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Mo Dao Zu Shi: Why JingYi is the only one with hair that short

Maybe JingYi used to have long hair like a proper Lan. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

(I noticed that JingYi has long hair in the manhua and I couldn’t resist the temptation to draw him with long hair.)

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The Burning Of Cloud Recesses

I just realized that the fandom overestimates how much damage was done to the Cloud Recesses.

It’s easy to see why since it’s set up to be a big deal in the narrative and part of the reason Lan Wangji is in such distress during the Indoctrination Camp arc.

However! However, the Banquet extra reveals something; Lan Wangji still has all his essays and works from growing up in the Cloud Recesses. He has the essay where he had one mistake due to being distracted by Wei Wuxian and all the copying he did afterwards to make up for that mistake. The Jingshi did not burn. Neither did the Gentian House. Both of which are noted to be further away from the centre of Cloud Recesses. I should also note that Lan Qiren is mentioned as well to live not far from the Jingshi. And the Hanshi is also not that far away too. And so we can assume those places did not burn down either.

On top of it people think that a lot more was lost in the Library Pavilion that what was likely lost. Lan Wangji protested against that and got his leg broken. Lan Wangji is a powerful cultivator even back then at age 17. He damn well fought and fought hard to protect the Library Pavilion before he finally was taken out and had his leg broken. That would have bought Lan Xichen precious time to shove as many books as possible into qiankun pouches, especially if he had some other disciples helping him and he likely did! He likely got the entire Forbidden Room cleared out OR the protections on that place kept it safe from the fire. Certainly books were lost but I would believe they managed to regain the majority somehow via getting the books from what the Wen Sect had or donations from other Sects after the Sunshot Campaign.

Further more, we know Qingheng-Jun actually left seclusion to fight off the Wens. Which must have beaten back a lot of the Wen Sect disciples as well even though he was gravely injured too.

The Cloud Recesses were burned but they were not destroyed completely.

So what was destroyed?

I would say the inner most parts, the ones used by the greater whole of the Lan Sect. The dorm, particularly for guest disciples. The Lanshi, where classes were held. Meeting halls where the Lan Sect disciples would gather. The dining hall. Probably the kitchens. And, of course, the Library Pavilion.

Private homes, the Hanshi, the Jingshi, and the Gentian House did not burn down. So for all that was lost, it was mainly the public locations. The Library Pavilion was the biggest loss but even so we are given suggestions that more was saved than lost. Or even they regained a lot between the burning and the present when Wei Wuxian returns.

So they lost ancient buildings,, they lost lives of disciples, but the majority of the Lan Sect was still intact. They gave in and burned the main buildings after putting up a fight to avoid worst reprisal when they lost said fight. They accepted them taking the disciples away, including the injured Lan Wangji, because Lan Xichen had already fled with the most precious books and tomes, as well as likely just grabbing anything anyone could find to run off with at the slightest chance it might be important.

The Cloud Recesses Burning is not like the Lotus Pier Burning. There is a good reason it is the latter that ultimately kicks off the Sunshot Campaign but not the former…

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I like to imagine sha hualing doesn't wear bras because small titty privilege and at one point while walking around the demon realm palace sqq finds a bra discarded somewhere and gets all flustered trying to get it back to shl without anyone noticing but then when he finally gets to her she just looks at it and is like "That's not mine. That's mobei's." and sqq's brain breaks a little bit

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I think it's stupid to apply modern medical ethics to the golden core transfer but if we're already doing that then I have to point that while, yes, organ donors have a right to privacy, under modern ethical standards Jiang Cheng did not fucking give informed consent to organ transfer. He was told Baoshan Sanren could restore his core– a thing that the person telling him this knows to be false. At no point is it mentioned this would involve placing someone else's golden core inside of Jiang cheng. For example: If I have a problem with my lungs and a doctor tells me they're going to do restorative surgery to fix it, and then without my knowing they perform a lung transplant instead, that is medical malpractice! Even if the lung transplant succesfully treated the problem i had. "Well you knew we were going to do SOMETHING" is not fucking informed consent.

"Oh but Jiang Cheng was suicidial which means he wasn't competent to give informed consent" Ah yes, under emergency circumstances a doctor is allowed to perform life-saving treatment even if the patient is unable to give informed consent. In those cases, a surrogate decision maker like a family member is also allowed to consent in the patient's place. So... there you have it. Wei wuxian is the surrogate decision maker and all is well!!

