#wwx extended his hand to him multiple times

[fixielixie]

it must sting for jiang cheng to realise by the end of the novel that wwx came back to life to a world they both thought despised him, with no one and nothing to his name,. jc thinking it was gonna be easy to corner wwx and make him pay. bc jc has been bitter and lonely and hateful for 13 yrs and is so ready to take that out on wwx… just to realise he was wrong, like he always is. like he was wrong about every time he accused wwx of doing an act of good just to play the hero. that for as long as jc has been alone, wwx never has been. wwx has always been surrounded by people who loved him and who wanted the best for him, even at his lowest point. and when he comes back to life it’s no different, so jc has to watch him leave, surrounded by a loving partner, juniors who adore and respect him, even his own nephew who he coached to hate wwx just as much as he did can’t help but want to be around him bc wwx is just that good.

i can just imagine it was a lonely trip back to lotus pier that day

[superiorjello]

So I got The Untamed on DVD for my birthday this year, because I am a bitch that loves physical media. I started watching it today, because the powers of free time and ADHD were on my side, and the first couple episodes have been... interesting

I'm not sure if there are multiple dvd releases or just the one, but mine came from VStarz Enterprise, if that means anything to anyone.

So, first off, there is a logo perma-burned into the top right corner. So that's rude. I MY MOM paid MONEY for this and there's better quality video for free on YouTube? Also there are Mandarin subtitles perma-burned in there too. And when the English subtitles are on they sit overtop the Mandarin ones, so there's like 1/3 of the screen full of subtitles. It's not great.

Secondly, some of the translations are... creative. And sporadically applied. Lan Zhan gets called the fully translated "light bearing lord" for all of episode one, but then it's suddenly "hanguang" in episode two (no -jun suffix on there either). Koi Tower gets called the Immortal Unicorn Tower? Oh, and cultivators are Immortals, apparently (can't wait to see how they differentiate someone like Baoshan Sanren). Also I'm used to "Dafan this, Dafan that" when it comes to Wen Qing's family, and it being translated as "Fan Mountain" threw me off. Does "Da" just mean mountain or something?

I did find it interesting that they translated Mo Xuanyu wwx as saying he would break his cousin's hand if he stole again, and then his arm gets demonically possessed. The slight difference between a hand and a whole arm and then still getting blamed for it anyways adds a slightly different flavor to the scene than him having already threatened the entire arm, and I dig it.

Then there's the bad translations. Our intrepid hero is introduced as "Wei Yin". There are many sentences that look like Google translate garbage; the words are technically English, but not in the right order for a sentence, or are only part of a sentence. When mxy wwx insults Jin Ling in the forest it's translated one way, and when wwx flashes back to that moment, he says something completely different. So that's funny.

Many of the longer dialogue bits flash by so fast it's impossible to read them without pausing

Fascinatingly the episodes themselves are longer than I remember, and I think it's the extended cut which I have watched bits and pieces of on YouTube but never the whole thing, which is going to be a fun experience

Overall I'm having fun, because The Untamed is always fun to me (you know, except for the parts where you cry) But I also can't wait to see what else they've fucked up!

[ultfreakme]

First point: I agree, JC had no issues with DC during the Sunshot campaign. LWJ was the only one who figured it was a bad for WWX & would not end well. DC gave Lotus Pier power which they sorely needed, it's the reason they stood a chance against the Wens which led to helping restore Lotus Pier. The sword thing is far from inconsequential- swords are the FIRST thing the Wens took away from the sects & they are also among the first things they earned back in order to fight back. Swords are important, it shows your ability and standing as a cultivator, it's a matter of pride. It became even more important for WWX when the remaining sects began to fear that WWX's going to turn against them and abuse his power(an unfair assumption). But they were all rearing to slander WWX and JC asking him to carry it & revert to regular cultivation was to a) protect WWX from further scrutiny, b) Show that JC actually had his second-in-command's respect, which thereby leads to c) reconstructing Yungmeng Jiang's image as a great sect. JC was first-hand witness to WWX's drinking and downward spiral where he fully neglected his duties as senior disciple, he knew very well the DC was doing something to him and was asking him to drop it even before JZX.

