#it's giving mdzs donghua only like please.

[warm-mangoes-with-chai]

Maybe I need to calm down bc why did I see a post comparing wangxian to joongdok but because 'wwx & kdj are both dumbasses but lwj & yjh fell in love anyways' and I just felt so irritated that some fans still ignore wwx's academic and emotional intelligence, don't even get me started on kdj-

#i know i should be past this like i just need to mind my own business #and i know it's because i foolishly had a cup of coffee a few hours ago #such means i couldn't focus enough to do my homework so I've just been cleaning things here n there to burn off the energy #but now that I'm sitting in the orv tag. i do wonder. #how do u read such a transformational work and come out of it like. how do i make surface level connections to the other popular yaoi i kno #it's giving mdzs donghua only like please. #what am i even ranting about. god i should sleep #wait i kinda don't wanna tag this with anything bc i feel like it'll make me mad again 😭

[mdzs-fanon-exposed]

Introductory post: Please read! :)

hi everyone! welcome to my very own MDZS-specific iteration of the unparalleled @svsss-fanon-exposed and @tgcf-fanon-exposed. this blog is designed to find the differences between canon and fanon in the Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation fandom.

this blog is NOVEL CANON ONLY. although i may occasionally cite the drama or the donghua as the potential source for any misconceptions, the canons of these adaptations differ too much from the novel canon for my purposes (plus i haven't finished either one. whoops).

how this whole thing works:

send me an ask! is this thing you thought was canon actually fanon? is that fanon idea supported in the books? where? why? how?

i'll answer the ask with a rating, using SVFE's helpful rating system (explained below), and then go into detail. generally a post will include textual evidence supporting my rating, and possibly an analysis of what this means/where an idea came from.

i'll do my best not to introduce my own personal opinions or biases into the posts. if you have any textual evidence that you think disproves or otherwise contradicts one of my posts, i'm always happy to be corrected! HOWEVER. please do not argue with me or anyone else unnecessarily; this blog is not supposed to be a site for or source of discourse. i will block anyone who is repeatedly coming at me with bad faith. i'm doing this project for fun, and i want to keep it that way for everyone :)

posts will probably be sporadic so i don't burn myself out and lose interest. however, i want to try and answer as many questions as i can! submissions will open and close based on demand so i can stay on top of things.

some important things to keep in mind:

i'm not here to dunk on anyone's headcanons, and i am fully supportive of everyone's creative choices in the fandom!! (in fact i have many headcanons myself.) DO NOT harass anyone for their interpretations of the series. my purpose here is just to clarify whether certain ideas are textually supported, NOT to give an opinion on them.

i'm doing this blog for fun, so i'll be treating it as a casual project. i will only be using the official english translation of the novels, with the supplementary exception of the exiled rebels fanlation. i don't speak any chinese, so i will not be using the untranslated raws or any non-english fandom sources in my posts. although i'll be doing research as needed, i also will not be evaluating any headcanons purely based on chinese cultural norms, due to my unfamiliarity with them. if you are more familiar with any of these sources and have more information to add to a post, please let me know!

BECAUSE this is a casual project from someone whose only credentials are being completely obsessed with mo dao zu shi and knowing how to write an essay, anyone is welcome to make a blog that does this but. better. let me know if you start one and i'll point people your way lol.

finally: i will NOT be entertaining any character bashing in or on my blog. i've noticed that a lot of mdzs characters have some very... strong opinions about them across the fandom, and i may evaluate the "canon status" of asks that address specific aspects of these opinions, but as a general rule: i am going to be neutral-to-positive about EVERY mdzs character (yes, even that one. and that one. and-). and again, this is not a personal opinion-based blog, i'm looking at textual support, so honestly i don't think this disclaimer is necessary. but. just in case.

💥💥the rating system:💥💥

CANON: what it says on the tin! this fact is supported by the text. if you're trying to be as canon-compliant as possible, this rating is for you.

RUMOR: this fact is an in-text rumor. although this idea is mentioned in the novel, it's still not explicitly confirmed as canon. the characters themselves don't know if it's true or not!

FANON – SUPPORTED: not directly stated in canon, but it's a very likely interpretation, taking into account factors like cultural norms and occam's razor! this rating might be retroactively added to a post previously rated FANON – NEUTRAL, based on crowdsourced information about the raws or chinese culture.

FANON – NEUTRAL: it's not canon, but it's not NOT canon. the text neither confirms nor denies this interpretation, so it's up to you whether you want to consider it true to canon or not. the world is your oyster.

FANON – UNSUPPORTED: not directly stated in canon, but it's a very unlikely interpretation, taking into account factors like cultural norms and occam's razor. this rating might be retroactively added to a post previously rated FANON – NEUTRAL, based on crowdsourced information about the raws or chinese culture.

FANON – CONFLICTING: this idea directly contradicts something stated in the text. if you want to stay as canon-compliant as possible, this rating is not for you.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta #here goes nothing i suppose #i want you all to picture the 💥 emoji as if 'the rating system' was a youtube title screen with a bunch of explosions and air horns btw

[ultfreakme]

Danmei ask, what are your top 5 (or top 7) favorite moments from MDZS? Also, can I ask why you love those 3 (JC, WWX , XXC)?

(Riki, I'm so glad when found out you also love Jiang Cheng. You must know how many haters on his character in tumblr and twitter. Like, I was blocked 4 times by MDZS lover blog, when they knew I love Jiang Cheng.)

I love reading your MDZS/ SVSSS crossover, they're so in character.....And yes, SQQ must love Sukuna and Jogo if he ever read JJK...

Thanks for the ask Anon!!

Top 7 moments:

When we find out the Jiang Cheng sacrificed himself to the Wens to save Wei Wuxian. It was dropped so casually and I had to backtrack and go "wait, wait, WAIT! DISCUSS IT PLEASE!!"

The juniors in the Yi City arc, they were so adorable, I loved reading them putting on a brave face and investigating.

Wei Wuxian murdering the crap out of Wen Chao with his sexy undead ladies. Him and Jiang Cheng together torturing him while Lan Wangji was sent out and it's like, LWJ is confused, shocked, and horrified.

The scene where Wei Wuxian's roasting Jin Guangshan at the conference post-war and everyone's scandalized. I love it when Wei Wuxian gets bitchy.

Jiang Cheng's intro scene in the donghua where he emerges from the shadows of that tree, pushing aside the leaves. That's so hot of him.

Wei Wuxian covered in blood in the second siege of Burial Mounds and Lan Wangji is defending him. That scene's so cool and romantic in all its iterations. The donghua went above and beyond and made it seem like a wedding.

Jiang Cheng giving Zidian to Jin Ling ;_; It hurts me. It's so much worse knowing that MXTX was planning on killing Jin Ling soon after to really hurt Jiang Cheng.

Reasons I like:

Jiang Cheng-

He's so complicated! You can't immediately look at him and say he's the good guy or the bad guy. I personally think he leans more towards the good guy category.

He's the perfect opposite of Wei Wuxian, he's not a genius cultivator like wwx, he had to work for every bit of progress he made. He started off simply wanting to keep his family together and at peace, but the war happened and his priorities shifted. He's duty-bound, he's always fighting and scraping to be recognized but no one ever does. He wanted so bad to help wwx, but duty made it so that he was forced to pick between his sect and wwx. Forever chained, closed off.

He's jealous and vicious and so, so angry. I get it, I understand the worst parts of him and relate to it.

Wei Wuxian-

Again, super complicated as a person. Wronged at every turn. He wanted to do good and protect people, and for that he kept sacrificing himself over and over again with little value given to himself as a person. He's got his sharp edges and cruelty too, and I feel like people often forget that Wei Wuxian's traumas and his lack of self-appreciation and value on himself show in ugly and vicious ways.

