blueberry-pie07

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Something I find incredibly sweet is how in the Lotus Pod extra after teenage Lan Wangji traveled all that distance and managed to get lotus seed pods with the stems- because Wei Wuxian had told him they tasted better- Wangji left some in front of Gentian House (his mother's house), sharing them, and his acquaintance with WWX, with her in that way:

Upon finishing the painting, Lan Xichen started at it for a bit and put it away, forgetting about it. He took out Liebing and headed towards where he usually practiced Song of Clarity.

Outside Gentian House, lavender colored bushes were speckled with star-like dew. Lan Xichen stepped inside following a small path, lifted his eyes, and paused. Upon the wooden corridor outside the small structure was a white jade vase. In the vase were a few lotus pods of various heights.

The jade vase was tall and slender, as were the lotus stems. Together, they were exceedingly lovely. Lan Xichen put away Liebing and sat down next to the jade vase. He tilted his head, staring for a while, his heart conflicted.

In the end, his self-discipline won out and he did not secretly peel one and eat it to see how lotus pods with stems tasted differently from those without.

Since Wangji seemed so happy, then they must really be delicious. (x)

Lan Xichen is also really cute here. Although he's terribly tempted and curious he doesn't taste even one lotus seed to see if there's a difference. He trusts Lan Wangji's happiness.

[blueberry-pie07]

aside from fanon characterization, there's two things that make me ??? when i see and it's:

ppl saying lotus pier was burned down, like even rational accs here or on twt said this and

talking like mxy were a lost twink version of wwx's previous body, i could swear he was described as looking similar to his brothers and wwx mannerisms that make ppl "see" him on the new body

SAME!

The first item though is what really drives me mad because it's everywhere when in fact Lotus Pier did not get burned down. The settlement in the Burial Mounds was burned down:

“The houses varied in size. The structure was simple, even crude. Just one glance, it was obvious that they had been built rashly. Some were so burned that only bare frames were left, while some slumped entirely to one side.” (Chapter 68)

AND The Cloud Recesses were burned down:

“One of the disciples beside them whispered, “Of course his face isn’t so great. Last month, the Cloud Recesses was burnt down. You didn’t know yet, did you?”

Hearing this, Wei WuXian jolted, “Burnt down?!”

In the past few days, Jiang Cheng had heard too many of these stories, so he wasn’t as surprised as Wei WuXian was, “By the Wen Sect’s people?”

The disciple, “You can say that. You can also say… that the Lan Sect itself burnt everything down. The eldest son of the Wen Sect, Wen Xu, went to Gusu. He accused the Lan Sect’s leader of something and forced the Lan Sect’s people to burn down their own residence! It was given pretty names like cleaning up the place so that it’s reborn from the firelight. Most of the Cloud Recesses and its surrounding forest has been burnt down. Just like that, the hundreds of years old paradise had been destroyed. The leader of the Lan Sect was heavily injured. We don’t even know if he’s still alive. Well, well… (Chapter 52)

However respecting their tradition, the Cloud Recesses were rebuilt the same by the Lan Clan to the point where WWX could still easily find his way around when he came back to life:

“Although the Cloud Recesses had been burnt down before the “Sunshot Campaign” happened, the rebuilt structure of the area was the same. Wei WuXian walked through the winding paths from memory, and soon found the cold spring, situated at a quiet and obscure place.” (Chapter 11)

“The Cloud Recesses had once been burnt down by a fire. The Library Pavilion wasn’t the Library Pavilion from back then. However, after it had been rebuilt, the interior setup was no different from the previous one. They had even planted another magnolia tree outside of the the pavilion.” (Chapter 63)

“Someone suddenly changed the subject, “Did any of you attend the completion ceremony of the Cloud Recesses’ Library Pavilion? Well, I went. I stood there and looked, and it was the exact same as how it was before. A difficult undertaking indeed.”

“Yeah, very difficult. It was such a huge cultivational residence, an ethereal realm of hundreds of years old—how could it be rebuilt in a short amount of time?” (Chapter76)

Lotus Pier on the other hand was not structurally damaged by the Wens.

“Two hours later, using nothing but their hands, they finally returned to Lotus Pier. It was already late into the night. The gates of Lotus Pier were tightly shut. Outside, lights glowed brightly. Fragments of moonlight flowed along the crystalline water. Dozens of large lanterns in the shape of nine-petaled lotuses floated by the dock in silence. Everything was the same as before. Yet, it was because of how everything was the same as before that it tormented the heart.” (Chapter 58)

jiang cheng rebuilt it by choice into a grander more ostentatious place contradictory to the YunmengJiang sensibilities/tradition:

“Before he stepped inside Lotus Pier’s gates, Wei WuXian took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But after he went in, he didn’t feel as excited as he thought he would. It was perhaps because too many places had been renewed. The training field was two times larger. Each new building seemed to be taller than the previous, adorned with curving roof decor. It seemed grander than before and had more splendor. But, compared to the Lotus Pier of his memories, it had changed too much. Wei WuXian felt a sense of loss from deep within.” (Chapter 85)

The Lotus Pier of before:

“Lotus Pier wasn’t as other-worldly as the other sects’ residences, shutting their doors and refusing to let commoners come within a boundary miles away. The docks right in front of Lotus Pier’s entrance often bustled with vendors selling seed pods, water chestnuts and all kinds of pastries. Runny-nosed children from households nearby could also sneak into Lotus Pier’s fields to watch the cultivators practice their swords. They wouldn’t be scolded even if they got caught, either. They could sometimes even play around with the Jiang Sect’s disciples.” (Chapter 51)

The Lotus Pier of now:

“There aren’t many vendors left. Back then, no matter how late it was, this place was crammed with vendors, selling all kinds of food, because many people in Lotus Pier came out for late night snacks. There were also many boats, maybe even more than your Caiyi Town.” He continued, “It’s much fewer now. Lan Zhan, you came here too late. You weren’t here when it was at it was at its liveliest.” (Chapter 86)

“Lan WangJi asked, “What is wrong?”

