made impotent). Wei Wuxian gives up his golden core for Jiang Cheng, but in no way is this the equivalent of risking his life for the other man like going back to Lotus Pier was. After defecting, Wei Wuxian basically rescinds all courtesies and considerations for Jiang Cheng’s safety as an individual, both in the past and present timelines.

In fact, in the larger scenarios that saw them face the worst blowback, neither Wei Wuxian nor Xie Lian did anything that would be considered “risking their lives” when they first undertook the action. Xie Lian descended from the heavens to give his people water; Jun Wu escalated it into a civil war and banishment. Wei Wuxian’s life was already in danger in the indoctrination camp and during the Sunshot Campaign, so helping others didn’t make matters worse. Him rescuing the Wen remnants wasn’t an issue, either; Jiang Cheng escalating it by publicly withdrawing support from him to save his own reputation was, and the Jin escalated that by scheming against him because they didn’t like the idea of a “son of a servant” denying them access to his power. Now, once these situations became “unsalvageable,” did either MC abandon their endeavors? Of course not, and they never would have either, but it’s important to note that almost every situation they found themselves in was either 1) already bad to the point where all they could do was mitigate harm or 2) not actually bad in the beginning until bad actors made the situations irredeemable in retaliation for their authority or bigotry being challenged.

In the end, you can prioritize your own life for fear of negative consequences, but just like courage isn’t guaranteed to save you, neither is fear. So would you rather be remembered as a person who was punished for helping people (Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian), or someone who suffered anyways because they were too afraid to even think about rebelling against the status quo (the Jiang Clan, Nie Mingjue, Mu Qing, Feng Xin, amongst a whole lot of other characters)?

[aurorablackwei]

You don't need to be WWX or LWJ or XL, at the end they are powerful characters, but not be the antagonist, you can be MianMian? The one who rejects a prestigious position because she refuses to keep silent about the corruption is not an option, be JYL who talks to protect his brother and tries even when everyone wants him dead, Wen Qing, who heals and hides JC and WWX, be Sisi who protects other prostitutes. Not everyone can be brave, or have the strong or powerful position to protect others, but when the moment comes don't keep silent, don't be ignorant, try to the best of your own capacities, being rude is the easy way, being kind in a hostile world is the difficult path.

[mxtxfanatic]

In terms of what the commenter raised as concerns, most of these listed characters are like Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Xie Lian. They all put the greater good above their own wellbeing and, in many cases, their lives. Wen Ning and Wen Qing risked their lives to save Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian from Wen Chao, and both of them end up dying for it when Jiang Cheng refuses them protection after the fact. Jiang Yanli dies to save Wei Wuxian. Mianmian didn’t risk her life, but as a slave, leaving the clan who elevated her over the labor camp debacle would have left her with nothing, an extreme detriment to herself until she could figure out how to survive on her own. The only odd one out is Sisi, whose actions had nothing to do with the greater good and was just about protecting a friend from their colleagues. So minus her, according to the commenter, their actions would be just as “nonsensical” as the listed three MCs, because despite the clear negative consequences they faced for their actions, they still committed to them rather than prioritizing their own lives and status.

[incorrectuntamedmodaozushiquotes]

Lan Wangji, to himself as he paces around his room, trying to put his feelings into words: Wei Ying is a work of art. Specifically, a stained glass work of art. Because when the sun hits him he lights up a room in all of his beauty and I fall in love all over again. Lan Xichen, eavesdropping on him: Holy. Shit.

[mxtxfanatic]

The most insulting thing about the “miscommunication trope” being misapplied to mdzs is that it’s probably the one mxtx novel where literally everything is laid bare at one point or other.

Did Jiang Cheng know that his new golden core was actually Wei Wuxian’s? No, but he knew that he was “using Wei Wuxian’s only link to his mother’s sect” to get himself a new golden core, which means he knew he owed Wei Wuxian.

Did Jiang Cheng know about the Wen siblings’ involvement in the golden core transfer? No, but he knew that they saved his life, brought him his parents’ bodies for proper burial, and hid him while healing him.

Did the cultivation world know why Wei Wuxian raided the labor camp? Yes, he interrupts a Jin banquet, specifically tells everyone who’s bothering to listen (which is everyone because they’re all gossips) that he’s going there to get Wen Ning, who was unjustly arrested, and then after he does this, the surviving guards relay what he did and said. Then Mianmian repeats this reasoning and calls for an investigation during the emergency conference, only to get slandered and shouted down.

