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vrishchikawrites · 3 years

Note

Are you still taking prompts?

Cause if so, I'd love to see a time travel fic where post-canon WWX and LWJ get yeeted back into their younger bodies, and land just before the GC transfer. And Post-Canon WWX - who's had some years of being a part of a loving, supportive family, in a non-toxic, non-abusive environment; and therefore no longer has any misconceptions about how much the Jiangs were not his family - takes one look at JC lying there on the table in the cave after WQ knocked him out (and is now in the middle of prepping for surgery); and just goes, "LOL, yeah; nope.😆 Been there, done that; 10/10, would not recommend.😝 Hey, WQ - change of plans!😎"

(Except, you know, not written like crack. 😉)

Not necessary to include, but a fun idea:

JC gets dragged along to the past as well because he has WWX's GC; so whatever sent them back mistook him for part of WWX and brought him along.

So when he wakes up from the anaesthesia, he freaks out about not having a GC anymore. And WWX has this whole story ready to tell young JC about how, "Oops, sorry; you can't have a new GC after all" - but this is Post-Canon JC; so he knows about the transfer, and knows that this means that WWX decided not to do it again.

Which means he ends up screaming at WWX about, "How dare you not give me your GC!"

So WWX feels exactly zero sympathy.

(Before that happened he was maybe feeling a little bit bad for young JC; because that JC hadn't done anything too bad yet - but he already knew how it would turn out if he went through with it. And he was not giving up his chance to cultivate to immortality with his hubby; just so that JC could Feel Like A Real Man, and go on to murder his way through life again.)

What would be really, really great about this, is if WWX had brought JC to Qinghe or Gusu; or somewhere the other cultivation sects involved in the SSC had gathered, before JC woke up. Planning to leave him there where he would be safe. So when JC wakes up and starts screaming, everybody hears him.

And they're all like, "...WUT."🤤

"You expected him to do what?!?"😲😨😱

So instead of all the sympathy and compassion, etc, that he would have gotten over what happened at LP (that he probably did get the first time), or for losing his GC; basically the entire allied cultivation world as a whole is collectively side-eyeing him.

IDK; I just think it would be really funny.

But mainly, I just want to see WWX a few years post-canon; having the chance to do it all again, and choosing not to go through with the GC transfer. LWJ going with him is because the thought of post-canon LWJ losing his WWX makes me sad; and I want them to stay together. 😋

Post-Canon JC going back and getting stuck with the coreless body he deserved is just for my own catharsis.

(The rest of that idea is simply for the lulz.) 😉

(I decided not to include JC traveling back in time. Hope this works and satisfies you!)

“No, I don’t.” Wei Wuxian sees Wen Qing blink and stare at him while Wen Ning stills in the process of making Jiang Cheng comfortable.

“What?” Wen Qing asks but rethinks it immediately, “No, no need to answer that.” She starts packing away her instruments immediately like she’s glad that Wei Wuxian has changed his mind. He looks at her and feels aching fondness rise in his chest. She must be frustrated that he made her go through all of that trouble and yet she still chooses to move before he can change his mind again.

“What… are we going to tell Jiang-gongzi?” Wen Ning asks tentatively but Wei Wuxian notes the faint look of relief in the boy’s eyes.

“We’ll tell him the treatment wasn't possible,” He says, glancing at his… former shidi. It isn’t an easy decision to make, because he knows Jiang Cheng would suffer for it. A part of him feels like he’s being unnecessarily cruel by denying Jiang Cheng his core.

But he has already paid his debt and it cost countless people their lives. Jiang Cheng’s actions didn’t just lead to the death of the Wens. Lan Zhan had told him about the numerous ‘demonic cultivators’ Jiang Cheng had pursued relentlessly. Even his love wasn’t certain how many people died or were tormented to insanity because of Jiang Cheng’s persistence.

While Wei Wuxian doesn’t intend to let the situation get so out of hand, it is apparent that Jiang Cheng can’t be trusted with power.

He is worried about how Jiang Cheng would react. Wei Wuxian had promised him a core, after all. But whatever happens, a powerless Jiang Cheng is safer for everyone.

“We’ll tell him that rebuilding the core is impossible because Wen Zhuliu destroyed his meridians as well.”

“He has,” Wen Qing points out, “I was about to repair them.”

