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#WangXiantics
wangxianficfinder · 2 years
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Fanwork Research & Reference Guides Compilation
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All in the Wangxian Family by tungstenpincenez (G, 19k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, family tree, Comic-Con, Humor, tutorial, Chinese names, chinese honorifics, warning: mental illness discussion)
Writers Guide: The Guqin by ThisIsWhereTheMagicHappens (Not Rated, 1k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Writers, guqin, chinese instrument, Meta, non-fiction)
How Mo Dao Zu Shi Uses Classical Chinese Literature and Ideas in Character- and World-Building by yakuzakuma (G, 5k, Reviews, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
Working Guide to almost every single mxtx character by Nightfeather18 (M, 1k, all the characters, every single one, help guide, Spoilers, my horrible sense of humor)
On Character's Ages by thewickling (Diviana) (G, 5k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Meta, Nonfiction, Cross-posted on Dreamwidth)
On Qishan Indocrination's Duration by thewickling (Diviana) for pumpkinpaix (G, 1k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Módào Zǔshī History, Qíshān Wēn Indoctrination,Timelines)
A Compiled List of Known Lan Clan Rules by Unforth (Not Rated, 2k, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Nonfiction, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Podfic by dangercupcake)
A Writer's Unofficial Guide to Chinese Naming by FireflyPie (G, 2k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Chinese Language, no knowledge of the MXTX novels strictly required)
List of Differences Between Modao Zushi and CQL/The Untamed by Unforth (Not Rated, 3k, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Nonfiction, Cross-Posted on Tumblr)
The Untamed / MDZS, resources link post, stuff I needed as a writer by AteanaLenn (G, 1k, Meta, Metafiction, resources, linkdrop, Nonfiction, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
Chinese naming basics for fanfiction writers by miqqumi (Not Rated, 937, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
MDZS Timeline by thewickling (Diviana) (G, 22k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Meta, Nonfiction, Módào Zǔshī History)
Grandmaster of Demonic Timeline by chrisemrys (G, 2k, timeline, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
MDZS Audio Drama Episode Guide by pumpkinpaix (Not Rated, 5k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
Mo Dao Zu Shi Writer Reference: Novel Chapter Summaries by threerings (Not Rated, 2k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Podfic by dangercupcake)
Reference for Modao Zushi Writers: Chinese terms by chaoticjoy (G, 3k, WIP, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
MDZS History Context for Dummies by enbysaurus_rex (Not Rated, 14k, WIP, Meta, Analysis, Historical Accuracy, Historical Metaphors)
Ghostbusting Economics: The Great Cultivator Labor Shortage by GhostySword (G, 3k, Meta, Economics, Worldbuilding, Crack, Though honestly it's not that wild and pretty well supported by the text)
RL Cultivation 101 by Gina3 (T, 2k, Meta, cultivation, Taoism)
Fanwork Research & Reference Guides tag on AO3
WangXiantics: The (unofficial) Untamed Episode Guide by Trensu (T, 116k) although it’s a reaction work, it also serves as a list of episode summaries highlighting key moments.
dyingstar14's (unofficial) guide to writing ancient china by dyingstar14 (Not Rated, 6k, WIP, Ancient China, Ancient History, non-fiction, information, Units of Time, Hair, Units of Distance, Education)
meta and translation masterpost by @songfeng-shuiyue
The Reading of Sorrow (and other works) by Tavina (T, 10k, WIP, Meta, Worldbuilding, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE), Essays, Research, Historical References, Historical Accuracy, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Yuan Dynasty Paintings and Painters, Future Fic, Appendixes, Music) historical research underlying the fic but I'm not in charge of sorrow (so please don't ask me when) with abundant book recs.
Who Knew the Truth About the Wen Remnants? by Karmiya (T, 8k, Meta, Essay)
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Google Docs
transcripts and translations for the entirety of The Untamed (Spreadsheets)
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Maps of MDZS
Tumblr post by mondengel
Twitter thread by @/wangxianling
Twitter thread by @/bosbiee
Tumblr post by lalunaticscribe
Stunted, Starving Juvenility - Addendum by TomatenMark
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trensu · 4 years
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WangXiantics: The (unofficial) Untamed Episode Guide
Sometimes, if i’m feeling down or whatever, i like to rewatch favorite episodes or scenes from a given show as a pick-me-up. In The Untamed, this means basically any wangxian scene. 
For other shows, it’s no big deal because they have like, 25 episodes or less per season and each episode has a proper title. The Untamed, tho? FIFTY (50) episodes whose titles are literally just a number. I’m queer!! We’re notoriously bad with numbers!!!
So I thought to myself, no biggie, I’ll just look up an episode guide to find out which episode has that scene where they gaze longingly at each other in a busy street and buy a lantern together.
The episode guides I found? Don’t mention those scenes. They do this thing were they summarize the plot of each episode?? For some reason????
Guys, this cannot stand. I have decided I am Doing a Thing. I am taking it upon myself to create my very own wangxian episode guide. Because I need a quick reference to Important Wangxian Moments. (And also I need to justify watching the show for a third time in a row).
This here will be the Masterpost. Please be aware that my episode guide will consist mostly of me screaming about wangxian. it will not be spoiler-free. and it probably won’t make sense. And as of now, it is a WIP. But I’m having fun and that’s what matters lol.
THE GUIDE IS NOW COMPLETE!!! AND IT ONLY TOOK ME 3 MONTHS TO DO IT!!!! 
(Thanks to @theuntamednarrator and @absolutelynogravitaswhatsoever who encouraged me to post my ramblings here, and a special thanks to @mylastbraincql whose brilliant mind came up with the title/tag WangXiantics)
On to the Guide!!
Episode 1: The One Where They Don’t Quite Cross Paths YET
Episode 2: The One with THE ICONIC REUNION
Episode 3: The One with the SWORD FIGHT OF ~LOVE~
Episode 4: The One with That Many Minutes of Wangxian Screen Time*
Episode 5: The One with Angry bb!LWJ
Episode 6: The One where LWJ is Drunk and Gets Married
Episode 7: The One where At Last LWJ Sees the Light
Episode 8: The One where NHS is a Total Cockblock*
Episode 9: The One where They ~FROLIC IN THE FOREST~
Episode 10: The One with ANOTHER Moonlit Rooftop Moment
Episode 11: The One where We Learn the Value of Patience (and Hate It)
Episode 12: The One where Everyone Goes to Evil Summer School and Has a Bad Time
Episode 13: The One where WWX’s Gaydar is Completely Nonexistent
Episode 14: The One where LWJ Sings to WWX, y’know, Like a Bro
Episodes 15-18: The Ones where We Gross Sob FOREVER
Episode 19: The One with the Return of the Gay Yearning Death Grip, Now with More Sword!*
Episode 20: The One where WangXiantics becomes W(angst)Xiantics*
Episode 21: The One where the Siblings Know Things
Episode 22: The One with ANOTHER Other Moonlit Rooftop Scene
Episode 23: The One where JYL Captains the Ship
Episode 24: The One where LWJ Starts to Question Everything (except his sexuality)*
Episode 25: The One where they Frolic in the Forest but like, Sad This Time
Episode 26: The One where the Rain is Actually the Fandom’s Endless Tears
Episode 27: The One where I Want to Punch Basically Every Sect Leader in the Face. Repeatedly. With a Chair.
Episode 28: The One where LXC Loses his Title as Greatest Wingman 
Episode 29: The One where WWX is the Grandmaster of Self-Loathing and It Kills Me
Episode 30: The One where LWJ Wishes Jin Zixun Would STFU and Die Already
Episode 31: The One where Jin Zixun Dies but God at What Cost
Episode 32: The One where the Moonlit Rooftop BETRAYS Us
Episode 33: The One where WWX Needs to Stop Touching Swords of the Un-Sexy Kind
Episode 34: The One where Detective Wangxian is on the Case!
Episode 35: The One with the Moonlit Bridge Rebound (Moonlit Rooftop Who?)
Episode 36: The One where LWJ is Gay and Does Crime
Episode 37: The One where We Watch WWX Be a Dad
Episode 38: The One where We Unwillingly Take a Break From Wangxiantics
Episode 39: The One where Parallel Wangxian Makes Us Sob Like OYZZ*
Episode 40: The One with the Return of Paperman!WWX
Episode 41: The One where LWJ and Suibian are Loyal Bitches*
Episode 42: The One with the GREATEST ~LOVE~ CONFESSION OF ALL TIME
Episode 43: The One where WWX is Soft for Children and Bunnies
Episode 44: The One where Su She Gets Rekt
Episode 45: The One where the Juniors Stick It to the Old People
Episode 46: The One with All the Yunmeng Bros Angst
Episode 47: The One where JGY Gets Kinky with WWX and NO ONE Likes It
Episode 48: The One where JGY and SS Host a Pity Party and Everyone Wishes They Hadn't
Episode 49: The One with Too Much JGY and Not Enough Wangxian
Episode 50: The One with the Greatest Family Reunion(s) of All Time
NOW FOR SOME FUN EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS STATS**:
~Their Song~ was played: 54 times
Total Word Count for the Whole Guide: 116,362
Top 5 Episodes (based on note count as of 5/8/20):
Episode 47: The One where JGY Gets Kinky with WWX and NO ONE Likes It
Episode 6: The One where LWJ is Drunk and Gets Married
Episode 13: The One where WWX’s Gaydar is Completely Nonexistent
Episode 36: The One where LWJ is Gay and Does Crime
Episode 44: The One where Su She Gets Rekt
*these episodes were titled with the help of @theuntamednarrator​
**I may be off by a number or two but you can’t hold it against me bc i’m Queer and that would be Homophobic of you
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watch-grok-brainrot · 4 years
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theuntamednarrator · 4 years
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Shenanigans on the High Seas
from @trensu​, the blog that brought you WangXiantics, and from that other blog that just, like, screams a lot in the tags, comes the AU that we all desperately need because, frankly, we’re a little dehydrated from crying over the Nie Bros (drumroll please)
PIRATE AU!!!
You know you want it
the Zidian is Jiang Cheng’s ship. he inherited it from his mother, who was known as the Violet Spider, Scourge of the Seven Seas
before she retired, Captain Yu had two first mates she’d trained since childhood, Wen Qing and Luo Qingyang
after Captain Yu retired they got married and are now Pirate Wives with an-all female crew aboard the Yiling Matriarch
her bright red sails are just as feared as the purple sails of Zidian or the sable sails of Ghost General
any man who sets foot on the Matriarch best be prepared to lose it, and the leg it’s attached to
rumour has it that every carpenter from beijing to budapest pays the Matriarch a commission, for keeping them in work making peg legs, but that’s just a rumour
JC captains the Zidian alongside his first mate Jiang Yanli
the rumours about her say that she’s the reason there’s so little murdering done by those aboard the Zidian
but the crew know she once ordered a captive tied to a chunk of bait and thrown overboard near Shark Reef Bay
granted, she let the crew fish him back out after the first bite, and Jin Zixun never said another word about Captain Wei Wuxian until he was ransomed
but still
speaking of WWX, he captains the Ghost General, though far from doing any actual captaining he’s usually to be found up in the crow’s nest with a bottle of rum and his flute
luckily, his trusted first mate Wen Ning is more than capable of handling the General
his very favourite targets are the Jin Company’s slave traders, and most of his crew are former captives who chose to stay with him after their rescue
regardless of how drunk he might be, no one can fight like Captain WWX, except perhaps JC and JYL, they did grow up together after all!
because WWX was a foundling fished from the wreckage of a vanquished merchant ship by the Violet Spider at age 6 and taken to the island hideaway where her lover, former merchant sailor turned stay-at-home-dad Jiang Fengmian, is raising their two children
because this is a HAPPY AU DANGIT, and we deserve ONE AU where these two don’t traumatise their children
Captain Yu and JFM are in fact very, very happy together and raise little WWX together alongside JYL and JC
Captain Yu and JFM met when she raided his ship
he offered himself and all the gold aboard in return for his crew’s lives
she thought him rather striking and went about setting him up on a little island she knew, very out of the way, where she can visit as often as she likes
JFM is DELIGHTED by this turn of events, which he loudly denies has anything to do with Captain Yu’s famed skill with a whip
while JFM was settling into his sugar baby life, his crew were returning back to their home port to report to JFM’s business partner, Lan Qiren, that the Violet Spider had killed JFM and taken all their gold
LQR, who had secretly been in love with his best friend and business partner for years, declares the Violet Spider his ARCH NEMESIS and sets about trying to destroy her
when his brother and sister-in-law die and leave his two nephews in his care he ropes them into the feud
the Lan Brothers both join the merchant navy and are the very most eligible bachelors polite society has to offer
they hate all pirates of course but especially the unholy trio of Zidian, Ghost General, and the Yiling Matriarch
this makes it VERY awkward when Lan Wangji finds himself THROWN OVERBOARD during a terrible storm, rescued by WWX, and dragged aboard the General
at first, recognising the uniform, WWX keeps LWJ under his eye by tying their wrists together with a length of rope for absolutely no other reason definitely not cause he’s cute, nope, no sir
later, LWJ manages to snatch a sword and an EPIC DUEL ENSUES *cue he’s a pirate (main theme) from PotC here*
they’re in the rigging, they're sliding down the sails, they’re fighting up and down the deck
LWJ is HORRIFIED to realise at one point that WWX is laughing
even worse, he, LWJ, is having fun??? wtf he’s never had fun in his life how dare
after the fight ends in a draw LWJ and WWX come to an Understanding and have many deep and meaningful conversations as they sail back towards port
both of them fall madly in love of course, but Pirate!WWX and Midshipman!LWJ are just as emotionally dense as the OG varieties so there’s A LOT of pining
Seriously- so. much. pining
they probably battle a sea monster at some point because that’d be sick
finally, they arrive back at the port and WWX asks (sadly, because pining) where he should leave him and LWJ says (sadly, because pining) that any of the Gusu Cloud piers is fine
and WWX laughs because how funny! my dad used to be a merchant sailor for the Gusu Cloud Company
which is how LWJ discovers that the ‘dad’ WWX has been telling stories about for literal WEEKS is actually his uncle's now not-so-long-lost-love!because they are both Disaster Drama Gays™ they decide they simply MUST do this Right. After all, it’s an Epic Reunion™!!!
LWJ convinces his uncle to come out sailing with him (even though LQR has not boarded a ship since JFM was lost, cue sweeping nostalgic music and distant stare into montage of the two of them in their Youth)
they row him blindfolded out to the island where JFM and Captain Yu live and the moment LQR sees JFM it’s jaws to the floor.
there are tears
JFM puts his hands on LQR’s shoulders and says ‘my old friend. you never said’
they hug
it’s adorable
don’t roll your eyes it’s adorable and you know it
Captain Yu and LQR still Do Not Get Along
their Epic Rivalry™ continues but now it’s just morphed into them trying to outdo each other in displays of affection
JFM’s little island house soon holds more jewels, gold, fine silk, and artwork than half the royal coffers of europe
family dinners are a DELIGHT
JC freaking runs whenever his father hosts Captain Yu and LQR for dinner
because 1) god dad, you're so embarrassing, and 2) HE DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING THEY GET UP TO BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THANKS
JYL thinks it's sweet and loves seeing her dad so happy
WWX does the pirate-time equivalent of a bro fistbump with JFM, like, NICE.
LWJ is very quiet but secretly loves it because he, as we all know, is That Bitch
‘A wedding! I love it! drinks all round!’ – WWX, probably, when the three finally announce they’re getting married
the wedding is WILD
there’s a whole lot of dancing, WWX is in the thick of it of course
LWJ wants so badly to ask him to dance but he still hasn’t told him how he feels (because emotionally dense disaster gays, remember?)
he finally has to go outside after WWX somehow convinces LQR to dance a jig with him which means WWX has officially asked everyone to dance except him
he goes and sits in the tidal rockpool, and his billowy white shirt is all wet and see through when WWX comes stumbling out of the party calling for him
WWX sees LWJ silhouetted by an endless horizon of ocean and stars and dies. he's quiet for the first time in his whole life
then LWJ turns and sees him so of course WWX has to go down and talk to him. he may be a pirate but he’s not a barbarian (unlike some certain nies we could name but won’t he’s definitely not still salty about the arm wrestle incident with Captain Nie’s ‘little brother’ eh he’s not much of a fighter but he’s great with languages yeah right his wrist still hurts sometimes bloody barbarians)
‘ah lan zhan lan zhan! you aren’t allowed to run away; we haven’t had a dance yet. even your uncle danced with me surely you can’t say no!’ *pouts*
lwj.exe has stopped working
but of course he can’t deny WWX anything so he makes to head back inside
now wwx.exe has stopped working
because to HELL if he’s sharing wet LWJ in a see though white shirt with the rest of those imbeciles
‘ah, um lan zhan lan zhan we can hear the music from here just fine can’t we? let’s just dance right here?’
and of course LWJ says yes
so the two of them just dance together on the edge of the ocean, waves lapping over their bare feet
until a particularly big one knocks them flat (listen, it’s a trope for a REASON dagnabbit)
WWX ends up sprawled over LWJ’s chest and he’s laughing and apologizing
but LWJ is just looking at him, wreathed in stars, eyelashes so wet and glittering, the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen
WWX notices how still he is and they just pause for a moment and stare at each other
doesn’t really matter who kisses who but they are kissing and it’s wet and salty, there is sand in their teeth, and they absolutely do not give a flying dutchman
they don’t even register the cheers and catcalling until JC runs up and dumps a bucket of water over their heads
because dammit he hasn’t spent months running out of every room his parents and LQR are in just to watch his big brother pop his cherry get it on on the beach
the rest of the gang are all watching from the porch
WN and LXC look very awkward and embarrassed
JYL looks fond and is shaking her head
JC meanwhile is having a heated argument with WQ because there were bets on you see
WQ ‘pouring a bucket of water over them is cheating I’m not paying you one penny JC’
JC ‘I’m a pirate why on earth would you expect me to play by the rules pay up Captain’
WWX and LWJ sneak away while they’re all arguing
The General has one new crew member when she next sails out
ANYWAY married gay pirates wangxian having adventures AU is what we’re saying
Also for your consideration other delightful Pirate!AU options include:
naval officer!lwj chasing down pirate!wwx (think norrington/sparrow if Disney weren’t COWARDS);
high society!lwj in love with blacksmith-turned-pirate!wwx (the Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner dynamic, except with Swann in the forge fight because we said so);
davy jones!lwj pining for calypso!wwx (carving your heart out = chest brand anyone? seriously, just imagine LWJ setting foot on dry land for the first time in 13, 16, 10 YEARS, playing the song he’s composed for his love and WWX IS NOT THERE!!!!) 
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trensu · 4 years
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Episode 47: The One where JGY Gets Kinky with WWX and NO ONE Likes It
so our boys are still wandering around yunping and wwx is trying his hand at being matchmaker
he starts asking lwj if there's any female cultivators that *insert list of traits here*
they're still walking ahead of wn, who looks distracted by smth idk what
lwj: what for?
he asks as soon as wwx finishes listing off traits
It’s off-screen tho so we don't get to see his expression
But this is lwj we’re talking about and we all know how he gets when wwx so much as implies interest in other people
wwx: it's not for me!!
LOL WHY DID HE FEEL THE NEED TO RUSH IN AND EXPLAIN THAT??
IT’S NOT LIKE HE’S EVEN NOTICED LWJ’S JEALOUS STREAK
WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO KNOW IT WASN’T FOR YOU, WWX?? HMM??
and then he goes on to say how wn is all grown up now and probs can't spend the rest of his life third-wheeling them
wwx looks back and sees wn surrounded by children while lwj is still facing the other way
and i only mention this bc once wwx sees wn with the kids, wwx reaches over and PHYSICALLY TURNS lwj around by gently grabbing him by the shoulders
wwx: following me like this, is not an appropriate life for him. According to the bro code, i def need to find him a partner
this is actually so sweet tho, wwx doesn’t want his buddy to be lonely!!
wwx: hanguang jun, what do you think?
lwj: *nod*
wwx: at least, he needs to make some friends
AND THEN HE GETS A SMILE ON HIS FACE AND LOOKS AT LWJ
wwx: lan zhan, i think sizhui is a perfect candidate
OMGGGGGG
I AM LITERALLY LAUGHING OUT LOUD RN
AS SOON AS WWX SAYS THAT LWJ LOOKS DOWN AND SO VERY AWKWARDLY TWITCHES TO THE SIDE AND KEEPS WALKING 
I'M  D Y I N G  LOLOLOLOL
HE'S LIKE SHIT FUCK HE STILL DOESN'T KNOW, DAMN IT, I DIDN'T TELL HIM YET, I MUST LEAVE RIGHT NOW
wwx doesn't dwell on lwj's abrupt departure bc when ISN'T lwj abrupt, right? 
After wwx rescues wn from the children, he tells him to go wait at the inn while he and lwj continue to investigate. 
wn goes all Sad Puppy about it.
but wwx doesn't see it bc he's already running towards lwj "lan zhan, wait for me!"
Small interruption to say that i really really enjoy watching our boys walk side by side?
we're constantly getting shots of their backs as they walk next to each other and even if they weren't EPIC SOULMATES, it’s still like, aesthetically pleasing.
Oh look, they found out that jgy's deed was to a Temple of Doom
or okay, a standard religious temple but considering what goes down in there eventually, i think Temple of Doom is a pretty accurate name for it
lwj mentions he senses a magic circle hidden in the temple and they proceed to talk plot stuff
but i'm just so distracted by their pretty faces
mostly wwx's, but lwj also has a pretty face
blah blah plot blah
it's decided they need to come back at night when it'll presumably be empty
now wwx is politely questioning a monk
wwx: Asks Clever Plot Related Questions
me: *dreamy sigh* so pretty wwx, so pretty
ooooh, wwx's Clever Plot Related Questions reveal that the monk is a FRAUD. 
idc about it or why he's a fraud but i just wanted to demonstrate HOW SMART MY SUNSHINE BOY IS. he’s got beauty AND brains!!!
cut to next scene and IT'S NIGHT TIME
wwx, lwj, and wn are approaching the Temple of Doom
lwj stops wwx from getting any closer to the doors with an outstretched arm
then lwj gets closer to the doors and kind of just...lobs a bit of his blue spiritual energy at the door
turns out it's warded! no getting in that way
so wwx says they'll get in through the courtyard or smth and tells wn to stand guard
LOLOL LOVE THIS LINE:
wwx: i am half a wreck but we still have hanguang jun~
WWX HAS SO MUCH FAITH IN HIS SOULMATE
we get some alone time with wn who notices some ominous black clouds rolling in so he takes off to investigate
MY BRATTY SON!! MY BRATTY SON IS HERE!! FOLLOWING HIS DOGGY
And that dumb dog is leading my precious brat of a son straight to the Temple of Doom!!
GO BACK TO BED, BRATTY SON, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE HERE
now we cut to our boys spying over the wall and they see a whole bunch of random dudes with bows/arrows
and now we hear barking! AHH!!! THAT STUPID DOG IS PUTTING MY BRATTY SON IN DANGER
jl knocks the door AND BEHIND THE DOOR ARE A BUNCH OF ASSHOLES AIMING THEIR ARROWS AT HIM
HOW DARE THEY
DON'T YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON MY BRATTY SON'S HEAD, I WILL KILL YOU DEAD
wwx is thinking to himself: why is jl here? why didn't wn stop him? naughty kid, leave quickly with the dog!!
BUT JL DOESN'T LEAVE WITH FAIRY
INSTEAD JL DOES WHAT HIS UNCLE WWX DID AND CLIMBS UP THE WALL TO PEEK OVER
we get a close up shot of wwx's eyes here and i'm mentioning this for two reasons
1) wwx has beautiful brown eyes and everyone should take a moment to be grateful for this close up of them
but, more importantly
2) WE ALSO GET A GLIMPSE OF HIS EAR IN THIS SHOT AND HIS EAR HAS FRECKLES AND IT'S THE CUTEST THING EVER. FRECKLY WWX!!! WWX WITH FRECKLES!!! I'M SO HAPPY
okay back to the show i guess
jl manages to pull himself up BUT OH NO, THEY'VE GOT AN ARROW AIMED AT HIM
WWX SEES THIS AND HIS EYES GO WIDE WITH FEAR BC THAT'S HIS DARLING LITTLE NEPHEW THEY'RE PLANNING TO SHOOT
we see wwx gripping his bamboo flute 
and in the next second the bad guys loose their arrows at my bratty son!! HOW DARE THEY
wwx thinks fast and flings his flute at the incoming arrows and one of the arrows oh so conveniently splits the flute so it's unusable now
wwx: jin ling, run!!
WWX GAVE AWAY HIS POSITION TO SAVE HIS NEPHEW, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
now our boys are getting shot at and it's super stressful
but wwx and lwj leap off the roof (wwx does a fancy flip bc ofc he does) and wwx starts flinging talismans everywhere like nbd
they're smoke bomb talismans apparently
NOOOOOO I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT SCENE WAS COMING UP HERE I'M NOT READY FOR IT
so smoke bombs right, and we see somebody walking calmly through it
our boys land on the ground and get ready to start fighting
BUT SUDDENLY WE SEE A FLASH OF GOLD THREAD 
WWX FLINCHES BACK TO AVOID IT BUT ALL IT DID WAS MAKE IT EASIER FOR FUCKING JGY TO WRAP IT AROUND WWX'S (BEAUTIFUL) EXPOSED VULNERABLE NECK!!!
IT'S A GARROTE AND MY SUNSHINE BOY IS CAUGHT IN IT
JGY HAS THIS DARK EVIL LOOK ON HIS FACE AND HE'S HOLDING WWX HOSTAGE!!!!
I'M GONNA PUNCH THAT EVIL SMIRK RIGHT OFF YOUR FACE JGY 
LET GO OF MY SUNSHINE BOY, YOU BASTARD
lwj has his bichen drawn and pointed directly at jgy but he hasn't made a move yet bc wwx is being used as a human shield!!
jgy: i advise master wei not to whistle. it doesn't matter if the flute is broken. but if a finger or tongue is lost, that would be tragic
he says it with a fake, condescending concerned expression
I HATE HIM SO MUCH, I'M GONNA STRANGLE HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS
wwx gives a little huff and says sarcastically: you have a good point
eeww, we hear the garrote creak as jgy starts walking backwards 
and wwx has no choice but to follow BC HE'S GOT A GARROTE AROUND HIS NECK
lwj keeps pace with them, sword still pointed at jgy BC HELL NO HE'S NOT GONNA LET HIM TAKE MY, I MEAN, HIS WEI YING AWAY
oh, side note, we get a nice peek at some decorative etchings along bichen’s blade, kinda like suibian’s red line, except they’re pale silvery blue
Have they been there the whole time?? HOW DID I NOT NOTICE??
I blame wwx’s beautiful face for distracting me at every turn
Anyway, the etchings are pretty, whatever they are
Jgy is like don’t even THINK of trying anything hanguang jun!!
the garrote creaks bc FUCKING JGY TIGHTENS ENOUGH TO CUT INTO THE TENDER SKIN IN WWX'S NECK AND MAKES HIM BLEED!!
at that, lwj stiffly lowers bichen and he immediately gets surrounded by jgy's henchmen
the expression on lwj's face!! this is him scowling up a storm
since this is lwj's face we're talking about tho, there's only the slightest downward pull at the corner of his mouth. 
his eyes, on the other hand, his eyes are glowering fiercely
wwx tells lxc not to feel so bad about being tricked bc after all jgy is the best at what he does 
now wwx and jgy are doing that thing i love, you know the trope?
when the good guy and the bad guy speak to each other lightly, casually 
As if no one is actually poised to get murdered or anything
with an implicit acknowledgement of each others' immense skill
And they exchange notes as to how the good guy discovered the bad guy’s nefarious plot and the bad guy taking it as constructive criticism for future evil endeavors
Good stuff, good stuff
as they do this, jgy keeps his eyes pinned to lwj, who is the only real threat to him right now
wwx: since we’re completely at your mercy how’s about you tell me what kind of treasure is in the Temple of Doom?
jgy: the price to satisfy your curiosity is high. are you sure you want to try, master wei?
he says all falsely regretful
look i hate jgy with every fiber of my being, but i do appreciate this sort of banter
unfortunately it gets interrupted by some henchmen dragging in my bratty son!!!
jgy gives jl a sweet benign smile, with dimples and all 
which kind of cracks me up tbh, bc it does not mesh with the fact that he's got wwx by the neck here
jl: uncle jgy!
jgy: 'sup a-ling?
wwx: what's wrong with you, kid? why'd you come here at night??
JL: IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
OH GOD, THAT'S HILARIOUS. 
IT REALLY JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH OF A KID HE STILL IS (BC HELLO, HE'S LIKE 12 I MEAN 16)
that was totally just a reflexive indignant response to wwx's tone, i love it
bc it's not like his one uncle is threatening to murder his other uncle or anything important lololol
and for all the dog lovers out there, to really hammer in how evil jgy is, jgy orders his henchmen to go murder fairy
my bratty son is very upset by this
lxc comes in here and is like, hey, jl is just a kid!! and also your nephew!!!
and jgy is all like, ofc i know he's a kid and my nephew! what do you think i'd do?? kill him???
well, i mean, you did murder your own infant son
i can't imagine killing your teenage nephew is that big of a leap for you, jgy
and then he goes right on to say that hey nephew, if you run or scream, probably something awful will happen to you so maybe don't do that
MY POOR BRATTY SON
oh now we cut to the inside of the temple and people are digging into the floor
wwx is wondering what the heck jgy is looking for
then he looks at lwj and with just a twitch of his eyebrows indicates that OMG JGY IS DISTRACTED AND THERE'S AN OPENING FOR AN ATTACK, GO FOR IT LWJ
or at least i'm assuming that's what that eyebrow twitch meant bc lwj catches it and leaps into action
he raises bichen and dives towards jgy aiming to cut his head clean off, it looks like
but jgy sees it coming in the last second and jerks wwx in front of him. 
bichen stops just barely an inch or two away from wwx's bleeding neck
wwx closes his eyes in disappointment  bc they had been so close! 
and now he just looks so upset bc he thinks he’s ruined their chances by letting jgy use him as a shield
jgy: hanguang jun, put bichen down now. do you really want to kill master wei?
THAT’S LOW FUCKING BLOW, JGY
HE KNOWS IT TOO
HE KNOWS LWJ FEELS GUILTY ABOUT WWX’S DEATH, THAT BASTARD
and omg wwx's face his eyes are red and teary, wide open and pinned to lwj as we all watch lwj obediently lower bichen
wwx: lan zhan, don't listen to him!
my sunshine boy's brow is all furrowed and he sounds desperate here
wwx: i have never blamed you! lan zhan, you go first to find reinforcements!
HE'S PRACTICALLY BEGGING HIM HERE
BC DEEP DOWN HE KNOWS THAT LWJ IS NOT GOING TO LEAVE
LWJ IS TOO GOOD OF A PERSON TO LEAVE SOMEONE IN DANGER 
BUT WWX HAS NEVER FELT WORTHY OF THAT SORT OF SACRIFICE
HE’S ALWAYS BEEN WILLING TO DIE FOR OTHERS, SO HE’S TRYING TO CONVINCE LWJ TO LEAVE 
BC WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS TAKING JGY DOWN NOT SAVING HIS OWN LIFE
Lwj looks him straight in the eye and shakes his head no for everyone to see
bc nothing will tear him away from wei ying, not again, not when he finally got him back after 16 long long years.
I AM IN PAIN
THE ANGUISH IN BOTH OF THEIR FACES IS KILLING ME
jgy: great! Next, please sheathe bichen
there's a slight twist to lwj's mouth as he sheathes bichen angrily 
but he did it with no hesitation 
the sound fx team really made the shing-clack sound of it very prominent here
i'm assuming to emphasize how lwj is briskly and willingly de-fanging himself in order to keep wwx alive
wwx: LAN ZHAN NO!
wwx pants a couple of times (bc lwj is putting himself in danger!!) and his beautiful beautiful face twists into a snarl
wwx: jgy, don't go too far.
jgy: is it too far for you already? next i even want hanguang jun to seal his own spiritual power by himself. what would you call that?
wwx's eyes widen like, no, no don't
and we get a shot of lwj who is the picture of grim resignation
he knows that as long as jgy has that garrote around wwx's neck, he will do anything he asks of him, anything at all
wwx protests but jgy just tightens the garrote
lwj sees that happening and immediately locks down his spiritual energy
(side note to say that i really like the sound effects and the motions they choreographed for the "locking of energy" thing here. It’s really cool)
wwx: lan zhan…
WWX'S EYES ARE BRIMMING WITH TEARS AND HE SOUNDS LIKE HE'S HOLDING BACK SOBS
lwj presses his lips into a firm line in response
THIS ALL IS GIVING ME ANXIETY AND KEEPING ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT
WHICH IS STUPID BC I ALREADY KNOW WHAT HAPPENS 
BUT HERE I AM, FREAKING OUT ANYWAY
oh and now there's a convenient thunderstorm TO SET THE MOOD I GUESS?? 
jgy is like, hey guys let's move this inside so we don't get rained out. no worries, if you do what i say i totally won't maim and/or kill you
cut to inside the temple
creepy breeze? Check
eerie candle lighting? Check
highly contrasted cool colors vs warm colors? Check
jgy also likes his classic villain tropes, it seems i wonder if he and xy compared notes on that...
jl is sitting next to lxc, clutching his sword
meanwhile lxc keeps his eyes closed like maybe if i refuse to see what's happening, it'll make it not be happening!