Second point: Again I agree, LWJ prioritizes what is morally correct over what people will think of him. But that's because LWJ's not going to become sect leader. I think if you've noticed, all the inheriting kids were under pressure and were on a tight leash by the elders around them, it became worse amongst sect leaders(so that's Nie Mingjue who was in the campaign and used the saber despite knowing what it's doing to him, Lan Xichen barely speaking up for the Wens & mostly being witness & doing little, Jin Zixuan having to grow up and reach out to WWX, Jin Guangyao who had to bend over backwards to get approval). It was always the younger siblings & members who aren't inheriting that suffered lesser consequences, went unnoticed by elders for the most part, and moved more freely- not entirely but had a lot more room for doing whatever they wanted(Nie Huaisang, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji).

If LQR died, LWJ would be closer to being sect heir. He CANNOT do nothing. Sect elders and the rest of the sects would hone in on what LWJ's gonna do, what LXC is going to do. If LWJ says WWX is not at fault, he's dooming himself to being labelled as a co-conspirator of sorts with WWX, or he's going to drag down the whole Lan sect with him(why is the representative of Lan sect DEFENDING the guy who killed their elder??). Would LWJ go against LXC on this? Is LWJ going against LXC on bringing justice to his beloved uncle who raised him? Does LXC's trust in LWJ wrt to WWX extend that far? Will he be picking his uncle or his brother? JGY and NMJ would definitely be pressuring LXC to take action against WWX. It'd be LWJ vs. every cultivation sect and potentially his own brother.

Third point: Jiang Cheng also knew WWX wasn't doing it on purpose. Iirc he asks WWX something like "you said you could control it!" so atp, he knows WWX can't but he's begging him to try. This doesn't change anything though because JC had warned him multiple times. I'd argue JC knows WWX's moral character better & knows how he works on a deeper level, & understands how those mentalities get him into trouble. Because they literally grew up together and JC was trailing around him being like "hey don't do that, it's a bad idea".

WWX's morality and his tendency for self-sacrifice has fucked him over multiple times, JC is aware of this and was trying to protect him, trying to make him stop so they don't gain the ire of Yu Ziyuan or any other person who wants to wish him harm. LWJ doesn't know the extent of WWX's self-destructive martyring until way too late. JC knows what prioritizing morality will do to WWX and was trying to stop it. The WWX-DC situation is a natural escalation of their childhood disagreements.

So JC knows sure, WWX owes the Wens something, he's being the hero again. But that doesn't mean anything to him when the guy who promised to be by his side, his childhood best friend and practically brother is killing himself over it and has now dragged everyone else in too without regard for what being that recklessly self-sacrificial does.

LWJ would probably have the same realization too in that moment.

And sure, LWJ may not attack him the way JC(presumably) does by rallying all the troops. He doesn't find it in his heart to do that to WWX but he could fight him in order to stop him from furthering his DC. Likely a one v one private fight away from the sects (these two aren't strangers to arguing and fighting e/o). He'd be sect leader if LXC is gone and he could choose a "no, he's mine to deal with path" so that he can take him to Gusu Lan and figure out what the heck is happening to him. But we don't know HOW WWX dies. One thing common across all adaptations is WWX's exact cause of death is mystery but it's usually self-inflicted or his DC consumes him or that's at least the implication, with rumours attributing the kill to JC(again, we don't know, he led the campaign, no account of direct causation). It is entirely possibly that WWX's death will occur in LWJ's presence, no matter what.

JC torturing random Demonic Cultivators was first of all, a rumor. Second, even if he did, every demonic cultivator that wasn't WWX was fucked up. DC practitioners were rarely the good guys, they were usually pawns and were taking up the path to gain more power. DC doesn't have a valiant reputation, like it's literally seen as the Bad Guy Power That You Shouldn't Do. Even if JC potentially tortured innocents on suspicion of being WWX(unlikely, he does the Zidian test first on 'MXY', he still kept Chenqing, he was badly communicating to WWX about just wanting an explanation for wtf was happening post-resurrection), I don't care. He's a traumatized fictional character who takes bad decisions. WWX was the OG torturer in the duo anyways & he was massacring Wens by the hundreds. If Wen Qing(who was posted in LP at a watchtower and is the favored niece of WRH) and Wen Ning(he was a cultivator) are seen as innocent, what's to say there weren't more innocents that WWX was killing during Sunshot campaign just because they wore the Wen colors? We've established not all Wens are bad multiple times, are the Wen remnants WWX rescued uniquely innocent(exclude LSZ, not talking about the kids)? Or were they just the group WQ & WN were attached to and that's why WWX actually slowed down to assess them?

