#lwj expresses himself through actions not words. so he really is not the best at explaining himself or saying clearly what he means/wants | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

grewlikefancyflowers · 2 years ago

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Okay, people blame all the miscommunication on LWJ but have they ever considered how the situation may look from his pov? WWXs enormous crush is obvious to the readers but not to LWJ. His behaviour might seem confusing from the outside pov.

I think WWX's behaviour caused LWJ a lot of confusion and frustration.

I mean, WWX flirts with him pretty much in all their interactions across both his lives*. LWJ is very aware of this because he tells him, 'If you do not have those intentions, do not flirt with others. You are doing as you please yet others will be in turmoil.' (ch.54). He's not 'in turmoil' because he's jealous that WWX had been flirting with Mianmian (or at least, that's a minor part in it). WWX flirts with girls all the time, LWJ is aware of this, he's aware of the fact that WWX doesn't feel anything towards her (or any of the others), this is precisely the thing that frustrates him, because WWX behaves this way with him too (or at least appears to, LWJ has no way of knowing that WWX actually has real feelings for him. WWX doesn't even know this).

*Notable examples of flirty behaviour in his first life since there are somehow people who miss his planet-sized crush — Constantly trying to get LWJ's attention and calling him er-gege (not inherently flirty but is when taken in the context of everything else), drawing a portrait of LWJ & winking at him, seeking him out and saying 'did you miss me~' and giving him gifts, finding LWJ in the cold spring and draping himself over the rocks and murmuring 'lan zhan' in his ear then stripping, then purposefully trying to move closer to/touch LWJ while they're both nakey, throwing flowers for him at Phoenix Mountain & in Yunmeng (while knowing he is imitating how girls behave with their crushes), pretending to faint to 'trick' LWJ into catching and holding him when he visited Yiling.

When WWX is flirting with the jiejies in Caiyi town, JC comments that he is 'flirting around again,' (which carries a double meaning because WWX had just been flirting with LWJ too), so it is evident to LWJ that WWX casually flirts with whoever. WWX seems barely aware of what he's doing, which only frustrates LWJ further,

'Lan WangJi looked at him quietly, “Do you behave in such a frivolous way towards everyone?”

Wei WuXian thought for a second, “I think so?”

Lan WangJi looked at the ground. He only replied a moment later, “How impudent!”

The word was spat through gritted teeth and tinged with an inexplicable bitterness'.

As well as that, WWX several times suggests, or outright says, that he is straight.

When he gives LWJ straight porn — '“What kind of person are you?!” “What kind of person could I be? I’m a guy!” Wei Wuxian said. Lan Wangji’s tone was cutting. “You have no shame!” “I have to be ashamed? Don’t tell me you’ve never looked at these things. I don’t believe it.” Evidently, in WWX's view, looking at straight porn is just the standard expected thing for him to do, as a guy. He evens expects LWJ to have done so too. Obviously this is comphet talking, but to LWJ is simply comes across as if the boy he's crushing on is straight, and cannot even fathom being anything else. LWJ never appears to struggle with any expectation that he should be interested in women, nor does his family find his queerness unusual, so it's probable that WWX's struggles with his sexuality are hard for LWJ realise and understand at this point, esp because he's so young and preoccupied with his own feelings.

In the cold spring scene, WWX's flirting reaches unhinged levels, he also starts complimenting LWJ, and says, '“Lan Zhan, did you figure out what I was trying to do earlier?” “No,” Lan Wangji replied. “Really, you didn’t know? I was kissing up to you so you’d be my friend.” Lan Wangji side-eyed him. “What are you trying to accomplish?”' LWJ asks WWX what exactly his intentions are, clearly he thinks just trying to be friends is not a good explanation for the things WWX does. But WWX insists he really just wants LWJ to be his friend, he says if he's his friend he'll share his porn books (btw the word used is 春宫图 which refers exclusively to het erotica), then WWX goes on to insist that girls won't like how LWJ is behaving, then tries to convince him to come to Yunmeng with the promise that there are pretty girls there. So WWX really does just repeatedly flirt with LWJ, in this situation he does not only reiterate that he is attracted to women, but also just operates under the assumption that LWJ is too. LWJ again can only reasonably take from this interaction that WWX firmly identifies as straight and isn't generally open to anything else.

(Yes bisexuality exists but I do not think characters within the text (or perhaps the text itself) have much awareness of that. Eg, it is decided based on MXY's cutsleeve behaviour that he cannot possibly be WWX, because it was widely 'known' that WWX was attracted to women. Aside from that, imo MXTX repeatedly wrote all these examples of WWX's supposed attraction to women with the purpose of it coming across to LWJ as if WWX could not possibly return his feelings because LWJ's unconditional love of him with no expectation of anything in return is a key part of his character. From a storytelling perspective there isn't really any other reason for these scenes to exist.)

And then there is that infamous scene in Xuanwu Cave when WWX strips and pulls LWJ's clothes off too, pretending that he has certain intentions, though his real purpose was obvs to help LWJ. (Also I think 'Wei WuXian took off all of his clothes and tore them to shreds, “What do I want to do? Right now, we two are the only ones here. I’m already making it so obvious— what do you think I want to do?”' (ch.54) echoes the cold spring scene — 'Wei Wuxian kicked off his boots, removed his clothes, and threw them everywhere. “I took off all my clothes and you’re still asking me what I’m doing here."' (ch.18), implying that WWX was on some level aware of how his actions came across back then, though couldn't consciously address it). The exchange ends with LWJ asking WWX not to do things like this, 'Although he knew that it was out of good will, Lan WangJi still seemed a bit annoyed, “… Can you not make this kind of joke again?!”' He's still annoyed in large part because this is not the first time WWX has pulled this exact trick, 'good will' is not all there is to it. WWX misunderstands and decides to placate him by assuring him that he is straight, '"Don’t worry—I don’t like men, I won’t take advantage of the opportunity and do anything to you.”' Unsurprisingly, this only seems to annoy LWJ further. Probably because WWX has constantly been making these types of 'jokes' and the fact that WWX seemingly has no real feelings behind them is precisely why LWJ reacts badly to it.

LWJ isn't someone who lacks empathy and understanding, when it comes to WWX he is always watching him. So, it probably does occur to him that WWX's insistence that he is straight can perhaps not be taken at face value (especially when they spend a lot of time together in WWX's second life). Actually, after the Phoenix Mountain flower throwing, LWJ is quite insistent that WWX admit to being to one who did it, 'Holding the flower, Lan WangJi seemed to be quite cold. His tone seemed cold as well, “Was it you?”' Then in Yunmeng, LWJ asks WWX why he did it 'Lan WangJi, “Why?” Wei WuXian, “Why not? I just wanted to see how you’d react to such a thing.” Lan WangJi, “Ridiculous.”' (LWJ responds here with his signature '无聊', which carries a connotation of doing something pointless, because you're so bored you have nothing else to do, which I think is reflective of how he takes WWX's flirting overall.)

So, LWJ probably considers the possibility that there is actually something more to WWX's flirting, and wants to get him to admit he does it and asks him why he does it. But I think LWJ is also hesitant to dwell on this possibility too much as he is very fearful of violating WWX's boundaries, I think he's very concerned about wishful thinking or making assumptions or inadvertently projecting his feelings onto WWX. All this is also reflected in how LWJ warns WWX several times in his second life to be aware of his actions/words ('Mark your words', 'are you sure you want to do this', 'do not fool around', 'you reap what you sow'), he sincerely wants WWX to think about what he does, he doesn't want to allow or reciprocate WWX's advances if there's a possibility he's just messing around and doesn't mean it. Basically, he really wants to avoid a situation where they do anything together for any reason other than that's what WWX truly wants.

#[thinks about chapter 95 and screams]#mdzs #mdzs meta #good lord how did this end up so long #this subject overall touches on an issue where just because wx do not openly talk about some things people think that #they are bad communicators #actually they each have reasonable & valid reasons for keeping things to themselves #lwj expresses himself through actions not words. so he really is not the best at explaining himself or saying clearly what he means/wants #but him not being open about this is not an example of bad communication #and i mean he's pretty clear in xuanwu cave when he tells wwx not to flirt frivolously or make his 'jokes'#lan wangji

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ouyangzizhensdad · 4 years ago

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Do you think LWJ took the advantage of being a Young Master of a prominent clan to publicly display the people he hates? (We know who that is) I saw someone claim about it and It's haunting my head.

Hi anon,

I’ll start first by saying that I think the novel does, to a degree, understand that there are people who have, to use Bourdieu’s terms, forms of ‘capitals’ that others do not and integrate that into the narrative and character dynamics. LWJ has not only capital due to his position as a gongzi and the son of a Leader (then later, as heir-in-line) to one of the prominent clans, but also due to his stellar reputation and fighting abilities (and to a degree, the fact he is a man). All this allows him to have a wider range of actions that are considered ‘acceptable/legitimate’ versus another person with different or lesser forms of capital--think for instance of the reaction and consequences when LWJ challenges what powerful men are saying (making up) about WWX versus when daughter-of-a-servant MianMian does the same. However, I find it weird to frame that as LWJ “getting away” with something--with his character, it’s more like he is able to have an opinion or stand up against injustices with less chances of getting punished and ridiculed for it.

Now, if it is about Jiang Cheng, it is kind of a myopic argument to be saying that LWJ “gets away” with “publicly hating JC”. First because by that point JC is technically even higher in the social hierarchy, being a literal Sect Leader. But it’s also weird to phrase this as “publicly hating JC”: LWJ is not running around badmouthing JC or the Jiang sect--the pettiest we see him is when he doesn’t silence LJY when he engages in gossip about JC. Instead we see LWJ standing up against JC when the situation calls for it, which is not the same. Of course, as JC does, it can be considered as an inherent ‘insult’ since it makes JC ‘lose face’ but I think there is a difference. And it’s not like JC does not get away with being impolite towards LWJ and the Lan sect, something we see at Dafan Mountain.