Which, hey, we’ve all been there! 
okay, maybe not this exact same scenario, but still! Totally a valid coping mechanism, probably.
and on the other side of the room we've got our boys sitting shoulder to shoulder against a pillar together
wwx: lan zhan, you don't have to do this. that year....you owe me nothing
Aka, it’s not your fault i died. You don’t need to atone for anything!!!
lwj takes in his words for a moment
lwj: i don't think i owe you.
he says it so seriously
wwx: so why did you do that??
lwj looks over to him
lwj: it's what i should do.
BC THEY'RE SOULMATES AND HE LOVES HIM
AND WWX SMILES THAT LITTLE PINCHED SMILE OF HIS 
some mood-setting stuff happens
you know, creepy wind slamming open doors, blowing out candles, that sort of thing
oh, there's a knock on the door and FUCKING SU SHE APPEARS BC THINGS WEREN'T HORRIBLE ENOUGH ALREADY NOW WE GOTTA DEAL WITH HIS UGLY MUG TOO
huh, he's got an unconscious nhs with him
wow he just drops nhs on the ground like a sack of potatoes, rude
blah blah evil plotty exchange between evil master and evil subordinate blah blah
blah blah emotional confrontation between jgy and lxc that idc about blah blah
ugh gross now su she is approaching wwx and lwj and is talking to them all smugly condescending
i want to hit his face with a brick tbh
LOL
WWX AND LWJ ARE NOT AMUSED
wwx just rolls his eyes and lwj looks off to the middle distance bc this insect is not worth his time or attention lololol
god that chip in his shoulder that he's got for lwj is really getting annoying
ss: i just can't stand his attitude, as if he's better than everyone else!!
idk about “everyone else,” but he's definitely BETTER THAN YOU, YOU GREASY LITTLE COWARD
lol wwx gets offended on lwj's behalf (bc lwj has yet to acknowledge su she at all)
wwx: when did lan zhan say he was better than everyone else?
awwwwww!! lwj sneaks a glance at wwx when he starts to defend his honor. that's so cute!
wwx: iirc, in the great big book of lan fam rules, there’s one that says "don't be arrogant and prideful"
AND LOLOLOL MY BRATTY SON CONTINUES TO BE A BRAT OF A TEENAGER EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS DRAMA
jl: how do you know the principles of gusulan so well?!
wwx frowns all sulky and taps his nose adorably
wwx: i have transcribed it so many times that i memorized it.
jl: why did you transcribe the principles of lan??
WWX GETS ALL DEFENSIVE AND IS ARGUING WITH A TEENAGER WHILE THEY'RE BOTH BEING HELD HOSTAGE LOLOLOL
wwx: do you think it was my choice? that (and here he glances at lwj from the corner of his eye and lwj is side-eyeing him and it's hilarious) was my punishment
jl: shame on you!
he says it all haughty and adorably irritated and turns his head away sharply. it's GREAT
After that, wwx is going on about how lwj has had that indifferent expression on his face his whole life and he can't really help it, it’s not bc he’s snooty or whatever ss thinks
and he continues to blabber on in that way he does
ss gets all mad and moves to strike him with his hand
and quicker than a blink of an eye, lwj puts bichen (still sheathed) between wwx and ss 
He glares at ss like, just try it, i dare you! and doesn't put bichen down until ss lowers his hand
i would like to point out that ss still relented to lwj even tho lwj HAS NO ACCESS TO SPIRITUAL POWER 
BC SS KNOWS HE'S A WORTHLESS NOBODY AND LWJ COULD DEFEAT HIM EASILY EVEN WITHOUT HIS RENOWNED CULTIVATION SKILLS
as soon as ss backs off, wwx runs his mouth again, i love it
There’s a bit where wwx says, "i'm not afraid of death, i just don't want to die"
which i guess is some kind of word play in their native tongue? Idk
wwx goes on to explain it but idgi; either it doesn't translate well or i'm not bright enough to understand it, lol
anyway, this all culminates to ss drawing his sword to kill wwx for being annoying
BUT HE GETS INTERRUPTED BY JC'S EPIC ENTRANCE
ZIDIAN CRASHES OPEN THE DOORS AND SENDS SU SHE FLYING
WE GET SOME SHOTS OF POURING RAIN AND A BLOODIED UMBRELLA
A SHOT OF JC’S HAND WRAPPED AROUND SANDU
AND THEN AN OUT OF FOCUS SHOT OF HIM IN THE RAIN
FOLLOWED BY A SHOT OF THE FLOOR ON THE ENTRANCE WHERE WE SEE HIS SHADOW SLOWLY GROWING LARGER AS HE MAKES HIS WAY IN
THIS IS SUCH A COOL SCENE OMG
SLOW MOTION CASUAL SAUNTER ONTO THE SCENE
AHHH, SO COOL JC SO COOL
lwj does not look impressed lolol but you can tell wwx thinks it's pretty neat 
(not that he'll ever admit it bc you never admit those sort of things to your little brother, LOL)
jl is so happy to see him!
jl: uncle!
jc: you're calling me now? you know how to call me now? why did you run away a while ago?
and jl looks away with that yeesh expression kids get when their parents start in on their scolding lectures
THIS ALL CRACKS ME UP BC IT'S NOT THE TIME OR THE PLACE FOR THAT SORT OF EXCHANGE
JC JUST BARGES IN AND STARTS TELLING OFF HIS NEPHEW LIKE THEY'RE NOT ALL TRAPPED BY AN EVIL MASTERMIND
oh here comes fairy AND WWX IMMEDIATELY CLINGS TO LWJ'S SHOULDERS
wwx: lan zhan!!
lwj calmly lifts his arm so wwx can cower behind his billowing white sleeve
LOL
jl is commanding fairy to bite ss and as wwx is cowering, he's ALSO encouraging fairy to bite ss
(which really just means that, while wwx will probably never get over his phobia of dogs, he might eventually be able to get used to fairy maybe)
lol ss goes running with fairy hot on his tail
then we cut to wwx who notices how he's clinging to lan zhan's outstretched arm and gets embarrassed
he gently pushes the arm down and gives it a pat and smiles bashfully at lwj
IT'S ADORABLE
fun fact, this scene is the reason i started watching the show, i saw a gifset of this little exchange here and was like, THAT'S AN ADORABLE SMILE ON THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD
IT’S SO CUTE HOW THAT THE GUY IN WHITE LET HIM HIDE FROM THE DOG LIKE THAT. I HAVE TO WATCH THIS NOW.
and now some henchmen try attacking jc and jc whips them away with zidian and is generally just looking AWESOME
then lxc warns him about the Evil Magic Music
so jc's solution to that is to grab a random sword with zidian and chuck sandu into zidian and then scrape the two swords together?? to block out the music with super irritating noise, i guess???
lol even lwj is wincing at the racket
you know what, i'm gonna ignore the weirdness of this makeshift solution and just enjoy how cool zidian looks
now jgy is monologuing at jc and it's boring
lol, wwx leans over to lwj while that's happening
wwx: seriously, he talks like xy
he is not impressed by it lololol
both jc and jgy hear him and give him a Look and wwx puts on an innocent face
jgy starts picking at jc's emotional wounds and complicated brotherly feelings
jc starts getting defensive and snappish
lxc: don't answer him. he's good at talking. 
so at least lxc is learning from his mistakes here, that’s good!
jgy switches tactics and starts in on wwx and his complicated brotherly feelings
but wwx responds with, hey man, i already know jc hates me so that isn't gonna work
oooooh, now jgy is revealing how he heard that jc was running around lotus pier asking ppl to unsheathe suibian
wwx's eyes get all wide and surprised
he throws a desperate look at lwj
wwx: my sword? didn't i give suibian to wn??
lwj doesn't answer but wwx realizes that he hasn't seen wn carrying suibian lately
and he starts frantically asking lwj how suibian ended up with jc and why the heck would jc ask others to draw suibian
wwx: has he drawn it by himself??
pretty sure he knows the answers to all those questions and is basically asking lwj to tell him his suspicions aren't correct
lwj: wei ying, calm down
jgy notices wwx's reactions and pushes on bc he's found a weak spot and he's def gonna exploit it
he's like, oh yeah, i also heard you were able to draw suibian from its sheath, jc
wwx's face is full of dread as he realizes what happened
he starts blinking back tears and he's getting all shaky bc this is his nightmare unfolding before him
FUCKING JGY NEEDS TO SHUT UP
HE'S DREDGING UP ALL OF JC'S INSECURITIES, AIRING THE YUNMENG BROS TRAUMA FOR ALL TO SEE
I WANT TO THROTTLE HIM
he gives jc a sarcastic bow and keeps picking at those wounds
wwx jerks forward as if he was going to try to shut up jgy, but lwj holds him back bc honestly, what was wwx going to be able to do anyway?
jc staggers back as if physically wounded
wwx's eyes are red with tears bc this was never supposed to happen
AND I'M JUST HURTING SO MUCH FOR MY YUNMENG BROS
jgy chooses this moment to attack and now we have a sword fight
we get a shot of lwj and wwx here
wwx is squirming in his seat like he wants to intervene but knows that he can't
Lwj is keeping a close eye on wwx, ready to stop him the moment wwx tries to sacrifice himself for jc (again)
in the middle of their fight, jgy suddenly flings his sword right at lwj!!
lwj tries to raise bichen but it's not gonna be quick enough
jc sees this and dives towards lwj and manages to block the sword
lwj looks at him in shock, which is understandable bc jc doesn't even like him
he could've totally just let that sword slice him in two and been guilt-free bc hey he's in the middle of a life or death battle himself, you know?
but he didn't! he took the time to protect lwj 
For his efforts, he gets wounded (like mortally wounded) and now he has another reason to hate lwj lol
Anyway, jc can't do much now except channel all his spiritual energy into the wound so he doesn't, yknow, DIE
wwx is watching him with worry
here comes su she, all bloodied up 
lol looks like fairy was able to tear into him a bit. what a good doggy!!
now i guess the henchman were able to finish digging or whatever, WATCH HOW MUCH I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT NONSENSE
Let’s check in on our boys instead
wwx and and lwj share a look 
and all i can think is omg look at how close their hands are, if they each shift just a couple inches they'd be holding hands!!
LET MY BOYS HOLD HANDS
But no, we're going to have an emotional discussion instead
wwx: did you know about it?
lwj gives a very reluctant nod
wwx: when did wn tell him?
lwj: while you were knocked out
also omg they're having this conversation and jc is literally only 3ft away
HE CAN HEAR YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW THAT RIGHT?
wwx: that's how we left lotus pier??
lwj: wn is very sorry about that
look at lwj being a bro and sticking up for wn!
wwx: i've told him time and again to never speak of it
jc: never speak of what?
and here they seem to realize that yeah, hello, everyone can hear their conversation
they look at jc all surprised
*facepalm* guys, guys, i get that you both get a little wrapped up in each other sometimes, but c'mon
AND THAT'S THE END!!
SO INTENSE, SO STRESSFUL
But we still got quality times with our boys, and some fun times with jl and jc, so i guess that evens the scales!
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 50: The One with the Greatest Family Reunion(s) of All Time
so we start the ep with nhs's truly oscar-worthy performance which results in jgy getting stabbed
And i cheer for both the performance AND the stabbing!!!
lxc has his eyes closed bc that's his coping mechanism when times get tough
lol lxc is like I TOLD YOU I WASN'T GONNA HOLD BACK IF YOU DID ONE MORE BAD THING
and jgy is like i know!! that's why i haven't done one more bad thing!!!!
everyone's faces are like sure jan
but then they look at nhs like, wait a minute...
jgy is like why are you looking at him? you're not gonna see anything! i didn't see anything all these years and i'm smarter and sneakier than all of you!!!
okay, he didn't say that last part but it was def implied
jgy: nhs, good for you. i didn't expect that you would be my downfall.
NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQ--uhhh, NIE HUAISANG!!
nhs hasn't broken character either! He needs to join a theater troupe or smth with those skills.
blah blah lxc and jgy are having Feelings blah blah blah lxc is conflicted blah
hm, those Feelings are becoming rather Dramatique
ugh jgy just let it go and die already
jgy: have I ever done you wrong?
UM?? how about KILLING his little brother's soulmate?
which resulted in him having to watch his little brother suffer extreme physical punishment and then grieve for years after??
PRETTY SURE THAT HURT LXC QUITE A LOT
Jgy: now you won't even give me a chance to live?
I THINK THE FUCK NOT!!!
oh we're getting some not so great special effects and jgy drags lxc to the coffin and then bleeds all over it, gross
ooooh, the Temple of Doom is starting to fall apart
lwj makes a move towards lxc but wwx grabs his arm and stops him!
bc it's dangerous to get too close and wwx is protective of his soulmate!!
jc starts the evacuation bc hello the building is crumbling and he gets everyone out except the lan bros, wwx and jgy
Jgy: stay and die with me
FUCK YOU JGY
but lxc was ready and willing to do that, so jgy shoves him back bc why the hell not
(we're gonna ignore how awkward that particular maneuver was, we already know special effects are not a priority in this show)
Jgy's like lets emotionally torment lxc some more, just for kicks, bc I'm an ASSHOLE
lwj catches his brother and he is Concerned.
Eventually our lan bros and wwx flee the temple and jgy has one last meltdown before getting crushed LIKE THE MAGGOT HE IS
Now we cut to a shot of all our crew standing outside
and we see my bratty son slowly fall to his knees with a look of UTTER SORROW AND PAIN ON HIS FACE
Bc he was BETRAYED by his nice uncle
MY POOR SON!!
we get reaction shots from wwx and the lan bros
(wwx continues to be beautiful even when sad)
oh, now lxc and nhs are having a moment sitting on the steps of the temple
lxc asks nhs if jgy really had made a move
nhs is like, you questioning me is making me doubt everything! idk idk!!
even amidst his grief he takes a moment to be completely exasperated by NHS's catchphrase lolol
now we cut to wwx sitting on a different set of stairs, carefully fiddling with his demon flute and he looks up to see jc watching him and HE SMILES
BC THAT'S HIS LITTLE BROTHER!! 
AND THEY'RE ALL STILL MIRACULOUSLY ALIVE AFTER THAT HOT MESS!!
oooh, he's unwrapping his sleeve and we get a flash of his bare forearm 
how scandalous! you're gonna give lwj vapors, wwx
We see the very last cut on his arm fade away bc finally mxy has been avenged
AND WWX SMILES AGAIN!!
cut to jc and jl watching wwx smile
bc i mean, who wouldn't be captivated by wwx's smile?
PEOPLE YOU CAN'T TRUST, THAT'S WHO
none of the sect leaders before were captivated by that smile AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!!
oh that smile didn't stick around for long bc we hear barking!!
wwx gets this panicked wide-eyed expression that mAKES ME WANNA HIDE HIM AND PROTECT HIM FROM THE WORLD
But I also don't want to get murdered by LWJ's death glare so I'll just let him hide and protect wwx...
omg my bratty son looks SO HAPPY and shouts "fairy!!" before running towards his doggy friend
i'm not much of a dog person, tbh, but MY BRATTY SON IS SO HAPPY 
and fairy did bring a whole crew of cultivators...
too little too late, some smart spiritual dog he is, lololol
we've got lan disciples, and jiang disciples and all these people swarming around our crew, fussing over them. 
it's kind of sweet except i notice that no one's approached my bratty son 
he is, in fact, ALL ALONE with fairy and i am OFFENDED on his behalf
not that my bratty son seems to mind
he's too wrapped up in his doggy reunion to notice BUT I NOTICED SO I'LL BE OFFENDED ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US
wwx is smiling as he sees lwj and jc being fussed over by their respective disciples
so cute so CUTE, I love his smiles so much
lwj stands up and greets his uncle with a stately bow 
god he's elegant and regal af, how the hell does he do it
but his uncle's a douchebag and barely acknowledges him before turning to leave and lwj watches him go, kind of hurt, kind of surprised
ooooh, now we get a shot of jc watching wwx as he gets questioned by oyzz
Oyzz is like what happened? Are you hurt? Is everyone okay??
and we can see wwx is still smiling!! BC MY BOY IS MADE OF SUNSHINE OKAY
awwwww
jl looks up  with an ADORABLE smile on his face and tells fairy to wait outside 
HE TAKES FAIRY OUTSIDE BC HE KNOWS WWX IS AFRAID OF DOGS!!!
My bratty son is actually very sweet!!
jc starts to leave the scene (and it's only until now that he stops staring at wwx btw) and wwx watches him go 😔
cut to a shot of lwj blatantly staring at wwx as per usual
wwx looks up and meets his gaze 
they get lost in each other for a bit bc when DON'T they?
We’re at the steps of the temple again and we see nhs pick up jgy's crumpled up hat looking all contemplative
oops, nhs's fingers come away from the hat all tacky with blood, yuck
cut to my bratty son running back into the temple where all the cultivators are inspecting stuff and he asks ljy where wwx is
HE'S ASKING AFTER MY SUNSHINE BOY!
Y'know, his not-evil, not-angry uncle? 
ljy tells him that he and hanguang jun left after they brought them lil apple
lol, the idea of ljy and oyzz dragging lil apple along just to return him to wwx cracks me up
jl tells ljy to take care of fairy for him before he dashes off to find his new uncle
BUT JC STOPS HIM?? "don't chase after them"
look at jc being all Cool leaning against that tree
in his fashionable robes
with his awesome sword tucked in the crook of his elbow
jl throws one last glance at the direction wwx and lwj left, and then joins jc under the tree 
jc is like, they're long gone kid
jl: so that's it? you're letting them leave just like that??
jc: what else? invite them to stay for dinner? say thank you and then i am sorry??
lol, he's working himself up into a snit already
But also, like, MY BRATTY SON HAS A GOOD HEART, OKAY??
he just hides it under bluster bc he's sensitive and people are mean to him all the time!
HE WANTED TO CONNECT WITH WWX (AND MAYBE LWJ??) NOW THAT THIS WAS ALL OVER
AND HE WOULD'VE DONE IT IF NOT FOR JC BEING ALL HUNG UP ON HIS ISSUES STILL
not that i hold that against jc, that's a lot of emotional trauma he's gotta work through
LOL JL IS NOT GONNA LET HIMSELF BE COWED BY HIS UNCLE BC WHEN DOES HE EVER?
JL: it was exactly bc of the way you were acting that they took off! you're such a pain in the neck!!
AND THEN HE POUTS AND FALLS INTO A CROUCH WITH HIS ARMS CROSSED AND STARTS SULKING UP A STORM
I LOVE MY BRATTY SON SO MUCH
JC: IS THAT HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SPEAK TO YOUR ELDERS? ARE YOU ASKING TO GET DISCIPLINED??
these two crack me up every time, i swear
but the whole corporal punishment is...problematic
jc raises his arm to smack jl and jl ducks and raises his own arm to block the blow and i'm sitting here like, yikes
but then we get a shot of jc's open palm, out of focus with a crisp backdrop of red leaves from the tree they're under
and his hand is just held there, stilled for just a moment before the fingers start to gently curl inward and the strike never happens (thank god)
jc: lets go home, jin ling. let everyone go back to the place where they belong
he walks off with jin ling springing to his feet and chasing after him a beat later
jl: was there something you wanted to say to wwx?
have i mentioned i love my bratty son? BECAUSE I DO. A LOT.
jc: no, there isn't.
jl: bullshit!
I LOVE HIM!! WHAT A MOUTHY BRAT 💜
JL: i saw it with my own eyes! you wanted to talk to wwx! but you didn't say a word just now or back in the temple!
jc: there is nothing to say
jl: bullshit! you had something to say!
while this entire exchange is happening we see jc marching ahead, not looking at jl at all, but jl is walking backwards eyes pinned to his face the entire time
bc my son might be a brat but he's also pretty observant and he KNOWS his uncle 
AND NOW WE GET A FLASHBACK
WE GET A BIG REVEAL
we're back at “the ones where we gross sob FOREVER”
and wwx is telling jc to stay put at the inn while he goes to get food and meds
his voice all weak and tremulous
but jc steps out of the inn for a moment after wwx leaves
AND SEES THAT THE WEN FLUNKIES CAUGHT SIGHT OF HIS BROTHER!!
they were like three feet away from grabbing his big brother
and he says internally, "take care. i'm leaving jyl in your hands"
AND I'M CRYING BC THEY'RE PLAYING THAT MUSIC
THAT SWEET TENDER MUSIC THEY PLAY WHENEVER JYL AND HER BROTHERS HAVE A MOMENT
Jc goes and causes a distraction and lets himself be caught by the wens
SO THAT HIS BIG BROTHER AND BIG SISTER COULD STAY SAFE
I'M CRYING I'M CRYING
MY YUNMENG SIBS, MY POOR YUNMENG SIBS!! 
WHY DID THEY HAVE TO SUFFER SO?? 
WHY WERE THEY SO DAMN SELF-SACRIFICING??? 
WHY THE HELL COULDN'T THEY LEARN TO COMMUNICATE BETTER???
cut back to the present, and jc's eyes are welled up with tears 
he has a hurt little smile on his face, he says, "take care"
softly, mostly to himself
after a moment, he turns to jin ling and says "lets go"
and we watch them leave
I just want them all to be a BIG HAPPY FAMILY DAMN IT
cut to the next scene, we hear ~THEIR SONG~ start playing in the background all slow and soft
i love the overhead shot we get of them surrounded by the gorgeous foliage, it's so peaceful
As wwx and lwj walk slowly and at ease with lil apple between them 
AND MY HEART FEELS SO TENDER AND FULL OMG
lwj: wei ying
he says it all seriously. wwx looks at him and he's got A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE 
bc he's looking at his soulmate!!!
who wouldn't smile when looking at their soulmate???
he's cheerfully twirling his flute bc finally all is right in the world! 
the mystery is solved, his loved ones are safe
and he's traveling with lwj and lil apple
nothing could be better!
wwx: whats up?
lwj is pointedly not looking at him
lwj: there is something that I…
and here he stops in his tracks, and wwx stops with him
lwj: i didn't tell you.
wwx gets all playful and leans on lil apple, and waggles his demon flute and lwj
wwx: what is it?
Look at that mischievous grin!!
he's all prepared to tease the heck out of lwj for whatever he's about to say LOL
but they're interrupted!!
wen ning and lan sizhui are running after them and wwx notices
LOLOL
His face scrunches up and he mutters under his breath like, damn it! every time!! these two are fast! 
wwx: sizhui, why are you following us? aren't you afraid of old master lan calling you out?
MY SUNSHINE BOY IS SMILING SO MUCH THIS EPISODE, I'M SO HAPPY!!!
lsz: i have something important to ask you!
he's all out of breath!
wwx turns to look at lwj eyes wide and curious before going back to lsz
wwx: what is it?
lsz goes on to explain how he's been remembering things but he's unsure of stuff so he wanted to ask them about it
wwx looks confused and glances at lwj 
lwj just looks back at him briefly before his eyes flick down
wwx: what is it that you want to know?
lsz looks down and, like, gathers up the strength needed for this next line of questioning. 
with the sweetest smile, and the softest eyes he starts listing stuff
like how he knew a cocky chef who was actually a terrible cook
(wwx laughs confusedly at this)
and how that man planted him in a field and told him he'd grow faster with some watering and sunlight
AND WE GET A FLASHBACK OF LITTLE A-YUAN PLOPPED IN THE DIRT GETTING BURIED BY WWX
he goes on to say how that man would play with him 
and how he had invited hunguang jun for a meal and then didn't pick up the tab so hanguang jun had to pay
There we get a flashback to their meal at the yiling wine house!
we cut back to the present and WWX'S FACE IS STUNNED, EYES WELLING UP WITH TEARS, AND LSZ IS GETTING CHOKED UP AS HE TELLS HIM THINGS
AND WWX'S BREATHING GETS SHAKY 
BC LSZ TELLS HIM HIS SURNAME IS WEN
wwx blinks rapidly, not believing what he's hearing
wwx: wen was your surname? isn't lan your surname?
wwx: lan sizhui, lan yuan.. A-yuan?
AND OH GOD HIS FACE, HIS FACE
His eyebrows are furrowed
His eyes are full of tears!
he's looking at lsz like this has to be a dream bc it's too good to be true
Lsz nods jerkily
AND I'M TRYING TO HOLD BACK TEARS
HOW THE HELL IS LWJ WATCHING THIS ALL GO DOWN WITHOUT CRYING??
he's watching his son so intently
he's seeing his two most precious people reunite
and there are no tears??
I DON'T UNDERSTAND
HE'S VERY OBVIOUSLY MOVED BY THIS BUT NOT CRYING
MEANWHILE MY FACE IS A FREAKING RIVER OF EMOTION
lsz: i...i am a-yuan
and his voice all cracked with feeling
wwx huffs and is still shaky
wwx: didn't a-yuan pass away already?
he's thought his kid was dead this whole time
MY HEART, MY HEART
lwj had been staring at lsz this whole time but when he hears wwx say that, his gaze drops to the ground 
HE FEELS ASHAMED (AS HE SHOULD BE!!) BC HE DIDN'T TELL WWX SOONER
wwx turns to lwj, hope and tentative joy in his voice
wwx: lan zhan, was it you?
lwj meets his gaze and says yes, his voice steady and firm
lwj: this was the thing i haven't told you about
Yeah, i know, i’ve been YELLING AT YOU ABOUT IT THIS WHOLE TIME
and wwx looks back at lsz, breath choppy and lsz flings himself into wwx's arms!!!
I AM SOBBING
lsz: i really missed you, i really missed you
THEY'RE BOTH CRYING AND CLINGING TO EACH OTHER SO HARD
OH GOD I NEED TISSUES
wwx laughs and sniffles
wwx: silly boy, why are you crying?
AS IF YOUR FACE ISN'T STREAMING WITH TEARS, WWX
lsz pulls back and scrubs his face in his sleeve
lsx: i wasn't crying. i was just feeling really sad and yet thrilled at the same time
YOU TWO STOP DENYING YOUR TEARS
IF I HAVE TO SIT IN A PUDDLE OF MY TEARS THEN YOU HAVE TO OWN UP TO YOUR OWN TEARS, YOU HEAR ME??
lsz: i couldn't put it into words
lwj: then don't
pffft, ofc lwj would be the one advocating for LESS WORDS lololol
wwx laughs at that
wwx: that's right. no need to say anything
then he starts his theatrics, bc he wouldn't be wwx without his theatrics
he leans on lil apple and rubs his own shoulder
wwx: damn, you little ones are strong, you are indeed a student of hanguang jun
he looks at lwj and points his demon flute at him
HE'S SO HAPPY
lwj: he is a student of yours as well
omg lwj delivers this line so sincerely
like, there was barely a pause between what wwx and what lwj responded with
he's so freaking earnest
LOL wwx straightens up at that and reaches for lsz
wwx: no wonder he is such a handsome boy!
Wwx, you are SHAMELESS
He giggles as he pats lsz’s face, it’s freaking adorable
lsz: master wei didn't teach me anything!
wow lsz, you've had your other dad back for all of five minutes and you're already sassing him?
he truly is wwx's son lol
wwx: i did! it was bc you were so little and you forgot
You’re sounding a bit defensive there, wwx...
lsz: yes, i seem to recall. i remember now
wwx immediately starts preening
wwx: you see. i've mentored him!
lsz: for example, switching the portrait of a beauty into--
wwx slams his hand over lsz's mouth, HIS FACE IS A PICTURE OF PANIC
LOLOLOL
lwj's eyes have widened slightly and developed an edge of Judgement 
wn peeks at lwj out of the corner of his eyes like he's trying to gauge his reaction or smth lolol
wwx laughs awkwardly and takes his hand off lsz's mouth to shake a finger at him, wearing a tight smile on his face
lsz: and when a pretty lady passes by--
wwx: NONSENSE!!!
LOL I'M  D Y I N G
wwx shouts this at the TOP OF HIS LUNGS to drown out lsz
he whirls on him pointing an accusatory finger and marches towards him as lsz scrambles back
wwx: nonsense! how come you're remembering these kinds of things? how could i teach little kids these things?
LOL HE'S TALKING SO FAST
lsz: you did! wen ning can testify!
wow, way to throw your uncle under the bus, lsz
kids these days have no filial piety!
wwx: there's nothing for wen ning to testify!
OMG WN AND LWJ IN THE BACKGROUND 🤣🤣🤣
as soon as lsz draws attention to him, wn looks at lsz like WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?
and lwj side-eyes wen ning SO HARD, like what the hell did you let wwx teach my son?
wwx: stop talking nonsense! i am telling you, little boy. lan zhan, what did you teach him?
AND WE GET THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHOT OF LWJ HERE
as soon as wwx turns to him with his wild accusations, lwj gets this delightfully crooked smile on his face 
and he looks down as if there's TOO MUCH JOY IN HIS HEART that he can't bear to watch for long
GOD THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE. 
and this marks, what, THE THIRD? the third time lwj smiles in public, all OUT IN THE OPEN?
I'M DYING, I'M DYING
wwx: when a-yuan was little and with me, he was a good boy!
lsz: it's the truth!
wwx: nonsense!
wwx: do you see that pit? no matter how big you've become, i will still plant you into that pit. understand?
lsz has a big grin on his face
wwx: what are you laughing at? you dumb boy!
AND THEN LSZ DROPS TO THE GROUND AND HUGS WWX'S LEG LIKE HE USED TO WHEN HE WAS A TODDLER
AND EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL IN THE WORLD
wwx laughs to himself and lwj still has a small smile playing across his lips as he watches his son
wwx: a-yuan, you are too old for this
AS IF HE'S NOT LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT
wwx: do you remember, you used to grab hanguang jun's leg when you were little, just like this?
so many wonderful flashbacks of little a-yuan clinging to his parents’ legs!!
oh god, oh god, my heart, my heart is going to explode from all the tender feelings!! Look at their faces
wwx's mouth slowly curls into a smile before it grows INTO A FLASH OF HIS SQUINTY-EYED SMILE
you know the one!
the one that stretches SO BIG WITH HAPPINESS IT LIGHTS UP THE WHOLE WORLD?? YEAH, THAT ONE
and then we cut to lwj's face
he has the softest expression on his face
he's got this gentle, tiny smile, the slightest of curves at the corners of his mouth
and in his eyes are SO FULL OF LOVE AND WARMTH as he watches his soulmate smile at him with their son clinging to his soulmate's leg
AND I MUST'VE DIED AND GONE TO THE GOOD PLACE BC THIS IS JUST TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BE REAL
now we cut to a different scene, lwj and lsz are in the background have some sort of father-son chat, while wwx and wn chill in the foreground
here we find out that wn and lsz plan to go back to qishan to build some sort of memorial to their loved ones
wwx: i'll come with you
wn: that won't be necessary
wwx: you don't want me to tag along?
aw, my sunshine boy looks kinda hurt 😔
but wn assures him that that's not the case. it's just that wwx has already done more than enough for them and it's time for wen ning to go out on his own
wwx gets all teary-eyed again and pats him on the shoulder, and agrees that that's for the best
lsz and wn split off, and wwx waves his demon flute cheerfully at them, lwj at his side
wwx turns to lwj with a smile
wwx: lan zhan, lets go! 
he says happily, with confidence, then he taps chenqing on his head a couple of times
wwx: where should we go?
he grins, pulling lil apple along with him, so cheerfully!
wwx: let's get going, lil apple!
but lwj isn't turning with him
he's still in that spot, his back towards wwx who already was forging onto his next adventure
AND MY HEART IS BREAKING
BC WHY HASN'T HE TURNED TO FOLLOW WWX???
wwx slows to a stop as he notices the absence of white robes at his side AND ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING AGAIN
he turns back slowly to look back at lwj, confused
there is too much distance between them!!
TOO MUCH!
multiple yards of distance where there should be NONE!
THERE SHOULD BE NONE DISTANCE!!!!!!
