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gingersnapwolves · 3 years

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The Untamed, a brief summary [Part 1/6]

Okay my friends, I have heard your calls. Here’s my play-by-play version of The Untamed.

Note the first: I’m dividing it up into sections because it is, after all, a 50 episode series and I doubt anyone will want to wade through it all in one go.

Note the second: I am going to try to be as unbiased as possible. There are different ways to interpret some of the characters’ actions, especially later in the show when things get morally complex. You can find oceans of meta on this stuff, so I will try not to pick a side when at all possible.

Note the third: I’m going to keep the tone pretty light and humorous. This show gets *dark* in the middle but y’all are reading a summary and I don’t want it to get too dry or too depressing. Please pardon me if I am flippant from time to time.

Part One: Sword Wizard School

I thought about doing a character guide but decided it would be easier to introduce you to characters as we meet them, because there are a LOT of characters. However, I am going to give you a brief primer on the important families/places.

Actually, let me back up a little further. The Untamed is a xianxia drama, so it’s about people trying to become immortal celestial beings. They fight monsters and do a lot of magic, and they live in clans/sects. A clan is a family. A sect is a cultivation style/school. The terms are often used interchangeably (even I’m guilty) but they are not exactly the same. Members of a clan will belong to that sect, but the sect will also take in outsiders to train, who are sect members but not clan members.

There are five Great Sects:

Province: Yunmeng; sect: Jiang, home: Lotus Pier

Province: Gusu, sect: Lan, home: Cloud Recesses

Province: Lanling, sect: Jin, home: Koi/Carp Tower

Province: Qinghe, sect: Nie, home: The Unclean Realm (this is not to say it is dirty, it’s from Buddhism and might also translate to ‘The Worldly Realm’)

Province: Qishan, sect: Wen, home: Nightless City/Nevernight (depending on translation)

Here’s a map I made for my fic reference which shows roughly where these provinces are in relation to each other. I may have pretended they were cities in America so I could calculate mileage. Yes I am the world’s biggest nerd, thanks.

H’okay! The show is not in chronological order but I am going in chronological order because the point is to make this simple for you. I’ll admit that I may not get everything 100% correct because it’s been a while since I watched parts of it but I’ll try.

Setting: Caiyi Town, [Gusu]

ENTER A GREMLIN.

Meet Wei Wuxian. He is a 16 year old chaos gremlin with ADHD. He does not look 16 but actors in American dramas pretending to be teenagers also do not look 16 so we’ll let that go. He is with his adopted brother (also 16ish, but younger than Wei Wuxian) Jiang Cheng, and his adopted older sister, Jiang Yanli (probably about 6 years older).

Oh, right. Names. Most characters have two names, a birth name and a ‘courtesy’ name which is a fancy name they get when they’re old enough to get their swords and stuff. They also have titles. For the sake of not driving y’all crazy, I will choose the most commonly used name for the character and stick with it, and then give you a chart at the end so you’ll understand fanfiction.

Wei Wuxian and his siblings are headed to Sword Wizard School in Gusu, hosted by the Lan sect. Wei Wuxian is clearly planning to Be Himself during these lectures, and Jiang Cheng does Not Approve. Jiang Cheng is obviously very serious and concerned with appearances, which makes sense because he is the sect heir. As an adopted son, Wei Wuxian can goof off; Jiang Cheng does not have that luxury. (Wei Wuxian is the son of two of Jiang Cheng’s father’s friends, who died when he was young. More on this later.) Jiang Cheng reminds Wei Wuxian and the other disciples that are with them that they are representing the Jiang sect and they should make a good impression.

They don’t think they can get to Cloud Recesses before dark so they get rooms at an inn.

ENTER A SNOB.

Jin Zixuan is the next fun character you’ll meet. He’s also 16 or thereabouts despite looking 24 at minimum. He is a sect heir to the Lanling Jin and he does not like being near or interacting with strangers. He pays the innkeeper to rent the whole inn and throw any other guests out. Is this a dick move? I’m trying to be unbiased here, so yes. Yes it is.

Wei Wuxian tries to flirt with a couple of Jin Zixuan’s retainers to get them to allow the Yunmeng siblings to stay, but Jin Zixuan decides to be a big jerk about it. Fun fact! Jin Zixuan is betrothed to Jiang Yanli! He is literally throwing his betrothed out of an inn so he doesn’t have to share a building with people. Wei Wuxian gets pissy and picks a fight with him but Jiang Yanli convinces him that he’s not worth it (although she is much nicer about it than any of us would be in her shoes), and they decide to head up to Cloud Recesses despite the time.

But alas! In their haste, they leave their invitation behind.

ENTER AN ICE PRINCE

As the Yunmeng trio try to talk their way past the gate, Lan Wangji arrives. Also 16, he is your classic stoic, repressed gay, and is the younger brother of the Lan Sect leader. With him are a bunch of Lan cultivators and a guy on a stretcher who is clearly in rough shape. The Lan cultivators carry him inside.

Wei Wuxian, pure of heart and dumb of ass, decides that this is a great time to try to talk his way through the gate, figuring that Lan Wangji, being an important person, can let them in. Lan Wangji reacts about how you would expect a stoic repressed gay would to a cute boy flirting with him for the first time: uses a silencing spell on him, tells him he’s absolutely not admitted without their invitation, and locks them out.

Jiang Cheng, who has spent the last 3 minutes desperately trying to get his brother to shut up before he gets them all in trouble, sends him back to town to find the invitation.

Int. Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

ENTER A SOFT MAN AND HIS EXTREMELY STARCHED UNCLE

Lan Xichen, the head of the Lan sect and Lan Wangji’s older brother, is studying the guy they brought in, with his uncle. Lan Xichen is young for a sect leader (he’s only 19 in the book but probably 24-25ish in the show) and his uncle advises him a lot of the time. The guy they brought is kind of dead but also kind of not. They say a bunch of stuff you won’t understand if you have not seen xianxia dramas before. It’s not really important.

Ext. Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

RE-ENTER THE GREMLIN

Wei Wuxian has come back with the invitation to find the rest of his sect no longer waiting outside and all of Cloud Recesses sealed by wards. “Wards are made to be broken,” he says, demonstrating a clear lack of understanding of their purpose. It’s a good thing he’s here for school.

He breaks in, carrying a couple jars of liquor, only to find Lan Wangji standing guard. Lan Wangji reprimands him for breaking important Lan sect rules like a) not breaking and entering, b) not coming in after dark, and c) bringing alcohol, which is forbidden. Wei Wuxian offers him one of the jars because he is 16 and stupid and for some reason thought a bribe was what this situation needed. Lan Wangji pulls a sword on him, which is definitely a reasonable response and not because he has his first boner and he’s angry about it.

They have a sword fight, basically to a draw. Lan Wangji drags him in to see Lan Xichen, who clearly thinks this is hilarious. Wei Wuxian blames everything on Jin Zixuan and Lan Wangji. He also says intelligent things about the not-a-corpse they’re examining, because the writers wanted us to know that he’s not a whole dumbass. Lan Xichen basically slaps him on the wrist, tells him to behave himself and sends him off to the guest house his siblings were given, and then teases Lan Wangji about Baby’s First Crush.

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

ENTER AN OVER THE TOP VILLAIN AND HIS HENCHMEN

Nightless City isn’t actually nightless. It’s just never dark there because it’s on top of a volcano, because that’s where all the cool villains live.

This is the home of the Qishan Wen, who are Obviously Evil from the Black Outfits, Volcano Lair, and Shuffling Zombies. Their leader is Wen Ruohan. His personality is that he is evil. He’s saying a bunch of stuff you won’t understand yet and then sends his Obnoxious Son Wen Chao off to look for something. He also sends Wen Qing, who is related to him somehow, presumably. She asks if she can bring her brother, Wen Ning, and Wen Ruohan says sure because all he cares about is Being Evil in his Zombie Volcano Lair.

Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

ENTER A SLACKER and his friend, EVERY RETAIL EMPLOYEE DEALING WITH A KAREN YOU’VE EVER MET.

They’re all at the first lecture, and there’s a ceremony where each visiting sect presents a gift to Lan Qiren (the uncle/teacher). I think we might see what the Jin give him but I don’t care. Right now we’re talking about Nie Huaisang, the younger brother of the sect leader of the Nie sect. He is baby. He has brought a bird to class for no reason other than that he caught it and thinks it’s cool. Presenting to the dour and stern Lan Qiren makes him nervous.

With him is Meng Yao. Unlike everyone else you’ve met so far, Meng Yao is not a member of the gentry. He is the son of the Jin sect leader and a prostitute. (Yes, this makes him Jin ‘I can’t breathe the same air as commoners’ Zixuan’s younger brother.) When he was old enough to do Sword Magic he went to the Jin sect and asked for admittance, and his father had him thrown down a set of 200 steps because his father is an Enormous Douche. (That’s not biased. Hating this dude is one of the few things everyone agrees on.) Then he went to the Nie sect, and they said, “Sure, you can come in, but you’re not really a disciple, mmkay?” and he said sure. But he has worked his way up to being the assistant to the sect leader which is a pretty important position for someone with his background.

Naturally, because Meng Yao is Not Like the Others, a few people take this opportunity to gossip and talk smack about him. Meng Yao is upset but tries not to look it. Lan Xichen takes a moment to reassure him, saying that the Nie sect leader had written to him about what a helpful and awesome assistant he had now, and that Meng Yao obviously lived up to it. Meng Yao immediately develops the world’s Most Obvious Crush Don’t @ Me You Would Too.

ENTER MR. OBNOXIOUS, AN IRON MAIDEN, and A PUPPY. Fortunately these are the last characters you’ll meet for a while.

The Wen sect shows up at the gates of Cloud Recesses like ‘what up, I got a big attitude and fuck you’. The gate dude tells them they can’t come in without an invitation, and Wen Chao attacks him because he was raised in a volcano and they go in anyway. With Wen Chao are Wen Qing and her brother, Wen Ning. They are actually pretty awesome, you just don’t know it yet.

Wen Chao busts in on the Saluting Ceremony just as Jiang Cheng is trying to present their gift, and immediately begins insulting everyone there. You should count yourself fortunate that you’re only reading this because Wen Chao is literally the most obnoxious character in this show. Anyway, Wei Wuxian decides to pick a fight with him even though this is *obviously* a stupid thing to do. (I love Wei Wuxian with my whole heart but he is so stupid at 16 lmao.) He calls Wen Chao out on interrupting Jiang Cheng. Wen Chao reacts completely rationally and calmly BAHAHA who am I kidding, he pulls his sword out. Everyone else pulls their swords out. Wen Qing looks like she has the world’s worst migraine.

Lan Xichen takes out his flute and plays eight seconds of music that makes everyone’s swords go flying into the ceiling. Had I mentioned how awesome Lan Xichen is? Because he is Awesome.

Wen Chao gets even more pissy but Wen Qing shuts him down, saying she and her brother are there for Sword Wizard School and she’s sorry her cousin is such an asshole. Lan Xichen tells them to ‘try to come on time’ tomorrow. Had I mentioned how awesome Lan Xichen is? It bears repeating.

Ext, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Wei Wuxian is making fast friends with Nie Huaisang. They decide to go fishing in one of the streams. He sees Wen Qing sneaking around and asks what she’s doing there. She blows him off.