We know with the MXY altercation that JC was ready to kill him on sight for using modao (”Do you have any last words?”/“Break his legs? Haven’t I told you? If you see this sort of evil and crooked practice, kill the cultivator and feed him to your dogs!”). After LWJ intercepts, we have this exchange showing JC being impolite to a degree that prompts LJY to call him out for it, only bringing more disrespect for the Lans from JC:

He raised one brow and spoke, “Hanguang-Jun, you sure live up to your reputation of ‘being wherever the chaos is’. So, you had time to come to this remote area today?” [..] Right now, Jiang Cheng really didn’t seem too polite as he said the words in such a tone. Even the juniors who came following Lan Wangji did not seem comfortable hearing it.

Lan Jingyi spoke straightforwardly, “Isn’t Jiang-zongzhu here as well?”

Jiang Cheng replied grimly, “Tsk, do you really think that you should butt in when your seniors are conversing? The GusuLan Sect has always been known for its respectful conduct. Is this really how it teaches its disciples?”

It is imo more true to say that, due to LWJ’s higher and respected position in society, JC is not able to use his usual means of responding to someone challenging his decisions and thus making him lose face.This is again something we see during this altercation.

LWJ silences JL after he dismisses his mistreatment of other cultivators with the deity-binding nets. LWJ destroys the entirety of the diety-binding nets JC and JL were using to give JL an advantage over the other cultivators competing, something they were only able to do because of the Jiang and Jin sects considerable power and wealth. Is it daring of LWJ? Sure. Would he be able to do so without consequences if he was someone else? Probably unlikely, especially when we’re talking about JC. But is that ‘getting away’ with something? It’s literally the opposite scenario: LWJ is using his own status and capital to make it so that JL (and JC) are not getting away with what they are doing (although there are, in actuality, no consequences for their behaviours; they are just forced to give up on JL’s unfair advantages. Hell, LWJ even offers to pay for the nets he destroys, which I guess can also be taken as a baller move). What’s more, the novel even takes the time to point out that, if LWJ were not such a strong cultivator, JC might have pushed aside the risks of offending LXC and physically confronted him (let’s appreciate how this also serves as well-integrated exposition for their weapons).

Jin Ling’s grim expression was exactly the same as his uncle’s, “What can I do? It was their own fault for stepping into the traps. I’ll solve everything after I finish capturing the prey.”

Lan Wangji frowned. Jin Ling was about to speak again, but he suddenly realized that, shockingly, he could neither open his mouth nor make any sounds.

[...]

The man spoke in a low voice, “Not long ago, a blue sword flew over and destroyed the deity-binding nets that you had set up.”

Jiang Cheng glanced at Lan Wangji harshly, his displease plastered all over his face, “How many were broken?”

[...]

Although four hundred deity-binding nets were a whopping price, it wasn’t too much for the YunmengJiang Sect. Nonetheless, losing the nets were a small matter, but losing face was not. With Lan Wangji’s actions, Jiang Cheng felt a whirlpool of anger at the bottom of his heart, rising higher by every second. He narrowed his eyes, his left hand casually stroking the ring on his right hand’s index finger.

[...]

However, after stroking it for a while, Jiang Cheng compelled himself to restrain his hostility.

Although he was displeased, as the leader of a sect, he needed to take more things into consideration, which meant that he couldn’t be as impulsive as Jin Ling. After the fall of the QingheNie Sect, among the Three Great Sects, the LanlingJin Sect and the GusuLan Sect were quite close due to the personal relationship between the two leaders. By leading the YunmengJiang Sect alone, he was already in an isolated situation among the three. Hanguang-Jun, or Lan Wangji, was quite a prestigious cultivator, while his elder brother Zewu-Jun, or Lan Xichen, was the leader of the GusuLan Sect. The two brothers had always been on good terms with each other. It was best to not openly dispute with Lan Wangji.

Also, Jiang Cheng’s sword, “Sandu (三毒, Sāndú),” had never made actual contact with Lan Wangji’s sword, “Bichen,” and it was not yet decidable whose hands would the deer die on. Although he owned the powerful ring, “Zidian (紫电 Zǐdiàn),” a family heirloom of his, Lan Wangji’s guqin, “Wangji”, was also known for its abilities. The thing that Jiang Cheng hated the most was to be disadvantageous during a fight. Without complete confidence in his success, he would not consider fighting with Lan Wangji.

Now if it is about Su She, again what does LWJ truly do?

He silences him in the Demon-slaughtering cave? Although we’d be hard-pressed to believe LWJ respects Su She after what he’s seen him do in the Xuanwu Cave, the guy is literally trying to get everyone there killed and being a smartass to WWX while at it. And if it had been extremely disrespectful of him, LQR could have lifted the spell--something once again that the novel points out. When it dissolves into a game of calling out between the MolingSu sect and the GusuLan sect, LWJ does not say anything, even if, as LJY points out, Su She was imitating him. It’s only when WWX starts going that LWJ takes part by acquiescing to the truths WWX lays out (which are, yes, damning for the Su She and the MolingSu sect). But again, there are layers to what WWX is doing: he’s not only trying to expose what is going on, but anger Su She into revealing he still has his spiritual powers as proof of what he has worked out. So while WWX and LWJ are being by some measures disrespectful, there is a point to how they are going at it.

Touching his chin, he grinned, “Well I was worried that you’d get mad if I asked him too many things in front of you, wasn’t I? But since you’ve told me to ask him already, I’ll go ahead and ask. Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji, “Mn.”

Wei Wuxian, “The MolingSu Sect was a sect that branched off from the GusuLan Sect, right?”

Lan Wangji, “Mn.”

Wei Wuxian, “Although it branched off, the MolingSu Sect’s techniques still used the GusuLan Sect’s techniques ‘as reference’, right?”

Lan Wangji, “Yes.”

Wei Wuxian, “One of the GusuLan Sect’s techniques, the Sound of Vanquish, has the effect of exorcising evil. Amongst them, the seven-stringed guqin was the most powerful, and so there is the greatest number of people who cultivate through the guqin. The MolingSu Sect did the same, and the guqin is the most common in their sect as well, is that correct?”

Lan Wangji, “That is correct.”

Wei Wuxian, “Although the MolingSu Sect’s leader left the GusuLan Sect with knowledge of its techniques when he founded his own sect, is own guqin skills weren’t anything special, and the disciples he taught often make many mistakes too, right?”

Lan Wangji answered with honesty, “Yes.”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji went on back and forth, speaking as though nobody was around. More and more people realized that they weren’t only mocking Su She, but rather taking something apart. Thus, they began to listen more carefully.

Next, Wei Wuxian slowed down, “… And that means, even when a section of the battle melodies that the MolingSu Sect played when killing corpses on Mass Grave Hill was wrong, the GusuLan Sect wouldn’t find it unusual, and only think that they made a mistake because of their inferior techniques and remembered the sheet music wrong, not taking the time to notice whether it was an accidental mistake or a mistake on purpose. Is this the case?”

Hearing the last question, Su She’s pupils shrunk. The hand he placed on the hilt of his sword was suddenly lined with veins. The blade of the sword was already half-an-inch unsheathed. On the other hand, Lan Wangji lifted his eyes at the same time. Both Wei Wuxian and he saw the sense of understanding in each other’s eyes.

He stated one word at a time, “This is the case.”

Su She unsheathed his sword with a clang. Wei Wuxian moved the blade of the sword to the side with two fingers and smiled, “What are you doing? Don’t forget. You’ve lost all your spiritual powers. Would threatening me like this do anything?”

Sword raised in his hand, Su She could neither attack nor put it down. He clenched his teeth, “Aiming at me for so long—just what are you trying to imply?”

As much as we love to talk about LWJ’s hidden sass and pettiness, he does not seem to ever be disrespectful without a reason, and it’s usually in the process of standing up for others. Reading his character as an illustration of a man in a position of privilege and power getting away with things is a little bit of a reach--particularly when JC is literally right there.

#mdzs meta #lwj #jc #mdzs

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biwenqing · 4 years ago

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Congrats on the milestone 🎉🎉🎉 if you're talking prompts, could you write either 6 or 27 as a post sunshot fic jc wants wwx safe so he arranges a political marriage, for him and whoever it is (lwj) would have to marry into the jiang sect.

Thank you so so much for sending this! I really adore this idea for an AU and I hope I did it justice. Sorry for the delay in getting it up, I hope you enjoy it! Prompt: “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Jiang Cheng kept his eyes focused on Lan Xichen. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle Lan Wangji's reaction to what he had to say. "He'll agree to the match because he believes he is taking our sister's place."

"He is very selfless." Lan Wangji was the one who spoke, and Jiang Cheng had to look at him. He liked to think they are friends, of a sort, having spent those three months together searching for Wei Wuxian together. "But you want this for his safety?"

"Yes," Jiang Cheng said. "I don't like what I have heard the other sect leaders say about him. Besides you, of course." And here he nodded to Lan Xichen, who gave him a pleasant smile. "I believe if he is married to someone well thought of, it will not only bring our sects closer but bring to ease some of the other's minds."

"I know many songs that may help him, and I can learn additional ones." Lan Wangji leaned forward a bit, almost seeming eager to prove himself. To prove that he could keep Wei Wuxian safe.

Lan Xichen lifted his hand to signal they both should stop for a moment. "You’re asking my brother to move to Lotus Pier, are you not?"

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to say, yes of course but saw something in Lan Xichen's eyes that caused him to pause. He swallowed some shame for not thinking of it sooner. Here Jiang Cheng was trying to save his brother and rebuild while asking Lan Xichen to give up his brother when the Cloud Recesses were in just as much need as Lotus Pier.

He took a deep breath, and straightened, giving his words the proper attention they were due. "Yes, I am."

Lan Xichen nodded, eyes already strangely sad, before looking towards Lan Wangji. "Lan Zhan, would this be acceptable to you?"