WHY ISN'T THERE NONE DISTANCE??!?!
lwj is still facing away from wwx, he's still rooted to the spot and his face has gone blank
wwx: lan zhan, you...aren't you coming with me?
HE SOUNDS SO CONFUSED, SO TIMID
HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING
and there's a too long pause during which wwx's eyes are desperately pinned to lwj's back
finally, FINALLY, lwj turns ever so slowly to face wwx
wwx is staring at him and lwj can only meet his eyes briefly before they slowly turn downwards
wwx gets this tiny hurt smile on his face and nods as his eyes well with tears again but this time THEY ARE NOT HAPPY TEARS
these are "i knew this was too good to be true" tears
these are "of course i can't keep good, pure lan zhan at my side" tears
these are "this is exactly what i deserve" tears
lwj looks up again, and wwx gives him a nod and a smile bc he doesn't want lwj to feel guilty for leaving him
LEAVING HIM
HE'S LEAVING HIM AGAIN 
WHY 
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING
the camera pulls out, really emphasizing the distance and the sudden quiet that falls between them is severely lacking any words of explanation
AND I'M SCREAMING INTERNALLY BC WTF WHY
we cut to a truly impressive shot of the cloud recesses, followed by a cut to a waterfall 
I’m pretty sure it's the same waterfall from when they were kids and had that sword fight
and we hear the opening notes of ~Their Song~ played on the flute 
wwx walks into view on the shore of the pond the waterfall goes into, with his flute at his lips
in the background we see that lwj is at the opposite shore closer to the waterfall, sitting cross-legged with his guqin in his lap
AND THEN THEY GIVE US VOCALS
bc watching them play ~THEIR SONG~ TOGETHER BUT AT A DISTANCE WASN'T PAINFUL ENOUGH
and jfc the shots of the waterfalls in this area are freaking gorgeous
now we see them standing together on the same boulder over a smaller waterfall 
bc our boys have an aesthetic 
that aesthetic is moonlight and waterfalls, and they're sticking to it
wwx: lan zhan, tbh, it surprised me that you would take over the role of his excellency
lwj: we made a vow here
and we get a flashback to the lantern scene and hear those vows they made as kids
Back in the present, wwx smiles, and knocks back the jar of wine that he has with him bc the mystery has been solved BUT HIS ALCOHOLISM HASN'T!
and i'm sitting here SCREAMING INTERNALLY, FUCK THOSE VOWS. 
YOU'VE GOT NEW, BETTER VOWS, WHICH ARE NEVER EVER LEAVE EACH OTHER'S SIDES EVER AGAIN, DAMN IT
wwx turns to face lwj
wwx: lan zhan, you truly deserve your title, hanguang jun
and lwj turns to look back at him
lwj: and you too, wei ying
we are BLESSED with wwx's wide, squinty-eyed smile
and lwj graces us with his soft, small, secret smile
they stare at each other for a moment before turning back to gaze off into the distance
the camera pulls back to gift us with the gorgeous scenery that surrounds them
now we cut to them walking down the steps towards that big rock full of ridiculous gusulan rules
nhs is there! with his fan!
nhs: this is unexpected. cloud recesses has added another thousand rules.
wwx: nhs, no matter how many rules are added, there is one that matters most. do you know what it is?
nhs looks so at ease here
this entire time since we got back to the present to watch wwx solve this mystery, nhs was nervous, twitchy and flaky in every scene
but here, he stands straight and serene with a confidence we have not yet seen on him til now
nhs: i have no clue
he says this and it doesn't sound anything like his usual anxious, dopey, "idk idk i really don't know"
nhs: please advise, wwx.
and wwx strides up until he's right next to nhs, shoulder to shoulder, tho they're facing opposite directions
wwx: that would be...
he leans down, and lowers his voice
wwx: "thou shall not befriend the devil"
there has been a distinct lack of background noise or music since this scene started
but the minute those words leave wwx's mouth, we get ominous music. 
nhs keeps his harmless act as he meets wwx's eyes and they share a laugh 
(a laugh of acknowledgement, of recognition of each other's skills)
nhs: wwx, you have the nerve 
wwx: no i wouldn't dare. i'm no match for you.
the words they're exchanging SOUND carefree and easy on the surface, but they definitely carry some underlying tension
nhs notices lwj watching them and bows respectfully
nhs: your excellency
he turns to leave, fan open against his chest
wwx: clan leader nie, i have one question that i would love to get your opinion on.
nhs: go on
wwx: you have put in so much effort and energy, don't you want to be the Excellency?
wwx is gauging nhs's threat level to lwj
bc with the skills nhs has developed and the cover he has, it really wouldn't be all that difficult for him to depose lwj if he wanted, you know?
but nhs has never been the ambitious sort
he was perfectly content with his art, and his fans, and his porn, and being second young master, nothing more (UNTIL FUCKING JGY RUINED IT ALL)
nhs: wwx, it was once said that we can never get tired of these scenes; earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea
nhs: as for me, i am a sensible man. if i have to, i always do it myself.
nhs: but for the things that aren't my business, i won't meddle in
and i'm not sure if there's something i'm missing, some layer of context or whatever, 
but what i get from this is that nhs is saying everything has its place and he has no desire to go outside of his own place in the world
if the situation calls for it, he will intervene but ONLY if there's no one else willing or able to step in
really, this is just his poetic way of saying, i have no interest in hurting hanguang jun or stealing his power
lwj walks up to join wwx as the two of them watch nhs leave
lwj: aren't you going to ask him?
wwx: ask him what?
wwx: who let mxy out? who released the blade spirit? who found sisi and bicao? and who wrote that anonymous letter?
and he gets this unconcerned expression on his face
with a little pout he just goes on to say that these questions don't matter anymore
and he walks off, twirling his flute
we cut to the next scene and our boys are standing face to face on a grassy hilltop. wwx points behind lwj
Brief aside to say, i love the robes lwj wears here, they’re very very pretty. White and pale blue, they look very airy and light
wwx: i will head that way
and lwj points with bichen behind wwx
lwj: i will head this way
AND THEN THEY JUST STARE AT EACH OTHER FOR A BIT
BC THEY DON'T REALLY WANNA SAY GOODBYE, DO THEY?
lwj: have you decided where you are going to go?
wwx shakes his head and tilts his chin up
wwx: it's a big world that we live in. i will wander with my fine wine and a ride, and make it my home
*cries softly* but you have a home, LWJ is your home, why are you leaving
lwj lowers his gaze
probs bc he is thinking the same thing i was
let lwj be your home, wwx
wwx: lan zhan, i will get going
and lwj gives him one single, barely there nod of the head
bc he doesn't want wwx to go!!!
but he doesn't want to hold him back either...
wwx walks past him with a smile, dragging lil apple along with him and cheerfully he says:
"as long as the sea is bound to wash up on the sand and stars are above you, we will meet again."
and lwj just watches him leave before steeling himself to turn and walk off to his wwx-less future 
but as he walks, he hears wwx playing their song on his flute so he pauses to turn back slightly
and we hear wwx’s voice over, "lan zhan, next time we see each other, you better have a name for this song."
as lwj continues walking, we hear his voice over, "way ahead of you."
and he seems slightly less sad at their parting.
AND NOW WE'RE GETTING THE FUCKING VOCALS AGAIN BC THE SHOW JUST LOVES TEARING OUR HEARTS OUT OF OUR CHEST
we get a gorgeous shot of a green cliff side and of course the cliffside has a couple of pretty waterfalls
wwx standing alone, playing on his flute, and the camera is lovingly caressing all of wwx's best features
we get a beautiful close up of wwx's lips resting over the mouthpiece of his flute, aND I THANK EVERY DEITY IN EXISTENCE FOR IT
and it's not immediately apparent bc wwx always wears dark form fitting robes
but the robes he's wearing in this scene are DEFINITELY DIFFERENT from the ones he was wearing when he and lwj parted ways
MEANING SOME TIME HAS PASSED
we have no way of knowing how much time
COULD BE AN HOUR! COULD BE A DAY! COULD BE A COUPLE OF YEARS!!
WE JUST DON'T KNOW
but time has passed
wwx is playing ~Their Song~ alone on that hill, the vocals are like honey to the ears and they crescendo to give us an overwhelming swell of emotion
the music peeters off until it's just wwx's flute reaching the last notes of ~Their Song~
as he is finishing we hear lwj's voice
"Wei Ying."
wwx freezes, like he's wondering if he imagined that voice
the music is completely gone, everything is utterly silent and wwx's face is completely open as he lowers his flute
a smile starts to curl at his mouth, small and tentative and as he turns around, ~Their Song~ crescendos into existence again
and wwx's smile grows incredulous and relieved and SO FULL OF LOVE AND JOY
I DIE, I DIE!
MY BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE BOY
and we fade to black
bc that's where it ends
That's it
THAT'S ALL THERE IS, WE MADE IT TO THE END!
IT'S OVER, THERE'S NO MORE. MY LIFE NO LONGER HAS MEANING. OMG I JUST BURST INTO TEARS. WHY IS THIS AFFECTING ME SO MUCH
I KNEW THIS WAS COMING. I'VE SEEN THIS THREE OTHER TIMES ALREADY!! OH GOD OH GOD, I MISS WWX'S FACE ALREADY. GIVE ME BACK MY SUNSHINE BOY, LET ME KEEP HIM FOREVER *SOBS*
Hang on, hang on, just give me a minute. *deep breath* Okay, i’m good, i’m good now. 
This show is just...it’s so beautiful in every way except CGI lol and it evokes so many visceral feelings. It’s passionate, is what it is. And not in the sexual way “passionate” has been forced to become. This show is passionate the way passion is supposed to mean: piercing anguish, burning anger, utter devotion...just overwhelming feeling
But most importantly, the passion in this show is intense love:
Platonic love; see how much our main cast gave up to aid their friends and dependents
Familial love; look at the lengths those brothers and sisters went for each other
Romantic love; watch how these two soulmates returned to each other again and again regardless of all the obstacles between them
I honestly can’t think of another show that’s done this so well. I am just so grateful to have been able to watch this show, to have gotten to know these characters even tho it’s raised my standards for future shows to ridiculously high levels
So that’s it! We’ve reached the end of the guide! Now we can go back and re-visit our favorite scenes whenever we want!
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trensu · 4 years
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Episode 45: The One where the Juniors Stick It to the Old People
Still in the demon subdue palace aka wwx's classy cave and wwx is putting ss on the spot and it's great
he's implying that su she is just the distraction or whatever so jgy can enact the Ultimate Evil Master Plan
oooh, i like this idiom he used here
"the mantis is catching the cicada, not aware of the bird behind it."
nice
I LOVE WATCHING WWX BE CLEVER
HE'S SO ATTRACTIVE DOING HIS DETECTIVE WORK
HE JUST BLUFFED HIS WAY INTO MAKING SU SHE REVEAL HIS HAND AND IT WAS AWESOME
he was all, why don't you prove me wrong and play the Totally Not Evil Magic Music you played before?? hm? 
su she ofc didn't play it so wwx pulls out some papers from his robe and is like, that's alright i'll just have lqr read this sheet music i stole from your boss's secret chamber...
and then su she panics and tries to stop him but lwj launches bichen at su she like a boss
The only unbelievable thing here is that su she somehow managed to block bichen and send it right back to lwj tbh 
(thus revealing he still had access to his own spiritual energy lol what a loser)
Lwj catches it gracefully and does a serious pose and side-eyes su she with all the venom he can muster lol
Ewww, su she just spat blood and disrupted the magic circle (bc he knows he’s been caught out)
lwj ofc tries to attack him again but su she is COWARD and teleports himself away
The puppets try to storm the place but wn is on them in an instant
Oh, lwj gets bichen ready to help but wwx grabs him by the arm to stop him
Wwx: it won’t work, don’t bother
Lwj doesn’t look happy about this but he lowers his sword anyway
sect leader yao starts talking but idc what he has to say
Wwx takes the time to spell out that ss is working for jgy and they’re both up to no good
Bc apparently all his detective-y exposition didn’t make it obvious enough
God, it must hurt wwx to be surrounded by idiots all the time...
wn is still fighting off puppets but he lets wwx know that he’s not gonna be able to hold them back for very much longer
The fact that he can hold them back by himself like this at all is amazing tbh
So lsz, being the protective badass sweetie pie that he is, immediately dives in after wn, offering to help!
Jin ling sees him do this and draws his sword to follow behind but jc stops him…
JC IS GIVING JL THE ZIDIAN
Lol Jc’s all like don't lose it! But jin ling doesn’t take it!! 
He actually shoves his way passed jc and throws himself into the throng of puppets with just his father’s sword
Jc is FURIOUS, he’s all, get back here you idiot!! 
Jin ling ofc doesn’t listen
Lsz: you should go back
JL: I won’t!
LSZ AND JL, I LOVE THEM SO. LOOK AT THOSE PRECIOUS BABIES BE BETTER PEOPLE THAN THE OLD FARTS IN THE CAVE
So now we have wn, lsz, and jl fighting off the puppets and protecting everyone
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
WWX TOOK OFF HIS OUTER ROBE AND REVEALED LWJ'S UNDERTHINGS 
wwx slices his fingers on bichen to start writing on lwj's white inner robes that he’s shamelessly wearing and displaying to the world
lwj watches him VERY INTENTLY, LOL
WWX IS USING HIMSELF AS BAIT!! THE MARKINGS ARE GONNA LURE THE PUPPETS TO HIM!!!
AND HANGUANG JUN IS GOING TO BE FIGHTING OFF THE PUPPETS THAT GET NEAR HIM
BC THEY'RE SOULMATES AND THEY LOVE EACH OTHER
AND THEY’RE A FANTASTIC TEAM OVERALL
Ljy tries to offer himself up as bait too but wwx is like nope! You all just stay out of our way
Ljy tries to protest but lwj cuts him off with a “listen to him.”
Then our boys share a brief look before throwing themselves into the fray
They look so cool here! Wwx lands steady on his feet with a solid thunk and brings his flute up to his (beautiful) lips
In contrast lwj slides in with sharp glide right next to wwx and gets battle-ready 
LOOK AT MY SUNSHINE BOY PLAY HIS FLUTE LIKE A BOSS
God he looks so good when he’s focused like this
LOOK AT LWJ FIGHT OFF HUNDREDS OF PUPPETS LIKE A BADASS
Lwj is twirling around wwx so fast, fighting back every puppet that comes his way
Wwx is dodging any that get too close but he’s also smoothly bobbing and weaving around lwj’s attacks
THEY WORK SO SEAMLESSLY TOGETHER I LOVE THEM SO MUCH
meanwhile wn helps clear the way for the rest of the cultivators to escape
cut to the cultivators swarmed around the exit of the burial mounds, yao is talking, yuck
sect leaders yao and ouyang are the worst. 
they're all, let's just leave and go to lotus pier to recover!!
jc is like, you want us to leave just like that?? (YOU COWARDLY BASTARDS, he doesn’t say but i know in my heart that he’s screaming that in his head) 
and the other guys are like, yeah, it's not like lwj and wwx are gonna survive that 
jl is like BULLSHIT OFC THEY'LL COME BACK (i love my bratty son)
And Jin Ling is Right BC LWJ IS COMING OUT OF THE WOODS WITH WWX LEANING AGAINST HIM
Wwx looks all weak and worn out. Like, he’s leaning against lwj heavily and lwj is watching him all worriedly
Wwx knees buckle and he goes down, but thankfully since lwj still has his hands on him, he doesn’t fall hard
LSZ RUNS TO THEM AND IS LIKE R U OK???
POOR BABY IS SO WORRIED AND UPSET!!
Lwj still has his eyes glued on wwx but you can tell that he’s starting to feel weary from the battle too
wwx is like we're okay, don’t worry, AND THEN PASSES OUT
which is the EXACT OPPOSITE of okay, omg
Lwj does this little gasp and twitches towards wwx but thankfully lsz is able to catch wwx before he hit the ground
Lsz is frantically calling his name but wwx is completely out of it and all we hear him say in response is a very weak “a-yuan”
At that, lwj’s eyes shift from wwx to lsz and he just stares at him bc here is his son, frantic over wwx, his soulmate, and his son's other father.
And there is his soulmate, murmuring their son’s name
AND NEITHER OF THEM KNOW WHO THEY ARE TO ONE ANOTHER
BC LWJ KEEPS NOT TELLING THEM FOR SOME REASON??:?
cut to some docks on the river
fucking yao and ouyang are running their mouths again
i hate those losers, i'm ignoring what they're saying
oooh, wn is approaching the juniors. lsz specifically. jl gets all on guard.
lol all the other juniors cower away but lsz stands his ground. 
aw ☹️ wn steps back when he sees the kids get all scared
now we're getting some info from lsz that's heavily implying that lsz is actually a-yuan. 
wn is so excited here bc he might have a surviving family member! he's so happy!! It’s adorable!!!
wn: can i call you a-yuan?
lsz: ofc! (WITH THE SWEETEST SMILE!)
wn: a-yuan, how have you all these years?
Lsz: i’ve been living well!
EXCUSE ME A MOMENT. I'M DEF NOT CRYING. JUST GOT SOMETHING IN MY EYE. LIKE A TREE BRANCH OR EMOTIONS OR SMTH. IT'S FINE.
here we learn that lwj started taking care of lsz  since he was about 5yo, and he taught him to play the guqin
WN GIVES HIM A LITTLE PAPER BUTTERFLY
AND HE FLASHES BACK TO A HAND GIVING HIM A PAPER BUTTERFLY AND IT'S SO OBVIOUSLY LWJ'S HAND
wn is all teary-eyed and tries to reach out to touch lsz's face
but jl draws his sword and startles them
lsz gets between them but jl is all like step aside, this is none of your bsns
lsz: jin ling, put your sword away first
jl: get away! *shoves lsz*
He regrets it IMMEDIATELY if the way his jerked forwards to, idk, grab him is anything to go by.
He holds himself back tho bc he’s cursed with pride and general awkwardness towards his crush like his father before him
lol everyone rushes to catch lsz bc lsz is a sweetie-pie and everyone loves him
wn is all it's okay if you're mad at me, i won't fight you but don't hurt lsz!
oyzz: he was caring for you! how could you push him and ignore his kindness?
omg oyzz really does have a sensitive soul. what a sweet boy.
then someone mutters smth like oh, he's so ill-bred and ofc jl hears it
jl: right! i'm just that awful, so what?
now we cut to lwj and wwx who are on one of the boats! 
lwj has his guqin out and is playing magic music for wwx who's got his eyes closed and eyebrows are all pinched together
WWX IS SO BEAUTIFUL, EVEN WHEN HE'S OBVIOUSLY EXHAUSTED AND IN PAIN
lwj can hear the juniors bickering and wwx starts fussing in his sleep muttering jin ling jin ling
lwj: wei ying
and wwx startles awake
wwx: lan zhan, what happened?
lwj: you passed out
wwx: not me. i mean, jin ling?
ofc wwx doesn't care what happened to him, ofc he only cares about what happened to his nephew
lwj doesn't answer but they both hear the bickering on the docks
we cut back to the juniors
jl is like, yeah i'm awful but you can't discipline me!!
wwx: what is going on?
and we watch wwx exit the boat and make his way down the dock to where the juniors are
and i was thoroughly distracted by his slim waist in those swirling black robes and had to rewind to watch it again
jin ling looks like he's about to cry and he has wn at sword point and wwx is all gently telling jin ling to put his sword down
jl: i won't!
wwx: jin ling!
jl: no!
and then he has a meltdown. he's all like, so i'm acting childish, satisfied? AND MY POOR BRATTY SON STARTS SOBBING HIS LITTLE HEART OUT CLUTCHING HIS SWORD 
jl: this is my father's sword, i won't put it down!
AND NOBODY IS GOING TO HIM. NOBODY GETS NEAR HIM OR TRIES TO HUG HIM AS HE CRIES WITH HIS WHOLE BODY, MY POOR LITTLE BOY
SOMEBODY GIVE THIS KID SOME GODDAMN AFFECTION ALREADY
LIKE, EVEN A PAT ON THE SHOULDER OR SOMETHING. ANYTHING!!
all the juniors look down awkwardly but wwx swallows back tears bc he knows that he's partially responsible for the way jin ling hurts rn. even lwj looks sympathetic
(oh, finally remembered that this is a kid in pain, huh, lwj?)
jc hears his nephew crying and comes out of his own boat
jc: a-ling! why are you crying? come here.
and jl goes running to him
and it's kind of sweet how he does it?? idk. 
the lack of hesitation indicates that he sees jc as a safe person to run to and it's sweet, i guess.
jl starts scrubbing his face in his sleeve to get rid of the tears
jc: what's wrong? who made you cry?
i wouldn't say he asks this tenderly but his voice is softer and not nearly as sharp as it usually is when he talks to people
and you KNOW he’s ready and willing to rain hellfire on whoever made his nephew cry
jl doesn't answer but jc glares down the dock where everyone is standing
LOL EVERYONE LOOKS DOWN 
THE JUNIORS, WWX, WN
THEY ALL AVOID JC'S GAZE AND HAVE THE GUILTIEST LOOKS ON THEIR FACES
lwj doesn't look away tho and his face is in its usual neutral state 
but we all know how lwj and jc's relationship is so this is not surprising
then yao has to open his mouth again but what he says doesn't matter, it's how the juniors react that matters
oyzz is all like why are you using that tone? if wwx wanted to hurt us, we wouldn't have made it this far, right?
lsz: oyzz is right!
lol oyzz does this little chin thrust like heck yeah i'm right
LOL jc is like, sect leader ouyang, the mouthy kid is yours, isn't he? he's so good at talking 
I LOVE WHEN JC GETS LIKE THIS. 
HE SAYS IT SO MILDLY AND OUYANG LOOKS PAINED AS HELL
NHS SMIRKS IN THE BACKGROUND
IT'S GREAT
ouyang: zizhen, come here to your father
oyzz: father, you said i shouldn't disturb you
and his dad's all like, get over here right now and oyzz ducks behind lsz and says I WON'T
LOVE THAT KID LOL
his dad proceeds to scold him and nhs is giggling in the background, i LOVE it
some jiang disciple goes up to jc to let him know they're ready to set off to lotus pier
Jc to wwx: you're barefaced enough to go back there?
wwx looks stricken
lwj is watching his face closely, concerned bc his soulmate is hurting (again) bc of jc (again).
we make it to lotus pier by nightfall
Side note to mention that the scenery and music as they travel down the river to lotus pier is really beautiful
Everybody files in but jc stops in front of our boys and wn and doesn't budge until wn says he'll stay behind. 
and even then he doesn't say our boys can come in, he just turns around and walks off
AWWWWWW
LSZ TELLS WN HE'S GOING TO STAY WITH HIM AND KEEP HIM COMPANY
WN IS SO SURPRISED AND HAPPY
AND OUR BOYS ARE WATCHING THIS HAPPEN
WWX IS ALL WIDE-EYED
He makes a move like he's going to join them and lwj stops him
lwj: let them be.
you know lwj, this would be a perfect time TO TELL WWX THAT LSZ IS HIS KID, HIS LITTLE A-YUAN.
but no, instead he just gazes at him soulfully
which, okay, i'm never gonna say no to soulful gazes BUT YOU CAN MULTITASK, CAN'T YOU??
LWJ, YOU CAN LOOK AT HIM WITH YOUR WHOLE  HEART IN YOUR EYES AND TALK AT THE SAME TIME.
Oh, lwj and wwx are at the gates of lotus pier and wwx looks at the sign above the gates 
his eyes get all red-rimmed and you can see his throat bob 
BC HE'S HURTING. 
BC THIS WAS HIS HOME WHERE HIS SISTER AND BROTHER LIVED AND LOVED HIM AND NOW HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY OF THAT
god the way lwj looks at him whenever these moments pop up...he knows exactly when wwx starts hurting inside and he keeps his eyes trained on him the entire time until wwx indicates he's ready to keep moving
we cut to a little moment between lsz and wn where lsz tells us how lwj raised him with a bunch of bunnies and it's adorable
We cut to sword hall where all the cultivators are gathered
jc gets called away and as he's going to tend to whatever it is he sees wwx try to go towards swords hall and glares at him
wwx literally had one foot over the threshold and he awkwardly drags it back out at jc's glare
poor wwx. he just looks awkward all over.
like, he looks down and away and gets kinda fidgety. can't meet jc's eyes. BUT HE STILL MAKES IT LOOK SO PRETTY
lwj on the other hand stares right back at jc, lol, to emphasize I'M NOT INTIMIDATED BY YOU EVEN IF THIS IS YOUR HOME I'M IN RN.
and only after that's, like, telepathically communicated or smth do his eyes flicker over to wwx to see how he's doing.
after jc stalks off, wwx does that cute little nose tap thing he does
wwx: lan zhan, sit down~
and he indicates the stoop with a playful smile
lwj looks at the stoop for like half a second before walking around wwx like NOPE, sitting on stoops is not a thing that hanguang jun does
wwx's mouth curls into a little scowl like fine, be that way.
he sits down on the stoop himself while lwj leans on the pillar next to it, eyes closed and arms crossed and basically looking like a very beautiful and elegant statute
LOLOLOLOL
WWX GOES TO SPRAWL BACK ONTO THE STOOP, RESTING ON ELBOWS 
AND LWJ, WITH HIS EYES STILL CLOSED SAYS: No misbehavior.
HE KNOWS WEI YING SO WELL
wwx looks up at him and pouts but still straightens up so he's sitting properly
wwx starts to sulk and complain about how jc's been gone for so long when jc shows up with a couple of ladies following him
jc pauses to look at our boys and says "come on in" shortly and turns on his heel to enter swords hall
Lol wwx turns to look at lwj with a big smile on his face bc hey, look at that! jc invited them in!!
wwx and lwj just loiter awkwardly near the entrance of sword hall
now we're gonna get a whole bunch of exposition that we don't care much about
blah blah jgy arranged for jgs to die surrounded by prostitutes blah blah
blah blah jgy knowingly married his half-sister blah blah
and throughout all this exposition, wwx is the only one who asks questions and looks for more details.
the rest of them are all willing to take everything at face value which really just explains everything about how they all ended up in this mess, tbh
we also keep getting reaction shots from jin ling and it makes me sad. 
he does the death grip on his sword, and looks shocked and confused at every revelation, poor boy.
and the episode ends as the crowd starts to get riled up over all this brand new information
Which honestly is a relief bc things were getting WAY TOO PLOTTY for my tastes
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 46: The One with All the Yunmeng Bros Angst
gross, ouyang and yao are talking. let’s ignore them!
blah blah plot plot blah
ooh thank god, wwx is now the one talking
being all detective-y and asking relevant questions
I LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY WHEN HE'S BEING CLEVER
wwx makes some Plot Relevant Point and yao is like I DISAGREE bc ofc he fucking does
LOL WWX'S FACE WHEN YAO INTERRUPTS LIKE THAT
IT'S LIKE HE'S BITING DOWN ON HIS TONGUE TO NOT SNAP SOMETHING BACK
kudos to him on his self-control tbh but it's wasted on yao. 
wwx is all asking things like why are you ladies fessing up now, oh and btw that's a real neat bracelet you got there...
and then nhs is like, gee i wonder what kind of person would've sent these ladies here today
LOLOLOL NHS IS SUCH A TROLL OMG
and yao is like DETAILS DON'T MATTER, WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING ANYWAY LET'S GO MURDER FOR JUSTICE AGAIN
and everyone else is like, HEY, THIS LOUD GUY HAS A POINT LET'S GO MURDER
okay, they don't actually say anything about murder but they're harping about "justice" 
The last time they did that, it resulted in murder so i'm gonna go ahead and assume this time isn't any different
lwj: many skeptical points remain
THANK YOU, LWJ, FOR BEING SENSIBLE
oh, and i would like to point out that the crowd had been getting rowdy 
but the minute lwj interjected there they all fell silent
My guy didn't even raise his voice and was able to shut up a whole room full of people.
I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN
lqr: what are they?
wwx: SO MANY. 
wwx makes some Points and is like so we got some witnesses now but where's the HARD EVIDENCE GUYS??
and yao is like, whatever, we'll find it sooner or later now that we know THE TRUTH
and wwx's reaction lolol
it's like oh my god how stupid is this guy, that's not how it works, that's not how ANY of this works
I FEEL YOUR PAIN, WWX, I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL
ppl are blabbering Plot Stuff
i'm just gonna enjoy the occasional shots of wwx and lwj's beautiful faces
blah blah blah plot plot plot blah
gosh, my boys are so pretty
LOOK AT THEM BEING PRETTY, I LOVE THEM
(i say as the crowd devolves into vicious mob mentality)
wwx's had enough of this and turns to leave bc angry mobs are old news at this point
And we all know how he ended up last time there was an angry mob
but yao and some rando interrupt his exit as if they have ANY RIGHT to speak to my sunshine boy at all
Eventually we DO escape sword hall and the mob of stupid people and our boys are alone together wandering lotus pier!!!
they're reviewing Plot Info and bouncing ideas off each other and IT'S BEAUTIFUL, THEY'RE SO SMART AND IN LOVE
They determine that they don't have enough clues to say who the mysterious 3rd party is
but they def have enough evidence showing jgy murdered nmj and is generally an evil conniving bastard.
lwj mentions that he's going to send word to his brother to be careful since jgy is EVIL FOR SURE NOW.
oooh, our boys just came upon the jiang clan's ancestral shrine
wwx freezes, eyes red-rimmed and shiny, MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY
lwj: what's wrong?
ALL OF HIS ATTENTION IS GLUED TO WWX'S EVERY MOVE ALL THE TIME, ISN'T IT??
SEE HOW INTENTLY HE LOOKS AT WWX??
me too, lan zhan, me too
wwx: nothing. it's the ancestral hall of the jiang clan
he says this softly, like it hurts to acknowledge it or smth
lwj: do you want to enter?
wwx: no
WHICH IS A BLATANT LIE
EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS SCREAMING HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO GO IN THERE
they make to turn away and pause for a moment, during which wwx looks back at the shrine longingly
cut to the next scene where we see wwx burning some incense sticks in the shrine
AND OUR BOYS BOW TOGETHER  3x TO M-YU, JFM, AND JYL
wwx greets his deceased loved ones solemnly
wwx: it's me. i'm here to disturb you again.
idk about m-yu and jfm, BUT JYL WOULD NEVER THINK WWX'S PRESENCE WAS A DISTURBANCE
now wwx is telling lwj about how he used to spend a ton of time in that shrine bc m-yu would punish him by sending him there to, idk, reflect on his sins before the ancestors or smth
and lwj is like, yeah, i heard about that
then wwx comments on how he's never met a woman as irritable as m-yu, and how she punished him for trifles all the time
then he laughs bashfully and says "my fault, my fault" and bows another 3x bc omg wwx you can't speak ill of the dead, especially not at their shrine
this is a nice moment between them so far, actually. 
it's nice to hear wwx reminisce in a way that's not 100% painful
and the fact that he's sharing these little bits of inconsequential info with lwj, his soulmate, is just very sweet to me
lwj: won't you tell jc?
wwx: idk. at least not yet
lwj: after all, you two are sworn brothers
it's nice of lwj to acknowledge that, without any sort of rancor in his tone, considering how much he does not care for jc (to put it mildly)
wwx: since the misunderstanding between us is so deep, it's not that easy to solve
HE SOUNDS SO RESIGNED, AND THE LITTLE SMILE THAT FLASHED BRIEFLY THERE WAS JUST SO SAD
and then he's like, besides, I created Plot Device 2, regardless of whether or not jgy ended up using it to make Plot Device 3
UH OH, HERE COMES JC
jc: wei wuxian
OH GOD, CAN HE PACK ANY MORE BITTERNESS AND VENOM INTO THAT NAME??
wwx stands immediately when he hears jc call, he doesn't look at him tho
lwj stands a beat after as jc enters the shrine
jc: you still take yourself as one of the jiang clan? come and go at any time you like, then bring people here when you wish. Do you remember whose house this is? who's the owner?
YIKES
THAT ONE HURT.
and wwx just takes it
wwx: i didnt take hanguang jun to any confidential places in Lotus Pier. i just brought him here to offer some incense to clan leader jiang and madam yu.
he's so submissive here and not even in a fun way
it’s in his posture and tone of voice, even in how he still doesn't look directly at jc...it makes me sad
wwx: we're leaving
He tries to retreat bc he def doesn't want this this confrontation to happen 
jc: you really should kneel down to them, for coming to their presence to destroy the view and ruin their quiet.
