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killerandhealerqueen · 2 years

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Hi! I'm back with the mafia! Zhan Junbai is the youngest finance minister and he has many enemies. Especially his uncle Zhan Tianqing, whom he forbade to appear in Jingcheng. General Zhan decides to teach his rebellious nephew a lesson and hires a hitman to take his heart--his younger brother Dr. Chen Yuzhi. Jian Yuelou, one of the best assassins, gets an order for a young doctor. He is very surprised by this. Earlier, Yuzhi helped him with his injury and Yuelou wants to know why he was ordered and why General Zhan was forbidden to come to Jingcheng. He begins to find out from his informants, but no one knows exactly why. Wang Meng finds him and offers a deal: he will give Yuelou answers to questions, but the killer must tell why he wants to know about it. Jian Yuelou admits that he was ordered by Chen Yuzhi. Wang Meng is furious. He says that Zhan Tianqing sold Yuzhi to a bandit and if it hadn't been for Yu Tangchun, who heard Yuzhi's screams, a terrible thing would have happened. The singer finds Zhan Junbai and asks for help. Junbai bursts into the room and sees his brother in torn clothes and a scoundrel who bites Yuzhi, then he becomes enraged. Junbai asks Yu Tanchun to take his brother away and beats up the rapist. He learns from him that Yuzhi was sold by his uncle. Zhan Junbai is furious. It was the first time Zhan Tianqing had seen him in such a rage. Junbai beats up his uncle and tells him to get out of town. Now Jian Yuelou decides to protect Yuzhi at all costs. Zhan Tianqing orders to kidnap his younger nephew, and now Zhan Junbai and Jian Yuelou have only one day to find him, because the general can easily kill the doctor.

I'm sorry there are so many words.

Don't apologize! I'm always down to write mafia headcanons. One of my favorite things to write, honestly

On the outside, Zhan Junbai was the perfect gentleman, but little did they know that the young minister of finance was actually San Ye, lord of the criminal underworld

Zhan Junbai had a lot of enemies as San Ye but he also had enemies as Zhan Junbai, mainly one: his uncle Zhan Tianqing

It was an unspoken rule in Zhan Junbai’s mansion that Zhan Tianqing was never to be mentioned, unless you wanted 1) a death glare from Zhan Junbai and 2) to be thrown out not even a second later

Zhan Tianqing, of course, wasn’t entirely too happy when he received a telegram from Zhan Junbai ordering him to stay the fuck out of Jing City or else, so to teach him a lesson, he looked over at one of his subordinates

“Get me Jiang Yuelou”

The subordinate nodded before they turned and headed out of the room. About an hour later, Jiang Yuelou, one of Jing City’s greatest assassins, stepped into his office and bowed

“You called for me?”

Zhan Tianqing hummed

“I did. I need you to do a hit for me”

Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow

“Who’s the hit on?”

“Dr. Chen Yuzhi”

Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened surprise before he schooled his expression and hummed

“I’ll get it done”

Zhan Tianqing nodded

“Good”

Jiang Yuelou bowed before he turned and headed out of the room, shaking his head. Why the hell would Zhan Tianqing want Chen Yuzhi dead? The young doctor hadn’t even done anything to piss him off…that he knew off

As he exited the mansion and thought over the request, Jiang Yuelou found…that he didn’t want to do it. Normally he wouldn’t mind taking requests like this but Chen Yuzhi…Chen Yuzhi was nice

He had once treated Jiang Yuelou’s injuries, when he definitely didn’t have to and should have definitely turned him over to the police but he didn’t

Chen Yuzhi wasn’t a bad person…so why was Zhan Tianqing ordering a hit on him?

‘This is going to bother me until I figure this out’

So, before he decided to head to Jing City, he sent out a telegram to all of his informants, instructing them to ask around about the relationship between Chen Yuzhi and Zhan Tianqing or if there even was a relationship at all

He then took the train back to Jing City as Zhan Tianqing did not live in Jing City before he went to the telegram office to see what his informants said

Unfortunately, none of them came back with anything, causing Jiang Yuelou to huff

“What do I pay them for? Useless”

He then stepped out of the telegram office, only to be stopped by a man, causing him to frown

“Can I…help you?”

“You’re Jiang Yuelou, yes?”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“Yes”

The man nodded

“Follow me”

Jiang Yuelou frowned but followed after the man as they headed into a café, making their way to a private table in the back before the man sat down and motioned for Jiang Yuelou to do the same

Jiang Yuelou then sat down as the man looked at him

“I’ll answer your questions but first you have to tell me…why do you want to know about Chen Yuzhi and Zhan Tianqing’s relationship?”

Jiang Yuelou frowned

“I ain’t telling you shit until you tell me who you are”

The man huffed

“The name’s Wang Meng. I’m one of Zhan Junbai’s many bodyguards. Also a friend of Chen Yuzhi’s”

Jiang Yuelou nodded slowly before he sighed

“I was hired by Zhan Tianqing to do a hit on Chen Yuzhi…but I’ve met the doctor and he’s a kind man…I don’t understand why Zhan Tianqing want to kill him”

Wang Meng huffed

“He’s doing it to get back at Zhan Junbai for keeping him out of Jing City”

Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow

“Why?”

Wang Meng frowned

“You don’t know?”

Jiang Yuelou huffed

“Look, I just do my job, I don’t ask for backstory for a lot of them so no…I don’t know”

Wang Meng nodded slowly before he sighed

“The reason Zhan Junbai hates Zhan Tianqing as much as he does is that Zhan Tianqing once sold Chen Yuzhi to an old war buddy of his because his buddy wanted a little bit of fun”

Jiang Yuelou frowned

“What’s the relationship between Chen Yuzhi and Zhan Junbai?”

Wang Meng hummed

“They’re brothers…sort of. They’re not brothers by blood but they grew up together so they consider each other brothers”

Jiang Yuelou nodded slowly before he motioned to him

“Continue”

Wang Meng nodded

“Zhan Junbai didn’t know that Zhan Tianqing had sold Chen Yuzhi and if it hadn’t been for Yu Tangchun, Zhan Junbai’s husband, who had accidentally stumbled upon Chen Yuzhi tied to a bed when he was searching the war buddy’s house for the bathroom, who knows what would have happened to him”

Jiang Yuelou frowned

“What was Yu Tangchun doing in that house?”

“He’s an opera singer. He goes to people’s houses and performs for them if they request him”

Jiang Yuelou nodded slowly

“So Yu Tangchun found Chen Yuzhi…”

“And then told Zhan Junbai about it. Zhan Junbai came running. And when he saw what he looked like, he was livid. He had Yu Tangchun take Chen Yuzhi away before he beat the absolute shit out of Tianqing’s war buddy”

Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow

“He kill him?”

Wang Meng smirked

“Almost”

Jiang Yuelou hummed

“He still alive?”

Wang Meng shook his head

“He succumbed to his injuries”

Jiang Yuelou hummed again

“So…how did Zhan Junbai find out that Zhan Tianqing had sold Chen Yuzhi?”