"Yes." Lan Wangji didn't take the same time to think this over.

Ah. Lan Xichen knew that his brother would agree, no matter what was asked of him. "Would it be acceptable for Lan Wangji to travel to Lotus Pier in three months' time?" Lan Xichen asked next.

Jiang Cheng nodded. "More time can be taken, if needed for both sects to rebuild and prepare."

"Three months," Lan Wangji said, rather forcefully.

"I will need to talk to Wei Wuxian as well," Jiang Cheng said.

Lan Wangji frowned ever so slightly, "You had not already?"

"In a general concept, yes," Jiang Cheng sighed. It had been an easy conversation when he had framed it as either Jiang Yanli would need to marry or Wei Wuxian would.

Lan Wangji was always hard to read, and now it seemed he had purposefully closed himself off. He cleared his throat though, and Lan Xichen was watching his brother in a way to signal Lan Wangji wanted to speak. Jiang Cheng wouldn't interrupt him.

"May I be the one to tell Wei Ying?"

Jiang Cheng blinked. He was personally not looking forward to that conversation, not with how distant and strange his brother had been since his return. "Yes, that is fine with me."

Lan Wangji nodded and stood, bowed to Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng, before slipping out of the rooms.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Lan Xichen said softly once his brother was gone.

"He's in love with Wei Wuxian," Jiang Cheng stated, fiddling with his teacup.

"Yes." Lan Xichen brushed his hand against the table, just as absent. "I don't want to see my brother hurt any more than you do yours."

Jiang Cheng sighed. "I believe his feelings are returned. Or at least they were. Wei Wuxian wouldn't shut up when we were studying in Gusu. Everything was "Lan Zhan this, Lan Zhan that"." Jiang Cheng had a small laugh at a memory.

Lan Xichen gave a laugh as well. "It was the same from this side. Maybe they are rather well matched. I guess now only time will tell."

(...)

Since Wei Wuxian had woken up, he had a lot to deal with. There was a darkness lurking in this victory that it didn't have anything to do with his cultivation. He watched as the Jin seemed to pick up from where the Wen left off, stepping in like cruelly was a set of robes that fit them nicely.

He had no interest in pandering to them the way that Jiang Cheng was. Removing himself from affairs was probably the best course of action. Wei Wuxian would need to find an excuse to do the same once they returned to Lotus Pier.

There was no room for him to be the first disciple. His family was safe for now. Wei Wuxian had done what he needed to do, best to fade into the background. Too bad his mouth hadn't seemed to catch on to this logic. He couldn’t stand by what was wrong.

And then Jiang Cheng had come and presented Wei Wuxian with an issue. In their weakened state, the Jiang sect needed allies. The best way to achieve this was to marry off one of his siblings. What that now meant for Wei Wuxian, it seemed best not to think about it until he had to.

Lurking in the shadows outside of the main paths, trying to mind his own business, Wei Wuxian was surprised when he heard his name being called.

"Lan Zhan, how'd you find me?" Wei Wuxian offered the smile that felt like a mask at this point. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled for real.

"Wei Ying is predictable." The answer was flat, but Wei Wuxian thought he might still know Lan Wangji enough to say he was joking with him.

"Ha, so mean to me, Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian rested his hands casually on chenqing. Lan Wangji didn't seem to fear it, or him, the ways the other did.

"I come with information," Lan Wangji said instead of acknowledging Wei Wuxian's teasing.

Wei Wuxian straightened. "What is it?"

Lan Wangji seemed to weigh his next words with extra caution. "Your brother approached mine to discuss building stronger alliances."

Wei Wuxian felt as if those words didn't make sense, even if the meaning was perfectly clear. But that would mean...

Lan Wangji shifted nervously, a tick he would normally be able to hide. "You and I are to be betrothed," he clarified to Wei Wuxian’s silence

"Oh," Wei Wuxian managed. He had thought he had forgotten what it was to feel, but suddenly he had a lot of emotions to shift through. "Oh." He took a step towards Lan Wangji, taking his wrist. Lan Wangji was watching him closely, almost leaning into his space. "Lan Zhan, they can't force you to do that."

Lan Wangji showed more expression in the next moment than Wei Wuxian had ever been able to get out of him before, even in their student days. "Want to."

Wei Wuxian let out a breath. "What?"

"Not forcing me, I want to," Lan Wangji’s stare was so heavy, Wei Wuxian thought he could feel it brushing against him.

"W-what?" Wei Wuxian couldn't have heard him right. Maybe once it could have been possible, but now...

Lan Wangji turned the arm that Wei Wuxian was holding onto his wrist loosely, turning it until his hand was holding Wei Wuxian. "Want to."

"Once I thought of you as my soulmate in this life..." Wei Wuxian admitted, knowing his cheeks were hot but feeling he had to say something into the silence that followed. Even if he was a coward and couldn't meet Lan Wangji's eyes.

Lan Wangji reached out, resting a hand on Wei Wuxian's chin to tilt it back up. "I still am," Lan Wangji said the words so surely that Wei Wuxian almost believed him. But Lan Wangji didn't know what Wei Wuxian now was...

"When are we to be married?" Wei Wuxian asked as Lan Wangji took his hand away. He wouldn’t hold Wei Wuxian in place even as Wei Wuxian longed for that warmth but didn't chase it. He kept his eyes on Lan Wangji's now.

"Unsure, but I will move to Lotus Pier in three months' time."

"Aiyah.” Too soon. “We can extend that if you want."

Lan Wangji's frown grew deeper. "No. Three months. Wei Ying... Does this make you unhappy?"

"Lan Zhan, I'm not good enough for you," Wei Wuxian stepped away. "I don't want you to make this mistake."

"It is not a mistake unless it will not make Wei Ying happy."

"Lan Zhan, you are too good," Wei Wuxian turned back for a moment.

"It is Wei Ying who is this," Lan Wangji said, before bowing slightly. "I will leave you to talk to your brother. But I hope you will decide..."

The words ‘to be with me’ hung in the air between them as they parted.

[...]

It was Jiang Yanli who Wei Wuxian sought first. He didn't know what he would do if he tried to talk to Jiang Cheng right now. She listened to him as he explained all that had just happened, nodding here and there. There was a little smile that came to her face towards the end as Wei Wuxian found he had run out of words. He didn't know what else to say and didn't like the feeling.

Jiang Yanli reached out and patted his head as if he were still little. "A-Xien, how long have you been in love with Lan Wangji?" she said, her tone almost teasing.

Wei Wuxian felt his eyes go wide.

"I know you," Jiang Yanli murmured. "Why are you so scared, a-Xien?"

"I don't want to hurt him," Wei Wuxian admitted. "Or you. Or Jiang Cheng."

"We don't want you to be hurt." Jiang Yanli took his hands in her own. She always looked so small compared to him now, and it was jarring from when they were kids. He felt like he would always be looking up to his shijie. "I believe Lan Wangji wants to help you."

"He wants to fix me," Wei Wuxian huffed. That hurt more than he wanted to say.

"No, I think he wants to help you," Jiang Yanli said as if she were coaxing him to eat the food he didn't want to as a kid. "He just doesn't have a very obvious way of showing it."

"Like Jiang Cheng."

Jiang Yanli laughed at that. "Yes, though a-Cheng likes to... express his feelings loudly."

Wei Wuxian managed a single laugh at that. “He does. I think he’s doing what’s best.”

“I think he’s certainly trying,” Jiang Yanli said. “Let people help you, a-Xien.”

[...]

Rebuilding was hard work that ate up day after day.

Before Wei Wuxian knew it, the time came to expect Lan Wangji at Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian had spent his days doing what he could to help, often going in the fields where no one would ask him to cultivate. He spent a lot less of his free time drinking than he had originally planned.

He needed to make sure everything was set up for Lan Wangji. The private rooms he had been granted were bigger than the ones he used to have. Jiang Cheng was insistent of Wei Wuxian's place on Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian should be made happy by this, but all he could feel was a hole and the ache of inadequacy.

And yet Lan Wangji wanted to marry him anyway. He had received several letters from his betrothed. The most recent one he carried with him since it had arrived:

[Wei Ying,

In five days I will follow this message to you. I bring with me some of my possessions but also a gladness in my heart to see you once again. I know you still might not believe it or even feel the same way, but I do wish to remind you.

I look forward to observing the lotuses and to spending more time with you and your family. But mostly I look forward to seeing you and I hold hope you feel the same.

Your soulmate,

Lan Zhan]

That was how he always signed.

Wei Wuxian read the words in spare moments, trying to believe them. Because there was a part of him that was excited to see Lan Wangji, that longed to see him. But the other part, the one that never wanted others to be hurt, told him to hide.

To which Jiang Yanli had told him, "You'll hurt him for sure if you hide your feelings." She was his true conscience, the only person he still felt he knew where he stood.

Wei Wuxian knew there wasn't much else he could do. If Lan Wangji was going to be taken from his home, to be stuck here with Wei Wuxian, then he needed to make sure everything was as perfect as possible. He made sure the rooms they were to share were well organized, a mix of pale purples and whites. There was a nice writing desk, open windows onto the lotuses. He wanted it to feel enough like home that Lan Wangji wouldn't resent it.

Wouldn’t grow to resent him.

[...]

"It is beautiful, Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said, as they sat across from each other. "Thank you for showing me around."

Wei Wuxian offered a smile that was almost real. It hadn't taken long for him to relax around Lan Wangji, to fall into familiar patterns of teasing and talking. "I'm glad you like it."

"Mn," Lan Wangji looked out the window. The sun was setting, making the water around the lotuses look the color of fire.

"It's my favorite time of day," Wei Wuxian murmured, looking at the way Lan Wangji's face glowed with warmth in the light.

"Maybe there is a song to be written," Lan Wangji mused.

"I’ve never thought of that," Wei Wuxian glanced over at where chenqing rested. He knew it was more than just a weapon, but he wasn't sure anyone else did.