Did the cultivation world know who Wei Wuxian took out of the labor camp? Yes, they start off the emergency conference with an inventory of who’s still missing: 50 individuals. Later, Jiang Cheng literally goes to the Burial Mounds and sees for himself who all is there, then when the first siege happens, the cultivation world as a whole is able to witness what was in the Burial Mounds. Granny Wen didn’t smash her own head in.

Does the cultivation world know that Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian owe the Wen siblings a debt? Yes, because Jiang Cheng says that they do in front of all the attending clans during the emergency conference. He elects not to elaborate on why they owe such a debt when Lan Xichen asks because Nie Mingjue sarcastically asks why Jiang Cheng would owe a debt to Wen “who killed his family,” angering him.

Did literally anyone think Wei Wuxian was evil? No, they were angry because Wei Wuxian’s ghost path was such a game-changer that they feared any new promising disciples would elect to join the Jiang Clan’s martial sect (pre-defection) or Wei Wuxian’s Burial Mound settlement (post-defection), outshining the orthodox clans and causing their power and influence to decline. They say this during the Phoenic Mountain Hunt, the crashed Jin banquet, and the emergency conference.

Did anyone know that the Jin were the ones spinning lies and slandering Wei Wuxian in order to steal his power and gain influence over the rest of the orthodox clans? Yes, not only does Wei Wuxian call this out during the Jin banquet before the labor camp liberation, Lan Wangji calls it out during the emergency conference and is promptly shut down by Lan Xichen. In private, Lan Xichen praises Jin Guangyao’s ability to spin lies to earn the crowd’s favor, while Nie Mingjue, who also noticed the lies, elected to stay silent and only address it in private so as not to seem to defend the Wen remnants or their savior in public.

Do people know that Jin Guangyao was a murderer? Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue did, but Lan Xichen brushed it off as “he had a reason (to kill people I have no attachment to)” while Nie Mingjue kept his secrets due to a sense of debt for Jin Guangyao “saving his life” during the Sunshot Campaign. The rest of the cultivation world knows about his betrayal of Wen Ruohan, his hand in the events leading up to the first siege, and the massacre of the clan framed for killing Jin Rusong. But because these are all misfortunes that happen to “other people,” nobody cares until it turns out that he’s also been killing the people they consider “their own” (Nie Mingjue).

Hell, even the incest was a poorly-kept secret that needed not much more than a bribe to some maid to uncover.

Literally nothing except the golden core transfer was a “secret,” and knowledge of the transfer is so inconsequential to the conflict that pops up because even without it, Jiang Cheng still owes a debt to the Wen siblings that he admitted to in public! There’s not a single thing in the story that could be chalked up to “well if only Wei Wuxian had played nice and communicated, this wouldn’t have happened.”

[wangxian-xianwang-shipper]

❤️💙 WANGXIAN FIC RECOMMENDATION 💙❤️

Reborn In Blood

by Fereael

Summary:

The two shadow men dragging Jin Rulan toss him to the floor of the cell and he immediately sits up, spitting and furious and drags the gag from his mouth with his own bound hands.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing!? Do you know who I am!? Just you wait till my uncles hear about this!!”

“Oh I’m sure they’ll be just heart broken.” The man in black steps forward into the doorway of the cell and one of the shadow men steps forward to place a stool behind him so that he can settle, grinning, onto it. “Unfortunately if you want them to find out anything you’re going to need a tongue for talking or fingers for writing, and well…” The man flips his knife casually from one hand to the other, “You won’t be leaving here with either one.”

OR the Mo manor arc gets fucked up when Mo Xuanyu and the Lan juniors get abducted and it causes Wei Wuxian's return to go VERY differently.

Rating: Explicit

Archive Warning:bGraphic Depictions Of Violence

Category: M/M

Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui & Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian

Characters: Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling | Jin Rulan, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Wen Ning | Wen Qionglin, Nie Huaisang, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Protective Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui Needs a Hug, He is having a really bad week, actually they all are, and they all need hugs, Canonical Character Death, Podfic Available

Language: English

Published: 2025-05-21

Completed: 2025-10-14

Words: 57,571

Chapters: 21/21

[magicalgirlypop]

i'm feeling controversial today so here's another hot take. and before you type away at your keyboards, know that this is all coming from a south asian.

white leftists have got to stop acting like christianity is the only religion that deserves to be criticized and you cannot touch any other religion because that'd be racist and bigoted. because as an indian who's watching my country progress towards hindu nationalism, this attitude doesn't help at all.