“Zhan Junbai asked Chen Yuzhi what happened and how did he get into that situation. Chen Yuzhi explained everything to him and then Zhan Junbai went to go beat the shit out of his uncle. Told him to leave Jing City and to never come back”

Jiang Yuelou nodded slowly

“I see…”

Wang Meng then raised an eyebrow

“You gonna go through with your hit? Because if so, I’ll kill you right here and now”

Jiang Yuelou shook his head

“I was never going to do it in the first place”

Wang Meng smirked

“Good man”

Jiang Yuelou laughed

“I’m an assassin. I’m far from that”

He then stood to his feet

“I’m going to find Zhan Junbai and let him know what his uncle is planning. Thanks for telling me the backstory”

Wang Meng nodded and watched as Jiang Yuelou walked out of the café and made his way to the finance building, since he knew enough about Zhan Junbai to know that he was the minister of finance

He then walked into the building and to Zhan Junbai’s office, knocking on the door

“Come in”

Jiang Yuelou then stepped inside, causing Zhan Junbai to look up at him in surprise

“Can I help you?”

Jiang Yuelou dipped his head

“Executive Zhan. You’ve never met me, but you’ve used my services before. I’m Jiang Yuelou”

Zhan Junbai’s eyes widened and he quickly stood to his feet

“Close the door”

Jiang Yuelou nodded and shut the door of the office as Zhan Junbai walked over to him

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Jiang Yuelou huffed

“I came to warn you”

Zhan Junbai frowned

“Warn me about what?”

“Chen Yuzhi. He’s in danger”

Zhan Junbai’s eyes widened

“What?!”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“Your uncle hired me to take out Chen Yuzhi. I’m not going to do it, of course, but I thought you should know”

Zhan Junbai stared at him before he growled

“That bastard”

Jiang Yuelou hummed

“Indeed”

He then looked him in the eyes

“I don’t plan on letting anything happen to him. You can trust me on that”

Zhan Junbai nodded

“Alright”

Jiang Yuelou nodded in reply before he turned and headed towards the door, causing Zhan Junbai to frown

“Where are you going?”

Jiang Yuelou looked over his shoulder at him and smirked

“To protect the doctor, what else?”

He then headed out the door and out of the finance building, heading to where Chen Yuzhi’s clinic was located

When he reached the clinic, he stepped inside, causing Chen Yuzhi, who was working on packaging medicine for his patients, to look up and smile

“Oh, hello!”

Jiang Yuelou smiled and dipped his head as Chen Yuzhi walked over to him

“It’s you”

Jiang Yuelou blinked

“You remember me?”

Chen Yuzhi laughed

“Of course. You wouldn’t stop flirting with me as I tried to patch you up. How could I forget that?”

Jiang Yuelou chuckled before he looked around the clinic

“You seem to be doing well”

Chen Yuzhi hummed and leaned against his desk, crossing his arms

“I’m doing alright”

He then tilted his head

“And you? I hope you haven’t been getting injured”

Jiang Yuelou laughed

“Of course not”

He then leaned forward so that he was in Chen Yuzhi’s face and smirked slightly

“But if I was, would you treat me? Dr. Chen?”

Chen Yuzhi blushed and gently swatted his arm

“Of course I would”

Jiang Yuelou grinned, just as three men in black stepped into the clinic, causing Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi to look over at them before Jiang Yuelou narrowed his eyes

“Chen Yuzhi…go upstairs”

Chen Yuzhi looked at him in confusion, but Jiang Yuelou just gave him a look, causing him to nod slowly before he slipped away and made for the stairs

However, one of the men ran over to him and grabbed him, causing Jiang Yuelou to growl and run over to him, grabbing him by the neck before snapping it cleanly

He then looked at Chen Yuzhi, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and motioned upstairs

“Go!”

Chen Yuzhi nodded again and raced upstairs as Jiang Yuelou spun around to look at the number of men in the clinic, which now seemed to have doubled

“Fuck…me”

He and the men then stared at each other, waiting for the other to move, before one of the men rushed forward, allowing Jiang Yuelou to step in and kick some ass

However, as he was kicking ass, more men kept pouring into the clinic until he was severely outnumbered

“Find Chen Yuzhi!”

Jiang Yuelou growled and continued to do his best to keep the men from heading upstairs, but one goon got lucky and whacked on the back of his neck, sending him to the ground, unconscious

When he came to later, he looked up to see Zhan Junbai glaring at him

“Where’s my brother?”

Jiang Yuelou huffed

“Look buddy, as you can see from the bodies, I did my fucking best, but it was like a fucking swarm…they just kept coming”

Zhan Junbai hummed

“Yes, I saw the bodies…who sent them?”

Jiang Yuelou sighed and pushed himself to his feet, clutching at his head before he looked at him

“Who else? Probably fucking Zhan Tianqing”

Zhan Junbai growled

“Then we need to get him back because if you didn’t kill him, then my uncle definitely will”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“I’ll send my boys out to search Jing City…you probably shouldn’t do that because of your position as minister of finance”

Zhan Junbai scoffed

“I’m fucking San Ye…I’ll send my boys out too”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“Let’s go then”

Zhan Junbai nodded before they headed out of the clinic, leaving the mass of bodies that Jiang Yuelou was able to take out single-handedly behind

Zhan Junbai and Jiang Yuelou then send their men out to search the entire Jing City and when they couldn’t find him in Jing City, Zhan Junbai frowned

“Where could he be?”

Jiang Yuelou was quiet before his eyes widened

“Guangzhou”

Zhan Junbai frowned

“Guangzhou?”

Jiang Yuelou nodded

“That’s where your uncle is currently living…he probably took him back there”

Zhan Junbai hummed

“Let’s get on the train then…”

As Zhan Junbai and Jiang Yuelou rode the train to Guangzhou, Zhan Junbai looked at Jiang Yuelou and huffed

“Never thought I would be riding in a train car with an assassin to save my brother”

Jiang Yuelou chuckled

“Never thought I would be working with San Ye to save his brother”

Zhan Junbai hummed

“My family could use someone like you…”

Jiang Yuelou crossed his arms

“Tempting, San Ye, but I’m good”

Zhan Junbai nodded

“Just thought I would offer”

They soon arrived in Guangzhou and Jiang Yuelou led Zhan Junbai to Zhan Tianqing’s mansion (since Jiang Yuelou had visited it before whenever he was called about the hit order)

When they arrived, they quickly took out the guards before Zhan Junbai huffed

“Where would they be…”

Jiang Yuelou hummed

“This place is pretty fucking big…I’m sure there’s gotta be a basement somewhere”

Zhan Junbai nodded

“Split up and search”

Jiang Yuelou nodded before he held out a gun to him

“Just in case”

Zhan Junbai smirked and took the gun before he and Jiang Yuelou split up, both men searching the mansion until Zhan Junbai came upon Zhan Tianqing and Chen Yuzhi in the basement, Chen Yuzhi bound to a wooden cross, lashings all over his chest

“Chen Yuzhi!”