Wei WuXian shook his head, “Nothing. The place I lived in used to be here. Now it’s gone. It really was torn down. All of these are new.” (Chapter 87)

"The owner continued, “On top of that, Lotus Pier is truly a scary place. How would anyone dare go there again?”(Chapter 92)

ofc If anyone wonders where the "Lotus Pier burned to the ground and poor uwu jc had to rebuilt it all w his own hands 🥺" fanon comes from it's probably from the 213934 shots of Lotus Pier burning to the ground that the donghua decided to include.

Bonus: this OOC af part where YZY is terribly concerned for WWX and protecting him from Wen Zhuliu w Zidian.

...Reason 324 I can't stand donghua stans aggressively trying to sell me on it being flawless 🌝. Is it pretty, yeah in parts, and they rocked the finale, but it still made some weird, bad story telling choices that were unnecessary and detrimental to the original.

[blueberry-pie07]

Honestly the deeper I get into this fandom the more I think that LWJ is the character who people least understand. WWX’s actions and reasonings are misunderstood by a lot of people, but I feel like his main character traits/flaws/quirks are still apparent in most of the fandoms metas or writings about him. Metas/writings about LWJ always feel like a coin toss: will you get novel!LWJ, who has depth and personality? or will you get some random guy who’s quiet and likes rabbits?

Hahah It's true they don't get Lan Wangji at all!!! Just to clarify WWX has quirks but no flaws* lol. Back to LWJ though, It's so sad because he's hilarious and fascinating and brilliant. His character is wonderful:

I guess a lot of people believe the murder of the remaining Changs were Xiao Xingchen’s revenge, right? Hanguang Jun, what about you? What do you think?”

Lan Wangji shook his head slowly. “Without the complete picture, I cannot comment.”

Wei Wuxian deeply admired his friend’s attitude, his principles and his way of handling affairs. Beaming, he drank another mouthful of liquor. (Chapter 30)

and then there's the sass!

Quietly, he said, “Hanguang Jun, help me ask what this place is, what it’s used for, and who built it.”

Lan Wangji was a master of the qin language. He did not require any time to think before his steady and reliable hand plucked a couple of pure, clear notes. After a moment, his guqin’s strings sounded a couple more times on their own. Wei Wuxian asked hurriedly, “What did it say?”

“I do not know,” Lan Wangji said.

“Huh?”

Nonchalantly, Lan Wangji repeated, “It said, ‘I do not know.’”

“…” Wei Wuxian looked at him, suddenly remembering how, many years ago, they had had a similar conversation about “Suibian.” He rubbed his nose, speechless. Lan Zhan’s grown up too much. He’s even learned how to make me choke.

PHRASING! jk Anyway, WWX is hilariously peeved that he can't get the same reactions from Wangji he would get out of him when they were young!

Upon seeing Lan Wangji turn a deaf ear to his antics, Wei Wuxian continued playing with the sash while thinking to himself, I didn’t expect Lan Zhan’s desire to avenge himself upon me to be this strong. He’s now trying to get back at me for each and every time I teased him back in the day, and is determined to prevent me from having any fun. This is a bit too much personal growth. Not only has his cultivation improved, his formerly thin skin has as well! (Chapter 25)

and genuinely excited when he sees it's still the same Lan Wangji!

Honorable Hanguang Jun, this Wei fellow has no intention of heaping discredit upon you, but without me, you’d be hopeless, making inquiries this way. If you managed to learn anything, now that would be strange.”

These words were perhaps a bit rude, but Lan Wangji’s gaze softened, and he uttered a quiet “mm.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “‘Mm? What ‘mm?’ Even after that, still ‘mm?’” But his stomach leapt with joy as he silently criticized Lan Wangji. He only knows how to say ‘mm.’ Turn’s out he’s still boring after all! (Chapter 28)

Mmmhmmm. I think one of the worst mistakes people make about LWJ's character is to make it seem like LWJ needed Wei Wuxian to come into his life to become a righteous person when it's not the case at all. The reason WangXian makes sense is because they're the same on the inside.

This should be clear because we see plenty of proof of Wangji's cleverness and righteousness from the Cloud Recesses arc - he takes the same punishment as Wei Wuxian; to the Xuanwu cave- he doesn't let Mianmian get used as turtle bait and is enraged at Sushe's behavior; He doesn't try to take credit for defeating the beast; In the Lotus pod extra we even get a glimpse of all the little acts of kindness he performs casually with no expectations-

The old woman, “Young Master, the lake doesn’t let anyone inside at night. If you want to go, you should hurry up and get there before dusk.”

Lan WangJi repeated, “Thank you.”

Just as he was about to leave, he saw the woman hold her thin bamboo pole high up in the air, unable to knock down a branch stuck under the roof. With a point of his finger, his sword energy struck the branch off, and he turned around to leave. (Lotus Pod)

Although he was warned that he needs to hurry or he won't be able to pick lotus pods he still stops in a field to help an injured farmer.

The young man single-handedly lifted the roof even four farmers couldn’t!

A few moments later, one of the farmers whispered something to the others. With only some hesitation, they proceeded to carry the wounded man over. When they went inside the shed, all of them glanced at Lan WangJi. Lan WangJi looked straight ahead. After they let the person down, two people came over, “Y-… Young Master, let go of it. We can do it.”

Lan WangJi shook his head. The two farmers insisted, “You’re too young. You won’t hold out.”

As they spoke, they raised their hands, wanting to help him with the roof. Lan WangJi only glanced at him. He didn’t say anything, only retracting some of the strength he exerted. At once, the farmers’ expressions changed.

Lan WangJi turned back around, letting his strength flow back. Embarrassed, the farmers went back to squatting.

