#jin ling and jiujiu

[sandu-zidian]

Nothing in the world belongs to me but my love, mine all mine all mine 💛💜

Happy birthday jiujiu!! 🪷

#mdzs #jiang cheng #jin ling #jin ling and jiujiu #probs better fit for JL’s bday but we’re a little late for that lmao #anyways happy birthday JC I blob u so so so much #posting this bc technically his bday has begun on the other side of the world <333 #katan art

[nutcasewithaknife]

I've been obsessed with Jiang Cheng since halfway through my first watch of cql, and here's why. He always keeps doing better than I expect him to.

(wow, this got long. rest is under the cut!)

He's introduced as the brother-killer, the ruthless sect leader with a reputation for being merciless. Then cut to the flashback, a Jiang Cheng who is fifteen, surrounded by his sister and brother and happy about it, occasionally doing stupid teenager things, trying so very hard to be Ideal Heir, while Wei Wuxian is the prodigy that keeps stealing his thunder effortlessly. And you go, "oh, I know this story. It's a tragedy, because these brothers loved each other once, but one's ambition will eventually breed jealousy which will fester into hate and end, tragically, in the death of the better half." It's Cain and Abel! You've seen how it ends, it's the first scene you see, of course that's where it's going!

And then you see how the three siblings help each other survive a frankly horrible and abusive household. They try to do for each other what their parents couldn't; Yanli tries to be their mother, Jiang Cheng doesn't believe the rumours about Wei Wuxian being jfm's illegitimate son or hold it against him as he very easily could've learnt to from his mother, and Wei Wuxian does his darned best to get jfm to acknowledge and love his son as he does for Wei Wuxian.

You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop!! Yunmeng burns, Jiang Cheng chokes his brother in the rain, and you think this is it, this is where it finally breaks. But he sticks with his brother and sister, he makes some stupid decisions in his grief and pays dearly for it. When he wakes up without a core he is broken, his 'ambition' is destroyed, and you remember him choke his brother and think this is it, and then... it isn't. Other than the one grieving rant in the rain, he never blames his brother for their loss, never demands that he fix it all. When Wei Wuxian does come with a solution, Jiang Cheng doesn't act like it's something he was owed. It's his brother, his brilliant genius brother, who miraculously fixed this impossible thing! He's the most Jiang of them all, of course he achieved the impossible!

And then he's the young sect leader in a bloody war, needing to win, needing to prove his worth and his sect's worth at every turn. This is where he becomes the ruthless, powerful man we meet in the first few episodes! Only.... he finds Wen Qing, who is the enemy in the eyes of the Jianghu, and offers to protect her (only her because he knows his limits, he can't protect all her people and his own, and his duty to his sect is first). He goes looking for his brother, months on end, haggard to the bone.

Then Wei Wuxian shows up wielding a power that's the worst taboo in their world, a power frighteningly similar to the power-drunk villain that they war is being waged against! He's doing unspeakable things, terrible torture in the name of revenge! Ah, so this is what it finally is! The moment they finally fall out for good, where Jiang Cheng cannot abide to tarnish his sect's reputation with Wei Wuxian's, and their love turns to hate.

But.... Jiang Cheng sees what he's done, and the first thing he does is to hug him tight. He asks about Wei Wuxian not carrying his sword, but even after the diplomatic nightmare of a war council, Jiang Cheng is just worrying. It's the most open, the most honest we've seen him so far, and he is concerned for his brother. He shuts it down when Jin Zixun tries to pick a fight. He takes responsibility for the person everyone's wary of, because that's his brother and he trusts him! He's hiding things, yes, but one day he will be ready to talk and Jiang Cheng will wait till then.

Then the war's won (by Wei Wuxian, of course!) and he has a sect to rebuild. And his brother is not at his side. First he's slacking off and drinking around town, then he runs away with the Wens to the Burial Mounds. It's terrible for the sect's and Jiang Cheng's own precarious position in Jianghu. Surely, this is the last thread of Jiang Cheng's love for his brother, the beginning of the man we were introduced to? But it's fucking not! Yes, he's frustrated. Yes, he's mad. And yet, he doesn't force his sister into a diplomatically advantageous marriage (which I strongly believe is the bare minimum of being a decent human being, but is something that wouldn't have been a questionable or dishonourable thing for him to do in the culture and world this story is set in) because she is not a pawn and he respects her choice above the politics! He tries to defend his First Disciple, his brother, and is overshadowed by much more powerful leaders who are bigoted and/or afraid of his power. And when it all goes to shit, they fight! This is the end of it, surely? But no! It's all fake! They fight, make up a lie about how the Yunmeng Jiang has supressed Wei Wuxian and his Wens in the Burial Mounds so they can live without being under attack for however long, and then have shady meetups to discuss their nephew's name!!