Meng Yao stops Lan Xichen and says goodbye to him. Lan Xichen asks why he’s leaving so soon, and Meng Yao says that he can’t actually stay for the lectures, since he’s only an assistant to the Nie sect, not a disciple. Lan Xichen tells him that Nie Mingjue (the head of the Nie sect) is just and honorable and will surely reward him for working so hard. They make heart eyes at each other for like a solid thirty seconds before Meng Yao manages to leave. I’m sorry, I’m trying to be unbiased. They gaze at each other longingly – no, shit, that’s still biased. They, uh, regard each other with mutual respect for thirty solid seconds and then Meng Yao leaves.

Meanwhile Jiang Cheng is Fretting about the fact that Wei Wuxian is Making a Bad Impression. He ain’t seen nothing yet. Jiang Yanli calms him down.

Wen Qing talks to her brother Wen Ning and is sad because he’s sick. She promises him that someday they’ll be able to leave Nightless City.

Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Lan Qiren is lecturing. Wei Wuxian proposes some casual heresy. Lan Qiren gets mad and tells him to copy the Chapter of Conduct a thousand times, and throws him out of class. Jiang Cheng tries to crawl under his desk.

Instead of going to copy lines, Wei Wuxian wanders off and meets A PUPPY, ie Wen Ning. He is practicing his archery. Wei Wuxian proceeds to help him with his stance and Wen Ning looks like he just discovered his bisexuality. Wen Qing sees them together and is clearly not thrilled. Wei Wuxian asks her why she’s always wandering around the back hills of Cloud Recesses and asks if she’s looking for something. She tells him not to be stupid and leaves with her brother.

Lan Wangji drags Wei Wuxian back to the library for his punishment. Wei Wuxian proceeds to spend the next few hours doing Everything That Is Not That, which culminates in him exchanging Lan Wangji’s book for some porn when he’s not looking. Lan Wangji tears the porn up and tells him to piss off.

~romance~

Jiang Cheng: I hope you’re proud of yourself.

Wei Wuxian: I absolutely am.

They go back to their guest house. Wen Qing is there. She’s a doctor! Told you she was awesome. Jiang Yanli wasn’t feeling well and Wen Qing gave her some medicine. They talk about the fact that there aren’t lectures for a few days because Lan Qiren is off doing Official Stuff.

But there’s still fun to be had! There’s a water demon attacking people in the nearby town. Lan Xichen is worried that it’s serious and he’s going to go himself. Lan Wangji goes with him. Wei Wuxian asks if he and Jiang Cheng can go ‘get some practice’ as they fight lots of water demons in Yunmeng. Lan Xichen, remembering his brother’s obvious crush, says sure. Wen Ning wants to go too. So does Wen Qing. Lan Xichen suddenly feels like a chaperone on a field trip but says fine because he’s the cool older brother.

Wei Wuxian takes the opportunity to ask questions about the not-a-corpse from earlier. Lan Xichen politely tells him that’s it handled and not to worry about it. Wei Wuxian thinks there’s something he’s not telling him, and he mentions that to Lan Wangji, who agrees but won’t say so. Wei Wuxian can tell anyway because he’s learning to read Lan Wangji’s microexpressions.

They fight a water demon. Jiang Cheng gets injured and Wen Qing patches him up. He looks at her with puppy eyes. Some dumbass loses his sword in the water. Wen Ning tries to help him despite being uniquely unqualified to do so, and passes out. Wei Wuxian tries to rescue both of them, and Lan Wangji ends up rescuing all three of them despite clearly wanting to let the water demon eat them. Jiang Cheng buys a comb to give to Wen Qing but chickens out and doesn’t give it to her. Wei Wuxian deduces that Wen Ning’s illness is because of a previous bad experience with ghostly spirits or something, and gives Wen Qing a talisman to give to her brother that will help protect him from monsters. He says that no matter what she’s looking for at Cloud Recesses, he hopes the talisman will help Wen Ning.

Then he tries to buy Lan Wangji some fruit as a gift. Lan Wangji refuses to look at him. Lan Xichen starts mentally writing wedding invitations.

Ext. Nightless City [Qishan]

ENTER AN EDGELORD (sorry I forgot about him, in fact I think this happened earlier but the timing isn’t really important)

Meet Xue Yang. You have no idea who he is. Wen Ruohan is demanding he hand over something called yin iron. Xue Yang’s response to this is basically ‘choke me harder, Daddy’ and you’re left feeling vaguely disturbed.

Int. Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

It’s party time! Wei Wuxian smuggled some liquor back with him. He, Jiang Cheng, and Nie Huaisang get drunk. They give Jiang Cheng a hard time about his high standards for women.

Lan Wangji comes in like the hall monitor you hated in high school to break it up. Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang run away. Wei Wuxian uses a talisman on Lan Wangji to keep him from reporting them and make him take a drink of the alcohol. We all remind ourselves very firmly that he is only 16 and will do stupid shit, despite wanting to slap him. Lan Wangji has never had alcohol before and one drink makes him blackout drunk. Wei Wuxian has to babysit him for the rest of the night. Serves him right.

The next day, they’re all in trouble, even Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian tries to tell Lan Qiren that it’s not Lan Wangji’s fault, but Lan Wangji accepts his punishment anyway. They get hit with a stick a bunch of times.

Lan Wangji goes to recuperate in the cold springs. Lan Xichen, the world’s biggest troll, sends Wei Wuxian to do the same. Lan Wangji nearly has an aneurysm when Wei Wuxian tries to start taking his clothes off.

ENTER THE PLOT

They get pulled underwater and end up in a cave. It’s a magic cave where only members of the Lan clan are allowed to be. To keep the cave from killing him, Lan Wangji wraps his Magic Forehead Ribbon around Wei Wuxian’s wrist. This is the same magic forehead ribbon he told Wei Wuxian ten episode minutes ago that only parents, spouses, and children are allowed to touch. Draw what conclusions you will.

There’s a ghostly lady in the cave who is Lan Wangji’s ancestor. She tells them Evil Is Abroad. A long time ago a dude named Xue Chonghai took a bunch of pieces of metal and filled them full of evil energy. Everyone banded together and killed him, but the metal couldn’t be completely destroyed, so it was split into ‘the cardinal directions’ and then sealed and hidden. Ah ha! This is what Wen Ruohan is looking for! It’s called Evil MacGuffin yin iron.

Wei Wuxian says if it’s so powerful, why don’t they use it to fight back? Ghost lady says she tried that but it’s too evil and it doesn’t work. She gives them the piece that was sealed in the cave and tells them to go fight evil together. Lan Wangji is glad it’s too cold to have a boner.

Except then she throws them out of the cave and onto dry land and Wei Wuxian lands on top of him and he definitely gets one from that. Sorry, Lan Wangji, I don’t make the rules.

They’ve been missing for two days and everyone is really upset, especially Jiang Cheng, who thinks Wei Wuxian was just goofing off.

Lan Xichen takes the piece of yin iron they got in the cave and seals it in a pouch. They discuss the fact that Wen Ruohan is clearly collecting the pieces of yin iron and this is Bad News Bears. The yin iron will respond to other pieces of yin iron so they decide they should use the piece they have to locate the other pieces.

But first, classes are over! Despite the fact that each of these events has led seamlessly into the next and it seems like they’ve been there a week, they’ve actually been there six months. If you dealt with the Teen Wolf ‘timeline’ I assume you can deal with that lmao.

There’s a lantern-lighting ceremony to celebrate. Wei Wuxian paints a rabbit on his lantern because there were a bunch of rabbits in the cave and Lan Wangji clearly likes rabbits. This makes Lan Wangji smile for the first time. They all light their lanterns and make a wish.

Wei Wuxian wishes he can stand with justice and live without regrets. Lan Wangji looks at him like he’s about to propose. Wen Qing wishes she could protect her little brother and that he’ll always be safe. Jiang Cheng looks at her like he’s about to propose. Nie Huaisang wishes he can pass his classes and get the hell out of high school. Truly, the most relatable.

But the moment is ruined because people start teasing Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli, asking why they didn’t light a lantern together and wish for a happy marriage. Jin Zixuan, the paragon of reacting reasonably to things, storms off. He tells his sect members he doesn’t want to hear about the marriage and they should stop bringing it up. Wei Wuxian overhears and they get into a fight. Jiang Yanli manages to get Wei Wuxian to back off.

The next day, Wei Wuxian is being punished for punching a jerk in the face. He is kneeling on the rocks of the courtyard. But he’s already gotten distracted because there’s an anthill and he has ADHD. Lan Wangji calls him ‘unteachable’ and stomps off, clearly mad at his boner like usual.

Because this is kind of important, the two sect leaders have showed up to hash it out. Jiang Yanli’s dad says ‘listen, if your son doesn’t want to marry my daughter, we shouldn’t force him’. Jin Zixuan’s dad says, ‘kids are stupid and they don’t know what they want’. Jiang Yanli’s dad says, ‘well I absolutely agree your son is stupid but he’s being a jerk to my daughter so why don’t we politely call this off before something happens that makes one of us impolitely call it off’, and Jin Zixuan’s dad agrees. Jiang Yanli is upset, although why she actually wanted to marry Jin Zixuan is beyond everyone involved, including the audience. Then again it can’t be easy to hear that some dude who has barely even met you has decided you’re not good enough for him.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian sees Lan Xichen telling Lan Wangji ‘be careful’ and correctly deduces that Lan Wangji is leaving with the yin iron to try to find the other pieces, while Lan Xichen stays behind to protect Cloud Recesses since the Wen sect thinks it’s still there. He leaves a note that says ‘gone monster hunting, meet you back at home!’ Jiang Cheng nearly has an aneurysm, especially when his dad is like ‘lmao that kid is such a dumbass’.

~end Sword Wizard School~

okay, guys, what did you think? was this helpful? could you follow it? was it at least vaguely entertaining? should I keep going?

#the untamed #liveblog #of a sort

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winepresswrath · 4 years

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what are your thoughts on JC and even JYL refer to WWX in regards to his name? This is admittedly just a question about naming and the level of closeness associated with names, but specifically in the Jiang household I always found it interesting how, for exampl, JYL calls wwx "a-ying" in the tree flashback, but we know that in the present she calls him "A-Xian". I don't remember JC doing anything like that in the novel, but in the drama he's called him Shige and A-xian at least once. thoughts??

I would guess if she calls him A-Ying in the flashback it’s just because he doesn’t have his courtesy name yet. My personal theory is that Wei Wuxian does not actually like his birth name very much (except when it’s in Lan Zhan’s mouth, of course). An aloof hottie either engaging with your fun game of deliberate informality or being sexily intimate with you is a special case, especially if the end result is functionally a pet name only he uses.

Aside from that sexception people who actually like him mostly stick with variations on Wuxian (or go with his last name, like Wei-Xiong). Madame Yu calls him Wei Ying pretty consistently and a bunch of asshole sect leaders use it to be disrespectful and demeaning. Jiang Fengmian calls him A-Ying when he’s saying goodbye, but that’s a last words special occasion. He knows he’s never going to see his children again, and that is the sort of thing that makes you sentimental, so I think it makes sense that Jiang Fengmian would be looking back towards Wei Wuxian’s childhood in that moment.