He also doesn't want to harm the spirit that's haunting the shed:

It was this spirit that made the roof abnormally heavy, unable to be lifted by ordinary people no matter what.

Lan WangJi didn’t bring the tools used to liberate spirits. Since the creature had no intent to harm others, of course he couldn’t beat its soul apart without a care. As of the moment, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to persuade it to let down its hanging corpse, either, so he could only prop up the roof for now. He’d report it afterward and sent people to deal with it. (Lotus Pod exr)

These moments seem so simple on the outside but they paint such a clear and lovely picture of his character and how complementary his and Wei Wuxian's world views are. As MXTX wrote in her postscripts:

"Both WWX and LWJ are highly ideal characters, so there wouldn’t be too much dispute on their moral standing. They’re perfect as the protagonists...

All of their character elements were created in binary opposition. The bold and the principled, the concealed yearning and the flaunting coquetry, the red rose and the white rose, the cold, dignified one and the devilish, untamed one… The more different they were, the better. Still, their core was the same."

[blueberry-pie07]

I love the Lotus Seed Pod extra so much because at the time it’s set in, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have known each other for such a short while, and yet they’ve so clearly made an impression on each other. Wei Wuxian keeps thinking about Lan Wangji and talking about him, even telling Jiang Yanli how handsome he is. Likewise, Lan Wangji is also thinking about Wei Wuxian and the things he said when he was in Gusu, to the point of asking Lan Xichen if he knew watermelon rinds could be stir-fried and making a ten and a half mile journey to find lotus seed pods because Wei Wuxian told him that they they taste better with stems attached. It’s just adorable to see that even as teenagers, they’re so enamoured of one another!

[blueberry-pie07]

LWJ seeming like such a detached, cold and distant person at first, and then all the ways we slowly learn how he is actually very kind, very caring, and his heart is incredibly sensitive and soft, is the reason why he has everyone on a chokehold

[blueberry-pie07]

idk how to explain it really well, but what makes me obsessed with teenji and generally what sets apart lan wangji from the usual cold, stoic and inexpressive hot character is the reveal, early on, that he is just a little guy

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So, I heard you’ve been wondering what are the 3000 rules of Gusu Lan Sect?

See that wall? It’s the Lan Sect’s Wall of Discipline that appeared for 2 seconds in MDZS Episode 2. Some very diligent soul on Weibo actually went to read the texts carved on that Wall. Probably with a magnifying glass. No joke. Like, seriously, no joke.

Here goes all the rules that she managed to read out - translated hopefully not horrendously by Tumblr user my-otp-list. 

“Do not kill within Cloud Recesses

Do not fight without permission

Do not commit acts of promiscuity

Do not go out at night

Do not make noise

Do not walk too fast

Do not laugh for no reason

Do not sit with a disgraceful pose

Do not eat more than 3 bowls (Translator’s note: LOL)

Be a filial child

Organise work properly

Diligence is the root

Morality is the priority

Harmony is the value

Learning comes first

Do not take your own words lightly

Do not act impulsively

Do not give up on learning

Make sure to act virtuously

Do not forget the grace of the forefathers

Be careful with your words

Be respectful and humble

Be loyal and filial

Be amicable and united

Be of one mind

Train your body and your mind

Stop the bad habits

Be strict with yourself

Be easy on others

Do not hold grudges

Love and respect yourself

Maintain your own discipline

If others win over you, do not envy

If other lose to you, do not look down

Do not be wasteful

Do not create damages

Love all beings

Honour good people

Steer away from bad men

Respect the filial ones

Destroy the five poisons*

Nurture aspirations

Uphold the value of justice

Shoulder the weight of morality

Embrace the entirety of the world

Perform acts of chivalry

Have courage and knowledge

Have courtesy and integrity

Have affection and gratefulness

Have wins and losses

Be fair, and they will follow you

Be trustworthy, and they will believe you

Be mighty, and they will die for you

Take the straight path

Reject the crooked road

Earn trust

Believe sincerely

Have a strong will and anything can be achieved

Win friendships with kindness

See friends as neighbours

Be just

Be generous

Be ethical

Be grateful

Be loyal

Appreciate the good people  

Wake up at 8am

Do not be picky about food

Have a proper posture

Do not be overly happy

Do not be overly sad

Do not be over-the-top

Do not use bad words to hurt others

Do not spread empty lines

Do not break promises

Do not form cliques

Do not speak ill of others

Do not live extravagantly

Do not build wealth by using others, for this wealth won’t last

Help the underprivileged

Do not argue with your family, for it doesn’t matter who wins

Speak meagerly, for too many words only bring harm”

So, does anyone here think they qualify to be a Gusu Lan Sect disciple? (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

.

Bonus - An actual rule that was added by Lan Qiren after WWX and LWJ got together:

“Do not get near Wei Ying”

No, I’m not kidding.

.

All ‘squinting and staring’ credit goes to Weibo user 啧昵称什么好烦_yooooo. 

.

*The Five Poisons in ancient Chinese belief: Referring to the five poisonous animals that commonly appear in early summer, namely snake - scorpion - centipede - toad - spider.

[blueberry-pie07]

This paragraph from chapter 14 seemed to confound translators quite a bit: (thanks @ladyqueth for providing these)

Original text:

魏无羡不以为然，嘿声道：“不睬就不睬，他长得美么？”再一想，的确是长得美，又释然地把那点撇嘴的欲望抛到脑后了。

Uncomfortably literal translation:

Wei Wuxian was not concerned, and said with a "heh": "If [he] ignores [me] then [let him] ignore [me]; is he beautiful?" Thinking about it again, indeed [lwj] was beautiful, so [he] placatedly threw that bit of desire to pout his lips to the back of his mind.

Yes, the words 长得美 here are literally just "has a beautiful appearance", but the usage of the words in the first instance are actually "is he so beautiful [that he thinks he's so great]?" That’s one you really have to look at the full picture for.