Wei Wuxian frowns, “And can you repair them still? Without transferring the core?” That would certainly help Jiang Cheng heal faster and accept some spiritual energy transfusions. Wen Qing looks at Jiang Cheng with a frown and nods.

“Wei-gongzi… what changed your mind?” Wen Ning asks as Wen Qing goes to work immediately. Wei Wuxian knows that if he has to help the Wens, he needs to tell them the truth. While Wen Ning would trust him and accept his explanation without too many questions, Wen Qing wouldn’t be so easy.

Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, getting his thoughts in order. When he opens them again, both of the Wens are looking at him with frowns.

He grins wryly and spreads his hands, "I have a tale for you, my dear friends."

Jin Guangyao needed to have his last 'hurrah'. He just couldn't leave them be, even as he died. Whatever he did, whatever tool he used, it sent a shockwave of Resentful Energy that would've killed them all.

As always, Wei Wuxian stepped forward to protect people. As always, Lan Wangji stepped forward to protect him.

Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth and changed his plan at the last moment. At first, he wanted to absorb the energy and channel it somewhere else. But with so many people just lingering instead of running, he needed a different solution.

His mind flashed, he saw Jiang Cheng, and decided.

A forbidden array formed.

"I needed something that would use up all of the Resentful Energy and protect everyone, including Lan Zhan."

"So, at the last moment and on the verge of dying, you chose something as improbable as time travel." Wen Qing deadpans. Wen Ning is looking at him with wide eyes. Strangely enough, both look like they believe him. Well, he did mention a few things, personal incidents, that he had no way of knowing if the Wens hadn't told him.

Still.

"I'm not the one for regrets," He says softly as he looks at Jiang Cheng, "But I thought that array was the safest solution. It doesn't harm the current timeline so everyone is safe. Lan Zhan, I know, wouldn't mind following my lead in this." He did regret taking Zewu-jun's brother away from him after such a traumatic event but there really was no other option. Not with Jin Ling so close and so many innocent people in the vicinity.

Wei Wuxian is quite certain that the blast would've destroyed everything around them, including the innocent people around the Guanyin Temple complex.

The siblings exchange glances before Wen Qing returns to Jiang Cheng's side, preparing to work on his meridians, "You're going to change things." She observes, "Save people?"

"Save you and Wen Ning. Save Jiang Yanli. Save innocents, yes."

Wen Qing freezes.

---

Lan Wangji doesn't know what Wei Ying did but he trusts his beloved. When he finds himself in the past, just before the Sunshot Campaign begins and shortly after the fall of the Lotus Pier, he doesn't hesitate.

He knows that his brother is safe and his uncle is managing things at Cloud Recesses. But he also knows that somewhere out there, his beloved is preparing himself for a risky, painful procedure.

Wangji can't let that happen. He thinks back on everything Wen Ning shared with him about the incident, particularly the location of where it occurred. He's probably too late to stop the transfer but perhaps not late enough to stop the Wens from finding Wei Ying.

It takes him days to reach Yiling without the aid of Bichen but he manages and immediately heads towards the approximate location Wen Ning had mentioned.

"Wei Ying," He breathes softly when he spots his beloved shopping for some supplies. He hadn't anticipated finding him so soon but is grateful nonetheless.

Wei Ying is dressed like a peasant and blends in well with the people around him but Wangji can recognize him anywhere.

Dressed discreetly and without his forehead ribbon, Wangji too is inconspicuous. He moves swiftly towards Wei Ying and catches his elbow, eyeing the people in red and white uniform at the far end of the street warily.

"Come." He whispers.

Wei Ying doesn't say a word, just paying the vendor and following Wangji into a more discreet location.

Wangji looks at his beloved's face, drinking in his bright silver eyes and sharp features with acute relief.

"Wei Ying, you… you look well." Strangely so, for someone who has just given up his Golden Core.

Hope stirs in his chest and Wangji reaches for Wei Ying's wrist.

His love's lips quirk in amusement, but Wangji ignores him, focusing on sending his spiritual energy through Wei Ying's meridians.

A strong core pulses in response.

"Wei Ying," Something bright and triumphant burns in his chest and he resists the urge to pull his beloved into a crushing embrace.

He would've supported Wei Ying's decision to give up his core and cultivate with resentful energy again. He knew it wasn't evil or harmful now.

But Wei Ying chose himself. His beloved had finally chosen to save himself.

"Aiya, Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying laughs, "If you keep looking at me like that, I'll do something quite shameless and embarra-"

Wangji kisses him.

