#cql ep 16

[pastelcheckereddreams]

I stopped mid-drawing because I saw this screenshot and cannot get Wen Zhuliu out of my head.

Why does he notice something suspicious about the liquor and look towards the bodies of Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian? Why does he drink it even though he suspects it’s drugged?

I’m having so many thoughts.

Although he doesn’t say much, it’s clear that he prioritises duty over anything else. We can presume from his actions that his main objective is to safeguard Wen Chao at all times. So on that surface assumption alone, he isn’t drinking during the Wen’s celebrations because he must keep a clear head. But then Wen Chao, the son of his (unhinged) employer who has charged him with Wen Chao’s safety, challenges him to drink. 

(Sudden parallel! Wen Chao 🤝 Jin Zixun, forcing people to drink as a power play.)

So the glance towards Madam Yu (and I will go out on a limb and say he’s looking towards Madam Yu specifically) makes sense, because she (moreso than JFM, sorry JFM stans) is the last known threat he can think of. His eyes dart around slightly before he does - confirming he sees no one suspicious in the shadows. He’s simply confirming “the dead woman’s not still a threat...right?” before he acquiesces to the boss’s son’s weak flex to save everyone face.

(There’s a slight nod to superstition there, and a belief in the supernatural, that I’ll return to in a moment.) 

But first let me point out the deeper context, seen in that first screenshot - he knows there’s something sus about the drink. And he drinks anyway. 

That’s a big gamble. Let me explain why - 

This is perhaps the more heart-wrenching scenario: Wen Zhuliu could not see an active threat in those split seconds he scanned the gathered Wen troops upon smelling the unidentified drug in the alcohol. He was perhaps looking for an unfamiliar face, disguised in Wen red, or a flash of bloodied purple in the shadows - Jiang Cheng, despite his presumed incapacitation, or another Jiang clan member. 

Because Wen Zhuliu knows that it wasn’t just the Jiang Sect’s heir that escaped the massacre, but the Jiang head disciple as well. It was Madam Yu’s last (rare, poignant) selfless act to save them both.

And he looks to Madam Yu’s corpse.

Perhaps, in that moment, he weighs the probability of the Jiang poisoning their own liquor supply in preparation for a lost battle (unlikely - they surprised the Jiang) or the Jiang heir has done so under their very noses sometime in his later capture. 

Perhaps he reasons, with Zidian-quick logic, that both scenarios are unlikely, and so he drinks anyway. 

Or perhaps he looks towards the corpses of Jiang Wangyin’s parents, so disrespectfully displayed after such a heroic last stand, knowing the boy has also just had his core ripped from him at his own hands, and thinks - so be it.

(Do you think Wen Zhuliu spoke to Jiang Cheng before he took his core? Do you think Jiang Cheng looked at him with the same fire in his eyes as his parents?) 

In his quiet, duty-bound way, Wen Zhuliu comes across as a man who respects those who have earned it. And Madam Yu surely did in her last stand. So did, perhaps, Jiang Cheng. 

So he drains his cup. 

(I don’t think he did this in some sort of salute to her, though, despite the formidable opponent she made. His eyes don’t linger on her, instead his gaze is down in an internal calculation.)    

A few seconds later, Wen Chao is appeased but Wen Zhuliu’s suspicions are confirmed as he feels the drug take effect:

He closes his eyes and settles back, presumably now knowing the drug to be a simple sedative and - deeming it to be harmless, as he doesn’t stop Wen Chao as he urges Jiaojiao to drink more - focuses on his internal force to dampen its effects. 

But there’s this lingering shot, as he does, on the blood still dripping from Madam Yu’s fresh corpse as dancers celebrate the Wen’s victory:

It feels ominous, which circles me back to the superstitious undertones of the moment - emphasised mostly by the soundtrack. The ominous music rises towards a crescendo just as the scene above cuts to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng - alive, (mostly) whole, being rescued. The Jiang clan live on, despite the Wen’s best efforts at subordinating them; despite the two Sect leaders hanging lifeless from the rafters.

But I can’t help but circle back further - back further than the moment Wen Zhuliu first glanced towards Madam Yu’s corpse, or the moment the drugged liquor was first served. The moment this scene begins, we hear the flute music associated with Chengqing.* 

*Will edit later with the track name and possibly more meta. 

So I wonder if this scene, this moment, is actually subtly foreshadowing Wen Zhuliu - and Wen Chao’s - end. And that focus on Madam Yu? My own headcanons about a history between the two aside, that shot has a sense of lingering, of unfinished business. 

