#really glad the majority of what i have is older stuff from sixth edition

[catherea]

After about a decade of being on and off with the minis, I finally got a Sororitas squad and a Cadian shock troop squad. I started with the Sister Superior from the Sororitas squad, and will finish out her squad. I am glad to have a basis for an Imperium combined front in the works and I plan to update as I finish the minis over time! Anyways, Sister Superior and two Leman Russ tanks on the line.

I don't plan to play the tabletop, I just want to build the minis and have fun painting

[misscamthenorwegian]

The Untamed: What’s that about, Cam?

So Cam, what’s this “The Untamed” thing that you’ve been reblogging so much and has resurrected your urge to write? I’m glad you probably didn’t asked! (Note: This is written from the perspective of a Norwegian who’d never read the novel, is fairly unfamiliar with Chinese drama and once in a blue moon falls for a M/M ship. This is that blue moon, and boy, does it shine. Opinions within are simply my opinions.)

What’s it about: “The Untamed” (Chén Qíng Lìng or CQL) is a Chinese web-drama based on a novel called Mo Dao Zu Shi (”The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation”). It is set in an ancient Chinese fantasy universe where there is magic, zombies, monsters, adventures and a lot of very, very pretty people. It’s an action-adventure murder mystery zombie drama with humor. Yep. In the first episode, Wei Wuxian - the main character - dies and is then brought back 16 years later through a body sacrifice ritual. Yep, that’s the start. Wei Wuxian proceeds to run into people from his past, including Lan Wangji, his former classmate and very definitely something else, and his angry brother who declares his desire to see him dead. In this universe, “cultivation” is using a spiritual form of magic, and only a few can truly master it. There are several powerful clans/sects that sometimes work together and sometimes has leaders that conspire against the others. Everyone has several names and titles and you may need the occasional chart to remember it all. Also, there zombies and sword ghosts and magical music. After the first two episodes, the series flashes back to events 16 years prior and then jumps back to the present later on. Who are the characters?

Wei Ying: Talkative, smile that can out-cute a rabbit, likes his alcohol, likes his Lan Zhan, likes his jokes and mischief, thinks outside the box, scares most of the cultivation world later on. Yes, really, that cutiepie is feared.

The first main character is Wei Wuxian, also known as Wei Ying and later, Yiling Patriarch, a young and powerful cultivator who discovers a different way of cultivating and, through that and making a number of unortodox and defiant choices, end up on a collision course with the rest of the cultivation world.

Lan Zhan: Can murder you with a gaze and then his sword, scary af when wants to, likes his rabbits, his Wei Ying, composes love songs with mushed ship names and is respected by most of the cultivation world yet doesn’t strive to be. The second main character is Lan Wangji, also known as Lan Zhan and Hanguang Jun. He appears reserved and cold to many, speaking only rarely. At first, he and Wei Ying do not get along, but they later form a strong relationship that is implicitly love in the series (explicitly so in the novel - they marry there). Other important characters are Jiang Cheng (Wei Wuxian’s brother), Lan Xichen (Lan Wangji’s brother), Jiang Yanli (Wei Wuxian’s senior sister), Jing Guangyao/Meng Yao, someone who is looked down on by many because of his background but later becomes a powerful sect leader, Nie Huaisang, who is not a fighter like his older brother and loves his fans and solves issues his way, Wen Ning, an adorable puppy who is also known as the ghost general - and loads of other people. Seriously, it takes a while to sort everyone out. Why Cam likes it: First and foremost, I fell for the relationship between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. I love me some good partner dynamics, and this one has that in spades. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are very different in personality, but they share a sense of loyalty, commitment, desire to protect and strong values. While their relationship has angst and rocky patches, it is caring and loving. It’s basically the sort of stuff I go for: some angst, a lot of cute, mutual caring, uniting against common foes, characters that compliment each other, great chemistry - yes, I’ll have some of that.

This shit is my jam.

Oh, look, more of my jam.

Let’s have an emotional and lovely moment while surrounded by hostile people jam.

Jaaaaaaaam.

In mortal danger and saving each other’s life jam. They also kind of end up as co-parents for a kid. There are also a lot of other complicated, interesting and downright tragic relationships (familiar, friendly, romantic and just plain complicated) and characters. I have a serious soft spot for Lan Xichen, for instance, while others are all about Wen Qing, some just want Jiang Cheng to get some theraphy already... On and on, there are a lot of very different characters to enjoy. Secondly, it has an interesting world with a fantastical elements that I hadn’t read or seen that much before before (as sadly, I have mostly run across Western fantasty stuff, with some expections). It draws a lot from ancient China, and has some great music, costumes and scenery. They managed to differentiate the five main sects really well, and some of the scenery is just gorgeous. Thirdly, everyone is really pretty. I am shallow. Sue me. Fourth, the plot has some really interesting stuff. The novel is a lot more grey than the series, but the series also has elements of that, as well as people ending up doing not so great things out of the best of intentions. There is also a happy ending of sorts for the two main characters (and some others), though there are tragedies along the way. Along the way, there are a lot of really great emotional scenes, and some funny moments as well. Fifth, while not all the action is great, some of the fight sequences are very fluid and dance-like and pretty. The use of music as a part of the battle also works well at times. Sixth, though it has clonkier bits, the series feels like a labor of love. It has charm and goodwill and people who clearly cared when making it. There is a lot of BTS stuff for it as well. Seventh - adorable bunnies and Fairy the dog. Some stuff to consider if wanting to watch: - This is a Chinese drama, which means it is subject to Chinese cencorship. This is why the relationship between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan is explicit in the novel, but only implied in the series. However, what they do manage to get past the cencors is pretty amazing. There are still slow-motion romantic zoom, lots of loving glances, some dialogue that goes pretty far, and some physical affection (though nowhere near as much as in the novel due to cencorship). - The actors for the main characters do a great job, but the character - and acting - of Lan Wangji can take some episodes to appreciate sine it’s a character that communicates a lot through very minor facial expressions. There are some other good performences also, some decent ones, some varied, and some a bit eh to me. Your mileage may vary. - All the characters are dubbed. It’s a Chinese drama thing. You get used to it. - The first two episodes (set in “the present”) are really confusing on first time viewing. Episodes 3 to mid-33 are flashback episodes set 16 years prior. It is worth rewatching ep 1 & 2 when you have a clearer idea of what is going on. - The CGI is... yes, well, not always great. The first few episodes have some real CGI clunkers and there is some stuff later on too. - The editing can be a bit off. Cuts between shots don’t always lign up, and some episodes have good end points, while others end mid-scene and then pick it up in the next. The sound editing is also sometimes a bit off, and fine at other times. - There are fifty - 50 - episodes, so you’re in for quite the watch. - There aren’t a lot of female characters in the story. There are some, and a few of them I really enjoyed, but the series and novel definitely have mostly male characters. - The series changes several things from the novel, including plot points and how the story is structured and told. Several characters are also different to their novel counterparts, sometimes minorly so, sometimes majorly. I came to the series first, the read the novel, while others have done it the other way. You may ending up prefering one or the other. To me, the novel does better at some things, and the series does better at others. - The series have been a major hit and the novel was very popular, and as such, you can find a fair amount of fanart, fanfic, merch and so on. - The novel has a happy ending for the main characters, though not all. The series has a more implied happy ending for the main characters, though again, not all. Where can you find it? An English-subtitled complted version of the series is freely available on YouTube here. An English translation of the novel can be found here. An in-progress can be found here. Anything else?

  I rest my jam.