The point of this little exercise is trying to figure out how much emotional impact LWJ would experience and the freedom he would have to do what he wants in the event that he is the lone survivor of his family. It's not about comparing who'd do the more morally correct thing when put in this scenario.

Jiang Cheng represents the system, but he's also a victim of old cycles. He has no choice, and by the end of it, he gets an inconclusive ending where his position as Sect Leader and all the sacrifices he made amounts to nothing because WWX, his old family, is now gone. If LWJ was sect heir and was put in the position JC was in at the time, he too would've been victim to the system and despite his desires, would've been entirely incapable of doing what he wants. He wouldn;t do exactly what JC did but he'd be following the same basic outline. LWJ gets to make better choices, because he has the freedom to. JC doesn't. Take that freedom away and LWJ would be similar to JC, or actually, LWJ might end up like his dad- in love with a person who killed elders and because of love, is forced to trap their lover and live in misery. LWJ would be forced to become WWX's....well if not enemy, at least someone WWX doesn't like.

Also agreed on there being right and wrong in-story despite the complexity but JC wasn't entirely wrong for reacting the way he did based on the circumstances he was in. Imo JC had like 90% justifiable actions;

He tried to get WWX to be low-key and a non-threat so the sects would leave him alone

Visited him and discussed with WWX a deal where WWX gets to remain in Yiling without issue or question from the greater sects

He's the only person who properly, explicitly spoke FOR the Wens

Still kept in touch with him after the defection, took JYL to see him, likely was involved in making JZX invite WWX to Jin Ling's one-month celebration

He did what he could. And it didn't pay off and he got no answers till the very end. He fucked up along the way but again, idc about that. LWJ would've also made bad decisions if he was put in the ridiculously tough spot of sect leader with the weight of his family's death on his shoulders.

Any time JC antis start coming for him and his reaction to what WWX did, I always want to ask them to do the "Lan Clan Test". Basically, replace the Jiang family deaths with Lan family deaths. Instead of Jin Zixuan dying by Wen Ning's hand, say it's Lan Qiren. At Nightless City, imagine it's Lan Xichen who's mourning his uncle that's searching for Lan Wangji, and WWX accidentally kills LXC.

Like really picture Lan Xichen dying in Lan Wangji's arms, telling him heartfelt words assured of his death and Lan Wangji's like "Hey please fix this, please stop this" to Wei Wuxian and WWX is like "wait wait I can fix this I swear I swear!".

Okay how would you expect Lan Wangji to react to that? Ngl if he still somehow thinks of Wei Wuxian as entirely blameless and holds zero resentment towards WWX after that, I would lose my respect for LWJ and I don't think LWJ would react like that anyways. The person you love whom you warned against taking this path has chosen to disregard anything you say(pr even his closest people like Jiang Cheng say) and has now lost all control and has killed all that's left of your family. Who WOULDN'T lose it at least a little? Who wouldn't hold resentment or anger or frustration?

Jiang Cheng made mistakes but he's not uniquely evil. He was right to have felt anger towards Wei Wuxian because bro in his eyes, Wei Wuxian COULD control that. Only we as audience know the extent of loss of control. And even if JC realized WWX can't control it, he begged WWX time and time again to stop Demonic Cultivation. Trying to flatten this situation into a "he's wrong, he's right, case closed" is the worst thing you can do in MDZS.

[drwcn]

《 Without Envy 》 storyboard 9 - concubine/sleeper agent!wwx & prince!lwj [Master List], you should also have read [6] [6.2]

Lan Qiren coming to visit Hanguang-fu effectively put an end to Wei Wuxian's time as Lan Wangji's servant. He wanted to send Wei Wuxian back to Jiang-fu, but luckily, Jiang Yanli interfered.

Jiang Yanli has been slowly recovering since her drug-induced miscarriage, and while Wei Wuxian had slowed her progress with sedatives, he's been careful to keep an eye on her intake to make sure Jin Ziyan hasn't been messing with her again. As well, with Wei Wuxian occupying Lan Wangji's time and keeping the Jiang family in his good graces, Jiang Yanli had the time she needed to recover fully without needing to push herself to entertain Lan Wangji for favour.

