#obviously I don't think that lack of broader social recognition makes them less siblings

[winepresswrath]

What are your thoughts on Zhuiling? I love the ship dynamic (the grumpy, short-tempered one, always making a fuss × the calm, matured one, sweetest boi alive™ - very much like Xicheng lol) but....they're cousins.... And I know some might argue saying they're not actually related by blood but like. Neither are Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. If you consider those two as brothers then you have to acknowledge that they are cousins. You can't just pick one.

I don't really ship the juniors, and if I was going to ship the juniors I wouldn't be into Zhuiling, but why should that stop me from inflicting my thoughts on the internet at large when I have an opinion that will probably annoy everyone?

Jin Ling and Sizhui are children who were born into mess and then raised in a broader context of yet more mess. It's not that they're not biologically related, it's that they're not biologically related and also were raised apart from each other in ignorance of the multiple layers of unofficial adoption and secretly fake disownment that potentially tied them together. If you meet a cute boy as a teenager, develop a crush on him, and then find out that for about a year of his early childhood he was being raised by your dead mother's estranged foster brother (who she and your uncle loved very much and she explicitly considered to be her brother, but you were raised to think of primarily as your father's murderer), the cute boy in question has no memory of this because of fever induced early childhood amnesia, and then it turns out that said estranged maybe-uncle is dating a man who "acted as father and older brother" to the cute boy, that is simply not your problem. That is your uncle's problem, your other uncle's problem, and your prospective uncle-in-law's problem. If you and the cute boy feel it would be appropriate, under the circumstances, to consider each other cousins that's awesome and adorable. If you decide that doesn't feel right to you and you'd rather suck face, that's also fine. If you're living in some fantasy version of ancient China where (please correct me if I'm wrong, I am not an expert) it was in many times and places considered totally fine to date your mom's brother's kids, you can presumably do both if you really want to! But seriously Jin Ling and Sizhui have no obligation to live their lives in accordance with feelings a bunch of messy adults are barely capable of articulating to themselves. As far as we know Wei Wuxian has never told Sizhui out loud with his words he considers him a son! Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian have not officially conveyed to each other that they consider each other brothers! If they were too cousinish for you personally to enjoy the relationship that would be very valid and I would certainly not say you should engage with a ship that grosses you out, but as that is not the case... why wouldn't you just enjoy your ship?

#also like you know my yunmeng sibling agenda #but i think it's pretty clear that they are not considered siblings by their broader society? #I don't think that makes them not siblings #though I do think it's something Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are both wildly insecure about #but like- if Yanli and Wei Wuxian had had romantic feelings for each other that would have clearly been fine aside from some class issues #like she has to tell Madame Jin explicitly that she doesn't consider Wei Wuxian a potential suitor she considers him to be #her little brother #and again #obviously I don't think that lack of broader social recognition makes them less siblings #but it does make it kind of weird to me that people think Sizhui and Jin Ling would consider the bond between their parents #a barrier to dating? #I personally cry a lot every time they decide they are cousins #but it's a decision #finally! it's fictional! if they're too cousinish for you and it grosses you out #don't read it! #but given that it's very much not incest in its social context #and also #completely fictional #maybe chill? #when did we start caring about fictional quasi historical cousincest? #Jin Ling in a modern au: he's just my first cousin! you have cousins #and then first cousins #Zizhen: honey noooo