His story obviously shows a key message of MDZS, which is that when people sacrifice themselves thinking that they're protecting their loved one, they only hurt them in another way. I understood his desire to do good, protect people, but there's no one to stand at his side. The loneliness and fear that comes with fucking up so bad that no one even tries to hear you out, no one's listening no matter how loud you shout.

Xiao Xingchen:

He's like Wei Wuxian but 100% times worse and more self-sacrificial. Too trusting, too good, and everyone kept taking advantage of that without bothering to guide him or be honest with him. Like legit, no one told him what they were truly thinking.

I love that xxc wants to be a good person, i hate that he was ruined for it. God I really wanted him to have a happy ending because he's just, he's so NICE. In a world filled with betrayal and deceit, xxc wanted to spread goodness. And yet.

AAHHHHHH

I think these characters made me see the point of MDZS in a very clear way, or in a way that impacted me most. So they're my faves.

Being a Jiang Cheng liker is a struggle! I was getting into MDZS even before the donghua started airing, like around 2018 and back then Jiang Cheng hate was so bad. I kept waiting year after year for the hate to go down but it just got worse the more popular MDZS got. The misunderstandings built up too. I got black and got into a million arguments too ;_; We have to stick together!!!

i have so many thoughts about Jiang Cheng specifically because, okay I read and watched everything about 3 years ago, so I don't remember much other than my fav, so I'm always thinking about everything he did.

nbsdhfb SQQ's monster-loving ass would go gaga for Sukuna. Four armed man wrecking people??? Yes sir! (side note; big tall powerful man who is called king who is only nice to his close servant and confidante???? SQH come get your boy!)

#riki asks #mxtx #svsss #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #scum villain self saving system

[olderthannetfic]

I'm gonna say it. I fucking hate "legal readers" with all my fucking heart, soul and body. All of them can step on legos thrice a row and cry about it.

You see, sometimes consuming whatever entertainment media in Spanish is a fucking pain in the ass, because foreign corporations take their really long time to bring to us, Spanish speakers (specially LATAM ones, fuck Europe), that entertainment media we want to read/watch/listen to. So we of fucking course have to go with the method that all gringuitos in Twitter hate and moan and cry about: piracy. I'll be more specific: fan traslations of manhua. Sorry "legal readers" (I'm totally fucking using this way to call 'em as derogatory), but we read that shit illegally. But I'll be fair, they're aren't always gringos. Sometimes they're latinoamericanes too with really USA-poisoned brain.

You see, a month ago or so BiliBili made a public recruitment for Eng to Esp translators. When we saw this, we teared up with fucking joy. Finally! We can read in our language, in the App/Website! We can support our fave authors and illustrators! But most importantly, we won't depend of shitty business as Seven Seas! We, fans, can and will do the job we love to do because we love manhua! Joy, pure fucking joy.

That, until BiliBili just yesterday (or two days ago) realesed the Spanish version. Legal readers apparently were stupid enough to ignore the fact that since the beginning BiliBili was hiring fan traslators and fans in general for the job and when they saw that a lot of people and groups (like GreyHands, they made a great fucking job translating MDZS to Spanish, I'll be forever grateful) that did those illegal translations were NOW doing it LEGAL, they started a war.

"How DARE BiliBili to NORMALIZE illegal translations??? How DARE BiliBili to give job to those horrible bad BAD people who MAKE authors SUFFER when they translate illegally???? How DARE they to make the illegal legal????". They wanted to boycott BiliBili Comics for THIS. They started doxxing and harassing the people that now are working to translate manhua to Spanish (specially one specific person who said that they translation will be also uploaded to TMO [the MangaDex for Spanish speakers] besides BiliBili). But y'all want to know the best part? Those damn legal readers fuckers went to KOREAN authors and cried over this. Why? I think that even God doesn't know the answer, but the Korean authors also started the dumb as fuck discourse about this saying as well "how DARE BiliBili do this????".

Like. My good pendejos imbéciles, can y'all hide better your classism? Please? As a nice suggestion.

Piracy is the only option when corporations ignore your fucking existence until you start being loud enough for 'em to care. And sometimes is the only option when the corporations now know your existence but are absolute GARBAGE and want to abuse and do a really poor job. We LATAM, as a whole continent, are very poor. Things that bring us joy are expensive, we have to fucking survive but we still have the DAMN RIGHT to enjoy WHATEVER we want. And this includes manhua, donghua and danmei novels. And is also true for whatever people in whatever country that is poor. But those legal readers just HATE the fact that we can still ENJOY things. They hate that we can enjoy manhua in our very own language for free. I don't care what you pay, good for you that you can do that and you'll still have money to eat and pay rent and do other things, that's your problem. Good for you, truly. But this isn't everyones life. Why y'all legal readers hate the fact that FANS are working free for FANS to bring 'em joy? If I had enough money to survive AND buy things legally (implying that corporations treat the authors good and they don't steal absolutely anything from 'em) I'd do it in a heartbeat. Without doubt. But I can't, because I don't have that money but I have the right to be happy for a few minutes/hours. (And please don't fucking start the "Local Library Discourse" in the notes because I'll throw legos at y'all who do because gringos love every damn time to bring this up even tho you could be talking about a total different and unrelated subject.)

I'd hate to hate the fact that other people can enjoy things and be happy and find a job when they're poor or when they just want to be nice to poor fans.

--

People are quite dumb about piracy. They believe corporations' crying about how every illegal watch/listen is a lost sale, but it never is, even in rich countries.

[aworldforastage]

my first danmei playlist -- part 2: the classics, historical style

[see more in this series are under the tag #my first danmei playlist]

Since modern "historical Chinese style" songs are infamous for containing incorrect traditional-style grammar, so the lyric translations are very rough ...

(links are to Mao'er/Missevan unless otherwise stated)

忘羡/"Wang Xian" by 吾恩，余夏 from 魔道祖师/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS), Season 2

原来 陈情俱是旧人 / 撩动 心事如何能避尘 And so it turns out, old feelings are all stirred up by old acquaintances; how can one remain unattached to mortal affairs

I started reading danmei novels in 2022, but I read the MDZS novel and listened to the audio drama back in 2019 after the live action came out. This is like my gateway to the danmei fandom before I fully committed to coming here.

P.S. This is also my favorite version of WangXian. I still remember looping this song in my hotel room during several work trips that fall while I was frantically editing my slide decks.

晚夜微雨问海棠/"A Nighttime drizzle over haitang flowers" by 陈亦洺 · 喧笑lirz · 镜予歌 [youtube], fan-made music for 二哈和他的白猫师尊/Husky and his White Cat Shizhun (2Ha)

念想从未消亡 / 踏断红尘不肯相忘 The desire has never faded / and cannot be forgotten even with desperate efforts

Between it's length and content warnings, I never wanted to read 2Ha, but every time I slow down to listen to this song I get so tempted. Not because it gives a better idea of what happens in 2Ha, but I just feel like it has to be really good to inspire this much creativity from its fans.

悦神/"Pleasing the Gods" by KBShinya [youtube], fan-made music for 天官赐福/Heaven Official's Blessings aka TGCF

雨中红伞探白花 华服金面高楼下 一念间 桃源已成飞沙 Red umbrella seeks white flowers in the rain, fine robes with the gold mask descend from the high towers In a single moment, paradise has become dust

I started and stopped the TGCF novel several times and didn't finish it until earlier this year, but I have been obsessed with that little melody at the beginning of this song ever since I heard it in the donghua trailer but in 2020.