“妾身见过太师，给太师请安。” “阿离啊，听说你小产后一直身体不好，这下着雨，你怎么来了。起身吧, 孩子。” “承蒙太师与陛下惦记，殿下垂怜，阿离的身子已经大好了。阿羡本是妾身院里的，是妾身的陪嫁，一��都安分守己，对王府对殿下忠心不二。是妾身无用，身子一直不见好才让阿羡到王爷身边侍奉。刚见阿羡被太师训斥，相比是阿离平日里管教无方，无心顶撞了太师。有什么过错，都是妾身的错，还请太师责罚。” ~translate~ Jiang Yanli dipped into a proper curtsey, kneeling before Lan Qiren, "This humble concubine greets Taishi. I pray that you've been well." "A-Li, I've heard that you've not been well since your miscarriage. It's raining today, what troubled you to come? Rise, child." Lan Qiren's stance softened upon seeing Jiang Yanli. His late sister-in-law had no daughters, and so often summoned the daughters of nobles into court to dote on and mentor as her own. Jiang Yanli, gentle and proper, has long been known to be a favorite of the late empress. She may not be the greatest beauty in her generation, but was second to none when it came to etiquette and grace. "Thanks be to His Majesty and taishi for remembering, and thanks to dianxia's for his care, my health is much improved now. A-Xian was once a member of my court, my peijia. I've always known him to be obedient and conscious of his place, and loyal to wangye and this princely manor. It is only on account of my poor health that he's been summoned to serve at wangye's side. Earlier, I heard Taishi chastising him; surely it must be A-Li's fault for failing to teaching him propriety and thus causing his unintended offence. The fault is with A-Li, and so I humbly submit myself to your discipline, taishi." Lan Qiren sighed. He did not wish to stir up trouble over a servant. If Jiang Yanli was willing to stand up for this Wei Wuxian, then he must have his uses. At the very least, he'll be a confidant for Jiang Yanli against Jin Ziyan. Lan Qiren so hoped that one day Wangji would choose the Jiang girl as his legal spouse and secure his marriage once and for all. If sparing one lowly servant was the price then so be it. "Very well, A-Li. Since the servant is yours, then his training and discipline shall be your responsible. He is unsuited to serve at the prince's side. It is good that you have recovered; Wangji should not be without a caring partner."

And so, Wei Wuxian returned to Jiang Yanli's side as a servant. Lan Wangji had to watch him go and could not interfere. The next several days was depressing for both of them on multiple fronts.

Xue Yang was very unimpressed:

"So you're tell me that you got to spend quality time with Lan Wangji for months and then... didn't get anywhere?" "I was getting there okay? How was I supposed to know his stupid uncle was gonna barge in like some nosey busybody and ruin everything!? I haven't seen Lan Zhan in days..." I miss him. How horrifyingly embarrassing. He probably forgot me already. "Don't tell me you actually miss him??? That you - barf - fell for him? Whatever happened to standards??!" "You watch your mouth, Xue Chengmei! I'm still your shixiong! And I have standards; Lan Zhan is...very good." Xue Yang: ( ˘︹˘ ) whatever.

Lan Wangji, the sulky boy that he is, brooded for days until Lan Xichen finally sought him out for some good ol' brotherly heart to heart.

"I hear Uncle took away your shiny new toy." "Wei Ying is not a toy." "Wei Ying is it?" Lan Xichen wiggled his eyebrows. "Ah, didi, you have to think a little more creatively. So your Wei Ying has gone back to his mistress, but is his mistress not your concubine? Jiang-furen is still unpregnant, I might add. Visit her. Then surely you'll get to see him." Lan Wangji grimaced. The thought has occurred to him, but the idea of bedding anyone not Wei Ying is intolerable. "Yes, Yanli is lovely, but I'd rather not...you know..." His brother was too polite to roll his eyes. "You've done it before, Wangji." "I would not have had to, if xiongzhang simply did his duty." Lan Wangji bit back icily, and instantly regretted it. Lan Xichen's eyes widened, his cheerful-teasing expression stuttering and crumbling in seconds. "Yes...yes that's true." "My sincerest apologies, huangxiong - no - bixia." Lan Wangji rose to his feet and then bowed down deeply. "I forgot my place. I accept any punishment." Lan Xichen sighed and extended a forgiving hand to pardon him. "Not necessary, Wangji. You're right. I haven't done my duty for Gusu." He pulled the younger man to sit beside him again. "You are doing this in my stead, stepping up where I have let the country down. I should not make light of your sacrifice. The matter of a harem is inevitably complicated, which is why I never cared for one. Neither did Father. His harem had always been sparse, and his first empress was not one of his choosing. When she died in childbirth and our unborn sibling along with her, he elevated our mother's rank to Empress and visited no one else henceforth." "Mother was never popular with the ministers for that reason." "Yes. They suspected that she had something to do with...well, in any case I imagine they were quite relieved when she passed." Lan Xichen shook his head. "The harem is not a happy place, Wangji. You were born after Mother was already Empress, you would not have remembered a time when she was consort. But I do. Like you, your concubines did not get to choose their fate. The fault, ultimately, lies with me." "Huangxiong -" "It's true, Wangji. The fault is mine." Lan Xichen patted him on the arm placatingly. "You cannot love them, and clever as they are, I don't think your concubines would expect you to. However, you can ensure their happiness in other ways. Jiang-furen seems the kind to very much want a child of her own. It will make the rest of her life in your harem more bearable."