Smoothed-out localized translation:

Wei Wuxian was unfazed, and scoffed, "So what if he ignores me. As if he's so hot?" Upon reflection, he remembered Lan Wangji actually was good-looking, so he gave up and threw that urge to be pouty to the back of his mind.

(I had originally quibbled to myself about whether 撇嘴 in this context should be "pouty" or "dismissive", but I'm glad to see the official translation ended up with "pouty" as well ���No matter what, it's bratty!)

[blueberry-pie07]

While I'm here at the confession scene, here is my translation of a passage that has bugged me for a while:

他本来只是随口一句, 谁知, 魏无羡恍然道：“说的也是。”

说完，魏无羡便声嘶力竭地吼道：“蓝湛！蓝忘机！含光君！我, 我刚才，是真心想跟你上床的！”

He had only said it as an offhanded comment, but unexpectedly, Wei Wuxian came to the realization: "You're not wrong."

Having said that, Wei Wuxian then roared with all his might, "Lan Zhan! Lan Wangji! Hanguang-jun! I—Earlier I—slept with you because I genuinely wanted to!"

真心, "true-heartedly". I feel that was the most moving part of his confession at a time when LWJ was most torn up over the situation, and it's a shame that I always see it left out of other translation quotes.

(And there's also some nuance of distinction between "I wanted to sleep with you" vs "I slept with you and wanted it" but you don't want to hear me try to explain that, is boring.)

[blueberry-pie07]

Using Chinese names

🗣 I explain how to refer to various characters in conversation

🗣 This will be MDZS-centric

🗣 I have a lot of Thoughts™️ about this, so this is my attempt to organize them

Let’s go!

I’ve seen a couple of people making mistakes wrt Chinese names on social platforms (mostly on Discord/Reddit, less often on Twitter/Tumblr/AO3), so here’s a guide I put together based on what I know.

Disclaimer: this commentary is shaped by my own background and experiences, so ymmv. There are many more detailed meta pieces by other diaspora folks who may have a different or better explanation of things, compared to me.

A brief introduction on the structure of Chinese names in Chinese-speaking circles: for both birth names and courtesy names, surname characters (S) usually come before given name characters (G). This is in line with the Confucian ideal of putting the family (or more abstractly speaking, the collective) before and above the self.

Also related to this concept - when a Chinese person introduces themselves in this way, the name of the family of origin is always stated first so anyone on the receiving end will immediately know the person’s lineage. The given name comes second, as is seen as less important. It belongs only to the individual, and unlike the surname, it would not be passed down to future generations.

This was particularly true in ancient times, where Chinese surnames were more diverse, and communities were smaller because of the time taken to travel between rural provinces and such. Also, it was easier to guess someone’s family profession or identify someone’s ancestors based on their family names.

There are exceptions, esp in a modern context, where some people put their surnames after their given names (e.g. singer Leehom Wang). This is sometimes done for administrative purposes, and/or to make it easier for non-Chinese people to figure out how to address them.

Back to names: each individual syllable corresponds to a character in the name. There are no polysyllabic characters.

Common structures and their examples include:

Single-character surnames (very common)

S+G (2-character): Wei 魏 (S) Ying 婴 (G); Lan 蓝 (S) Zhan 湛 (G)

S+GG (3-character): Jiang 江 (S) Yanli 厌离 (GG); Nie 聂 (S) Mingjue 明玦 (GG)

Composite surnames, usually double-character (less common)

SS+G (3-character): there’s no equivalent example in MDZS, so here are my faves from other novels - Sima 司马 (SS) Yi 懿 (G), Cao Wei strategist from Ro3K and Linghu 令狐 (SS) Chong 冲 (G), swordsman of Xiao Ao Jiang Hu fame

SS+GG (4-character): Ouyang 欧阳 (SS) Zizhen 子真 (GG)

As a general rule, it’s usually never wrong to keep the surname in place when referring to someone (e.g. “Nie Huaisang” or “NHS” are both fine, as is “Huaisang”).

And so, even though we’re referring to fictional people, it’s probably best to avoid the following:

Mixing up the characters (e.g. Lanwang Ji - I once met someone who thought “Lanwang” was his given name and “Ji” was his last name)

Surnames only (e.g. “Wei” or “Jiang”. It’s generally not done in Chinese society, whether ancient or modern)

Monosyllabic birth or courtesy names (e.g. “Zhan” or “Xian”). Again, it’s generally not done. There are two exceptions:

Some types of formal correspondence where conventions demand brevity, and

In a modern context, where Chinese people sometimes choose a character in their given name and just go by that. This can be for the sake of convenience. It could also be because they are in a predominantly English-speaking environment where context is less important, or because they are ambivalent about their surnames or other characters in their given names. Case in point — my name, Jing 😊

A short explanation on the latter two points above. Referring to someone with two syllables, particularly in a verbal exchange, helps give meaning to both context and relationships.

On context:

Chinese is primarily a pictorial (and thus, contextual) language, with many words that are homophones of each other. Saying someone’s name using only one syllable can create confusion in spoken dialogue.

To explain what I mean, imagine a verbal conversation taking place between MDZS characters.

Imagine Lan Wangji referring to Wei Wuxian as “Wei” instead of “Wei Ying” when talking to Lan Xichen. 魏 it sounds exactly like 喂 (hey) or 为 (for). Lan Xichen wouldn’t know what he is trying to say, and may be waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Likewise, if Wei Wuxian said “Zhan” instead of “Lan Zhan”, it sounds like he may be asking Lan Wangji to 站 (stand up). Again, this has the propensity to cause confusion, so it’s best mitigated by adding an extra syllable - “Lan”.

On relationships:

When you say someone’s name, you’re using that to define your relationship to them. My parents called me Jing-er growing up, just as how Jiang Fengmian referred to his kids as A-Li and A-Cheng.