天涯寻春/"Seeking far and wide for spring" by 柯暮卿, from 天涯客/Faraway Wanderers, Season 2

不过蓬蒿旧梦自在余生/懒知欢与恨 Only a humble old dream to live freely for the rest of my years / and be unaffected by joy or hatred

Faraway Wanderers is my first audiodrama (excluding MDZS in 2019). The entire "danmei ecosystem" -- authors, novels, voice actors, and musical artists -- was all so new to me back then. I remember really liking this song and looking up the artist, learning he is also the director for the drama, and a famous voice actor, and ... ooh boy I'm still in that rabbit hole today ...

把盏/"Raise a glass" by 落樱风, from 将进酒/Qiang Jin Jiu, Season 1

亦同他与天道比高 / 不负这年少 To challenge the way of the world alongside him / is not a waste of these youth years

Unlike most other titles on this list, this one didn't hook me right off the bat. I didn't truly appreciate it until after I really got into the story and understood all the references in the lyrics. After I fell in love with QJJ, I really like the feeling of this song, like it's a story slowly being retold by Xiao Chiye.

吹雪/"Flying Snow" cover by 贾诩, 梁毅, from 黄金台/The Golden Terrance, Episode 3 ending theme

风华流年/只怕今生缘浅 The best years are slipping by / I only fear we are not destined to have this lifetime together

The Golden Terrance is the first free (网配) audiodrama I listened to, and the amount of work people have put into their labour of love truly amazed me. I love this song so much I made a shortcut to it on my phone's home screen, just so I can pull it up with a single click.

#my first danmei playlist #danmei music #song rec #mdzs #tgcf #2ha #tyk #qjj #黄金台

[thelurkerfox]

Okay, genuine question-

Why do people hate so much on Jiang Cheng?

Now before y'all get the pitchforks - I'm not a stan! I'm neutral to the guy.

Coz yeah, Jiang Cheng did some fucked up shit, treated Wei Ying like garbage in many cases, and is quick to throw blame around, and was willing to sacrifice the Wen remnants despite them being either innocent or having even helped them. For that Jiang Cheng deserves to get his shit rocked, abso-frigging-lutely. He's not a poor little meow meow.

But at the same time - as a character he's the perfect example of someone's pride absolutely ruining them. He's a prideful bitch, no less coz of how Madam Yu raised him, I assume. His whole characterization runs off the fact that he's too proud to admit his wrongs, and is too focused on keeping up an image, than doing the right thing. Unfortunately I know people personally like that, and the one thing they need is a wake up call and a punt to their ego.

And Wen Ning did quite a lot of damage to it with the Golden Core reveal. (Side note - so proud of Wen Ning, you go buddy, I've got your flower.) Wen Ning absolutely raked Jiang Cheng's pride against the coals. And it was so bad Jiang Cheng went into seclusion - which to me gives hope that during that time he will realize what he has done and will actually own up to his shit behavior when he comes back eventually.

So again - I'm neutral. Among the Jin Guangyao's, Jin Guangshan's and Xue Yang's in the story, Jiang Cheng isn't this evil monster. He's an asshole, granted, but an asshole who still has a chance to fix whatever he can. Nobody in MDZS is entirely innocent - the difference is how they handle it. Some apologized and attoned for their mistakes, some are fumbling about failing to see their mistakes, aaaand well some are criminal masterminds who had to pay the price. Humans are flawed, and it's nice to see all these flaws of different severities be handled and explored.

I will point out, I did only watch the Donghua and read the Manhua, so perhaps I don't have the full picture. Do feel free to maybe shed some light on things, and hey, I'm always open to see other perspectives! I'm just genuinely confused why people so agressively get mad and rip into people for liking JC (which, please don't do that, it's none of your business how someone enjoys a media, we have seen worse on this webbed site-).

#mdzs #the untamed #jiang cheng

[dontbesoevil]

tia’s CQL fanvid recs - general #2

This time, we have some general show videos with some heartbreaks, some collab, and one of the many (many) fanvids for this show set to MIA’s Dynasty.

(If you want more information on the project, you can find that here.)

Please go and give some love to the videos on youtube (and to the vidders on tumblr for those for which i could find a tumblr) and leave a comment.

the untamed FMV | In the name of love by Kate Ell Music: In the Name of Love – Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha Mood: *snap his finger, hold his hand, and cry a little* Strength(s): Nice blue and red colouring, and editing on the beat, appropriate choice of song and of moments to the lyrics

--

The Untamed/MDZS || Smile MEP by PetitPapillon (host, this is actually a collab with a whole lot of people, check out the description) + the donghua Music: Smile - Mikky Ekko Mood: “smile, the worst is yet to come” Strength(s): Each vidder’s extract has different strengths, but some nice colouring and editing to the beat all around. Notes: I like collabs because what a better way to discover new vidders and with 9 vidders in this one, you’ve got plenty good vidders to discover.

--

The Untamed (陈情令) | ashes by moonclaim Music: Ashes – Céline Dion

Mood: it is going down, down, down, but make it Céline Dion Strength(s): Editing to the music nicely done for maximum heartbreak, simple but effective colouring, it is Céline, some really nice mixing and matching of different moments that work very well thematically Notes: This is a dialogue-centric fanvid that is coming for my heart.

--

The Untamed 陈情令 | Dynasty [FMV] by PetitPapillon Music: Dynasty - MIA Mood: mouth open with tears in my eyes as something heartbreaking happens and our dreams are crushed Strength(s): Some nice and crisp colouring, some very good moments put together of past and present moments that work really well to tell a story both of the show, the chracters, they relationship and story, but also with the song. Notes: If I had to choose one song that is The Song for a show, this would be it. I do not think I have seen a song used for CQL fanvids as much as I have seen this one. “It all fell down” with Yanli dying with memories interspaced like !!!!

--

the untamed MV | human by yaers Music: Human – Austin Percario, KHS Mood: “I’ll get through it” *insert crying here* *take a deep breath* “I’m only human” Strength(s): Nice use of dialogues and the lyrics on the images, simple but effective colouring Notes: A really neat overview of the show and the different characters.

#mdzs/cql #the untamed #cql #chen qing ling #cql fanvid #tia's cql fanvid recs

[pocketfulofrecs]

Wei Wuxian November Mayhem Event

What is this event?

This is a month-long celebration of Wei Wuxian. We all love him and know he is the heart and soul of MDZS. We want to create and share content that highlight his best qualities. We want to give him the love he deserves!

Who can participate?

Do you love WWX? You can participate! This is not a fanfic only event. We will be accepting fic, art, fic rec, moodboards, playlists, gifsets, amvs, crafts, the sky is the limit!

When is it taking place?

The event will start on WWX’s birthday, on 31st October, and go until 30th November. Two prompts per day - one SFW and one NFSW.

Prompts!

SFW post and NSFW post

Guidelines

1. We will provide a posting template on the 30th of October along with the detailed guidelines. You can follow it to make sure the content reaches us.

2. Tag us at @pocketfulofrecs on Tumblr and @wwx_mayhem on Twitter.

3. Use our hashtags wwx november mayhem on tumblr and #wwxnovembermayhem on Twitter.

4. We will provide banners for fic rec, fanfic, and playlist posts on the 30th of October as well. Please feel free to use them.