In the carnage of Nightless City, their sister dies at his hands, and the horrible realisation dawns that this is what pushes them over the brink, literally. And then!! AND THEN!!!!! EVEN THEN IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HIM TO KILL HIS BROTHER!!! The first scene was a lie, WEI WUXIAN HAD TO THROW HIMSELF OFF!!!!!! And when he's finally back, what does Jiang Cheng do? Kill him? ban him from ever returning to their home? No! He wants to drag him back home and make him apologise, explain himself!!

A lot of this is very focused on the brothers, but even outside of that, Jiang Cheng keeps subverting the expectations that the story builds for him right in the beginning. For all the talks of 'disciplining' his nephew (which could unquestionably entail some form of corporal punishment, as we see in other parts of the story) and the childhood Jiang Cheng himself had, the idea of his Jiujiu raising his hand against him is unthinkable to the point of incredulity for Jin Ling. When Jin Ling has his breakdown over Suihua on the Lotus Pier docks, I was full bracing myself for Jiang Cheng to yell at him for crying in public without any shame or dignity, but what does he do? Calls his nephew to his side and demands to know who made him cry, so he can fucking wreck them for daring to do that! He has a mere day to process the Golden Core reveal, and after all the yelling, he actually apologises to his brother!!

Then, in the mother of all sucker-punch moments, we find out that the one grief-riddled, frustrating moment of apparent stupidity whose domino effect this entire thing has been, was in fact Jiang Cheng willingly sacrificing himself, sect be damned, to save his brother and sister. And like!! How do you have such a character who simultaneously is and is not what he seems to be!!!

I (and a lot of the audience) immediately played into the simple brotherhood-destroyed-by-jealousy plot that it seems to be at first, but that's the intention! The entire story keeps showing how misleading, how vicious rumours can be and how horribly it can affect who someone is in the eyes of society. We see this happen in the story, of course, but the narrative also relies on the audience to make the same mistake, to take the tropes that seem obviously implied at the start, and then unravels the true complexity of the story as it moves forward. We got played by the narrative and it was so worth it!! Wei Wuxian is the prime example, of course, but cql (and mdzs from what I gather, though I haven't read the books) does it with such nuance and brilliance for Jiang Cheng, how do you not immediately lose your entire mind about it for the rest of forever!!!!!

#this wasn't supposed to be so long but the brainworms commanded it #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #wei wuxian #wei ying #Jin Ling #jiang yanli #wen qing #meta #cql #the untamed #yunmeng brothers #yunmeng siblings #jin ling and jiujiu

[lgbtlunaverse]

I know that because the story takes place after wwx comes back jiang cheng's whole "i don't believe wei wuxian is actually dead i'm gonna keep obsessively looking for him" shtick got retroactively legitimized, but it is pretty important to remember that wei wuxian was in fact super dead the entire time and if it hadn't been for a depressed 20-something doing a suicide ritual, influenced to an unknown degree by a revenge plot that wasn't in play yet at the time of wwx's death, he would never have come back at all. And jiang cheng would've kept going "No! He's still out there I know it" for eternity with absolutely no proof or results.

Jiang Cheng, my man, what the fuck

#local man finds new and exciting means to cope with grief in the absolute worst way possible #jiang cheng: wei wuxian is still alive! he's somewhere out there! #jin ling: ok jiujiu let's get you to bed #mdzs #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #mdzs meta #yunmeng shuangjie

[lei-llustrations]

舅舅在…

Jiu jiu with some baby Jin Ling! And also sad Jin Ling post stabby😬

#could also be after guanyin temple ig #jin ling #jin ling and his jiujiu #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #魔道祖师 #mdzs #mdzs fanart #grape and smol chick #mo dao zu shi #my art #Now that it’s past 1k notes I can finally admit the thumb on the hand is on the wrong side

[yustinamishka]

You know that scene in Turning Red? What if Jin Ling saw that lost and traumatized younger version of Jiang Cheng…

#mdzs #jiang cheng #jin ling #spreading jiujiu feelings and crying about it #I'm tired y'all and my emotions are everywhere

[quan-yizhen]

you know that one video where the person is trying to find their cat so they get their cats kitten and walk outside, and when the kitten starts meowing/crying, you suddenly see the mama cat come running from down the street? well that scene where wei wuxian is kinda picking on jin ling in the woods and going “oooh, what’s your uncle gonna do?” and jiang cheng materializes out of no where? same shit.