He was startled from his thoughts by Lan Wangji's hand on his own. It brushed against his skin, not just the clothing around his wrist. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Wei Wuxian knew there was a change here, a change in who they were to each other. So much had changed already that it was frightening, even if it was something he expected. Yet he had always expected it would be a fracturing, going down two different paths. As he looked from their hands to Lan Wangji's eyes, he knew that he felt that change too.

He didn't pull away, didn’t listen to the part of him that begged him to. It knew that if he let Lan Wangji in, being rejected by him for the cultivation Wei Wuxian had to use, for his coreless body, would hurt that much more. But maybe... maybe...

If Lan Wangji said he wasn't going to hurt him, he was telling the truth.

"I trust you," Wei Wuxian whispered. "But I need you to trust me."

Lan Wangji's hand tightened slightly. "I trust and will help Wei Ying."

"But I get to say when I need help," Wei Wuxian said, holding up a finger.

"Indeed," and then Lan Wangji smiled ever so slightly, and Wei Wuxian knew he had never seen anything more beautiful. "Unless your sister tells me otherwise."

"Ah!" Wei Wuxian pointed with his free hand. "Lan Zhan! You’re laughing at me!"

"No," Lan Wangji said, his eyes twinkling way too much for that to be the case. "Just finding the logical conclusion."

Wei Wuxian huffed but nodded. "Fine. But only shijie gets to overrule me! Don't listen to a thing Jiang Cheng says."

"Mn. Never have."

Wei Wuxian found himself doubling over with laughter. It was the kind of laughter that filled him where he had only felt empty for so long. A warmth pushing back the cold.

#wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #lan xichen #the untamed #this too so much longer than expected because i wanted to do it justice AND life happened to explode #there are so many ways this AU could go but I thought exploring the beginning would be interesting #Longer fic would have lwj and jyl becoming close friends #also some how they still take yuan in #my fic #a talks #a answers #yunmeng-shuangjie #lwj on lotus pier

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crossdressingdeath · 4 years ago

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Okay the 8 part ask...I've kind of lost what I wrote, but based on what I remember, I was talking about how that famous 'JFM tells JC he doesn't understand the sect motto' scene wasn't really as bad as everyone says it is. And how that scene really wasn't some perfect showcase of JFM's neglect of JC/preference of WWX. Firstly, in analysing that scene you notice that JC gets jealous pretty much straight off the bat, as soon as his father says "well done" without much prompting.

2/8 [WWX fought] a legendary beast. I'd find it weird if he walked into that room and didn't offer some sort of praise, especially since that sort of thing would obviously be a big deal amongst cultivators. But even moving past that, when you look at the scene where JFM 'tells JC off'...JC starts lecturing WWX, telling him that he shouldn't have tried to play the hero. I don't know how much JFM actually knows about what went on, but assuming he knows the whole story, when you look at what WWX did -

3/8 helped protect an innocent person who might have DIED if he hadn't, and spoke up in defence of two prominent members of two very important sects...when you read the whole MianMian scene, it's actually kind of horrifying. Here's this girl, terrified for her life, desperately running around and looking for someone to help her, and everyone is just turning away from her. JC literally holds WWX back from even TRYING to help - and instead it's JZX and LWJ who decide to help her, two people who

4/8 had just as much to lose as JC did. And then WWX spoke up, to help MianMian, and to help JZX and LWJ, because he's the type of person who is not just going to stand back and watch someone being unfairly killed. So, back to the JC-JFM scene, JFM obviously finds this behaviour commendable, and since even the supposedly spoiled Jin heir would risk himself to protect someone in that situation, I don't find it that strange that many people would approve of WWX's actions. JC, in telling WWX

5/8 that he shouldn't have played the hero, is basically saying that WWX should have let MianMian, JZX and LWJ die. So JFM intervening at that point is not unfair or inappropriate. And just look at the scene - "Jiang FengMian didn’t look as if he was blaming him of anything but his expression had turned from calm to more solemn, “Do you know in which ways what you just said is not appropriate?” - JFM isn't being unfair here, he's being a father! He's letting his son know when he has said

6/8 something wrong, because that's the type of thing a parent SHOULD do in this situation! You don't condemn your child, but you do let them know why their behaviour is inappropriate so they can learn from their actions. And that is exactly what's JFM is doing here. He tells JC some things can't be said in anger, and the whole "not understanding their motto" is him trying to get JC to understand the values that are important in their sect and that by acting this way he's not upholding

7/8 them. Again, he's not being overly harsh about this, he's just trying to teach his son a lesson, and it's an important lesson for the sect heir to learn. And things seem to be fine until YZY enters the scene. All of a sudden, she's twisting this situation into something it's not, and of course that is what truly gets to JC, like it always does, because he believes his mother's words when she says JFM thinks of him a certain way. We don't see that through JFM's actions, but we see it

8/8 through her words. And later, when JC says things like "he doesn't like mom, and so he doesn't like me" - those are things his MOTHER has taught him. All that talk about JFM, these aren't things we see any proof of in the text. And really, whenever we have a scene with JFM, we basically have YZY hijacking it moments later and...I think that just makes it very hard to see what's actually going on. But I don't think this scene is what some people seem to think it is.

(The stuff in [brackets] is my addition, just for the sake of clarification.)

Yeah! JFM isn’t scolding JC for not being as good as WWX, or even just for being willing to let people die; he’s scolding him for lecturing WWX, who has just woken up after falling unconscious for days if I remember right after defeating a legendary beast. He’s pointing out to JC that lecturing WWX for saving lives isn’t appropriate and, in fact, goes against the central value of their sect, which the future sect leader should understand and embody when possible. Even aside from the contents of the lecture, WWX nearly died. Even if WWX had been in the wrong, JC shouldn’t have been lecturing him! JFM should be telling JC off, here. He’s doing his job as a father and telling JC that what he’s doing isn’t okay. That’s what he should do here. He’s saying 1. that JC shouldn’t leave someone to die to appease WC when the sects are already gearing up for war and 2. JC shouldn’t lecture his older brother who nearly died for choosing not to let people die. This is a good thing. He’s trying to instill morals in JC; isn’t that one of his primary duties, as a parent? Teaching his child what is right and what is wrong? But then YZY comes in and twists it into “He just likes WWX better” and that’s all JC, and the fandom, sees after that. It’s actually impressive; in the space of a few lines, she completely flips the situation from a father teaching his son that certain actions are not appropriate for someone in their position to a father cruelly reprimanding his son for not being the best. And people believe it. JFM isn’t the best parent in the story, but he’s really demonized by the fandom... and he’s demonized by the fandom because of the words of the actively abusive half of the Jiang parents.

#mdzs #cql #jiang fengmian #anon #asks

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imaginaryelle · 5 years ago

Text

Wei Wuxian, Mutism and Non-Verbal Communication

I am making a fresh post because I’ve been having issues with asks and especially read mores in asks, and this post is definitely going to require that. So. (edit: this is now also available to read on AO3!)

@tamyourue asked:

For the prompt request thingy - I'm a Sign nerd, and I've read quite a few mute!lwj, which is not that surprising. But what about a mute!wwx? I think it would be interesting to explore that with the way his family and lwj would handle it, if he was either born this way or acquired a disability later in life. How would HE handle it, being such a lively and talkative person? I planned on writing a fic of the sort but you do awesome meta, and another person's pov would be really fascinating to me.

Thank very much for asking! This immediately grabbed my brain and yanked me face-first into headcanons and possibility permutations. I’m going to try to focus on something more meta-style since you mention that (and aw <3 thank you! I have lots of fun writing my meta so I’m glad you like it!), but if you write fic on this topic I would love to see it. I am 100% certain you know more about sign language than me (I know very little but this whole thing has rekindled my interest in learning, if you have suggestions for resources!) so please do correct me if I make some erroneous statements or assumptions here. Also, I feel like I should note here that I got a little carried away (this is ~7k folks) and some of the things here are probably ideas you’ve already thought about as general concepts of non-verbal communication. I’ve included them anyway because they helped me process all my other thoughts. As always, I welcome additional input on my meta.

Okay so first off, I did some research, because I love research. (Possibly this should go without saying, and I’m sure you yourself already know this, but just in case, for general context and because this is a public post: I do think it’s important to treat things like this—any form of disability or illness or othering—with respect for the real life people who deal with it every day. Let’s not romanticize these things, right? Or just use it to woobify or infantilize characters or write disability tragedy porn? And let’s do make sure we’re doing our research and consuming media (essays, blog posts, videos, etc) created by those people about their experience? Good? Good.) Some non-comprehensive sources I consulted:

This masterlist of resources (includes deaf, mute and blind character writing resources compiled from real life experiences—trigger warning on the “21 People Reveal” link: trauma, depression, rape mention)

This I Am Mute AMA on reddit

This British Psychological Society Research Digest on adults who experience selective mutism (in their own words)

Wikipedia’s Mutism page (I promise the link is there), which lists various conditions that can lead to someone not being able to speak

I also attempted to research a bit about the history of sign language in China, but most of what I found was either comparison to ASL (here’s a video on family terms) or the fact that there are two different sign languages: a literary sign language that reflects written Chinese, and a natural sign language. Also most of what I found was focused more on the Deaf community. The history of mute people in China turned up even fewer results, unfortunately, so if anyone knows good sources for that, let me know!

Jumping off all of that, things that matter for writing a Wei Wuxian who is mute: is Wei Wuxian the only mute person he knows? Are there other mute or deaf people around who use any kind of sign language? When did he become mute? How? Is it physical or psychological? Full-on cannot speak at all or selective based on environment? And is this more novel-verse, or more drama-based? (This meta is going to reference the drama more than the novel, primarily because we get to see body language and some relationships are more fleshed out, but I believe most points should work for both canons.) Questions to be answered on an individual fic basis, of course, but let’s consider some possibilities.