DOUBLE YIKES. 
that one hurt EVEN MORE
and lwj, who had been following wwx's lead and staying quiet, intervenes
lwj: clan leader jiang, pay attention to your words
oh boy if looks could kill, jc would be dead as a doornail
he's like HURT MY SOULMATE AGAIN, I DARE YOU. JUST GIVE ME A REASON AND I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN
which is pretty gutsy since jc is higher ranked than him, technically, as clan leader. 
AND they're both in jc's domain rn!
jc: what did you say? i think someone else needs to watch his behavior
he's glaring at wwx's back and he's got a mean twist to his mouth that would be a smile if it weren't so cruel
jc: you have already been kicked out of our family. how dare you enter and face my parents and my sister?
STOP HURTING MY SUNSHINE BOY
wwx is just accepting this. he's just accepting all these cruel things with his eyes downcast and submissive
BC IT HURTS AND HE BELIEVES HE DESERVES IT
lwj: jiang wanyin
HOLY SHIT
lwj fucking HISSED that name
and he took a VERY MENACING step towards jc
MY GUY
MY GUY, YOU CAN'T ATTACK A CLAN LEADER
ESPECIALLY NOT IN HIS OWN HOME
LIKE, I TOTALLY GET WHY YOU'D WANT TO RN, AND, Y'KNOW, I'M NOT THE MOST POLITICALLY SAVVY PERSON AROUND
BUT THIS JUST SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA ALL AROUND
thank god wwx is there
wwx stops him, pressing the palm of his hand into lwj's torso (!!!!!)
wwx: lan zhan. lan zhan, let's go
he practically whispers this, head bent down, AGAIN SUPER SUBSERVIENT
but jc is looking for a fight and he's not letting go until he gets one, apparently
jc: go as far as you can. i don't want to see you AWFUL PEOPLE again before my dead family
wwx just halts in his steps.
he had been all prepared to go after taking that tongue lashing that he thinks he's earned, but at that he takes a deep, fortifying breath bc jc crossed a line
he purses his lips a moment before turning to finally face jc head on
wwx: jc, scold me as you like but not the others (aka LWJ)
oooh, but that was the wrong thing to say to jc right now bc jc goes off on a VERY PAINFUL rant
he's like, oh, i should be nice to lwj? don't you remember that MY PARENTS WERE KILLED AND LOTUS PIER FELL bc you just HAD to play hero and save lwj?? and it wasn't enough! you HAD to play hero and SAVE THE WENS too, which killed my sister!!
oh he's getting really mean here
he's like, how generous you are wwx! letting wn wander the entrance of lotus pier and letting lwj offer incense!!
the minute jc started his rant, wwx cast his eyes to the side, again just enduring everything jc is throwing at him
oh but now jc starts in on lwj again
he's like, lwj, the great second jade, ignoring his reputation to side with wwx, your brother and uncle must be so proud
wwx: JIANG WANYIN!
wwx shouts at him
he's shaky and almost panting here.
wwx: apologize this instant.
jc: apologize? why should i? bc i insulted your great friendship?
THIS WHOLE ENCOUNTER IS A SHIT SHOW AND IT HURTS.
wwx just loses it here and grabs jc by the collar of his robes and gives him a shake
wwx: ARE YOU DONE?
and jc is still the little brother, you know, so obvs he does not back down here, he's not intimidated at all
jc: LET'S FIGHT THEN. should i be afraid of you two?
wwx's breath is all shaky and he's trembling and he would've given into jc's demands for a fight anyway but then he sees jyl's nameplate
and he must remember how upset jyl would get every time they fought
ME TOO, JYL, ME TOO. I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, MAKE IT STOP
so he lets go of jc and stumbles back. he's looking very weak right now AND I’M VERY CONCERNED
lwj, obvs, catches him by the arm when he stumbles
lwj: wei ying
wwx: lan zhan, let's go
lwj agrees and the two of them turn and leave the shrine, lwj still gripping wwx's arm and providing support bc wwx is NOT looking good what’s happening to my sunshine boy, somebody fix this RIGHT NOW
BUT JC IS LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE BC HE JUST STORMS AFTER THEM, HE WANTS HIS FIGHT
he freaking leaps across the little lotus pond and lands before them, blocking off their exit
he starts antagonizing wwx, and he grabs wwx by the collar now, and again, wwx just takes it BUT LWJ DOESN'T
lwj slams his hand around jc's wrist (the one that's grabbing wwx), WRAPPING HIS FINGERS AROUND JC'S ZIDIAN, EVEN
lwj: let him go
holy crap. Stone Cold. LWJ'S STARE IS STONE COLD, AND HE TIGHTENS HIS GRIP ON JC'S WRIST
god damn, if lwj ever looked at me like that, i'd drop to the ground and beg for forgiveness. i'd be scared witless
when jc makes no move to let go of wwx, lwj releases his wrist and hooks his arm under jc's forearm and shoves upward to FINALLY break jc's hold on wwx
wwx stumbles at the force of it and his nose starts to bleed
MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY LOOKS SO WEAK AND OUT OF IT!!
lwj looks at him, eyes wide with worry
lwj: wei ying!
even jc looks concerned (i would even say scared, tbh)
wwx reaches up and wipes his nose; he's not steady on his feet AT ALL
wwx: lan zhan, let's go.
lwj: okay
and he immediately starts to leave, practically dragging wwx with him bc wwx is barely able to stand at this point
lol, lwj shoulder checks jc as they walk past him
but jc is a stubborn bastard and brings out zidian and whips at their retreating backs
brief moment here to admire how FREAKING COOL THE ZIDIAN IS OMG,  
*GRABBY HANDS* I WANT ONE OF MY OWN SO SO BAD. 
IT'S A SNAKE BRACELET!! 
THAT TURNS INTO A WHIP!! 
A PURPLE WHIP!!! OF LIGHTNING!!!!!! 
LITERALLY NO ASPECT OF THIS WEAPON IS UN-BADASS
so jc whips purple lightning at them but the hit never lands bc lwj swings his still-sheathed bichen and bats that attack away like nothing
but as he does that, wwx starts to fall
lwj spins around and AUDIBLY GASPS, eyes wide with worry again, as he watches wwx lose consciousness. 
he dives forward and catches his soulmate in his arms and cradles him gently
jc doesn't see this happen and swings right back with another lash but wn swoops in out of nowhere to take the hit instead. 
AND HERE WE'RE GONNA GET THE BIG REVEAL OH GOD I'M NOT READY
jc is all who let you in, how dare you?? and whips wn again
BUT WN WILL NOT STAY DOWN, NO SIR
HE'S GOT STUFF TO SAY AND BY GOD, HE'S GONNA SAY IT
he offers up suibian to jc but jc whips him and sends him flying again
Wn gets right back up goes back to offering the sword to jc, DEMANDING HE UNSHEATHE IT
AND IN A FIT OF FURY JC PULLS AT THE HANDLE AND SUIBIAN COMES FREE
SHOCK, UTTER SHOCK ON HIS AND LWJ'S FACES
(also YIKES jc nearly sliced out wn's eyes with the force of his unsheathing of siubian. he obvs didn't expect anything to come of him pulling at the handle)
GOLDEN CORE TRANSFER REVEAL!!
FLASHBACK to wn's part of the story
we see wn holding an unconscious jc and wq is telling wwx to come out from where he was hiding behind a convenient boulder
and we see wwx give the go ahead to start the golden core transfer
back to the present, jc looks like his whole world is a lie 
bc it kinda is
I'm still kinda mad that wwx never told him anything.
like, i get why he didn't and i sympathize but informed consent in medicine and surgery is kind of a big deal!
and then omg, we got a close up shot of lwj's face
his eyes are wide and shiny and his jaw is dropped open just a bit. HE IS SHAKEN TO THE CORE 
HAHAHA GET IT? THAT THING WWX DOESN’T HAVE ANYMORE?? Oh god i’m sorry that was AWFUL
he turns his gaze back to wwx, who is still resting gently in crook of his arm
i love the camera angle here btw
the scene is at a slant, with the white of bichen's handle, and the white of the flowering tree behind them filling all of the right side of the screen
it makes the dark bundle of wwx and the dark flow of lwj's hair more stark
the slant of it really emphasizes how the whole of lwj's attention is on the man in his arms
And how his whole world is off its axis at this revelation
god lwj is really just letting his whole heart pour out of his eyes as he watches wwx
jc and wn are arguing loudly in the background but lwj makes NO INDICATION of hearing ANY of it
now we get to watch the emotional confrontation between jc and wn
lwj finally looks back at them when wn starts reciting details that no one outside of jc would have known unless they were there themselves
another flashback as wn describes everything in excruciating detail
oh this line gets me every time
wn: the reason you thought it was repaired was because of my sister, the best doctor in the wen clan of qishan, Wen Qing
WN LOVES HIS SISTER SO MUCH. HE WAS SO PROUD OF HER 
AND HE LOST HER. HE DOESN'T HAVE HER ANYMORE
GOD DAMN IT, SHOW, LET THESE BOYS KEEP THEIR SISTERS
and now we go back to lwj, gazing soulfully at wwx and a single tear rolls down his cheek as it really hits him what exactly wwx did, what wwx gave up
wn is going off on jc, like, didn't he ever wonder why wwx never picked up the sword again?
wn looks hardcore here tbh. 
we cut back to lwj, who is now holding bichen tightly, and boy, he's got his jaw clenched so hard.
at least until he looks back down at wwx, and his mouth softens as more tears drip down his face
flashback to when jc first found wwx after the burial mounds, and a series of flashbacks of every time jc brought up wwx's lack of suibian and wwx brushing off his questions
THEY SHOULD'VE JUST TALKED IT OUT, MY GOD, THEY COULD’VE SPARED ME ALL THIS PAIN IF THEY JUST TALKED 
another flashback to that time that jc pushed wwx and wwx fell hard to the ground and jc thought he was just drunk
I AM DONE WITH THESE FLASHBACKS, THX. CAN WE NOT, ANYMORE? IT'S HURTING TOO MUCH
and we also keep getting shots of lwj's face, STREAKED WITH TEARS
HE'S GOT A TEARDROP ON THE TIP OF HIS NOSE
ALL OF THIS IS PAINFUL
PLEASE STOP
oooh, lwj's mouth twists into a firm scowl and he slams bichen on the ground with a loud CLANG
this is too much for him too! he's furious, he's had enough of hearing how wwx suffered for jc
so he scoops up wwx, carrying almost all of his weight, as he walks the both of them outta there
wn leaves suibian with jc and tells him to have anyone else try to unsheathe it if he doesn't believe him
jc doesn't want it. he doesn't want it at all.
he desperately wants it to be untrue
AND I CRY A RIVER FOR MY YUNMENG BROS
WE'RE ON A BOAT NOW
UNCONSCIOUS WWX SPREAD BACK, HELD LOVINGLY IN LWJ'S ARMS
Now we get some lwj & wn bonding time where they discuss a-yuan! (after lwj promises not to tattle on wn to wwx)
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! WE'RE GETTING A FLASHBACK FROM LWJ
LWJ IS ENTERING WWX'S LAB CAVE THING, ALONE, FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR WWX
lwj: on that day, when the wen clan were captured and killed, i went to the burial mounds to seek wei ying but discovered a-yuan instead
we see him find a-yuan, who is unconscious and clammy. 
lwj immediately drops to his knees beside him and checks his wrist, then presses the back of his hand to a-yuan's forehead
oh, lwj's hand is all roughened with dirt. That’s very striking, for some reason.
he purses his lips making a split-second decision, and scoops a-yuan up 
lwj: he was hiding there for so long that he had a fever and was severely ill
wn figures out that the fever is probs why lsz doesn't remember anything, and hasn’t mentioned wn at all. lwj looks surprised
lwj: didn't you tell him?
wn: about his birth origin? he's happy now. knowing too much about the past and remembering something heavy, would make him less happy than now
HE'S SUCH A GOOD PERSON
WHY DO THE BEST OF THEM HAVE TO SUFFER SO?
lwj: sooner or later, he will know
and wn doesn't deny it. he's like, yeah, sooner or later. just like master wei and jc with the golden core transfer.
at this lwj looks back down at wwx
lwj: is it painful?
the way lwj's throat bobs before he asks tho.
like he's forcing himself to ask, bc he needs to know even if he already suspects the answer. 
He needs to know even tho knowing will hurt. he's steeling himself against the pain already.
wn: what?
lwj: taking out the core, is it painful?
wn: you won't believe me if i say it's not, right?
lwj: i thought wq might have some method
he sounds desperate, hoping against all odds that it didn't hurt wwx as much as he suspects it did
and here wn explains that wq wanted to ease the process, make it less painful, but due to the nature of the procedure, she couldn't use any anesthetics
wn: the one who donates the core has to be awake the whole time
THE WHOLE DAMN TIME
HE HAS TO BE CONSCIOUS TO WATCH IT GET CUT OUT OF HIM AND EXPERIENCE THAT CONNECTION SLOWLY BE SEVERED OTHERWISE IT DOESN'T WORK
HOW MESSED UP IS THAT OMG, HOW MUCH TRAUMA MUST THEY PUT MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY THROUGH
lwj: awake?
HE SOUNDS HOARSE AS HE SAYS THAT
wn: two nights and one day. he has to be awake
MY SUNSHINE BOY, MY BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE BOY SUFFERED SO MUCH
lwj's lips purse briefly. he's staring at his wei ying
lwj: at the time, what were the chances
wn: fifty percent
lwj looks at wn here with horrified disbelief
lwj: fifty percent?
wn proceeds to explain how wq didn't want to do it but wwx kept insisting that the odds were worth 
AND OH MY GOD LWJ FLASHES BACK TO THEIR FIRST CONFRONTATION AFTER THE BURIAL MOUNDS, WHEN THEY FINALLY FOUND WWX AFTER 3 MONTHS OF SEARCHING
IT HURTS JUST AS MUCH AS THE FIRST TIME AROUND
Wwx must have some sort of sixth sense for knowing when Emotional Discussions are Done, bc he regains consciousness only AFTER wn & lwj finish bonding lol
he sits up, head aching, and pulls himself from lwj's embrace
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, BC LWJ OBVS DIDN'T MIND HAVING HIM THAT CLOSE
IN FACT even as he helps wwx sit up, you can see his hand trail up wwx's arm, grip loosening and tightening sporadically
He's def trying to prolong contact here, very reluctant to let go of his wei ying
wwx: lan zhan, how did we get out?
lwj: we had a fight
AND ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING
wwx: i knew that jiang cheng wouldn't let me go that easily. so unreasonable.
and then he looks at lwj and hurries to assure him that jc didn't mean all those cutting remarks. that that's just how he gets when he's upset.
lwj looks off to the side, pressing his lips closed bc he couldn't care less about jc or jc's words. THEY MEAN NOTHING TO HIM
wwx covers lwj's hand with his own and very earnestly says: so don't take it seriously
BC HE HASN'T YET REALIZED THAT LWJ DOESN'T ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT JC'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE
lwj doesn't look him in the eye as he's told this, and his lips are still pressed together in a firm line. 
he probably doesn't actually want wwx to realize just how little jc means to him.
wwx notices they're on a boat on a lake now lol
wwx: i often played here with jyl when we were children
AND HERE HE HALLUCINATES HIS PRECIOUS BEAUTIFUL KIND AMAZING SISTER JYL
Jyl: a-xian come have some lotus seeds
WWX'S EYES REDDEN WITH TEARS AND HE CALLS OUT FOR HIS SISTER
AND I'M FIGHTING BACK SOBS
WHILE JYL'S SWEET GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS AND JYL SMILES WARMLY AT HER LITTLE BROTHER
wn snaps wwx out of it
ONLY FOR WWX TO FLASHBACK TO JYL CRYING AND SAYING THAT THEY'RE THE CLOSEST THREE IN THE WORLD
WWX LEANS HIS HEAD ON HER KNEE AND SULKS ADORABLY ABOUT HOW HE'S HUNGRY 
AND I WANNA DIE FROM ALL THE FEELINGS I'M HAVING
back on the boat, wwx eyes are still filled with tears and it's awful
wn is all, wwx what's wrong? and wwx shakes it off and just says he's hungry
so he yanks out some lotus pods from the lake and gives one to lwj and one to wn and one for himself
HE'S SMILING NOW, THANK GOD
wwx: it's perfect timing to be here now!
and he's happily tearing into the pod
I LOVE SEEING HIM HAPPY AND SMILING
SUCH LITTLE JOYS AND HE REVELS IN IT
I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE HAPPY AND SMILING. 
NOTHING SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO MAKE HIM SAD. NOTHING
lwj: wei ying
wwx: what
lwj: does this lake belong to someone?
LOL, HE GAVE THE POD A SUSPICIOUS LOOK BEFORE ASKING THAT AND HAS NOT TRIED GETTING ANY SEEDS OUT YET
wwx: of course not
HE SAYS IN A COMPLETELY NOT BELIEVABLE WAY
YOU CAN TELL BY HOW HE DOESN'T LOOK LWJ IN THE EYE AS HE RESPONDED AND KEEPS MUNCHING AWAY ON THE SEEDS AS A DISTRACTION
Lwj is watching like, yeah, i’m not buying it.
lwj: i heard that lakes here all have owners.
lolol wwx pauses in his chewing for a second and looks around guiltily for a bit before letting out a nervous laugh
wwx: hanguang jun, you really hear much, don't you? i didn't even know that.
he's looking at him all innocently and LWJ LOOKS BACK STILL NOT BUYING IT LOLOLOL
wwx looks away and then looks back, relenting
wwx: fine. 
HE'S ALL POUTY, IT'S ADORABLE, I LOVE HIM
he sulkily tells wn to get them moving
and sulkily tosses his lotus pod at the bottom of the boat
HE'S JUST HAVING A SULK-FEST RN AND IT'S SUPER CUTE, I'M ENJOYING IT A LOT
wn starts to get the paddles to get the boat going, when lwj suddenly leans over the side of the boat and snaps up a lotus pod
he very seriously offers it to his wei ying, who is watching him wide-eyed and surprised
lwj: only for today  
bc i just found out about your traumatic golden core transfer for your awful ungrateful little brother and i feel horrible that you suffered alone, he doesn’t say
bc i wish i could have done something to help but i couldn't so now i'm gonna steal you a lotus pod bc that's literally all i can do right now, he also doesn’t say
LOL
THE WAY THE CAMERA CUTS TO WN HERE CRACKS ME UP
WN IS JUST PASSIVELY MUNCHING ON A SEED AND WATCHING THAT EXCHANGE HAPPEN WITH HIS BIG BROWN EYES TAKING IT IN, WITH A VAGUE, "HUH, THAT'S INTERESTING" MANNER
wwx looks at the pod and then back at lwj before taking the pod with a nervous laugh
I am convinced that he had WAR-FLASHBACKS to that time drunk!lwj gave him roosters
He’s probably frantically trying to remember if lwj drank ANY alcohol earlier
TRYING TO CALCULATE THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE SLIPPING SOME ALCOHOL TO LWJ BETWEEN THEIR FIGHT WITH JC TO THIS BOAT ESCAPE LOLOLOLOL
he clutches that pod with both hands and gives lwj a pained smile 
The exact pained smile he had when he accepted the roosters that time
LMAO WWX TURNS TO LOOK AT WN, HIS BROWS ALL FURROWED IN CONFUSION LIKE, WN WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING, EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
but wn just smiles cheerfully at him
cut to the next moment where we see the boat's floor is now littered with a bunch of lotus pods and wwx is happily munching on seeds, all smiley
BUT OF COURSE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO ENJOY HAPPY PEACEFUL MOMENTS EVER
SO A GLOWY GLITTERY MESSENGER BUTTERFLY APPEARS AND LANDS ON LWJ'S OUTSTRETCHED PALM
I mean, wwx giggled happily there for a moment there!!!!! WHY CAN'T THEY LET ME BASK IN THAT FOR ONE MINUTE, GOD.
anyway, the butterfly
wwx: the paper butterfly messenger from the jin clan?
(side note to say that the butterfly messenger is actually very pretty. i like it a lot)
wwx pats lwj on the knee after the butterfly flies away
wwx: what happened? what did it say?
Lwj’s like, jgy is in yunmeng now and my brother hasn’t responded to my message...
wwx: you worry jgy would harm him when desperate?
bc wwx can tell right away when lwj is worried. BC THEY'RE SOULMATES AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL
And then bc my sunshine boy is a GENIUS, he remembers the deed jgy had hidden away in the secret chamber, for Yunping City in Yunmeng
he excitedly tells lwj that this is where jgy will be
lol he was so excited he tipped himself over a bit and jostled the boat so lwj had to reach out to steady him
we cut to the next scene we see people dying fabrics and our boys wander through 
Wwx confirms with some random worker lady that they’re in the right place and tells lwj they should explore the city as a date for Plot Investigation Reasons
lwj nods in agreement and then wwx turns back to look at the lady and gives her THE SWEETEST SMILE, THE ONE THAT SQUINCHES HIS EYES CLOSED AND MAKES ME SWOON
BUT LOL LWJ SEES HIM SMILE AT THE LADY LIKE THAT AND IT NOT AMUSED BY IT AT ALL
oh god, just the way his eyes flick from wwx to the lady and how his lips firm up before he stalks off in a snit cracks me up
GREEN IS NOT YOUR COLOR, LAN ZHAN, I'M JUST SAYING
LET THE GUY SMILE AT ME, I MEAN AT PEOPLE. IT'S NOT A CRIME
wwx is confused by the reaction but hurries off after him
oh wwx, you dense idiot. you're lucky i love you so
now we see come random guys bully wn for no reason 😞
wwx tells them to back off but they don't listen and lwj very nonchalantly pulls out a talisman from his sleeve and offers it to wwx
wwx looks at the talisman and then back at lwj with SUCH A PLEASED SMILE
OMG I WOULD DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FOR HIM TO SMILE AT ME LIKE THAT
wwx: lan zhan, you even kept it until now?
AHHHHHH SO CUTE, I LOVE HIM
lwj doesn't respond but it doesn’t matter bc wwx does that squinchy-eyed smile AGAIN AND I DIE, I DIE
wwx activates the talisman which releases a whole bunch of glittery butterflies that distract the guys and allow wn to escape. 
omg guys, this is the same trick lwj used to distract wen chao and wen zhuliu to escape ages and ages ago WHICH MEANS LWJ HAS BEEN CARRYING A PIECE OF WWX WITH HIM ALL THESE YEARS AHHHHHHHHH
And after that wonderful, touching revelation, the episode ends.
SO, we had lots of depressing Yunmeng Bros Feelings that made me wanna die 
BUT we also at the end here get rewarded with MULTIPLE squinchy-eyed smiles from my most precious darling sunshine boy that made me wanna die but, like, in a good way
I WOULD ENDURE SO MUCH MORE FOR THOSE SMILE, NGL
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trensu · 4 years
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Episode 44: The One where Su She Gets Rekt
we’re outside of mianmian’s house and omg wwx's face is so cute when he recognizes mianmian. his little pleased grin makes me melt every time
also omg, i just realized that wwx is still wearing lwj’s white inner robes here???
you can see them where you usually see his (sinfully) red inner robes!!!!! 
which means as far as i’m concerned this ENTIRE EPISODE is a wangxiantic in and of itself lolol
mr. mianmian is like, why are you calling my daughter's name??
(i keep forgetting that mianmian's name isn't actually mianmian lol)
i'd be concerned too if some strange guy who was hiding behind our hay bale or whatever the heck that is, knew my kid's name...
wwx is so amused by this turn of events! he's like, awww, mianmian and little mianmian!
which was basically my response too
but ofc lwj is much more formal and does his little bow and addresses her as Lady Luo
wwx: now i know your true name!!
wait, did he really never learn it before?? or did he just forget? both are plausible, tbh
and here mianmian introduces her husband
wwx: may i ask what clan you're from?
mm: oh, he's not from any clan. he's a merchant!
bc mm knew getting tangled up with another clan was just not a good life decision, probs
and she's all he comes with me on night hunts tho and wwx is like, oh is that what you were doing?
little mm: we were looking for the yiling patriarch!
and wwx perks up and gets all playful bc WWX LOVES CHILDREN SO MUCH
wwx: oh, but i heard he eats children. aren't you afraid?
little mm gets all shy and stutter-y and it's ADORABLE
wwx is all like, oh she's so cute! she looks just like you when you were her age
and mm is all, don't you feel bad saying that?? how would you know what i looked like at that age???
we get a shot of lwj and he looks at ease and is simply taking joy in watching wwx interact with these people
same, lwj, same
wwx: how old is she? i'd like to give her some lucky money!
and ofc mr. and mrs. mianmian immediately try to stop him for politeness sake BUT LOL LWJ IS ALREADY REACHING INTO HIS SLEEVE TO GET MONEY FOR THE KID
wwx: don't be so humble. it's not my money anyway~
and he laughs bc he'S SHAMELESS
lwj just hands wwx his purse and lets him take whatever he wants from it. 
what a doting husband-to-be he is!
and then mm does that thing all parents do with small children "what do you say to hanguang jun and master wei?"
little mm: thank you, hanguang jun
SHE'S SO FREAKING CUTE
lwj must agree with me bc he SMILES. it's his little smile, the one that just barely curls up at the corner of his lips, but it's a sincere smile
he's probably remembering lsz when lsz was that age
he's probably thinking about how he wants more children, esp now that wwx is here to raise them with him
Give me all the Dadji fic!
wwx: little mm, i gave you the money. why don't you say thank you to me?
and he puts on this cute little pout but little mm just glares ADORABLY at him bc she SAW who's money it was and she's a clever girl lololol
lwj is amused by that exchange too, we get another one of his little smiles
now they're asking for info on anything unusual around but they get interrupted by some screaming!! mm was all ready to go attack, but lwj said they'd handle it
after they leave, mr. and mrs. mm have a little convo which i wouldn't bother mentioning except she ends it with a very sincere "master wei...is a good man"
BC WWX IS A GOOD MAN AND APPARENTLY SHE'S THE ONLY ONE SENSIBLE ENOUGH TO SEE THAT
turns out the screaming was wen ning!! being adorable!!
he's all covered in mud and grass, and had been trying to scare people off for Reasons
wwx starts cleaning his face 
I LOVE WHEN WWX DOES THAT
HE’S SO LOVING AND NURTURING
lwj watches this go down but there's no smile on his face like there was before with little mm even tho wwx being all sweet and nurturing is always cute
DON'T BE JEALOUS LWJ, DON'T BE THAT GUY
oh, wwx just noticed wn's injured hand and is like, what happened? and wn ofc says 'NOthing!!!" bc he doesn't want to worry wwx
lwj: it's blood.
wn: not blood1! well, it is but it's not human blood!!
he says this so nervously and flustered bc lwj is very intimidating actually 
Or at least I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side...
now we find out that wn has secretly been taking down puppets while following wwx and lwj around this whole time
bc wn is a good friend
then it gets kinda sad bc wwx is like, wn i told you to hide out somewhere! and wn is all, but where would i hide?
bc wn has nowhere and no one aside from wwx rn 😔
so wwx is like, okay, the three of us can travel together instead
Lol, lwj looks down at this and starts stalking off
lwj: lets go
i don't think he's happy to have a third wheel lololol
he wanted alone time with wwx!
WHAT DID I SAY, LWJ?? NO ONE LIKES A GREEN-EYED MONSTER.
now they're in town!
wwx: lan zhan, do you remember this town?
lwj: yes
BC LWJ REMEMBERS ALL OF HIS TIME WITH WWX
BC WWX IS HIS SOULMATE AND HE LOVES HIM
wwx is like, remember that time i said i'd treat you to a meal here?
they're in front of the teahouse in yiling and lwj is looking at it, like, FONDLY bc he DOES remember and it's probably one of his happiest memories tbh
wwx isn't looking at the teahouse, he's looking at lwj here and he gets this soft little smile on his face AND IT'S SO SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL 
ooh flashback to their first time in yiling together! And ~Their Song~ starts playing!!
it's a quick little flashback bc we're back in the present with wwx saying something about how he's embarrassed that lwj ended up paying that time or smth
at wwx's words, lwj turns around and just looks at him. 
Omg, how does he always pack in SO MUCH LOVE in the way he looks at wwx??
another quick flashback of them sharing a meal at the teahouse with cute little a-yuan darting around lwj with his toys
wwx: but that happened a long time ago
and lwj gives a stilted nod bc HE DOESN'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT HOW LONG AGO THAT WAS AND THE FACT THAT WWX WAS GONE ALL THIS TIME
wwx turns and sees the toy stall and he SMILES
OH GOD HOW DOES THIS MAN HAVE SUCH BEAUTIFUL SMILES
but then he gets sad as he remembers a-yuan
wwx: if that boy were still alive, he would be a teenager now
Bc wwx still thinks all the wens died. He thinks little a-yuan was BRUTALLY MURDERED with the rest of his clan
MY POOR DARLING SUNSHINE BOY
then we get a bit of slo-mo as lwj turns to look at wwx, who's still lost in thought
AND HE DOESN'T MENTION THAT LSZ IS ALIVE AND WELL???
WHAT HECK LWJ
THAT WAS A PERFECT OPENING
ALL YOU HAD TO SAY WAS "YEAH, FUNNY STORY, HE'S ACTUALLY NOT DEAD. SURPRISE!! I RESCUED HIM AND RAISED HIM AS MY OWN SON AND GAVE HIM ALL THE LOVE I COULD POSSIBLY GIVE BC HE WAS YOUR SON AND ALL I HAD LEFT OF YOU AND HE SAVED MY LIFE AS MUCH AS I SAVED HIS"
DAMN IT, LWJ. USE YOUR WORDS!!
cut to somewhere outside the town and wn is beating up a whole bunch of puppets all by himself like a badass
oh, here's lwj with the assist! he guqin's the heck out of those puppets
he looks so cool doing that, omg
Also, i love how he whooshes away his instrument whenever he's done with it
we're at the burial mounds!!
which is looking just as bright and cheery as ever!!
meaning everything is gray and looks dead
wwx gets really sad, and he's remembering the voices of all the wens he failed
IT HURTS TO SEE HIM THIS MELANCHOLY
MY SUNSHINE BOY SHOULD ONLY EVER BE HAPPY AND SMILEY, DAMN IT 
wn snaps him out of it, thankfully
lwj explains how everything was destroyed during the siege back then
he doesn't mention at all how he defended this place until he physically couldn't anymore
wwx: it doesn't matter that this place was destroyed. for me, wq, and wn, it represents the hardest time in our lives. there's no need to return to this place
wwx says this all soberly and i just wanna wrap him up in blankets and hide him from the world
BC THE WORLD DOESN'T DESERVE MY PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY. 
LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO  HIM!!
THEY BROKE HIS HEART!!! THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE HIM ANYMORE.
lwj looks like he feels the same way, lol
wwx: wen ning, stop looking. let's go
wn: yes, young master. i just wanted to check if there's anything left
which was ANOTHER PERFECT OPENING for lwj to cut in and say "ACTUALLY, ABOUT THAT, a-yuan is totally alive and well, guys!!"
but nooooo, ofc lwj doesn't say anything bc god forbid he use his words every once in awhile
oh, evil puppets just appeared and started attacking 
But wn is like NOT TODAY SATAN and starts pummeling the lot of them
ooooh, and lwj does this thing here where he summons up a guqin string and, like, magically attaches it to a couple of trees 
Then wwx tells wn to watch out and wn does this cool backflip to join wwx as lwj TWIRLS forward to take wn's place
and then he magically plucks the guqin string which lets out this big blue blast of energy 
the whole move looks SO DAMN COOL
HE EVEN DOES LIKE, A FINISHING POSE LIKE ALL GOOD SUPERHEROES DO LOL
After, he whooshes away his string like nbd, just being effortlessly awesome like ALWAYS
now they're making their way to wwx's demon palace cave thing, and lwj stops to freaking MATERIALIZE suibian out of thin air and give it to wwx
it looks SO cool
lwj: for defense
wwx: thank you
wwx unsheathes it just enough so we can see the inscription on the blade before re-sheathing it and keeping it at his side
lwj gives him a Questioning Look and wwx gets a little awkward
wwx: ah, i haven't used a sword in so long, i'm not used to it
his eyes are all big and guileless and gorgeous
GOD HOW IS HE SO BEAUTIFUL
lwj is not as easily distracted as i am, apparently, and he very obviously is not buying with wwx is selling
wwx: fine, i'll tell you. it's bc this body of mine lacks spiritual power, so even the best sword can't show it's true power in my hand
lol, he raises up suibian when he says "the best sword"
i am so distracted by wwx's gorgeous cheekbones here, 
omg, paired with those big brown eyes, I CAN'T HANDLE IT I'M ONLY HUMAN
wwx: therefore, hanguang jun, please protect this fragile, feeble man~
he says it with a thin smile which looks as adorable as all his other smiles
Tbh i get the impression that he's a little embarrassed to have to ask for help
NOT THAT HE EVEN NEEDED TO ASK BC LWJ IS ALREADY WILLING TO PROTECT HIM FROM ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
wwx walks around past lwj and we see lwj aim one of his signature Longing Glances at wwx's back
now we're in wwx's old demon palace cave thing!!