He cups that precious face, pulls him close, and slides his lips over soft flesh in a tender expression of love he can't contain.

Wei Ying chose himself.

---

Jiang Cheng returns from his trip to the mountain with a thunderous expression on his face.

He disregards Lan Zhan and grabs Wei Wuxian's arm in a tough grip, dragging him away from the crowded tea house. Lan Zhan follows without a word, his expression frosty and eyes on Jiang Cheng.

"Your Grandmaster," He spits, "Is just as useless and worthless as you. All she could do is repair my meridians! My body was too damaged for anything else, she said!"

Wei Wuxian knows Wen Qing wrote the note they left by Jiang Cheng's side but he hadn't known what she had written.

It must've been reasonably convincing for Jiang Cheng to be convinced.

"That's-" He searches his mind to find words that would be appropriately sympathetic. Saying 'that's too bad' would be just rubbing salt on an open wound.

He may dislike Jiang Cheng, but some of the childhood affection still lingers. He doesn't wish to hurt his former shidi.

"I didn't know," He says finally, his heart throbbing in sympathy at Jiang Cheng's devastated expression. He briefly reconsiders his decision but Lan Zhan shifts discreetly by his side and Wei Wuxian remembers why he made that decision in the first place.

Jiang Cheng had been unworthy of the gift he had been given.

His shidi snarls and turns to Lan Zhan, "What are you doing here, Lan er-gonzi," He snarls, "Coming to triumph in our misery?"

Lan Zhan looks at him flatly, "I came to assist Wei Ying."

"Came to assist Wei Ying," Jiang Cheng mocks, his expression tight and furious, "Well, you're welcome to take him away! There's nothing left for him to destroy. Everything is gone. He invited the wrath of the Wens on our heads to protect you and that led to the destruction of my sect. He couldn't even repay that debt. His Grandmaster failed."

Jiang Cheng turns hate-filled eyes towards him, "You are a curse. My father should have left you to rot on the streets!"

"Jiang Wanyin!" Lan Zhan warns but Wei Wuxian places a hand on the Second Jade's arm to halt him.

"I'm taking you to Meishan to be with shijie." Wei Wuxian says calmly, "And then I'll go join the war efforts."

Jiang Cheng sneers before turning his head away, silent.

Wei Wuxian does as he says. He leaves Jiang Cheng in Jiang Yanli's care and heads to Qinghe with Lan Zhan. The war goes differently than before. He manages to kill Wen Zhuliu and Wen Chao early, which gives them a big morale boost. But that's the only thing that goes their way for a long time.

"I'm going to use it," He tells Lan Zhan once, when the scales tip dangerously in the Wen's favor.

Lan Zhan studies him before nodding gracefully, "I will help."

There's no way to avoid using his cultivation method, not if he wants to keep people safe. He's more careful and restrained this time and he doesn't create the Yīn Hǔ Fú. But Mo Dao is Mo Dao. It attracts disapproval from people regardless.

Wei Wuxian doesn't care and Lan Zhan stays by his side without paying any heed to the grumblings of his clan. He goes to sleep every night with Lan Zhan's guqin notes in his ear and meditates every morning with the Cleansing purging the Resentful Energy from his body.

With a powerful and active Golden Core, Wei Wuxian can't use Mo Dao liberally without risking Qi Deviation. But he uses enough to help them win the war.

Wei Wuxian successfully retakes Lotus Pier and Yunmeng from the Wens. Jiang Cheng's hatred doesn't diminish and even Jiang Yanli grows distant after a while. Jiang Cheng's suffering and downfall hardens something in his soft shijie.

Wei Wuxian accepts that consequence quietly.

He hands Lotus Pier back to Jiang Cheng and stays on the front lines, leaving most of the freshly recruited disciples behind to protect his former martial siblings. When the war ends, argues to keep the Wen cultivators in better conditions. He makes sure everyone knows how much the Jiangs owe the Wen siblings, and saves the children and elderly.

With Jiang Cheng out of the Cultivation World and Wei Wuxian's reputation as a war hero, saving the Wen remnants is easier than it had been before.

---

Everyone is baffled when Jiang Wanyin names a new head disciple and Wei Wuxian never returns to Yunmeng. People gossip, sect leaders question, and new Jiang disciple flounder.