After some deliberation, Lan Wangji went back to his routine of visiting different concubines regularly, but never more than just sharing a bed-space. With the exception of Jiang Yanli. Lan Wangji could see it in her eyes; she knew who he really wanted, but those words never needed to be said aloud. Jiang Yanli was kind to him, and he was kind to her in return. All things considered, it wasn't awful being with someone who wasn't your preferred, but who knew you for yourself and shared your struggles.

"Dianxia, you must've heard, that before I married into your wangfu, I was betrothed to Jin Zixuan." She mentioned one evening over a game of weiqi. Of all his concubines (which he has 4) and friends (which he has few), Jiang Yanli's skill on the weiqi board was unparalleled. Lan Wangji half wondered how the Marquis and Marchioness of Yunmeng could have buried this talented daughter of theirs under the shadow of their son for so many years. "Yes I am aware." "I loved him." "...." For a minute Lan Wangji did not know how to reply. He stared at the chessboard. Jiang Yanli's black pieces had surrounded his white ones and forced them into a corner. "Why are you telling me this?" "Your court, my clan: we are their creatures." Jiang Yanli 's smile was knowing. "I am not A-Xian; I can see what he cannot." "Which is?" "You've fallen for each other. Completely. He denies it, heaven knows why." Jiang Yanli took a delicate sip of tea. Fleetingly, Lan Wangji imagined that if he could not have Wei Ying, if he were forced to take a legal wife to make empress, that she would make a magnificent one. "Father loved Mother. Loved her as a wife even when she was only a consort -" "And his love spurred the hate of the royal court." "They blamed her for his loving a woman more than his country, as though she should have persuaded him to love her less. I do not want the same to happen to Wei Ying." "Nor I." "Huangshu says I would need a legal spouse one day, someone virtuous and from a strong pureblood family." "Is that what dianxia wants?" "I want it to be Wei Ying, though I know it to be impossible. Barring that, I'd want to keep him safe in the harem, the size of which will only grow after I succeed the throne." "For that, dianxia will need a spouse who will reign over the harem as you rule over the country." Lan Wangji contemplated his choices and the options available to him. After some time, he placed the white piece he fiddled between his fingers back into the bamboo bowl, conceding that he'd lost this round. Jiang Yanli waited patiently for him to come to terms with the offer she already knew he would make. He wondered how long ago she had foreseen this moment, whilst simultaneously realizing that if his uncle had any idea just how intelligent she truly was, he would not be so quick to suggest her as a candidate for princess consort. A weak emperor and a strong empress never boded well for the stability of the realm. This was dangerous waters Lan Wangji was wading into, but he knew beyond doubt that the only way to survive was to keep straight ahead. He had no other path to take, none which maximally balanced what he wanted with what he needed. Jiang Yanli was his only solution, his only ally. "Huangxiong suggested that we have a child together." He finally said, staring her squarely in the eyes. "You and I can agree that the son of Gusu Lan and Yunmeng Jiang would certainly be a strong contender amongst his brothers." "She could be a daughter." "Then I'd cherish her more. A child and a crown - would they make you happy, Yanli?" "If I said yes?" "Then they're yours." Jiang Yanli smiled.

Two months after Wei Wuxian was dismissed from Lan Wangji's service and the prince began visiting Jiang Yanli, good new was delivered to Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. The message was this: Hanguang-wang's Jiang-furen was with child yet again.

[inessencedevided]

For 520 have some gentle Monster Romance 💗

It is a few months into their odd arrangement. Lan Wangji has learned that it distresses his very large husband greatly when he wears his robes the way he has accustomed himself to ever since… so he wears them the correct way, letting the beast clumsily tie the priceless silk with fingers bigger than himself, forked tongue poking out in concentration.