Nie Huaisang calls Wei Wuxian Wei-xiong, or Wei-bro. As an older brother, Lan Xichen has both the seniority and familiarity to call his brother Wangji, instead of Lan er-gongzi or Hanguang-Jun.

“A-Ning” and “Wen Ning” would refer to the same person, but each term would be used by a different person (for example, Wen Qing would say “A-Ning”, as they are family. Wei Wuxian would call him “Wen Ning”, as they don’t have a similar level of closeness).

And so, just “Ning” would not be enough. With a second syllable, the relationship is immediately made obvious.

Other things that are best avoided:

Putting diacritics on the letters in pinyin (e.g. writing Jiāng Chéng instead of just Jiang Cheng). Diacritics are not like accents in other languages, where having one would signal a change in pronunciation, and thus the entire meaning of the word. Mandarin is a pictorial language, and diacritics in pinyin only exist to help learners and non-Chinese speakers figure out the tones for characters. Diacritics aren’t needed in stories or conversations that take place in non-Mandarin settings. Besides, if I wrote Jiāng Chéng, it still wouldn’t give further information about a character’s name. Looking at the name in pinyin and with diacritics, I wouldn’t be able to tell if it is written 江澄 or 姜橙 or 将呈 (These are all pronounced similarly)

Capitalizing first letters of individual syllables (e.g. Jin GuangYao instead of Jin Guangyao). Only the first letters of the surname and given name need to be capitalized, not individual syllables.

If you’re not sure how to refer to a character when you’re talking about them, you can do the following:

Look up wiki pages/summaries to see how that particular character is referred to in canon media.

Listen to how other characters refer to them (but note that this is context-dependent, as different people may refer to the same person in different ways depending on their relationships with them). I should add that the Chinese fandom has different nicknames for the characters. (E.g. Nie Huaisang is 聂导 or “Director Nie”, because he pulls the strings.)

Get a sensitivity reader (or two) if you’re writing a fic. Even if you’re Chinese, it doesn’t hurt to do this, just in case.

Ask away! There’s nothing wrong with asking, especially if it’s done with respect, gratitude, and a genuine desire to learn.

Original post on Twitter

[blueberry-pie07]

@ladyqueth asked me a while ago how I would translate 是非在己，毁誉由人，得失不论. (This, of course, being the philosophy WWX quoted in Chapter 75 when he's all "Don't cry for me Argentina Lan Wangji"). While still not as 言简意赅 (terse), here's my best shot:

Right and wrong lies within oneself; let others speak of ruin or glory; pay no mind to gains or losses.

Still a bit hard to grasp. If I were explaining it to people, I'd phrase it as:

Morality is up to you; reputation is up to others. Don’t sweat it

But of course, for once WWX is speaking with literary eloquence instead of his usual carefree tone, so I wouldn't put that in the actual book translation.

By the way, this specific phrasing was created by MXTX, but it was summarized/distilled from a text written by 旷敏本 (Kuang Minben) in the 1700s.

(Source)

[blueberry-pie07]

A boring post

The topic of how to translate LWJ's catchphrase, "无聊", has been covered plenty, but here's my take on it (because I think I can do better hah):

First of all, the meaning of 无聊: 无 means "no/none", and 聊 means "to chat/converse". So taken literally, it means "not worth talking about". Most commonly, it's used to mean "boring", but it can also mean "pointless" or "frivolous". However, instead of just picking one of the options out of the dictionary, we must consider the various occasions of this very-notable catchphrase's usage, and make sure our translation suits all the cases.

What if we used "boring"?

魏无羡道：“你抹额歪了。”

这次，蓝忘机却再也不相信他了，一箭飞出，头也不回地迸出两个字：“无聊。”

Wei Wuxian said, "Your headband is crooked."

This time, Lan Wangji no longer believed him. Loosing an arrow, he shot back without even turning his head, "无聊." (Ch. 45)

Hmm that doesn't make much sense. What if we used "frivolous"?

蓝忘机足底一点，轻轻跃上了另一只船，避开了这一泼水花，恼他果然是来玩笑打闹的，道：“无聊！”

With a push off his toes, Lan Wangji lightly leapt onto another boat, dodging the splash of water. Annoyed that Wei Wuxian really was fooling around, he spat, "无聊!" (Ch. 16)

Doesn't sound the most natural in this kind of situation. How about (my initial choice) "pointless"?

魏无羡辩解道：“这堵心血憋着很伤身的。一吓就出来了。你放心，我不喜欢男人的，不会趁机对你怎么样。”

蓝忘机道：“无聊！”

魏无羡早发现了，蓝忘机今天格外火气大，也不辩解了，挥手道：“好好好，无聊就无聊。我无聊。我最无聊。”

Wei Wuxian explained, "Having this stifling blood blocking your heart is very harmful. I scared it right out of you. Don't worry, I'm not into men; I won't take advantage of you or anything."

Lan Wangji huffed, "无聊!"

Wei Wuxian had already discovered that Lan Wangji was particularly ill-tempered today, so he gave up on explaining himself and waved it off. "Okay okay okay, 无聊 it is. I'm 无聊. I'm the most 无聊." (Ch. 54)

Oh, doesn't fit so well here. Let's try my second choice, "nonsense".

看他又逞强，魏无羡忙道：“好嘛。你不用走这么快，我走就是了。”三步并作两步，追上了江澄。

谁知江澄也不给他好颜色，狠狠地道：“你好无聊！”

魏无羡道：“你又不是蓝湛，怎么学他说无聊。他今天的脸比以往还要臭，那腿怎么回事？”

Seeing that he was putting on a tough act again, Wei Wuxian said in a hurry, "Okay fine. You don't have to walk so fast; I'll get out of your face." Hastening his stride, he caught up to Jiang Cheng.