Except sorry! No! Regardless of whether you believe Jiang Cheng was allowed to make medical decisions in that moment (suicidal ideation and active suicide risk are two different things! You do not have your right to bodily autonomy taken away simply by being depressed, that's a downright dystopian worldview.) If a medical procedure is done without informed consent in case of an emergency, and the patient is later sound of mind again, they have to be informed of the procedure! And it has to be explained why medical profesionals thought it was essential! And this is for cases where a patient is unconscious or unable to receive information. In cases where the patient is lucid but mental health makes it so that their consent can legally be overridden, they are still to be informed of the procedure ahead of time!

All of that is leaving out that the person hiding the truth from Jiang Cheng in this case was fully aware that if Jiang Cheng had been fully sound of mind and informed of the details of the procedure, he would have refused it, and therefore intentionally obfuscated the reality of the treatment. Which is unethical no matter what. Surrogates are supposed to make their decisions based on their knowledge of the patient's values and preferences.

Again, all of this is silly because there is no board of ethics in the jianghu. Wen Qing isn't gonna be tried for medical malpractice. From a story perspective the element of violation is there specifically to highlight the harm inherent to sacrifice: that you hurt your loved ones by hurting yourself for their sake. It is to be viewed thematically alongside Yanli's death, Wen Qing and Wen Ning's sacrifice, and– even more blatantly– Jiang Cheng losing his core in the first place because he sacrificed himself for Wei Wuxian and never told him about this.

Medical ethics are completely inapplicable in that scenario, and yet it is clearly meant to contrast the golden core transfer. The two events are to be judged as a matched pair. So, if Jiang Cheng getting caught by wen soldiers can't be judged on medical ethics, but it is clearly meant to be analysed in the same way the golden core transfer is, then neither of them can be subject to these standards. I guess we'll simply have to judge them based on the thematic content of the story they're in. Drat.

[tiredsystem-r-us]

iris by goo goo dolls really is insane though. I'd give up forever to touch you? you're the closest to heaven I'll ever be? all I can breathe is your life? and I don't want the world to see me cause I don't think they'd understand? when everything's meant to be broken I just want you to know who I am? does anyone hear me.

[tiredsystem-r-us]

[tiredsystem-r-us]

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

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

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

“Do not kill within Cloud Recesses

Do not fight without permission

Do not commit acts of promiscuity

Do not go out at night

Do not make noise

Do not walk too fast

Do not laugh for no reason

Do not sit with a disgraceful pose

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

Be a filial child

Organise work properly

Diligence is the root

Morality is the priority

Harmony is the value

Learning comes first

Do not take your own words lightly

Do not act impulsively

Do not give up on learning

Make sure to act virtuously

Do not forget the grace of the forefathers

Be careful with your words

Be respectful and humble

Be loyal and filial

Be amicable and united

Be of one mind

Train your body and your mind

Stop the bad habits

Be strict with yourself

Be easy on others

Do not hold grudges

Love and respect yourself

Maintain your own discipline

If others win over you, do not envy

If other lose to you, do not look down

Do not be wasteful

Do not create damages

Love all beings

Honour good people

Steer away from bad men

Respect the filial ones

Destroy the five poisons*

Nurture aspirations

Uphold the value of justice

Shoulder the weight of morality

Embrace the entirety of the world

Perform acts of chivalry

Have courage and knowledge

Have courtesy and integrity

Have affection and gratefulness

Have wins and losses

Be fair, and they will follow you

Be trustworthy, and they will believe you

Be mighty, and they will die for you

Take the straight path

Reject the crooked road

Earn trust

Believe sincerely

Have a strong will and anything can be achieved

Win friendships with kindness

See friends as neighbours

Be just

Be generous

Be ethical

Be grateful

Be loyal

Appreciate the good people  

Wake up at 8am

Do not be picky about food

Have a proper posture

Do not be overly happy

Do not be overly sad

Do not be over-the-top

Do not use bad words to hurt others

Do not spread empty lines

Do not break promises

Do not form cliques

Do not speak ill of others

Do not live extravagantly

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

Help the underprivileged

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

Speak meagerly, for too many words only bring harm”

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

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

“Do not get near Wei Ying”

No, I’m not kidding.

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

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

[tiredsystem-r-us]

我做梦都想回去… Even in my dreams, I want to go back… The Untamed locations: Lotus Pier 莲花坞/Liánhuā Wù

It’s finally here! The third installment in my ongoing Chén Qíng Lìng drafting saga, Lotus Pier! As the residence of the Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect, Lotus Pier (莲花坞/Liánhuā Wù) is arguably one of the most important locations in the narrative of Mó Dào Zǔ Shī. Built among sprawling lotus ponds in the lazy shallows of a vast, meandering river, Lotus Pier shapes the halcyon days of the Jiāng siblings’ youth. It is a warm and lively place, its people welcoming and carefree. 

The complete diagram:

(Full set details/meta below.)