5. We will reblog all posts that follow the rules and guidelines.

Rules

1. Make sure everything you share is WWX-centric and follows novel canon characterization.

2. If you prefer donghua, CQL, or other canon characterization or character design, please tag your work accordingly.

3. The content should be in the spirit of our blog. Please don’t bash WWX during his birthday month.

4. You can do as many prompts as you like, just mention which prompts you use in the post.

5. You can share your work on Tumblr, Twitter, and Ao3. Follow the guidelines mentioned above.

Tagging all the people who asked us to:

@grewlikefancyflowers, @kitsunace, @origami-penguin, @ladypfenix, @righteousinadversity, @themagnusbane, @dirtpie39, @the-last-d-boy, @louzhan, @sienne-k, @theyilinglaozus, @preludianstaves, @prismaticavocado, @the-sacred-headband, @weuschoiceheart, @eatthemallplease, @aurycula, @anjimimi

Please share this post and let’s make this event a blast! <3

#wei wuxian #wei ying #mdzs #wwx november mayhem #mdzs event #mdzs events #wangxian #wei wuxian birthday

[plan-d-to-i]

I really feel bad for WN, I think I feel the worst for him out of all the characters in mdzs.

Poor guy bravely risks his skin to save JC from WC and his cronies then he risks himself again to retrieve JC's parents' bodies/ashes so they can have proper rites then hides JC and WWX from the wens risking his and his sister's lives... WN does all of this for JC and WWX (plus the GC thing) and doesn't ask for anything in return he only does it out of the goodness of his heart.

How does JC thank WN for all his help? First of all he refuses to help WWX stand up for WN and his family and leaves them all to starve and rot on the BM, then when JC has the chance to tell the sects how WN and WQ saved his life and sheltered him after the fall of LP he decides to stay silent and let them be executed, then JC goes and orchestrates and leads the massacre of WN's innocent non combatant relatives.

It's a testament to WN's kindness and forgiveness that he doesn't tear JC limb from limb in the most agonizing death possible because that's what I would have done if I had been in his shoes.

It's also why I just can't tolerate JC at all, he's an ungrateful back-stabbing cowardly POS and I hate how he got no comeuppance in Canon but also I understand how it goes with the themes of the story that rich powerful assholes like him will get away with any crime and will even be coddled and treated like innocent victims instead(re: Fandom's reaction when donghua JC showed an ounce of guilt and regret and went into seclusion)

My poor man WN deserved so much better and so did WQ

Ah beautifully put. I completely agree.

It's wild to think that were it not for Wen Ning saving jc and Wen Qing giving him Wei Wuxian's core, jc would have probably been dead and not leading a siege against Wen Ning's relatives YET at no point does Wen Ning bring this up! He takes jc's attitude and physical violence on so many occasions without fighting back!

It's interesting because even in the novel we have the parallel to jc in the "Intrusion" extra (discussed in depth here)and Master Qin does the bare minimum, and gets praised! Even though he essentially ruined the servant's life with his petty jealous bs:

It was rumored that one morning, a young corpse wearing tattered burial robes was found in the middle of the streets. It was already half-rotten, emitting a strong stench. As the crowd discussed if they should wrap it in a mat and bury it in a ditch somewhere, the one and only Young Master Qin generously provided the funds to collect the corpse and bury it properly. For a while, he received the praise of all.

When Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian left the city and passed the Qin estate, it had long since reinstalled a gleaming new set of doors. People scurried in and out, leaving no trace of the previous chaos and desolation. It was a bustling scene indeed. (Chapter 122 exr)

Like that's life. That's why jc doesn't get his comeuppance in full, because rich, privileged assholes rarely do.

Ugh. I'll just end on some favorite Wen Ning moments as a palate cleanser. Wen Ning helping WangXian fight their way out and get away at Koi tower:

“Wei WuXian, “When did you begin to follow us?”

Lan WangJi, “Koi Tower.”

Wei WuXian looked at Wen Ning as Lan WangJi continued, “The day of the fight with the cultivators, he helped.” (Chapter 67)

Wen Ning apologizing to the body parts of the corpses controlled by the new bootleg Yin Hufu lol

“He lay the corpses that he had broken up inside as he rambled on, “Everyone, I’m really sorry. I can’t tell anymore which of your corpses belonged to whom. If I buried anyone’s wrong, please excuse me…” (Chapter 67)

Wen Ning trying to devandalize the wall Lan Wangji graffitied :

Suddenly, he heard a series of coarse, scraping sounds in the middle of the night. Alarmed, Wei WuXian went around the corner and saw a figure clothed in black pressed against the wall. With a small file in hand, the person was attentively filing away the doodles on the wall.

Wei WuXian stared in silence, “…”

Wen Ning turned his head around. With his face covered in white powder, he asked, “Young Master, what brings you here?”

Wei WuXian asked back, “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” Wei Ning replied, “I see that Young Master Lan has written quite a lot. If someone sees them tomorrow morning, it will probably cause them trouble. So I’ve started to erase some of them……” (Chapter 97)

#mdzs #answers #Wen Ning

[pumpkinpaix]

Hey, I saw a post in which you said that if we had the means we should support MXTX through legal means. I'm a white American who only found out that danmei was a thing through CQL and then MDZS. How would I go about supporting MXTX? Are there places I've been missing where I can give money in exchange for my enjoyment of her world or something? I keep looking for a DVD of CQL or a print book of MDZS in English, but no dice. Have I been overlooking another way to support her?

Hi there! :D I don’t blame you, it’s pretty hard to find stuff in english, but I have a few masterposts for you (*´▽`*)

Alas for any print editions of MDZS in english, they don’t exist (yet). AFAIK, no english publisher has the rights to it, but if you’re interested in the traditional Taiwan print edition, I have a masterpost with links here

@the-social-recluse‘s pinned post (here) is a fantastic resource on different places to stream/purchase MDZS’s various forms legally as well as sources to scanlations and fansubs etc. (there’s a buying guide for the audio drama, which I highly recommend :DDDDD)

if you are interested in the audio drama, I have a masterpost here (first link is just to an outdated version of post 2) that includes a link to a tipping guide for the audio drama team and also a link to my episode guide lol

most official merch is on taobao stores, so you can either purchase directly (though i will readily admit that navigating through it can be a Whole Ordeal + you need to be cognizant of what is/isn’t possible for them to send directly to the states -- I uh, mostly learned through trial and error RIP -- but there are guides online to help you do it!) or use an agent (I use Superbuy for certain items that can’t be sent directly). Shipping direct using their consolidation function costs around ~15USD/lb, so it can get hefty, but agent shipping is definitely more expensive. ;A; still! agents are relatively painless to use and they speak english, so, you know. ANYWAYS, if you’re interested on that front:

KAZE makes beautiful MDZS stationery items! mostly washi tapes. also sometimes stuff like mousepads, enamel pins, candles, etc. :3 do note: sealing wax, candles, pens with ink are not able to be consolidated, as I have Learned haha

Official CQL Taobao store. bit of a grab bag of CQL merch lol. please note, you can’t ship any makeup, wax, liquid etc. directly, so you’d have to use an agent for that (and I’m not sure it’s guaranteed??)

Official Donghua Merch (aimon). exactly what it says on the tin lol. keychains, plushies, knicknacks etc.

another official merch store (assortment??) this collects some items from a bunch of other official stores, including KAZE and aimon, but also has listings i haven’t seen elsewhere! there’s some really pretty jewelry (not... sure if you can send that directly, i sort of doubt it rip)

this.... is maybe a lot ahaha. if the taobao stuff is too intimidating to deal with, you can also find resellers on ebay pretty often as well. there’s also always stuff like group orders (i’ve pretty much only used OnlyDream and @shandian-go, both of whom were very good!!).

anyways!! hope you found this somewhat helpful!!