AND WE SEE THE JUNIORS ARE ALL TIED UP AND TRAPPED THERE
HELLO, JUNIORS!! WE'VE MISSED YOUR PRECIOUS BABY FACES
lol, lsz and jl are tied to one another, my sweet little baby ship
you know what, this isn't wangxian at all but the juniors have some choice lines here and we should take the time to appreciate them
ljy: what do they even want? whether it's to torture or kill us, they should just do it! i'd rather be eaten by monsters during night hunting than starve to death in this shithole
LOLOL SAME LJY SAME
death by starvation has got to be one of the WORST ways to go
rando jin junior starts running his mouth again and we see jin ling close his eyes and attempt to do a breathing exercise or smth and IT'S HILARIOUS LOLOLOLOL
LOOK AT MY BRATTY SON TRYING TO CONTROL HIS TEMPER
it lasts like, two seconds before he's yelling at the other kid and telling him to shut up
rando jin junior is all offended and is like, what do you mean shut up??
so my precious bratty son is like, "what do i mean? are you deaf or stupid? can't you understand? shut up means STOP TALKING"
I LOVE JIN LING SO MUCH
MY DARLING BRAT OF A SON
they bicker for a bit and lsz cuts in trying to make them stop by pointing out that, hello, they're trapped in here by evil puppets who could decide to come in and tear them to pieces literally any minute now
the distraction tactic didn't work. the boys are trying to beat each other up whilst being tied up and it's HILARIOUS
THAT'S THE MOST PATHETIC FIGHT I'VE EVER SEEN, BOYS.
meanwhile lsz is like: guys, calm down, calm down!!
bc he's tied to jl so he's getting all jostled around, poor sweetie-pie lsz 
and this is when wwx decides to step in, with a long suffering sigh and a very unamused: hey, look here.
THE WAY LSZ AND LJY'S FACES LIGHT UP WHEN THEY SEE LWJ NEVER GETS OLD
also it cracks me up how there's a breeze elegantly rustling through wwx's and wn's hair. 
it's so obviously for the Aesthetic bc literally nobody else's hair is doing that 😆😆😆 
ALSO ALSO, OMG WWX IS SO FREAKING HILARIOUS HERE
Wwx unsheathes suibian and hands it to wn KNOWING THAT ALL THESE KIDS ARE TERRIFIED OF THE FEARSOME GHOST GENERAL
AND THE KIDS ALL START PANICKING AS WN TAKES THE SWORD AND STALKS TOWARDS THEM
and wn ning totally plays along bc he slices through those ropes in the most menacing way possible AND ALL THE KIDS SLAM THEIR EYES CLOSED AND HAVE A FULL-BODY FLINCH AND IT'S HILARIOUS
wwx gets sulky that the kids seem more scared of wn than him lol
we see the dumber kids make a break for it but oyzz, with his big kind heart, stops them bc hey, remember there's a horde of evil puppets outside??
lol, wwx smirks at the dumb kids.
lsz: master wei, you're here to save us! you didn't send people to capture us right?
and wwx is like, do i LOOK like i have that kind of money?
lsz is like, ah, yes, i remember that you are TRAGICALLY POOR.
kid doesn't pull punches, does he lol. and he says it so mildly too
wwx's whole reaction here is like, yeah okay, i deserved that one lol
wwx starts grilling the kids for info, which ljy gladly provides, and lwj gives him and lsz a "well done" for their efforts
oooh, now jin ling is approaching wwx
lwj sees him out of the corner of his eye and IMMEDIATELY places himself in front of wwx
which cracks me up bc this is a full grown man here squaring up against a kid who's like, twelve (okay, 16 but still!)
ofc lsz and ljy follow lwj's lead and put themselves between jl and wwx too
wwx thinks they're all being ridiculous
wwx: what are you guys doing? you're surrounding him.
so he nudges the lan kids away and then grabs lwj's upper arm and literally tugs him away from where he was about to throw hands with a child
ljy: you want to stab him again?
lsz: jingyi!
thank you, lsz, tell him to leave my bratty son alone ☹️
wwx essentially waves it all off and is like, hey guys lets focus on getting out of here first, yeah?
jin ling looks ashamed, my poor boy. he feels all guilty for stabbing wwx 😞
now they're plot talking about how they're gonna get out of the cave, what with the horde of evil puppets and all
they make it to the entrance of the cave and we see a whole bunch of cultivators drop in for a party, i guess
oyzz: dad! *runs off to be with dad*
jc: jin ling what are you waiting for? your death?
I LOVE WATCHING JC BE AN UNCLE TO JL
HE'S SO ANGRY WITH HIS AFFECTION LOLOL
oh hey, one of the rando juniors called out "mom!"
that's so cool actually??? we don't really get a lot of lady cultivators but apparently one of them is there to save her kid!!
uh oh, Uncle Lan does not look happy to be here
lwj leads all the lan juniors to lqr and he bows politely to him 
the lan juniors all join lqr and stand behind him but lwj very pointedly stands before lqr and makes no move to get closer to him as wwx joins him at his side
lqr: wangji, come here
lwj looks at him briefly, like he wants to say something, before looking down 
bc no, he's not leaving wwx's side ever again lqr, so you better get used to it
now some rando lady cultivator is shouting at lwj. she's all "you're undeserving of your reputation!!"
and i'm sitting here like, HEY LADY, WATCH YOUR MOUTH OR COME FIGHT ME
YOU KNOW NOTHING, LADY, NOTHING AT ALL
wwx interrupts her rant 
wwx: here you go again!
he probs would've said more but then jc interrupts
jc: we have to do this
and he probs wouldve said more but FUCKING SU SHE INTERRUPTS AS IF HE HAS ANY VALUE AT ALL
LOL JC’s eyes slide over from wwx to su she and he looks at su she WITH SUCH CONTEMPT AND IRRITATION, IT'S GREAT
THAT'S HOW I LOOK AT SU SHE ALL THE TIME LOLOLOL
ss: blah blah we found you cuz you stole kids blah blah 
and wwx is like, EXCUSE YOU, I JUST SAVED THOSE KIDS' LIVES. HOW ABOUT SAYING THANK YOU???
now wwx is gonna get clever and start talking circles around this crew of idiot cultivators
wwx: your party seems a bit weak, guys. shouldn't jgy and lxc be here with you?
ss: blah blah assassination attempt against jgy blah blah lxc is tenderly nursing him back to health blah blah
then su she implies that wwx was the one who tried to kill jgy
STFU SU SHE
wwx snorts
ss: why are you laughing??
wwx: oh, nothing. i was just surprised that jgy could get hurt so easily
and here we get some oyzz time
oyzz: dad, i don't think he really did it. last time, he saved us in coffin town. this time, he rescued us too!
oyzz's dad: don't speak nonsense, you silly child
YOU WANNA GO, OYZZ'S DAD? DON'T TALK TO THE BOY THAT WAY, I WILL FIGHT YOU.
wwx: why didn't the nie clan come?
Nhs pops in from where he was hiding: oh, pardon me! master wei, i don't know anything about this. i'm just here to make up the numbers
ILU NHS, I'M PERSONALLY GONNA GIVE YOU AN ANCIENT FANTASY CHINA OSCAR
LOL i love how after popping up to say that, he just scoots himself away and behind the other cultivators again
now the idiot cultivators are airing their grievances against wwx
ugh, sect leader yao is talking again and we get to see mob mentality in action
GOD THEY ALL NEED TO STFU
BUNCH OF LOSER NOBODIES
they're still hurling accusations at my sunshine boy and it's making me angry
wwx: I won't admit to what i didn't do
YOU TELL ‘EM, WWX!!
Fucking su she chimes in with some bullshit and so wwx decides to do a public service and try to teach these losers some critical thinking skills by laying out Valid Points for Plot Reasons
Lesson gets cut short bc oops, here come more evil zombie puppets with a strong gust of wind for ambience
LOOK AT JC GO WITH THAT ZIDIAN
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
but it fails on it's second strike!! jc looks at it in shock, like what's going on??
wwx must've seen that happen bc suddenly we see his flute boomerang the puppet that was headed for jc
and wwx places himself in front of him BC THAT'S HIS BROTHER, THE BROTHER HE LOVES
AND HE'S SO WORRIED FOR HIM WHEN HE SEES JC SPIT UP BLOOD
YUNMENG BROOOOOSSSSSSS *SOB*
oh, now we see lqr spit up blood and lwj, being the good nephew that he is, swoops in to fight off the puppets that had been attacking his uncle
god, lwj is such a good person  bc he just blocked a hit aimed for sect leader yao
Sect leader yao
LWJ PROTECTED SECT LEADER YAO
LWJ TRULY IS AN HONORABLE MAN BC I WOULD'VE LET THAT HIT KILL HIM AND BEEN LIKE, OOPS, TOTALLY MISSED THAT, MY BAD
i mean, c'mon, is ANYONE gonna miss him if he dies??? no, nobody would be torn up over sect leader yao dying
his wake would have been a party, like ding dong the witch is dead sort of party
lol, lwj probs regrets this later on when he’s chief cultivator and has to listen to that loser rant endlessly about nothing, like, damn, i should’ve let him die back then
you know, i'm just gonna enjoy lwj fighting. he's got the best fight scenes tbh
we find out that everyone's spiritual energy has been blocked and they're defenseless against those puppets
lsz tells them all that they need to get into the cave where there's a protective circle they can fix and activate
then fucking su she is all like no don't go in there, it's probs a trap to kill us!!
SHUT UP SU SHE
wwx: staying outside will get you killed. going inside will also get you killed. either way, you're dead. but at least going inside will stall them.
wwx: su she, why are you in such a hurry to ask everyone to die with you? What’s your intent?
GET REKT SU SHE
Lol nhs is like are you guys going in or not? i'll just go inside myself if you won't and all his cultivators are like, yeah yeah, let's do that 
everyone's fleeing to the cave now except for su she and his crew
wwx: su she, you'll stay here? fine, stay here. You sure are brave!
THE WAY WWX SAYS THAT THO, THICK WITH MOCKERY AND SARCASM
I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
while all the cultivators go into the cave lwj and wn are still fighting until everyone's gone
wwx: lan zhan, come on!
BC EVERYONE'S MADE IT INSIDE NOW AND LWJ NEEDS TO COME WITH HIM AND STAY SAFE!!
lwj slices down two more puppets and then zooms to wwx's side
lqr activates the protective circle and then holds wwx (and by extension lwj) at sword point
lwj: grand master
lwj looks at him like he wants him to understand, but he sees the lqr is not having it so he lowers his gaze
poor lwj 😔
lqr: what do you want?
wwx: nothing. but since you're all here let's have a chat!
lol, wwx sits down and makes himself comfortable even tho he's surrounded by cultivators that want him dead
The cultivators are all like, we don't wanna talk with you!!
wwx: aren't you interested in the reason you got poisoned? i swear, i'm not that capable of poisoning you all without being discovered
nhs: that's right. i think what he says makes sense
nhs is really good at what he does, isn't he? 
he knows exactly when he should interject to get the crowd to do as he wants
wwx starts to walk them through the basic critical thinking process, and lsz adds in his clever insights as well
then there's a bunch of plot talk that idc about
nhs: master wei, what should we do now?
NHS IS SO GOOD AT WHAT HE DOES OMG
Wwx is like, there's only two groups with spiritual power. me and lwj are onE group, and the juniors are the other group.
wwx: as for the rest, i don't think it's inappropriate to describe you as week and useless
I DON'T THINK IT'S INAPPROPRIATE TO DESCRIBE YOU AS WEAK AND USELESS
LOLOLOL LOVING THIS
wwx: if i really wanted to do something, could these young men stop me?
then fucking su she starts talking again
ss: blah blah blah kill me if you want blah blah we aint scared blah blah
Man, you have NO IDEA how much i want you dead, su she
wwx: may i ask who you are?
GET REKT SU SHE
wwx starts teaching them critical thinking again and we're again shown how the juniors are way more clever that these full-fledged cultivators
wwx looks so proud whenever the juniors chime in
su she starts talking again
ss: blah blah you're being fooled by the enemy blah blah bl--
AND THEN HE STOPS MID-SENTENCE
wwx: continue. why'd you stop?
some rando cultivator accuses wwx of doing that to su she and wwx is ADORABLE about it
his eyes get all wide and he frowns with a "well, don't look at me!" expression
HE'S SO CUTE, I LOVE HIM
and lsz and ljy tell us that it's a lan clan specialty - THE SILENCE SPELL
AND WE CUT TO A SHOT OF LWJ COMPLETELY BLANK FACED AS HE TELLS WWX TO CONTINUE
LIKE A BOSS
GET REKT SU SHE
so wwx continues and is like, isn't it weird how fucking su she wanted you all to die out there with him and now he wants to stop me from figuring out who poisoned you? now, why would an ally do that, hm?
I LOVE YOU WWX
IT'S SO FUN WATCHING SU SHE GET UTTERLY DESTROYED THAT I NEED TO RECORD THIS NEXT PART FOR POSTERITY
wwx: it seems that the su clan doesn't get along with the lan clan
ljy: indeed (he says with a disgusted look at su she LOL)
lwj: the su clan is a branch of the lan clan
and here, nhs gets ljy's attention
nhs: what's the story?
LOLOL, NHS YOU GOSSIP YOU
AND THE WAY LJY EAGERLY IS LIKE, HELL YEAH LEMME TELL YOU
lsz interrupts tho so he can give a more tactful explanation
lsz: master nie, you may not know but ss built his own clan after departing from the lan clan
lsz: their techniques are similar to the lan clan's, they're also good at music. even ss's spiritual tool is modeled after hanguang jun's 7-string guqin
ljy: not "departed from." they were expelled for betraying the lan clan. and it's not only that! there are funnier reasons too!
TELL ME MORE LJY. I WANT TO KNOW ALL THE FUNNY REASONS WHY SS WAS KICKED OUT
lsz tries to stop ljy but LJY IS NOT GONNA KEEP HIS OPINIONS TO HIMSELF
ljy: ss not only imitates everything from us, he also forbids ppl from discussing how he imitates hanguang jun
LOL, ATTA BOY LJY
ha, you can hear lsz scolding him in the background
unfortunately ss gets the ability to speak back and immediately gets everyone to start bickering
we see wwx roll his eyes and get this "I am so Done" expression on his face
i feel ya bro
more bickering, ljy giving as good as he gets, which is awesome, and then ljy says something that gives wwx an "aha!" moment
ljy: who are you calling arrogant? which clan's demon-subdue melody was played badly without even noticing?
and with that, wwx figures out how the other cultivators lost their spiritual power. but he's gonna make a show out of explaining it bc Drama.
wwx: lqr, may i ask you a question?
lqr: hmph. if you have a question, why not ask lwj?
wow, very mature of you lqr. what kind of example are you setting for your juniors?
we get a shot of lwj here and he looks at his uncle and then looks away with his mouth pinched
i think that hurt him. he still loves his uncle, after all.
wwx: then i'll ask him
wwx: lan zhan, even tho the su clan departed from the lan clan, they imitated the lan clan exclusive technique, right?
lwj: yes
wwx: one of the techniques is magic music that can exorcise evil with a guqin. since the su clan copied you, lots of their disciples use the guqin too, right?
lwj: yes
wwx: ss left the clan after learning the technique but since he didn't learn it to perfection, his disciples play with many mistakes, right?
GET REKT SU SHE
TODAY IS DRAG SU SHE DAY AND I AM LIVING FOR IT
lwj: yes
wwx: so even if they played music badly during battle, the lan clan wouldn't mind at all. they'd just assume it's careless mistakes. they'd assume someone confuse the score rather than thinking they did it on purpose
then he poses very confidently and says "isn't that right, clan leader su?"
su she goes to pluck the guqin strings and wwx reminds him that he has no spiritual power rn
ss: what are you insinuating by saying all that?
wwx: did i not say it clear enough that you feel like i'm just insinuating?
WWX IS FULL OF ZINGERS TODAY, IT'S AMAZING
and then wwx spells it all out for them bc as all know, these cultivators are all idiots. 
and the episode ends there!
not a lot of wangxiantics aside from the bit at the beginning BUT SO MANY QUALITY LINES FROM WWX AND THE JUNIORS
AND WE GET TO WATCH SU SHE GET DRAGGED FOR HALF AN EPISODE
NOT A BAD WAY TO PASS THE TIME, TBH
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 49: The One with Too Much JGY and Not Enough Wangxian
Very little wangxiantics in this episode, guys, there’s like, VERY LITTLE wangxiantics
The fact that the show is bringing us down to breadcrumbs again is Homophobic 
But let’s get through this!
blah blah blah jgy acts all pathetic blah blah blah lxc engages jgy in a convo blah blah
lwj has to go in and be like, bro, please, don't talk to him
and wwx is like, yeah, you literally just told jc not to talk to him, follow your own advice dude 
lxc is like, hm, you make a good point...i shall continue talking to jgy regardless
jgy continues with his pity party speech and i continue not to care
BUT THEN LXC KNEELS DOWN TO SPEAK WITH JGY MORE INTIMATELY????
WTF LXC STOP THAT RIGHT NOW
lwj is like BRO
lxc is like I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING BRO
and i'm like DO YOU THO?
now he's going to question jgy and counting on him answering truthfully??
WHAT HAS HE DONE TO MAKE YOU THINK HE'LL DO ANYTHING BUT LIE, ZEWU JUN??
so we get a much less entertaining Q&A session accompanied by jgy's flashbacks 
(can we go back to lwj's drunken Q&A sesh? I’d much rather question drunk!lwj than sober!jgy)
the only point i had any actual sympathy was when jgy brings up qin su and her mom bc qin su and her mother deserved better
Ooh, lxc is getting super judgy about jgy killing jgs
This is where you draw the line, lxc?? c’mon.
i mean, judge him for how he did it, sure
there was no need to involve all those innocent women in the murder
but really, killing jgs was the only good act of public service jgy did
give credit where it's due, pal.
HELL YEAH IT'S BITCH-SLAP JGY TIME AGAIN
LOL EVEN WWX AND LWJ LOOK SURPRISED THAT LXC DID THAT
oh noooo lxc is asking about jzx and oh, wwx is PISSED
Wwx grabs the front of jgy's robes and hauls him up and yells in his face “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO? SAY IT!”
cue flashback scene to jgy tricking jzx 
AND NOW MY BRATTY SON IS YANKING THE FRONT OF JGY'S ROBES SCREAMING WHY? WHY? TELL ME WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO IT??
HIS VOICE IS ALL CRACKED AND HOARSE AND HE'S CRYING 
I WANT TO WRAP HIM UP IN BLANKETS AND COZY THINGS AND PROTECT HIM FROM ALL THE BAD THINGS IN THE WORLD
jl collapses to his knees and my beautiful sunshine boy falls to his side and scoops him into his arms 
BC WWX LOVES HIS BRATTY NEPHEW AND GOD DAMN IT, JL DESERVES HUGS AND AFFECTION
oh jgy was about to touch jl's face and i was like DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE I WILL CUT THAT HAND OFF YOU
but then he pulled away bc i am very fearsome actually wwx was glaring at him 
and ofc jgy can't have people being sympathetic to anyone NOT him so he's like, what about me, huh? you never ask why I personally had to suffer!
Cue another flashback in which JGS IS A FUCKING DOUCHEBAG 
I HOPE HE ROTS IN ANCIENT FANTASY CHINA HELL
HALF OF THE PROBLEMS WERE A RESULT OF HIM NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP IT IN HIS FUCKING PANTS
ROBES
WHATEVER
ugh i hate jgy too
he's essentially telling jin ling that oh, i killed your father bc your grandfather was scum of the earth
AS IF JZX AND JL DESERVED TO SUFFER FOR JGS'S SINS
FUCK YOU JGY
suddenly jgy takes my bratty son hostage!!
wwx shouts "JIN LING" as he jerks towards his only nephew
BUT IT'S TOO LATE, jgy already has that garrote AROUND JL'S NECK
WIPE THAT SMUG SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE SU SHE
I WILL END YOU
god i need to stop threatening people, i have no ability to back it up
lol jc is like WWX YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE ALL HIS WEAPONS AWAY!!
and wwx is like I DID! 
siblings always find time to bicker, even in dire situations
lwj tells them that jgy hid the garrote inside his body 
bc lwj is smart and observant
but ewwww, the idea of yanking that gold string out of a vein squicks the hell out of me
yuckyuckyuck it makes my skin crawl
jgy tightens the string around my bratty son's neck and everyone freaks out, obvs 
oh jc loves his nephew so much! he's all like, if you need a hostage take me instead and leave jin ling alone!!
JC IS A GREAT UNCLE, JC LOVES HIS FAMILY SO MUCH, JC DESERVES TO RECONCILE WITH HIS BROTHER AND HAVE A LOVING HAPPY FAMILY
jgy is like, nah bc of Reasons
then my sunshine boy is like, hey aren't you forgetting smth jgy? what about your loyal lackey here?
but ss is an idiot and is like, don't worry about me boss!
and jgy is all, cool thx lackey
now lxc and jgy do some more chitchat i don't care about
suddenly there is ominous knocking on the doors AND A WILD LAN SIZHUI APPEARS!!!
He got chucked into the temple like the football lol
NOW WEN NING IS HERE! HE’S COVERED WITH RESENTFUL ENERGY, CARRYING BAXIA LIKE A BADASS
Dude, for real, wn looks so cool here
letting the tip of the saber scrape ominously against the stone ground and walking with slow measured steps
and baxia is freaking glowing
nhs calls him "brother" but i'm pretty sure he knows it's not nmj and just said it to freak jgy out
wwx ofc recognizes wen ning
AHHHHHH WWX IS DOING HIS EERIE WHISTLE AGAIN, I LOVE IT WHEN HE DOES THAT
SO COOL, WWX, SO COOL!!
his brow is all furrowed when he sees wn is not reacting and he starts to whistle more earnestly
wwx: what's happening? why is wn not listening to me? could it be...?
cut to lwj, looking all serious bc hey, this is actually a serious situation 
lwj: he is possessed by the blade spirit
wn roars and vaults over the distance between him and jgy with baxia raised high and it looks freaking AWESOME
lol we get a quick shot here of nhs panicking and ducking behind su she
jgy lets go of the gold string around jl's neck to flee from wn which gives wwx an opening
Wwx dives forward and wraps himself around jin ling
Then he twirls them to the side away from incoming baxia and crashes them both to the ground where they're safe
as this is happening, lwj sees his opening and draws bichen
we get a quick moment where wwx and jc are both fussing over jl, it’s super sweet!
AND THEN WE GET A SHOT OF JGY'S DISEMBODIED ARM 
THE CAMERA STARTS TO TILT UPWARDS 
WE SEE THE HEM OF LWJ'S PRISTINE WHITE ROBES FRAMED BY BICHEN 
BICHEN HAS RIVULETS OF BLOOD STREAMING DOWN THE BLADE
THE CAMERA CONTINUES TO TILT UPWARD UNTIL WE SEE LWJ STANDING TALL, FACE GRIM AND SERIOUS AND JUST OVERALL HOLDING HIMSELF IN AN IMPOSING BADASS WAY
wwx is looking at him like HOLY SHIT LWJ
Which is a totally reasonable reaction bc holy shit lwj
HA, now jgy only has one arm
I may not be able to follow up on my threats but it is gratifying to see lwj follow through for me lololol
gross, ss is all begging for medicine to help jgy
stfu ss, nobody likes either of you two
wn's blow struck the ground and cracked it before so now he's back up doing his steady creepy walk to finish what he was going to do
lwj's brow furrows and he sits himself down, cross-legged and summons his guqin
lol i love how he summons his instrument tbh
he just wooshes his flowy sleeves and his guqin glitters into existence
it looks very Magical Girl and i appreciate that
someone needs to draw lwj in a Magical Girl outfit IMMEDIATELY
lxc gets his flute out and our lan bros do a duet to chill out the angry sword spirit
LOL WEN NING JUST STEPS ON JGY'S CHOPPED OFF ARM
DO IT AGAIN WN 😆😆😆
let me just say, i'm really enjoying watching jgy and ss cower away from the oncoming wen ning
but oh noo! jl calls out for his evil uncle and draws wn's attention and wn tries to attack him
i guess baxia senses jgy's blood on jl's robes or smth? Idk, doesn’t matter
wwx tries to do some sort of spell to stop wn but it doesn't work and in a fit of panic he yells out “WEN QIONGLIN!”
thankfully this snaps wn out of it enough that he stops baxia like, one inch from my bratty son's face
the lan bros are still doing their Magic Music thing and wn is trying to reign in baxia but baxia's pissed off so everyone’s struggling 
wwx starts his whistling again and it's rattling Plot Device 3
lxc tries to stop wwx but lwj shakes his head at his brother like no, back off
wwx turns to look at lwj, lwj meets his eyes and gives him a single solemn nod
AND WWX SMILES AT HIM BC HIS SOULMATE BELIEVES IN HIS ABILITIES AND TRUSTS HIM!!!
this is the first legit proper wangxiantic moment in the whole episode, what the heck
GIVE ME MORE WANGXIAN AND LESS JGY, PLZ & THX
jc: wei wuxian!!
wwx turns to see his brother and jc FLINGS THE DEMON FLUTE AT WWX bc apparently he's been carrying chenqing around THIS WHOLE TIME??
wwx nods to him (and omg jc is helping him, this is good, this is a step in the right direction!!) and brings chenqing to his lips
we get a shot of lwj staring at wwx as wwx starts to play 
and the background music starts to get SUPER INTENSE and EXCITING as wwx plays
CHENQING STARTS TO OOZE THAT SMOKY RESENTFUL MAGIC STUFF
we get a shot of JC watching wwx play and this is the softest we've seen him look at his brother since he came back from the dead
he's looking at him like it's finally hitting him that wwx is back, his big brother is alive and here and protecting him and jin ling bc that's what family is supposed to do
AND IF I CAN’T HAVE WANGXIANTICS, I WILL ACCEPT YUNMENG BROS TIME AS RECOMPENSE
oooh, Plot Device 3 starts to zoom around and we get a fun bit of camera work so it seems like we're seeing everything from Plot Device 3's perspective
which is kind of adorable for some reason???
it's just zipping along and it sees wwx and wwx guides its attention to where wn is struggling to control baxia
wwx starts to walk, getting both baxia and Plot Device 3 to follow him further into the temple
lwj sees this happening and whooshes away his guqin and follows bc he's always going to follow wwx obvs
WWX IS SO AWESOME, I LOVE WATCHING HIM WORK
EVERYBODY IS STARING AT HIM IN AWE AS THEY SHOULD BE BC MY SUNSHINE BOY IS SKILLED AS HECK
he manages to get baxia into the coffin with nmj before he starts coughing up blood 
But before we can freak out about that, nhs scream in the background 
so everyone runs to check out what's happening there
nhs is all SS WHY'D YOU TRY TO KILL ME OMG MY LEG IS ALL CUT UP NOW, EVERYTHING IS AWFUL, HELP HELP
and ss is like BUT I DIDN'T, HE'S LYING!!!
lol baxia just leaps out of the coffin buries itself in ss's chest
AND THAT’S IT FOR SU SHE
good fucking riddance
But also baxia is nmj's saber
DID IT HEAR NHS AND BE LIKE, NO I CAN'T LET MY MASTER'S BELOVED LITTLE BROTHER GET HURT BY THIS USELESS NOBODY???
BAXIAAAAAA
WHAT A GOOD SABER YOU ARE *CRIES*
wwx starts up his demon flute again even tho baxia seems much more chill now that it has finally killed someone 
But let's watch wwx be a badass on the flute anyway
look at my sunshine boy go! 
look at him corral all that resentful energy!
love my sunshine boy
baxia is finally subdued and wwx lays it and Plot Device 3 in the coffin with nmj
he covers the coffin using some of his wicked awesome red magic stuff
but it's taking a lot out of him i guess bc he stumbles back and lwj is right there to catch him 
bc they're soulmates and they love each other 
aND GOD THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER HERE
JUST, UGH
EVERY TIME THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER MY HEART GETS PALPITATIONS
And this is the only other wangxiantic moment in this episode, wtf show
cut to the next scene, everyone's patching up wounds and whatever
lol we can hear nhs whining like a baby bc omg it hurts it hurts, lxc be more gentle
and lxc is like, chill bro it's just a stab wound
nhs is like JUST a stab wound?? r u kidding me, i'm DYING!!
Which is exactly how i would react to a stab wound lol
now lxc is with jgy and he's like jgy if you do ONE more bad thing, i will definitely finally punish you mercilessly
then he starts checking out his armless shoulder bc lxc really is too good and not all that bright apparently
lol when wwx sees lxc tending to jgy's wounds and his face is like ugh i can't believe this guy
AND THIS IS WHEN WE GET THAT AMAZING AWESOME SHOT OF NHS'S FACE GOING ALL SERIOUS AND, LIKE, VENOMOUS
WE ONLY SEE PART OF HIS FACE, THE OTHER PART COVERED BY LXC'S OUT OF FOCUS FACE
AND NHS GLOWERS AT JGY
oh, my poor sunshine boy is wincing and holding a cloth to his STILL SLUGGISHLY BLEEDING NECK WOUND
SOMEBODY GIVE MY SUNSHINE BOY MEDICINE 
TAKE WHATEVER LXC GAVE TO JGY AND GIVE IT TO MY SUNSHINE BOY STAT
lsz is watching him very intently bc he's figuring out some things about himself and wwx that LWJ DIDN'T HAVE THE GOOD GRACE TO EXPLAIN TO EITHER OF THEM YET
lwj ofc has got his eyes glued on wwx bc, i mean, what else is there worth looking at in the Temple of Doom?
And i guess this counts as a wangxiantic too bc lsz is basically wangxian’s love child anyway!
lxc has the gall to ask nhs to hand him the medicine bottle to tend to FUCKING JGY'S (AKA HIS BIG BROTHER’S MURDERER) WOUNDS
GOD JUST LET JGY BLEED OUT AND DIE ALREADY
nhs is like sure! grabs the medicine bottle and hides it in his robes 
he makes a whole show out of rooting around in his robes to ‘find’ it and lxc goes to him to grab it or whatever so his back is turned to jgy
AND NHS, THAT CLEVER CLEVER BOY, USES THIS CHANCE
he makes a show of looking over lxc's shoulder and shouts LXC LOOK OUT!!
lxc grabs his sword and whirls around and stabs it right into jgy
and nhs is all stuttery and nervously saying how omg he saw jgy reach behind him and he thought he was gonna do something awful so he panicked
Then jgy finally sees nhs AND THAT'S WHERE THE EPISODE ENDS
So another episode with way too much plot stuff, yuck
I mean, we only got 3 actual wangxian moments?? 
What is that about, huh? THAT’S NOT EVERY GAY RIGHTS OF YOU, SHOW!
The next episode is THE LAST and we’re definitely getting wangxiantics there and i will definitely cry about it
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 43: The One where WWX is Soft for Children and Bunnies
we're still in the forbidden chamber
wwx has his detective cap on and is being clever
the lan bros are listening attentively as they should be
wwx: jgy is a sneaky conniving bastard blah blah he vandalizes evil music books blah blah
lots of boring plot talk basically
i'm sitting here like, *sigh* so pretty wwx so pretty
which is what i imagine lwj does all the time...
lol wwx goes to lxc and is like, no offense bro but jgy was a skilled spy during the war who was able to infiltrate and memorize wen ruohan's stuff in their secret chamber. invading this one would've been a piece of cake for him
and lxc is like well damn, guess i better test out all this evil music and see if it actually works
lxc: i'll just test the evil magic music on myself. yep. that way no one gets hurt and that couldn't possibly backfire on me at all
lwj: bro
lxc: bro. i gotta do this bro to clear my bae’s i mean friend's name
LOL lxc is like you all see jgy this way but i see him in a totally different way
YEAH WE KNOW, THAT'S THE PROBLEM
LOLOLOL OMG
lxc turns to gaze off into the middle distance and is like, the jgy in my heart is kind and benevolent blah blah
and behind him wwx crosses his arms and all but rolls his eyes LIKE DUDE YOU'RE COMING TO THE WRONG PERSON FOR SYMPATHY. I'M THE ONE THAT GOT KILLED FOR THINGS YOUR BF DID
oh this moment's interesting
lxc is like, can't you allow me to be cautious about making this decision? 
and lwj takes a step towards him, ready to speak but wwx grabs his upper arm and stops him with a shake of his head
the look lwj gives him just before that was like why are you stopping me?
but wwx knows this isn't something you can push
lwj trusts wwx's judgment and holds back whatever he was going to say
i'm curious as to what he WAS going to tell his brother tho
now lwj is leaving to talk to their uncle and lxc is like, sure i'll take your soulmate back to your room for you
WE'RE GONNA GET SOME BABY!LWJ FLASHBACKS SOON OMG
IT'S GONNA HURT
wwx: since lan zhan isn't here, i wanna ask you about something
lxc: tell me
wwx: what are the whipping scars on lan zhan?
lxc: you don't know?
