#like wwx is also generally far more attached to the jiangs and jc in cql than in the novel so arguably many of their points around that

[llycaons]

there's a post in my 'for you' tab that's this really long compilation of arguments against various wwx mischaracterizations ('fanon') and I do wanna rb it because it makes some excellent rebuttals against things I find really annoying but one of the points is 'wwx is suicidal' and then links to a post talking about how he's not in the book and I'm sorry but like you know why people say that right. like you know he's a character who also exists in a drama adaptation in which he literally does kill himself after extremely overwhelming and upsetting things happen to him and he didn't see another way out and that's an extremely important moment that's canonical to that adaptation. right. wwx being suicidal is canon to cql. do they really assume everything outside the novel is fanon bc that's kind of embarassing sorry. like make a note. at least make a note.

[phoenixrisesoncemore]

Index Post (updated 11.12.20)

So, I feel like some housekeeping is in order. Hence: an Index Post!

I have this organized into three main categories: Tolkien, The Untamed, and Other (film, art, books, games, life, etc.). Items are ordered from oldest to newest. The number of asterisks indicates length. “[reblog+]” indicates that the original post is not my own, but I added thoughts with a reblog (because I’m bad with Tumblr etiquette). Ultra short pieces are grouped near the bottom of each section.

Post links below the cut.

Additionally! I also have almost 100 in-progress posts in my drafts. I need to finish some, but I think at this point I need some guidance on where to go next, once I finish project 1 and write 3 more prompt ficlets. This is where you come in! I’d like to open my ask box up to reader suggestions on what to work on next. Go to THIS POST for a list of upcoming posts to choose from.

Tolkien Meta

"The Magic Ring” (On my favorite piece at Maker of Middle-earth) *

Reckoning Nothing of Wizardry or War (On my favorite line in LotR) *

Tolkien and the Far Tree (thoughts on Letter #96) *

Whom Morgoth Made (on the first mention of Sauron in the Primary World) *

When the Far Tree Becomes Near [reblog+] *

How to Destroy Your Enemies and Influence People (more Sauron, this time regarding Numenor) **

The Inverted Mountain (On the moment Frodo claims the Ring. Sauron-centric) *

IANAL but... (on Parma Eldalamberon 17) *

Fixation and Attachment Can Lead to Missing Fingers *

J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien *

Sauron’s Canonically Pretty Handwriting [reblog+] *

The Little House of Lost Play **

The Changing Depictions of Sauron in Tolkien Art *

The Whole Damn Thing Is Fallen (The Problem of Evil; also Tolkien) **

The Whole Damn Thing Is Fallen: part 2 (same as above plus cosmology) ***

Ordering Reality (How Sauron and Tolkien were both Conlangers) *

Subcreative Aspects As Split Between the Ainur [reblog+] *

Valie Evolution, Varda and Nienna, and Marian Imagery [reblog+] ***

The Ring of Barahir and Snake Imagery [reblog+] *

Gandalf, Perspective, Humor, and Humility [reblog+] ***

General Tolkien Tidbits: Verlyn Fleiger video | March 25th and End of the Wolf Hunt | Forging Rings [reblog+] | Tolkien Oral History Project | We All Know Barad-dur was Brutalist | Tolkien’s Metaphysical Tension [reblog+] | Veryln Fleiger on Change [reblog+] | “His Right Name” [reblog+] | Thuringwethil [reblog+] | Tolkien Biopic Grumpiness | Sauron as Jeremy Bentham [reblog+] | Sauron Messes With the Numenoreans | Ancient Elvish Aliens | RIP Christopher | Christopher Recounts the Tear Story | Christopher and Maps | Babel Builders | Kocher and The Road Goes Ever On | John Garth on the Catholic Culture Podcast | Tolkien Experience Podcast | Edith Bratt Article | Sauron’s Bureaucratic Reform Plans [reblog+] | Mordor Flies | Tolkien and George McDonald | More Bentham!Sauron | Tolkien Blame Shifts 

LotR on Prime Tidbits: 1 | 2 

25 Year Reread: 1 | 2 | 3

The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling/Mo Dao Zu Shi) Meta

But Whose Deontology? (early thoughts about moral tension between wangxian while first watching The Untamed) ***