white people see hinduism as this exotic brown religion that's so much more progressive but don't know the violence of the caste system, how it others a large portion of the population on the basis of caste, literally branding them as "untouchables". they teach us in school that this problem is a thing of the past but the caste system is still alive and shows itself in violent ways. and that's not even covering how non hindus are treated in the country. muslims especially are being killed, have their houses bulldozed, businesses destroyed, and are being denied housing, our fucking prime minister called them infiltrators and there's this fear among hindu extremists that they'll outnumber the hindus in the country. portraying hinduism as this exotic religion does a disservice to all those oppressed by the hindutva ideology

similarly, white people see buddhism as this hippie religion that's all about peace but have no idea how extremist buddhists in myanmar have been persecuting the rohingya muslims for years and drive them out of the country.

if anything portraying these religions as exotic hippie brown religions is a type of orientalism itself.

and also y'all have got to realize that just because christianity has institutional power in america doesn't mean there aren't parts of the world where they are persecuted on the basis of religion. yes karen from florida who cries christophobia because she sees rainbow sprinkles on a cake is stupid but christian oppression DOES exist in non western countries where they're a minority. pakistani christians get lynched almost on a daily basis over blasphemy accusations. just look up the case of asia bibi, a pakistani christian woman who was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges because of something she said when she was being denied water because it was "forbidden" for a christian and a muslim to drink from the same utensil and she'd made it unclean just by touching it (which is ALSO rooted in casteism and part of pakistani christians' oppression also comes from the fact that a lot of them are dalit but that's a whole other discussion). and that's just one christian group, this isn't even going into what copts, assyrians, armenians etc have faced and continue to face. saying that christians everywhere are privileged because of american christianity actually harms christian minorites in non western countries.

and one last thing because this post is getting too long: someone being anti america doesn't automatically mean they're the good guys. too many times i've been seeing westerners on twitter dot com praise the fucking taliban just because they hate america. yes, the same taliban who banned education for women, thinks women should be imprisomed at home, and consistently oppresses religious and ethnic minorities in afghanistan. yes, america's war on afghanistan was bad and they SHOULD be called out for their war crimes there. no, the taliban are still not the good guys. BOTH of them are bad. you cannot pretend to care about muslims and brown people if you praise the taliban. because guess what? most of their victims are BROWN MUSLIM WOMEN. but of course white libs who praise them don't rub their two braincells together to make that conclusion.

this post has gotten too long and i've just been rambling so the point of this post is: white "leftists" whose politics are primarily america centric should stop acting like criticism of ideologies like hindutva, buddhist extremism, and islamic extremism BY people affected by these ideologies is the same as racism or religious intolerance because that helps literally no one except the extremist bigots. also america is not the centre of the world, just because something isn't happening in america doesn't mean it isn't happening elsewhere

[faithfulpuppy]

Lan Zhan standing waiting for Wei Ying at the meeting place in Qinghe several hours past the expected time with "his head hanging slightly, unmoving" always breaks my heart. This is the first time he gave Wei Ying a chance to come back to him willingly and it looks like he immediately booked it. My man is speedrunning the five stages of grief all over again. Seriously underrated sad moment of this book.

[stuckinapril]

I’m fine

[stuckinapril]

I need divine intervention

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Me, thriving as a hater of subpar fictional men (Specifically Jiang Cheng, Jin Guangyao, and Nie Mingjue who deserve to be hated more and made fun of)

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Good day to remember as well, that Jiang Cheng is no one's chosen one and he was actively blacklisted by matchmakers. An incel loser through and through and he's the only one that put Yunmeng Jiang's legacy to shame and even he knows that

[mxtxfanatic]

For anyone who thinks that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were still “cool” after Wei Wuxian defected to save the Wen remnants, I implore you to reread the wedding dress scene again.

When Wei Wuxian steps into the courtyard, Jiang Yanli is the only one he greets. Jiang Cheng makes a snide comment, and for the first time in the story, Wei Wuxian directly tells him to shut up. Jiang Cheng asks where Wei Wuxian heard about Jiang Yanli’s approaching wedding, and Wei Wuxian asks him “what do you care?” before turning back to speak to Jiang Yanli. Jiang Cheng complains about Wei Wuxian’s courtesy name pick for Jiang Yanli’s eventual son, and Wei Wuxian tells him that Jiang Yanli asked him to name her son, not Jiang Cheng. Jiang Yanli “quickly intervenes” because she knows they are not engaging in “friendly banter” but actively arguing. Unfortunately, she soon leaves to converse with Wen Ning.