Chen Yuzhi looked up and Zhan Tianqing turned before he smirked

“So…you came”

Zhan Junbai growled

“You fucking bastard…I should have killed you the first time you hurt him”

Zhan Tianqing hummed as he turned to face him

“And yet…you didn’t”

Zhan Junbai huffed and raised the gun Jiang Yuelou gave him, pointing it between Zhan Tianqing’s eyes

“Don’t think I won’t do it this time”

Zhan Tianqing chuckled as he slowly walked forward and rested his forehead against the muzzle, looking Zhan Junbai in the eyes

“Do it then. Pull the trigger”

Zhan Junbai’s eyes widened just as Zhan Tianqing laughed and quickly snatched the gun away from him before turning and pointing the gun in his face

“Still just as pathetic and weak as before…I thought you grew up…seems like you didn’t”

Zhan Junbai’s eyes widened even further as Zhan Tianqing slowly stepped forward and pressed the gun to his head

“I’ll show you how to properly kill someone”

He then slowly began to pull the trigger, just as a gunshot rang out, causing Chen Yuzhi and Zhan Junbai to flinch before Zhan Junbai let out a huff and looked down to see Zhan Tianqing dead on the floor before him

“What the—”

“If anyone’s going to show someone how to properly kill, it’s going to be me”

Zhan Junbai then looked up to see Jiang Yuelou smirking at him

“You—”

“You’re welcome”

He then turned and ran over to Chen Yuzhi, quickly untying him from the wooden cross before catching him in his arms as he slumped forward

“I got you. I got you”

Zhan Junbai then ran over to them, looking Chen Yuzhi over in concern

“Chen Yuzhi. Are you alright?”

Chen Yuzhi glanced up at him and nodded

“I’m fine…I’m fine”

Jiang Yuelou then tilted his head

“Do you think you can last a train ride?”

Chen Yuzhi nodded again

“I think so”

Jiang Yuelou hummed before he looked at Zhan Junbai and carefully handed Chen Yuzhi off to him, Zhan Junbai wrapping his arms protectively around his little brother

“Come on, Yuzhi…let’s go home”

On the train home, Zhan Junbai, Chen Yuzhi, and Jiang Yuelou all sat in silence until at one point, Jiang Yuelou fell asleep, his head resting on the side of the train car, and Chen Yuzhi fell asleep not too longer afterwards, his head resting on Jiang Yuelou

Zhan Junbai looked at the two of them before he smiled slightly; they made a good pair

When they returned to Jing City, Zhan Junbai, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi got off the train before the three of them headed to Zhan Junbai’s mansion, Zhan Junbai’s servants taking Chen Yuzhi to a spare bedroom

While he’s being taken care of, Zhan Junbai motioned for Jiang Yuelou to follow him to his office where he then leaned against his desk

“So, Jiang-xiong”

Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow as Zhan Junbai smirked

“Can I trust you to look after and protect my brother?”

Jiang Yuelou looked at him in surprise before he nodded solemnly

“You can trust me”

Zhan Junbai chuckled

“You killed my fucking uncle to save me. Yeah, I think I can trust you”

Jiang Yuelou smiled as Zhan Junbai then dipped his head

“Thank you”

Jiang Yuelou shook his head

“Just doing my job”

Zhan Junbai crossed his arms

“I didn’t know protecting people was an assassin’s job”

Jiang Yuelou barked out a laugh

“It’s not, but I suppose I can make an exception…Zhan-xiong”

Zhan Junbai smiled before he motioned towards the door

“Go on”

Jiang Yuelou smiled and dipped his head before he turned and headed out of the room, heading towards the room where Chen Yuzhi was resting, quietly opening the door before stepping inside

He then walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, gently taking Chen Yuzhi’s hand as Chen Yuzhi opened his eyes and smiled weakly at him

“Looks like you’re the one going to be taking care of me for a while”

Jiang Yuelou smiled

“Lucky me”

Chen Yuzhi then sighed

“Thank you for saving me”

Jiang Yuelou chuckled

“Thank your brother. I just did the heavy lifting”

Chen Yuzhi nodded

“I will…but thank you. Really”

Jiang Yuelou smiled and gave his hand a squeeze

“You’re welcome”

#sass answers #kavita edition #Killer and Healer #jiang yuelou #chen yuzhi #zhan junbai #wang meng #zhan tianqing #assassin!jiang yuelou #mafia!zhan junbai #doctor!chen yuzhi #mafia au #mafia #yuezhi #killer and healer headcanons

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 19, part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff) (Previous Post)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Chilling in Yiling

We start off with Wei Wuxian hanging out in a busy area of Yiling, which is a really dumb place to pick for a fugitive rendezvous.

He's wearing a fashionably distressed brown robe, and a woven disguise hat, that makes him invisible to his enemies until the moment he takes it off, kinda like the mask he wears in his second life. Unfortunately he is a polite boi so he takes off the disguise hat when he goes indoors to get a bite to eat, and promptly gets smacked down by Wen Zhuliu.

Xiao Zhan's stunt double is really good at this wire-pull+table-smash move; this is the second time Wei Wuxian goes crashing through a table (the first one being when Yu Ziyuan was beating him). This time he clutches his now core-less abdomen, in a move we're going to be seeing a lot of, going forward. Abdominal surgery is a bitch. OP can personally attest to this.

Wen Zhuliu provides some comic relief by looking at his hand in puzzlement; he clearly can tell Wei Wuxian has no golden core, but he isn't going to bother telling Wen Chao that.

Wen Chao gloats and steps on Wei Wuxian's hand while Wei Wuxian stares at his shoe and OP wonders, not for the first time, how they make rubberized zig-zag treads in Ancient Fantasy China.

(more after the cut)

This is all happening in the Yiling Wine house where Wei Wuxian will later share the most important meal of his life, the one in which A-Yuan lays claim to Lan Wangji, ultimately giving LWJ a reason to live long enough for Wei Wuxian to be resurrected. If that doesn’t deserve a good Yelp review, nothing does.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

While Wei Wuxian gets ready for his big whump scene, Jiang Cheng is dreaming, and looking absolutely breathtaking in this deceptively simple robe, that's made of a really complex fabric, that catches the light all over its surface. The lighting here is warm and romantic, giving everything a nostalgic glow.

He looks around the courtyard in his dream, and sees Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian come running in the gate carrying kites.

A child fetching a kite was the first casualty of the Wen attack on Lotus Pier, so this image may already be a little fraught for Jiang Cheng. In this initial image of his family, Jiang Cheng isn't present as a child, but then his junior self comes running up, to be warmly greeted by his mother.

Jiang Cheng's reaction to the scene playing out in front of him is not a simple one. We've seen him externally expressing his trauma at the fate of Lotus Pier and his family - his anger and his despair - and this dream shows us his private, interior trauma.