AND THEIR SONG STARTS PLAYING
wwx: i asked him but he didn't wanna say, so i'm asking you
lxc: yeah, if he doesn't think it's necessary he'll probably never talk about it so i'll tell you instead of respecting my little brother's decisions about his personal life
AND OKAY I'M GLAD HE DID BC IT GIVES US WANGXIAN MOMENTS BUT STILL!! 
lxc: do you remember that one time when wn shot and killed your sister's husband?
on the one hand, HOW COULD HE FORGET but on the other hand, he forgets quite a lot of things actually...
lxc: after wq and the others turned themselves in...*cue flashback*
we're at the burial mounds, lwj is standing by himself before wwx's cave facing down a whole freaking squadron of cultivators
su she: *runs his mouth as if we actually care what he has to say*
lwj: *completely unfazed and expressionless* you are not qualified to speak to me
HELL FUCKING YEAH
WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW EPIC THIS MOMENT IS
LOOK AT LWJ OWN THAT ICE PRINCE PERSONA TO STRIKE DOWN AN IMPUDENT ANT OF A PERSON
su she goes to draw his sword AS IF HE HAS ANY REAL CHANCE OF DEFEATING HANGUANG JUN IN A SWORD FIGHT
but jgy shows up with even MORE cultivators and then does that thing where he compliments the person inconveniencing him and takes control of the situation
jgy: oh hanguang jun is so honorable let's not search wwx's secret cave lab right now
BUT THE GREAT THING IS THAT LWJ DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE HIS PRESENCE
HE DOESN'T LOOK AT HIM OR SU SHE AT ALL
bc lwj is forever Better Than You.
fuck jgy
jgy: even if wwx is alive, the burial mounds is surrounded so there's no way he could come here without us noticing
he says this to lwj all mildly BUT YOU KNOW IT'S A THREAT
He bows (lwj STILL doesn't acknowledge him and it's GREAT) and walks away
then pauses (bc Drama) and is like oh, almost forgot, your uncle is waiting for you at the cloud recesses. And then he just leaves with all his cultivators
this is when lwj finally looks at jgy (or his back, at least since jgy is leaving)
We cut to the next scene that has lwj slamming the point of bichen in the the stone ground, arm bleeding
HE IS VISIBLY SWEATING AND TREMBLING
lxc: lwj made a mess and fought against everyone there
AND WE SEE LWJ FALL TO HIS KNEE, ONE ARM USING BICHEN AS SUPPORT WHILE THE OTHER RESTS ON THE GROUND
but the fall was gradual and jerky, like he was fighting it the whole way down. 
As if the only reason he fell is bc he's used up every ounce his strength and energy he had in his body
lxc: uncle burst into anger and took him back home, punishing him with 300 lashes and repenting in the cold pond cave for 3 years
we cut to the cloud recesses, camera shot from above making lwj, who is kneeling before his uncle and surrounded by disciples, look small AS ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING ON THE CELLO 
his uncle orders them to start beating lwj
AND LWJ TAKES IT LIKE A CHAMP
he barely moves with each strike and MAN THAT DISCIPLE IS NOT HOLDING BACK
oooh, we see him do that fist clench thing which looks even more painful without bichen to grip tbh
dude lwj is clenching his jaw so hard. 
like, he refuses to cry out in pain and it's gotta hurt bc he's bleeding already
lqr: what is rule 52 of the lan clan?
lwj: do not befriend evil
NO HESITATION. SAID IN A STRONG FIRM VOICE
AS IF HE WASN'T CURRENTLY GETTING BEATEN WITH A NIGHTMARE STICK
and lqr is all you have forgotten the fundamental laws of our clan, how can you have the nerve to face your ancestors like this!!
BUT LWJ IS NOT HAVING THAT
HE'LL TAKE THE BEATING BUT HE'S GOING TO MAKE HIS POINT
lwj: i dare ask you, grandmaster, who is right? who is wrong? what is black? what is white?
Bc our boy has learned! He’s learned NUANCE and CRITICAL THINKING and the existence of GRAY AREAS
BC WTF IS THE POINT OF ALL OF THESE STUPID RULES IF THEY DON'T PROTECT THE INNOCENT AND DEFENSELESS?
Bc his soulmate was right all along and he didn’t stand by him when he needed him most and now his soulmate is gone. His soulmate is gone. He’s GONE.
I'M GONNA MAKE MYSELF CRY
lqr: perfect! that's my good student
he does not say this happily. he is in fact SHOUTING this VERY ANGRILY
and here i wanna say, hey lqr, what's that rule about excessive noise...?
cue lwj's fist clench again, which sounds just as painful as the beating tbh
lqr: wangji, you have disappointed me
NOT AS MUCH AS YOU AND YOUR DAMN RULE-BOOK HAVE DISAPPOINTED HIM, YOU JERK
and here we see an ACTUAL VISIBLE SCOWL on our beautiful hanguang jun's face as he continues to be beaten
HOW ANGRY AND TORN UP MUST HE BE TO ACTUALLY SCOWL LIKE THAT??
cut to lwj kneeling at the ice table thing in the cold pond cave, robed in white and face blank but somehow still projecting an aura of cold fury
probably bc the rulebook open in front of him says "eradicate evil, establish laws, and goodness will be everlasting" and he knows that’s bullshit now
but actually this scene is visually very beautiful. 
It’s all in misty shades of pale cold blue and white and everything’s spaced out in a way to emphasize how very very alone lwj is
cut back to the present with wwx and lxc
wwx grips his flute with both hands and looks down like he can't believe what he's hearing
lxc: when lwj was imprisoned i tried to persuade him...but he told me he considered you his confidant soulmate and believed in your integrity
wwx: why would he bother…?
his brow is furrowed and his voice is soft like he truly doesn't seem to understand why lwj would bother to do all that
and on the one hand i wanna scream IT'S BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU, YOU MORON
but on the other hand, everybody else in wwx's life, everyone else he loved, turned on him or died 
and he probably truly believes he deserved all that, and that he is undeserving of lwj's unwavering faith
and then i cry
lxc: do you know what this place is?
shot of the entrance to the silence room aka the jingshi aka lwj's room
wwx: i don't
lxc: it's where our mother lived
wwx is hanging off his every word
lxc: you might find it strange that the wife of the clan leader didn't live with her husband in the frigid chamber
with a name like that i wouldn't want to live there either...
lxc: you might know that our father used to isolate himself for years, not caring about anything...
Not even his sons, apparently!
wwx: i do
and he explains that his father isolated himself bc of his mother or whatever
lxc: this place was more of a prison than a home
It was his mother’s prison. When did he figure that out? Was it when HE WAS STILL A KID??
DID HE FEEL GUILTY FOR SPENDING TIME WITH HIS  MOTHER KNOWING SHE WAS LOCKED UP AGAINST HER WILL??
THE LAN FAM IS SO FUCKED UP OMG
now he's telling us the whole tragic love story
it was love at first sight, he says and wwx is like ah yes, a typical romance
and lxc is like, uh no, she didn't love him back and she murdered his teacher, idk why tho
lxc: but i guess it's all about right and wrong, love and hate
Which is a major theme of the whole show, tbh
OH DAMN
now he's telling wwx about how his dad took his mom to cloud recesses and married her against the clan's approval and that he told them that this was the person he would love for a lifetime, that “whoever tried to drive her out would have to go through him first"
DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU, WWX?
RINGING ANY (WEDDING) BELLS?
DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING AT ALL, WWX?
"after the wedding my father built this house, and locked my mother up"
lxc says this all so calmly and gently, as if he were reading from a story book rather than reciting his immediate family's history
Which is probably a coping mechanism, tbh
this fam is so fucked up, have i mentioned?
lxc: do you understand why my father did all this?
wwx: *nod*
lxc: and do you think he did the right thing?
wwx: i don't know
well, i mean, he married her and locked her up against her will
granted she did murder someone but i get the feeling she probably had good reason to
and now he's telling wwx that they basically had no parents bc they were given off to others to raise them until they were old enough to attend their uncle's lessons
FLASHBACK TO BABY!LWJ READING TO HIS MAMA FROM A LAN CLAN BOOK
HE'S SO CUTE AND TINY AND HIS MAMA IS SO SOFT AND PRETTY. 
SHE LOOKS AT HIM WITH SUCH LOVE, AND RUNS HER HAND THROUGH HIS HAIR SO GENTLY
lxc makes a point here to say that their mother never complained about her imprisonment or how painful it must've been to be trapped like that
BC THEIR MAMA LOVED THEM
lxc: lwj never said anything, but i knew he looked forward to the day we visited mother every month
HOW AWFUL IS THAT, TO BE RESTRICTED TO ONE DAY A MONTH TO SPEND WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE???
Lxc: he did (look forward to seeing mom). and so did i.
cut to baby lwj kneeling in the snow, all little and by himself IN FRONT OF THE JINGSHI, AKA HIS MOM’S PRISON AKA PROBABLY HIS FAVORITE PLACE IN ALL THE CLOUD RECESSES
lxc: one day, uncle told us that we didn't need to go there anymore. mother had gone.
I'M GONNA CRY
HE'S SO LITTLE AND SAD AND HE'S KNEELING SO STILL WITH HIS TINY HANDS IN HIS LAP
like even lqr is moved bc he goes and puts a hand on his shoulder
lxc: we were too young to understand what that meant.
lxc: no matter how others consoled us or how uncle scolded him, lwj still came here every month. he would sit on that porch and wait for someone to open the door.
I'M SOBBING
LWJ HAS SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE WAITING FOR THE PEOPLE HE LOVES
He’s kept himself still and stalwart ever since he was a kid so that if his loved one chose to come back, he’d still be there for them 
I'M HURTING SO MUCH
HE JUST WANTED THEM TO COME BACK AND THINK HE WAS WORTH STAYING FOR. 
GOD I HATE CRYING. I'M A SNOTTY MESS RN
Lxc: when we got older we realized that she would never come back. that no one would ever open the door for him. but he still came.
FUCK
GOD DAMN IT
STOP HURTING ME SO MUCH, WHAT THE HELL
lxc: lwj has always been stubborn since he was very young
lxc: back then, he watched you learn crafty tricks. he didn't say anything, but i knew...that the pain and confusion in his heart was the same as what he felt for our mother
MY GOD, JUST BEAT ME WITH THOSE NIGHTMARE STICKS INSTEAD. THAT WOULD HURT LESS THAN THIS.
wwx's eyes are all red-rimmed and his brow is all pinches and HE JUST SWALLOWED BACK THE LUMP IN HIS THROAT
THE SAME ONE I HAVE RIGHT NOW AS I CRY AND CRY AND CRY
and lxc is like, well, that's enough intense conversation for now, imma do a flute solo
~flute sounds~
and now he's like i tried to persuade lwj before but now that i'm in his shoes it turns out making a decision isn't actually easy to do?? who'd have thought?
oh here comes lwj, all straight-backed and regal as always but no jewelry in his hair! no topknot! he looks so different this way
AND HE HAS TWO JARS OF EMPEROR'S SMILE WITH HIM
AND ~THEIR SONG~ IS PLAYING AGAIN
oh, the way he holds it out to wwx, like an offering at an altar...
cut to inside the jingshi, we get to see him uncap one of the jars and pour a drink out for his soulmate. 
like, the camera is specifically focused on his hands
which, hey, i’ve seen the tags ppl, i know some of you are Into That so take the time to enjoy this
then we get a shot of all of him and he looks so so soft and exposed and vulnerable  here?? with his hair down in his own room, pouring a drink for his wei ying
it's beautiful
wwx walks in and watches as lwj starts to pour himself a cup of tea
THIS IS A LOT. 
~Their Song~ playing sweetly, no other sounds except the quiet clinks of the cups and teapot. And all of lwj’s actions are just...light
wwx: lan zhan…
GOD I JUST WANT TO SCREENCAP THIS WHOLE SCENE
the shot of lwj here, while he’s focused on pouring his tea. 
the way his head is angled and the wisps of his hair frame his face. 
he takes up a good portion of the screen without seeming domineering or forceful, just...peacefully existing in the space
and then we cut back to wwx's face, his mouth open as he takes a breath 
He wants to say something, anything, but you can see on his face that he can't make the words come
Like he doesn’t want to disturb the moment with whatever he was going to say, bc it’s a fragile moment
and then this brief literally-2-seconds shot of lwj to the right, sitting at the table 
the table is set up so beautifully with the jars of emperor's smile and their cups. and he's looking up and the lighting AND AHHHHHH
IT'S JUST A VERY BEAUTIFUL TWO SECONDS AND I'VE STARED AT IT FOR MUCH TOO LONG ALREADY
lwj: what?
and wwx can't even really return his gaze. he looks just as vulnerable here but, unlike lwj, he also looks awkward, like he’s nervous in his vulnerability same ,wwx, same
wwx tries to say thank you but it comes out stuttered and soft while lwj watches him patiently
wwx mumbles to himself "it's awkward to say it out loud" and his eyes flicker back and forth for a second as his mouth pinches, agitated 
BC IT IS MEGA AWKWARD
FEELINGS ARE AWKWARD
AND AS LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS WWX CAN BE, IT'S NEVER ABOUT HIS FEELINGS.
wwx: *clears throat* i mean...the burden on your brother's shoulders is tremendous
smooth transition, wwx, very smooth
but at least it allowed him the chance to sit at the table with lwj
wwx: after all, jgy is his sworn brother. if i were him...
he trails off awkwardly and it feels even MORE awkward bc the background music just ends suddenly and it's silent for us, the audience
lwj doesn't say anything and instead gently moves the cup of wine towards wwx.
once that's done he says "if there's evidence, my brother won't tolerate it."
but he doesn't look at wwx and his face is somber
wwx: that's true. he's got his principles
finally lwj looks at him
lwj: you didn't tell him.
wwx: tell him what?
lwj: about the flute on qiongqi way
wwx: you know about that?
lwj: i asked wen ning. he said he heard a second flute
wwx: i thought i was hearing things until nightless city *insert flashback here*
cut to next scene. wwx is standing just outside the jingshi doors with a jar in his hand as it snows
lwj steps up next to him and ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING
they're still talking about the flute and how wwx is confident now that there was a second one used to frame him basically. he's quietly angry here.
lwj immediately says it was jgy but wwx responds with "maybe, maybe not"
lwj looks at him, "you don't want to know the answer?"
bc lwj does. he wants to know who framed his soulmate, causing the suffering that lead to his death
wwx: at first i really wanted to but now i just want to say, 'whatever. screw it!'
he says with a laugh and then takes a swig from his wine jar
wwx put down that wine jar, you've obviously had too much already.
wwx: lan zhan, i actually think whether i know the answer or not won't be of much importance for me. after all, in ppl's minds, the yiling patriarch did bad things. even if i expressed my grievances, people still won't trust me
and he smiles
MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY
He says, "Sometimes the world only needs an excuse or target that everyone can hate"
PAINFULLY TRUE
and then he says something along the lines that it doesn't matter, if he wasn't made the target, someone else would have been
BASICALLY HE'S JUST VERY DISILLUSIONED HERE 
THE WORLD SHOULD FEEL ASHAMED FOR DISAPPOINTING HIM
now we hear the sound of a guqin playing ~Their Song~
lwj at his guqin playing their song to soothe his soulmate
wwx: *voiceover* i was lonely back then. the few who believed in me were dead, wen ning, jyl. Luckily…
and here we get the crescendo of the opening theme as we cut to lwj. 
the voiceover changes from wwx to lwj
lwj: in this world, there is still someone who trust you
I'M HAVING A LOT OF FEELINGS RIGHT NOW
voiceover switches back to wwx and we get a shot of wwx watching lwj play
wwx: lan zhan, i toast to you. i'm glad to have one true friend
SO MANY FEELINGS
and then i get distracted as wwx does that thing where he pours wine into his mouth and spills half of it down his VERY INDECENTLY EXPOSED THROAT
shot of lwj thinking: for nothing else but a clean conscience
shot of wwx thinking: no matter how they slander me, i know i have a clean conscience
EVEN THEIR THOUGHTS ARE IN SYNC OMG
AND ~THEIR SONG~ IS STILL PLAYING BUT NOW IT'S THE GUQIN AND THE FLUTE COMING TOGETHER
wwx gazes tenderly at lwj and whispers: lan zhan. i'm sorry...and thank you
AND WE GET THE ACTORS’ VOCALS ADDED IN TO ~THEIR SONG~ AS LWJ LOOKS UP AND SEES WWX WATCHING HIM
AND I'M HAVING SO MANY FEELINGS
I WOULD LIKE TO GET DISTRACTED BY WWX'S INDECENTLY EXPOSED THROAT AGIAN PLZ
cut to the next day with lxc meditating and our boys hiding behind a privacy screen
lwj is in perfect posture, eyes closed and meditating calmly while wwx keeps listing to the side and jolting awake bc meditating IS FOR NERDS
lol except this time he lists to the opposite side and falls into lwj's shoulder with a cute little gasp
lwj gives him a look and wwx quickly arranges himself into a sloppy lotus pose
jgy walks in and our boys are immediately on alert peeking through the privacy screen 
(which actually isn't all that private. you can see through half of it??)
now we get a moment for lxc and jgy in which jgy returns the jade token and it’s, like, a Thing
BUT WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM
LET'S SEE OUR BOYS' REACTION TO WHAT JGY HAS TO SAY
wwx is watching lwj as jgy says something about how they don't have info on lwj and wwx yet and lwj closes his eyes against the news
i think he's upset he's placed his brother in this position...
now we're informed that there are active puppets in the burial mounds
lxc is like, well it can't be wwx bc he was stabbed
and jgy is like he's been stabbed before and controlled puppets alright then!
meanwhile wwx behind the screen scoffs and thinks "they think too highly of me"
also, like, jgy was trying to get lxc to give them up by saying how lwj would be safe bc of his great reputation
Honestly, it really just goes to show that these people don't actually care about your actions. they've made their assumptions and they'll stick to them no matter what and IT'S SUPER FRUSTRATING
plot talk plot talk sworn trio moment plot talk
now lxc is off to carp tower while our boys prepare for a field trip to the burial mounds
LIL APPLE AND THE BUNNIES!!
our boys are by a stream and there's bunnies all over the place and wwx is telling lil apple they're leaving
~THEIR SONG~ STARTS UP AGAIN
AHHHHHHHHH, LOOOK!!! THERE’S TEENY TINY SMILE ON LWJ'S FACE AS HE PUTS DOWN BICHEN TO PICK UP ONE OF THE BUNNIES
EVERYTHING IS ADORABLE
WWX GETS THAT LITTLE MISCHIEVOUS SMILE ON HIS FACE AS HE GOES TO POKE THE BUNNY
AND HE MAKES SILLY NOISES AT IT AND IS ALL INSULTED THAT THE BUNNY DOESN'T REACT
SO CUTE!!
wwx: see? they only like you *pout* they're only loyal to their owner
so lwj wordlessly hands over the bunny BC IF HIS SOULMATE WANTS BUNNIES, HIS SOULMATE IS GETTING BUNNIES
the bunny wriggles and wwx is like "don't try to run. you can never run away from me. stay here bunny!"
IT'S SO CUTE I'M GONNA DIE
HE'S JUST PETTING THE BUNNY ALL OVER AND USING A PLAYFUL VOICE WHILE TALKING TO IT AND EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL
Don’t be jealous of a bunny don’t be jealous of a bunny don’t be jealous of a bunny
wwx looks over to lwj: lan zhan, it's so strange. i know we're going on a dangerous mission but i don't feel scared at all
then he goes back to the bunny and wiggles it around SO CUTELY: do you think it's strange too? what do you think?
AND HE'S GOT THE BIGGEST SMILE
lwj: it's getting late. let's go
wwx: okay *pets bunny* little bunny, we're leaving~
THIS SHOW SHOULD ONLY EVER BE ABOUT BUNNIES, I'VE DECIDED
BUNNIES DON'T HURT ME 
now we cut to them at the entrance of the cloud recesses
lil apple is being stubborn and the bunnies are on the steps
wwx: they hate to see you go.
and wwx looks at lwj all playfully
wwx: i never thought that hanguang jun would be so popular among the little animals
and then he finishes with AN ADORABLE LITTLE POUT: bc i'm not
lwj: why not?
wwx: all little animals regardless of their habitat run when they see me. isn't that right lil apple? *proceeds to bully the donkey*
lwj: *walks off bc he does not condone animal abuse or smth*
wwx: wait for me hanguang jun!!
NOW WE'RE ON A DIRT PATH
LWJ IS HOLDING THE LIL APPLE'S LEAD WHILE WWX RIDES LIL APPLE
HE’S PLAYING HIS FLUTE AND THEN STARTS PLAYING ~THEIR SONG~!!!!
AND LWJ LOOKS TOWARDS HIM HIS EYES ALL TENDER AND FULL OF LOVE
WWX IS SMILING WHILE HE PLAYS
EVERYTHING IS STILL WONDERFUL
LWJ HAS ONE OF HIS ALMOST-SMILES ON HIS FACE
wwx: lan zhan, i wanna know, back in the murder turtle cave, what was the name of the song you sang to me?
lwj: why do you ask?
wwx: just tell me the name. i think i've figured out how you recognized me
wwx: tell me what song it is. who's the composer?
lwj: me
wwx: so you composed it?!
lwj: hm
wwx: what's the name then?
THIS IS SUCH A CAREFREE PLEASANT CONVERSATION AND I LOVE IT
lwj: what do you think?
wwx: you're asking my opinion?
he gets this huge smile on his face and giggles
wwx: i think i'll call it...
lwj: i'm thirsty, let's look for water
IT'S RUDE TO INTERRUPT LWJ
they find a random house and wwx proceeds to steal a melon
but they're interrupted so they hide like the CRIMINALS THEY ARE lol
and we see mr & mrs mianmian with little mianmian!!
mr mianmian is all if you run off again the yiling patriarch will eat you!
little mianmian is like I'M NOT SCARED, mama says the yiling patriarch doesn’t bully good people
and that's how mianmian and her husband and daughter get guaranteed invites to their future wedding
we cut to wwx and lwj 
wwx is nodding enthusiastically like THAT'S RIGHT, I DON'T HURT INNOCENT PEOPLE, IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT'S ACKNOWLEDGED
ohhhhh really liking how mianmian draws her sword and demands the criminals to show themselves
Lol, she's like WHO'S THERE? and wwx literally answers, UM, NO ONE??
lwj purses his lips like, really?? and comes out of hiding
Mianmian is shocked to find hanguang jun hiding on her property obvs, but is also excited to recognize wwx
wwx: *internally* why does this lady know me?? did she have a problem with me or did i provoke her??
then wwx recognizes her!! he's very excited about it!
and we end the episode on a high note there!!
We get to see the only functional, happy (and alive) marriage in the entire cultivation world!!
And yeah, we got our hearts torn out by kid!lwj but we were rewarded with soft domesticity AND bunnies right after!!!
Overall good quality wangxiantics
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trensu · 4 years
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Episode 48: The One where JGY and SS Host a Pity Party and Everyone Wishes They Hadn't
The show just dunks us right into yunmeng bro feelings again
jc's all should i get on my knees and thank you?
and wwx is like i never wanted your thanks
and now jc is just spilling his insecurities all over the place
Blah wwx was always better than him blah blah everyone liked wwx more blah blah DADDY ISSUES blah blah blah
and wwx just looks more and more hurt as all this bitterness is pouring out of his little brother 😞
i mean even jl was like hey uncle, maybe don't do that???
lwj is glaring at jc the whole time ofc
and jc gets so mad he tries to start a physical fight EVEN THO HE HAS A GAPING STAB WOUND IN THE CHEST
which is actually quite hilarious if you ignore how utterly heartbreaking the yunmeng bros relationship is
thankfully jl and lxc hold him back (not that he could've gone very far bc again GAPING STAB WOUND)
and ofc lwj has to throw in his two cents
lwj: clan leader jiang. Discretion
oh lwj, a man of few words
Oh no, ohno, oh nooooo, jc’s starting on their oath oh god
“YOU SAID THAT I WOULD BE THE CLAN LEADER AND YOU WOULD BE MY SUBORDINATE. YOU WOULD ASSIST ME FOR LIFE”
“SO WHAT IF THE TWIN JADES OF GUSU ARE THERE. WE WERE THE TWIN HEROES OF YUNMENG”
*GROSS SOBBING*
CAN I TOO GET A GAPING STAB WOUND IN THE CHEST BC I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WOULD HURT LESS
OH GOD WWX'S EYES ARE ALL RED
"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING. YOU TREAT ME LIKE A LITTLE FOOL."
OH THIS HURTS SO MUCH
that last bit, tho. i can't even hold that against him bc wwx DID lie to him. he DID neglect to trust him and his judgement. 
he took jc's choice away and made it for him, and that's not cool. 
and, like, i get it, I do bc i would probably want to do the same thing wwx did if i were in a similar situation with my own siblings
BUT STILL
jc: shouldn't i hate you? can't i hate you?
WHICH REALLY JUST TELLS ME THAT HE DOESN'T HATE WWX
HE WOULD NOT BE THIS TORN UP, THIS TEARFUL MESS, IF HE DIDN'T STILL LOVE HIS BROTHER AND WANT HIM BACK
this whole time jc is inching towards wwx, getting closer and closer until he's close enough to punch him if he wanted
Jc does make a sudden sharp movement towards wwx 
Which obvs has lwj jolting forward to protect wwx
But wwx IMMEDIATELY puts a hand on lwj's knee
jin ling darts forward to hold his uncle and is like, hanguang jun, my uncle's hurt!!
BC JC IS THE ONLY NOT EVIL AND/OR DEAD FAMILY HE HAS LEFT 
AND EVEN JL KNOWS THAT LWJ IS SO VERY WILLING TO HURT ANYONE WHO HURTS WWX
I AM HAVING TOO MANY EMOTIONS
jc's angry and hurting and is like i'm not afraid of lwj, come at me bro
lwj GLARES at him, brow furrowed and mouth pinched
jc: why? why wwx? why didn't you tell me?
oh god, he's not even yelling anymore, he's just fucking crying and i'm crying and there's just wet icky tears everywhere
wwx takes a shuddery breath and tells him it's bc he didn't want to see him like this
JC: you said i would be clan leader and you would be my subordinate. you would assist me for life. you'd never betray the jiang clan. you said it yourself
HE'S NOT YELLING. HE'S NOT EVEN ANGRY
his voice is weak, and shaky, and weepy and he's just so, so hurt
AND I'M A SOBBING MESS
and wwx swallows passed the lump in his throat but his voice still sounds a bit raw when he speaks
wwx: i'm sorry. i broke my promise.
FUCK 
FUCKING HELL
MY YUNMENG BROS
jc: we've reached this point. i don't need your apology now. i'm not that delicate
STFU JC, YOU BALD-FACED LIAR, "NOT THAT DELICATE" 
YOU'RE AS MUCH OF A SOBBING WRECK RN AS I AM
GET A THERAPIST JC
"NOT THAT DELICATE" I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE IS WHAT I'M GONNA DO. GOD. NOT THAT DELICATE
JC: i'm sorry
*sobsobsobsob* MY YUNMENG BROS
wwx: don't apologize to me. that's what i owed the jiang clan.
here wwx closes the distance between them to place a hand on his brother's arm
HUG HIM GOD DAMN IT, LET MY YUNMENG BROS HAVE A PROPER HUG
wwx: as for this matter, please don't keep it in your heart.
and he goes on to say smth like i know you probably won't let go, but it's water under the bridge, that was all stuff that happened in my past life
AND THEN HE REACHES UP AND GENTLY WIPES AWAY JC'S TEARS WITH HIS THUMB
AND GIVES HIM A SWEET LITTLE SMILE
AND I'M DYING. MY HEART HURTS SO MUCH I'M DYING
I SHOULD'VE KEPT A BOX OF TISSUES NEAR ME, MY SLEEVES ARE ALL SNOTTY AND DISGUSTING NOW, DAMN IT ALL
AND THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST 10 MIN OF THE EPISODE WTF
I’VE BEEN REDUCED TO A SNIFFLING WEEPING MESS IN 10MIN FLAT WTF 
yunmeng bro moment ends (thank god) and we cut to the next scene where nhs is oh so conveniently regaining consciousness
now all the diggers are screaming to remind us that oh yeah, there's like Plot Stuff here, it's not just about the yunmeng bros
ss gives jgy some meds bc he's hurt or smth, who gives a damn
our boys follow jgy back to the dig site for Plot Reasons
and SURPRISE!! we have nmj's no-longer-headless dead body!!
lwj and wwx look at each other like WTF??
oooooh boy, nhs gave jgy the dirtiest look
wwx is being Clever again and pointing out Plot Relevant Things 
ss gets all offended and holds wwx at sword point 
but there's lwj with bichen in its scabbard, one step in front of him and ready to block anything ss sends their way bc lwj is not gonna let wwx get hurt if he can help it
ss is all like wwx you set him up! And wwx’s face is like, i aint even bovvered
wwx: i'm saying this with all modesty, but if i were the one who set him up, i'm afraid he wouldn't have just gotten one arm hurt
HOT DAMN
LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY
and here my sunshine boy is being all Clever again and laying out all the facts and explaining how there's a 3rd party involved in all this
LOLOLOL HE'S REALLY PLAYING THIS UP FOR JGY TOO
he's like, there might be a predator behind you, the guy who's been spying on you this whole time...HE MIGHT NOT EVEN BE HUMAN
oh wwx, so Dramatic™
but hey it's working bc jgy looks spooked as hell
LOLOLOL
HE SEES JGY START FREAKING OUT AND HE LOOKS OVER TO LWJ AND GRINS AT HIM LIKE, HEY LAN ZHAN, SEE WHAT I DID, LOL, I SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS LOSER, DID YOU SEE? 
oh, now wwx and jc are bound by the wrists but not lwj, for some reason? 
Which, rude, why deny lwj the chance to be tied up? Let him try new experiences! What if he likes to be tied up? 
NOW HE’LL NEVER KNOW BC YOU DIDN’T LET HIM TRY IT
jgy and ss have a moment that i don't care about but i have to mention it
bc RIGHT AFTER we see our precious beautiful sunshine boy lean WAY into lwj's space to talk shit about them
like, seriously, just a couple inches more, and wwx would be resting his cheek on lwj's shoulder 
IT'S WONDERFUL AND I WISH HE'D GET EVEN CLOSER
shockingly, lwj is NOT as distracted as i would be having wwx that close 
bc he's studying ss and SUDDENLY SEES HE'S GOT THE HUNDRED-HOLES CURSE ON HIM 
which btw, EWW?? THAT'S THE GROSSEST THING EVER 
I REALLY WISH THEY'D STOP SHOWING IT SO MUCH BC IT MAKES MY SKIN CRAWL
he tells ss to turn around to get a better look and wwx sees it too!! he's like, IT WAS YOU!!!
and for the audience's benefit, nhs goes to lxc and is all what's going on???
lxc and jc gives some exposition about blah blah blah stuff we know about already
amidst all this we keep getting shots of wwx looking stunned and hurt (but still oh-so-beautiful)
wwx: jgy, i didn't do anything against you back then. we were not even that familiar. you wanted to kill jzx. why did you push that on me?
HE LOOKS SO HURT AND ANGRY AND CONFUSED BC WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE HIM? WHY DID JGY HAVE TO USE HIM??
and lwj is watching wwx while he shouts this and god how can he stand watching his soulmate be hurt over and over and over again?? HOW DOES HE COPE?
jgy does a mini Rant of Evil Explanation and ss does a rant about classism
which, if said by literally anybody else, i'd say hm, yes, you have a point 
but bc it's said by ss, a spineless coward who never takes responsibility for his own actions, i'm like STFU SS
omg lolololol
ss: would i have been swept out of lan clan like a pile of leaves [if I were highborn]??
AND ICE PRINCE LWJ ANSWERS ALMOST BEFORE SS COULD FINISH ASKING
lwj: Yes.