If Wei Ying or A-Ying denoted peak emotional intimacy for him I feel like Yanli and probably Jiang Fengmian would be using it more consistently. Everyone who is actually close to Jiang Cheng calls him by some variant of his birth name despite him being the sect heir, which suggests to me that personal preference plays a pretty big role in whether you use a courtesy name in their family.

I think the fact that Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian will occasionally use A-Xian (or shige) and A-Cheng to refer to each other when talking to third parties but not to address each other directly is extremely and hilariously on brand. Unambiguous affection and intimacy expressed directly to each other’s faces are for special occasions! Don’t be gross! That said, I think the way they address each other does demonstrate plenty of affection and intimacy, for all it’s most notable in its absence. Like, the way Wei Wuxian says JIANG WANYIN when he does decide to pull out his courtesy name is definitely a very clear expression of feeling. Jiang Cheng is very skilled at packing a wealth of meaning into slight changes of intonation in WEI WuXIAN, but even when he’s being a huge dick I don’t think he ever uses Wei Ying in a demeaning way and if Jiang Cheng were to tell Wei Wuxian not to use his birth name anymore I think Wei Wuxian would be pretty hurt, even after their goodbye at the temple.

#wei wuxian #jiang cheng #the untamed #has anyone ever called jiang cheng chengcheng is my question #to my ear it sounds agressively cutesy #in a sort of horrible way #i've seen wei wuxian do it in fic to a+ passive aggressive effect #but I don't think I've ever seen him call him a-cheng to be mean #possibly because that feels like it would be VERY mean #yanli's name for him!#that wei wuxian very rarely uses when talking to yanli!#anyway additional name stuff: ying means infant and is apparently pretty girly #so possibly he's just sharing the pain with jin ling when he gives him rulan #i've heard people say that a-yin sounds weird which might contribute to jfm and yanli continuing to call jiang cheng a-cheng #my gege agenda #very difficult to bring it about which is why i want it #it can even be in that talking to a third party way for maximum yanli parallels.#but shige and da-shixiong are good too #the oof of it all

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pumpkinpaix · 4 years

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Hi I don’t know if anyone has asked you this already, but do you find it strange that we are never given either of the Nie brothers’ given names nor Jin ZiXuan’s, when it’s common practice (at least in the show) to address yourself by your given and courtesy names?

Hey there! :D No, no one has asked me this yet, ahaha.

To be honest, I don’t find it strange, but that’s mostly because I think MXTX assigned names as it was convenient/as it suited her. I do think in some cases, you can try to find textual reasons, like limited POV (@hunxi-guilai made a post about how that might explain why Jiang Cheng is disproportionately referred to by birth instead of courtesy name here).

In the case of Jin Zixuan, I think that makes a lot of sense. Since mdzs and cql are largely from Wei Wuxian’s POV, and he clearly already knows Jin Zixuan, there’s no need for him to reintroduce himself, which is usually where we get people mentioning both their names. I don’t have any textual reasoning for the Nie bros’ lack of birth names ahahaha.

I will, however, use this as a springboard to mention a few things I find generally interesting about the way naming conventions appear to vary between sects/interesting points about address in general. There’s like no deep meta here, just like. “I noticed this thing, and I think it’s interesting”. (hope that’s okay /o\)

One: The Jin sect is the only sect that uses generational character markers (Guang, Zi, Ru). Establishing that convention makes Jin Guangyao’s courtesy name a massive slap in the face I think. (a, for giving him the wrong generational marker, which implies that he’s never actually going to be recognized as a son/that jgs really just didn’t care to even get it right, and b, for reusing his birth character instead of bothering to give him something new–every other character who has a birth and courtesy name gets two entirely unique names, but not jgy.) It’s a cool way of implying certain things about his status, how his father regards him without stating it outright, how others might see him because of that etc.

Two: The Wen sect appears to almost exclusively use birth name–in fact, the only two characters from the Wen sect revealed to have courtesy names are Wen Ning (Wen Qionglin) and…. Wen Ruohan. Well, and Wen Zhuliu, but he was originally Zhao Zhuliu, so idk if that really counts, since his courtesy name predates his induction into the Wen sect. Wen Qing, Wen Chao, and Wen Xu are referred to by birth name only by both themselves and everyone around them for the entirety of the story, which seems rather strange, given that all of them are high-ranking members of the family (Wen Xu is the heir??). Sizhui is not given a courtesy name by his birth family, but by Lan Wangji.

(an aside, it’s been mentioned before by others, but historically, courtesy names were bestowed upon adulthood; however, in CQL, we see Wei Wuxian picking out Jin Ling’s courtesy name before he’s born. it’s possible this is a practice that differs from sect to sect, but again, very little to no textual support for that speculation ahahaha)

Wen Ning’s courtesy name is used only once by Wei Wuxian in a moment of extreme distress at the Guanyin temple. It reads, to me, like switching registers to indicate the high emotional levels of the situation rather than anything about respect/social relations, in the same way that like, lwj switching between “wei ying/wei wuxian” can indicate moments where emotions are running high. I hc that the intimacy/distance of birth/courtesy names are switched in the case of Wen Ning/Wen Qionglin (ie, only people who are intimate with him would be expected use Qionglin) but that has absolutely zero basis in any fact, cultural convention, or textual evidence. I just like it because it warms my heart. feel free to roast me for it, i can accept that criticism.

Three: Both the Lan sect and the Nie sect address by courtesy name, even within their own family. (Lan Qiren calls his nephews “Wangji” and “Xichen”. Sizhui and Jingyi call each other by courtesy name. Nie Mingjue calls his brother “Huaisang”.) Why? we don’t know! We could maybe try and meta about it in the case of the Lan sect, I think (they’re more formal in general etc.), but we have so little knowledge of the Nie sect that I think it’s functionally pointless to try and dig there. I feel like trying to come up with any plausibly supported reason is going to be a stretch.

Four: A’Cheng vs A’Xian. Jiang Yanli uses Jiang Cheng’s birth name to form his diminutive, but uses Wei Wuxian’s courtesy name to form his. I’ve seen people ask why she doesn’t call him A’Ying, which would be more consistent, but I hc that this is because “Wuxian” was given by her father, so her using “A’Xian” is meant to strengthen that familial tie. “Ying” is from before he was part of their family. “Wuxian” is something given to him by the Jiang family, so using it, I think, is a subtle way of emphasizing how much she really considers him to be her brother. (If you’re curious, in the flashback when he first arrives at Lotus Pier, the audio drama has her calling for him as “A’Ying”.)

Five: Yu-fu’ren. I mentioned this on an addition to another post a while ago, but I’ll copy the relevant passage from chapter 51 here again:

虞夫人就是江澄的母亲，虞紫鸢。当然，也是江枫眠的夫人，当初还曾是他的同修。照理说，应该叫她江夫人，可不知道为什么，所有人一直都是叫她虞夫人。有人猜是不是虞夫人性格强势，不喜冠夫姓。对此，夫妇二人也并无异议。

Yu-fu’ren was Jiang Cheng’s mother, Yu Ziyuan. Of course, she was also Jiang Fengmian’s wife [fu’ren], and once cultivated with him as well. By all reason, she should be called Jiang-fu’ren, but for some unknown reason, everyone had always called her Yu-fu’ren. Some guessed that perhaps because Yu-fu’ren had a forceful temperament, she disliked taking her husband’s name. Neither husband nor wife raised any objections to this.

I think this is actually a pretty interesting microcosm of the themes of mdzs. We don’t actually know why Yu Ziyuan is called Yu-fu’ren; we’re given the equivalent of a rundown on local gossip and that’s it. I feel like it embodies a little bit of the “what people say about you becomes the truth and then influences your fate” theme that runs through mdzs. Did Yu Ziyuan WANT to be called Yu-fu’ren? Did she request it? Is her husband actually fine with it? The audience doesn’t get any of their internal landscape and is instead given a leading interpretation of the situation. How is our opinion of her then influenced?

To be clear, I don’t necessarily think that was necessarily the intention of this passage (maybe it was! or maybe mxtx just wanted to call her yu-fu’ren and realized she had to come up with some justification for it. i really couldn’t tell you); I just think that regardless of intention, its existence in relation to the larger themes of the novel can present a cool juxtaposition, if you dig a little bit.

Six: Song Lan, a respected cultivator, is more often referred to by his birth name, including people who are not intimate with him (normally, this would be rude), while Xiao Xingchen (who is intimate with him) calls him by courtesy name. Why?? We also don’t know. Does this lend support to my earlier headcanon about Wen Ning/Qionglin having a reversed intimacy/distance implication?? not… not really, but I like to think it at least kind of shows a precedent….. orz.

Seven: I find Xue Yang’s courtesy name, Xue Chengmei (成美), really fun ahaha. It comes from the phrase, 君子成人之美, an idiom that essentially means, “a gentleman always helps others attain their wishes”. Jin Guangyao gave it to him (not sure if this is canonical or extracanonical–i heard about it in an audio drama extra, much like how i get all my information orz) which I think is greatly amusing for obvious reasons.

Eight: Lan Wangji actually changes Sizhui’s birth name, even though you wouldn’t be able to tell just from hearing it. His original birth name is 苑, an imperial garden, but Lan Wangji changes it to 愿, as in wish (愿望) and to be willing (愿意), among other very beautiful sentiments. partially im sure to protect his identity, but also because. you know.

Basically all this is just to say, I think the naming/address conventions in mdzs are pretty weakly conceived, but you can find interesting things in them if you go looking! and we all know i love to go looking /o\

#the untamed #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta #the untamed meta #cql meta #mine #mymeta #wow this got long who's surprised -_-#sorry this isn't very coherent or like #well-thought out #it's just a jumbled collection of my thoughts #i didn't mean to spend too long on it but here we are #to be clear i am not an expert in chinese naming conventions #nor the ins and outs of the social implications of such things #so please take everything i say with a grain of salt #aaaahhh #Anonymous #asks and replies

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jelenedra · 3 years

Text

Additional notes and ephemera for Restoration. Read with caution! There are spoilers at the end of this post.

Fun fact: the fic as posted to AO3 is 84,709. The amount of fic I actually wrote is 122,284. That means there’s 37,575 words of material on the cutting room floor. Oof.

Pinyin place names:

Fumodong : Demon Slaughtering Cave

Luanzang Gang : the Burial Mounds

Bujing Shi : the Unclean Realm

Yunshen Buzhichu : Cloud Recesses

Lianhua Wu : Lotus Pier/Lotus Cove

Buyetian Cheng : Nightless City/Nevernight

Jinlin Tai : Carp Tower/Koi Tower

Pinyin titles:

Huadan Shou : Core-Melting Hand/Core Crusher

Zi Zhizhu : Violet Spider

I believe all the other pinyin terms used are commonly used in fandom or are sufficiently contextualised to be understood, but let me know if there are any that need clarification!

Spoilers ahead! Gonna list the minor/background pairings.

Some of these are fairly textual, but with the exception of occasional flirtation/references in characters’ inner monologues, almost all actual romance occurs completely off-screen.

Meng Yao/Nie Mingjue (nieyao)

Jiang Yanli/Nie Huaisang (sangli)

(implied) Lan Xichen/Xue Yang (xiyang)

(implied) Jin Zixuan/Wen Ning (ningxuan)

Wang Lingjiao/Wen Qing (lingqing)

I did not intend for there to be Song Lan/Su She/Xiao Xingchen (songsuxiao), but I’m told some people saw it in there, so. Have at.