His body has been repaired by Wei Wuxian and the Wens, but his psyche has not.

This family interaction can't possibly be one that ever happened. It's too lively, too affectionate, too comfortable. The family he was part of as a young adult was cold, angry, cracked. Families don't change that much in 10 years, unless there's a major trauma that alters things in a fundamental way.

Even the glimpses we got of his childhood contradict this image. This warm group is not the family of "I sent your dogs away" or "wait in the cold until Jiang Cheng lets you in" or "I won't tell Clan Leader Jiang what happened" or "I'm only 11 but I'm in charge of soup and bedtime already"

Jiang Cheng smiles at the affection he sees enacted in front of him, but quickly moves to grief. When a toxic person dies, you don't just lose the relationship you had with them; you lose the hope for a better relationship. Perhaps Jiang Cheng has always imagined this version of his family; now nothing like it can ever come to be.

The pleasant scene vanishes into nightmare, as his mother starts bleeding from her eyes, ew. This is like Nie Mingjue when he qi deviates, but dream Yu Ziyuan is perfectly chill about it.

Jiang Cheng is not perfectly chill about it.

He turns around to see Lotus Pier burning. When he turns back, his family has been replaced with Wen Zhuliu, who is particularly gleeful as he reaches into Jiang Cheng's chest and melts his core.

Jiang Cheng wakes up on the mountain, alone (as far as he knows), and quickly stands and boots up his new golden core.

It's purple, because of course it is. King. The nightmare is gone and he smiles, maybe for the first time since the attack on the pier.

In a moment that is probably going to feel really embarrassing in hindsight, he kneels and bows toward the mountaintops to thank Baoshan Sanren, who is totally not there.

Wen Ning, on the other hand, is there, although we only see a little bit of his belt and robe as Jiang Cheng walks off to Yiling to meet his brother. This entire plotline walks a very weird line in which the audience is told just enough about what’s really happening to be confused, but not surprised.

Do the Whumpty Whump

After some initial roughing up, Wen Chao has his dudes stand Wei Wuxian up so he can question him without actually getting any information out of him at all. They take turns calling each other dogs, with Wei Wuxian saying that when Wen Chao talks he just hears a dog barking. (Of course if he really heard a dog barking he'd be terrified)

Then he says "isn't that right" to Wang Lingjiao, and Wen Chao gets super pissed; don't disrespect me to my woman.

He has his minions do a Nancy Kerrigan to Wei Wuxian's knee and then kick him for a while.

Then they kick the shit out of the camera operator.

Wen Chao is really not about fighting his own fights. He also keeps threatening to have Wen Zhuliu melt Wei Wuxian's core, and Wen Zhuliu keeps popping up his hand and then putting it back when Wen Chao changes his mind, which gets more hilarious every time I watch it. Feng Mingjing’s physical embodiment of Wen Zhuliu is endlessly entertaining, even in scenes where he has literally no lines.

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

Wei Wuxian continues to goad Wen Chao, telling him that more torture is good because then he'll die with loads of resentment. He says that after he dies, he will come back as a ferocious ghost, which is...almost exactly what happens, except he stays alive for the ferocious part.

They go back and forth about the feasibility of this whole haunting plan. Wang Lingjiao is the voice of reason, for once, arguing the "ghosts aren't real and anyway fuck this guy" position.

Wen Chao thinks that he can’t haunt them because of cultivator security hardening procedures soul-calming rituals, but Wei Wuxian wasn't born into a gentry family so didn't have the anti-fierce-ghost treatment that other cultivators get.

This is the only time in the whole of the show when Wei Wuxian says, himself, that he's the son of a servant. He's using his reputation as a commoner to bolster his threats.

Wei Wuxian is working hard to put on a scary-guy persona, which works pretty well on Wang Lingjiao but not as much on the rest of the group. Three months from this time, however, he will have become the scary, vengeful creature he's currently spitballing about. He will also become way, way better at torture than the people who are currently mistreating him.

Wang Lingjiao and Wen Chao go through a whole sequence of ideas about what to do with him. For whatever reason Wang Lingjiao doesn't insist on chopping his arm off even though she's been craving it for ages.

She does gleefully burn his burn some more, causing it to bleed directly into the giant obvious bag he has hanging from his belt leaking resentful energy. Which the Wens do not take away or search.

Wen Chao, incidentally, starts calling him Wei Ying during this encounter, which is rude of him. Tch. Finally Wen Chao decides on a plan, which involves sword-flying effects so terrible that no soul can survive them.

Jiang Cheng is looking for Wei Wuxian in town, wearing a woven hat like Wei Wuxian’s. This...is not a disguise. If you want to be inconspicuous, maybe take that giant piece of silver off of your head.

He hears random people talking about the Wens being in town, and then he apparently looks up at the sky and sees the Wen dudes flying on their swords with Wei Wuxian, but it looks so ridiculous that Jiang Cheng's mind cannot process what he is seeing.

While they "fly," Wen Chao delivers a massive brick of exposition about the burial mounds, while Wei Wuxian looks genuinely frightened. The VFX of random, undifferentiated mountaintops and clouds do nothing to sell this menace, but the exposition is actually pretty good, creating a real sense of disturbance and threat.

Then they toss him in, and we go from the terrible VFX of sword flying to a visual effect that they mercifully did really well throughout the show - the black resentment smoke. This time it catches Wei Wuxian and holds him for a few moments, before dropping him the rest of the way to the ground. It also apparently pulls the turtle sword out of his belt bag, but we don't see that part.

They Say That Every Man Must Fall

Having seen Wei Wuxian at his lowest point (so far) and dream Jiang Cheng also in deep distress, we go to the Dafan Wen sibs, who have also reached a breaking point. Because they helped Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, they are traitors to their clan - unquestionably so - and are being punished for it, with Wen Ning having been tortured in addition to being locked up.

I see my light come shining From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released

You know how Lan Xichen successfully argued for Wen-Clan-Member Meng Yao's life and status, because Meng Yao betrayed Wen Ruohan to help them? Even though Meng Yao killed a bunch of Nie guys? Wen Ning and Wen Qing also betrayed Wen Ruohan and helped the Sunshot Campaign, without killing a bunch of guys. They should have been treated as allies by the four other clans, but they got diddly.

I’ve Been Dead Once

We return to Wei Wuxian in the burial grounds, where he's lying on the ground surrounded by resentful energy and by strained, desperate voices calling his name. This whole sequence is remarkable, since it effectively communicates the horror he's experiencing, through little more than Xiao Zhan's face and good sound design.

I hang around dying to be tortured You'll never be alone in the bone orchard

The voices call four versions of his name. A variety of voices call him Wei Wuxian, Wei Gongzi, and Shixiong, which (I think) is what the young Jiang disciples would have called him. And in the midst of those voices, Lan Wangji's voice, low and calm, saying "Wei Ying." Upon hearing that Wei Wuxian starts to drag himself up.