Neither Jiang Wanyin nor Wei Wuxian confirms it but it is clear to everyone that the Jiang Sect has, foolishly, kicked out its most powerful disciple. YunmengJiang remains wealthy but the Sect's influence diminishes significantly once Wei Wuxian leaves.

Other Sects, big and small, scramble to find Wei Wuxian, ready to offer him a place and get a powerful cultivator in their ranks. Letters pour in promising wealth and prestige.

Wei Wuxian ignores them all and settles in Cloud Recesses. He's content to teach a group of eye-wide Lan ducklings now to deal with resentful energy and limit the risk of Qi Deviation. He takes them on Nighthunts, teaches them real-life lessons, encourages creativity, and becomes a well-loved senior.

New YunmengJiang disciples aren't near as strong as their predecessors without someone to teach them properly.

People gossip and speculate as the years pass. They hint that he is wrong to leave his former sect behind but he doesn't care.

Wei Wuxian has Lan Zhan and Lan Sizhui. Wen Qing and Wen Ning live happily in a small farming village not far from Gusu. They intervene before Jin Guangyao kills Nie Mingjue. They save Lan Xichen from heartache. Jin Ling is born and has both of his parents.

That's all he needs to be happy.

YunmengJiang is no longer his responsibility.

#short prompts #time travel au #wei wuxian #lan wangji #no golden core transfer #anti jiang cheng

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stellahibernis · 4 years

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Lan Wangji: the Model Student Edition

AKA Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed, part 1/9

I got it in my head to write about Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed for a couple of reasons. One, they’re extremely beautiful and worth paying attention to (as are all the costumes in the series!) and two, they do an excellent job of reflecting his mental state and where he is on his journey as a character. Hence, I’ll always look at them from two points of view, what’s actually happening in the costume, and how the choices made tie to what’s going on while he wears it. Note that I’m not going to even attempt to touch on how they connect to actual historical clothing (you’ll need an expert for that, which I’m definitely not).

I decided to make separate posts for each outfit rather than try to cram all of them in one post (or a few posts). I suspect this’ll be long enough anyway, since I’ll cover some common elements in his outfits in this one, and the images also add to the length. I tried not to go too crazy with the number of the images, although I suspect there’ll be more in the latter posts that cover some of his more elaborate costumes. I had a bit of fun with my image choices as you’ll see (also several times I forgot I was meant to capture stuff and just kept watching, as one does 😂).

Without further ado, let’s start with the outfit Lan Wangji had on when he walked into Wei Wuxian’s life. This outfit was worn mainly in episodes 3-7, briefly in episode 8, and also in WWX’s memories in episode 1.

The Costume

In my head this goes in the simple-but-formal category of LWJ’s outfits, meaning he has the full amount of layers on, and the fabrics are of the usual high quality, but they have no particular texture, and there’s not much embroidery. This almost feels like the basic Lan disciple outfit upgraded to a higher level, which goes nicely with the fact that even though he is the Second Jade of Lan, he’s also a student among the rest of them.

First some basics about the robes the Lan Sect members wear, possibly obvious stuff, but I’ll cover it anyway. They are usually made of fairly lightweight fabrics (that move beautifully in action scenes, I might add), although those of higher rank also have robes made of fabrics with more texture and weight. They’re always white or shades of blue, again more blue for those of higher rank (if they so choose), and the cloud pattern is usually embroidered at least somewhere (significantly LWJ has two outfits with no cloud embroidery).

Innermost layer consists of the white pants and the undershirt that seems to be standard for everyone, we see LWJ (in episode 43), LQR (in episode 33), and WWX (in episodes 42-45) all wear similar shirts. The actors aren’t necessarily wearing all the layers due to heat, but we’re meant to believe they’re always there and that cultivators are just immune to the sun or something. (In that bts video where they bicker on the boat we actually see Wang Yibo wearing the undershirt when he pulls back his sleeves, meaning he’s in five layers and somehow looks cool as a cucumber, while Xiao Zhan is dying of heat 😂). Next come two or three sets of robes, possibly always meant to be three, since the Lans are formal like that, but we don’t see that many with every costume. Then comes a sash to keep the robes closed, and for those of higher rank optionally another robe on top (which LWJ and LXC don’t always wear).

Here’s another look at the costume, with a bonus WWX. This was obviously chosen solely because it shows the silhouette very well.