Here are some notes about names of people, for those who don’t get names in canon. I was ably assisted by merakily and invitan in choosing these and am told they’re not wildly inappropriate! There are some spoilers in the details given.

Starting off with the nicknames for the babies, so if you’re not sure if you want to spoil yourself further you have two paragraphs to back out or continue.

Xiaodou (小豆, Adzuki) or Xiaodou Yeye (小豆爷爷, Grandpa Adzuki) is a nickname given to baby Mo Xuanyu. Adzuki are a type of bean, also called red mung beans, and they’re commonly boiled with sugar to make an extremely delicious paste called anko. In Chinese cuisine it’s commonly used as filling for pastry dishes like mooncakes and tangyuan. The story of how he got that nickname is in chapter 12; in short, he was red and wrinkly, as many babies are, and the nickname stuck. The more common term for adzuki seems to be hongdou (红豆) but xiaodou, chidou (赤豆), chixiaodou, hongxiaodou, etc. are used fairly interchangably as far as I can tell, and I think the version that approximates to “little bean” is the cutest version to refer to a baby with.

Luobo Zhongzi is a nickname given to baby Wen Yuan. I used the characters for the words translated as “radish seeds” in chapter 74. In that chapter, Wen Qing scolds Wei Wuxian because she told him to go buy radish seeds and instead he fought Jiang Cheng. In my head, this is how that nickname came to be:

“Wei Ying,” Meng Yao says, with the fragile calm of someone an inch away from completely losing his shit, “I thought I told you to buy radish seeds.”

“Are you blind, Meng-shidi? Look at this handsome radish seed I have right here!” Wei Ying bounces the baby on his hip. “We’ll plant him and he’ll sprout right up, you’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Xue Yang sidles up to Wen Zhuliu and gives him his biggest, toothiest smile. “Gege, teach me how to punch someone in the soul?”

Some birth and courtesy names:

Fu Xiang (富祥); the fu here is still a relatively common character used as a Chinese surname today, and can also mean “wealthy” or “abundant” - a good name for a mercantile sect, especially one that wants to curry favour with Lanling Jin. The xiang means “auspicious” - also a fairly common name, in this case given by parents who hoped their daughter would tie them to one of the larger sects one day.

Mo Xing (莫惺). The character 惺 is commonly understood as “tranquil”, although it has an older literary meaning of “wise” or “intelligent”, as Mo Lang tells Mo Yu. However, Mo Yu is not particularly literate at the time she chooses it, and doesn’t realise that Mo Lang is rather unkindly choosing a name that’s homophonous with 猩, which means “ape”, and 腥, which means “fishy smell”.

Mo Lang (莫角); in modern usage, lang means “jade-like stone”, “clean and white”, or “the tinkling of pendants” but it also has an archaic meaning as “white jade” i.e. the most valuable jade.

Mo Yu (莫玉); yu also means “jade”, but in this case, just regular jade, not fancy white jade.

Mo Lihua (莫莉花). Li, “jasmine”, and hua, “flower”. The character used for her surname is the same as all other members of the Mo family, meaning “no one” or “do not”, but sometimes Mo Lihua likes to troll people by writing her name as 茉莉花, which is the full name for a jasmine flower (the literal translation would be “jasmine jasmine flower”.) Mo Lihua is a reference to the popular folk song Mo Li Hua, which definitely post-dates the CQL timeframe, but I already disclaimed my ahistoricity so we are all just going to deal with that. It’s very popular - Celine Dion and Song Zuying performed it at the Beijing Olympics - and I thought it was particularly appropriate because of a translation singeli showed me:

Oh beautiful jasmine flower / Oh beautiful jasmine flower / Sweet-smelling, beautiful, stems full of buds / Fragrant and white, everyone praises / Let me pluck you down to give to someone else / Jasmine flower, jasmine flower

LET ME PLUCK YOU DOWN TO GIVE TO SOMEONE ELSE

ahem

Meng Jingqiu (孟经秋); the jing comes from the Shijing, the Book of Songs, which really does use the same character as Meng Shi’s birth name (诗). The qiu comes from the Chunqiu, the Spring and Autumn Annals. These are two of the Five Classics of Confucianism.

Meng Fuqiu (孟府秋); the fu comes from yuefu (乐府), which is a genre of classical poetry intended to mimic folk songs (class issues, anyone...?), and also means governance - something Meng Yao excels at. The qiu, again, comes from Chunqiu and links his courtesy name with Meng Jingqiu. I thought it was nicer than linking him to Jin Guangshitbag.

Wen Guijiao (温圭角); this is a little complex. A gui was a long jade tablet or scepter, often shaped like a sword (here’s a plain one) (here’s one with poetry on it) (and one with animal masks) (and a very fancy one with dragons) held by imperial rulers for certain ceremonies. The pointed tip is called the guijiao (literally “corner of the jade tablet” but more usefully “tip of the scepter”, I believe). So literally the guijiao is the most delicate piece of an incredibly delicate and ornate piece of jade, but figuratively it means “talents displayed”, as in the chengyu bulu-guijiao (不露圭角) which is literally “do not reveal the tip of the scepter” and means to remain inconspicuous by hiding your talents. And I thought that was nice, for Our Lady of Hidden Badassery.

(here are some more examples of cool gui)

Update: can’t believe I forgot the comically long list of Wen sect heirs in chapter 11!

Wen Qing = as per canon, “tenderness”

Wen Xu = as per canon, my best guess is approximately “warmth of the rising sun”

Wen Chao = as per canon, approximately “warmth of the dawn”

Wen Liang (温良) = “warm and kind”

Wen Budun (温布顿) = Wimbledon, as in the tennis event

Wen Rou (温柔) = “gentle and soft”

Wen Nuan (温暖) = “warm” (as in, temperature)

Wen Hepai (温和派) = unusual variant of the word for “dove” but more commonly “moderate faction”

Wen Shu (温淑) = “a gentle and kind woman”

Wen Gehua (温哥华) = Vancouver, as in the Canadian city

Wen Cun (温存) = “tender affection” or “to be attentive” in the romantic sense

Wen Huo (温和) = “lukewarm”

Wen Chadian (温差电) = “thermoelectricity”

Wen Hexing (温和性) = “tenderness”/“gentle character”

#restoration #my fic #mdzs fic #cql fic

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gusu-emilu · 3 years

Text

orange segments

Ship: Jiang Cheng / Qin Su (one-sided, sorry JC)

Summary: Jiang Cheng and Qin Su share a few moments (and an orange) with Jin Ling and each other.

Rated G, Fluff, brief mention of canon-typical violence

Read on AO3 or on Tumblr below

* * *

A-Ling passes the orange back and forth between his tiny hands, nearly dropping it once. His eyes shine bright with mirth at this simple game.

He's still so little. Jiang Cheng has seen plenty of children in Lotus Pier, yet he is always surprised by how small A-Ling is if he thinks about it too much. Both of his hands, still fiddling with the orange, could fit in Jiang Cheng’s. His nose is a little bump; his oversized ears stick out and somehow make him look even smaller.

Perhaps it is so difficult to process how little A-Ling is because it seems like every time Jiang Cheng visits Jinlintai, A-Ling is a bit bigger. Today he's two years old—and a half, as he’s been proclaiming.

With a sudden peal of laughter, A-Ling places the orange on the floor and rolls it to Qin Su, who is kneeling in front of him with Jiang Cheng. The round fruit gently thuds into her knee. “Shenshen!” A-Ling calls. “Make it for me?”

“Alright,” Qin Su says softly. She glances at Jiang Cheng with a smirk, then picks up the orange, cleans it, and begins peeling it. “How come you don’t make your jiujiu do any work?”

“He makes me do plenty,” Jiang Cheng counters before A-Ling can erupt into one of his new favorite remarks to offend him. It doesn’t make a difference.

“Jiujiu is too busy pouting!” A-Ling says through giggles, and Qin Su laughs with him. He undoubtedly learned this jab from her.

Qin Su has only been in Jinlintai for several months, her lavish wedding to Jin Guangyao still a fresh memory in the cultivation world, yet she has taken a liking to teasing Jiang Cheng quite rapidly. Somehow, they’d become friends over A-Ling after just a few times meeting each other. Qin Su, eager for a child of her own and perhaps even more eager to make pleasant acquaintances outside her maids—a difficult task in the snake pit of Jinlintai—latched onto him and A-Ling quickly. Although Jiang Cheng is not sure how he counts as a pleasant acquaintance.

As for how he ended up taking a liking to Qin Su…he supposes that anyone who treats A-Ling well will inevitably gain his favor. The fact that Qin Su is warm-hearted and sensible, intelligent and down-to-earth enough to see through the vacuous opulence of her new clan, and stubbornly cheeky enough to poke fun at Jiang Cheng of all people—and also that maybe Jiang Cheng is a bit lonely—that could have something to do with it, too. Potentially.

He might also have a miniscule crush on her.

But Qin Su is a married woman, expecting her own son in the coming months, and even if three quarters of the matchmakers have blacklisted Jiang Cheng like he’s some threat to womankind, he isn’t so much of a monster that he would dare disrespect Qin Su’s honor. A crush is not an idea he can entertain.

They're just friends who happen to look after the same little boy.

“If I did pout,” Jiang Cheng says, shooting a stern look at Qin Su, “which I don't, it wouldn’t incapacitate me so much that I can’t peel an orange.”

“Ah, this is good to know,” Qin Su says as she delicately removes another strip of orange peel, then holds the fruit out to Jiang Cheng. “Then I suppose your scowl right now will not hinder you from finishing my work for me.”

A-Ling cackles. Little brat. He probably doesn’t even know why he’s laughing.

The boy watches with twinkling eyes as Jiang Cheng sighs and takes the orange. The bittersweet fragrance of orange rind swirls around Jiang Cheng as he peels the fruit, while Qin Su starts playing a clapping game with A-Ling.

These moments in A-Ling’s room every few weeks hold Jiang Cheng over until the summers, when A-Ling lives in Lotus Pier. Although, now that Jiang Cheng gotten used to Qin Su's company, he’s beginning to wonder if he will miss her during the months he no longer needs to travel to visit A-Ling.

He’s formed comradery with his senior disciples during the war—the cultivators he’d trust with his life—in a way he’d never been able to while he was still the sect heir during times of peace. Watching your home be burned to the ground and fighting back-to-back soaked in blood and mourning the lost can build strong bonds with one's clansmen, if not happy ones.

But this is different.

This might be the closest glimpse of something like family that Jiang Cheng has had since…since two years ago.

Peace, for once.

Half an hour later, A-Ling falls asleep, and Qin Su tells Jiang Cheng about her hometown as they watch over him. Her voice is soft and quiet as she speaks about trips to the ocean and the time she and a friend found a giant sea creature’s fossils sticking out of a crumbled cliffside after an earthquake. Jiang Cheng tells her about the boat racing games he’d play on the lake and the time he got buried under lotus pads, although he doesn’t mention who accompanied him back then.

It’s nice, to share these lost memories, with a child’s cheerfulness between them to break what otherwise might be sorrowful. Qin Su has been separated from her hometown. Jiang Cheng lives in an empty hometown.