For a show with definitely no zombies in it, they sure do use the visual language of zombie films for Wei Wuxian's first motions after hitting the ground. Starting with twitching fingers, then gradually pulling himself halfway up and crawling, lurching across the ground. Wei Wuxian comes slowly back to life, the very first member of his army of the dead.

He makes his way across the ground toward the floating turtle sword. Along the way he accidentally grabs the world's most bowlegged thigh bone; the lack of sunshine in the burial mounds puts the skeletons at risk for rickets. All of the skeletons in the show are exactly what you would expect from the practical effects team that made the demon hand and the animatronic dog.

The turtle sword is roiling with resentful energy, and is talking to Wei Wuxian as he crawls toward it, asking if he wants revenge. And what a coincidence, he DOES want revenge.

He grabs the sword and plunges it into the ground in an explosion of resentful energy. (Ground: why you gotta take it out on me?)

The sequence ends with the most compelling, ominous shot of Wei Wuxian's face...a new man.

Soundtrack: 1. I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan 2. Beyond Belief by Elvis Costello

Writing Prompt: The Day Wei Wuxian arrived, from the POV of a Burial Mounds ghost.

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #the untamed gifs #the untamed meta #cql #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs #wei wuxian #burial mounds #jiang cheng

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potahun · 4 years

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Personal top 5 in Wo Men De Ge / Our Songs, Season 1

After finishing all 12 eps of the 1st season of “Wo Men De Ge” / “Our Songs”, I am listing my personal top 5 pairs of “Young Singer x Old but Gold Singer” teams in the show, mostly just to have an excuse to gush and recommend some of my favourite performances from this beautiful, beautiful music show.

5. Xiao Zhan x Na Ying (and Angela Chang) - Team: Na Zhan Dui

What I really liked about them: The fact that they challenged many styles! Perhaps it’s because Xiao Zhan is currently an actor and not specialised in any music type, but their performances were among the most diverse. They did rock, disco, old Chinese classics...Singing-wise, Xiao Zhan does nice switches to falsetto, Na Ying’s voice is broad and with its own feel, and Angela Chang who replaced NY for a few eps has such a special and beautiful voice ugh. But what I liked most about them is probably Na Ying herself. Her outspoken personality and sense rly got to me and she was my favourite “Model Singer” in Group B. She was also so open to accompanying XZ in trying new styles and to put an emphasis on performance (as in, the visual aspect of it) to help XZ out. I think for someone who’s not currently a singer, he got very lucky she was his partner.

What I found to be a pity: Xiao Zhan sings pretty nicely, but it’s true that when you have Ayanga and Zhou Shen next door, it’s pretty hard for his voice to stand out. A few times, I found myself feeling like Na Ying or Angela was carrying the song single-handedly and couldn’t rly notice his voice anymore. Angela’s voice especially stands out, so sometimes, it feels like what I remember most from Na Zhan Dui performances is Angela’s great voice and the visual effects. Also, maybe it’s because he has to manage his image a bit more than the other young artists, but Xiao Zhan did come across as quite nervous during the entire show, including during many of the performances. If you only watch him based on this show, he comes across as just a very polite young person (with a pleasant voice).

Favorite performance(s) from them:

Gen Zhe Gan Jue Zou / Going with the Feeling (not rly a performance but the song with which NY and XZ got “blindly” paired up, and somehow the song in which he was the most relaxed imo)

Jun Gang Zhi Ye / A Night at the Naval Port (classic lovely song. Imo it was the song in which their voices matched up most seamlessly)

4. Xiao Gui x Luo Qi - Team: Wang Zha

What I really liked about them: I knew neither of them before the show, but felt like this team truly tried to make a new sound each time and to mix modern elements into old songs (which fits perfectly with the show’s theme). Luo Qi is so open to Xiao Gui’s suggestions and so humble about trying things outside her comfort zone, even though she is the senior. They also had a really nice old sister-little brother relationship, full of mutual respect, and it was kind of refreshing to have the young artist be like ‘it’s ok, it’s ok’ and being the encouraging or optimistic one in the team. Among the younger artists, Xiao Gui is the only rapper, so being on this show could be pretty challenging but Luo Qi being so open to trying new things made it work. She really went outside her comfort zone, and I loved this team for it. They are also both really pleasant - mostly quiet but polite and comfortable. All-round lovely pair.

What I found to be a pity: In a way, because Luo Qi was so accommodating and humble, sometimes it felt like Xiao Gui might have overpushed her a bit? Perhaps he could have been a tad more considerate, but we don’t see much of their interactions and overall they do seem like they have a good relationship.

Favorite performance(s) from them: Hui Lai / Come Back (the way the rap got mixed into this song feels so very natural)

3. Ayanga x Fei Yuqing - Team: (God Xiao Ge team names are hard to remember) Yun Dan Feng Qing

What I really liked about them: Well of course, the voices and the singing technique. haha I did not know Ayanga before this show, but HOLY SHIT. Not a musical actor for nothing. HE CAN SING. And he can sing so many styles, too. He is GOOD. Watching them, I thought, shit, among all the young artists we saw, only he could have been paired up with a senior like Fei Yuqing (and perhaps Zhou Shen, but we’ll come to him later). Their voices are distinctive, but the style in which they sing have certain similarities, so they match quite well. Basically, this is a team based on talent, skills and experience. They only sing songs that sound like classics but holy fucking shit, I loved the way they sang them. Other than the singing - and this is not a team thing - but I was rly surprised to find out that Fei Yuqing was quite funny. Individually speaking, both he and Ayanga were entertaining while remaining ever so pleasant. They were real pleasures to watch.

What I found to be a pity: I thought there was a lack of team chemistry, which could be in part due to how they got paired up, but yeah, they just never really felt like a team, more like two very polite and courteous singers who decided to work together for a few performances. Also, I am absolutely not surprised by it, but I guess, since it’s the Fei Yuqing, both young artists were fully accommodating him and not the other way round. It is not a bad thing in FYQ’s case because his singing is beautifully amazing and hey its his last show anyway, but it would have been fun to see more sparks here and there.

Favorite performance(s) from them:

Juan Zhu Lian / Rolling up the Beaded Curtain (haha are you ready for pure skills to fuck you up? I liked Juan Zhu Lian before, but this version is incredible)

Xin Yuan Yang . Hu Die Meng / New Mandarin Duck. Butterfly Dream (again pure skills but also the harmonising. a+++)

2. Liu Yuning x Ren Xianqi - Team: Jie Tou Pai Dang

What I really liked about them: This team is one of the teams that felt the most like a team. They have similar past experiences and I liked that they had a chill older brother + reserved younger brother chemistry. I also liked that they both seem to be people who are passionate about different aspects of music (like singing yes, but also music arrangement overall). Ren Xianqi was so open to letting Liu Yuning express what he wanted / add in the elements he wanted to each performance, or have LYN’s band be in charge of re-arranging the songs. Before this show, all I knew from Ren Xianqi was his “Xin Tai Ruan”, but I found him so lovely and nice during the whole show! He only had kind praise for all the other artists, was positive throughout, and well, Group A only had lovely "Model Singers”, but RXQ stood out in this respect. He and Liu Yuning had such a comfortable dynamics and many of the songs they sang happen to be all-time favourites of mine so of course bonus points. Singing-wise, I love Liu Yuning’s voice. It’s not like he can hit super high notes or anything, but this guy rly gets the right feeling out of each song through his voice. All in all, I loved the team.