AND THEN HE LOOKS SS DEAD IN THE EYE
lwj: betrayers won't be tolerated by the lan clan
HELL FUCKING YEAH
YOU WEREN'T KICKED OUT BC YOU WERE LOW-BORN, SS
YOU WERE KICKED OUT BC YOU'RE A TRAITOROUS COWARD
and like, i need to point out that lwj is sitting cross legged on the ground right now (along with wwx, ofc) and ss is standing over him while ranting
and YET, the way lwj holds himself and the way he speaks, does in no way indicate that he's at a disadvantage here
dude's unflappable. JADE OF LAN, INDEED
ss is like i am so sick of your condescending attitude
then he's like just bc i made that one little mistake you could never forgive me!!
FUCKING EXCUSE ME??? 
LITTLE? LITTLE MISTAKE??? 
HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED BC OF YOU SS?
HOW MANY DIED BC YOU BETRAYED THEM??
ss continues to rant and starts to go off his rocker
and then wwx starts to laugh but it's not a happy laugh
it is, in fact, a laugh very similar to the laugh we heard in The One where the Moonlit Rooftop Betrays Us
ss is like, what's so funny???
wwx: nothing. i just didn't expect...
AND HE'S GETTING TEARY HERE EVEN AS HE LAUGHS
WWX: i didn't expect you to get so many people killed just for...just for this
HE LOOKS SO DISILLUSIONED
MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY
THE WORLD KEEPS DISAPPOINTING HIM
omg i want to RING JGY'S NECK WITH ZIDIAN
HE'S GETTING ALL UP IN WWX'S FACE
TELLING HIM THAT NO MATTER HOW KIND OR CHIVALROUS HE IS, HE WILL ALWAYS BE BLAMED FOR ANY BAD THING THAT HAPPENS, THAT NO ONE WILL EVER BELIEVE OR TRUST HIM
FUCK YOU JGY I HATE YOU SO MUCH
MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY IS TREMBLING WITH RAGE
bc he knows it's true. ppl really ARE always going to suspect the yiling patriarch.
oooh, jc just defended his brother! sort of.
But it has the unfortunate side effect of drawing jgy’s attention
so now jgy is cutting into jc
god jgy talks a lot. stfu jgy.
wwx has been teary eyed on and off this entire episode so far but hasn't actually cried
but jgy is now belittling all of jc's work, all the effort he put in to rebuilding lotus pier, implying that he wouldn't have been able to do if not for wwx
and that's the breaking point, that's what makes wwx finally shed a tear.
lwj is watching wwx, as always, and sees wwx cry
he must feel utterly helpless
ooooh, MY CLEVER SUNSHINE BOY
EVEN AMIDST ALL THIS TERRIBLE EMOTIONAL PAIN, HE PICKED UP ON JGY'S TRIGGER WORD(S)
wwx: just a "son of a whore" made you talk so much
oooh jgy tries to leave but wwx stops him in his tracks by asking him how he killed nmj
and then he's like "aren't you afraid?"
CHILLS, MAN, I'M GETTING CHILLS AT HOW HE DELIVERS THIS
SO CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED YET TINGED WITH A THREAT
jgy: afraid of what? (lol he whirls around angrily like the Drama queen he is)
wwx leans forward and looks him dead in the eye
wwx: afraid of him coming back to you
AND THE SMIRK HE WEARS
THAT'S THE SMIRK OF THE YILING PATRIARCH 
He smirks and leans back against the pillar, all easy and relaxed while jgy looks freaked the fuck out
and then
THEN
WWX STARTS TO WHISTLE
RESENTFUL ENERGY COMES IN TO STROKE AT JGY'S ARM ALL MENACINGLY
I'M GETTING CHILLS ALL OVER 
THIS IS SUCH A BADASS MOVE ON WWX'S PART
and also, holy shit do i enjoy those close up shots of wwx's eyes and his beautiful beautiful lips
the sound team did a great job making those whistles sound super eerie, btw
i can't get over how cool and confident wwx looks here
he's not worried or bothered AT ALL, this is him doing what he does best
Wait, do i have a competency kink…?
LOL JGY JUST GOT BITCHSLAPPED BY RESENTFUL ENERGY, LOVE IT
wwx has stopped whistling now, which is unfortunate bc that means no more extreme close-ups on wwx's gorgeous features
jgy: yiling patriarch, you're worthy of your title, aren't you?
YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT HE IS!
Okay yeah, i guess i have a competency kink now, THANKS A LOT WWX
FUCKING SU SHE JUST TRIED STABBING WWX
LWJ TO THE RESCUE, HELL YEAH
OUR MAN HANGUANG JUN LEAPS TO HIS FEET AND NOT ONLY BLOCKS THE STRIKE
HE FREAKING SLICES SU SHE'S WEAK ASS SWORD IN TWO 
THEN FOLLOWS UP WITH A SLICE AT SU SHE'S WRIST
I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN
Lwj calmly goes over to wwx and slices off the ropes that were keeping his wrists tied and does the same to jc
wwx goes up to jgy (who's held at sword point by lxc) and calmly takes his weapons
wwx: jgy, hand it over. it's not of much use in your hands.
with a deceivingly dainty clink, Plot Device 3 rolls out of jgy's sleeve and into his hand
then he lets it fall to the ground bc he's a petty bitch that way
we get to see wwx being all Smart Detective and revealing just how long jgy has been planning all this 
jgy’s all like even between me and xy we could only create Plot Device 3 half as powerful as Plot Device 2
LOLOL THAT'S BC THE TWO OF YOU ARE WORTHLESS HACKS.
WWX HAS MORE SKILL AND TALENT IN HIS PINKY FINGER THAN THE BOTH OF YOU COMBINED
man there's a lot of Plot Exposition happening and lxc is having Feelings about it.
DON'T FUCKING LOWER YOUR SWORD LXC WHAT ARE YOU DOING
look lxc, i don't mean to sound cruel or heartless or whatever, but omg i do NOT CARE about your complicated Emotions right now
NOT WHEN IT'S GIVING JGY THE OPENING TO MANIPULATE AN ESCAPE
jgy is now being like "oh, i was wrong" and acting all pitiful and TOTALLY PLAYING LXC FOR A FOOL (AGAIN)
wwx: hey, jgy, can't we stop talking? let's just fight? can we just start killing each other?
LOLOLOLOLOL 
HE TOTALLY SAW THAT JGY WAS MANIPULATING THE SITUATION AGAIN AND IS LIKE, NOPE, NOT DOING THAT AGAIN
LESS WORDS MORE SWORDS PLZ
LIKE, MY BOY IS JUST DONE. HE IS DONE WITH THIS. LET'S GET TO THE FIGHT NOW THX.
jgy ignores this and keeps talking to lxc AND OMG WWX'S FAAAAACE IS CRACKING ME UP 
GOD WORDS ARE NOT GONNA DO IT JUSTICE
HE JUST LOOKS AT JGY FOR A SECOND LIKE, SRSLY BRO? BEFORE ROLLING HIS EYES AND SCRUNCHING UP HIS EYEBROWS LIKE "CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THIS GUY, JFC"
IT'S SO FREAKING FUNNY OMG
meanwhile jgy continues to throw a pity party that no one likes and the episode ends
There really wasn’t much wangxian time in this episode, fucking jgy and ss decided to HOG ALL THE SCREEN TIME, THOSE PATHETIC WHINY ASSHOLES
but we got a lot of Yungmeng Bros which was painful but waaaay better than anything jgy or ss has to offer
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trensu · 4 years
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Episode 6: the One Where LWJ is Drunk and Gets Married
YES, GUYS GALS AND NB PALS, WE ARE AT THIS MOST WONDERFUL EPISODE.
OUR FIRST INTRODUCTION TO DRUNKJ!LWJ
AND THE HANDFASTING THAT INSPIRED A MILLION FICS
Okay, to set the scene, we’ve got JC, NHS and WWX having a sneaky drinking party with Forbidden Alcohol
Obviously, LWJ can spidey-sense when a rule is being violently broken so he appears at the scene of the crime to BREAK UP THE PARTY (or possibly a threesome?? He’s not sure but he’s gonna put a stop to that immediately)
HIS SERIOUS BB FACE IS SUPER ADORABLE HERE, GUYS
LIKE, I’M MORE PARTIAL TO WWX BUT UGH, LWJ IS SO CUTE HERE???
IT’S AWFUL
WWX: *bounces right into lwj’s space* join us for a drink lan zhan!! We earned it after defeating the Haunted Water!!
LWJ: *stares over wwx’s shoulder* alcohol is forbidden in the cloud recesses
WHY WON’T YOU LOOK HIM IN THE FACE, LWJ?? IS IT BECAUSE HE’S SO CLOSE TO YOU SUDDENLY???
WWX: chill out dude *playfully tugs on lwj’s sleeve*
Oh man, the glare that lwj shoots at wwx’s hand here could have started a fire. I mean, it must have at least burned a little with how quickly wwx lets go
LWJ: Report to the Punishment Chamber
Did they have to call it ‘punishment chamber’??
It sounds like some kind of kinky sex dungeon, which, like, to each their own,(i’ll read some kinky sex dungeon fic every once and a while, myself)
But this is Ancient Fantasy China summer school…seems a little inappropriate in context
ANYWAY
WWX again tries to coax LWJ in to having a drink with them. He doesn’t understand how someone can just…not drink alcohol. Oh wwx, you budding alcoholic you
And here WWX nobly sacrifices himself to save his drunk buddies by distracting lwj (who was about to call for backup, like a narc) and pins some sort of mind-control talisman on him
Wwx: sit and have a drink with me!
Lwj: *sits down and takes a shot*
Lwj: *passes out*
Wwx: omg i killed him. WAKE UP YOU CAN’T STAY HERE!! YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM!! 
Wwx: *proceeds to gently guide lwj onto the bed*
You know after that initial panic, wwx looks too damn pleased with himself, especially after he gets lwj to call him wei-gege
Wwx suddenly notices that lwj’s ribbon is off kilter and informs him of it bc that’s what friends do
Wwx: your ribbon is crooked
Lwj: *scandalized gasp* crooked??
Why’s he so adorable when he’s drunk?? LOOK AT HIM TRYING TO SEE HIS OWN FOREHEAD AND GETTING ALL CROSS-EYED, WHAT A CUTIE
Wwx: i can help!! 
Lwj: *slaps wwx’s hand* Go Away
Wwx: you’re making it worse!!
Lwj: *slaps wwx’s hand away harder* DON’T TOUCH! THE RIBBON IS ONLY FOR FAMILY AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
And now we have a way to measure their queer queer love for each other without making the censors mad
How does this show do it?? This is gayer than most of the stuff aired in the US and the US doesn’t even have that kind of censorship laws media producers here are a bunch of COWARDS, disney i’m looking at you
Wwx: lol, significant others, really?
Lwj: what’s so funny
Wwx: nobody’s gonna marry into the lan clan with your thousands of dumb rules and chronic allergy to fun
LOLOLOL BOY HAS NO CLUE. JUST YOU WAIT WWX, YOU’RE GONNA EAT THOSE WORDS
Wwx: nope, you are gonna be Forever Alone
Lwj: …that’s fine
This is actually kind of heartbreaking tbh
He’s so resigned and pretending so hard not to care!!
HE TRULY BELIEVES HE’S NOT LOVABLE *UGLY CRYING*
Idk how the actor did it bc lwj still has a very placid expression on his face but it somehow manages to convey like, a sense of loneliness while still looking adorably drunk?? Idk man, i think black magic might be involved
All this to say POOR BB LAN ZHAN, COME HERE SWEETIE AND LET ME HUG YOU. YOU’RE GONNA BE FINE, I SWEAR.
Wwx is so incredulous at this response. Like he totally believes lwj would be okay staying alone forever but he doesn’t understand it
Bc wwx is a dumb teenage boy who doesn’t yet have the emotional intelligence to see that lwj is just saying that bc he’s scared and hurting
Now we get to see an acute case of Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome like we did back in episode 2!
Wwx: your mother must be so bored here all the time
DAMN IT WWX
WHAT IS IT WITH HIM AND BRINGING UP PEOPLE’S DEAD MOTHERS???
LWJ: i don’t have a mother 
He says flatly HIDING HIS SORROW
*UGLY SOBBING*
HE’S SO SAD AND LONELY GUYS
IT HURTS TO LOOK AT
WWX: you can’t not have a mother! Somebody gave birth to…oh.
There’s a crack vid somewhere on youtube with this scene voiced over “it was at that moment he realized…he Fucked Up”
And it’s true
Dumb boy
Here WWX makes up by sharing his sad orphan story with LWJ. it’s so sweet
THEIR SONG IS PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND WHILE THIS EXCHANGE HAPPENS
UGH THIS SHOW
LISTEN, ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED ALREADY AND WE’RE BARELY 10 MINUTES INTO THE EPISODE
LIKE, WHAT??
HOW. HOW CAN YOU GIVE ME SO MANY FEELINGS IN TEN MINUTES. THE FIRST TEN MINUTES OF THE EP EVEN.
WWX: my parents died when i was four and I can’t remember their faces–but i do remember getting chased by feral dogs
POOR BB WWX
HE CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER THEIR FACES 
OH, but we do get to see Actual BB!wwx in a brief flashback (within a flashback, remember this summer school business is not present time, how weird is that) and he’s riding a donkey while his mama and papa walk beside him. It’s adorable.
And after all that Emotional Vulnerability, he’s like “i’ll drink to that bro!” and makes a toast
I actually kind of like the toast he makes here with lwj tho
He tells him “may we never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is worth forgetting”
Idk if that’s like, a traditional toast or something he made up on the spot, but i like it
We get a brief moment of plot development here. 
AND OOOOH, THEY’RE ABOUT TO GET IN TROUBLE!!
So some Lan SNITCH barges into the room where lqr and lxc are at and is all “we caught wwx drinking Forbidden Alcohol!” and lxc’s expression is all gently amused
but then Lan Snitch continues “LWJ was with him!!” and lxc’s amused expression quickly morphs into Very Alarmed
(right before that all happened tho we get to see lwj fall out of bed, still passed out drunk and wwx laughs at him. I can’t even hold that against him bc i totally laughed at lwj too)
The camera now shows us some frankly HORRIFYING beating sticks (paddles?? Do they qualify as paddles?? THEY’RE HUGE AND SCARY AND MADE OF NIGHTMARES)
And bc LWJ is too honorable for his own good
Lwj: i am at fault and accept my punishment!
And goes on his knees to willingly get beaten. STOP THAT LWJ
WWX IMMEDIATELY steps in to take the blame, like no, it’s actually my fault bc i forced him to drink when he didn’t want to. LAN ZHAN SHOULDN’T GET PUNISHED!!
LQR: (proving that lans are all Dramatique) ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN CLOUD RECESSES??
Take a chill pill, old man. A teenager getting drunk is not gonna start the apocalypse (probably)
And here lwj completely ignores wwx’s attempt to absolve him and is all no, I Made a Mistake and Must Get Punished 
Wwx: STOP ASKING FOR PUNISHMENT YOU IDIOT
So the punishment is kind of…harsh, but also lol bc as soon as wwx sees lwj take the beating without flinching or even staggering under the strength of the hits (lwj is truly a stronger man than i; one look at those Nightmare Sticks I would’ve run for the hills), he grits his teeth and forces himself to stay steady
Wwx: *internally but you can totally read it in his face* i’m not gonna let that bastard one-up me!! I have WAY more experience taking punishments. I am the punishment KING.
Okay so that all happens and afterwards WINGMAN LXC STRIKES AGAIN
LXC: wwx, you should definitely visit the family’s private cold spring
LXC: you know, so you can heal faster and not miss class
LXC: not for any other reason
I’D LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO THANK GOD AND ALSO JESUS FOR THE UPCOMING SCENE
WE ARE AT THE COLD SPRING
LOOK AT WWX RUNNING TOWARDS LWJ
WET, HALF-NAKED LWJ
Wwx: *leans coquettishly against a tree thing and pouts* why didn’t you tell me about this spring? Friends don’t keep secrets from friends!!
wwx, you’re so clever, how can you be so stupid – boy is flirting at max level and doesn’t even realize it???
Lwj: HOW ARE YOU EVEN HERE *frantically robes up like some virginal maiden which he kinda is*
Wwx: your brother told me!
Lwj: *internally* brother why
And here wwx gets into the cold spring
Wwx: so cold so cold, let me get close to you where it’s warmer~! *dives right into lwj’s personal bubble*
Lwj: *takes a HUGE step back*
Wwx: *pouts* you know i didn’t like you much before but after our Romantic Moonlit Sword Fight and our Sword Fight By the Waterfall, i’ve decided i like you a lot and we should definitely be friends forever
Lwj: *doesn’t even look at wwx* That’s Not Necessary
Wwx: before you reject me, let me show you all the ~benefits~ to being my friend! *starts to strip*
(I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING YOU, HE LITERALLY SAID BENEFITS AND STARTED TO GET NAKED)
LWJ *is Horrified in a Repressed Gay Way* WHAT ARE YOU DOING
WWX: getting naked?? To heal better?? I thought this was obvious???
LWJ: *determinedly walks away*
WWX: wait don’t leave!! I’ll keep my clothes on! Anyway you should definitely visit me in yunmeng and i can pick lotus seeds for you. That’s totally what i meant about benefits.
LWJ: no
WWX: i can also introduce you to all the pretty girls there!
I CRACK UP EVERY TIME AT THIS. WWX, THAT IS A WHOLE GAY BOY YOU’RE TALKING TO, OH MY GOD
Then it turns out the cold spring is actually Haunted Water 2: This Time It’s Personal and tries to drown them
See this is why i don’t trust any bodies of water
They’re all out to get us
AND NOW WE GET TO THE  CAVE OF WONDERS (or cold pond cave, whatev)
Wwx: what is happening
Lwj: *is fascinated by the cave of wonders*
Lwj: *internally* ooooh Magic Guqin!! (BECAUSE HE’S A NERD LOLOL)
Magic Guqin: NOT TODAY SATAN *attacks wwx*
Wwx: WHY IS IT ATTACKING ME, I DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING YET!!
brief pause here to point out that we meet the bunnies now!! Hello bunnies!!! Everyone in the fandom loves you~!!! 💗💗💗
Okay so Magic Guqin continues to attack wwx but wwx is a Clever Boy and figures out that it’s only attacking him because he doesn’t have a sacred lan ribbon
Wwx: lwj, quick, give me your ribbon!
Lwj: *FLIES RIGHT OVER TO WWX and proceeds to bind their wrists together with the SACRED RIBBON ONLY FAMILY ANd S.O.’s CAN TOUCH*
Then the camera zooms in on the metal piece of the ribbon that is now swaying gently between them like, Subtlety? Never heard of her!
Camera: yep, this is totally a straight thing that straight bros do together
So now that they’re bound together for eternity the boys approach the Magic Guqin
Lwj slaps wwx’s hands away from the guqin here – just bc i let you touch the sacred ribbon doesn’t mean you can touch the magic guqin that tried to murder you
BC LWJ IS A MUSIC NERD AND IS TOTALLY GEEKING OUT OVER THE PRECIOUS MUSICAL HEIRLOOM
LWJ proceeds to reverently play the Magic Guqin and we have this moment where he’s like, floating in space surrounded by glowy blue lights??
Idk man, it’s weird but we’ll roll with it
This is the first time we see him communicate with spirits using music, btw. 
Now we meet Lan Yi!! Who is a badass and important for plot reasons but the Valid Reason she’s mentioned here is because SHE OFFICIATES THE WANGXIAN WEDDING (bc we’ve already established that we’re not here for the plot lol)
the boys are tied together with the sacred ribbon and then they bow to a clan elder. How is that not, bare minimum, a handfasting??? 
Okay, technically, lwj bowed to the elder first to show respect while wwx stood there all stunned until lwj reminded him of the Importance of Manners. Then wwx bowed. But I’m pretty sure that still counts.
“You two being here must be destiny!” lan yi says, “i’m gonna do some plot exposition so pay attention.”
Thankfully we are not lwj or wwx so we don’t have to pay attention at all!!
At some point, wwx makes a clever comment and lan yi is all “wwx you’re as smart as i thought!! 
Yes yes i definitely approve of you marrying my great great great grand-son/nephew/whatever the heck he is, idk i’ve been in this cave too long with only bunnies for company" (🎶bunnies are better than people, buns don’t you think that’s true~?🎶 I AM SO SORRY FOR THAT REFERENCE, DISNEY YOU STILL SUCK I JUST HAVE POOR SELF-RESTRAINT)
Okay, she for real complimented wwx’s intelligence (bc I guess everyone’s hot for WWX’s big brain? Idk) but i’m pretty sure she was thinking the rest of that really loudly in her head
Then more plot stuff happens and the episode ends!!!
Beautiful, phenomenal episode. One of the MOST IMPORTANT Wangxian episodes we have!! 100/10 stars, would watch again.
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 13: The One where WWX’s Gaydar is Completely Nonexistent
YOU GUYS, THIS EPISODE, THIS EPISODE YOU GUYS
IT’S THE ONE WITH THAT CAVE SCENE
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT
But in case you don’t know, I’M GONNA TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT
So we start off with wwx offering to carry lwj
Lwj, being the Repressed Gay that he is, flatly refuses: “how boring”
Pretty sure the thought of wwx touching him gives him vapors
Also? LWJ, You gotta come up with some new stuff; this line’s getting old
And wwx is completely immune to it by now
Wwx: *internally* such a stubborn fool!
He’s annoyed that lwj isn’t letting him help him in any way
And, like, i get that
I understand, wwx
But, WHO ARE YOU TO TALK?? MR. I’M GONNA SACRIFICE MYSELF FOR OTHERS AT ANY GIVEN OPPORTUNITY
Okay, moving along now
WE GET A PAPERMAN!! A CUTE LITTLE YELLOW PAPERMAN!! SAY HI TO THE PAPERMAN, EVERYONE, LOOK HOW ADORABLE HE IS!!
And ~Their Song~ starts playing as soon as we see the paperman appear
Wwx sends it floating over to wen qing
Paperman!wwx: plz find a way for lwj to get some rest
Actual!wwx: *hovers at lwj’s shoulder TOTALLY READY TO CATCH HIM IF HE FALLS*
WQ pulls through like a BOSS and everybody takes a break from walking near a river
Poor lwj looks so tuckered out here as he sits down on a rock
Wwx: i’ll go get you some water lan zhan! *runs off to get water*
Omg wwx, you are not subtle
LET ME TAKE CARE OF YOU LAN ZHAN
LET ME LOVE YOU LAN ZHAN
LET ME TENDERLY TREAT YOUR WOUNDS LAN ZHAN
LET ME INSPIRE SOME KINKY NURSE FANTASIES LAN ZHAN
How do you not realize what you’re doing wwx. How.
Ewww, now wc is talking, double ewww, he’s talking Plot Things
Gross, now his gf JiaoJiao is talking and is annoying and unfortunately necessary for a future wangxian moment so we have to acknowledge her existence
I know it hurts guys, but i promise you it’s worth it
She’s all “alright losers, go find us that cave with the cave monster thing”
Wwx releases a talisman (no Dramatic Twirl tho) which then locates the cave
Right, the cave.
The very important cave
The cave that will give us lots of quality wangxiantics
That cave.
And now we’re in the cave!! The best cave!! I mean, it’s way bigger and way scarier than the other cave, but still! (Dancing Fairy Cave, who??)
Plot stuff happens, wc is being an asshole, nothing new or exciting here
Then we see everyone find a cliff within the cave!
Wwx: wow, that looks like a bottomless pit
Wc: let’s see if that’s true! *yeets wwx off the cliff* (WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WEN CHAO)
Lwj: Wei Ying!! 
he not-quite shouts this, it’s more of a startled yelp than anything
Be grateful bc when he starts yelling his name for realsies in this show IT’S NOT GONNA BE FUN
ALSO if wc was not at the top of lwj’s shit list before, he’s definitely there now
So now that wwx confirmed that the pit is NOT bottomless, the hostages i mean visiting disciples throw down some rope and start to climb down
Uh, why didn’t they use that BEFORE chucking wwx down like a bag of trash?? Oh right bc wc is an asshole
Once they reach the bottom, lwj ALL BUT RUNS to wwx’s side
AND HELPS HIM UP!! HE GRABS HIM BY THE ARM AND HELPS HIM UP
BC HE LOVES HIM
I’m gonna give JZX a moment here bc this episode is chock full of wangxiantics and jzx was in snark-master mode
Wwx: well, i know why LWJ and JC came down to check that i wasn’t eaten by a monster, but why are you here, jzx?
Jzx: i’d rather fight an unknown monster whilst weaponless than listen to wc and jj talk for another minute
SAME, JZX, SAME
Lol, everyone is like yeah, that makes sense
More stuff happens and eventually wc and his flunkies catch up with everyone else at the bottom of the cliff and want to lure the monster out
Wc: lets bleed some of this cannon fodder as bait bc i’m an asshole
Jj: i pick mianmian
STAY AWAY FROM MIANMIAN, YOU HORRID PERSON, HOW DARE YOU
And of course everyone loves mianmian so they jump to her defense 
Now there’s a showdown between the wens and the hostages, i mean visiting disciples
LWJ IS SUCH A BADASS HERE, GUYS
HE’S TAKING PPL DOWN LEFT AND RIGHT USING ONLY TORCH WHILST INJURED 
AND HE MAKES IT LOOK SO CASUAL. DUDE’S NOT EVEN BREAKING A SWEAT
HE FREAKING SNATCHES A SWORD OUT OF A WEN FLUNKIE’S HAND LIKE NBD
While he’s doing all that, wwx is completely humiliating wen chao by reciting some of the wen clan rules
WC: stop talking shit
Wwx: uh, i just quoted the wen clan rulebook sooooo you actually just insulted your ancestors
Wwx: what did the rulebook say was the punishment for insulting the ancestors…? Oh yeah, EXECUTION. Prepare to die!!
Wwx proceeds to take wc as a visiting disciple, i mean hostage on top of a giant rock in the middle of a pond inside the cave and we’re at a standstill
It probably could’ve gone on forever except 🐢🔪🐢🔪🐢 SURPRISE MURDER TURTLE!! 🐢🔪🐢🔪🐢
THAT’S NO ROCK
IT’S A MURDER TURTLE SHELL
LWJ, being the clever boy that he is, notices that the Murder Turtle has bad eyesight
Lwj: quiet, don’t move! It can’t see us *🎶jurassic park theme plays🎶*
Maybe i should call the Murder Turtle something else. It looks more like a loch ness monster tbh
A distant cousin perhaps?
Nessie: oh, that guy? We don’t really talk to that side of the family
Murder Turtle: *is murderous*
Nessie: yeah, he makes family dinners awkward…
Ahem, anyway
Wen chao is a coward and instead of staying quiet and still like lwj says, he starts screaming like the world’s ugliest baby for wen zhuliu to save him
Murder Turtle does not like this noise coming from it’s shell so wwx and wc end up leaping off of it and landing back on shore and all hell breaks loose
In all fairness to the Murder Turtle, I too hate listening to wc
Murder Turtle starts, you know, murdering. And the hostages i mean visiting disciples don’t have weapons and the wen flunkies are awful
Shit’s happening is what i’m saying
And while all this goes down, jj shows us that she is the MOST AWFUL DUMBEST PERSON ALIVE
THERE’S A GIANT KILLER REPTILE TRYING TO EAT EVERYONE
AND SHE’S MORE CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING BACK AT MIANMIAN FOR BEING BETTER THAN HER IN EVERY WAY???
PRIORITIES MUCH??
She has two of the wen flunkies hold mianmian in place and is about to stick a wen crest branding iron on her face (WTF, JJ)
But oh, WWX TO THE RESCUE!! He shoots an arrow in jj's arm and she ends up throwing the branding iron at mianmian but wwx dives in to stop it!
(and we’re just gonna ignore how terribly fake that dive looks, okay?)
Anyway he dives and blocks the branding iron but oh no, it somehow manages to hit him square in the chest with enough force to burn through his clothes and into his skin!!! 
(we’re not gonna question this, just roll with it)
And he drops the Medicine Bottle he hid away to use on lwj eventually
(we’re gonna also ignore the fact that it somehow fell out of where it was securely hidden in his robes even tho he was literally just thrown off a cliff and the Medicine Bottle manages to stay with him and not break at the time)
(look we’re ignoring a lot of things bc we've already determined that special effects are not a high priority in this show AND all this is gonna lead up to great wangxiantics and that makes all of it worthwhile)
Okay so all that happened and then the wens FLEE LIKE THE COWARDS THEY ARE and totally ditch their hostages i mean visiting disciples
Then the bastards not only run away, but cut the ropes leading up the cliff and THEN block off the cave entrance WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU WC
The hostages i mean visiting disciples start freaking out. Like oh no, we’re stuck in here forever, WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE
Wwx diffuses the panic by being like, hey CANNIBALISM LOL I’M ALREADY PARTIALLY COOKED. i am a snack FOR REAL LOLOLOL
After all this, AFTER ALL THIS PLOT-ISH NONSENSE I HAD TO EXPLAIN, we get a little bit of wangxiantics. As a treat.
Mianmian is crying her heart out and apologizing profusely bc she feels bad for getting everyone trapped in this cave EVEN THO IT’S NOT HER FAULT AT ALL PLZ DON’T CRY MIANMIAN ILU
Wwx obvs agrees with me and goes to comfort her. Which he does in a weird way
Wwx: mianmian, why are you crying? I was the one that got branded! It hurts so much mianmian, won’t you stop crying and say something nice to me to make me feel better??
BUT HE SAYS THIS SO CHARMINGLY??
HE EVEN PUTS ON THE MOST ADORABLE, FAKE-HURTING FACE
If jzx had tried this, he’d have sounded like a douchebag BUT WWX? WITH HIS SUNSHINE SMILE?? HOW COULD ANYONE RESIST THAT???
(apparently mianmian can, bc she keeps crying and doesn’t say anything nice to wwx)
HERE’S THE WANGXIAN BIT
Lwj takes one look at wwx & mianmian being all cozied up to each other and you know, spilling feelings everywhere and turns away in a snit
Lwj: *internally* what am i willing to put up with today? Not fucking this.
Jc: lwj, where are you going??
Lwj: to the pond bc it has a way out not bc i can’t stomach the sight of wwx flirting with mianmian
(if you hadn’t been so proud earlier, lwj, you could’ve had wwx carrying you lovingly in his strong arms i’m just saying)
And now we get another example here at how well lwj and wwx work together
So obvs wwx zooms to lwj’s side as soon as he realizes lwj’s going somehwere without him (again!!) and he’s all “there’s a way out??”
And all lwj says in response is “maple leaves”
That’s it. Two words.
BUT WWX INSTANTLY CATCHES ON
Wwx: oh, yeah, the leaves couldn't possibly come from the cave so there must be an opening in the pond where the leaves are floating in!
THEY’RE JUST SO IN TUNE WITH EACH OTHER??
HOW DID HE GET THAT FROM JUST TWO WORDS??
THEY’RE GENIUS SOULMATES, THAT’S HOW
Now everyone’s coming up with a plan to escape the cave and the Murder Turtle
Details don’t matter here
Skipping that
Nearly everyone escapes the Murder Turtle Cave!! Because of teamwork and the buddy system!! It’s very heartwarming and inspiring AND WE DON’T CARE BC IT’S NOT WANGXIAN
But oh no, at the last minute when lwj and wwx are oh so conveniently the only ones left in the cave, the Murder Turtle notices them!!
It tries to attack wwx!!
But lwj SWOOPS IN TO GRAB HIM AND THROW HIM BACK TO SAFETY WHILE HE FACES THE MURDER TURTLE
ON A STILL INJURED LEG
AND THEN HIS DRAMATIC TWIRL OF DODGING ISN’T DRAMATIC ENOUGH AND MURDER TURTLE DOES MORE DAMAGE TO LWJ’S LEG
Wwx notices right away and goes to grab lwj and pull him to safety now
It’s nice having partners willing to share duties like that
Like, oh, you washed the dishes yesterday? I’ll do them today!
Except, you know, at a more intense level what with the whole “barely escaping the jaws of death” thing they’ve got going on
But same thing basically
So now our wonderful injured boys are in a different part of the cave that the Murder Turtle can’t reach.
Wwx: lan zhan, it’s fine now! The Murder Turtle is asleep or smth
Then shoves the tattered robes around lwj’s leg out of the way to get a better look at the wound, and he’s got his worried expression on!! WHILE ~THEIR SONG~ PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND
Wwx: wait here!!