Sometimes, he wonders what his life might be like now if it had been he, not Jin Guangyao, who saved Qin Su during the Sunshot Campaign, and if she had pursued him instead. He had never truly wanted a wife (or he at least tries not to think about the one time he considered it), but if marriage could be like this…comfortable, like sitting beside a friend…

What is he doing thinking this way? Even if these wandering delusions weren't about a married woman, he has seen how marriages fail. With his days and his entire mind revolving around his sect when he isn't with A-Ling—or isn't wallowing in his own miseries or isn't lashing out in anger—he's just tired. Callous. He has so little care to offer that the matchmakers were probably right to blacklist him.

Qin Su slides an orange slice between her lips. “Jiang-zongzhu. May I ask—your birth name is Jiang Cheng?”

Surprised by the sudden question, Jiang Cheng just nods.

“Cheng as in chengzi (orange)?” She smiles wryly.

He crosses his arms. “No. Cheng as chengqing (clear). No parents would name a sect heir after a fruit.”

“I think it would have nice imagery. A river of oranges to go with the lotus lake.” She separates a piece of fruit and hands it to him. Although he glares at her, he takes the orange segment, careful not to brush her fingers. But just as he is about to eat it, she adds, “It could also be inspiration to give the Jiang Clan robes a makeover.”

His hand drops to his side, fist closing over the orange segment. “You don’t like our robes?” he asks with more distress in his voice than he intended.

She laughs, eyes bright. “I do. Don’t worry. Violet is a nice color.” She focuses her gaze back down on the orange half she holds in her hands, lips quirked. “You know that I was only pretending to insult you; do not insult me. Eat the piece I gave you.”

“Hmph.” Jiang Cheng pops the orange slice in his mouth and looks away.

“Thank you, Chengzi.”

“You—”

She shushes him. “If you start yelling, A-Ling will wake up.”

Across the room, A-Ling breathes deeply, eyes closed, one side of his faced smushed against his hand. The sight calms Jiang Cheng, although he is still offended.

“Have I ever yelled at you?” he asks.

“You haven't,” Qin Su says thoughtfully. “You can be a bit loud, though.”

Heat rises to his cheeks.

Qin Su doesn’t look over, but somehow she notices the faint blush, as if she has some magical sixth sense for detecting embarrassment. “I enjoy the color violet, I enjoy the company of people who are a bit loud.” She gestures toward A-Ling with the orange in her hand. “So does he, when he's not napping."

"Understood,” Jiang Cheng says, and nods. "A-Ling...A-Ling likes your company, too."

Qin Su smiles and hands over another orange segment. Holding back a smile of his own, Jiang Cheng eats it quietly.

The comfort of a friend, and a glimpse of something like family, is already satisfying enough.

* * *

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, you can be a supportive sibling like Jiang Yanli by visiting me on AO3! :D

江澄 - Jiāng Chéng - "river" and "clear, transparent" 江橙 - sounds exactly the same! - "river" and "orange" hence the "river of oranges" joke shoutout to @qi-ling for mentioning this a few days ago lol

I'm not sure if shenshen (father's younger brother's wife) is what Jin Ling would call Qin Su but I think it's right? Feel free to correct me.

#mdzsnet #chengsu #jiang cheng #qin su #mdzs #cql #the untamed #mdzs fanfic #cql fanfic #the untamed fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #cql fanfiction #the untamed fanfiction #emilu fics #emilu creations

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pendraegon · 3 years

Note

i followed you for hannibal and i’ll bite... what the hell is untamed

YES OKAY SO. the untamed/chen qing ling (or cql) is the live action to this one cdrama mo dao zu shi (the grandmaster of demonic cultivation/mdzs for short) — i personally don’t care for the novel, but everything i tag goes under the latter rather than the former just because???? anyways asljfdsao

the story revolves around the fact that there’s five big cultivation clans (think of them as family/clans that are dedicated to ridding the world of evil and lingering spirits) the jiang clan, the jin clan, the nie clan, the lan clan, and the wen clan. the story revolves around the life of wei wuxian (birthname wei ying — the only real birth names you have to know is his and lan wangji/lan zhan’s. you normally use one’s courtesy name and to even drop the surname and call wei wuxian “wuxian” would show that you are close to him like a family member or a good friend. calling someone by their birth name “wei ying” is....intimate and something that is left for people who are TRULY close to one another) who is adopted by the jiang clan. the storyline, and this is where i think the untamed TRULY excels, first shows the plot as like another generic “and there’s this evil dude on a throne we have to defeat” but the show is truly about the horrors of war, prisoners of war and how we treat them, and subsequently scapegoating and standing up for one’s belief despite the fact that everyone turns away from you and wishes you to die. anyways the first two episodes start with the end of wei wuxian’s life and then we’re thrown 13 years into the future (the first 2 eps are a bit confusing i will admit) because someone has called wei wuxian, the fearsome yiling patriarch who killed numerous people and committed atrocities, back for revenge and then from the end of episode 2 onwards we’re at the flashback until episode 33 (i know you’re like what the fuck? but it’s AMAZING) and then the rest until episode 50 is in the present time.

so wei wuxian is adopted by the jiang clan and it starts off with him, his brother jiang cheng, and his older sister jiang yanli going to a summer seminar held by the lan clan. there they met lan wangji (lan zhan) and like a war occurs? i know im explaining it REALLY badly but there really is like..no real way to explain this show to people you just got to watch it and you’ll understand it.

but uh tl;dr society of clans that defeat evil spirits but the wen clan tries to gain power and wei wuxian goes from a hero -> villain and lan wangji waits for him for 13 years. and then uh in the present day there’s a giant murder mystery and wei wuxian’s nephew is there too it’s very fun and also very very sad.

but also wei wuxian and lan wangji are married and have a son!! (:

#i ADORE the untamed #it was all i talked about for like 4 months last year alskjfdaos #genuinely one of THE best shows i have ever watched #the characterizations? AMAZING.#literally almost every character is shown respect + given their arc (albeit a few exceptions) and it's SO...#i dont think any other show has shown sibling relationships BETTER than this one.#it's incredible and i can talk ur ear off over this for AGES laksjdfoasidfsa #if u do end up watching it please tell me or feel free to drop by!!#it's on netflix and also on youtube and like.#it's so hard for me to watch shows but i watched it in like. less than a month askldfjsaosa #anon #Anonymous

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bloody-bee-tea · 4 years

Text

Wangji Week 2020 Day 3

Loss

Lan Wangji isn’t tired of this life, not yet, but he is getting there, surely and steadily.

He can’t remember how many decades and centuries it has been, and he wonders if achieving immortality really is worth it.

It doesn’t feel like that to him, not anymore.

“Wangji,” his brother says, because he knows him too well and Lan Wangji sighs.

He doesn’t know what happened to the rest of their family, is sure there must have been more people to his family than just his brother, but Lan Xichen is the only one still at his side. The only one Lan Wangji still remembers.

Lan Wangji tries not to think about the fact that everyone else is more than likely dead, and apparently still waiting for reincarnation, because so far they haven’t met anyone that’s familiar to them.

“You have that look on your face again,” Lan Xichen softly says and Lan Wangji shrugs.

“Just wondering,” he gives back and Lan Xichen’s look goes pained.

“It is worth it,” Lan Xichen says with vehemence, but Lan Wangji isn’t convinced.

He knows he’s missing something, someone, because there’s a hole in his chest and in his memory that speaks of a tremendous loss, because why else would he decide to lock those memories away, but it only makes going on harder.

“I’m not sure,” Lan Wangji says, and rests his hand low on his stomach, where his golden core is.

There is a space next to it, gaping and empty, and sometimes it feels like it’s swallowing Lan Wangji whole.

Dual cultivation, his brother has told him, can leave a hole like that if the partner died.

Lan Wangji knows that Lan Xichen feels the same loss, the same hole next to his own golden core, but whereas Lan Xichen still holds out hope that they will someday be reunited with the people they lost, Lan Wangji knows better.

He has been meticulously keeping track of the passing of time ever since he realized that there is a gap in his memories, and it has been almost three hundred years now.

Three hundred years of longing and missing someone he doesn’t even know, isn’t sure he would recognize even if they should meet, and the promise of that fateful meeting isn’t enough to keep him going anymore.

“It is,” Lan Xichen says again and then closes his eyes. “Don’t you remember bits and pieces?”

“Do you?” Lan Wangji wants to know and he’s unprepared for the soft, if sad, smile on his brother’s face.

“A spark of purple,” he says, and he sounds far away. “A frown, and the chime of a bell in the air. Water, and laughter, as much as angry words and tears.”

Lan Xichen looks down at his hands, tears in his eyes, and Lan Wangji knows that feeling, knows this all-consuming pain of missing someone so vital to himself.

“Don’t you remember anything about them?” Lan Xichen finally asks, as he looks back up at Lan Wangji.

A hint of red in black, his birth name uttered in teasing reverence, the sound of a flute in the night, playing a song dear to Lan Wangji’s heart, a joyful laugh and quick, teasing fingers. It’s all Lan Wangji can think about some days.

“No,” Lan Wangji says and turns his head away.

He doesn’t want to remember. Doesn’t want to be reminded that it’s just a memory and nothing more.

“They are gone,” he says when Lan Xichen levels him with a disbelieving look.

“They will come back,” Lan Xichen says with surety.

Lan Wangji leaves.

~*~*~

Sometimes, Lan Wangji wonders what his family would think about this new life they are living. The new century is fast-paced, and full of people; so many more than Lan Wangji could have ever imagined.

He misses the quiet and peace of the Cloud Recesses, misses the empty woods and forests, misses being useful as a cultivator.

Still, Lan Xichen and he have a knack for being there where help is needed, and while Lan Wangji misses the nomadic nature of being a cultivator, he and his brother have settled down.

Jobs are essential in this time, and while Lan Xichen has made quite the name for himself as a painter, Lan Wangji has carved out a place for himself in the musical world. He still feels a slight unease at playing the sacred songs of his clan for more or less fun, but he figures it’s better than letting them become forgotten.

Lan Wangji lives a reclusive life, for all that he has to be present at concerts and at his brother’s gallery openings, but he enjoys it that way.

Lan Xichen has fully embraced this new century; he has a phone which, unlike Lan Wangji, he enjoys using, and he has made a handful of friends. Lan Wangji can’t say the same for himself.

Lan Wangji knows it’s because Lan Xichen still holds out hope that one day, they will meet the ones they are missing. His brother has always been a hopeless romantic.

“Wangji, will you accompany me to the opening next week?” Lan Xichen asks him over dinner and Lan Wangji bites back his sigh.

He will, they both know it, but Lan Wangji doesn’t have to like it.

“Of course,” he gives back after a pause just long enough to let Lan Xichen know how he feels about this, but he cannot stay mad when his brother smiles at him

“I’m having a really good feeling about it,” Lan Xichen says, and he could mean the gallery, or something else.

Something Lan Wangji isn’t hoping for anymore.

“They won’t be there,” he tells Lan Xichen, wants to nip that hope in the bud, because Lan Xichen always hopes for this, and is then terribly disappointed when it doesn’t happen.

Lan Wangji is in enough pain as it is, missing that certain someone. He doesn’t need to have his hopes crushed every other day.

Lan Xichen always talks about how the pain of missing that other person will someday lessen, but Lan Wangji isn’t sure he even wants that.

Living this long has made him numb to a number of feelings. At least the longing and the implied loss make him feel something.