What I found to be a pity: Literally, the only thing I find to be a limiting factor for this team is Ren Xianqi’s voice aaaaa TT. It felt like he struggled a bit at times, and compared to other senior singers, his voice doesn’t have as much of a distinctive feel, which I thought was a pity... Some of his uh...moves during some of the performances also felt a bit old-fashioned, but I think I can live with that.

Favorite performance(s) from them:

Tian Ya (the song...the arrangement...the spirit...the LYN’s singing...)

Ai Jiang Shan Geng Ai Mei Ren (mainly because this song is one of my all-time favourites and you cant go wrong with it, but this is not my favorite rendition of it either)

1. Zhou Shen x Li Keqin - Team: Qin Shen Shen

What I really liked about them: EVERYTHING FUCK HAHA. ok so. I started this show with pretty even feelings for all the teams, but if one team really grabbed my heart from ep. 1 onwards and threw it into the fire pit, it’s these two. GOD Can I even talk about them neutrally?? Chemistry-wise...where did they even get all this chemistry? No one knows. On stage, I don’t know if I’ve heard two voices that match as well as theirs when they harmonise before, but if I did, I don’t remember. Zhou Shen’s voice is high and floating like some kind of ethereal mermaid’s, while Li Keqin’s voice is so stable, so warm it’s the perfect match. But the chemistry off-stage?? It’s even more incredible??? If Liu Yuning and Ren Xianqi are like a pair of older and younger brothers, what are Zhou Shen and Li Keqin? No one knows, and certainly not them. All the terms have been thrown in: match made in heaven, perfect match, a couple that separated and had a child (thanks LKQ) but also father and son, ‘someone who likes music’ (what?)....but basically, everyone on the show agrees that their chemistry is uncanny and it’s not stopping them from continuing with whatever they’re doing. This team basically has it all and they know it: Singing skills and technique? they both have it. Passion for singing? They both have it. Perfect chemistry? They have it. Stellar and complementary sense of comedy and humour? They have it. Theatrical smoke as their only visual effect on stage? They have it (jk). Every episode that they’re on, I am laughing and smiling from ears to ears and thanking the heavens that they got paired up. Why are they like this.

What I found to be a pity: The fact that I can’t buy an album from them as a duo? hahaha OK, perhaps just the fact that they stuck mostly with ballads (except for Ye Lang Disco) and so I would have loved to see more sparks from them. But this complaint is also very empty because it’s not like I didn’t thoroughly enjoy every single ballad they sang...haha haha....Ah, one thing I found to be a veeerrrry slight pity is that, as ZS himself says, he’s quite insecure. In contrast, LKQ is quite optimistic, so it makes for a lot of comedic clashes in this respect (annnnd it becomes a thing I like about them again). OK ok one thing is perhaps that ZS’s jokes can be a little bit borderline, but honestly, they receive each others’ jokes so well it becomes part of their charm and chemistry.........I guess I’m biased....ok....I'll shut up

Favorite performance(s) from them:

Tian Xia You Qing Ren / All the Lovers in the World (oh my God oh my God oh my God thank you Zhou Shen for choosing this song)

Ye Lang Disco / Wild Wolf Disco (?) (BECAUSE THIS IS Qin Shen Shen AT THEIR FINEST: ABSOLUTE DORKS WHO SLAY AT PERFORMING. Na Ying mentioned this as the inspiration for her and Xiao Zhan’s disco challenge, and that’s for a GOOD reason.)

Honestly I thought Zhou Hua Jian should be there somewhere, because I am a HUGE fan of Zhou Hua Jian songs, but I did feel like his performances were a bit...slapdash in this show haha. And Yi Qiao seems very nice but most of the time, I didn’t feel her presence as much, and it felt like I was enjoying the performance because no matter what, ZHJ’s voice is fucking good. I also found it to be a pity that he had to constantly remind the audience about points and voting - in the beginning it was funny, but by the end it felt a little repetitive - and that some of his comments could be a little bit borderline and clumsy. So not in the top 5, but his team’s performance of “Qi Shi Bu Xiang Zou / In truth, I don’t want to leave” did make me cry. A lot.

Anyways, overall, I rate this show 10 / 10 and would encourage anyone who likes music to watch it! I know many people who watched the show are international Xiao Zhan fans, well, if so, you’ll see a lot of him at least! (and your attention might get snatched by some others if you’re not careful)

#wo men de ge #xiao zhan #na ying #zhou shen #li keqin #zhou hua jian #fei yuqing #ayanga #wang linkai #luo qi #liu yuning #ren xianqi #our songs #long post

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nancygduarteus · 7 years

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A Tiny Tweak to Gut Bacteria Can Extend an Animal’s Life

Most of the worms in Meng Wang’s lab die on schedule. They live their brief lives on Petri dishes, and after two to three weeks, they die of old age. But some individuals beat the odds, surviving for several days longer than usual.These wormy Methuselahs were all genetically identical, so it wasn’t their genes that explained their decelerated aging. Instead, the secret to their longevity lay in the microbes within their gut.

Wang had loaded all the worms with the same bacterium—a single strain of the common gut microbe E. coli. But in some of these strains, she had deleted a single gene. That tiny change made all the difference, extending the worm’s lives.

This is part of a growing number of studies showing that an animal’s microbiome—the community of microbes that shares its body—can influence its lifespan. And while such research is a long way from developing life-extending probiotics for humans, it points to new leads for ensuring that people stay healthy for as long as possible. “I’ve always studied the molecular genetics of aging,” says Wang, who is based at the Baylor College of Medicine. “But before, we always looked at the host. This is my first attempt to understand the bacteria’s side.”

The connection between microbes and lifespan dates back to Elie Metchnikoff—an eccentric Russian Nobel laureate who the microbiologist Paul de Kruif once described as a “hysterical character out of one of Dostoevsky’s novels.” He believed that intestinal microbes produced toxins that caused illness, senility, and aging, and were “the principal cause of the short duration of human life”. (His claim, though baseless, apparently started a fashion for colostomy in the early 20th century.) On the other hand, he also thought that some microbes could prolong life by producing lactic acid, which killed their harmful cousins. That was why, Metchnikoff believed, Bulgarian peasants who regularly drank sour milk would often become centenarians.