Character-wise, one of the biggest things here for me is that Wei Wuxian hates being ignored. It’s not exactly that he needs to be the center of attention at every single moment, but he’s a showman. Even if the protagonist of the story was someone else, he’d still be there, attracting attention and calling people out on unfairness and generally being that combination of nuisance and talented genius that we love. And he already lives in a world where he can be silenced and isolated—people drown him out, talk over him and dismiss him on a regular basis in canon, and of course there’s the Lan Clan silencing spell.

Multiple people (especially various Jin family members, but also Madam Yu and a few others) use social class and rumor and perceptions of power to shut him down throughout the story, even though he is entirely capable of speaking and often doesn’t keep quiet when it might be beneficial for him to do so. Being mute is only going to exaggerate that ability for others to disregard him, but he’s still going to be that dramatic, fiercely opinionated guy, even if he can’t communicate verbally. He tries to talk through the silencing spell practically every time it’s put on him as it is (and really, what is the Lan Clan going to do to him if he already can’t speak? That spell now becomes a totally useless punishment for him). He’s still going to disrupt Lan Qiren’s class and volunteer to show off and make noise and draw attention to himself. He might be ignored more easily, and consequently get frustrated more often, but he’s still going to do it, because being dutifully silent or nonreactive for more than a single conversation pretty much means just not being Wei Wuxian. So how does he communicate?

I do think it matters here, when he becomes mute and whether it’s selective or not. If he’s born unable to speak, or develops muteness in early childhood (say, after his parents die but before Jiang Fengmian takes him in), I think he’d develop his methods of communication in different ways than if it were to happen later. In the case of childhood mutism I think he’s more likely to use (or develop) actual sign language, and to depend on other people (such as his siblings) to speak aloud for him in some situations. I mostly base that on 1) the trust-building between him, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli in those early-life flashbacks 2) how much more often he talks to merchants than anyone else (more on that later) and 3) how much nonverbal communication he uses already (it’s a lot. He’s very expressive). If he becomes mute as a teen or adult, I think he’ll deal with a lot more like he deals with the loss of his golden core: deflection of worry, insistence on independence as much as possible, and lots of inventive solutions (but still lots of body language, of course).

Okay, with those trends in mind, here are some general possibilities (in no particular order) that mix real world tactics and mdzs setting specifics and can be applied to a variety of situations:

1. As mentioned above, he might use expressions, body language, generally understood gestures or actions. Wei Wuxian tends to be pretty physically expressive in canon already, so this is likely to be his first instinct when he reaches for communication tools. Let’s look at another silencing spell gif.

Wei Wuxian is extremely expressive every time this is used on him. He makes faces. He waves his arms. He stomps and grabs at people. Where other people hit with this technique frown and look confused and touch their lips or neck, Wei Wuxian complains. He pouts. He makes a production out of how much he hates it. His moods, in general, tend to involve his entire body. So I take that as pretty strong evidence that gestures, facial expressions and miming are going to play a pretty big role in his communication style. Here is a fun youtube video for CSL of the Tortoise and the Hare story, which I think has bearing on how much he could get away with just using his face and miming. Making faces and grabbing Lan Wangji’s wrist or sleeve isn’t going to change here, and he might in fact get even handsier, if that’s possible. As a cultivator, Wei Wuxian would have access to a level of physical adroitness that most people don’t, which could also tie in to how he uses his body to communicate. In general, these are things that are going to make it difficult for him to hide his identity after his resurrection if he’s mute beforehand, but they help a lot with conveying basic ideas so they’re definitely going to be involved somehow, no matter what else he does. Something of a contrast to stories about Lan Wangji and muteness, perhaps.

2. He might communicate through his siblings/other people. Jin Zixuan gets by with saying extremely little because he almost always has other people around who are more than willing to speak for him. Jiang Cheng, pre-Sunshot Campaign, does some of the same (he’s so surprised to be called on and have to speak for himself during that first victory banquet), and of course we sometimes see this play out between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian in canon already: Wei Wuxian will voice things that Lan Wangji is feeling or agrees with, but is unwilling to actually say. So it’s conceivable that Wei Wuxian could get a lot of communication done by having his siblings or close friends (depending on where in the timeline the story takes place) speak for him, as he communicated with them via some other method (at its most basic just an understanding of his pov and what he would want to say, extending into body language, personal signs or sign language, notes, etc.). The best candidate for this is going to be Jiang Yanli, as we do see her stand up and speak for him in drama canon, when people start questioning whether their being alone together is appropriate. I think Jiang Cheng would do his best, but he’d also be inconsistent about it sometimes in situations where he didn’t think it was important or didn’t agree with Wei Wuxian, because he can be a moody dick when he wants to be and he’s not that great at talking himself. I forsee lots of brotherly shoulder punches and slaps upside the head. So many. More than usual. Jiang Fengmian might do a little, as might other Jiang Clan disciples (they certainly seem to like Wei Wuxian well enough to try).

As you might be able to tell, I think this method of communication is much more likely to be used if he’s mute while growing up. If he’s injured as an adult, or loses the ability to speak after he’s resurrected, he’s going to have to build all this context from scratch and it’s going to be much more difficult for this method to work smoothly. It could still work to a certain extent, but it probably won’t be as fluid. On the other hand, if Wei Wuxian was mute as a child, he’d likely be almost immediately recognizable to anyone who regularly interacted with him before his death, especially in the drama, where he has the same body. Jiang Cheng won’t have a moment of doubt when Zidian fails to banish Wei Wuxian’s invading spirit from Mo Xuanyu’s body, because he’ll have had that particular flick of two fingers or turn of a hand with accompanying scowl, etc., acted out in front of him every day for over a decade, and Wei Wuxian will have a much more difficult time hiding that, because it’s muscle memory as well as a form of communication. Which could be a very interesting plot development!

Another possible plot divergence is that if Jiang Yanli starts speaking for her brother at a younger age that might influence her to speak up more just in general, which could hugely affect the story. If she gets used to speaking for Wei Wuxian and herself (and even Jiang Cheng!) rather than letting Wei Wuxian step in as we often see him do, she might involve herself more actively in Sect politics. Which means that she’d likely be attending cultivation conferences more often. Which means that she could be in an incredibly powerful position when stuff starts going down with Wei Wuxian and the Wens. Jiang Cheng is young and stressed and insecure about his place. He doesn’t know how to say “yes, these people helped us, and they don’t deserve what you’re doing to them.” His instinct is to curl around what’s his and protect it, which is exactly what he was raised to do as the future Sect Leader of Lotus Pier. But Jiang Yanli cares about people because they’re people, in much the same way Wei Wuxian does (see: her treatment of Wen Ning during the wedding dress visit, as one example). If she’s at that conference and used to speaking out? She’s going to make a difference, because she has an excellent relationship with Jin Guangshan’s wife and his heir. Jin Zixuan is actively pursuing her at that point. She’s gentry, from a good family (unlike MianMian). She is right on the cusp of marrying into the Jin clan. If nothing else, she has enough influence that if she speaks out, Jiang Cheng will support her, and possibly others (such as Lan Xichen, sitting there looking uncomfortable but not saying anything as long as Wei Wuxian stands on his own). That could be a fun ripple effect to see played out.

3. He might communicate through music. This would be a fantastic place to use the Chinese literature technique of poetry allusions. Different songs or melodies might be associated with different lyrics, or plays, or poems, and so just a short musical phrase could convey a fairly complex (if sometimes more allegorical or symbolic) meaning. This particular method of communication might be most effective in conjunction with the Lans and Nie Huaisang just because they’d be more likely to make quick connections and respond to them without further explanation necessary, but in the right circumstances it could work for most cultivators, since they seem to pride themselves on their literacy. I’m still just barely dipping my toes into this stuff so I don’t have any concrete examples here, but I think it could be a lot of fun to incorporate more music into Wei Wuxian’s life before Chenqing, since he certainly learned to play the dizi somewhere before that whole coreless-in-a-death-trap adventure, and also I think travels with Lan Wangji and the juniors might be fun with some musical references peppered in. Which I might keep in mind even for fics where Wei Wuxian is not mute.

This next song compares Jin Zixun to all the fools of history and legend and finds him lacking.

4. Talismans! Wei Wuxian, being Wei Wuxian, seems to like to use talismans both to get attention and to convey meaning even when he doesn’t have any particular difficulty speaking in canon (I adore the butterfly talisman, okay, I will never be over it). And using talismans doesn’t necessarily mean conveying ideas in words, even though magical glowy writing can very cool.

[insert image of Wei Wuxian writing on his palm, clapping his hands together and then separating them reveal a glowy orange insult to Jin Zixuan’s ego held between them because he’s blunt like that sometimes]

Again, symbols and poetic allusions could be used. Whole landscapes, steaming bowls of soup, he could run wild with his artistic talents. Also he’d probably be able to figure out a sort of magical white-board situation with writing and erasing and re-writing script easily, though it would consume spiritual power of one type or another so it might be more difficult for him to pull off for a longer conversation, or after he’s lost his golden core (there’s another fun plot hook to play with: figuring out new ways to communicate as well as necromancy during the Sunshot Campaign). We do see him erase a talisman in the drama during the Yi City stuff, so that’s very nearly canon already. Basic writing would also be an option here (as we see Song Lan use) but I think the frustrations of needing ink and a brush or writing on the ground and everything would get to him pretty fast—Wei Wuxian is not a very patient person most of the time, so unless it’s actual letter-writing or a book of pre-set phrases he carries with him (probably a good idea for emergencies anyway) I don’t think that’s going to be his go-to.