When the night of the opening comes, Lan Wangji feels nerves settle low in his stomach.

He has tried to recreate the song he hears distantly in his memory, but his guqin is no flute and the end result doesn’t spark any more memories, so he’s not sure if he got it right.

He has never played it in front of other people, but the song deserves to be heard, no matter if he got it right or not, and it makes him nervous.

Still, he plays, because that is what he came here for, and soon enough the sounds of his guqin fill the space of the gallery.

It’s not quite right, Lan Wangji knows that suddenly, and he adjusts the song as he goes, but something continues to sound wrong.

That is, until a flute joins him, hesitant at first, but then getting bolder, picking up the pace and matching him in a playful way.

Lan Wangji’s heart trembles in his chest, but he plays the song until the last note, before he wrenches his eyes away from the strings.

“Lan Zhan,” a loved and dearly missed voice says, just as playful and reverently as Lan Wangji remembers it, and when Lan Wangji’s eyes fall on Wei Wuxian he is met with the familiar black and red Wei Wuxian loves to wear. There is the usual teasing tilt to his lips, one that Lan Wangji itches to kiss off, and laughter in Wei Wuxian’s eyes.

And suddenly Lan Wangji’s life makes sense again.

(The headcanon for this is that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng grow older than other people but didn’t achieve immortality, because Wei Wuxian is too tainted by demonic cultivation and his core still too weak and Jiang Cheng because it’s not his golden core.)

#bt writes #the untamed #wangxian #mdzs #wangjiweek2020 #immortality #reincarnation #hurt/comfort #grieving #loss

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kazeki15 · 5 years

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MDZS FanFic Common Misleading

So, sometimes I found these misleading to some MDZS fanfic that I have read before. And just want to clarify and write it down here for future reference.

This is ONLY if you want to make the characters, rules, status, etc as close as the original. If you want to make your own kind of jiang cheng or wei wuxian or the other characters with your own rules then it's up to you. Because it is free to write what you like.

Some of these are not applicable if the fics is in different universe

Hope it is easy to understand because my english is bad, and Im still practicing ;_; Sorry if it sounds rude or anything, I'm trying to be polite as much as possible here.

JC address JYL as A-jie/jie/Jie Jie NOT Shijie NEITHER A-li

Yes, I often find fanfic where JC call JYL as shijie (and the author thought it means the same) sometimes A-li (Jiang Cheng is younger guys, you can't carelessly call your older siblings without honorifics in China and some other Asian countries, especially in ancient times, they pay attention to this a lot). Shijie is how you call the female senior disciple, that's why only WWX and maybe other junior disciple call JYL as shijie. A-Jie or jie jie (wen ning use Jie jie) is how they address the older sister. However, in some situation, some people might call a female stranger that looks just slightly older than them as jie jie (like how WWX call the woman who sells loquat in the donghua as jiejie).

JC can't handle spicy food as much as WWX (NOPE, HE CAN)

Sometime I also find some fanfic where they make as if JC can't eat spicy food or can only handle a lil bit of spicy. In one of the audio drama extra eps. JC eat WWX's very spicy congee like it's a normal food without coughing or anything and he said it taste normal. Unless it is clarified that the food is something like "the spiciest food in the world that gives you diarrhea" or something like that in the fic then it is acceptable that JC won't eat it.

If I'm not mistaken I see some parts of the manhua in instagram saying that Yunmeng people love to eat spicy food (so I guess it's their traditional food?). So not only JC and WWX but also the other yunmeng jiang can handle spicy food.

Jiang Cheng to Wei Wuxian

Sure they are brothers in everything but blood. However, Jiang Cheng never say anything about Wei Wuxian is his brother loudly and proudly because he's a tsundere. OUR SALTY YET LOVEABLE UNCLE IS A TSUNDERE.

Titles and Honorifics are IMPORTANT

They always pay attention to title and status. Remember, TITLES and HONORIFICS ARE IMPORTANT. Only the elder or very close family might call LWJ as 'wangji' or 'lan wangji'. The other disciple won't dare to call him 'lan wangji' even if they are on the same generation as him (unless they are WWX because he's shameless, and JC when he's salty and angry). They always address him as 'Second young master lan' or 'Han Guang Jun'. He's a YOUNG MASTER not a COMMONER. Don't make some random disciple calling our Hanguang-Jun as 'Lan Wangji' that is so RUDE.

Even modern China still pay attention for their honorifics (there're a lot). Even those Chinese descendants in any other countries (like mine) still use it. Yes, there are a bunch of it, even the way you call uncle from mother or father's side are different. Eldest, second, third uncles/aunties from both side are different. It is very confusing sometimes I need to ask my mom "What did I supposed to call him again?"

Same goes to the other young master (JZX, NHS, JC, etc)

Gusu lan elders can't accept WWX so they tried to get rid of him by attacking him

(Take time after WWX married to LWJ)

Don't forget. Killing is prohibited in the cloud recesses. Fighting is prohibited in the cloud recesses. They never mention this but I'm sure attacking other people one sidedly is prohibited, especially if they are doing it quietly with no one looking. What can the elders do if they want to complain? Talk. So mostly they can only attack WWX by using words. 'Proper' and 'polite' and no 'yelling'.

Han Guang Jun title

LWJ got this title when he's around 18-20. So when WWX was 15 studying at the Cloud Recesses, LWJ don't have this title yet.

Courtesy Name

They get their courtesy name when they reach around 13-15 y.o. So no courtesy name before that, only their birth name. However, courtesy name can be prepared as early as they want like in Jin Ling's case (but he doesn''t like his courtesy name because it sounds girly).

Only males get courtesy name according to wikipedia.

Actually, in modern AU courtesy name is not really needed (except modern AU with cultivation). However, it's not fun without it so this is also up to you whether to use courtesy name in the modern era or not.

How A-Yuan address himself when he was a child

Whenever baby A-yuan talk to older people he will not use "I" or "me" to address himself but "A-yuan". Not only A-yuan, but most of little children address themselves using their names when they are talking to older people, especially their parents and older siblings.

For example "A-yuan is hungry" instead of "I'm hungry".

A-Yuan's parents AKA WN's & WQ's cousin

The cousin is most likely the FATHER. A-Yuan's surname is Wen (Wen Yuan). By tradition they must follow their father's surname instead of mother UNLESS he was raised with a single-mother who don't know who the father is OR they don't approve the man to be A-Yuan's dad.

Edit: A-Yuan calls Wen Ning as Ning-shushu, shushu is father's younger brother/male cousin

Does Gusu Lan people all vegetarian?

There's no official statement all Gusu Lan must be vegetarian. They eat bitter herbal stuff probably for health and cultivation. However, eating meat is not forbidden for Lan people. Our Jingyi eats chicken wings. Sure he likes to broke so many rules, but there's Sizhui who always remind him, told him to keep his voice low when he's yelling, told him to slow down when he's running, but never stop him eating the chicken wing.

Gusu Lan founder, Lan An, was a monk. According to my research whether a monk allowed to eat meat or not, yes they can. However, do not to have any animal killed for your own satisfaction.

For example, do not order the meat when the animal is still alive. Order whatever that is already cooked.

(Src: mothership 'S’pore monk answers questions on whether Buddhists can eat beef & their dietary restrictions' by Nyi Nyi Thet)

THERE'S NO SUCH A THING AS 'To keep the bloodline pure they get married within the blood relation (inbreeding)

I'm aware there's ancient royal family did this to keep the bloodline pure but this does not apply in China (most likely to the whole Asia). In fact, it is a TABOO to get married to your relative no matter how extended their family is. As long as there's blood relation they can't get married by tradition.

They are still very strict about this even until modern time.

I'm a Chinese descendant, my formal surname is no Chinese name BUT, most of Chinese Descendant have another name which is their chinese name and chinese surname (I'm not sure if it's a surname or something else, we call it 'se' but I'm not sure what it is. But just to makes it easier). My Chinese surname is Tan, and if I want to find a partner I must make sure this person is not Tan, because if he's a Tan he must be a descendant from the same ancestor as mine even though I didn't know this man nor his family at all. Except he's adopted.

In conclusion there's no such thing as 'half-Lan', 'half-Jin', 'half-Jiang', etc.

Yes, I do find a fanfic where our baby Jingyi getting sad ad saying he's not fully a Lan/half Lan, that's why he can't behave properly like how pure blooded Lan. And tbh I can't rly accept this but I'm aware the author have their own freedom to write things.

Ofc I won't stop you if you want to make an AU about the royal family inbreeding.

Wen Qing is a doctor/healer

SHE'S A DOCTOR DO NOT MAKE HER KILL PEOPLE PLEASE. She even said it herself "We are healers, we treat people not to kill them"

So yea, I think that's it for now. Please correct me if there's some mistake with these facts. Thank you

#wei wuxian #mdzs fic #mo xuanyu #mo dao zu shi #mo xiang tong xiu #modaozushi #mdzs #mdzs donghua #lan wangji #wangxian #wei ying #fanfiction #mdzs fanfic

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brin-guivera · 4 years

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(via Ten Favourite Characters from The Untamed)

ten favourite characters from the untamed

It’s been a while since I did one of these type of posts (outside of Top Ten Tuesday anyway) and as a small celebration for hitting my 1000th post on the blog (this very one, as a matter of fact!) I have decided to do a post based on my most recent obsession The Untamed!

I have already talked at length about this series in various posts (and did a review of the series here) but I thought it might be fun to share with you my favourite characters. This is based on the live action televised drama – not the web-novel / donghua series or other platforms where it has appeared.

I do like a lot of characters in this series (even some I’m not supposed to like – hey, they are great characters even if they are not good people!) but there are some that are my extra-special favourites.

10. lan jingyi

I love all of the juniors really, but Lan Jingyi made it into the 10th spot because he is the “most un-Lan Lan to ever Lan in the history of Lan” – thus spake the fanbase! Most of the Gusu Lan Sect and calm and peaceful, serene and tranquil. Lan Jingyi is snarky and impatient, with a short fuse and temper. However, he also has a kind heart and is extremely loyal.

I like him a lot because although he does share the Lan clan’s beliefs he goes about it in a completely different way! He is definitely an individual and we need more of those!

9. lan xichen

Lan Wangji’s elder brother and one of the Twin Jades of Lan. Lan Xichen is a gentle and kind-hearted soul who is very trusting, almost to a fault. He is also extremely protective of his younger brother and does his best to help the aloof and distant Lan Wangji make friends. Lan Xichen has a keen ear for music and is known for being able to diffuse tense situations.

Lan Xichen is the perfect older brother – caring and supportive. Although he can be a little bit naive, he is kind at heart and a genuinely good person.

8. wen qing

The best doctor the Wen Clan has, she is a strong and capable woman, slow to trust but quick to help where she can. Wen Qing is forced to serve the power-hungry Wen Ruohan who has a hold over her through her younger brother Wen Ning. She is aloof, cold, and above all extremely intelligent. Initially, she distrusts Wei Wuxian but gradually warms up to him because of his kind and helpful nature.

Wen Qing is a great character – she is capable and powerful and not necessarily warm but cares about others in her own way. Once you have her loyalty you never lose it.

7. wen ning

The shy, gentle, and timid younger brother of Wen Qing, who suffers from a strange illness due to being exposed to the Ying Iron as a young child. He is fiercely loyal especially to Wei Wuxian who was one of the few people to show him any kindness outside of his sister. When the Wen clan falls from power, he is turned into The Ghost General, and becomes Wei Wuxian’s right hand man (as his powers of demonic cultivation are able to control Wen Ning’s powers when they emerge).