The scene abruptly cuts to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian - the two people that will bring about Wen Zhuliu’s death, that were saved by Madam Yu, that were harmed directly by Wen Zhuliu, and who will consequently finish the fight Madam Yu started. 

They are both her legacy, and this is the moment death marks Wen Zhuliu. Everything after he takes that drink is inevitable, because he chooses social protocol/servitude to the Wen over self-preservation.

Perhaps, just maybe, there’s even a Wei Wuxian parallel there - food for thought. Their outfits certainly match.   

#nikkiwrites #today on it's not that deep but what if it is #this... got away from me #i have wen zhuliu feelings still i guess?? #yes more than the 'choke me' kind #i think this is more headcanon than analysis at this point #wen zhuliu #madam yu #yu ziyuan #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #wen chao #character parallels #character analysis #cql meta #the untamed ep 16 #cql ep 16 #cql episode 16 #the untamed episode 16 #the burning of lotus pier #jiang clan #jiang sect

[llycaons]

ep14 (pt1): oh boy romantic montage time

wwx as a teenager is genuinely more compassionate than he's portrayed as

aw shit mention of the oath

I've often been confused by this sequence. if they showed wwx actually entering the shell instead of suddenly cutting to him inside this big red cavern, I think it would have made more sense

also I've often complained that animals don't have large rooms in their bodies like that but I just realized....oh yeah it's an ancient twisted monster. animal biology need not apply so 🤡

honestly I found this fight scene very drawn-out and uninteresting. the special effects for the fight were somewhat awkward and I was kind of bored. this was good though

wyb does 'devastated' very well

I'm kind of missing the donhua ngl. I like cql the best but the donghua was just so focused and clever and creative with the story

wwx is all kinds of fucked up after this fight....not just from his concerning readiness to die but probably also from connecting with this cursed fucking sword. he seems really out of it, and seems to be in a drowsy sort of honesty when he's like 'oh lan zhan...I didn't think I'd be able to meet you again' which is a very...nitimate thing to say? bc later when lwj gives him spiritual energy and he's a little more himself

he sees lwj all lit up and helping him and he starts complaining about how 'boring' it is. face your feelings, wwx! stop avoiding them! you think lwj is beautiful and unique and special and you like him a lot!

it's also. I feel like wwx doesn't feel like he even has the right to have an attachment outside of the jiangs? in some scenes he's really enthusiastic about himself and lwj being partners but in others he hastily denies it in order to smooth things over with jc, so jc doesn't feel abandoned. oof. we'll get to that

okay the top one is the viki and the bottom one is the youtube version which I remember! why are the translations the opposite of each other! also the youtube version is literally higher quality im so mad

god damn I love the lyrics to wuji. they almost don't matter, since they never come up after this and they're not relevant to the song's significance within the narrative, but they're perfect. it's about the struggles of a lifetime, about grief and joy, the ups and downs of being in the world, of reputation lost and gained. vague and poetic, and achingly relevant. that last line about sharing a tune together at the horizon....that's the finale, isn't it? just beautifully put together and a powerful reflection of the story itself, wwx's rise and fall and the pains and joys he's going to face. cannot believe a 16 yr old wrote that. tho if it was anyone, it would be lwj wouldn't it

lwj is ALWAYS the one leaving without saying goodbye! no wonder wwx lost faith! in this context the gusu situation is a little urgent but like. he couldn't have left a note?

I've read a few fics where they sleep together in the cave and 1. nasty and 2. that would make him just leaving after so much worse 😭 I do not endorse the first time cave sex headcanon. I still don't think it would realistically happen until ep 43. too early here, and after sunshot wwx is terrified of anyone touching him because they'll be able to tell he's lost his core. so as fun as angsty sunshot hookups are, I simply cannot see it. tho that would technically also be a factor in ep43, I don't think wwx cares as much by then if lwj knows

aw shit good job jzx

jc is yelling at wwx AGAIN and complaining about not being recognized for his efforts. my dude he just woke up from a week-long fevered sleep chill out. also can jzx stop crowding him? it's like these idiots have no idea how to treat sick people ALSO. why did jc have to run for help? they had a ton of people there. couldn't they have removed the boulders themselves? huh, maybe the wens were hanging around and all they could do was flee

wwx and ljw have such main character energy that wen chao KNEW they stayed behind to kill the false xuanwu...okay

the shidis are learning archery and jyl is just...standing there. okay! couldn't have had her like, reading or doing crafts. nope. just standing there. probably looking out for her returning brothers but like. come on