Episode 45: Image and the Second Flutist *

Jiang Cheng, Golden Cores, and Goodness [reblog+] **

LWJ and WWX in Love [reblog+] **

Feels, Feels, Feels (thoughts on LWJ, WWX, and The Song) **

WWX, Drinking, and Consent [reblog+] **

Sharing Your Childhood (personal recollections on why WWX showing LWJ around Lotus Pier spears me through the heart) *

It’s a Hard World for Good Things (thoughts on goodness, metaphysics, and epistemology in the world of CQL/MDZS) ***

More About WWX and Image [reblog+] *

Immortal Together? *

CQL and Flowers [reblog+] **

Replacement Scenes [reblog+] *

Oblivious (personal reflections on one of the reasons I identify so much with Wei Wuxian) *

Lotus Seed Pod Bouquet *

How LWJ Got His Broken Leg *

MDZS/CQL RPG Thoughts ***

WWX and Wen Yuan: Orphans in Yiling *

What if Mo Xuanyu knew Wangxian?**

Untamed Tidbits: Episode 46: WWX and JC | Is Benevolence Arrogance | LSZ is a Good Boi | Censorship and Fan Ethics | Emperor’s Smile [reblog+] | MDZS ch99 | Yi City | CQL vs MDZS actors | On the Most Impractical Way of Carrying Your Sword | In Love [reblog+] | LQR Qi-deviates | Villainous Friends | Ethical/Sexual Tension | Lan Clan Principles Swap [reblog+] | Backwards and in Heels | Masks | Voice Actors [reblog+] | An Untamed Carol {reblog+] | CSSR, LQR, Mothers and sons [reblog+] | That Bed Carving [reblog+] | The Undead Are a Fact of Life | LWJ’s Self-branding [reblog+] | Wangxian Lullaby 

Untamed/MDZS Art and Fic

50 Kisses Prompt 1 (ficlet)

50 Kisses Prompt 2 (ficlet/portion of larger unfinished 1929 Untamed AU)

50 Kisses Prompt 3 (ficlet)

1929 Untamed AU art: Drawing | WIP color

Drawtober 2020: single post compilation | all posts

Wangxian Lotus picking art: WIP Sketch for painting

Other Stuff About Life and Loves

The Poet of Prague (a short summary of the life and work of my favorite photographer, Joseph Sudek) *

The Five Toys I Never Had (Christmas silliness and nostalgia) **

The New Motive Power (the strangest moment in Spiritualism) **

Wrighting, Writing, and Righting *

In Her Honor (on how my grandmother gave me a precious gift) **

The Magnus Archives ep 116: Automata *

Automata Again *

On Indescribable Wow (thoughts on the moments when the world-machine is exposed) *

The Feast of the Annunciation at 35,000ft (musings on panic disorder, x-men/Phoenix, Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, and the power of stories) ****

Gazing Past The Valacirca: Happy Birthday Hubble **

Tidbits: Portrait of Adele [reblog+] | Things My Husband Has Said to Me: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Met Opera Grumpiness | It’s a Hard World for Little Things | Grosseteste’s De Luce |

[ceescedasticity]

This has taken off lately so have some of my favorite tags people have attached:

#wen ning is VICIOUS in that scene and i love it#you’re probably right tbh#the very strength of his fierce corpsehood is proof of his ability to hold a grudge#and...he deserves to lash out#it’s notable that he lashes out VERBALLY too#here’s the feared ghost general; legendary monstrous battle machine#and the most brutal thing we see him do (while fully in his right mind) is entirely nonviolent

#yes yes this part of why I think wn was so cruel to jc#it wasn't just about wwx (though that was a big part)#it was about his sister and his family and even little a-yuan#(since lsz lived in spite of jc not because of)