Wen Ning is a total sweetheart – he has this horrible reputation yet is the purest soul to ever live. I just love him to bits!

6. lan sizhui

A disciple of Lan sect who is raised by Lan Wangji when his family is taken from him. He is a calm and gentle person who is very mature for his young age and is able to wield his abilities carefully and with great skill. Lan Sizhui’s past is a mystery to him but he feels an undeniable connection to Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning when the former is returned to life.

Lan Sizhui is a total dear – he really is the bestest boy! Genuinely warm-hearted and giving, he also is very capable and has everything it takes to be a powerful cultivator.

5. jiang cheng

Opinionated and hot-headed, Jiang Cheng has been raised with his siblings Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian (who was adopted into the Jiang clan after the death of his parents). Jiang Cheng cares very deeply for his loved ones but he is not great at showing it. He has a bad temper and often lashes out at those he cares about (who ultimately recognise that this is just how he shows affection). He dotes upon his nephew Jin Ling even though he often appears strict and sharp-tongued with him.

Jiang Cheng is probably the most misunderstood character. The breakdown of his relationship with Wei Wuxian, and his inability to see how his own actions (or inactions) also led to the tragic events that he hates his brother for, sours his character for a lot of people. Personally, I like him, warts and all, though I do get why many of his critics dislike him. He isn’t an easy character to like but I do like him all the same. 😉

4. nie huaisang

Nie Huisang is initially a contemporary of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng in their school days at the Gusu Lan clan’s annual seminar. Seen as weak and unskilled, he is well-known for his supposed incompetence. Nicknamed the ‘head shaker’ and referred to as ‘know nothing’, he doesn’t have the best reputation. After the death of his brother Nie Mingjue, he becomes the leader of the Nie Sect.

Nie Huisang is a very intriguing character. Although depicted as being incapable (he carries a fan instead of a sword) there is more to him than meets the eye. Showing rare moments of cleverness and keen intuition, he nonetheless crumbles (and usually faints!) when things get tough. But is it all an act? It is hinted that there is more to him than there first appears – this is then further confirmed in the spin-off Fatal Journey. I really like him as a character, even just the hints you get in the main series. He is definitely one of my very favourites.

3. jiang yanli

Jiang Cheng’s elder sister (by blood) and Wei Wuxian’s adoptive elder sister, Jiang Yanli is a kind and caring person who does everything she can to protect her two brothers. She is the emotional heart of the trio and cares for them deeply, often providing support and cooking for them their favourite meals when they need cheering up. She has strong feelings for her arranged match Jin Zixuan and is devastated when he repeatedly snubs her. Eventually, he comes to care for her and they marry and have a child Jin Ling. Losing Yanli is what tears apart Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, she really appears to be the glue holding the triad together.

Yanli is such an amazing character and did not deserve her fate whatsoever. Her story is tragic and could have been preventable. Alas, it was not meant to be…

2. wei wuxian

Wei Wuxian is the main protagonist of the story. He is a disciple of the Jiang sect and has been raised as a sibling to Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. He is irrepressibly cheerful and mischievous as a youth, yet also very clever and deeply loyal. He cares deeply for his siblings and comes to view Lan Wangji as his soulmate and life-long confidante.

Due to the Wen clan’s machinations, he ends up pursuing demonic cultivation – a fact that puts him at odds with all of the other clans. He is also the only one to show the remnants of the Wen clan any kindness after their fall from grace and this too puts him in opposition of the other clans, including his own family. When he is defeated, he is mourned by no one; except Lan Wangji who feels remorse for not standing by his soulmate.

Wei Wuxian (or Wei Ying but it feels to personal to call him by his given name – only Lan Zhan can call him that!) is a character that is easy to root for. The television show smooths out some of his more problematic actions so he really is a victim and did not deserve to be vilified the way he was. His return after sixteen years reunites him with his Lan Zhan, who is no longer afraid to stick by him, no matter the consequence. Wei Wuxian is such a relatable main character – you cannot help but feel for him and want him to get his due, finally.

1. lan wangji

Lan Wangji (birth name Lan Zhan) is the second young master of the Lan sect. He is viewed as cold, strict, and distant. Considered difficult to get along with, a real ‘fuddy-duddy’ according to young Wei Wuxian. However, his aloof front hides a good heart and an ever-prevailing sense of justice. Due to his actions in taking down the Wen clan, he is granted the title of Hanguang Jun (roughly translated to Light Bearing Lord). His abilities cannot be faulted and he is considered a cultivator without equal.

Although they could not be more different, he becomes close with Wei Wuxian and recognises him as his soulmate. However, he is torn by his regard for the demonic cultivator and the rules of his peers. Unable to help him, he is devastated when Wei Wuxian is killed and carries that guilt for sixteen years. When they are reunited, it is clear that Lan Wangji will stand by Wei Wuxian, not matter the cost.

Lan Wangji, oh Lan Wangji, how I love you so… I did not foresee him becoming my favourite character when I started watching the series (the live action was actually my first introduction to this world). I was prepared to be a Wei Wuxian fangirl through and through (I kind of am though Lan Wangji is still my number one). There is just something about Lan Wangji though. He isn’t an easy character to get to know. He is very aloof and closed-off. However, when you peel that back you see the layers of sadness and how solitude has really cut him off from everyone else. This is like catnip to me as I love the tortured characters. Wei Wuxian, for all the external crap he goes through, is still underneath a positive and upbeat person (no matter how many times it gets beaten out of him). Lan Wangji… there is just something so lonely about him. I cannot help but love him.

***************

And that there is my top ten characters from The Untamed! I didn’t include Jin Guangyao on this list (even though he is a great character – I more love to hate him than love him!) Hope you have enjoyed me rambling on about them. I love this series so much and I am probably boring everyone to pieces but I just can’t help but talk about it!

**I haven’t mentioned a few of my other favourites such as Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen but I didn’t want to spoil their story, I may do a separate post about the Yi City arc at some point…**

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hamliet · 5 years

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MDZS meets MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Personality type is older than the Enneagram, and consists of sixteen types based on four different pairs of personality traits: Introversion vs. Extroversion; Sensing vs. Intuition, Feeling vs. Thinking, and Perceiving vs. Judging. To be clear, none of these categories are black and white–for example, all Feelers are capable of using logic, and Thinkers have feelings and care about people–but it’s a cool way of understanding personalities.

I’m not going to do every character, but simply the characters I think are most important and the ones for whom I have the most information to analyze (some is def guesswork). :P Also, this is just my opinion and definitely open to debate! MBTI isn’t a science; it’s just something I do for fun.

Wei WuXian-->ENFP “The Campaigner”

Unlike many of the others, Wei WuXian’s type seems very, very obvious. He might be the most ENFP to ever ENFP.

The ENFP personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike Explorers, they are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate... if they’ve found a cause that sparks their imagination, ENFPs will bring an energy that oftentimes thrusts them into the spotlight, held up by their peers as a leader and a guru – but this isn’t always where independence-loving ENFPs want to be.

Lan WangJi-->ISTJ “The Logistician”

Why yes, Lan WangJi is the exact opposite of his beloved Wei WuXian. He’s another one that seems pretty obvious to me.

ISTJ personalities are no-nonsense... ISTJs have little tolerance for indecisiveness, but lose patience even more quickly if their chosen course is challenged with impractical theories, especially if they ignore key details...

ISTJ personalities adhere to established rules and guidelines regardless of cost, reporting their own mistakes and telling the truth even when the consequences for doing so could be disastrous. To ISTJs, honesty is far more important than emotional considerations, and their blunt approach leaves others with the false impression that ISTJs are cold, or even robotic. People with this type may struggle to express emotion or affection outwardly, but the suggestion that they don’t feel, or worse have no personality at all, is deeply hurtful.

Jiang Cheng-->ISTJ “The Logistician”

Yes, the same type as Lan WangJi, just a tad more bitter. Personality tests, even if two people seem to fit a type extremely well, can’t define someone, because people are just so infinitely more complex. The part about being taken advantage of reminds me here of how Jin GuangYao points out that people took advantage of Jiang Cheng’s need to prove himself to drive a wedge between him and Wei WuXian.

ISTJs’ dedication is an excellent quality, allowing them to accomplish much, but it is also a core weakness that less scrupulous individuals take advantage of. ISTJs seek stability and security, considering it their duty to maintain a smooth operation, and they may find that their coworkers and significant others shift their responsibilities onto them, knowing that they will always take up the slack. ISTJs tend to keep their opinions to themselves and let the facts do the talking, but it can be a long time before observable evidence tells the whole story.

Lan XiChen-->ENFJ “The Protagonist”

Sadly, this description is pretty accurate to Lan XiChen’s strengths and also his flaws--in particular in terms of his relationship with Jin GuangYao.

ENFJs radiate authenticity, concern and altruism, unafraid to stand up and speak when they feel something needs to be said. They find it natural and easy to communicate with others, especially in person, and their Intuitive (N) trait helps people with the ENFJ personality type to reach every mind, be it through facts and logic or raw emotion. ENFJs easily see people’s motivations and seemingly disconnected events, and are able to bring these ideas together and communicate them as a common goal with an eloquence that is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The interest ENFJs have in others is genuine, almost to a fault – when they believe in someone, they can become too involved in the other person’s problems, place too much trust in them.

Jin GuangYao-->ESFJ (?) “The Consul”

This one I’m less certain of--FJ seems certain to me, but I/E and N/S is a bit debatable. I think he best meets the description of “the Consul” though.

ESFJs are more concerned with fashion and their appearance, their social status and the standings of other people... ESFJs love to be of service, enjoying any role that allows them to participate in a meaningful way, so long as they know that they are valued and appreciated. Coming to terms with their sensitivity is ESFJs’ biggest challenge – people are going to disagree and they’re going to criticize, and while it hurts, it’s just a part of life.

Nie MingJue-->ESTJ “The Executive”

Less certain of E or I than for the other three, but the way he failed to overcome the challenge of how not everyone processes the same way seems very ESTJ to me.

ESTJs are representatives of tradition and order, utilizing their understanding of what is right, wrong and socially acceptable to bring families and communities together. Embracing the values of honesty, dedication and dignity, people with the ESTJ personality type are valued for their clear advice and guidance, and they happily lead the way on difficult paths.

ESTJs are aware of their surroundings and live in a world of clear, verifiable facts – the surety of their knowledge means that even against heavy resistance, they stick to their principles and push an unclouded vision of what is and is not acceptable... they expect their reliability and work ethic to be reciprocated – people with this personality type meet their promises, and if partners or subordinates jeopardize them through incompetence or laziness, or worse still, dishonesty, they do not hesitate to show their wrath...

The main challenge for ESTJs is to recognize that not everyone follows the same path or contributes in the same way.

Nie HuaiSang-->ISFP “The Adventurer”

Interesting name for a timid HuaiSang, but I really do think he is an ISFP. He is notably one of the few Nie Sect leaders who doesn’t seem at risk of dying from a qi deviation, and hence his less brutish way of ruling might actually, in the long run, be good for his sect. (NMJ would be proud... maybe.)

