OMG JUST UNCOVERED: SHORT SEGMENT OF THE ANIMATION MEME I THOUGHT I HAD LOST FOREVER T O T!!!

Wei Wuxian & Jiang Cheng + childhood best friends motif (x)

bullying him

rivals

Golden Core Sacrifice

MXTX wrote the golden core sacrifice the way she did for a reason!

Look, if she wanted WWX to give up his golden core for JC there were many different ways JC could have lost it, but I think this is why I never understood people who say JC never loved WWX.

By choosing to protect WWX he not only is giving a statement that he does in fact love WWX, whether that love is familial or platonic or romantic you pick, but he's putting WWX on equal ground. As someone of high birth he's giving up his life for someone "lower" than him.

I see so many arguments where people say that JC never saw WWX as nothing more than a servant but that just seems off, because would someone like JC, give up their life/golden core for a servant?

Sure ig if he's all noble like LWJ, but JC is a sect heir up until this point. He is keenly aware that people will fall on their swords if it meant protecting the heir to the sect aka him. He is meant to be a leader, a ruler, he is above his men and WWX is meant to be one of those men.

His mother tried again and again to remind JC of that. That WWX is the son of a servant, and should things go south he is meant to protect JC with his life. Even JFM reminded him of that in his last moments!! WWX life was less than that of JC, but in JC sacrificing himself he rebutted that statement.

And when I see people claim that JC is selfish and doesn't deserve WWX's sacrifice, that just ruins the point of it!! It spits on both of their sacrifices!!!

They lost their golden cores for each other, like????!!! That is what makes it such a tragedy!

JC could not bear the thought of losing WWX or worse having him killed by the wens, and WWX could not bear to see JC lose his cultivation, the thing he lived for.

And yes WWX and the whole class/debt system comes into play, but even then I can't imagine a lowly servant willingly giving up such a priceless thing. Forcibly yes, but even if it was willingly, JC wouldn't have had the reaction he did at the end of the series.

MXTX did not expand much on his thoughts in the books and we got like 3 paragraphs describing JC's pov, but it was put at the end for a reason (this ofc is not including the other adaptations). It was meant for us the viewers/readers to take a moment to reevaluate what we knew of JC and his character, (even though were given foreshadowing with the Yi city arc).

All in all this is a way of me saying I don't get it when people say JC never loved WWX.

Honestly, I can't stress enough how important the theme of family is in mdzs. IMO it is the main theme of the book. Of course romance and devotion is important, but there's something so special about the way families are portrayed in mdzs and how important they are. (I watched donghua and read some of manhua btw)

Let's start with sibling relationships:

The whole plot started because of love for a brother and rage for how unjust his death was. The whole Cloud Recesses arc is an amazing set up for Wangxian etc, but it also shows the complicated yet sweet relationship between WWX and JC. How they both care so much about each other, how they tease each other. IMO JC did see WWX as a brother and loved him as such. Every time he scolds Wei Ying, it's always about Wei Ying's safety. Usually it's not "How dare you use demonic cultivation, you're gonna get our clan in danger", it's " If you keep it up, I won't be able to protect you". Even during the Wen invasion, the they're still together, they sacrifice themselves to save another. And don't get me started about Jiang Yanli, she loves her brothers very much. Despite Madam Yu creating a competition between the boys or Jiang Fengmian's lack of action and even enablement of WWX' dangerous and irresponsible behavior, they still love each other. I can ramble about yunmeng trio so much, but in short despite everything they went through, they cared for each other deeply. After Jiang Yanli's death everything changes, because imo the boys fully internalized Madam Yu's last words. WWX bring pain and destruction to Yunmeng. I think I need to stop, or we'll be here all day.

Or, another example: Nie bros. Nie Mingjue had to basically raise A-sang. They do deeply care about each other, and despite everything they'll be here for each other. Yet the desire to protect NHS from sad reality of golden core and qi deviation, their relationship soured a little. But it's obvious even for an outsider like WWX, that NMJ loves his brother. He pressures NHS, because he feels that he's starting to lose it. He wants to prepare his little bro to be a decent leader and to live without him. And NHS literally makes it his life mission to avenge his Dage even if it means having a blood on his hands.

Lan brothers show a good brother relationship. Lan Xichen supports LWJ in everything he does. Even his love for WWX. He gets protective, when he thinks WWX is laughing at LWJ's feelings. Lan Zhan is deeply saddened when his brother is missing and helps him discover the truth about his best friend's death. They're almost perfect siblings. (Plus they're super funny when drunk).

MXTX deserves an award for writing so many different sibling dynamics. And that's not all, she also portrays this different parental relationship so interesting.

Like, the nephews you didn't want, but care so much about, that you don't want them to suffer like their father did (Lan Qiren and this family drama); the kid of your husband's unrequited love, whom he seemingly loves more than your own children (Yunmeng Jiang happy house), JGS and the myriad of the kids he has ect. I love this variety so much.

I just love so much how MDZS has so much themes. Every time I think about MDZS, I find more and more interesting points and moments that change my perception of the characters. Every character is so humain and has their own motivation, that I can't truly hate some of them (apart from Wen Chao, his mistress and JGS, they suck).

TLDR: MXTX is a queen of writing complex human characters.

damn i wonder where else did i see a similar shot

oh.

celestial 🌙🌟

never lose hope

《研究中》

Setters & Hinata