As I mentioned earlier, this outfit has all the elements listed above, including a robe worn over the sash, but there aren’t too many details. The fabric is certainly meant to be silk, and possibly even is. Whoever did the hemming of the robe definitely struggled enough for it to be silk (modern detail that one, btw, you wouldn’t sew it like that by hand. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t just do that, making an invisible hem isn’t actually that slow, but maybe it’s still significant when you need to make so many costumes). The sash is very basic, with no decoration at all, but he of course has the waist ornament with the jade pieces and tassel, which is one of the two things he always wears, in addition to his forehead ribbon. The white shoes are maybe the biggest flex from the Lan Sect, just imagine how much time would be needed to clean and replace all of them, especially since the climate at the Cloud Recesses is definitely rainy, and then there are the night hunts.

Above is the top seen in detail, we have his first head ornament (which is very cute, IMO), and the forehead ribbon. Interestingly it’s pale blue rather than white (as I believe it’s in the book). Blue is slightly less stark against the skin, so that may have been the reason. Then there’s the embroidery on the lapels, the Lan Sect clouds done with white on white, basically the least extravagant you can get and still have them. We only see one more layer, I believe. There’s blue and white in the collar, but looking at how it overlaps I think it’s just one robe with two colors. But hey, a teeny tiny bit of color on him at least!

Another detail to note is that if he has narrow sleeves visible, there are always fabric bands wrapped around the wrists, yet another bit of complexity and formality to his outfits. He also has them with this costume, you don’t see them that many times because the big sleeves cover them pretty well, but we get a nice glimpse of them when LWJ and WWX are tied together with the forehead ribbon in the cave, see below.

Yes, I capped the moment where they collapse to the ground after getting out of the cave. I have to get my amusement somehow, but it was actually the one where you can see the detail best. 😂 (I also tried the part where LWJ ties the ribbon but all the caps came out blurry, so this one it is). LWJ’s hand is the top one, obviously, and WWX has just a regular sleeve end there.

The Context

When LWJ first walks into the scene in episode 3, he’s at peace with himself in that his world makes sense, he has a clear understanding of who he is and what his responsibilities are. I’m not saying it has come without struggle considering everything to do with his mother (I bet LQR was just thrilled when he moved to the Jingshi, which all things considered probably hadn’t happened that long before the start of the story), but it looks like it’s something that’s been worked out. Also, when I say his world makes sense, I don’t mean that he’s completely happy about everything (if I had to define it, I’d go for comfortably neutral), just that there are no particular issues that he doesn’t know how to react to until WWX comes and turns everything upside down.

Much of the past timeline for LWJ is about his struggle between his loyalty to his sect and what he perceives as his duty, and his connection with WWX. This can be seen reflected in his costumes as well. Broadly speaking (obviously individual scenes can shift the focus for a time), when he wears predominantly white with wide sleeves (his more formal outfits) it signals that he’s particularly conscious of his duty and his upbringing, while his blue outfits with narrow sleeves (arguably more casual ones) come to play when he’s more forcefully pulled by his connection with WWX. Notably, he also wears one mostly white outfit with narrow sleeves, but we’ll get to that later.

At this point of the story, the real struggle hasn’t yet started for him, he’s (mostly) the perfect model student that he was taught to be literally from birth, and his outfit reflects that. He’s definitely thrown by the effect WWX has on him, as it’s most likely a completely new experience, but he also considers it nonsense that he intends to drop (or boring, as he has a tendency to say). When he sets out alone, I’d say it’s with the idea that he can just leave what happened in summer school behind and focus once more on his responsibilities. Clearly there’s some regret that he feels because of it, as we witnessed his undoubtedly warm feelings toward WWX when hearing his resolution in the lantern scene, but right after that moment he focuses on the Yin Iron once more and maybe chooses that road (only he doesn’t get to walk it alone, WWX is stubborn like that).

Next time, blue robes and the point of no return for LWJ just whooshes on its way behind them.

(You can find the rest of this series via “lwj costume series” tag below, or through my blog contents page. I’d link for ease of access but the links made it disappear from tags, so. 😒)

#the untamed #cql #lan wangji #costume design #cql meta #lwj costume series #cql rambles

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tatselk · 5 years

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The Untamed (陈情令) Review: Ep 6

!!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

Previous episode review: 1 and 2, 3, 4, 5.