But Jiang Cheng did not give him any leniency either, growling, "You're so 无聊!"

Wei Wuxian said, "It's not like you're Lan Zhan; why you gotta say 无聊 like him. He's in even more of a crappy mood today than usual; what's with his leg?" (Ch. 52)

Well that doesn't work well in this case. Seems like "ridiculous" still fits the bill?

他嘴角似乎抽了抽。魏无羡爬起来，抢道：“‘无聊’是吧，我就知道你要说无聊。你能不能换个词？或者多加两个字？”

蓝忘机冷然道：“无聊至极。”

The corner of his mouth seemed to twitch. Wei Wuxian scrambled up, beating him to the punch. "'无聊', right? I know you're gonna say 无聊. Can't you say a different word? Or add a couple more syllables?"

Lan Wangji icily replied, "Deeply 无聊." (Ch. 14)

Hmm since we're here making a point of how extremely cold and terse LWJ is, "ridiculous" seems a tad... not so. But perhaps we're getting pretty close... to my final choice, "absurd". Go ahead, try it out in all those quotes :)

Anyway, I'm sure there are folks who still prefer some of the other options and I certainly wouldn't blame you. This is just a glimpse into my personal thought process (thanks for bearing with me!)

(Oh, one last thing! There are many other occurrences of 无聊 in the book outside of LWJ's dialog that should still be translated as "boring" or other words. Context context context!)

[blueberry-pie07]

any chance of you translating/writing meta about wangxian's first sex scene? i've seen it claimed that there are hints that lwj has actually sobered up by the time they have sex - is that true?

Thanks for asking! Honestly, I don't think I can give any better insight than other people have already done - it's pretty subtle and I didn't catch it in my first read through, myself. What I can do is give some comparative translations of the scenes between "definitely drunk" and "...???". It'll take some time, so keep watching this space ;)

(But the tl;dr answer to your question: "Looks like it, I guess")

[blueberry-pie07]

Lan Xichen’s “Mistake” Line

There’s been much ado about Lan Xichen calling Wei Wuxian his brother’s “only mistake.”  To a reader, it’s quite a soundbite.  But I’d like to make the case that that line doesn’t say anything more or different from the rest of LXC’s rant speech.  Which is to say, it wasn’t passing a romantic or even personal judgment on WWX or Wangxian.

This isn’t a translation meta, but any time a short line gets outsized attention, I like to check against the original just in case.  The word here is 错, which has similar breadth to the English word “wrong” - covering things from being incorrect on a test to moral fault to, yes, mistakes.  So in that sense, it’s not wrong (hah) to translate it as “mistake.”  But I think that brings some baggage and does bias English-speaking fans’ reactions in a way the original text may not.

@spicychickenyang once suggested to me that a better localization would be “transgression.”  I think that’s perfect.

See how it changes things?

You were his only mistake.

You were his only transgression.

The latter makes clear that it’s not LXC’s personal opinion that WWX is ‘wrong’ in some sense.  It’s rules and society that claim WWX is in the wrong.  WWX knows that; he’s not going to be bothered by LXC saying so.

[This isn’t the place for me to talk about translation vs. localization, but here’s a nice article about it.]

That LXC is speaking about societal judgment is also clear in the other instances of 错 being used in the same speech.

Do you know how he’d knelt in front of the the Wall of Discipline?! When I went to see him, I told him, ‘Young Master Wei was already in the wrong [大错], why add onto the wrong [错] committed?’ And he said……. He can’t affirm whether what you did was right or wrong [对错] . But no matter what, he was willing to shoulder all of the responsibility together with you.  (x)

LXC’s comments immediately before the “‘mistake’ line” is also all about societal perception (or the perception of authority, when he invokes LQR).

With the ways in which he looked and talked to you when he saved you and hid you in that cave, even someone who was blind or deaf could perceive his feelings, which was why my uncle was in such anger. WangJi was a model for the disciples when he was young, and a prominent cultivator when he grew up. In his whole life he had been honest and righteous and immaculate—you were the only mistake he made!  (ExR translation)

In other words, everyone saw LWJ as above reproach.  The only time he acted out of accord with that was for WWX.

Recall that this–the societal condemnation of LWJ for helping WWX–was precisely LXC’s fear after the events of Nightless City.

I was afraid that if some other sect had reached the two of you first, WangJi would be treated as your accomplice. His name and reputation would be ruined forever or, worse, he would be killed instantly without trial.  (x)

The anger in LXC’s delivery was personal (even then still from a place of not wanting to see LWJ get hurt), but what he was telling WWX was all about societal and external consequences to LWJ, not LXC’s personal feelings about LWJ’s behavior.

If you go back to the top and follow the overall arc of what LXC and WWX are talking about, it boils down to this:

WWX: How did he get his scars?  Did it have something to do with me?

LXC: How could it not have something to do with you?  [Exposition.]  Wangji has been perfect in all else; his only transgression that could earn such punishment would be in relation to you.

Maybe this is still offensive to some fans.  But it doesn’t make LXC a Wangxian anti.  And the words are not something that WWX would be bothered by (separate from the underlying facts, which do bother him of course) or that LXC should need to apologize about afterwards.

[blueberry-pie07]

All right if I must lol. The quote in question comes from this post by @kimalysong:

魏无羡最近有个奇怪的习惯，喜欢压在蓝忘机身上睡，无论是躺着叠在蓝忘机身上，还是面对面地趴在蓝忘机胸口，总之如果没有这个大活人垫着，他就睡不着。

Wei Wuxian has developed a strange habit lately where he prefers to sleep on top of Lan Wangji, whether it's on his back atop Lan Wangji, or face-to-face sprawled on his chest. At any rate, he can't sleep well if he doesn't have this human pillow beneath him.