#honestly good for him

#he's mad! and he's mad about many things I think#but wen qing is on the list#she deserves to top it#i consistently think it's kind of amazing in every possible way#that one of the things he's blaming jiang cheng for#is not knowing something wen ning actively conspired to keep from him#but I also think he sees it as righting a wrong?#a wrong done primarily to wen qing and wei wuxian in his eyes#but i think it's interesting that out of the three of them#wei wuxian is the only one who seems to think never telling jiang cheng is a sustainable plan#and wen ning is the only one who actively agitates to tell him#wen qing (in cql at least) asks wei wuxian what will happen when he finds out#but has a couple of opportunities to tell him after the point where his feeling indebted to her would be pretty useful#but chooses not to! and I don't think it's any particular deference to Wei Wuxian's judgement on her part#meanwhile Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji he's told Wen Ning over and over again not to tell Jiang Cheng#and I will die obsessed with that line#when did that happen? at the time of the core surgery? after wen ning wakes up in the burial mounds?#when wei wuxian decides to bring wen ning with him as a bodyguard?#is it because wen ning wants to cash in on that favour for his people or for wei wuxian or both?#the book has this really interesting scene where wen ning basically says it had to happen sometime#which implies a pretty consistent opposition to wei wuxian's keeping it a secret forever plan!#and which i am particularly interested in because wen ning doesn't DO opposing Wei Wuxian or fighting with him as a general rule#this is by far his greatest act of rebellion#against wei wuxian in particular#and i just think that's neat#who's a sweet and biddable surrogate little brother now!

#YUP#YES THIS EXACTLY#Wen Ning is a cinnamon roll but he's also REALLY REALLY NOT A CINNAMON ROLL#and I would really like to see more material dealing with the anger and resentment *he canonically has*#that is explicitly stated as the reason he makes such a powerful fierce corpse!#Jiang Cheng literally goes for his sword to murder an inhuman creature while Wen Ning is immobile but able to hear him#and I do not for a second think he's just fine and chill with that#especially when YEAH he *did* save JC arguably twice#and Jiang Cheng sat back and let everyone WN tried to protect just burn#(tbc this is not me attacking JC; this is WN-perspective)#and aside from the golden core convo#I do honestly think he has some of the same 'save my people fuck everyone else' mentality that WQ and JC himself do?#it's just not QUITE as obvious bc he's decided that WWX is His People when the rest of the world is going ??? no he's not?#but like... all the other Wen mooks at Lotus Pier responsible for the wine and keeping JC guarded? thrown VERY under the bus#and Wen Ning does not give a shit#(in a different show I'd assume it was just Protagonist Morality but. MXTX doesn't write that way SO)#.......hello tag rant#Wen Ning#The Untamed#MDZS#meta#I fucking love Wen Ning you guys

#wen ning#jc#YEAH#like jc owes wen ning his life after he rescues him from the other wens in lotus piers and i dont think its ever repaid or acknowledged??#wen ning deserved to go off

#fuck yeah FUCK YEAH i love this song#i love the fact that wen ning is *furiously angry* and sitting on all that rage and resentment is why he's such a powerful fierce corpse#i want to see more of that#the core reveal is such a fucking gut punch and i can't wait to get to it in the rewatch#god wen ning is so interesting i would love to see more exploration of his character#the idea of him having a parallel with huaisang is EXTREMELY fun

#he is sweet and kind and if you come for the people he loves he will come for you

#like... he can be pretty vindictive#and clever#he’s a fierce corpse. the resentment that fuels him has to come from somewhere

#i LOVE this scene so much#Wen Ning fucking goes for Jiang Cheng's throat#you love to see it#and i don't even hate jiang cheng!#i just think wen ning deserves to be bitchy and mean after everything he's been through

#THIS is my favourite wen ning post#this right here#wen ning is PISSED#[insert kirby's fucking pissed meme]#he is just as ready to break the rules to do the right thing as wei wuxian (and later lan wangji) even at great personal risk#he WILL go apeshit#and yes actually i hadn't thought much about his personal grudge against jiang cheng yet but this is 100% correct#wen qing protected this man and gave him a golden core in an extremely difficult surgery#which wei wuxian risked his life for#wen ning personally both helped with that surgery and committed treason to help save jiang cheng#and YET jiang cheng was 100% ready to throw both wen ning and wen qing along with all their people under the bus#which led to wen qing's death#yes actually. he IS mad. this is a very good post.#the untamed#twin heroes reconciliation vs. wen ning and lan wangji watching disapprovingly from the background#telling themselves and each other that wei wuxian needs this and wants this and thus it's fine#but they'd really rather roundhouse kick jiang wanyin#lan wangji & wen ning solidarity 2k20