#Anonymous #asks and replies #cyan help desk #mdzs #mdzs masterpost #the untamed #big rip tbh ordering merch is such an Ordeal #mine #mymeta #???? god that's not the right tag but #wHATEVER

[shijiujun]

hey so uh, it's 110% Not Your Job, but can i ask for like a crash course on these chinese bl series that are everywhere around me but i don't know them. like i'm familiar with the untamed or however many names it has but i'm seeing two or three more???? help please if you can thank you

hello!! oh no worries, i happened to be looking for a distraction too so this was timely hahaha although it’s a pretty broad question since there are so many new live adaptations coming out (and some which have already come out which are featured as bromances), but let me see if I can like round this up for you a little. 

*i may be giving you a bit more than you need or like irrelevant stuff, but i guess i’m bound to hit something hahaha

Okay so the chinese BL series you’re talking about is The Untamed, and since you said you’re familiar I won’t get into it in detail, BUT just for like flow’s sake:

The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling) is based on the danmei (BL) novel written by MXTX, called Mo Dao Zu Shi (and yes however many like English translations to this title there is), or MDZS for short. You watched the live-action, and there’s like a lot of other versions of it e.g. the anime, the chibi anime, audio dramas etc. etc. the list goes on. In case you still haven’t seen any of those, just glance through this masterpost made by @the-social-recluse​ - In any case, right now everything is sort of already out EXCEPT:

MDZSQ - chibi donghua, cutest shit you’ll ever see

More MDZS merch 

Some teasers from MDZS mobile game which has been one year and developing

Now moving on to other BL series floating around so frequently - MDZS is the second book that MXTX wrote. So there’s SVSSS (The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving-System), which is also called lovingly by others in the fandom by Scumbag System/Villain in short, this is MXTX’s first danmei novel. Right now if you’ve seen this on Tumblr, it’s the anime (donghua) version - 10 episodes only for Season 1, available on WeTV with subs, finished airing like a few weeks ago. Translations of the novel are definitely out in full somewhere.

An absolute mess, but an organized one

Tried to do a manhua but failed

Everyone thought the donghua wouldn’t air on time either (it has a history of dropping development halfway) but it did

Would probably be the most entertaining if ever dealt with a live-action

And then there’s arguably, the most beloved child out of all three novels (at least right this moment) - TGCF (Tian Guan Ci Fu, or Heaven Official’s Blessing). This is the third and so far last (???) danmei novel MXTX has written, main pairing invented love. Strawhat-wearing scrap collector smiley angel with devoted kid-turned-adult-turned-ghost-king who follows smiley angel for like many years because he loves him. Anyway, if you’re seeing this, once again on Tumblr a lot, it’s the donghua version you’re seeing. Still airing, I think we’re midway through the whole season, the yelling starts Saturday (Asia time zone) and then extends into Sunday, sometimes Monday.

There’s like a god-tier Eng translation in full for TGCF by Suika

There is a manhua for this as well, only like 45 chapters in, but the time Jan/Feb 2021 rolls around, the donghua would have overtaken the manhua progress on the storyline HAHAHA

Apparently the director/production team who did CQL/The Untamed managed to get the rights to filming its live-action, but heh nothing much about that just yet aside from casting rumours and fans worrying that the casting will be done wrongly and also that they won’t be able to do justice to the story.

Alright now that we’ve more or less cleared MXTX and what everyone is hyping over (for good reason), let’s move on to the other CHINESE BL stuff you could be seeing (although I feel like you might not actually be asking about this), and these will all be live-actions (I’m also only clearing SOME of this year’s stuff, so none from before 2020, don’t ask me why I didn’t leave Guardian or SCI up here):

✨✨✨ Already aired, done and dusted or maybe ongoing, just ones I see on my dash and notifs so I definitely am biased ✨✨✨

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (Cheng Hua’s Fourteenth Year) - Many episodes, much bromance, base novel is gay af, but live action is cute af. Read more here and full translation is not yet done I think

My Roommate is a Detective - THIS IS A SPECIAL MENTION. NOT BL. Doesn’t even have like a book to go along with it, it’s just I’ve seen people getting into this again and creating content, so idk, imma just leave this here. It ain’t BL but it got the most glaring BL-esque relationship I’ve ever seen in my life. You’ll get what I mean if you watch it

The Lost Tomb Reboot - AGAIN another special mention, because many handsome young-ish men who you know, head into tombs, much bromance. Based on a huge series of novels, totally not BL, but as always with like a lot of men put into one story, ships happen. This year as well, in case you’ve seen it floating around

✨✨✨  Upcoming Chinese BL live-action adaptations, confirmed + casting + filming. You may have seen some of these because like posters were recently released etc. - As far as I know these are all slated for 2021 ✨✨✨

Faraway Wanderers (Tian Ya Ke) - A danmei novel by Priest, filming wrapped up, should be airing soon. Leads are pretty cute, although I’m sure they’ll turn this bromance. One of the male leads is known for a lot of period web dramas, and Gong Jun, the other male lead, is known for more contemporary modern dramas, but damn Gong Jun’s jawline

Winner is King (Sha Po Lang) - Another danmei novel by Priest, filming wrapped up recently as well if I recall? Posters recently released, and this is arguably Priest’s most famous and popular danmei

Immortality (Hao Yi Xing) - A super popular danmei novel called 2ha or The White Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Meat Bun. Filming also... wrapped? I think, because posters came out the next day and everyone from Earth to Pluto went mad, definitely one you should look out for next year spring i think, but I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be a hell lot more teasers, posters etc. coming up and then half of danmei Tumblr will probably go into cardiac arrest

The Society of Four Leaves (Zhang Gong An) - Ehhhh I think this hasn’t yet been filmed but casting was recently confirmed (contentiously).  Concept posters are up though. This technically isn’t classified officially as a BL. There are no CPs officially in the novel, but apparently it’s very like idk flirty etc., also slated for next year

*There are a few more by Priest, e.g. Liu Yao, but no concrete news that I’ve seen (by now like at least 60% of her danmeis either have a live-action contract or a donghua contract or both lmao)

✨✨✨  Upcoming Chinese BL donghua adaptations (2021-ish). All by Priest✨✨✨

*Throwing this in just as a by the way thing, because these are also recent news (these two weeks). There might be more but I haven’t seen anything yet personally :D

Imperfection (Can Ci PIn) - Space AU, the novel won like two national literary awards if I recall like last year? Anyway a brief trailer recently came out last week I think, and main lead is handsome af, and once again it’s space and space wars so it’s pretty cool

Silent Reading (Mo Du Zhe) - Novel is called Mo Du, and honestly I think the donghua has been like teasing fans for like idk years, but it looks like we’re finally getting to the donghua as the team previewed the first ep like... two weeks ago live to an audience? Modern crime thriller thing, there’s a masterpost going on Tumblr

Lie Huo Jiao Chou - Another Priest fan favourite, a historical + modern danmei combination. Much angst from what I’ve seen, but donghua teaser looked good also, released also last week

---

anyway hopefully some part of this or at least one part answers your question? if not, just send me another ask or like, DM me hahahaha

#asks #bl drama #chinese bl drama #danmei live action #mdzs #tgcf #svsss #mriad #tsomd #tltr #priest novels #tyk #spl #hyx #2ha #modu #cancipin #lhjc #long post #i hope i didn't miss anything? #it's been a mess recently #the whole list #HAHAHAHA #my danmei novel queue list

[robininthelabyrinth]

So i like the character is a magic/mythical creature stories, but when it comes to wwx, it always seems to be his mom he gets it from? I'd like to see one where it's wwx's dad who's the dragon/pheonix/etc.

Donghua!MDZS verse

“I really want to go down the mountain,” she said. “I really, really want to go down the mountain. I want to –”

“Then go down the mountain already,” the old bird croaked, sticking his head out, and she jumped, surprised: she hadn’t seen him there, sleeping in the firepit under the oven. He was usually doing that, though in the main building rather than here; he was old, he said, and needed the sleep. “You’ve said it a dozen times over now. Who are you trying to convince, the air spirits?”

