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another reason why jiang cheng is my favorite character in mdzs: jiang cheng is a lesson in determination, in tenacity. growing up, he was never the talented one, wasnât born with an innate gift for anything, let alone cultivation.
he was never labelled a âgeniusâ, so in comparison to wei wuxian, jiang cheng was a disappointment to his mother, and overlooked by his father. he, who was told he had the future of the sect resting on his shoulders, grew up in the shadows of his first and only friend and rival.
and yet. jiang cheng works himself to the bone, bitter, driven, strong. yes, he holds those around him to high standards, but he holds /himself/ to standards nigh unreachable. jiang cheng has never experienced the pleasures of being allowed arrogance, for all that he's prideful.
his path to adulthood is littered with insurmountable obstacles, constant agony, and yet, somehow, heâs always been able to forge onward, time and time again. itâs incredible, really.
heâs angry, heâs mean, and maybe itâs the only way he could have kept himself going, when he was alone and scared and tired and so, so young. he is self-sacrificing in a way that he was never meant to be.
jiang cheng would have died for wei wuxian. he would have died for his family, for all he loved them. and yet, their love meant the world to him, but it was coming from all the wrong places.
jiang cheng was a representation of the future, a hope for yunmeng. and so he carried the burden of his parentsâ hopes, his clanâs blood. who saw jiang cheng for jiang cheng? in the entire world, perhaps only his siblings, both of whom he loses.
he grows up being told that he is not good enough, that he will never be good enough, because he is born into his flaws, and his weaknesses are innate. it is a burden that he carries and shields with an armor built of rage and poisonous words.
born to an unfair position, jiang cheng must constantly choose between duty and love, and itâs because of his upbringing, of his stubborn pride, that he makes the most difficult choices, time and time again.
he left his heart to his family, and was, in his eyes, always the second choice. and so he strengthens his resolve, and makes the choices that hurt the most. he is built for duty, he has been raised to rule. he was not meant to love.
but if jiang cheng was worthless, if he truly was the man his parents told him he would become, then lotus pier would never have been rebuilt in the wake of its fall. jin ling would not love his uncle as much as he does.
jiang cheng, the perpetual afterthought, battles with demons that will lie with him for an eternity. he is a fortress that hides a tender, beating heart. he is a lesson in love, in anger, in pride and resolve. and i hope people understand why i adore him so much. [END]