Another talisman option is: let’s not forget that Wei Wuxian is a genius inventor! He could do so many things with cultivation. To pull from a real world technology example: Maybe he makes a talisman he can wrap around his throat that will convey the vibrations of his vocal chords (provided he has fully developed ones of course). Maybe he combines talismans and fireworks to get attention and write sparkly messages at the same time. To pull from things already in the canon: Maybe he uses Empathy for really important situations. Maybe he can literally steal other people’s voices momentarily, as he does control of bodies, or, post-Burial Mounds, maybe he can speak through the voices of spirits and fierce corpses. How freaking creepy would those be? One is like the reverse of the Lan Clan silencing spell: you can’t speak, but I can use your voice, potentially out of your own mouth. The other is just going to make traditional cultivators break out in hives: Wei Wuxian showing up to the war and every time he wants to speak he summons a fierce corpse or a ghost to scream his thoughts into annoying people’s faces.

Those last two aren’t going to win him any friends but oh wow do they look fun.

Imagine Wei Wuxian roasting Su She and exposing his whole plan in Su She’s own voice.

One last thing here that just occurred to me: Wei Wuxian has on at least one occasion in the drama used the paperman to talk to someone. He does it with Wen Qing, to ask if there’s any way she can arrange a break for Lan Wangji when he’s walking on a broken leg. Is that a telepathy thing? Or a voice thing? And would his ability to do it be affected by his relationship with spoken words? Food for thought.

5. Context or partner-based signs. These would be signs he makes up or develops in conjunction with friends and family, but which are based on shared experience and reference points rather than a full sign language. Could be pretty much anything as long as they mean something to his audience, but are going to be useful mostly for those cases where he’s having a one-on-one conversation or trying to get someone else to verbalize for him in a larger group. Counting on fingers, waving, summoning, the three-finger swear Wei Wuxian uses on that rooftop during the Sunshot Campaign etc. would be examples of generally socially known gestures so this is mostly just an extension of that. I would like to think that he would have personalized sign nick-names for people, probably related to puns or in-jokes. This is a fun place to play with context and relationship complexity, because different people are going to have different levels of fluency in “Wei Wuxian.” Perhaps that’s part of the wedge that drives itself between him and Jiang Cheng even: after months on end with the Wens, Wei Wuxian has mannerisms and signs Jiang Cheng doesn’t know, which just make him feel even more distant from his brother.

6. He might use an actual established sign language of some kind, probably one usually used in trade contexts (because there are many dialects and languages in Ancient China so trade sign could very easily be a thing) unless you build more of a social network (and more general social acceptance) for mute and deaf people into the world. Which could totally happen! But if you don’t tweak the world-building then sign language as a language beyond trade sign is going to be minimally useful to most individuals who would need it, because they’re mostly going to be communicating with people who don’t use it (as can often happen in the real world, of course). I think a general-use sign language or trade sign + personal signs could be a lot of fun, especially between close family and friends (how much would especially drama!Wen Ning love that added level of connection and communication?)

Look at them. Look at this ridiculousness.

But outside of that it’s probably not going to be something anyone but especially kind souls will actually use with him beyond actual monetary transactions. This is not a canon that’s generally kind to people who are marked as different. Most of the big cultivators probably wouldn’t even learn much trade sign, especially not the Jins and Wens, because they have servants to negotiate prices for them if necessary, but the Jiangs might learn both because they’re closer to their trade-port commoners and for Wei Wuxian’s sake. Anyone who travels alone would want to know some, at least. Lan Wangji might know a little and learn more specifically to communicate with Wei Wuxian? Could go a lot of directions.

7. Clapping, tapping things together, stomping, whistling, and maybe laughter, vocal crying or screaming, humming and whispers. These methods of communication will depend a lot on why a character is mute and whether it’s physically or psychologically-based. Clapping, tapping, stomping and whistling should be generally possible; the rest depend on vocal chord development and certain nerves being functional. Interestingly, this means that Wei Wuxian still has total control over simple fierce corpses and spirits even if his vocal chords don’t work or are damaged. Which is cool. Clapping/tapping/stomping would allow him to engage in morse/chinese telegraph/tapping code styles of communication too, if such a thing exists in Ancient Fantasy China (Why not? They already have chilies and potatoes and fly on swords). A whistle code for night hunting would just be a useful thing in general, for everyone. Limited speech might also be a thing. In some cases of selective mutism people can speak with certain people (a feeling of safety seems to be a big factor, though sometimes I saw reports of people saying they could speak just fine if it was on stage/part of a theatre production but not for day-to-day stuff too), or at low volumes. This might be more taxing than other forms of communication, or not, depending on the specific situation. It might lead to things like Wei Wuxian being able to talk to his family and possibly close friends like Lan Wangji, but not in large groups or to “outsiders,” which might in turn lead to more resentment on some people’s parts and more accusations that he’s just being rude or arrogant, etc.

8. Fan code. Because it should exist, why is Nie Huaisang the only person in this canon with a fan. Should be remedied, obviously.

Think of the things he could be saying if he had anyone to talk to this way!

9. The telepathy spell from fighting the Tortoise of Slaughter. This is a drama-exclusive thing, and I love it! So much! But. Telepathy is a very common workaround for characters who are unable to use verbal language and personally I think it’s often used to just totally erase that non-verbal communication or any of the difficulties actual mute people experience. So. It might be more interesting, and more respectful for real people’s lived experience, to introduce some further obstacles. What are the spell’s limits? Distance? Duration? Can it involve more than two people? Does it consume energy from all parties or only the person who initiates it? Who knows it? Is it a Lan Clan specialty? Is it only for highly ranked disciples? Did Lan Wangji invent it? Do the Lan juniors know this spell? If they do, would they use it? If yes to both those last two questions, that eliminates a lot of barriers for resurrected Wei Wuxian. Both Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi seem like they would willingly (with varying levels of sass of course) take on the task of relaying Wei Wuxian’s thoughts, at least sometimes. But again, it matters when Wei Wuxian becomes mute, because language and how you communicate shapes how you think. What if one of them or Lan Wangji uses the spell, and Wei Wuxian’s thoughts don’t come across as direct words? How does that impact their ability to communicate in this way?

Also, I invite you to picture: Wei Wuxian is back from the dead. He has been reunited with Lan Wangji. He can’t talk, verbally, but he can speak with Lan Wangji telepathically. This is a new development related to his resurrection. Lan Wangji is now faced with a dilemma, because he kind of depends on Wei Wuxian to do all the talking in a number of situations as the plot moves forward. How do they maneuver those situations now? The confrontation of the second Burial Mounds siege? The reveal of Jin Guangyao’s crimes? Also, depending on how the spell works and their communication style before Wei Wuxian died, it’s totally possible that he now just has Wei Wuxian chattering at him inside his head rather constantly, to make up for the fact that he suddenly can’t speak aloud. How does that affect their changing relationship as they go on adventures?

A possible example of this scenario.

Okay, time for some character implications. You know that thing Wei Wuxian does where he has to prove that he is at least as good and usually better than everyone else at whatever he can manage even though he’s an orphaned child of non-gentry parents? Yeah. That’s probably going to get cranked up all the way past 11 to like, 17 or something. A lot. Because if Wei Wuxian can’t verbally speak in a culture where oratory is such an ingrained part of daily life and cultivator culture, a lot of people are going to use that to assume he’s also stupid or unskilled. We see repeated examples of Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng being disregarded or manipulated through their inability to give speeches the way other people do, and the ability to speak well is mentioned as a distinct and admirable ability in reference to both Jin Guangyao and Ouyang Zizhen. It’s something cultivator politics pretty much requires, after a certain point: the ability to speak, clearly and with authority. Not being able to is going to tick Wei Wuxian off to no end. Frequently. And also (I believe) add even more fuel to his “I’m better than you” antics.

He’s still going to be this dramatic asshole, and he’s still going to be better than Jin Zixuan.

Speech doesn’t affect any of those gentlemanly skills he’s learned (provided we assume he still ahs the opportunity to learn them). It doesn’t affect his archery, or his swordsmanship, or his cultivational power. I don’t think it would affect horsemanship, but it might depend on how the horse was trained and what sounds Wei Wuxian is able to make. But either way, with the skills he does have I think it’s possible he would flaunt them even more, especially in front of people he thinks look down on him. He might also get into more physical fights, since he already has a tendency to do that as is when he’s offended enough (most obviously illustrated by his Cloud Recesses confrontation of Jin Zixuan). He might just walk out of more conversations, as we saw him do during the Sunshot Campaign, even before he loses his gold core. He might get even more unconventional in his ideas even more quickly, because he doesn’t fit in as well from the start and never will. The appeal of becoming a rogue cultivator or trying to seek out Baoshan Sanren on his own might be pretty strong. Lots of canon divergence and AU possibilities there.

As far as inter-character relationships go, if he’s mute from childhood I don’t think his relationships with his adopted family would change a whole lot. Madam Yu is going to throw his muteness in his and everyone else’s faces on a regular basis because it’s another handle she can grab onto. Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli might be more protective of him, but I think their personal dynamic with him would remain largely the same. Same with Jiang Fengmian. Jiang Yanli might speak up more often and Jiang Cheng might be forced to develop more patience and eloquence at a younger age, which could certainly ripple out into bigger things over time if you wanted to go that direction. Similarly, Lan Sizhui might have vague memories/ an increased ability to pick up the meaning behind “Mo Xuanyu’s” gestures and signs, which in turn could lead to his own identity being revealed sooner as well. It really depends on how deep you want to go, and how far you want to spin things.

Wei Wuxian’s relationships with the rest of the cultivation world, on the other hand, might be drastically different from a younger age because there’s always going to be that hint there that he’s lacking something, even more than he already gets with his birth status. I could absolutely see it being used in a very similar way to how mentions of Jin Guangyao’s parentage are used. In addition, Wei Wuxian’s going to have a harder time charming his way through situations, because the pacing of his conversations is going to be different. A lot of people are going to avoid him even before he turns to demonic cultivation because they don’t want to deal with learning new ways to communicate, which might contribute to his desire to show off more often and more drastically. (Some people of course are going to hate him even more because of this, and say things that involve phrases like “despite his shortcomings” but they hate him anyway. So how much that increase in irritation affects plot would depend on how far you wanted to take it.) Many relationships (especially more superficial ones) might have to be built a little bit slower, or a little more indirectly. A single first meeting will make less of an immediate positive impact unless he develops some specific strategies. Is he going to be remembered? Absolutely. But he’ll have to work harder to be remembered as “that charming, skilled Wei kid” instead of “that mute guy from Yunmeng Jiang.” It’s definitely a challenge.