In Jiang Yanli’s absence, Jiang Cheng sarcastically toasts to “the Yiling Patriarch.” Wei Wuxian, again, tells him to shut up. Jiang Cheng complains about having his arm broken—after Wei Wuxian complains that Jiang Cheng actually gutted him—and Wei Wuxian laughs at him. Jiang Cheng attempts to (sneeringly) give “advice” on what Wei Wuxian “should” be doing, which Wei Wuxian either curtly dismisses or flat-out ignores. He asks if Jiang Cheng is “done” with all his talk. Jiang Cheng finishes his soup and immediately grabs Jiang Yanli to leave. The entire time Jiang Yanli was talking to Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian’s main focus was on the soup. Jiang Cheng was treated as a gnat in his ear that he only occasionally needed to swat away to enjoy his meal. I can’t think of an earlier point in the story chronologically where Wei Wuxian is this apathetic and dismissive to Jiang Cheng, bluntly telling him to shut up, actively refusing to placate the other man’s feelings, and even at moments goading him about his “struggles.” The contents of the defection duel may have been “staged” for the cultivation world, but Wei Wuxian surely did break away from Jiang Cheng and their friendship on that day. These two were not friends anymore. That ship had sailed way before Jiang Cheng led the siege that let to Wei Wuxian’s death.

[alyona11]

Paperman Wei Ying, you are so dear to me

[mxtxfanatic]

One day this fandom will have a reckoning on how it likes to blame Jin Xixuan's death on Wei Wuxian—whether by maliciousness or a "loss of control"—while ignoring the fact that Jin Zixuan died because he lunged at Wei Wuxian with a drawn sword because he was angry that Wei Wuxian told him that he doesn't trust him after he refused to tell Wei Wuxian whether or not he was a part of the ambush his cousin set up after Wei Wuxian told him to keep his distance from him after he told Wei Wuxian to stop defending himself against an ambush that he showed up to and was plainly told was put together to kill Wei Wuxian after he had already been bodily pushing Wei Wuxian around to protect his cousin. But all of that is supposed to be forgiven and forgotten because the reason he wanted Wei Wuxian to ignore all logic and put his life in danger was for Jiang Yanli's temporary happiness? Lol. Lmao even.

[mxtxfanatic]

Returning to this cause I really need y’all to understand how Wei Wuxian’s reaction was not in the wrong or at fault and exactly how depraved the Jin Clan is.

While mdzs isn’t set during a specific historical time period and thus is loose on many customs and traditions, one thing mxtx carries over is that inviting a person into your home makes them untouchable for as long as they are your guest. Jin Zixun took advantage of the fact that Wei Wuxian was invited to the one month celebration to ambush him, but he intentionally ambushes him on the way to the celebration, not at the celebration. This is because more than just ruining the mood, to attack an invited guest in their own home would shatter the Jin Clan’s reputation and turn them into social pariah. After all, who would want to be the guest of a clan known for slaughtering guests—let alone become their ally! Jin Zixuan says as much to his cousin when he shows up, cause even though the ambush didn’t happen at Koi Tower, it still was a very socially unacceptable, reputation-ruining move by a close relative who supposedly cares about him:

Jin ZiXuan, “You clearly know that I’m not that kind of person! He might not necessarily be the one who cursed you with Hundred Holes either. Why are you so rash? I was the one who invited Wei WuXian to A-Ling’s full-month celebration anyways. If this is the way you do things, where does that leave me? Where does it leave my wife?”

—Chapt. 76: Nightfall, exr

Nevermind just the ambush, this exploitation of the host-guest social contract is very reminiscent of the QishanWen “inviting” the clan heirs and junior disciples to their clan in order to mistreat them. The audience and characters all know that the disciples are really hostages, but as long as the veneer of “hospitality” was maintained, none of the clans were willing to mobilize against the QishanWen, even after their children almost died. After all, they didn’t die, so who’s to say that the QishanWen weren’t simply bad hosts who were, nonetheless, still bound by the traditional rules of conduct keeping them in check? Only through Wei Wuxian's and Lan Wangji's actions is the facade of the host-guest social contract maintained long enough for the two to be rescued and recuperate in their homes before the Sunshot Campaign began. Had a single heir actually died, would the cultivation world have still sat on their hands for those few weeks until the QishanWen marched on Lotus Pier?