躺着 = lying on his back 叠在蓝忘机身上 = stacked on top of Lan Wangji's body

Technically this doesn't specify LWJ's orientation (anything but straight) so it could be like this:

Or for some reason like this:

Or even like...

But most likely it's probably like this, right.

[blueberry-pie07]

I've always been curious what others would translate this scene into:

When he was sleeping, he felt that his lying position wasn’t too bad. It seemed that he really was lying on someone’s lap. A cold hand rested over his forehead. It felt quite comfortable. Happily, he rolled around as much as he wanted to, and there wasn’t anybody who scolded him. When he rolled onto the ground, his head was even gently stroked before he was picked up and put onto the lap again. But, when he woke up, he was still lying on the ground. What had replaced the lap was a pile of leaves behind his head, which felt somewhat better than before. Lan WangJi was sitting quite a distance away from him. A fire had been started. The firelight reflected against his cheeks as though he was jade, warm and gentle.

Wei WuXian thought to himself, Of course it was a dream.

What are your thoughts on it? :)

Thanks for asking! The translation above is fairly accurate, as far as being literal goes. I feel it doesn’t so much capture the feel of the passage - it’s written in a more childish, idyllic way due to WWX’s delirium.

Original text for reference, from ch 55:

他睡着的时候，觉得躺的不错，好像真的枕到了谁的腿上，凉凉的手搭在他额头上，很舒服，心里高兴，滚来滚去滚得欢，还没有人斥责。滚到了地上，还被轻轻地摸了摸头，抱起来后继续枕腿。 但是醒来之后，他还是躺在地上，充其量是后脑勺被垫了一堆树叶，枕起来稍微舒服点儿。蓝忘机坐得离他远远的，生起了一堆火，火光映得他的脸庞犹如美玉，暖而温雅。 魏无羡心道：“果然是做梦。”

Here’s my less-literal more-atmospheric approximation:

While he was asleep, he felt pretty comfortable, as if he actually were lying on somebody's lap, a soothingly cool hand across his forehead. Giddy with glee, he rolled back and forth, and was not even scolded by anyone. Even when he rolled himself onto the ground, his head was petted gently, and lifted back onto the lap pillow. But when he awoke, he was still just lying on the ground; at best a pile of leaves had been stuffed under his head so that he was a tiny bit more comfy. Lan Wangji was sitting far away from him, having started a fire. His face shone from the firelight like a flawless jade, warm and tender. Wei Wuxian thought, "It really was a dream."

[blueberry-pie07]

Phoenix Mountain kiss! Spicy Chicken edition

This translation of the you-know-what scene from chapter 69 was requested by @ninjakk, although it had been on my "to translate" list for a while. Thanks for kicking me into action!

(Please note that I translated for flow more than a literal translation. In terms of 1:1 accuracy, this would be an 8 or 9 out of 10.)

[...]

Someone was approaching.

Although, this person had no malicious intent[1] upon them, so Wei Wuxian remained slumped on the tree not bothering to get up, not even bothering to pluck the blindfold from his eyes. He merely tipped his head in greeting.

After a long minute without hearing the other speak, Wei Wuxian couldn't resist opening his mouth. "You're here to join the hunt?"

No response.

Wei Wuxian said, "You won't be able to catch any prey in my vicinity."

The other party still said not a single word, but took a few steps closer to him.

Wei Wuxian's interest was piqued. Ordinary cultivators generally viewed him with some apprehension; they didn't dare approach him even in crowded places, much less one-on-one, and coming so close to boot. If it weren't for the fact that this person carried not an ounce of malicious aura, Wei Wuxian would really have assumed they came bearing ill intent. He straightened up minutely, turned his head towards where the other person stood, and quirked the corners of his mouth in a faint smile. He was about to say something, when he suddenly received a heavy shove.

Wei Wuxian's back crashed against the tree. He raised his right hand about to yank down the black sash over his eyes, but immediately his wrist was caught by the intruder in a forceful grip, so strong that he was actually unable to break free with a thrash - yet he still sensed no malicious aura. Wei Wuxian's left sleeve twitched as he was about to shake loose a talisman, but his opponent sensed his intent and caught him the same way, pressing both his wrists onto the tree in an iron grip. Wei Wuxian raised one foot and was about to kick out when a sudden warmth fell over his lips, making him freeze on the spot.

This sensation was foreign and strange, moist yet warm. At first Wei Wuxian had no idea what had happened, his mind a total blank. By the time he regained his senses, he was shocked to the core.

This person, having captured his wrists, was kissing him against the tree.

He made a fierce thrash in an attempt to break free and uncover his eyes, but astonishingly failed to escape. He was about to struggle again, but suddenly stopped himself.

The person kissing him, it seemed, was faintly trembling.

All at once Wei Wuxian lost his will to struggle.

He thought, "Seems like this girl is pretty strong, but timid and shy? She's a nervous wreck." Else they wouldn't have waited for this opportunity to ambush him - they must've had to muster up a huge amount of courage to dare take this step. Plus, they seemed to have a decent level of cultivation under their belt, so their pride must be even stronger still. If he had carelessly pulled down his blindfold and caught a glimpse, how embarrassed and distraught would this girl be?

Two pairs of thin lips clashed and traced each other, full of trepidation, reluctant to part. Wei Wuxian had yet to decide what he should do, when a sudden fierceness took over the once-tender lips. Wei Wuxian failed to clench his teeth tightly enough and was invaded by his opponent, all at once helpless to resist. Finding it hard to breathe, he attempted to turn his head away, but the other party grasped his face and forcibly twisted him back. Lost and dazed in the swirl of lips and tongues, only until his partner left a sensuous bite on his bottom lip and reluctantly withdrew, did he barely manage to return to his senses.

Wei Wuxian was kissed completely boneless. He had to lean against the tree for a long while before some strength welled back into his arm.