In 1908, Metchnikoff wrote about his ideas in a book called The Prolongation of Life: Optimistic Studies—an ironic title given that the man was a profound pessimist who had twice tried to kill himself. Still, he also quite literally put his money where his mouth was by regularly drinking sour milk, and created a fad that would culminate in the modern probiotics industry. Metchnikoff died at the age of 71, and his claims haven’t quite stood the test of time. But more recently, several groups of scientists have shown that animal microbiomes can indeed influence the lifespans of their hosts.

In 2013, Filipe Cabreiro showed that metformin—a drug that’s used to treat type 2 diabetes, and that’s being investigated for anti-aging properties—lengthens the lives of nematode worms, but only if the worms have microbes in their guts. More recently, Dario Valenzano showed that the killifish—an extremely short-lived fish that’s being increasingly used in studies of aging—lives longer if old individuals consume the poop of younger ones, suggesting either that old microbiomes quicken the deaths of these fish, or that young microbiomes can prolong their lives.

Despite these promising hints, it’s hard to work out exactly why and how the microbiome influences the pace of aging, because these communities can be bewilderingly complex. When you have a huge range of microbe species exchanging an even wider range of chemicals, it’s hard to tell which particular bug or molecule is important.

So Wang decided to sweep that complexity aside and focus on a very simple partnership. Her team member Bing Han started with a library of E. coli strains that were each missing a single gene, but were otherwise identical. He then fed these strains to the nematode C. elegans—a small transparent worm that features heavily in aging research, and whose body and genes have been thoroughly characterized.

Of the 4,000 or so E. coli strains, Han found that 29 extended the worms’ lives by at least 10 percent. And 19 of these “also protected the worms from age-associated diseases” like cancer and neurodegenerative conditions, says Wang. “They lived longer and better.”

Several of these life-extending bacterial strains behaved predictably—they influenced networks of worm genes that are already known to influence the aging process. But two strains did something unexpected. Their missing genes are involved in making colanic acid—a type of sugar found on the surface of many gut microbes. And these particular microbes, because of their deleted genes, were producing unusually large amounts of colanic acid. And when Han stopped them from doing so, they no longer extended the worms’ lives. Colanic acid was the key.

“I think it’s a brilliant story,” says Dario Valenzano, the geneticist behind the killifish study. He was initially concerned that colanic acid was only coincidentally making the worms live longer—perhaps it just stops E. coli from becoming infectious and killing the worms early. But Wang’s team allayed his concerns by showing that the molecule alone could increase the worms’ lifespans, even in the absence of any microbes. “I’m really convinced,” Valenzano adds.

The team also found some hints about how colanic acid works. Very few people have studied this molecule, but it seems to affect the worm’s mitochondria—bean-shaped structures that live inside animal cells and provide them with energy. Colanic acid stimulates these tiny power plants to split apart, making extra copies of themselves. It also switches on a group of genes that help mitochondria deal with stressful conditions, and that have been previously linked to longer life in worms. For reasons that are still unclear, these actions seem to put more sand in the worms’ hourglasses.

Mitochondria are former microbes themselves. They descend from a free-living bacterium that found its way into another microbe and stayed there, becoming a permanent source of energy for the host. That event happened billions of years ago, but mitochondria still retain traces of their former lives as bacteria. And it’s clear that modern bacteria can influence them. “It’s just amazing to me that after so many years of separation, they can still talk to each other,” Wang says.

“It’s a beautiful study, and a fantastic example of how doing basic research in a simple organism can reveal a lot of important findings,” says Siu Sylvia Lee from Cornell University. “It provides one clear mechanism for researchers studying the much more complex relationship between human microbiomes and longevity to investigate.”

For Wang, the ultimate goal is to develop genetically engineered strains of bacteria that can improve human health—a souped-up, life-extending probiotic for modern-day Metchnikoffs to quaff. But that won’t be easy. Despite a lot of research and development, existing probiotics are largely underwhelming, because it is very hard to get these bacteria to stably colonize the gut. “That’s a challenge for the entire field, and we’re collaborating with others to find different ways around it,” says Wang.

A different option would be to find microbe-made chemicals like colanic acid that could have anti-aging effects on their own. “Making people live longer and healthier is very different from treating diseases,” explains Wang. “If I talk to a patient and say I have a magic drug that can cure their disease but has side effects, I think they’d take it. But if you tell a healthy person that you have a compound that would extend their life by five years, but has side effects we don’t know about… I would be hesitant. That’s why I’m looking to the microbiome. Maybe we can find natural compounds that come from the microbes that we can use to boost our health. They’d be safe because they’re already there.”

Obviously, it’s still unclear if her discoveries apply to people, but there’s a reasonable chance that they would. The C. elegans worm—a millimeter long, transparent, and comprising just a thousand or so cells—is obviously very different from us, but its biology is also surprisingly similar. Many of the things that are known to slow aging in animals like primates or mice also work in the worm, from cutting down on calories to taking drugs like metformin and rapamycin. “It’s relevant to us all,” says Jennifer Tullet, who studies aging at the University of Kent, “particularly since it seems that only small changes in bacterial genomes within the microbiome have these effects.”

Indeed, the team has already shown that colanic acid can also extend the life of fruit flies, and can affect the mitochondria of mammalian cells in the same way that it did those of the worms. “I don’t want to speculate too much, but that makes us positive,” Wang says. “We’re now starting experiments with mice.”

from Health News And Updates https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/06/a-tiny-tweak-to-gut-bacteria-can-extend-an-animals-life/530364/?utm_source=feed

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ionecoffman · 7 years

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A Tiny Tweak to Gut Bacteria Can Extend an Animal’s Life

Article source here:The Atlantic

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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 04 (second part)

(Masterpost) (Episode 04, first part) (Episode 05, first part)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes

Continued from the first half of this very long post!

Lets Go! Gusu

Wen Qing is lovingly exploring the magical wards of Gusu. She tries a little digital penetration on the ward at the waterfall, but gets the hard nope.

Note: Here at Canary3d we don’t ship Wen Qing with any cultivator ladies because we’re too busy shipping her with modern-day infosec-pro ladies, if you get what I’m saying and/or have read my bio.

Meanwhile Wei Wuxian is fishing with Nie Huaisang, using the method of sneaking up and grabbing fish with his bare hands. This actually works, because he is good at literally everything. His “I’ll be the prodigy” speech to Lan Xichen, isn’t actually arrogant.

Aw, Look at Xiao Zhan pretending this fish isn’t already dead.

Nosy Parker Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian goes to chat up Wen Qing and none of his crap works on her.

If I want to admire a pretty face I’ll go look in the mirror

His interactions with Wen Qing help to mature Wei Wuxian quite a bit over the months and years. Initially she’s a mystery to him, and he wants her attention and esteem. And can’t get either.

Look how stunned he is to encounter a boundary when she won’t let him touch her needle. “Wards are made to be broken” but she’s not going to let him past any of hers.

Jiang Cheng, Insecurest Boi

Oh you beautiful sad angry boy.

(More after the cut!)