#YES!!!#you can go uwu all you want but#wn and wwx are best buds because they are on the same page#about laying everything all on the line quite suddenly#and without checking in with friends and loved ones!#wen ning is very much in the#bitchy baby brothers club#his whole confrontation with jc is not about wwx#(which is easy to miss since it's the core reveal)#it is all about his jiejie#it is about all the chats wn and wq must have had#about their beach bums#and how sad that all turned out#it is not remotely fair to jc#but wn didn't get fair and he isn't here for it#wen ning is so done with this shit

#oof i feel bad for jc in that scene but wn also deserves to be mad at him

#in all versions but in cql especially there's a weird tension in the future timeline#between wen ning as tragic and wen ning as comic relief#if we're being charitable the writing we can consider it an active choice on wen ning's part#when he chooses to present himself as harmless and when he is making good#on his role as wei wuxian's weapon

#wn saw jc attempt a punch to the face and ripped his nuts off in response

#honestly this interpretation makes me less disgusted with him in that scene#because he is very solidly being completely unreasonable and needlessly vindictive in that interaction#and low-key screwing over WWX in the process#BUT on this front he does actually have a legitimate beef#he put everything on the line toget JC out of lotus pier and when he and his family needed help JC did nothing#and like... JC did not ask for that help#but he got it and WN and his family paid a high fucking price for it and JC knew that#and WN is well within his rights to be pissed about it#as a scene of WN defending WWX it doesn't work#but as a scene of WN letting off 2 decades pent up resentment it makes sense to me

#yeah that was downright cruel of him#but!! from his pov its not like jc has earned his kindness

#wen ning has so many reasons to be angry and guess what#he is#also while he does default to being shy and deferential he's perfectly willing to take matters into his own hands when he feels strongly#about something#like that time he decides to commit treason for a guy who was nice to him one time and then make it his sister's problem without asking her#anyway the golden core reveal was a really good character moment that made me appreciate wn more than i would've without it#because it lets us get a look at his internal life and see the uglier emotions that he usually keeps hidden

#Goddamn yes#Wen Ning isn't a weak blushing baby he just had anxiety and it nerfs him sometimes#No matter what version of the story u prefer he's doing all kinds of things#Novel? Besides the treason and suckerpunching jiang cheng he's cleaning up after lwj and wwx#Donghua? Playing the wen in Lotus Pier like a damn fiddle he was 0 hesitation#Cql? Despite trying to play an uwu he's dumb witted bc yin iron WHATEVER he POISONED THE WEN UNDER THEIR NOSES AND WAS Like#:) please underestimate me :) i am tampering w ur wine as we speak :)#I love him so muchhh

#wen ning's experiences with jiang cheng were all of him at his worst#and he's probably angry at how ungrateful jiang cheng is yes#angry about the death of his family yes#probably also jealous of what his relationship with wei wuxian was

#bro he was really mad#but like#he uses that image of baing shy and awkward and helpless to his advantage#because if he does not seem like a threat to powerful people who look down on him#and they really really do#he can surprise them#he is extremely smart#and not only that he is very loyal to his loved ones#and def a person you do not want to anger#but like. people underestimate him so much they dont realise that they should not anger him

#yes!#like that scene hurts for everyone#but in many ways wn deserved to have that moment#he's been mostly passive to stuff that happened to him by that point in the narrative#so when he saw an opportunity to be active he DID that#just#yeah

#baby. baby boy#also he is vicious#and incredibly brave#all of these things are great but in combination they are so fucking interesting#the thing about that scene with jc is that it is very specific cruelty#like jc he is very very good at hurting you with both the moment AND its context#he also aims for the bruise!#and i love that for him because it means the rest of the time he is probably actively choosing to be kind

#wen ning was like#you think you know how to hurt people when you angry with them?#hold your brother's sword for a second#and then he annihilated jiang cheng

Wen Ning is indeed very shy and awkward and sweet but I feel like fic writers sometimes lean into that too hard? Even setting aside the fierce corpse/berserker killing machine part. He committed treason and dragged his sister into it without asking her first. He delivered one of the most pinpoint effective (and honestly kind of underhanded) verbal attacks in the story. (Not only revealing the golden core transplant but framing it as proof of Jiang Cheng’s inferiority, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense actually but which Jiang Cheng, predictably, bought into immediately. Jiang Cheng was the aggressor in that fight but Wen Ning was fighting dirty.)