So much of the extra/side info in the novel made it into actual conversations OMG. WWX teasing JC by telling NHS about JC’s list of requirements for his ideal cultivation partner! WWX telling LWJ that the only memory that WWX had of his parents was him riding on a donkey with his parents alongside him! LXC explaining to WWX that LQR was a little harsh in punishing WWX (for drinking alcohol) as LQR and CSSR were classmates, CSSR was very similar to WWX and (hinting that) CSSR had cut off LQR beard!

It’s nice to see WWX, JC and NHS drinking and messing about whilst at Gusu. Even nicer to see LWJ catching them in the act (no, not that kinda act; get your mind out of the gutter lol). But the best part of it was JC and NHS running away to escape being punished for drinking, leaving WWX and LWJ (ok, so he was basically under the control of WWX’s talisman for at least part of it but still) to drink and talk to each other. :)

There were so many good convos in this episode. But my fav had to be where LWJ told WWX about how the Lans’ forehead ribbon was an important item that can only be touched by one’s parents, wife and children. WWX laughed and said that the Lans were so uptight and pretentious that no girl would want to marry LWJ and that LWJ should be prepared to be single for the rest of his life. LWJ simply replying with, “Might as well.”/ “That’s fine too.” Holy shit, LWJ, are you already in love with WWX and planning on not marrying anyone else for his sake or what???

Peak acting from WWX’s actor in this episode: after LXC advised him to go to the cold springs to treat his injuries, WWX casually strolled along the path in the mountains to get there. But when WWX spotted from afar that LWJ was naked in the cold springs, HE BEGAN EXCITEDLY RUNNING AND BOUNCING ALONG (AND HAVING TO GRAB HOLD OF THE TREES TO STEADY HIMSELF) TO MEET LWJ. XD

Right after WWX told LWJ in the cold springs that there were many benefits that came with LWJ being WWX’s friend, WWX began STRIPPING. WWX, what does this MEAN? What are you HINTING at??? ;)

WANGXIAN MOMENT! When LWJ and WWX were in the cold springs, they were somehow dragged down by an unknown force into an underground cave. There was a qin there that attacked WWX and not LWJ. There were also rabbits that wore the Lan forehead ribbon . WWX figured that the Lan forehead ribbons have some magical power that protected LWJ and the rabbits from being harmed by the qin. So he asked LWJ for his forehead ribbon without explaining why. AND LWJ UNQUESTIONINGLY TOOK OFF HIS FOREHEAD RIBBON TO TIE WWX TO HIM TO PROTECT WWX. HOLY SHIT.

THE STORY IS GETTING WILD YALL. After LWJ played the qin, chanting echoed around the cave which sounded like the 5 major cultivation sects were going after Xue Chonghai (XCH) (hmm, any relation to XY?) to destroy the stygian seal. And then Lan Yi (LY), who was the only woman to ever lead the Lan sect, appeared out of nowhere. LY then explained to LWJ and WWX about how a few hundred years ago, XCH of Yiling was the most powerful cultivator then and used the stygian seal to oppress others and how the 5 major cultivation sects had defeated him and split up the stygian seal to suppress its powers, how LY had to remain in the cave to suppress a fragment of the stygian seal which she failed to try and use etc..

Possible new rarepair alert: BSSR/LY.

Love how what happened with BSSR and LY re: stygian seal parallels what seems like is going to happen with LWJ and WWX in the future re: demonic cultivation. LY and WWX both had the same idea of using such negative energies, rather than suppressing them. In both cases, BSSR/LWJ had warned LY/WWX about the dangers of trying to use these forces. But LY/WWX had ignored them and were confident that they could control them, which eventually led to estrangement between LY/ BSSR and LWJ/WWX respectively. Both LY/WWX were not able to control these powers and ended up being harmed by them instead. This makes WWX’s actions even more tragic because he already knew from a past example as to how badly things can turn out but had to go ahead and practise demonic cultivation anyway.

Why does LWJ and WWX talking with LY feel like LWJ is bringing WWX home to meet his parents’ approval? Hahaha.

Update on the JZX/JYL front: they had A Moment when JZX caught JYL and saved her from falling.

Side note: one thing that I really like about the live-action is that there is more communication between WWX and LWJ during their schooldays/ before WWX’s death. Somehow this makes the overall development of their relationship more realistic. This probably ties into the difference in WWX’s parting words with LWJ: in the novel, WWX told LWJ to get out; but in the live-action, WWX told LWJ to let him go.

