The Sounds Of Flute In The Night

Teen jc's biggest fears - 'pick me girl' A-Xian & WangXian shenanigans! 🐰🐰

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!!

Creator: CL__是个假车厘

Source: http://cherrypng.lofter.com/post/1d56b2c5_12c2b78fa

Translated by CRT

Picture editor: Api

[Authorized Translation]

the wildest thing about lan wangji is the way he’s immediately enraged at his own feelings for wei wuxian. because we’ve seen wei wuxian fall in love slowly and surely, right? he goes from a quick interest to an oblivious attraction to liking lan wangji then being infatuated after his return to life, then to straight-up loving the guy intensely. we watch him develop his sexual and romantic attraction equally.

but lan wangji’s different. from the very first second he’s desperately smitten — all it took was one sly smile and he was going through the four stages of love: the desire to marry, kiss, bed and die with him. and he’s so goddamn outraged, because how dare this troublemaker trespass into his house and steal his heart so easily??

he was so conflicted that he didn’t see any other alternative if not to unsheathe his sword and fight the hell out of that idiot. feelings?? for a rebellious teenager?? right in front of my clan’s three thousand rules??? not today, devil.

Jiang Cheng: *filming Wei Wuxian standing near the dinner table with a bottle of sake in his hands and a wine glass that’s getting suspiciously full* A-Niang finally agreed that Wuxian can join us at the adults table this New Years.

Yu Zuyuan: *head in hands* And he’s about to lose that privilege if he fills up that glass any higher.

Jiang Yanli: Oh come now, A-Xian, you don’t want to end up back at the kids table again, do you?

Jiang Cheng: Yeah, then you’ll be talking about Jin Ling’s latest playground drama, AND tipsy.

Wei Wuxian: *downs half the glass in one go* You know? I might just decide to hang out with them anyways. I could teach them how to trigger the microwave to set on fire every time Uncle uses the defrost button.

Jiang Fengmian: I knew you had something to do with that :/

Jiang Yanli: A-Xian, your husband is at the adults table this year.

Wei Wuxian: And my son is at the kids table. I’m torn, really. I can’t choose between them. If I told Lan Zhan we were leaving right this second if I couldn’t have them both at once-

Lan Wangji: *looking pained because he agreed to get along with the Jiang family this year* I… would agree to join you at the children’s table?

Jiang Cheng: Oh my god he’s such a simp 👁️👄👁️

Jin Zixuan: I’m not that bad… right?

Jiang Yanli: I don’t know, A-Xuan, I kind of want to join them there too.

Jin Zixuan: …okay…

Jiang Cheng: I’m both disgusted and impressed.

"A boy who consumes cursed objects"

Oh suguru you would've loved Yuji 🤧

"And a boy who was blesses with a unique curse technique"

I think this whole "Wei Wuxian has low self-worth" take comes from viewing his heroism through a purely modern Western lens, when in reality, it's actually written as a classic example of traditional Chinese heroism, where selflessness, honor, and sacrifice are seen as strengths.

In a lot of modern Western interpretations, people often analyze characters through a psychological lens, connecting their actions to trauma or emotional baggage. While there's no problem with this approach (bc MDZS does actually explore some elements of modern psychological complexity), relying on that alone can miss the bigger cultural picture.

In Wei Wuxian’s case here, his selflessness, which is tied to traditional heroism and a strong moral compass, gets misunderstood as low self-esteem or a reaction to trauma. This misreading reduces his heroic sacrifices to emotional damage, instead of seeing them as intentional, principled choices driven by a strong sense of moral responsibility.

Wei Wuxian’s choices—like protecting the weak, sacrificing his golden core, and standing up for what’s right even at a huge cost etc— are grounded in this type of traditional heroism and NOT simply a byproduct of trauma. In MDZS, sacrifice and selflessness isn’t about self-doubt or a lack of self-worth; it’s about courage and staying true to one’s principles.

"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.

you know what'd be really fucking funny? gusu history lessons with the new generation (re: lan sizhui, lan jingyi, jin ling, ouyang zizhen)

jin ling asking jiang cheng about if yunmeng jiang truly was eradicated almost to extinction, lan jingyi asking lan xichen about the burning down of the library, but most importantly:

lan sizhui, approaching wei wuxian: wei-qianbei! i apologise for being so direct, but was there really someone who could melt spiritual cores? and, if someones core was melted, would restoration be possible?

wei wuxian, freezing up:

wen ning who was nearby, dropping the radishes he was carrying:

I am genuinely obsessed with how jiang cheng goes from “youngest sect leader in an age with a weak, newly rebuilt sect who can’t risk upsetting the jin sect” to “if you’re going to offend someone, make sure you don’t offend the jiang sect or sandu shengshou”