He cooks, tends to the plants and cleans, shooing away cockroaches and apologising to spiders whenever he has to dust the corners of the cave. His husband usually watches him, curled up in front of the entrance like an oversized cat, multiple red eyes watching intently, tracking his movements.

He experiments with spices, with the scribblings left in the cave. They were well hidden and still complete and he painstakingly collected and bound them to have something of that brilliant, shining mind.

In the beginning, Lan Wangji was scared, still had the rules and scriptures stuck in his head. Do not associate with evil. But then again, they made him marry a demon and condemned him for loving another, whipped him until his body broke for his soul was too fractured to break again.

His husband turned out to be kind, curious and oddly shy for such a large beast. The demon likes listening to him play the guqin, makes appreciative noises, especially when he plays The Song, odd trilling sounds that almost sound like that of a happy cat.

They are slowly learning to live side by side, even when the demon is gone for odd increments of time, never indicating what he is doing but Lan Wangji will not ask. He will not break another boundary that has been set for him. The last time he did it, the one he loves the most fell off of a cliff.

The leaves are turning green and greener still with spring and Lan Wangji tells the demon of Cloud Recesses, of his bunnies, of Wei Ying, always of Wei Ying. He plays Inquiry until his fingers bleed and his husband licks them clean with careful dedication.

One morning, there are rabbits in the Burial Mounds. Not any rabbits, no. His bunnies. A small herd scampers around his feet and as he gently admonishes his husband, the large beast almost looks sheepish and extends a large hand, letting Lan Wangji and two rabbits (a black and a white one) clamber up, lifting them to face him. He left some of them in Cloud Recesses, of course he did but he made the effort to bring them all here.

Lan Wangji watches his husband, the ruby eyes that observe his frown turn into the first smile since Wei Ying fell, how the morning sun reflects off of his black scales, making them shimmer like onyx, like black lacquer, like wet ink. Something carefully stirs in his chest, something he has not felt in a while. Instead of eating his heart, his husband gave it a reason to beat again.

- 🍄anon

I've read this so many times today 🍄 anon!!

Can we talk about how big scary monster!yllz went all the way to the Cloud Recesses, probably terrified a few locals abd risked attack just to comfort his husband??? 😭😭😭

And what must wwx be going through, slowly realising that lan wangji loved him, loves him still and is falling in love with him AGAIN even though he is truly monstrous now fffffuuuuuuck 😭

Who needs monster fucking if you can have tender monsters loving 🥺

[lzswy]

hey wanted to know, is there any cultural significance of having two swords with you? When JC gives it back to Wwx after the 3 months absence, he says that ppl were asking him all sorts of questions. Even when Lwj has both his and wwx's Jin Zixuan asks him "Are you guys,,,?" Or something along those lines

Greetings!! 😁 I went back to Episodes 19-20 to look at the two moments you highlighted, and personally, I think the significance is that of them holding Wei Wuxian’s sword and not two swords per se. Let me explain!

In the show, one’s sword is seen to be an important item that is highly personal and sacred; the sword is not just any weapon, but is a spiritual weapon that is tied to one’s golden core or spiritual energy. In general, the higher the cultivation level of the cultivator, the more sentient the sword becomes. Taking Wei Wuxian’s sword as an example, Suibian is able to recognise its owner via his soul (Wei Wuxian himself) and his golden core (evidenced by Jiang Cheng being able to unsheathe it), and actually seals itself for an indefinite amount of time waiting for its owner to wield it again.

Moreover, swords are seen as a personal possession that functions as a symbol of identity and status in the cultivation world. For instance, Su She had his sword disguised because people may recognise him from his sword glare, Jin Ling continued his father’s legacy by using the latter’s sword, Suihua, and Song Lan chose to carry a piece of Xiao Xingchen with him always by keeping Shuanghua.

As a cultivator, it is expected that your sword should be on your person at all times. Come what may, your sword should be with you because it is seen as an extension of yourself. This is why we see people questioning Wei Wuxian’s choice not to carry his sword during formal events on multiple occasions. It follows that if one party willingly allows another to wield their sword, it implies a high level of trust and closeness between the two parties, to the extent of being family or lovers.

This brings me to the two scenes you highlighted above — I’ll talk about Jiang Cheng then Lan Wangji, and how the significance of holding Suibian differs between them.

As Jiang Cheng is Wei Wuxian’s brother, it is not particularly unusual for him to hold on to Suibian, but what is unusual is the length of time that he had the sword on him. He snappishly told Wei Wuxian that he had to field others’ random questions by holding on to it every day — likely about Wei Wuxian’s whereabouts, since Wei Wuxian shouldn’t have gone anywhere without Suibian for an extended period of time.