“The air spirits don’t care,” she said automatically, then sighed, sitting down next to him. “I want to tell Teacher. I’m just – practicing.”

“You’re normally so bold,” he said. “Since when do you care about consequences? You forget pain the second after it heals.”

“Hey, this is a big decision,” she said. “Going into the human world’s a one-way trip. I won’t know anyone there.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” he said, and laid his head on her lap. His beak is the size of her thigh, heavy and ponderous, and her hand, when she puts it on his head, sinks so deep into his feathers that she can scarcely see it. “You might meet ‘me’ down there.”

“You?”

“I’ve gone down the mountain myself a few times over the centuries,” he said. “Depending on what era you get popped out into, you might meet ‘me’. A version thereof, anyway; younger and more feisty than these old bones.”

“I’d like that,” she said, stroking his feathers the way she had since childhood. The old bird had been her constant companion, always there for her. “I’d like that a lot.”

-

His name was Wei Changze.

She recognized him at once, of course, no matter his human form (the nose that curved like a beak was particularly unsurprising), but the name somehow still came as a shock.

They didn’t have names on the mountain – they knew who and what they were, and so did everyone else. This caused the humans down the mountain some great amount of distress, which was why she was currently being addressed as Cangse Sanren as if that were her name; she acceded to it with about as much grace as she normally had, meaning not much.

But he had a name.

He was a servant, too. She didn’t mind that so much; for creatures like him, going down the mountain wasn’t a one-way trip the way it was for rescued humans like her – it was a means of gaining experience, trying out different facets of human life, and it didn’t really make a difference to her that in this life he was a servant, not a master. He was still her favorite companion.

She treated him the way she always did, tugging on his sleeves and running her fingers through his hair and coaxing him to put his head in her lap, and she didn’t think anything of it – didn’t think he would see it as anything more than he usually did – until one day he had enough of her nonsense and kissed her.

“Oh,” she said, and belatedly realized that her impossible childhood crush on a phoenix large enough to eat a horse was no longer quite as impossible. “Oh. Don’t you think I’m too young for you?”

“I’m not as old as I’ll one day be,” he said, laughing at her. Younger and feistier indeed! “And anyway, how many years do you think we really have left?”

“I don’t have many,” she pointed out. Everyone knew that the humans who walked down the mountain faced an early and often miserable doom; it was something that they had to accept before they went, and she’d always thought that the fact that they went anyway said something profound. About what, she wasn’t sure, but definitely profound. “You have as many as you like.”

He took her hand in his. “Be mine,” he said, and there are flames in his human eyes. “Be mine, and I will take on a share of your doom in this life; I will share your joy and your misery in equal kind.”

Well.

When he put it like that…

-

“Our son will be proud and strong,” her husband said. He looked immensely pleased. “He will have your humor, your boldness; he will have my creativity, my inability to be stopped. I will give him a gift of one rebirth.”

She wiped the sweat from her brow. “If he’s a phoenix like you, he won’t thank you; if he’s a human, he’ll mostly be confused by it,” she said. It was a strange fate to bestow - generally speaking one only needed a rebirth if things went wrong - but then again he was her son, he was probably doomed anyway. A chance at rebirth couldn’t hurt. “Can I see him?”

She looked down, a little long-sufferingly, at the over-large egg placed into her arms. Holding it in the light, she can just barley see the form of a curled-up human infant inside, looking quite smug about his comfortable home.

“He’ll need a few extra months in the egg,” her husband said. “To help calm the flames that would otherwise scorch his human skin.”

“Flames, hmm?” she asked, lips twitching a little as she looked down at the little miracle they’d created, just the two of them. She wouldn’t have gotten him if she’d stayed up on the mountain, and she thought that her little A-Ying would be a prize worth dooming them both.

“Green flames at his command,” her husband said. He was proud as a peacock, and she made no move to stop him. “He will be the king of birds, and ravens will come at his command.”

“Just ravens?” she teased. “If he ever spends time in Yunmeng, I suspect he’ll use the ability to lure out pheasants to hunt for his dinner.”

“A perfectly worthwhile use,” her husband coughed, clearly having done more than a little of that himself. “What are you saying?”

“Nothing,” she said, smirking. “Nothing at all…should we tell Jiang Fengmian about it?”

“About what?”

“Well, I mean – if we die, he’ll be the one to pick up A-Ying, won’t he?”

“More than likely. He liked you a great deal, my dear.”

“Not as much as he liked you. Anyway, if he’s going to have some part in raising our son, shouldn’t he know what our son is?”

“No,” he said, suddenly solemn. “He shouldn’t know. None of them should.”

“Very well,” she said. Her husband knew the human world better than she. “We’ll teach him what we can ourselves, and hope he remembers.”

-

He only remembered a little.

#mdzs #cangse sanren #wei changze #my fic #my fics #i mean it's always his mom because she's from a celestial mountain #but here you are #have a phoenix #set in donghua #chaosandwind

[yilingburialmounds]

Fics Featuring Some Yiling Laozu (either literally or just The Vibes)

Calling Heaven by mondengel

Lan Wangji had not wanted to come at all.

Lan Wangji-centric and short but extremely chilling. Post the First Seige of the Burial Mounds, and it has some great horror vibes.

The waters and the wild by SecretStorm

Lan Wangji has grown up hearing stories of the feared Yiling Laozu, who kidnaps young boys--including his childhood best friend, Wei Ying.

When a Lan child is taken, Lan Wangji travels to the Yiling Laozu's lair in the Burial Mounds.

He does not find what he expected.

Another Lan Wangji-centric piece, featuring Wei Wuxian as a figure similar to the Pied Piper, with a great deal of the fic featuring Lan Wangji terrified for the safety of those in the Burial Mounds. The vibes are this fic are phenomenal, do check them out!

Scrimshaw by Verse

"Is it true that you were sent to Burial Mound? How did you make it out alive?"

"I didn't." he replied, and never said which question he was answering.

This fic delivers some absolute chills! It short and sweet and to the point, and it builds up to the revelations wonderfully. (Honestly, Verse has some very good MDZS horror fics! Check them out!)

Replicatum by ghostdove (sarensen)

They say there's nothing alive in the Burial Mounds. That isn’t entirely true.

(Canon divergence Burial Mounds AU: Wei Wuxian gets thrown into the Burial Mounds after losing his golden core. The Wei Wuxian who leaves the forest is not the same.)

Okay, this fic doesn’t really feature any Yiling Laozu characters or any Yiling Laozu vibes, but it features Wei Wuxian’s stay in the Burial Mounds! It has a great surrealist horror vibe - and some plant horror and body horror - and the first time I read it, it took my breath away. The gnawing hopelessness that sets in alongside all the fantastical horror bits is just to die for! (Pun not in intended but greatly appreciated.) Do check it out!

help is on the way by Vamillepudding

“There,” the Yiling Patriarch says. “Now all that’s missing is a throne. Would you like one?”

“I have no interest in ruling,” Lan Wangji says.

“What is it that holds Hanguang-jun’s interest, then?”

Lan Wangji presses his lips together, unwilling to meet the Yiling Patriarch’s gaze.

(The Yiling Patriarch wins. Lan Wangji is left behind on the fields of the dead and appoints himself a task.)

Real surrealist, fairy tale vibe here, folks! Once again, Lan Wangji-centric, but Wei Wuxian has all the features you’d expect from the Yiling Laozu! Including his reluctant but growing feelings for Lan Wangji, of course! Do check it out, it’s phenomenal!

love, in fire and blood by cicer

"You want Wen Ruohan dead," the Patriarch continued idly. "You want his corpse puppets eliminated. You want his halls burned to the ground and his soldiers disemboweled and begging for mercy. Have I about covered it?"