I really love that jfm personally goes to teach the little disciples. he's gentle and encouraging, and provides a reassuring and secure presence, and I'm sure his students love him. despite his flaws I'm very fond of him esp here

oh wwx, fainting again. first of many

this detail is legit so freaking cute. and wwx's warm smile upon seeing it and knowing he's home 🥰 this supports my 'wwx is a hopeless romantic' agenda. I did laugh when the donghua gave one of them huge boobs but the wx subtext in that show was so potent I can't really accuse them of straightwashing. more evidence for him being bi is all

good for you, jc

see, here he's trying to make jc feel better by calling lwj boring and jc just - lashes out. wwx tries this entire scene to deflect praise onto jc and diminish his accomplishments and to support jc and jc just treats him like shit. no wonder their relationship is so terrible later if jc treats him like this just bc he's mad. can't he see that wwx has no more control over this situation than jc does? he's just the acceptable target in jc's eyes bc jc can't be mad at his parents!

like wen chao was trying to murder mm and string up her body to attract the monster which they were going to be expected to fight without weapons. what the fuck was he supposed to do? and he's not even the one who started the fight! AND if he hadn't stayed behind, how could everyone else has escaped? I didn't see jc offering any other solutions! jesus

it sucks that jfm is implying that jc doesn't have the right temperament to lead the clan, but he's literally the only person in authority to push back against jc's treatment of wwx this arc. and he's literally right that you shouldn't speak from anger. it's not what a leader should do, it's not fair or just, it doesn't allow you to speak wisely or carefully, and it's not something that will lead anywhere good. but after this arc all jc does is lead from anger and bitterness!

it's also so twisted that wwx feels responsible for this and tries to defend jc as 'he's just mad and venting' which he says is fine here but later in the story he bitterly complains about. like I know he loves and misses LP as an adult but this entire situation was absolutely noxious for everyone involved. ppl talk about jyl being parentified but wwx felt obligated to do the same for jc as well and put aside all his own needs and emotions for jc's as soon as this shit starts up. he acts like the undeserving servant as soon as he feels like he needs to I feel dizzy

#this episode was so delicious #cql re-rewatch

[cqlfeels]

CQL only question. Why does LQR often acts like a sect leader during the flashback episodes? The most prominent example is probably ep. 24 (?) when he gives his nephews assignments. In LWJ’s case it’s a form of punishment. He also gets his request about visiting the forbidden section declined. LXC seemingly feels bad for his brother yet he doesn’t object despite being the actual sect leader whose job is giving assignments in the first place. Other examples are less prominent but it’s still there. LXC thinks his uncle was too strict in punishing WX’s drunken shenanigans but doesn’t object. When LWJ lets WWX and the Wens escape, it’s LQR that scolds him. It’s again LQR that punishes LWJ for meeting WWX in Yiling and later for going against his own clan (UNCLE got mad, UNCLE took LWJ home, UNCLE punished him). I wonder what LXC thought about it. What was his role as the sect leader? If he supported his brother, then why did he allow any of that? If he didn’t, why wasn’t he the one to do the scolding/punishment? P.S. Interestingly, this dynamic seems to change in the present timeline. I wonder what could happen during those 16 long years

You’re right, this is totally confusing! Disclaimer that sect politics aren’t something I’m known to know a lot about, so maybe I’m overlooking something!

I know you’ve asked about CQL, but let me take a brief book detour. In the book, LXC’s father is still alive up until the burning of Cloud Recesses. That means LXC isn’t Sect Leader yet. Because he’s young and LQR is both a respected teacher and has been the de facto leader since LXC was a baby, it seems that they’re keeping that going for a while longer. Then Cloud Recesses burns, LXC flees, and when he comes back his father is dead and he becomes the official sect leader, probably taking over most of if not all the responsibilities of that.

CQL, for reasons I have never understood, decided to start the show with LXC’s father already dead, which means he’s already sect leader. Functionally, it seems that LQR still is working as a regent or something of that sort because LXC is too young (?) but it’s unclear exactly what the power dynamic is. We can headcanon about it but I’m pretty sure they just... didn’t give it a lot of thought. In general, CQL portrays the Lan as much more... unrealistic, than the book does, so I think it’s entirely possible they didn’t really think of the politics of it all or even of LXC’s character arc.

#i have headcanons about this #but the canon answer is basically this

[morkofday]

reveal your watch & rewatch drama list!

thank you gei @snimeat ♥ i did this a short while back but don’t mind doing this again bc some shows have now finished and others have started and i love talking about them!

watching:

Vice Versa - my beloved. am not always so sure about how objectively good this show is but i am absolutely obsessed with everything in it and cannot help it.