[mo49ko]

another jiujiu and a-ling for @spriteofmushrooms 💗

Jin Ling telling jiujiu ALL the hot baby gossip about his kindergarten class while Jiang Cheng cooks

jiujiu is convinced that hes going to ruin EVERYTHING if he doesnt add exactly one dash of salt. tell him hes doing so good!!! 🥺

(part 1 of jiujiu and a-ling the struggleverse)

#a-ling INSISTED to have matchy yellow hair ribbons!!!! #JIUJIU YOU KNOW FAIRY DOESNT LIKE CARROTS!!! HOW COULD YOU!! #moko art #mdzs #jiang cheng #jin ling

[thekansta]

Oopsie

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #魔道祖师 #digital art #jiang cheng #jin ling #lan sizhui #lan jingyi #ouyang zizhen #jiang wanyin #江澄 #金凌 #蓝思追 #蓝景仪 #欧阳子真 #江晚吟 #he’s everyone’s jiujiu now #what do you think his reaction will be

[barawrah]

two kids against the world but modern au version

#whyr these just sitting in my drafts #art tag #mdzs #jiang cheng #jin ling #jin ling and his jiujiu #i fix canon by making it worse (everyone dies and everyone stays dead)

[mushroomwriter]

THE UNTAMED episode 34

#theuntamededit #theuntameddaily #mxtxnet #cdramasource #cdramaedit #dramasource #dailyasiandramas #cqledit #chen qing ling #The Untamed #Jin Ling #Jiang Cheng #A-Ling's jiujiu #TU ep34 #cqlmoments #cql p #myedit #id in alt text #best uncle-nephew duo!! #Jiang Cheng's face in the second gif cracks me up

[sandu-zidian]

Nothing in the world belongs to me but my love, mine, all mine 💜💛

#mdzs #jiang cheng #jin ling #I NEED A TAG JUST FOR THE TWO OF RHEM GRRRR #anyways thinking about mitski my love mine all mine on repeat #Katan art #jin ling and jiujiu

[nutcasewithaknife]

All of Jiang Cheng’s wretched i-will-never-be-enough complex is fixed in one fell swoop when he finds out he's forever the favourite Uncle

#jin ling and jiujiu #the untamed #cql #mdzs #jiang cheng #jin ling #i love them and they love each other okay

[demonicfarmer69]

mommy and me

#jiang cheng #jin ling #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #first drawing of 2024! #starting the year off with more jiujiu and a-ling #a-ling wants to do everything EXACTLY like his jiujiu #viva la revolution #canon jc

[lei-llustrations]

jc can't escape his fate of becoming a milf

“Sorry Jin Ling, he’s OUR uncle now” He is irresistible to all, the platonic Mumcle energy is too strong even apart from him being a MILF

#JL can’t protect his uncle from all ppl trying to adopt him as their mumcle #but he has fended off all romantic parties so it’s okay #indirectly #Tsundere uncle?? #irresistible #jiang cheng #mdzs #mdzs fanart #魔道祖师 #jin ling #jin ling and his jiujiu #lan jingyi #lan sizhui #ouyang zizhen #repLEIs

[incorrectly-quoting-mxtx]

Jiang Cheng: I said you could invite one friend.

Jin Ling: Jiujiu, they don’t come separately.

Lan Jingyi: Yeah, we’re pack animals!

#source: derry girls #source: unknown #incorrect quotes #incorrect mdzs #mdzs #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mo dao zu shi #Jiang Cheng #Jin Ling #jin ling and his jiujiu #lan jingyi #mdzs juniors #Junior quartet

[least-carpet]

What do you like about jc? Why he is your favorite?

Anon, this has been sitting in my inbox because I was afraid to open this can of worms. I've rotated this character nonstop for, like, the past three years. I got on Tumblr because of this character. I'm not even that wild about MDZS as a novel! I'm a SVSSS main! I don't know how I ended up here!

He loves his nephew so much. I love what we get about Jiang Cheng's relationship with Jin Ling, who had what was probably an indescribably weird childhood, but who has never once thought to himself that his uncle didn't love him. Jin Ling is evidently spoiled and rude but also so genuinely courageous, forgiving, and loving in his horrible teenage way. I love these two and they love each other!

He's dutiful. I think people sometimes think of duty as a burden, and obviously it can be, but I also think of it as an expression of care towards others. He sincerely cares about his responsibilities, which include all of the people who joined the Jiang sect to follow him.

He's supremely competent. We see the poor guy fail a lot, but he restored a massacred sect to Great Sect status in 13-15 years with what seems like no familial support and no apparent close external connections. He must be really, really good at his job.

He's such a bitch. He's here to make things hard and unpleasant on purpose! He's witty and will say the meanest possible thing he can think of in a fight! Just like his mother, he can sense your insecurities like a bloodhound and tear into them at will! I think this is a good and endearing quality (for a character, obviously).

He is profoundly screwed by the narrative. Dude is, as @winepresswrath puts it, "ontologically cursed." He exists to fail. His creator made him the most determined little toaster and then put him in 1000 unwinnable situations. He is trapped in, like, a bespoke torment matrix, that he only really escapes at the end of canon (dignity in tatters but nephew in hand).

Killer style in CQL and maybe also the donghua from what I've seen of the gifs? Fashionable king. Deeply uncool despite the drip, which endears him to me more.

Wang Zhuocheng's crying face. Yes, it's that gif set again. It haunts my dreams.

#anon asks #jiang cheng #jin ling #a-ling and his jiujiu #mdzs + #least-carpet thoughts