Jiang Cheng is angrily waving the laundry around practicing his angry sword moves without a sparring partner, which is noteworthy partly because it shows how dedicated he is, but also because it shows how much he depends on Wei Wuxian for social interaction and cultivation practice. There must be 40 or 50 kids he could go practice with, but he’s by himself.

Camera Operator: Why you gotta take it out on me?

When he bitches to Yanli about his Dad preferring Wei Wuxian, she gaslights him.

Yanli is so gentle and kind, and she’s been the real mother for both of these boys when she didn’t have to be. But she ain’t perfect.

Yanli found this soup recipe on youtube. The ingredients are: water

Jiang Cheng has such a complex about Wei Wuxian he won't take the fish from him directly. He just looks hungry until Yanli grabs a stick and passes it to him.

Look, Jiang Cheng, we know you have reasons to be upset, but you need to get the fuck over yourself.

Aw, look at Xiao Zhan pretending this fish is cooked/palatable. (note: it is not)

Xiao Zhan deserves multiple awards for this performance. With bonus points for gratuitously eye-fucking Wang Zhoucheng into next week.

Wang Zhuocheng is an amazing actor who plays an incredible range of emotions, but selling the “delicious fish” lie exceeds his abilities. Look how he steels himself before he opens his mouth.

Yanli tells Wei Wuxian to be good starting tomorrow, and WWX gives her his patented lying-motherfucker salute.

This one has 4 fingers, unlike the 3-fingered boy scout salute he gave Lan Wangji on the roof in the previous episode. The extra finger is for extra lying.

Lan Lecture: Goofing off

Wei Wuxian is bored and spends the lecture time goofing off or sleeping like any other smart kid with ADHD.

Eventually he draws a bunny while Nie Huasang tosses him a nut wrapped in paper and he eats it. It’s the same kind of nut he eats at the beginning of his second life, when he remarks that they tasted better 16 years ago.

Don’t mind me, just putting Nie-Xiong’s nuts in my mouth

It’s cute how WWX and NHS are so vaguely gay for each other without bothering to be seriously gay for each other.

Several of the rules that are read out during this part of the lecture are things that Wei Wuxian is doing during this part of the lecture, or will become known for doing in the near future.

sitting improperly

causing noise

teasing others

ignoring others and being undisciplined

borrowing money

being late

Lan Lecture: Showing off

The question & answer part of the lecture arrives, which is when Wei Wuxian gets to show off his gifts.

He is that classic kid who already knows the essence of the material, does not need stuff explained, and is super bored at rote learning.

Lan Qiren makes Lan Wangji show off his skills to the whole class, which would guarantee an after-school ass kicking for the teacher's pet except that LWJ is basically the most aggressive person in the entire Lan clan (thanks Mom for those "I'm going to kill you now" genes!) and is unbeatable.

Lan Lecture: Going off

Next, Wei Wuxian introduces an idea for sustainable energy.

He starts off challenging Lan Qiren's hypothetical scenario, and as Lan Qiren draws breath to answer him, Lan Wangji starts speaking. LWJ has been listening very carefully and is speaking out of turn instead of letting the master speak, which is...probably not how he usually conducts himself?

From Wei Wuxian’s perspective, this is just the run-up to his next outrageous suggestion, but for Lan Wangji, this has to be an enormous moment. This boy who is unexpectedly a good sparring partner with swords and words is also an intellectual sparring partner - someone who can give Lan Wangji an actual chance to debate something.

Wei Wuxian’s answer "it's such a waste" is directed to Lan Wangji, not to the class as a whole. Lan Wangji, Gusu’s loneliest boy, is suddenly in a relationship with an equal. The relationship is adversarial, but it's EQUAL.

Wei Wuxian carries on explaining his idea: How about digging up and desecrating corpses? No no no Not for fun, but in order to have massive, unthinkable power?

Seems like a waste to just leave the dead to their rest when you could be using them for something.

Lan Qiren: I can see we are going to have to kill you eventually, aren't we

Jiang Cheng: oh my god Wei Wuxian you can't just ask about decapitating corpses

Jiang Yanli: perhaps my unwavering loyalty to Dad's methods with my baby brother should be reexamined

Nie Huasang: my dude, conceal don’t feel, seriously

Lan Wangji: hmmm he’s not exactly wrong

Lan Wangji was a LOT more horrified at Wei Wuxian sticking a note on Lan Qiren’s ass than he is at this whole demonic cultivation thing. Lan Wangji is really really attracted to Wei Wuxian’s talent and intelligence, even when it's completely heterodox. You can see it much later when Wen Ning gets his personality back; Lan Wangji is impressed and congratulatory, unlike literally everyone else in the cultivation world.

Punishment

When Wei Wuxian gets sent to copy a chapter 1000 times, Jiang Cheng and Yanli are both horrified, whereas Wei Wuxian’s reaction is totally chill.

Basically he knows that he has reached the part of the classroom discussion where he is inevitably sent for punishment, because he is totally used to that being how things go in his education.

Similarly, kneeling doesn't bother him because Madame Yu made him kneel for everything. Wei Wuxian is the mascot for too-smart bored kids everywhere.

On his way out, Wei Wuxian hits Lan Wangji with this troubled look of yearning. In this moment where Wei Wuxian is sparking Lan Wangji’s interest and tentatively seeking a path toward Lan Wangji’s heart, he is also mapping out the unorthodox path he will follow away from him as they grow up.

Lan Qiren in his rage does the dumbest and, frankly, most irresponsible thing the parent of a teenager can do in this situation; he sends Lan Wangji to supervise Wei Wuxian’s punishment.

"This terrible WWX is a one-man bad crowd. Let me send my deeply conflicted, stubborn, intensely private, teetotling, abstinent and abstemious newphew to spend several days in a private location with him, being bored together."

Lan Wangji responds to this order with 100% calmness, not even an eyebrow furrow.

I'm sure no cussing, pornography, romantic portraits, flirty ink grinding, or changes in forms of address will happen.

Lan Lecture: Blowing off

Wei Wuxian meanwhile has fucked off to go make more friends, and is hanging out with Wen Ning. Wen Ning demonstrates his archery by hitting the worlds slowest falling rock in midair and Wei Wuxian earnestly praises him and offers to trade skill pointers.

I love how sweet and kind WWX is to this younger kid who is obviously a little different.

When Wen Qing shows up, Wei Wuxian takes another opportunity to get into her business, but he skips the charm this time. He also 100% correctly deduces what she is up to.

Swords by the Waterfall

Then comes another sexy sword fight as Lan Wangji sneaks up on Wei Wuxian and almost get his face sliced open as a reward.

Now that the swords are out it’s time for...homework, sigh. Summer school is the worst.

Outro

Writing Prompt: Lan Xichen’s letter to Nie Mingjue after meeting Meng Yao

Episode 05 Restless Rewatch is over here!

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #the untamed gifs #chen qing ling #the untamed stills #restless rewatch the untamed #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wen qing #lan qiren #weilan #the untamed spoilers #restless rewatch #the untamed meta

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