The Eclipse - i’ve been very curious about this one since i first saw its trailer around february maybe? i cannot believe it finally started. the first ep had me hooked and i already feel like that one meme pictures with all the theories i have in my head about what’s going on here. also loving khaotung in his role, happy to see first again, and very, very in love with neolouis even if i’ve had them for like five minutes. 

Immortal Samsara - got to ep 16 and haven’t continued in a while. that’s probably bc i’ve been watching all these random short bls in between after the ohmnanon fanmeeting left me bleeding. will probably get back into this soon - or then not haha, depends on my brain. 

rewatching (or at least hoping to):

My Country: The New Age - still very determined to get back into this. i miss these characters and the world even if it’s brutal. 

Not Me - this series deserves at least one rewatch. i’ve just been a bit scared of starting bc am not sure what wounds it will reopen in me. 

Heroes - yet another one i wish to rewatch for all the pain. following hilsie’s @hils79 journey through this show on twt is making me miss all of them. idk if there will ever be a character for me like bai choufei was. am happy lyn gets to have all these different guys under his wing. 

Ultimate Note - still gotta rewatch the ending half of this. i just dunno if i will ever be emotionally ready for the xiaoge memory loss arc. (also i feel like if i start on un, it will very quickly lead into me rewatching reboot and tlt2 too and i really don’t have the time rn.) 

The Journey Across The Night - it feels like am long overdue for an annual rewatch. i miss my three kids and this world. i miss the feeling this show gives me. 

The Untamed - haven’t watched anything related to cql in a long, long while. been catching myself missing it a ton tho. spotify has also tried to force it down my throat via throwing the ost songs at me at the most unexpected moments. we’ve been talking with kiddo @i-am-just-a-kiddo that we could maybe get into rewatching together - if either of us has the strength and time for such an investment. 

tagging (feel free to ignore!): the two mentioned already, @dimpledpran @ashenlights @psychic-waffles @namchyoon and @talaypuens ♥ 

#tag game #sorry i blabber again #i just keep thinking about #all the shows i wanna rewatch #the long ballad is up there too gosh #also bad buddy continues to be there #i never tire of watching that

[lunaticmeap]

Re: CQL Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian's death in ep 16

I have never seen a more OOC take on YZY lmao what was even YZY killing herself in the middle of her enemies becuz her husband dies???

bro u cant convince me that this woman of powerful cultivation, who has hated her marriage, hated an adopted kid whose mother was rumoured to have an affair with her husband, had a sect of her own before her marriage, risked her life to protect her kids and defend her own home and disciples, would just... kill herself to be with her husband when he falls in battle whilst her enemies are still sacking here house?!??!?!?!???!?!?! UH?????

#they could have had her go on a rampage #and it would still make her a strong female character whilst showing that she had affection for her husband all along #what in the living fuck was that stupid ass heart stab crawl towards ur husband bullshit #she would have gone out with literally guns blazing #GIVE ME MY BADASS TERRIBLE PERSONALITY YU ZIYUAN #CQL #mdzs #yu ziyuan #jiang fengmian

[a-force-dyad-in-space]

#just curious 🤣 #the untamed

[jungwookjins]

溫寧, WEN NING — through the years

for @mdzsnet’s wen ning birthday event!!

[id: five gifs of wen ning from the untamed with alternating green and blue background color schemes. in the first, he lowers an archer's bow and smiles, looking into the distance. in the second, he stands with his arms behind his back as he talks to two guards of the wen clan. in the third, he his holding a daikon radish as he nods understandingly to wei wuxian. the the fourth, he stands in front of wei wuxian as wuxian inspects the chains that wen ning has around him. in the fifth, he smiles and nods as he talks to wei wuxian. the blue and green colored caption reads: 溫寧, WEN NING — through the years. /end id]

#wen ning my beloved #i considered including gifs from the living dead but i didnt want to make the post too long bc these are big gifs #mdzsnet #fytheuntamed #the untamed #chen qing ling #mo dao zu shi #wen ning #wen qionglin #mdzs #cql #cql ep 4 #cql ep 16 #cql ep 30 #cql ep 36 #cql ep 50 #ennuigif #mine

[mikkaeus]

genuinely obsessed with how they’re attached at the hip at literally any given scene. babes the cave is SO LARGE and yet here you are looking like a royal couple greeting the visitor

#wenzhou #word of honor #like im just scrubbing through looking for the scene im giffing and they're in my face lik this #absolutely insufferable cql #shl #ep 16 #shl liveblog