Madam Yu laughed bitterly, “You do remember, but there’s no use if you simply remember. Wei Ying, he really can’t take it unless he stirs up some trouble, can he? If I had known, I would’ve made him stay in Lotus Pier properly and not go outside. Could Wen Chao really have dared to do anything to the two young masters of the GusuLan Sect and the LanlingJin Sect? Even if he did, it’d mean that they ran out of luck. Since when was it your turn to play the hero?”

—Chapt. 56: Poisons, exr

Because of this, Wei Wuxian reacting as he did to the Qiongqi Path ambush was entirely justified, as he was a guest besieged by his own hosts. That idiot Jin Zixuan rushes in to downplay the gravity of the situation in favor of keeping up appearances for his wife’s sake is what made the entire situation unsalvageable. Why should the ambushed guest follow the host into his home after being attacked along his route? Why should Wei Wuxian maintain the Jin Clan’s image of gracious hosts just because Jin Zixuan wants to make his wife happy? Why does Jin Zixuan think he—and his clan—is above reproach and that he is justified in seizing Wei Wuxian’s cooperation by force? Jin Zixuan was always going to die, not simply because of his own impulsive actions or his arrogant belief in his clan’s right to do whatever they want with no consequences but also because, narratively, his death was needed to clear a way for the Jin Clan to escape this social taboo unscathed.

Imagine what would have happened had Jin Zixuan not died in the ambush: he would have to go back and explain to his wife why her little brother never showed up. He would likely demand to know why tf his father agreed to an ambush on his son’s one month celebration. The news would get out that the Jin Clan uses invitations to ambush guests. How many banquets would they be able to host after this? The nameless cultivators may not be brave enough to completely break away from the Jin Clan’s sphere of influence, but they most certainly would never let their guards down enough to be used as pawns anymore. But because Jin Zixuan died and Wei Wuxian didn’t, Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao are able to spin their actions of plotting against a guest into one of a guest plotting them, as a guest attacking their host is just as taboo as a host attacking their guest. Thus the Jin Clan successfully use Jin Zixuan’s death to secure their place as leaders of the cultivation world through the justification of "righteous fury."

This victory could only be achieved by the blood of their heir, and what does Jin Guangshan do in the aftermath while his wife and daughter-in-law sit mourning over his son’s still-unburied coffin? He hosts another banquet.

[mxtxfanatic]

@optimisticmiraclefest reposting this because that last bit is great commentary. Jin Guangyao and Jin Guangshan sacrificed their sons to flex their dominance over the cultivation world. The lengths that power-hungry people will go to to gain more power…

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

The biggest lie MDZS fandom perpetuates, and it's even red herring'd in the literal prologue, is that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are "like brothers".

That is a romanticization of a very abusive relationship where they were volatile (because Jiang Cheng is consistently violent against Wei Wuxian) friends. The violence that Jiang Cheng exhibits against Wei Wuxian is turned into a joke and Wei Wuxian, the victim, is made to be in the wrong deserving of violent actions and expected to be submissive because he unlike Jiang Cheng has no understanding of social graces. This is despite Wei Wuxian having to be the one to consistently remind Jiang Cheng to actually be friendlier if he wants to have the attention he does want. Jiang Cheng simply believes due to his position as a noble sect heir, that attention should be given no matter what attitude he displays.

Due to Jiang Cheng being a very negative existence, Wei Wuxian's positive has to be turned into something just as bad. Wei Wuxian's charm and being able to draw in others effortlessly, which is the core of Jiang Cheng's jealousy, is truly as unwanted and troublesome as Jiang Cheng says. It requires seeing each and every one of Wei Wuxian's actions as terrible, and not for the acts of kindness they were. Even at their friendliest stage of their relationship, they do not speak like brothers, they speak as a loyal working servant to their master. Wei Wuxian explicitly says he does not want to be placed in anyone else's family to honor the memory of his parents, and this in a disturbing way soothes Jiang Cheng's tirade.

If Wei Wuxian were really the bastard son of Jiang Fengmian Jiang Cheng would be even worse towards Wei Wuxian. They'd have the "brother bond" fandom glamorizes, yet none of the rose colored lens, because even their servant/master relationship was on friendly terms simply because Jiang Cheng could comfort himself that delusion from Madam Yu was ridiculous and no matter how talented Wei Wuxian could be, he would be just a servant that had to listen to him. What Jiang Cheng did not like, was that Wei Wuxian was loyal to morals, not a person.