Overall: 10/10. Perfect combi of fluffy/flirty moments and plot development. 110% would re-watch this episode. :):):)

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #the untamed #陈情令 #魔道祖师 #mxtx #review #the untamed review #陈情令 review #chen qing ling

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merlinsbed · 3 years

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tagged by @nooowestayandgetcaught!

RULES: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works <3

okay so normally when I do these my first thought is “oh god did I even write five fics this year???” but thanks to the 30 day writing challenge that definitely took much longer than 30 days I’ve written over 30 fics for the year 2020 and I am super proud of that! it also helped that I got super into the untamed this year (as I’m sure anyone who follows me has noticed lmao) and was overwhelmed with the urge to get back into writing. anyway, I would say my top 5 favorites from this year would be:

Uncertain Accord (The Untamed, wangxian, 3.5k)

the 9th fic from my 30 day challenge and quite possibly one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. someone bookmarked it with the tag ‘Hair Brushing’ and I’ve thought about that at least once a week ever since because that might be my favorite thing anyone has ever tagged a bookmark of my fic with. this thing somehow grew out of the prompt "When's the last time you slept?" and now is a long term project that is probably at about 50k words (I have 2 separate documents for it rn because my writing process is chaotic). my goal is to write about 100k of dumb pining boys and I hope when I finish this and post it that at least one person has the urge to throw their laptop/phone against the nearest wall.

Progress (with a little nudge) (The Untamed, Jiang Cheng with some wangxian, 4.2k)

I wrote this fic literally the day after I finished the untamed which is a record for me. usually it takes me like two weeks to start writing things I’m somewhat happy with for a new fandom and even longer to post something. sometimes I think I should change the summary because as anyone who has read it has found the summary isn’t wrong, but it really only prepares you for a small amount of what happens. honestly though the summary “Jiang Cheng could have happily gone the rest of his life without knowing what the great Hanguang Jun's bare naked ass looks like” paired with an angst tag cracks me up too much so unfortunately everyone must continue to suffer being utterly unprepared for exactly how much angst I pack in around that one scene.

Uneasy Friends (How to Train Your Dragon, gen, 2.6k)

the only non untamed fic I wrote and published this year. it’s part 2 of an organized crime au taking place probably about the 1950′s in which hiccup haddock is the heir of an infamous crime family which I find hilarious because it’s, you know, hiccup. I’ve got two more parts partially written for it but I’ve been waiting for my untamed fixation to die down a bit before working on stuff for other fandoms (like that sequel I promised for my merlin fic from past to present lmao. in my defense I promised it would be written and published before I die and I’m only in my 20s so. plenty of time.)

Sexy Impersonations (Subjective) (The Untamed, wangxian, 1k)

my last fic of the year was originally going to be a kind of bittersweet winter solstice thing taking place after episode 50 but I got distracted while editing it and instead wrote this. basically I saw a post while scrolling through tumblr about how college professors either tell you nothing about their lives or like treat you to full scoop, decided lwj and wwx each fit one of those descriptions and wrote an entire post about it. then I got really stuck on the idea of wwx willingly ruining his sex life to annoy his husband with bad star wars impressions and thus a fic was born! sometime in the next few months I’ll probably write about one of the ways lwj annoys wwx during sex. I’ve already had some thoughts about it.

Mistaken (The Untamed, wangxian, 2.7k)

this was a tough choice to make there were like 5 fics I was considering for the 5th spot, but the touch of bed sharing, forehead ribbon stuff, and almost kiss gave this one a bit of an edge over the others I was considering. it’s part 8 of the 30 day challenge and spawned from the prompt “they mixed up our reservations and now we only have one room with one bed”. I did think about having them actually share the bed the whole night but like. this is repressed teenage lwj we’re talking about. I don’t think he could’ve handled sharing a bed with wwx for an entire night. especially since I imagine wwx is definitely the kind of the person that naturally snuggles people in his sleep.

oh god, who do I know on here that writes and hasn’t already been tagged (that I know of)...

um, how about @schweetheart and @mercurialmagic if you guys are interested

and really anyone else who sees this and wants to do it! we all deserve to give our writing some love!

edit: got caught up on the part about writing because that’s what I do but ANY artistic works go for this so anyone who write/draws/makes amazing edits/etc and wants to do this go for it! give your art some love whatever form it comes in!