He gave another knife-edged smile.

"But what will you give me in return?"

"We would be willing to offer quite a bit in return for Wen Ruohan's defeat," Lan Xichen admitted. "But I'm afraid we don't know what an immortal such as yourself desires. Please advise us."

The Patriarch waved at hand at the front of the tent. "I want Second Young Master Lan."

(In which the Sunshot Campaign ends through an arranged marriage to the Yiling Patriarch, and Lan Wangji suffers the mortifying ordeal of falling in love with his own husband.)

This fic is, of course, a classic! Cicer is an amazing writer and they have outdone themself yet again with this fic! War prize!Lan Wangji fics are always a delight, and the beginning parts of this fic have such tension and great Vibes(TM), and the latter parts are so soft and yet still so strong. Slow burn at its finest! 

in the face of cruel fate by sunlaozu

> Lan Wangji was slowly starting to understand now.

> The longer he stood in Wei Wuxian's position, the more he learned of the wicked ways of the world, the more he learned that it was simply too difficult to separate the black and white, and why Wei Wuxian had to resort to the demonic arts.

> Because the path of light will not be enough to go against the world.

After Wei Wuxian's death, Lan Wangji becomes the new Yiling Patriarch.

Okay, this isn’t Yiling Laozu!Wei Wuxian, it’s Yiling Laozu!Lan Wangji, and it’s still wonderful! The summary explains the fic pretty well. It’s only one chapter and technically a WIP, but honestly I thought it was complete, that’s how well-made the first chapter is. Do check it out! 

Buried in the Sky, Hallowed by the Depths by themunchking

If you listen, the mountains of Gusu sing in the evening, as the sun is going down.

That’s what they say in Caiyi Town, where the clear and cold mountain streams flow into the lake. The streams are deep, the locals know. They say they carry the melody down from up high. From Cloud Recesses.

There are reasons it is forbidden to enter the Cloud Recesses after dark.

Okay, this technically doesn’t contain any Yiling Laozu characters, but it has The Vibes strewn all over it! Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s personalities are so dark and alluring, and they’re so incredibly powerful! Do check it out!

i am the storm by everythingispoetry

Yet another thing Lan Zhan's education failed to teach him which he learns from Wei Ying: sometimes, acts of murder can be a love language.

Another Lan Wangji-centric fic featuring Yiling Laozu!Wei Wuxian. It’s A/B/O this time, but don’t let that put you off - it’s a short fic with phenomenal execution and a whole lot of Wei Wuxian taking care of Lan Wangji. Just remember to read all of the tags before diving it!

Frame of Fearsome Symmetry by donutsweeper

When, in a combination of irony and revenge, Wei Wuxian took Wen Zhuliu's core and crushed it, he hadn't expected the result.

(Canon divergent from episode 15 of the donghua.)

The scene in the donghua where Wei Wuxian ripped out and destroyed Wen Zhuliu’s core always gave me the chills, and this fic plays off of that so wonderfully! It’s twisted and I love it, so do check it out!

And that’s all I’ve got for you, folks! I hope these helped you get a lovely dose of Yiling Laozu!

#mdzs #mdzs fic rec #wei wuxian #yiling patriarch wei wuxian #lan wangji #yiling patriarch lan wangji #wangxian #cql #the untamed

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Episode 3

I just love their outfits here, and since I didn’t comment on that in the last episode, I wanted to say it here. I love the whole color palette they used for Lotus Pier. The donghua goes heavy on the purple and black, but I really love how they incorporate lavender and teal and other blues. It’s just very pretty and soft and relaxing. Such a nice place. I keep having a debate with myself about where I’d rather live. I think I’d be more comfortable in the Cloud Recesses, but I’d never be able to deal with all those rules!

Ah, yes, everyone’s favorite peacock. He played this part so perfectly: just this pillar of grace and poise, except when he’s around Jiang Yanli, and he just becomes butter hahaha. I like his son a lot better than him, but he and Wei Wuxian have some great scenes together, and it’s fun to see him grow alongside everyone else. He’s not just a mindless clan member who does everything he’s supposed to. He’ll stand up and fight for justice too.

It’s easy to forget (myself included in this) that Jiang Yanli is the oldest of the three of them, especially in this show. She’s so much smaller, so soft-spoken; she isn’t going to be the next leader, because that’s Jiang Cheng, being the male heir. But this is one of those scenes where she really is the big sister. Wei Wuxian is fighting with her fiancé’s retinue, Jiang Cheng is just trying to stay out of it and be polite, so she has to step in and put an end to it. I love when Jiang Yanli gets some screen time and lines, and isn’t serving soup. Don’t get me wrong—I like seeing her take care of them, but it’s more mothering than being a big sister. I think the moments when she’s standing up for her brothers and for herself are really special. You can’t blame Jiang Cheng or Wei Wuxian for loving their shijie so much.

Gotta love Wei Wuxian taking every opportunity to throw some shade at Jin Zixuan. I love all of it, and I eat it up—I am the target audience for snarky Wei Wuxian. And at this point, Jin Zixuan just ignores him—good on him. He keeps that up for all of a few days.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

YOU FORGOT THE INVITATION!

Sorry, but the first time I watched this, I wondered why there was this big close-up of something with “Lan Clan of Gusu” written on it. I’m a dummy, okay?

Omg they translated ge-ge as ���buddy.”

Okay, but here we go! Shut out of the Cloud Recesses. Also, where did they change? I kept thinking they changed at the tavern, but when they left, they were wearing their same Jiang Clan clothes. So, somewhere along the way, they put on their pretty white robes. I’ve got nothing else to say here, because we’re about to see another great entrance from Lan Wangji.

I love how his entrance is accompanied by the guqin. His presence is so ethereal, so otherworldly, yet he’s so grounded as a character. He turns everyone’s heads, including Wei Wuxian’s. I love that Wang Yibo is in reality shorter than Xiao Zhan, so they gave him platform boots to make them more even. But the height and stature gives the relationship a whole different dynamic.

Anyone who knows me knows I love my yaoi/BL. I could go on and on about my favorites, but I won’t do that here. There’s one thing I don’t like about it, and it’s that you can always tell who the top and bottom is just by how they look (sometimes artists subvert this, which I love!). The donghua for MDZS does this (I haven’t read the manhua, but I have seen some screenshots, and I think it also does)—Lan Wangji is so much bigger than Wei Wuxian. And while it’s aesthetically pleasing, it just bugs me, okay? I like the idea of Wangxian being roughly the same size and height—I don’t really know why, I just do. Also I definitely headcanon them both as switches at this point.

I don’t think Lan Wangji would have given Wei Wuxian the time of day if he hadn’t heard this. He’s already impressed that Wei Wuxian picked up on the weird stuff/wicked sorcery going on—he’s made a mental note of him. I’m sure he’s a little disappointed that Wei Wuxian immediately gets on his nerves, but he still pauses before leaving.

Lan Wangji is never going to be a fast friend—he’s not going to be anyone’s best friend right away. You need to gain his trust and that does not happen overnight. Though the setting is anything but realistic, their relationship and the steps it goes through are incredibly realistic. They grow together—they grow on each other (it’s not as if Wei Wuxian really cares about Lan Wangji at first either—think of how many times he calls him a fuddy-duddy. I think his main goal for quite some time is to get on Lan Wangji’s nerves and tease him. Wei Wuxian is used to charming his way in and out of things, but he can’t do that with Lan Wangji).

Yibo’s piercings! That’s it. That’s why I took this screenshot. But, weirdly, I always look at stuff like that.