[whoisthatmovinginthedark]

Lord Seventh / Qi Ye 

It’s time

#I'm also reading spl for the fourth time on the side #because I'm like that #if I really like something I want to keep it going #(like I've watched cql 16 times all the way through) #(and the last five or so times I watched it from ep1 to middle of 31 then back to ep 1 and then past 31 to the end) #(and I managed to watch mctna approximately 9 times somewhere in between) #(why am I even confessing this :D) #(anyway now I've been mostly reading since the beginning of summer) #priest / qi ye /

[wrrinkl]

Wei WuXian playing with his heart (ep 16 / ep 23)

The tables have turned and it HITS. DIFFERENT. Those meaningful gazes, bruh!

#consequences for my actions? #this is it this is the series #HIS HEART OK #right in the kokoro #i fuckin cant #because apparently we don't have enough pain!!! #FUCKKKKK #why #some more pain? #how about more pain #more pain yes? #wei wuxian #lan wangji #cql meta #visual parallels #chen qing ling #ouch ouch ouch #my heart #HURT #ep 16 #ep 23 #chenqingling #陈情令 #the untamed #陳情令 #wrrinkl #zhiji #feelings #i’m loosing my mind

[pastelcheckereddreams]

Currently rewatching episode 16 of Chen Qing Ling for my new architecture  project. I’m sure there’s some really great angles in here of Lotus Pier, but I can’t see through all my tears.

#i’M in p a in #😭😭😭 #lotus pier #lotus cove #cql episode 16 #the untamed ep 16 #jiang clan #yunmeng jiang

[lady-of-the-lotus]

So I was procrastinating watching ep 16 cause it makes me sad and I was just like “hey mum do you wanna watch my show with me?” And she was just fully like “yes but you hadn’t asked yet!” So now I’m rewatching from the start and my dads watching too cause then we can use the tv for it!! So! Victory 😆 this is gonna be fun!!

Okay so I am so happy you got that response!! Something my own experience taught me too is that sometimes you just have to straight-out ask for things you want instead of waiting for the other person to make the first move, because half the time the other person feels awkward too, and they don’t want to intrude or bother you. The first few times I watched with my dad, it was an awkward “Do you have time tonight” I’ll-just-sit-in-the-same-room-as-you-and-hope-you-offer, “You always have your headphones on so I don’t want to interrupt you” type of deal. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get, and while I always fear looking stupid (I relate too much to JC), but from the other person’s pov, it’s a very flattering offer. (”My kid wants to share something with me, their humble life-giver??” “This friend I haven’t spoken to in months wants to hang out??”)

#obviously don't hang out in person folks #ask #oh yeah and 16 is one of the top sad eps #good juicy angst and trauma and tragedy #the parental units watch cql

[shijiujun]

It’s tough being the poorest one at family gatherings

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #lsz and wwx #ep 44 #untamed spoilers #sizhui be kind to your dad okay #you don't earn much money being dead for 16 years #just saying #and who needs to earn money when you got a sugar daddy

[wangxiians]

hiya!!! do y'all remember when "make me choose" gifsets we're all the rage on tumblr...... i wanna make some so please send me asks making me choose between two things (anything cql/mdzs related) 🥺

#like u know those gifsets where ppl choose between characters/eps/ships/adaptions/locations ect #the possibilities r endless #i am singehandedly trying to revive 2013-16 tumblr in cql tumblr

[wlwesque]

yi city arc is one of the most layered arcs in cql in terms of parallels and character study im genuinly going feral

#like besides the songxiao wangxian parallels #lwj's character in the arc is just #a whole story on its own #lwj is so shaken up by songxiao's fate it shows in his smallest details #and its in those eps that you understand the EXTENT of his character arc/development and just how much residue of those #16 years of mourning still remains within him despite having wwx back #which also brings me to the point of #cql depicting trauma so realisitically and showing characters ARE STILL affected by the events of the past #like wwx's nightmares and lwj's paranoia #BRO its so fucking good its so good i love good writing so much #anw #drabble #untamed

[ginpotts]

i said i was gonna make a yuhuang gifset but i kinda want team happy but also ye xiu fashion evolution but also yuhuang but also wanna gif the untamed/cql maybe since it’s apparently qzgs’s finale this coming week i’ll actually settle on something. maybe.

#qzgs #someone tell me what to do #im not good at decisions #cql #mdzs #though im only on ep 16 of cql i should probably say that #misc: thoughts #maybe i'll just make a gifset of sun xiang trying to hide in the crowd #OH or be sad and create one with su muqiu and ye xiu