This pun-and-flirting-based conversation, for example, would be very difficult to pull off.

With Lan Wangji specifically… I think it could go a lot of directions. I do like to think that one of the things that he finds attractive about Wei Wuxian is that Wei Wuxian makes it obvious he wants to be around, and be friends, but he accommodates Lan Wangji’s moods and actions without the need for very many verbal cues. He pays attention. All the time. He reacts to everything Lan Wangji does, whether Lan Wangji is talking or not, and he wants Lan Wangji’s attention in return. They actually have a lot of non-verbal communication going on already. They click, on a certain level, especially in combat situations, and can convey a lot of communication without very many words. So I don’t think that part would change much. Maybe more whistles and gestures and music, but it already involves a lot of touching. Nor would that aspect of Lan Wangji trying to figure Wei Wuxian out change a lot—the puzzle part might even be intensified, which could be fun to play with and lead them to be closer from an earlier time, especially in the novel setting. What might change is that Lan Wangi might start picking up more of Wei Wuxian’s ways of expressing himself, because another part of what I personally see in their relationship is that Wei Wuxian is often a catalyst for Lan Wangji realizing he can approach a problem from a totally different angle. If Wei Wuxian uses music to communicate as well as in cultivation, Lan Wangji might pick that up, or he might pick up certain gestures (signs can sometimes be more efficient than spoken words, especially if someone is used to them, and I think that would appeal to Lan Wangji’s economy of expression), or ways to use talismans (as we see him use one of Wei Wuxian’s talismans as a distraction in the drama). So yeah, if Wei Wuxian is mute when they first meet I think they would develop some slightly different lines of communication, but overall the shape of their relationship would remain largely the same. (Exploring those slightly different lines could be a lot of fun, even so :D)

A lot of the things I’ve written here are primarily based in the idea that Wei Wuxian is mute in childhood. If Wei Wuxian lost the ability to speak as a teen or adult, that would be pretty different. His frustration levels would be even higher than if he was dealing with it most of his life, especially since, as I noted above, I don’t think he would have as much of a chance to build a working knowledge of signs with very many people, if anyone at all. If his reaction to being trapped at Burial Mounds and becoming first a war hero and then a social pariah are any indication, he’d be dramatic and angry about it, and probably actively use it as a blind to disguise his lack of a golden core as much as possible. I think in any case where he became mute after growing up speaking, his chosen methods of communication would be a lot more direct and voice- or writing-based, whether through use of resentment-fueled voice-borrowing or talismans and glowy writing, or inventions like the vocal chord vibration thing. He’s going to be much more resistant to relying on other people if he can at all avoid it, and much more impatient about round-about methods of communication like music. He’d probably also employ a lot of exaggerated facial expressions and emphatic (and probably often rude) gestures. His adulthood is pretty stressful to begin with, and this is only going to make it moreso.

For character reactions in that situation—I think there would be a lot of concern from his siblings and Lan Wangji, and depending on when it happened there might be a lot of connections drawn between his inability to speak and his adoption of demonic cultivation. (I see four major points where he might become mute as a teen/adult before his death, and they’re all pretty close together: 1) during the Wen indoctrination camp, 2) when he wakes up from his coma after fighting the Tortoise of Slaughter 3) when Lotus Pier is invaded and destroyed, 4) When Wen Chao captures him and throws him into the Burial Mounds. Potential option #5: in a battle during the Sunshot Campaign.) On the one hand, in these situations Wei Wuxian already has established relationships based mostly in respect with a lot of people, so he might meet with more patience (but also more pity) for a while. On the other, people like Jin Guangshan are absolutely not above using something like this to shut him out of politics entirely.

But okay, among people he actually likes: I think Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji would put in the most effort for actually communicating with him and helping him find ways to cope, as we see them do in the drama with the golden core situation. They and Jiang Cheng might possibly also narrow in focus pretty hard on finding a cure, if possible, since that falls in line with their reactions to his giving up the sword (something to be careful about in writing, as the difference between “magical cure” and “recovery through speech therapy” can be pretty important on a sensitivity level).

In a case of selective mutism—I think only Jiang Yanli would react well at first.

I cry over their relationship so much.

At this point Jiang Cheng is well and truly into his “why are you making my life harder” phase so Wei Wuxian being able to speak with him in private but not in public might start as a relief and then quickly become annoying as fuck. It might take Lan Wangji a while to figure out it’s even happening, especially if he’s one of the people Wei Wuxian still speaks aloud with. He might just think for a while that Wei Wuxian is trying to be better about controlling his mouth in public settings. But once he did figure it out, he’d probably adjust pretty quickly because he can relate to it a bit—we see him speak in small groups or one on one way more often than in more public stage situations, even though he is generally fully capable of speaking. I do think there would still be an undercurrent of worry there though, especially since at that point in his life Wei Wuxian is pretty close to spiraling out of control at the drop of a hat.

This sort of thing might be a lot more common.

Post-resurrection, Wei Wuxian himself would probably be really, really confused to suddenly be alive again but unable to speak. I think he’d spend some time going “wtf??” and then shoving his way into situations with wild hand gestures and body language and facial expressions. Think about that first confrontation in Mo Village, where he’s acting “mad”? That sort of exaggeration, and deliberately provocative physical contact maybe. He might play really annoying noises on grass or his poorly-made flute to get people’s attention. Whistling is highly probable. There’d probably also be some related depression, too. All of these things are obviously possibilities for if he developed mutism earlier of course, but I think if it came with the resurrection he’d have a lot more questions about it, and focus a lot more on being able to make noise at first.

I will make everyone else aware of my personal annoyance in any way possible.

He might end up doing more instead of trying to lead the Lan juniors to the correct conclusions, because he’s going to have way fewer communication tools than he would under other circumstances. He’d be less able to immediately insult Jin Ling at their first meeting, and less recognizable to Jiang Cheng. And once he met up with Lan Wangji, I think Lan Wangji would worry a lot about his silence in this case, because it’s so unlike him and they don’t know why it’s happened (unless Mo Xuanyu was already known to be mute). Finding a cure or a way to practice and build up speech again would be pretty high in both their priorities, I think, and Lan Wangji would watch Wei Wuxian a bit more closely, to make sure he stayed safe (because if this has changed, what else has changed?).

That oversight could influence the plot a fair amount. It might mean that they don’t catch Nie Huaisang at the Tomb of Blades. It might mean that Wei Wuxian tries to run away more often, or more determinedly, because he feels like he’s being smothered. It might significantly impact their ability to communicate during the Yi City fights in the fog, unless they’ve developed or adopted a whistle or clapping code by then. Wei Wuxian picks up on A-Qing’s tapping quickly enough that he’d probably come up with something a little more sophisticated, given time. They might spend a lot more time in the evenings and while traveling working on ways to communicate. Writing. Music. Empathy-the-technique. Establishing gestures and tapping codes, designing new talismans, etc. but for a while there Wei Wuxian is going to be extremely dependent on Lan Wangji (and possibly sometimes Lan Sizhui) to interpret and speak for him, which is a major change in their relationship that could be really interesting to explore. Does Lan Wangji start speaking out more often? Or does he employ intimidation or position or the silencing spell to make others wait for Wei Wuxian to communicate in other ways? How does that effect Wei Wuxian’s hidden identity? Does this experience resolve their friendship-to-lovers plot faster, or does it provide just provide even more opportunities for miscommunication?

The possibilities for fic are very nearly endless, I think, but my personal favorite options would be either something with the voice stealing and fierce-corpse-yelling (the consequences would be huge but individual moments could be very satisfying) or a fic focused on Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian working together, building new communication tools and deepening their relationship through shared context, because I am a Wangxian sap at heart <3.

#wei wuxian #the untamed meta #mdzs meta #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #chen qing ling #lan wangji #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #alex writes #alex writes meta

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aeternallis · 5 years ago

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Rant / Meta Analysis regarding The Untamed’s Ending

Having finally watched the last episode of The Untamed, I just wanted to take some time to sort through my thoughts about the last scenes, and what the production team had wanted to accomplish with it. As I have nothing else better to do on this rainy Sunday evening anyhow, here we go!

Oh! And for anyone who would like to continue reading, please be aware that these thoughts are strictly my opinions and how I understood the ending, so by no means do y’all have to agree with me! ^^

Personally, I found the ending quite satisfying; it didn’t leave much to the imagination that it was indeed a happy ending, and the relieved smile on Wei Wuxian’s face during that last shot was as poetic as it was fitting. The very first shot of him in the first episode of the drama is him looking broken with blood running down his chin, so the juxtaposition with the final shot of him looking healthy and smiling just makes the collective audience’s hearts sigh in content, methinks!

The scriptwriters for this show managed to give WangXian their happy ending without having to step over that line that could have taken the show off the air or kill one of them off, so for that, I’ll eternally be grateful.

I can now honestly say that in terms of Asian drama set in a historical/fantasy setting, this is definitely one of the best, despite the sometimes mediocre acting and frustratingly small budget. ❤️

The Set Up

Perhaps the biggest impression that the ending left on me would be the idea of Lan Wangji as the Chief Cultivator, because it’s one that’s unique to the live action drama. In the novel, they gloss over the political matters after the Guanyin Temple arc, so MXTX left it for interpretation. If memory serves me correctly, I believe Nie Huesang volunteered for the position, but someone please correct me if I’m wrong~

At first, I was a little bit confused as to why the scriptwriters for the show added such an original idea so late in the drama, when they’ve stuck pretty close to the source material throughout the show. But after spinning said idea in my brain for a couple of days, the realization slowly came that it was actually a marvelous and useful plot point for WangXian to get their happy ending! :D

In the novel, it was quite simple for MXTX to give WangXian their happy ending simply for the fact that the characters love and trust each other. They both can’t live without the other person, and after the shit they’ve been through, it’s only natural that they wouldn’t hesitate to take that once in a lifetime second chance to create a life together.