As for Lan Wangji... According to the rest of the cultivation world, there really is no reason for him to be holding on to Wei Wuxian’s most precious personal possession, isn’t it? The significance of Lan Wangji holding Suibian in his hands (even if for a brief moment), when Wei Wuxian’s brother is also available to take possession of it, would not be lost on others. What is unusual in Lan Wangji’s case is thus the relationship. This is why Jin Zixuan immediately picks up on it and questions if there is something special going on between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. But of course he doesn’t complete the sentence, because Lan Wangji is scary AF and Jin Zixuan has self-preservation instincts, thank you very much. (And also, #chinesecensorship.)

That’s all I have for now! Thanks for asking this question, I actually enjoyed putting my answer together! Have an awesome day ❤️

[paradife-loft]

Close reading all the Jin Guangyao scenes: episode 10

Episode 11 | Episode 22 | Episode 23

So, when I was talking to @fatalism-and-villainy​ the other day, I mentioned how while doing this third watch of The Untamed, I was feeling really quite tempted to make a semi-liveblogging project out of doing a close analysis of basically every episode where Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao has a substantial scene.... Their response was only to encourage me in this further obsessive descent, and well, here we are.

I’m starting with episode 10 where we are in this watch right now, rather than going back to episode 4, because while ep4 is utterly delightful, I don’t really feel like I have a lot to say about it that hasn’t already been hashed to death.

Meanwhile, episode 10... oh boy! So much going on here. This episode is most interesting to me because the main theme we see in a majority of Meng Yao’s scenes, is how wholeheartedly invested he is in advancing the cause and prominence of the Nie Sect that he serves. Particularly in light of how we see him later giving the same loyalty and effort to the Jin sect, it’s a really cool (and tragic, tbh) precursor that shows a lot about how much he’ll make a point of doing well by those who’ve elevated him in turn.

So he first shows up with Nie Huisang, when WWX/LWJ/JC are all discussing with Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen what they ought to do with Xue Yang. Noticing the latter two (who are established already as being well-known heroes throughout the cultivation world), he asks if they wouldn’t come along to Qinghe to figure out how best to punish Xue Yang, and also what the best course of action would be for dealing with the Wen sect. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan rebuff this offer... because they understand, accurately, that what Meng Yao is suggesting/asking about is for them to establish a relationship tying them, however informally (for now), to the Qinghe Nie sect.

(^This, incidentally, is the face he makes when they say “yeahhh, but no thanks,” or specifically, “We give less value to blood heritage and more to like-mindedness. We don’t want to depend on any cultivation family.” This is the face of “oh, okay, tell me no in such direct terms, when I went to the trouble of phrasing my suggestion a bit more obliquely, thanks so much,” and also, “Wow, doesn’t that sound nice to be able to do :/”)

Then a few minutes later, we get this wonderful facial expression! ...which I don’t actually have a whole lot to say about, except that I take it for... curiosity, mostly, about someone who’s had such an outsize effect on the local area, what with murdering a handful of minor cultivation clans? Interest in what inter-clan strategic advantages could be gained in one way or another with Xue Yang as a bargaining chip, source of information, etc.? Possibly also interest in the sense of, this is also someone who came from nothing and has been able to get a lot of important people to pay attention to him (even if not for a good reason), depending on how much he’s heard about Xue Yang as a person? There’s a lot of possibilities this is opening up, and I think he’s basically curious to see what happens.

Again, we just have him being very good at working the angles to get an advantage to the Nie sect (compared to the Wen sect in this case). Jiang Cheng even comments on him being thorough and formidable! (And Huisang mentions that Nie Mingjue really admires him; and Wei Wuxian says it looks like Jin Guangshan doesn’t know how to recognise talent... anyway.)

Mmmm, yep, douchebags gonna douchebag.... Nothing terribly interesting here that hasn’t already been noted a zillion times, since the basic fundamentals of his character relate to how poorly others treat him for his birth. (It is noteworthy though, I think, how the condensed timeline & events for Meng Yao killing his superior and ruining his relationship with Nie Mingjue in the process compared to the extended version in the novel, alters the first bit of screen time we get here seeing what Nie Mingjue is actually like as a leader. In the novel, his men in the army have a bit of a nasty gossip problem, but the person who mistreats Meng Yao and takes credit for his ideas later is a part of the Jin clan; in the drama, various Nie sect disciples have a gossip problem that he berates them for, but even so he still is, at best, ignorant of how his men’s mistreatment of the person he promoted and thinks highly of has continued.)