#my fic #I am a very unsocial #and horrifically closed off person #so I never know who to tag on these things #anyway

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tatselk · 5 years

Text

The Untamed (陈情令) Review: Ep 7

!!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

Previous episode review: 1 and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

The parent/children/in-laws vibes that I got from the interaction between Lan Yi (LY), LWJ and WWX last episode intensified when LY was all wistful when she found out that WWX was the son of BSSR’s disciple, CSSR (ie BSSR’s tusun). Oh and when WWX insisted on going along with LY’s unfulfilled mission (see Point 2 below), despite LWJ’s protest that this had nothing to do with WWX who was not a Lan.

I have no idea where the epic tale of the stygian seal will be going or how it will be linked to WWX practising demonic cultivation. But I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how it all pans out. LY told LWJ and WWX about how the reason that the fragment of the stygian seal that LY had had grown stronger/ activated itself over the past decade was probably because the other fragments had manifested themselves. LWJ figured that WRH was following in Xue Chonghai (XCH)’s steps and experimenting with the creation of walking corpses. WWX asked what they can do to stop the negative energies of the stygian seal from harming the world. LY told them that the only way to do so would be to gather the fragments of the stygian seal together and permanently seal it in the Hanchan. But LY couldn’t do it as she was dying (or maybe discorporating in the Good Omens sense is a better way to describe it?) and LWJ and WWX promised to carry out her unfulfilled mission.

WangXian Moment! As LWJ and WWX came out of the cave together, LWJ fell and WWX stumbled onto him as they were still tied together at the wrist with LWJ’s forehead ribbon. Even when they saw that JC and WQ were around, WWX DIDN’T SEEM TO THINK THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH CONTINUING TO BASICALLY LIE ON TOP OF LWJ UNTIL LWJ TOLD HIM TO “GET OFF”. On a side note, this kinda has the same energy as THAT scene in Good Omens when Crowley pushed Aziraphale up against a wall. Haha.

Remember back in episode 5 when LXC was evasive when LWJ and WWX asked him questions about the zombie/corpse of a Lan sect cultivator found in episode 3 and the water spirits in episode 5? Yep, turns out that LXC knew all about the link between all these stuff but just had to keep it a secret from them.

Think LWJ objecting to LQR’s plan of dealing with the stygian seal marks the first time in the live-action that LWJ had ever protested against what LQR said. Quite a different feel from the novel LWJ who only seemed to protest against LQR when shit really hit the ceiling AND WWX was somehow involved.

Lol-ed at WWX scaring NHS by lying that he had encountered a snake spirit when he and LWJ had gone missing (ie in the cave).

What... is up with JC’s apparent jealousy (and the ominous foreshadowing of future events)? “WWX, you are real familiar with LWJ now, aren’t you? I think you should just enter the Lan sect instead. Remain in the Cloud Recesses. Never return to Lotus Pier.”

Love the difference in how WC and XY interacted with WRH. Like WC is all subservient to his father whilst XY is just full of snarks and smirks. XD

I have no idea why the people at the Cloud Recesses are all randomly releasing lanterns into the sky or the relevance of this to the overall plot (other than setting up how WWX and JZX got into a fight). But I’m all for the shippy moments which the lantern scene provided. Haha. ESPECIALLY that WangXian one when WWX showed the lantern which he had made for LWJ and LWJ ACTUALLY SMILED for the first time (and so subtly that you might almost miss it) AND LWJ getting all flustered that WWX noticed his smile. :)

That bit when JYL told WWX that, “One day, you would marry a girl who is both talented and beautiful.” and WWX replying with, “No way. I just want to remain at Lotus Pier with shijie.” HOLY SHIT. On one hand, it is all fluffy if you see it as mirroring LWJ in episode 6 when he replied with, “Might as well.”/ “That’s fine too.” when WWX told LWJ that he should be prepared to be single for the rest of his life. On the other hand, this really ups the angst factor in light of what actually happened with WWX, JYL and Lotus Pier in the future.

Can we talk about that part when JC basically called WWX out on his pining-after-LWJ BS? Like after WWX declared that all the disciples from the various sects all really liked him and would miss him after he was gone, JC is all, “Alright, then let me ask you this. Why, out of so many sect disciples, do you only bid Lan Zhan farewell?”. And then WWX went on about how he admired LWJ because LWJ was the only one who managed to defeat him in battle. WWX, you really...

Overall: 8/10. Not much on the plot development front. But all the fluffy and shippy moments more than made up for this.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #the untamed #陈情令 #魔道祖师 #mxtx #review #the untamed review #陈情令 review #chen qing ling

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