But in the drama, it’s different. The subtext is there, their feelings for one another jumps out of the screen, but no matter what, WangXian is not considered an official couple in the show. This isn’t to say that they aren’t or that the audience feels the same way; their relationship certainly has the development and trajectory of a regular couple had this been a drama with a het pairing as its focal point.

But alas, that’s the reality of censorship.

Ultimately, their ideals (to do what they believe is right, and to do it with their conscience clean) take much more precedence, compared to the novel. That isn’t to say that they place no importance on their feelings, but that this show portrays their morals in the most idealistic way.

In other words, they’re a romantic couple in everything but in name.

All the more reason, I think, that the show runners had to find a way around this roadblock they had no choice but to set themselves up for: without acknowledging the romance and relying on it, what excuse can they come up with to keep these two characters together?

Which brings us back to the live action’s original idea of Lan Wangji as Chief Cultivator.

Chief Cultivators

Before we fully get into the aforementioned topic, let’s first establish how Chief Cultivators are depicted in the drama: two portrayals in which although they seem complete opposites on the surface, are quite similar in nature, as this show has more than once pointed out to the audience.

During the first half of the drama, we have Wen Ruohan and his Wen Sect. As Chief Cultivator, he resided in the Nightless City. The palace is shown to be located on the side of a cliff, surrounded by volcanoes and oozing lava. He was a man mad with power and wanting an endless supply of it; by all means and purposes, Wen Ruohan was just #evil, and the show didn’t hide it. Lol

In contrast during the second half of the drama, the new Chief Cultivator resides in the Golden Koi Tower. The setting is the complete opposite from Nightless City; the skies are blue, the palace looks tranquil and majestic compared to Nightless City’s brutal design. Even so, Jin Guangyao was a man also mad with power and wanted more of it, he just knew how to hide it a lot better and under the guise of a thousand different justifications.

I think what struck me the most about these two portrayals is how cut off they are from the rest of the world (one is literally an ivory tower, lol) and how little both these ex-Chief Cultivators understood the nature of people.

A big part of the Wen Sect’s downfall is that because they were drunk and high on the power they’ve held onto for so long, it didn’t once occur to them that in such isolating circumstances, the smaller sects would eventually come together to rebel. So when it did happen, it was really no wonder the Sunshot Campaign was such a success, because the Wen Sect definitely got the rug pulled out from under them. When the smaller sects have been pushed and bullied around for so long and shared a common enemy, it’s an almost guaranteed hot pot for a successful coup d'état.

For any world leader, both real and fictional, this is common sense.

In that same vein, Jin Guangyao only understood the world through his own personal grievances. His very motivation for power was to avenge himself on everyone who has ever looked down on him and whether it was a big or small slight, it didn’t matter. Regardless, if one had committed a slight against him, he would repay it in full and perhaps a bit more.

So as far as portrayals go, Chief Cultivators aren’t really considered a very good thing in the show. They’re shown as not only power-hungry and manipulative, but more importantly, also isolated and stuck in their ivory towers.

LWJ as Chief Cultivator

And finally, we get to the million-dollar question: would Lan Wangji make for a good and effective Chief Cultivator?

In and of itself, this is a tricky question for me personally, as a fan of this show. On the one hand, my bias towards Lan Wangji says yes, but on the other hand... While I can admit he’d make for a trustworthy Chief Cultivator—meaning, he would know how to work through the technicalities of the job, without relying on shady political dealings and manipulations—understanding the people of their world and how/why they do the things they do would prove to be much more of a challenge for him.

Let’s not forget that although Lan Wangji has a good reputation for his honor and admirable conduct, it’s easy for people to turn against him if they don’t understand his motivation and/or his reasoning. Case in point: during episode 44, a random sect member easily called him out for his association with the Yiling Patriarch. The call out was made through the sect member’s limited view of how she perceived Hanguang-jun’s character through his reputation alone.

It also does not help the fact that Lan Wangji doesn’t really know how to express himself directly. During episode 13 when they’re making their way to the cave to find the Tortoise of Slaughter, Wei Wuxian had to work his way around his friend’s lack of skills when it comes to communicating what he needs (in this case, needing to rest his broken leg, lol). And don’t even get me started on how the man can’t lie to save his life; he’d rather not say anything and uphold his honor, rather than spout lies (mayhaps the only exception to this would be to protect the other person).

As much as it pains me to say it, Lan Wangji’s personality and natural demeanor makes for a great hive of misunderstandings. And this is only in describing his personal relationship with Wei Wuxian; what more on the grand scale of being the Chief Cultivator, when you have to deal with so many more people? T_T

If anything, the show does an incredible job of showing how Lan Wangji comes to understand the people around him when he’s with Wei Wuxian: his understanding of Song Lan’s pain when he lost his own soulmate, the struggle and determination he sees in his own brother when faced with the fact that Jin Guangyao may not be the man he thought he was.

It’s a great contrast to how he was during the time period when Wei Wuxian was “asleep.” Jiang Cheng mentions that Lan Wangji has been traveling all over the world looking for someone, yet isn’t it interesting how in those years of travel, the latter hasn’t made one single human connection outside of the people close to him at home?

While it shows serious dedication to Wei Wuxian and the memory of their history together, it’s not a very helpful backdrop to his new position, imo. In all honestly, it’s safe to say that at this point, Lan Wangji mostly gains his understanding of people through his relationship and connection with Wei Wuxian.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course. If anything, it means that his connection to Wei Wuxian is a positive influence on him, and vise versa. Lan Wangji is the type of person who, although he doesn’t care for many people on a personal level, the ones that he does care for are the ones he loves fiercely and is deeply attuned to.

Tbh, the level of detail in this show is astounding when it comes to Lan Wangji and his character. During episode 46 of the golden core reveal, the audience sees mainly Jiang Cheng’s realization of what truly happened all those years ago in real-time. At that point, Jiang Cheng had only begun to realize the cost of not only his, but Wei Wuxian’s pride and honor.

In contrast, Lan Wangji had already fit the puzzle pieces together in his mind; there was no need to show his own flashbacks and moments with Wei Wuxian. Because he already understood and saw for himself the kindness and selflessness that is so deeply ingrained in his beloved, along with the evidence in front of him, there was no reason to doubt Wen Ning’s testimony.

It isn’t until we get to the lake scene though that audience witnesses the crucial realization for Lan Wangji of how...callous and almost naive his initial reaction was to finding out that Wei Wuxian has been practicing demonic cultivation. While in his mind he may have thought at the time that he was interrogating his friend with a clean conscience, I will admit that for a time, the way I (key word here is I, so don’t come at me folks) saw this scene as part of the audience, Lan Wangji was also suspicious of him.

Which is why I believe on episode 33, it was due to this that Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but ask regarding that time period in their life:

In other words, Lan Wangji’s reaction at the time, no matter the fact that he hadn’t known the truth of Wei Wuxian’s golden core yet, wasn’t done with as clean a conscience as he had once thought. It isn’t until he came to learn of Wei Ying‘s true motivation explicitly, that he realizes his own misjudgment of the situation, which I would think is very important as to how he will deal with other people as the Chief Cultivator.

This is also why, although I may have had reservations about this original idea at first, I will say that it makes for a great vehicle in keeping these two characters together all the way to the end. 😆

As the position of Chief Cultivator has been given to one of the Two Jades of Lan, I think it’s reasonable to assume that the seat of centralized power has now shifted to the Gusu Lan Sect. But, as this show has once again shown to the audience, no sect is infallible, not even Gusu Lan, for all their righteousness.

After all, let’s not forget that the Gusu Lan Sect produced Su She and the questionable morals of Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji’s father. Yikes, man...

Even if Gusu Lan is portrayed as an upright sect with many rules and regulations and has the most upright disciples, it’s no less of an ivory tower for Lan Wangji, as the Nightless City had been for Wen Ruohan and the Golden Koi Tower for Jin Guangyao.

And this is why I think in the end, Lan Wangji chose to come back to Wei Ying and travel the world with him, amongst other reasons. 😆 Because as much as Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian in the context of this show, he’s also not the type to let go of his responsibility, especially one he chose to accept himself.

It’s much too simple, I think, to say that he became Chief Cultivator for awhile, then once he “settled everything,” he came back to Wei Ying. If anything, this drama reiterates the fact that the world is not always so simple, especially when it comes to the thoughts and feelings of others.

Besides, what would stop the audience from thinking that Lan Wangji became a traveling Chief Cultivator, one who actually makes an effort to get to know people and understand their motivations? Although I will also point out that, in the end, whether or not he gives up the position of Chief Cultivator, it doesn’t necessarily matter.

The point of the matter is, he is a better person at Wei Wuxian’s side, as Wei Wuxian is at his, in order for them to keep and maintain their promise! ^^

And yet furthermore, which better person to travel the world with in order to understand it than Wei Wuxian, the one who arguably knows the most in regards to the nature of people, just because he’d seen firsthand what could be the worst of it? The man who usually has the keenest sense of getting to the bottom of an individual’s motivation, but also knows that sometimes, as he states in episode 43:

After all, in order for Lan Wangji to become an effective Chief Cultivator, in order for him to maintain his promise of protecting the weak and helpless whilst keeping a clear conscience and not make the same mistake as he had done with Wei Wuxian the first time, he needs to learn about the hearts of other people.

A Chief Cultivator stuck in his ivory tower would only repeat the same past mistakes, but a Chief Cultivator who knows the hearts of people and makes the effort to understand them would, I think, make the biggest difference in their world.

#The Untamed #chen qing ling #CQL #meta #meta analysis #wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta

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