ISFP personality types are true artists, but not necessarily in the typical sense where they’re out painting happy little trees. Often enough though, they are perfectly capable of this. Rather, it’s that they use aesthetics, design and even their choices and actions to push the limits of social convention...

If these goals and principles are noble, ISFPs can act with amazing charity and selflessness – but it can also happen that people with the ISFP personality type establish a more self-centered identity, acting with selfishness, manipulation and egoism.

Wen Qing-->ENTJ “The Commander”

Another one I feel fairly confident in. Wen Qing is a boss queen who gives birth to one of the series’ most iconic lines: “thank you, and I’m sorry.” She’s able to win the respect of Wen RouHan and even some people who hate the Wens, and thinks outside the box, theorizing on core transfer but hesitant to actually try it when she isn’t fully confident.

ENTJs are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. But unlike their Feeling (F) counterpart, ENTJs are characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves.

Wen Ning-->INFP “The Mediator”

I was torn between S and N, but I went with INFP because he is more focused on thinking about possibilities--in fact his arc is about learning to be confident in his own possibilities and to explore them.

INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine.

Jin ZiXuan--> ESTP, “The Entrepreneur”

Does he have enough of a personality for me to really analyze him? Maybe not but I like him a lot. He is motivated by what seems like pride at the beginning, but we later realize he cares deeply about the people around him and genuinely cared for Wei WuXian because his wife did.

Inspiring, convincing and colorful, they are natural group leaders, pulling everyone along the path less traveled, bringing life and excitement everywhere they go. Putting these qualities to a constructive and rewarding end is Entrepreneurs’ true challenge.

Jiang YanLi-->INFP “The Mediator”

Shijie was indeed the mediator between her two brothers, and it’s her legacy of love and kindness, of wanting Wei WuXian to live even at the expense of her own life no matter what he’d done, that makes a huge difference.

Luckily, like the flowers in spring, INFP’s affection, creativity, altruism and idealism will always come back, rewarding them and those they love perhaps not with logic and utility, but with a world view that inspires compassion, kindness and beauty wherever they go.

Jin Ling-->ESTP, “The Entrepreneur”

Jin Ling is the hardest one to pin down and I’m mad because he’s one of my favorites. He is highly emotional, but I think he’s an ESTP like his dad.

Entrepreneurs keep their conversation energetic, with a good dose of intelligence, but they like to talk about what is – or better yet, to just go out and do it. Entrepreneurs leap before they look, fixing their mistakes as they go, rather than sitting idle, preparing contingencies and escape clauses.

Lan SiZhui-->INFJ “The Advocate”

My type.

INFJs indeed share a unique combination of traits: though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain – INFJs will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity not to create advantage, but to create balance.

Lan JingYi-->ESFP “The Entertainer”

He’s pretty easy to figure out. I constantly wonder how he fares in the Gusu Lan Sect.

...they love putting on a show for their friends too, chatting with a unique and earthy wit, soaking up attention and making every outing feel a bit like a party. Utterly social, ESFPs enjoy the simplest things, and there’s no greater joy for them than just having fun with a good group of friends.

Xue Yang-->ESTP “The Entrepreneur”

ESTPs are the likeliest personality type to make a lifestyle of risky behavior. They live in the moment and dive into the action – they are the eye of the storm. People with the ESTP personality type enjoy drama, passion, and pleasure, not for emotional thrills, but because it’s so stimulating to their logical minds. They are forced to make critical decisions based on factual, immediate reality in a process of rapid-fire rational stimulus response.

A-Qing-->ESTP “The Entrepreneur”

Yes, I think A-Qing is the same type as Xue Yang, which doesn’t surprise me because they are actually extremely blatant foils in the story. It’s funny the description notes how observant ESTPs tend to be, because that’s something A-Qing absolutely is, noticing Xue Yang’s minuscule changes in expression and keeping her from trusting him, and Xue Yang is also incredibly observant of her words to realize she might just not be blind after all.

With perhaps the most perceptive, unfiltered view of any type, ESTPs have a unique skill in noticing small changes. Whether a shift in facial expression, a new clothing style, or a broken habit, people with this personality type pick up on hidden thoughts and motives where most types would be lucky to pick up anything specific at all. ESTPs use these observations immediately, calling out the change and asking questions, often with little regard for sensitivity. ESTPs should remember that not everyone wants their secrets and decisions broadcast.

Xiao XingChen-->ISFJ “The Defender”

The following description really reminds me of XXC especially after he hears the story about Xue Yang’s love of candy as a child, and every single day thereafter buys him and A-Qing a candy.

ISFJs take their responsibilities personally, consistently going above and beyond, doing everything they can to exceed expectations and delight others, at work and at home... Naturally social, an odd quality for Introverts, ISFJs utilize excellent memories not to retain data and trivia, but to remember people, and details about their lives. When it comes to gift-giving, ISFJs have no equal, using their imagination and natural sensitivity to express their generosity in ways that touch the hearts of their recipients

Song Lan-->INTJ “The Architect”

There’s not as much to go on for Song Lan, but what we do have seems to suggest INTJ to me, particularly in how someone who would spend years looking for a friend would refuse to consider that Xue Yang might have changed at all.

INTJs are simultaneously the most starry-eyed idealists and the bitterest of cynics, a seemingly impossible conflict.

Yu ZiYuan-->ESTJ “The Executive”

Welp. The Purple Spider is definitely an Executive.

#mdzs #mbti #mao dao zu shi

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actuallyvady · 3 years

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Vady Reads MDZS - Arrogance, Part 1

An explanation of these posts can be found here

Wei Wuxian is out on his own, having fulfilled the curse’s requirements entirely by accident. He decides to go looking for something really powerfully evil to do his bidding, finds out there’s a spirit-consuming monster causing trouble for a local town, and goes to investigate.

More after the cut.

What’s a poor, down on his luck, recently resurrected demonic cultivator to do? He needs minions! And not just any minions-- the low-level corpses collapsing at his feet prove that he needs a really evil minion!

I kind of love that we don’t know what he wants to do once he has acquired said minion-- he just wants a soldier to “do evil for him.” What’s your plan, Wuxian? You’re unexpectedly alive, therefore you must go do bad things? You had an opportunity to do bad things back in Mo village and you didn’t! You didn’t actually harm anyone! You actually helped protect a lot of people!

Anyway. Things we learn here:

That Wuxian’s sword was likely claimed as a prize after his death

Wuxian thinks he was charming and courteous towards women-- the first positive thing he has thought about his personality

What night-hunting is, and that a clan’s reputation is based on capturing particularly strong foes

Wei Wuxian invented Compasses of Evil, and people still use them and talk about him

Lots of details about what has happened at Dafan Mountain (which won’t remain relevant for much of the story)

Wei Wuxian’s birth name is Wei Ying

That everyone is afraid of Jiang Cheng

… it is very hard not to comment on the first mention of the sword. I know I am trying to do this whole project as if I don’t know anything that follows but. The line about the sword directly follows him complaining about how annoying the donkey is. With what we have learned so far-- what kind of person Wuxian insists on telling the reader he is-- the random swerve into thinking about his sword kind of comes off as “I wish I had my sword so I could kill this stupid animal.” Given only what I have read so far, that’s what I would assume that line was. It feels incredibly out of place if I think about it, but is mentioned so casually that it seems unimportant.

This is my favorite thing about re-reading! It’s why I re-read, re-watch, or re-play anything I really like-- because of casual, seemingly unimportant lines that have so much more meaning once they are given context. Since I am attempting to pretend I don’t know better, I am just going to point out that he thinks of his sword directly after calling the animal “useless.”

Not a lot actually happens in this chapter, but we do see Wuxian being clever again. Some evidence:

More things he invented! Plus his kind of chagrined thoughts about how the ones people are still using and relying on are version 1.0 and not as good as they could have been. I love that-- to the rest of the cultivation world they’re one of the most useful things out there, a must have for any night-hunt… to Wuxian, they’re a vaguely embarrassing prototype.

Gathering information and coming to a different conclusion than the others on the night-hunt

Realizing the donkey wants the apple and using it to make it go faster

He does think of himself as hard to please, liking the finer things in life-- while he is complaining about the donkey, he compares its picky eating to himself. That’s hilarious with context, too. But for now, it just adds to our picture of Wei Wuxian: evil, violent, vengeful, (but actually none of those things-- his first instinct is to help), accustomed to luxury, (but actually perfectly at home sharing an apple with a donkey, even if he does complain about doing so), incredibly clever, felt constrained by having to behave, enjoys being perceived as a lunatic, seems amused at his ongoing reputation and the fact that people still use his creations, courteous to women (apparently).

So, names are a thing, and for a non-Chinese reader, much of it is new and different. We have seen our lead character called Wei Wuxian, YiLing Patriarch, and now Wei Ying. The translator notes that “Wei Ying” is something that only those who were very close to him would call him-- family and close acquaintances of similar age. You would never refer to an elder by their birth name-- unless you wanted to show your disregard for that person. So… people still use Wuxian’s inventions, but don’t particularly think he is worthy of respect? Wuxian doesn’t seem to care-- people are still talking about him, and that amuses him.

There’s a bit here that amuses me because I have started trying to learn Chinese. Wuxian heard the cultivators say “Dàfàn Shān” and assumed it was 大饭山-- three characters I have already learned! So he calls it “Rice Mountain” in the translation, because those three characters mean “big” and “rice” and “mountain.” What it actually is I have to guess (since I don’t have the original in front of me), but given the context it’s probably 大梵山, which sounds identical (even the tones are the same) but 梵 refers to Brahma or is related to Buddha (depending on which source I go to) and that’s why he realizes his mistake when he sees the mountain and realizes it looks kind of like Buddha.

The translator explains this a bit in their notes, but I’m commenting on it specifically for two reasons: I am amused that I already know what he assumed the mountain was called (大饭山) because hey, I know those characters! And because the linguistic ambiguity inherent in a language with so many homonyms is amusing to me. There’s a moment in The Untamed where Wuxian tells the Lan juniors that the sword told him where to go, and the juniors are confused… and it’s because the word for “he” and “it” (and “she” for that matter) sound identical. So Wuxian says “it told me” and the juniors heard “he told me” because context is the only way to tell those pronouns apart in spoken Chinese.

Anyway. Chinese is fun. (Actually, though. Of all the languages I have attempted to learn over the years, it is my favorite.)

Okay, back on topic: hey look! The other cultivators had a run in with Jiang Cheng!

We have heard the name before. We know Jiang Cheng was Wuxian’s shidi, we know they were raised as brothers, we know Jiang Cheng stabbed (but did not kill) Wuxian when Wuxian defected, and we know that Jiang Cheng led the assault on the burial mounds, but despite what rumors say, he did not actually kill Wuxian. Still-- based on what we were told in the prologue, he’s clearly an important person, and it’s probably not great for Wuxian that he’s in the area. Remember Wuxian getting the fuck out of town when Wangji showed up? Jiang Cheng likely knows him better than Lan Wangji. That’s not great for our newly resurrected villain. Too bad he didn’t stick around to overhear those cultivators complaining about him!

#VadyReadsMDZS #holy shit it is hard to not talk about stuff i'm not supposed to know yet #but seriously that nonsequitor about his sword #so casual #so random #fun fact: jiang cheng is his birth name #his courtesy name is jiang wanyin #the fact that no one calls him that is never addressed

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