He raised his hand and ripped away the black sash, barely managing to open his eyes against the sudden piercing sunlight. His surroundings were completely empty—dense shrubs, gnarled trees, wild grass, withered vines—where was there ever a second person?

Still reeling, Wei Wuxian remained sitting for some time on the tree branch. When he jumped down, he nearly lost his footing, overcome by a wave of lightheadedness.

He hurriedly reached for the tree trunk, internally scolding himself for being so useless that he could be kissed till he was weak-kneed. Raising his head to look around, he found not a hint of any person anywhere. The scene just now had been like an absurd yet delectable daydream, and Wei Wuxian couldn't help but think of the legends of mountain spirits and ghosts.

But he was certain, that was absolutely not some mountain spirit or ghost. It had definitely been a person.

Thinking back on the sensations a moment ago, an ephemeral ticklish feeling crept all the way to the tip of his heart. Wei Wuxian touched his right hand to his breast, only to discover the flower that was pinned there had disappeared.

He searched the ground and didn't find it either. It couldn't have just vanished into thin air.

Wei Wuxian stood at a loss for a good while. Unconsciously he touched his lips, finally managing to squeeze out after some time, "How dare... that was my..."

Even after searching all around nearby, he did not find any sign of life. Wei Wuxian was filled with consternation, knowing the mystery party was most likely avoiding him on purpose and won't make an appearance again. Forced to abandon his search, he began strolling aimlessly through the mountain woods. After walking for a while, he suddenly heard a sound of heavy impact ahead of him. Wei Wuxian raised his head just in time to see—that tall and slender white-robed figure up ahead, who else could it be if not Lan Wangji?

But although this person was clearly Lan Wangji, his actions were not at all like Lan Wangji. At the moment Wei Wuxian spotted him, he had driven his fist straight into a tree, snapping it clean in half.

Puzzled, Wei Wuxian blurted, "Lan Zhan! What are you doing?"

The figure whirled around. It was indeed Lan Wangji. But in this moment, his eyes were actually faintly bloodshot, and his expression qualified as frightening. Startled, Wei Wuxian uttered, "Woah, scary."

Lan Wangji rasped, "Go away!"

Wei Wuxian said, "I just got here and you want me to go. Am I really that much of a pain?"

Lan Wangji snapped, "Get away from me!"

Aside from those few days at the bottom of the Xuanwu cave years ago, it was the first time Wei Wuxian had ever seen Lan Wangji so out of sorts. But back then the situation was extreme and therefore understandable; why was he so riled up now when nothing was wrong?

Wei Wuxian took a single step back, getting "away" from him, but kept up his questioning. "Hey, Lan Zhan, what's with you? You all right? If something's bothering you, just say it, okay?"

Lan Wangji did not meet his eyes. He pulled out Bichen, and in a few streaks of blue light, the surrounding trees were slashed through by his sword's energy. A moment later, they toppled with a crash.

After some time standing still with sword in hand, Lan Wangji clenched his fingers, his knuckles white with effort, and seemed to calm down slightly. He suddenly looked back again, nailing Wei Wuxian with a death glare.

Wei Wuxian was dumbfounded. Having been blindfolded for over an hour, his eyes were still adjusting to the sunlight. With his eyes constantly trying to tear up and his lips slightly puffy and red, Wei Wuxian thought he must be a terrible sight to behold. He couldn't help rubbing his chin beneath Lan Wangji's stare, and asked, "Lan Zhan?"

"..."

Lan Wangji said, "Nothing."

Returning his sword to its sheath with a ching, Lan Wangji turned and walked away. Wei Wuxian still felt something was off. After a moment of consideration, he followed after just in case. He made a lunge for Lan Wangji's wrist to feel his pulse, but Lan Wangji dodged aside, glaring at him coldly. Wei Wuxian said, "Don't give me that look, I just wanted to see what's up with you. You were acting way too weird just now. You sure you didn't get poisoned or had some kind of accident during a night hunt?"

Lan Wangji said, "No."

Seeing his expression finally return to normal, seemingly truly unharmed, Wei Wuxian was finally able to relax. Though he still wondered what was going on, there was no use in being overly intrusive, so he just struck up some meaningless chatter. Lan Wangji didn't talk at first, but later on finally managed a few short replies.

The remnant warmth and swelling on Wei Wuxian's lips kept reminding him that he had just lost the first kiss that he had guarded for twenty years. To be kissed dizzy and senseless, and he didn't even know who his partner was or what they looked like - truly ridiculous.

Wei Wuxian let out a slow sigh, and suddenly asked, "Lan Zhan, you ever kissed anyone?"

If Jiang Cheng were here to hear him ask such stupid frivolous questions, he would surely have received an instant knuckle sandwich.

Lan Wangji also abruptly halted in his steps, his voice so cold as to be somewhat rigid. "Why do you ask."

Wei Wuxian broke into a clear grin.

He beamed, "You haven't, right? I knew it. I'm just asking, you don't have to get so mad about it."

Lan Wangji said, "How would you know."

Wei Wuxian replied, "Do I need to waste my breath on that? Who's gonna dare kiss you, with that perpetual stony face? And naturally, there's no hope that you'd ever kiss someone else on your own. Looks to me like you'll be holding on to your first kiss for a lifetime, hahahaha..."

While he was busy chortling to himself, Lan Wangji remained expressionless, though his countenance seemed to ease somewhat.

Only until Wei Wuxian's had enough of laughing did Lan Wangji speak up. "What about you."

Wei Wuxian quirked an eyebrow. "Me? Do you even need to ask? Of course I'm a battle-hardened veteran."

Lan Wangji's just-thawed expression was rapidly covered by another layer of frost.

Just then, Wei Wuxian suddenly fell silent with a hiss of "Shh!"

[1] Though it literally translates to "killing intent", I translate 杀意/杀气 as "malicious aura" to better reflect how it's perceived in a wuxia setting.

More detailed translation explanations