Oh boy, here’s where it starts to get fun! This is Meng Yao’s face as Wen Chao has just threatened to do “housecleaning” of the Nie sect if they don’t hand over Xue Yang, and it’s looking as though Nie Mingjue won’t be able to contain the conflict in a single one-on-one duel with Wen Zhuliu. It’s curious - he has a smirky face looking over toward Huisang when NMJ initially throws Baxia out in front of Wen Chao, like he’s thinking clearly the offered duel would go their way. Was he expecting the duel to be between NMJ and Wen Chao, who he’d clearly clean the floor with, and Wen Zhuliu stepping up instead took him off-guard? - Because that’s when he looks down thinking very quickly for a couple moments, and then tells Huisang he’s going to go check on Xue Yang.

As @veliseraptor​ and @ameliarating​ and I hashed out as this scene continued: what makes the most sense here is that, seeing how things might be going downhill for the Nie sect very quickly if something isn’t done to get the Wen sect off their backs, Meng Yao makes the snap calculation that the best course of action to keep them from getting massacred would be to free Xue Yang to hand him over. He doesn’t really look happy as he heads away from the entrance here; he looks like someone making the unpleasant decision to let a known murderer avoid justice because it will be better for his immediate concern of preserving the sect and clan he serves. Mingjue is uncompromising, but Meng Yao will look for the most advantageous option he can see and go for it, even if it’s a bit shady and perhaps not what his sect leader would prefer. Nie Mingjue respects him and listens to him well when he explains, after all, so with so much at stake, taking this gamble is probably worth the risk.

Aaaand, then we get to the part where he quite deservedly stabs the army commander who’s been treating him like shit for the past while! It’s not terribly clear (especially at this point) the exact chain of events that occurred before NMJ showed up, but from the number of other bodies in the back of the scene, I do think it’s quite plausible that Xue Yang actually did kill most of the dead Nie disciples there, as that would be... a lot of people for someone with a weak cultivation base to off very quickly. And the commander himself - I take that as a highly relished stroke of opportunism, honestly. Meng Yao picks up a Wen sword to use to kill him because he is good at quick thinking to avoid self-incrimination, but I don’t think he’d been intending on multiple homicides when he initially went back to grab Xue Yang before Wen Chao ordered his men to attack everyone and all hell broke loose.

Oh, ow! NMJ is getting ready to attack him, as Meng Yao frantically tries to talk him down - and Meng Yao still instinctively jumps in front of a sword for his sect leader! Like, truly, honestly, I do believe he had great regard for and loyalty to Nie Mingjue at the very least up through the end of this episode. Whether or not this particular sword thrust could have been fatal to either of them, it still says quite a lot about how he values Chifeng-zun’s person more than his own, even as he’s quite possibly gearing up to kill Meng Yao for what he’s done. That is just... a real intense instinctive sense of obligation and value differential between the two of them that he has, here. Ouch, ouch.

When they resume in the throne room, I think there’s a lot that’s already been said and/or is obviously central, with the line about “fame for merit” and how much it matters to him being the big one. (Why should being recognised for your merit matter so much??? says the one who essentially always has been - lining up one of the central conflicts that continues between the two of them until the ends of their lives.) But I do think it’s pretty fun and telling how seamlessly (performance-wise) Meng Yao slips in the definite lie about the army commander freeing Xue Yang, amongst all the other (pretty certainly true) reasons to condemn him, and then claims it’s all true. I think it definitely speaks of... familiarity with being in a position where others won’t take your own actual reasons for doing something as a good enough justification, and so you develop an intuition of how to mix in motives that also target and appeal to the person you’re talking to as well, to avoid harsh punishment.

Also... hmmmm..... >>>

Hey look, I’m just saying there’s some interesting thematic comparisons going on in this show regarding moral worth and who a person considers to have enough ethical standing and goodness in them to judge them for their actions and have them accept it, okay?

Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian are amazing narrative foils and I am probably never going to get tired of saying it.

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Bonus round!

(When you’ve just been stabbed but you’re still really worried about the attack on the Cloud Recesses that Wen Chao has just revealed, because of what it means could be happening to one incredibly wonderful person! Better go make sure he’s okay, right?? ~*~ XiYao feels intensify ~*~)