Lol, where do you think he’s gonna go wwx, it’s not like HIS LEG HAS BEEN MAULED AND THE ENTRYWAY IS GUARDED BY A MURDER TURTLE OR ANYTHING
Wwx comes back with a branch that he turns into a makeshift splint
HE’S TENDING HIS SOULMATE’S WOUND GUYS AHHHH
And now he steals lwj’s SACRED FOREHEAD RIBBON to tie the splint on properly
LOL LWJ’S FACE
HE IS AGHAST
Wwx: chill out about the ribbon, we have MORE PRESSING MATTERS, like how your LEG IS PROBS GONNA FALL OFF IF WE DON’T TREAT IT
Wwx: oh hey, Medicine Pouch! Wait where’s Medicine Bottle?? I saved it specifically for…*meaningful look at lwj* uh, never mind
what’s the matter, wwx?? why so shy suddenly???
are you embarrassed to show how much you think of lwj?? is that it?
OMG GUYS HERE WE GO
THE FIRST OF TWO OF THE BEST WANGXIANTICS SCENES OF THE SHOW!!
Wwx: *internally* gotta find a way to get lwj to spit out that bad blood he’s so obviously choking down
Wwx: the only possible way to accomplish this is by STRIPPING BOTH OF US OUT OF OUR CLOTHES
Wwx: hey lan zhan, take off your clothes!
Lwj: *GAY PANIC*
Lwj: you want me to what now??
Wwx: strip! Both of us! Since we’re all wet from the pond
Lwj as you might guess, does NOT start stripping in front of the Love of His Life
Wwx notices that lwj is not stripping even tho he himself has already divested his black outer robe and is clad in only his red inner robe
(AND I LOSE MY GODDAMN MIND OVER IT EVERY TIME, LOOK AT HIM WITH HIS TINY WAIST, THOSE ROBES ARE OBSCENELY FLATTERING)
Wwx reaches over and starts tugging at lwj’s robe
Lwj: WHAT ARE YOU DOING???
Wwx: BEING HELPFUL!! But i guess if you don’t want my help, i’ll finish getting myself naked
Lwj: *turns around and pukes out the bad blood from the sheer strength of his Gay Panic*
Wwx: haha! My plan worked! Now all the bad blood is out!
Lwj: oh. Right. That. 
Lwj: thanks
Wwx: noooo, don’t thank me! I can’t handle it when ppl thank me!!
After THAT PHENOMENAL STRIP TEASE, wwx goes back to tending lwj’s wounds
He applies stuff from the Medicine Pouch bc Medicine Bottle is gone forever now
He does this very carefully and is very focused on his task
BC HE LOVES HIM
I LOVE THEM
THERE’S A LOTTA LOVE HAPPENING IS WHAT I’M SAYING
Then lwj snatches a bit of the medicine and presses it into the burn on wwx’s chest
Wwx: owww, that huuurts
Lwj: you’re welcome
Lwj: *internally probably* omg i just touched wwx’s chest, be cool be cool bE COOL
Then they have this cute little exchange where wwx tells him how he got injured all the time bc he was a rambunctious tyke (no, surely not you, wwx! I’m shocked!) so he doesn’t need much medicine and lwj’s injury is more serious so he should get more medicine anyway
AND NOW WE GET TO THE OTHER BEST WANGXIANTIC
Lwj: if you know you’re gonna get hurt, don’t be so rash all the time
Wwx: it’s not like i got myself injured on purpose!!! 
Wwx: I had to protect mianmian! She’s so pretty 
(he says distractedly while staring at their campfire and COMPLETELY MISSES LWJ’S LONGING LOOK) 
Wwx: what if she’d gotten her face all scarred up?
Lwj: but now you’re scarred for life!
Wwx: that’s different!
(bc he has issues with self worth and ALWAYS RISKS HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS AT ANY GIVEN OPPORTUNITY)
Wwx: i’m a guy. Scars are cool for us!
(that too, I guess)
Wwx: besides, it’ll be a reminder of the time i saved a pretty girl who now will remember me always~!
GOD WWX YOU’RE SO DENSE
Lwj: *bitchy* oh, you’re sooo sure she’s gonna remember you, huh
Wwx gives him a wounded look, like, sincerely confused and hurt at lwj’s tone: “why are you mad?”
And, good god, lwj sees that expression and can’t keep looking at him. He has to turn away, like FUCK i’ve hurt his feelings, shit, i’m getting my feelings all over him
It’s actually kind of painful to watch, POOR LWJ
So he looks away and says: if you don’t mean it, you shouldn’t go around flirting with people
Wwx: *pouts* it’s not like i was flirting with you
THAT’S THE PROBLEM WWX
HE WANTS YOU TO FLIRT WITH  HIM AND MEAN IT, YOU COMPLETE MORON
Remember how i said wwx is dense? Here’s another example
Wwx: *teasing* ohh, you like mianmian~! 
Like, really teasing. It doesn’t sound like he believes what he’s saying either
Lwj gives him an incredulous look and we get some slo-mo here WHILE ~THEIR SONG~ PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND AND THEY GAZE SOULFULLY AT EACH OTHER FOR A SOLID 10 SECONDS 
Wwx’s face gets this befuddled look and after staring at each other for 10 continuous seconds he says much more seriously, “oh...you really do like mianmian?”
Why do you sound so disappointed wwx? WHY ARE YOU SO CONCERNED ABOUT IT, HUH?
And omg guys, i will NEVER get over the expression LWJ gives him after he says this
It’s an expression that says R U FUCKING SRS RN
HIS WHOLE FACE IS SCREAMING, “FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE”
AND I’M DYING BC WWX, YOU’RE TALKING TO AN ENTIRE GAY BOY WHO IS SO IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT
Then wwx laughs to diffuse the situation (it’s so cute, my heart bursts with rainbows)
And we’re winding down now
Lwj: why should i talk about these meaningless things with you here?
Wwx: you don’t have a choice pal, it’s just you and me stuck here in this cave
Wwx: hey, lan zhan, i think this is the longest conversation we’ve had!!
Omg why’s he keeping track of that? How did he even notice this??
THERE’S NO STRAIGHT EXPLANATION FOR THIS BEHAVIOR
WWX: even after all we’ve been thru, you still don’t talk much. You lan clan types--
*awkward silence*
Wwx realizes he’s stepped in it and taps his mouth as a reprimand for being insensitive
Then he changes the topic about how long they can survive without food/water and how long it will take for help to arrive
And here we have lwj verbally acknowledge what’s happened to him for the first time
He explains that they won’t get help from gusu
Lwj: the cloud recesses has been burned. Uncle is badly injured, brother is missing.
His tone is so matter-of-fact but HE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE HE’S ABOUT TO CRY!!
OH GOD MY HEART 💔💔💔
And then lwj is like, welp, that’s enough Emotions for the day! And falls asleep.
THEN WWX TUCKS HIM IN WITH HIS OUTER ROBE ALL GENTLE AND LOVINGLY
BC THEY’RE SOULMATES
And that's the end of the episode
SO MUCH QUALITY WANGXIANTICS GUYS
I LOVE THIS SHOW
EVERYTHING IS GREAT (I MEAN, EXCEPT FOR THE HEARTBREAKING PARTS)
LOOK AT THESE TWO SOULMATES IN LOVE, LOOK AT THEM
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 34: The One where Detective Wangxian is on the Case!
WWX IS RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE!!
From Fairy the wonder dog, lol. The pupper just looks so pleased to be chasing after wwx.
Poor wwx gets himself cornered tho and jin ling looks all smug about it, the little brat
OMG I AM D Y I N G
Wwx: LAN ZHAN HELP MEEEEE
Lwj: *backflips into the scene with his scabbard held high totally ready to throw down with a kid*
Chill out, lwj, the kid’s like twelve
And as soon as lwj places himself in front of wwx to protect him from the big bad kid, wwx LATCHES ON TO HIM, 
GRIPPING LWJ’S SHOULDERS WITH ALL HIS MIGHT
AND HE’S ALL PRESSED UP AGAINST HIS BACK 
AHHHHHHHH
But lol, jin ling seems to seriously be weighing his options here?
Like, hmm, this is the great hanguang-jun so my odds aren’t the best but i got fairy the wonder dog and also my dad’s awesome Magic Ghost-Busting sword so…
Wwx: i’m so glad you’re here!
This is when lwj notices that wwx is actually cowering from the dog, not the child, and lwj levels a glare at the dog. Like, he really Glares at fairy.
Fairy NOPES right out of there bc animals have better self-preservation instincts than humans
Jin ling lets out this cute little gasp when fairy ditches him and then he glares at lwj
(pretty ballsy move coming from a kid, tbh)
Lwj, obvs, is completely unfazed and just gives him a cold stare in return
THEN JIN LING POUTS LIKE THE ADORABLE BRAT HE IS AND KICKS AT SOME BASKETS BEFORE STORMING OFF
LOVE THAT KID
(i mean, if i met a kid like that irl i’d probably hate his spoiled little guts, BUT BC THIS IS MAKE-BELIEVE I CAN ENJOY HIS BRATTY BEHAVIOR LOLOLOL)
Once the dog is gone, wwx makes this nervous little giggle (SO FREAKING CUTE) and peels himself off of lwj
Pretty sure lwj is like wait no come back, but like internally bc god forbid he express himself verbally
Wwx goes back to the mountebank and starts interrogating him about Plot Things
We’re gonna ignore all that chitchat and just watch his pretty face get all animated in detective mode
*dreamy sigh* wwx, so pretty so pretty
Lwj hasn’t stopped staring at him this whole time either! I FEEL YOU BRO
AHHHH WE SEE NHS BEING ALL MR. KNOW-NOTHING
“I DON’T KNOW, I DON’T KNOW, I REALLY DON’T KNOW. PLEASE DON’T ASK ME ME. I REALLY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING.”
LOVE THAT GUY
GIVE HIM AN ANCIENT FANTASY CHINA OSCAR.
Now we’re in a forest! This is MUCH better than the last time we were in a forest!!
OUR BOYS ARE WALKING SIDE BY SIDE TOGETHER LIKE THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE AND I AM OVERJOYED
They’re chatting about the nie bros, like omg can’t believe nhs is sect leader and his big brother dropped dead???
SUDDENLY THERE’S BARKING!
Wwx: DOG!!
AND IMMEDIATELY DUCKS BEHIND LWJ, GRIPPING HIS UPPER ARMS LIKE HIS LIFE DEPENDS ON IT
HE’S MAKING HIMSELF ALL SMALL BEHIND HIS HANDSOME HEROIC SOULMATE WHO WILL DEF PROTECT HIM FROM ALL THE BIG MEAN DOGS IN THE WORLD
Lwj: wei ying, there’s no dogs here
Omg wwx is clinging so close that his chin brushes up against lwj’s shoulder aND I AM SWOONING
Oh, but he lets go, all embarrassed and awkward
Lwj gives him a Look
Wwx: don’t look at me like that
Lwj: why are you afraid of dogs?
Wwx: don’t ask me why either
HE SOUNDS SO CUTE AND SULKY SAYING THAT AND HE’S GOT A LITTLE POUT
AND I’M JUST LIKE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SO CUTE I’M GONNA DIE
Lwj is a perfect gentleman tho bc he just accepts that wwx doesn’t want to talk about the dog thing and goes on ahead
But before lwj can get even 3 steps away, wws LUNGES for him and grabs his arm
Wwx: lan zhan! Alright, i’ll tell you, i’ll say it
He says this like lwj twisted his arm and forced him to or smth lol
Wwx: i was a street kid when i was little and often had to fight stray dogs for food
POOR BB!WWX :( :( :(
Wwx: thankfully jfm took me to lotus pier but he also made jc send away his puppers, just like i made jin ling do…
Wwx: they really live up to their blood; he hates me so much. Just like jc.
HE SOUNDS SO SADDDD
And then he sighs like resigned to the fact that his brother will hate him forever??? WHICH HURTS ME SO MUCH, LET MY YUNMENG BROS RECONCILE AND BE HAPPY, DAMN IT
Wwx: lan zhan, let’s go
2 seconds later he hears barking again
Wwx freAKING YANKS LWJ IN FRONT OF HIM AND THEN COWERS BEHIND HIM IN THE MOST ADORABLE WAY
Wwx: that really is a dog, right??
HE CLINGS SO TIGHTLY TO LWJ’S ARMS, I CAN’T
Lwj: it’s still far. Why are you hiding?
He asks like he's not absolutely LOVING having wwx cling to him
We get a wonderful close up shot of wwx’s face here, so please take a moment to admire it (so pretty, so pretty, i love him!!)
Wwx: just let me hide!!
Lwj: *lets him hide* it sounds like jin ling’s wonder dog. It’s barking, something must’ve happened
Wwx: let’s...let’s take a look?
Awww, wwx stutters that out and he’s all pale with fear but he’s still willing to go investigate BC HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE HIS NEPHEW IS SAFE DESPITE THE BIG SCARY DOG
I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
Wwx: h-hanguang jun, move. How can i move if you don’t move?
BC HE’S STILL ALL CROUCHED BEHIND HIM, SO CUTE SO CUTE
Lwj purses his lips here and looks back at wwx
Lwj: let go of me first
It comes off as kind of annoyed BUT WE ALL KNOW HE’S JUST UPSET THAT WWX IS GONNA HAVE TO UN-CLING FROM HIM
And now we get beautiful close up shots of wwx’s hands gripped ever so tightly on lwj’s fancy white outer robes and watch as they very reluctantly loosen and let go
He’s laughing all nervously aND CRINKLES HIS NOSE WITH A BASHFUL SMILE AND I’M GONNA DIE FROM THE CUTE OMG
I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
HAVE I MENTIONED?? BC I DO. SO VERY MUCH.
As soon as lwj forges ahead, wwx grabs him by the shoulders again and follows close behind lol
Oh great, more fog in a forest
Wwx: this is a disorientation trap! It must’ve been set by a human
Lwj: looks like the legends of walker ridge are not unfounded
(oh yeah, plot thing about a man-eating ridge which is why we’re in the forest)
Wwx: lan zhan look!
AND NOW WE GET TO WATCH THEM WORK TOGETHER
I LOVE WATCHING THEM WORK TOGETHER
LOOK AT THEM BEING BEAUTIFUL AND IN LOVE AND DETECTIVE-ING ALL OVER THE PLACE
And now we’re at a mysterious creepy bunker in the middle of the forest!
Fairy barks again and wwx hides behind lwj AGAIN and everything IS GREAT
Wwx: why can i hear the dog but not see it???
Lwj: the disorientation trap must be keeping it out
Wwx: would jin ling be kept out by the trap too??
Lwj: nah, if jin ling were out, the dog wouldn’t be freaking out
Wwx: makes sense *does that nose tap thing THAT I LOVE* sooo how do we get in?
Lwj goes to investigate and wwx lunges for him again
Wwx: ah! Lan zhan, wait for me!!
I AM LOVING EVERY SECOND OF THIS
Our boys find that the bunker’s been busted open and figure that jin ling must’ve done it so they go inside to look for him
We hear screechy noises of resentful energy
Oh no! Wwx gets all woozy from it!
Lwj: how is it?
Wwx: noisy
HE KEEPS HAVING TO PAUSE TO CATCH HIMSELF, MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY
Oh, he pulls out the evil-detecting compass to help guide them through the bunker
Following the compass, following the compass, compass tick tick ticks away
BLADES SHRINE
WE’VE ARRIVED AT THE BLADES SHRINE
Wwx starts calling out for his nephew and he and lwj start cracking open caskets like graverobbers, shame on them!
Wwx: weird. Why are they all blades?
GUQIN TIME
I LOVE GUQIN TIME
IT’S INQUIRY GUQIN TIME!! EVEN MORE FUN!!!
Wwx gets all excited: you’re associating with the spirit?
Lwj: *nods* he’s here
Wwx: ask him for me - what is this place, what is it for, built by whom?
Omg wwx take it easy, one question at a time plz
Ofc lwj just goes ahead and does exactly as his wei ying asks him
The guqin lets out a couple of notes from the spirit (FOREVER THE COOLEST WAY TO COMMUNE WITH SPIRITS)
Wwx: what did he say?
Lwj: idk
Wwx: ??????
Lwj: the spirit said ‘i don’t know’
Wwx: good for you lan zhan, you even know how to make me speechless now
Lwj keeps playing his guqin for answers
EEEEEEEEEE WWX JUST CLIMBS UP AND PLOPS HIMSELF ON TOP OF THE COFFIN THAT’S HOLDING LWJ’S GUQIN AND JUST SCOOTS HIMSELF CLOSER TO LWJ
I LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY
So they keep interrogating the spirit and find out that the spirit knows nothing
Wwx: a spirit confined here and he knows nothing? It’s the first time i’ve ever seen a spirit like that
Wwx: lan zhan, could the spirit be...nhs?
HE SAYS WITH A HUGE SUNNY SMILE ON HIS FACE AAAAAAHHHHHH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
Wwx: lol jk, don’t mind me. Lan zhan, how about asking it’s gender. He should know this
Lwj: male
Wwx: FINALLY a decent answer
They keep asking questions and determine that jin ling is in fact in the room even tho they haven’t seen him anywhere!
Wwx: could the spirit be lying??
Lwj: i’m here. He can’t lie.
Look, i know he means it bc spirits can’t lie through inquiry or whatever but i LOVE the implication that people simply cannot lie in the presences of the great hanguang jun
Lwj starts guqin’ing again while wwx searches the blades shrine again
We get a shot from outside the bunker and see the robes of a ~mysterious figure~
Ooooh, and we get an absolutely GORGEOUS close up shot of lwj’s eye (lovin that eyebrow, man) as he listens to the spirit’s response
Wwx: what did you ask him?
Lwj: his age and where he’s from
Wwx: what did he say?
Lwj: 16, lanling
WORRIED UNCLE!WWX (also, i guess jl is not twelve, but whatever)
Aaaanndd we find out jin ling is inside the wall of the blades shrine!
Lwj goes and cuts the wall to pieces with bichen like a badass
And wwx immediately starts digging his little nephew out
HE’S SO WORRIED FOR HIM
He’s calling his name out and lwj goes and gives the boy some spiritual energy since he’s all unconscious from being stuck in a wall
Lol while lwj is doing that, wwx grabs bichen and starts poking it into the dirt
Seems kinda disrespectful to bichen, if you ask me...but lwj and bichen don’t seem to mind so whatever
Wwx gets all woozy from the resentful spiritual energy again
He’s starting to piece things together when jin ling suddenly wakes up (kinda)
Jin ling like, zombie-walks himself back into the wall
Lwj and wwx look at each other like what the heck??
They decide they probably shouldn’t stick around so get out of the bunker
They spot someone running away from the area and wwx is like go catch them, lan zhan!
Lwj: i’ll go. You and jin ling…
And wwx is all, i’ll get him out of here and we can meet up at the tavern after
Lwj stares at him BC HE DOESN’T WANT TO LEAVE HIS SIDE, HE JUST GOT HIM BACK LAST EPISODE!!
But wwx is like, lan zhan go catch the bad guy before he gets away!
Wwx: i’ll be there. Lan zhan, take care
Chase scene!
Huh, nhs is pretty nimble on his feet, isn’t he?
Lwj chucks bichen at him but only manages to slice off a piece of his robes
THAT’S SOME NICE LOOKING FABRIC THO
I’D BE MAD AS HELL IF SOMEONE CARELESSLY SLICED UP MY GOOD FABRIC LIKE THAT OMG
Oooh, wwx got jin ling back to his room and noticed a curse mark on jin ling’s leg
He pulls open jl’s robes to see if the mark spread to his chest (it hasn’t)
Ofc jin ling wakes up just as wwx finishes doing that
Jl: whAT ARE YOU DOING WHY ARE YOU TAKING OFF MY CLOTHES
Good boy, jl, that is exactly how you should react if some strange guy tries to undress you when you’re unconscious
Wwx: why are you freaking out bro, i just saved you from that man-eating wall
And jl is all IMMA KILL YOU!!
And wwx is like been there done that, don’t really want a repeat…
Wwx sees jl’s jade lotus pendant and asks him about it
Jl: my mother left me this! Don’t touch it!!
See, jl is such a brat but then these little moments happen and i just want to hug him and bundle him up in blankets and make him hot chocolate…
HE’S SO STARVED FOR LOVING FAMILY AND AFFECTION, THAT POOR KID ;_;
We get a flashback to jyl giving wwx a similar pendant and wwx clutches at his robes in AGONY at the memory
Lol
Jl uses this moment to put on his boots and FUCKING BOOK IT RIGHT OUTTA THERE
GOOD FOR YOU KID, GOOD FOR YOU
DEF THE RIGHT RESPONSE AFTER ALMOST GETTING UNDRESSED BY SOME STRANGE MASKED DUDE
Cut to street view, wwx is wandering around trying to find jin ling but instead he hears jc’s voice and dives for the first hiding place he can find
LOL I LOVE LISTENING TO JC AND JL INTERACT
Jc is scolding jl ofc
Jl: don’t grab me like that, i’m not a 3yo!!
Jc: you think i can’t discipline you now?? EVEN IF YOU’RE 30, I CAN STILL DISCIPLINE YOU
Omg this is freaking hilarious, i love these two
Then jc asks him where Fairy is
Wwx is all smug thinking to himself: lan zhan must have driven it away
And the world is like, PSYCH FAIRY’S ACTUALLY RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU
Wwx almost avoided a jc encounter
He would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for that meddling dog
At least we get to see jc use zidian. I love zidian.
We get a big reveal scene and jc finds out that mo xuanyu is Wei Wuxian, surprise!!
Oh no, sad/angry yunmeng bro time (I MISS MY HAPPY YUNMENG BRO TIMES, GIVE THOSE BACK)
They’re back at an inn or whatever and jc is really just tearing into wwx
We’re not gonna go into detail except for this bit - 
Jc: 16 years...and lan wangji STILL wants to protect you
He’s so mad
It’s giving me Emotions™
Jc: maybe he’s not doing this to protect you. Someone with such integrity couldn’t possibly tolerate you. Maybe he had a deal with the guy who saved you.
Wwx: JC! Watch your language!
LOOK AT HIM DEFEND HIS SOULMATE FROM SLANDER
Yikes, they keep arguing and jfc they really know how to hit where it hurts, don’t they?
A wild Jin Ling appears!!
He lies through his teeth to JC. like yeah, i totally saw wen ning in an abandoned shack really really far away from here, for real :D
Now jin ling is in charge of guarding wwx after jc ties him up with zidian (seriously the COOLEST spiritual tool)
Jin ling takes it right off 
I LOVE THAT THE ZIDIAN LISTENS TO JIN LING OMG
We get a lot of fun uncle wwx and nephew jin ling interaction here bc jin ling helps wwx escape into the forest
Oh look, another moment that makes me like jin ling
He helps wwx escape since wwx saved him from the killer wall
He has honor!
Also wwx apologizes to jl here for that time he stuck his foot in his mouth way back at the start of the series
Wwx demonstrates his A+ acting skills by pretending to have been caught by jc and jl whirls around in a panic and wwx knocks him out
He inspects the curse mark on jl and is all, hmmm, can’t undo that curse rn but i can totally transfer it onto myself to save my nephew
And that’s the end of the episode!
LOOK AT ALL THE QUALITY WANGXIANTICS WE GOT!!!
THANK GOD, WE DEF DESERVE IT AFTER ALL THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE WE ENDURED IN THE LAST FEW EPISODES
*hugs episode to their chest, sobbing* I’VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH, DON’T EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN
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trensu · 4 years
Text
Episode 24: The One where LWJ Starts to Question Everything (except his sexuality)
The episode starts like a bad PSA about peer pressure and consent, courtesy of JGS being an utter douchebag
But since this is a wangxian guide, we’re not gonna get into that!!
I will say, tho, that the yunmeng sibs tag-teamed this scene excellently bc hell yeah, DON’T MESS WITH YUNMENG JIANG, BRO
Blah blah boring banquet blah blah
Jgy invites everyone for a sleepover at Carp Tower later with fun party games here.
This is Important for future WangXiantics
Plot plot, jgs and jgy being sneaky power hungry assholes, plot plot
STFU NOBODY LIKES YOU
Lotus Pier Time!!
Stuff happens here
The only fun part was JC using his Zidian (FOREVER THE COOLEST OF ALL THE SPIRITUAL WEAPONS) to smash down the wen crest over their home
I want a zidian. someone Give me a snakey electric whip of my own plz
Oooh, here we get a little morsel of WangXiantics courtesy of the lan bros
Lwj is playing Magic Music in his room at the cloud recesses
He’s practicing! He’s very focused!
Lxc interrupts him
Lxc: rumor has it that you went to the library and checked out ALL the Magic Music books and have been practicing like an obsessive crazy person
Lxc: yeah, so just dropping by to see if that’s true…*pointedly looks at the two stacks of Magic Music books lwj has*
Lwj, in typical little brother behavior, does not acknowledge the questioning
Lwj: I want to enter the forbidden chamber in the library.
Lxc: what for?!?
Lwj: ...to study Magic Music
HE WANTS TO STUDY FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC
BC THE NOT-FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC ISN’T HELPING WWX!!
HE WANTS TO HELP WWX BC HE LOVES HIM AND THEY’RE SOULMATES!!
Okay so that happened and suddenly some Lan person interrupts them to let them know that their uncle wants to see them dun, Dun, DUUUUNNNNNN!!
Lan fam time!!
They’re mostly talking plot here, SO BORING
But we do get a tidbit of almost-wangxiantics
Lqr looks at lwj while talking Plot and says to him, “I’ve heard about wwx.” (re: wicked tricks, i’m assuming, if his expression is anything to go by)
And lwj’s face says “oh shit.”
But, like, in a subtle way bc this is lwj we’re talking about here
Blah blah more plot blah
Here’s a painful wangxian-adjacent scene bc this show exists to HURT US
Lqr: lxc, you go cleanse the battlefields with Magic Music. Lwj, you’ll stay here with me to copy the lan clan rule books bc they were damaged or smth 
Lqr: totally not a punishment
Lqr: completely not doing this to keep you away from wwx
Lqr: copying the books is SUPER important for Reasons
And lwj is a good boy so he accepts the BIGGEST FREAKING RULE BOOK I’VE EVER SEEN that lqr hands him
Just as lqr is walking away, lwj just DROPS TO HIS KNEES with no preamble
LITERALLY FALLS TO HIS KNEES, EYES LOWERED IN RESPECT
Lwj: grandmaster, i want to enter the forbidden chamber
HE’S PRACTICALLY GROVELING
Lqr: oh, have you finished all the books in the Not Forbidden Library?
WHAT A DOUCHE
Lwj: i want to enter the forbidden chamber
He’s still on his knees! Still respectfully lowering his gaze. STILL HOLDING THAT HUGE HEAVY BOOK THAT LQR GAVE HIM IN OUTSTRETCHED ARMS
(Take a moment here to admire the incredible arm strength required to hold out your arms while carrying something that heavy)
Lqr: if you haven’t, then there’s no need for you to be there
And then lqr just walks past lwj? Who’s still kneeling and practically frozen at the rejection?? Like, you can see him shut down emotionally
HOW COULD YOU DO THAT, LQR. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR NEPHEW WHO NEVER ASKS FOR ANYTHING AND ALWAYS DOES HIS DUTY??
Lwj doesn’t move until his brother pats him on the shoulder and EVEN THEN it takes him a minute to react
Lwj and lxc turn to leavE
Lqr: lwj…
Lwj turns around, his face going soft with hope for a split second!! BC MAYBE HIS UNCLE CHANGED HIS MIND AND IS GIVING HIM PERMISSION???
Lqr: do you understand why I’m not letting you go with lxc?
And then lqr doesn’t elaborate??? HE JUST DISMISSES THEM??
WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT??
GETTING LWJ’S HOPES UP FOR NOTHING!?!?!
Lwj wants to get Forbidden Magic Music bc his soulmate needs help
WHY WON’T YOU LET HIM HELP HIS SOULMATE, YOU BASTARD
We cut to Lotus Pier briefly to see JC do sect leader-y things and his sibs are super proud of him
Then we’re back with LWJ who’s on a patio sadly reading the GINORMOUS lan clan rule book
He’s in deep thought
“Eradicate evil, set up laws, and then Goodness is everlasting.”
Ah, yeah, this isn’t foreboding AT ALL, it’s not implying anything about the future of our ship AHAHA
Plot plot lotus pier time plot plot sad wwx & jc time plot plot
Oh, and now we’re in a wine house in yunmeng and wwx just invited lxc for a drink!
Wwx: *watches lxc knock back two shots like a boss*
Wwx: wow. You hold your liquor much better than lan zhan. Are you secretly drinking at the cloud recesses like i did~?
Lxc: *gives him a Look*
Wwx: ahaha, jk jk
Lxc: actually, i get rid of the alcohol using my golden core so it doesn’t count as drinking
(Uhh, pretty sure that’s not how it works, lxc. But whatever helps you sleep at night, i guess)
Wwx: so you’re cleansing things, huh? Lwj does that sort of thing too. Why isn’t he with you here in yunmeng, near my home, where i would be able watch him longingly from afar
Lxc: he was ordered to stay home to copy the lan clan rule book(s)
Wwx: !!!
Wwx: but there’s so many rules!! It’s unbearable!! HE’S PRACTICALLY IMPRISONED
Wwx: BUT HEY, i don’t have much going on, i’ll go with you to gusu! That way i can supervise lwj while he copies stuff like he did with me back in the day! It’ll be much more fun this way *cheeky grin*
Lxc: well….if you’re coming over, why don’t you listen to lwj play some Magic Music he learned? 
Lxc: you wouldn’t happen to know why he’s suddenly learning all the Magic Music do you?
And here wwx immediately goes on the defensive
It’s super frustrating
Wwx: your clan sure likes sticking their noses in other ppl’s business, huh?
RUDE
THAT WAS REALLY RUDE, WWX
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU INVITED YOURSELF OVER TO BEGIN WITH
Lxc is too polite to rise to the bait
Lxc: lwj is my brother, i know him better than anyone. Even if you don’t want to listen, i have something to say to you
LXC LOVES HIS LITTLE BROTHER SO MUCH. HE’S SO CONCERNED FOR HIM
Lxc: if you were the only person in the world, you could do whatever you want without consequence. But you’re not the only person in the world. The people you care about are affected by your actions.
Aka YOU’RE MAKING MY LITTLE BROTHER SAD 
Lxc: if you trust me and lwj, please come to gusu so we can help you pick up the sword again
Aka PLEASE COME VISIT MY LITTLE BROTHER SO HE’S NOT SAD ANYMORE
Obvs wwx shuts that down real quick (and is cocky about it in a not-adorable way)
It was a good try, lxc. Better luck next time.
Yunmeng Bro Drama Happens
We’re ignoring this bc it makes me Sad and also has no wangxian stuff
Blah blah blah Stuff Happens more
Now we’re in the ancestral hall with jyl!! She and wwx have a super adorable moment
Well, okay, it’s kind of emotional at first where jyl is all do you not wanna live with us anymore?? And wwx is like NO, this is my HOME, we’ll be together FOREVER
*HYSTERICAL SOBBING* IT’S A LIEEEEE
And we’re gonna take a moment here to admire wwx’s hands. He’s got nice hands. Almost nice enough to distract from the future heartbreak!
Anyway
Wwx acts SUPER CUTE HERE, OMG
He rests his chin on jyl’s knee and whines about being a hungry toddler WITH A LITTLE POUT AND THEN A GIGGLY SMILE
HOW ARE YOU SO CUTE WWX
Oh, oh, here’s the wangxian bit THAT WE LOVE
Wwx: i have a question i want to ask you, jyl
Wwx: why would a person like another person? I mean, to like them so much? Asking for a friend
Jyl: why are you asking this suddenly? Do you have someone in your heart~? (jyl knows whats up, she’s our captain)
Wwx: NO, NO I’M NOT AT ALL CRUSHING ON ANYONE
He says, you know, LikE a LIaR
Wwx: there’s no need to like a person that much. Isn’t that like haltering your neck?
Idk why he’s even bothering with this
IT’S TOO LATE, WWX, YOU’RE ALREADY IN LOVE WITH LWJ
THERE’S NO GOING BACK
Now all three yunmeng sibs have a moment
Nothing super important happening
BUT THEN we cut to LWJ at the cloud recesses
We see that HE’S BROKEN INTO THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER
He’s reading FORBIDDEN BOOKS IN THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER
This, my friends, is the first time we see LWJ deliberately break the rules for wwx, the first time he questions an order and decides to go against it
AND IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST‼️
And that’s all the WangXiantics for this episode
They were all second-hand WangXiantics, tho
People talking around the subject rather than addressing it directly and our boys didn’t share screen time at all.
I’m giving it 6/10. Mostly bc wwx was adorable asking jyl that question and lwj takes his first foray into delinquency!
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