He has such a swagger here, going up the steps, but I think it’s really just Xiao Zhan trying to climb the stairs without tripping on his costume. XD

It’s funny how surprised Wei Wuxian is to have the silencing spell used on him, even though he had been put under it earlier that day. Frankly, I don’t blame Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian hit him with a bit of a sucker punch there, implying that the girls only liked him for how he looks and that they’d be disappointed by his demeanor.

It’s such a popular trope (enemies to lovers), but I don’t think that makes it inherently bad or less effective as a storytelling device. On the contrary, when done well, it can make or break a story. As I said earlier, their relationship is very realistic, yet has enough fiction to make it fun. I watch these early scenes with a big old grin on my face, and I’ve seen this one probably around four times now, maybe more (I keep watching the Special Edition for all that wangxian goodness).

Okay, let’s watch as Wei Wuxian digs his hole deeper and deeper. The look on Lan Qiren’s face this entire time is priceless. Like, who is this miscreant who just barged in here, telling me how he is breaking all the rules and expecting me to feel bad for him? Meanwhile, Lan Xichen, with a smile: I won’t blame you for breaking the rules, but let my brother who hates you decided your punishment, okay? Thanks!

Peak comedy before it gets all serious again.

She’s so gorgeous!

But I’ll be frank with you all, I don’t like that they expanded Wen Qing’s role in this way. She was one of my favorites in the book, but shoehorning her and Wen Ning into the Cloud Recesses kind of drives me nuts. And then the stuff with Jiang Cheng, while kind of cute, just doesn’t really hit right with me, and I don’t think it was executed well at all after a certain point—but I’ll babble about that when the time comes. So, while I appreciate expanding female roles, I didn’t really care for this bit in the Cloud Recesses. I would have been fine with them adding scenes of what she was up to with the Wen Clan—that would have been really cool, actually, because we don’t get to see much of anything other than the Nightless City. And maybe I’m biased because I quite enjoyed the archery contest stuff in the book that they kind of piecemealed in the show.

It sounds like I’m just whining about this show, but I actually really enjoy it.

I like this moment between the twin jades. We don’t get a ton of these and this one is particularly quiet and peaceful. The contrast between them and Jiang Cheng/Wei Wuxian is so stark—the twin jades are so formal and a little stiff, while the twin prides are off the wall, hitting and teasing each other—but this doesn’t make either one less caring than the other. What’s obvious from this scene is how much both of them care about each other: Lan Wangji wants to do what he can to help, because he knows how much pressure is on Xichen, and Xichen is just worried about his younger brother. Even though you don’t find this out until later, you can tell that the two boys had to grow up very fast. Neither one had much of a childhood, and I think Lan Xichen does take on a bit of a father role to Lan Wangji as well.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 |

#cql rewatch #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wangxian #lan xichen #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #wen qing #cql #the untamed #mdzs #mo dao zu shi

[stridingseer]

chengxian for the ask game ?

When I started shipping them: Funny story, I started shipping them as soon as I started the donghua version of MDZS. The Untamed only fuelled it further.

My thoughts: LET THEM RECONCILE!! Also the one ship that just has the energy of ex-besties to rivals/>:( to lovers which is immaculate. They love each other so much, the whole golden core thing? Yeah, that. I don't think I need to say much more.

What makes me happy about them: Sworn siblings and thus an automatic win in my books. They grow up together and it makes me mushy on the inside.

What makes me sad about them: Reconciliation when :( Please make up, it'll make both of them happier in the long run :((

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: Can't say I have any honestly (usually use my filters to get to what a I want so haha)

Things I look for in fanfic: Mutual pining, also reconciliation. Makes me very happy though I will probably read anything x'D

My wishlist: More of them sharing a meal and being domestic, give me the bizarre AUs as well (y'know two WWXs and one JC, that type of weird stuff. GIMME). I WILL read them, especially if they're not canon compliant.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: HAHA jokes on everyone, I don't have a second pairing for either of them. It's ride or die in this small house.

My happily ever after for them: Just chilling at the lotus pier and enjoying a meal in the market square (Wei Wuxian pays for the first time in his life). Apologies it seems like my food bias is showing again

#eli answers #quinn tag

[crossdressingdeath]

It's interesting how I've seen lately a couple of people bringing up, here and there, how cql is at fault for jc stans' wrong stance on his character bc I have wanted to ask you for a while what were your thoughts on cql!jc in particular... I mean, I know cql isn't a fave of yours anyways so I thought maybe there was no point to it anyways.

And, the thing is, I haven't read mdzs yet and I've only watched the donghua and cql and still... I've always had mixed feelings about him, which is funny bc- yes, in the end, he was softened there but even with that fact, that didn't made me like him. Now, I do prefer cql's but like I said, it wasn't enough to like LIKE him. And after a bunch of musing about why it was like that, I think I found out why. You see, if I had to list my top 5 charas from this universe, that would be: xy, wwx, xxc, lwj and wn. So you can see it's not as if I have a type as in "I love villains and bad boys" OR "I have a soft spot for heroes and good boys", there IS variety in what I like but no matter what are the flaws in a character, jc had one that I particularly despise: he's ungrateful. And he was ungrateful in the most disgusting way. To a lot of people, to the wens, to wwx himself... So even if we don't see him doing the terrible things he did in the novel (which in the end, maybe I would care like, xy is my fave so srsly, it's not about morals as such but having characteristics that aren't my cup of tea) and being homophobic and all that, he has one of the worst traits someone can have imo which is ungratefulness.

Finally, another thing I noticed is how contradictory his character was regarding his feelings for wwx. Look, I lean more towards this not being wzc's fault but the script but, the thing with cql!jc was that you sometimes could feel he genuinely cared about wwx and two second later it was like he genuinely hated him ??? I can't help but think the reason was that the cql staff fell into their own trap of wanting to make him more sympathetic and likeable but since he still needed to be one of the main antagonists for the pilot's sake, it became this contradictory mess...

Yeah, my personal breaking point for JC is the homophobia (which show-only fans wouldn’t know about) but... he’s got a lot of aspects of his character that are going to be Too Much for a given person! He’s just one of those characters. And yeah, the ungratefulness is... a lot. But honestly CQL JC just confuses me. I don’t know what they were going for with him? On one hand they try really hard to focus on how he’s sad and conflicted in a way the novel doesn’t (because... well, he’s not either of those things in the novel) and they quietly drop the bit where he leads the slaughter of a civilian population because he’s decided that the only way to assuage the pain he feels about what happened to Lotus Pier is to inflict it on others, but on the other hand... he really does straight up tell a woman that she can either marry him or die and he won’t lift a finger to help her if she doesn’t give him what she wants (and won’t do anything for her family either way) despite having the necessary information to save her without marrying her. I can’t speak to the overall quality of WZC’s performance; personally I thought it was pretty bad (god, the overacting, please calm down sir, you look like you learned how to act from a kindergartner), but I’m hardly an expert. But yeah, definitely at least part of the issue was the script. I don’t think the writers were entirely sure what to do with a character like JC, who starts (chronologically) as an ally and gradually becomes an antagonist partway through. I don’t know how much of that was censorship and how much was poor writing, but “confused” is the word that comes to mind looking at JC’s CQL characterization. His role as an antagonist is too important to cut and relies too much on his relationship with WWX to give to someone else, but they either didn’t want or weren’t allowed to just make him an antagonist so we get this... weird, uncertain mix of “loving brother” and “open antagonist”. They wanted him to be a good guy, but the story wouldn’t allow that. This is a lesson about not trying to force an adaptation to obey what you want with zero regard for the source material, and definitely not without bothering to fit the rest of the story around that change.

#cql negativity #grapehate #anon #asks