Part 1: The Jingshi Part 2: The Hanshi

Prints now available at ✨ INPRNT! ✨ You can also support me on Ko-fi ☕

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The Untamed locations: The Hanshi 寒室 / Yashi 雅室 

My latest love-letter to Chen Qing Ling is the Elegant Room (雅室/Yashi). In the novel, the Yashi plays the role of a waiting/receiving room whilst the Cold Room (寒室 /Hanshi) acts as the personal residence of the Sect Leader. However, the Elegant Room in the webseries often plays the role of both. 

The complete diagram:

(Full set details/interior meta below.)

Part 1: The Jingshi Part 3: Lotus Pier

Prints now available at ✨ INPRNT! ✨ You can also support me on Ko-fi ☕

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The Untamed locations: The Jingshi  静室

A digital redraft of my original love-letter to Chen Qing Ling. The Quiet Room (静室/Jingshi) is Lan Wangji’s private residence in the Cloud Recesses. It is a secluded place dedicated to study and meditation, located somewhere in the Back Mountains of the Lan Sect’s domain. 

The complete diagram:

(Full sketch details/scene meta below.)

Part 2: The Hanshi Part 3: Lotus Pier

Prints now available at ✨ INPRNT! ✨ You can also support me on Ko-fi ☕

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WangXian is the melody composed by Lan WangJi for Wei WuXian. It is how he recognized his soulmate after the latter’s death, even though Wei WuXian now occupies a different body. WangXian is also translated as Forgetting Envies, and is a portmanteau of their names.

But first, a little background on the connotations of the family names, all of which are common enough but will subconsciously shape how these characters are perceived in the minds of a reader who is a native speaker. If you know Chinese, you might even get the feeling that the author got pretty tongue-in-cheek about the naming of her characters.

The Jin clan is gaudy and loud about their wealth. The word Jin 金 is literally “gold”. The Lan clan has family emblems that are cloud-themed. The word Lan 藍 is literally “blue”. The Jiang clan has roots in a province with lots of ponds and rivers. The word Jiang 江 is literally “river” in reference to bodies of water in Southern China.

The surname Wei 魏 is familiar to history majors, as it’s one of the three nation-states in the Three Kingdoms Period. However, if you’re also a WeiLan shipper from the Guardian fandom, then you might have heard that Shen Wei’s name Wei 巍 means “Mountain god entrusts himself to Ghost”. (I might do another post on this sometime.)

In Wei Ying’s Wei 魏 there’s no mountain 山 involved; that’s the top part of the character in Shen Wei’s Wei 巍. The original meaning of the word 魏 is grand and majestic – the left half of that character means god or entrust, while the right half means ghost. Fitting surname for a grandmaster who deals with the deceased.

Now the fun part with the personal names.

Lan Zhan’s formal name Zhan 湛 means deep or clear, without impurities. It is often prefixed to the front of the word “blue” to describe the color of sunny cloudless skies, azure.

(As an aside, his elder brother Lan XiChen’s formal name is Huan 渙, and means an expansive spreading of water with connotations of dispersion. Both Zhan and Huan have the water word root on the left half of the character.)

Wei Ying’s formal name Ying 嬰 literally means babe. In ancient times it used to also refer to necklaces, but that didn’t stop people from naming their sons thus. Historically there are at least a handful of well-known figures with that name. The Taoist term YuanYing 元嬰 refers to a state of primordial transcendence, often considered an intermediate phase on the path toward deity.

The author really nailed it with their courtesy names.

WangJi 忘機 / 忘机

Wang 忘 means to forget. In English it may have negative connotations because it’s associated with a passive disease and loss of treasured memories. In Chinese the act of actively forgetting can also be a positive renunciation of worldly troubles, so the character is somewhat more romantic than an English speaker would assume.

Ji 機 / 机 is typically used in common speech to refer to machines, mechanical things, opportunities, worldly things that have many parts intricately connected with each other. In more metaphysical discussions, it implies the intertwined destinies and sophistication of the mundane.

I’ve seen a classy tea store selling leaf blends named WangJi, among a collection of other poetic references and reminders of the otherworldly. To forget the secular calculations and intricacies of the world is to live freely and without distractions; as an antonym of precision, it has heavy Taoist flavors because of its seclusive connotations.

WuXian 無羨 / 无羨

Wu 無 / 无 means none, nil, the lack of.

Xian 羨 means envy. WuXian is a perfect name for someone who embodies the untamed, envious of none. His outlook on life is never to bemoan his fate, come what may. He doesn’t know the meaning of jealousy. He is complete in and of himself.

WangXian as a portmanteau is so clever – even though the other portmanteau is brilliant as well: WuJi 無機 / 无机 is pronounced exactly the same as the Chinese term for “untamed” 無羈 / 无羁 (yes, those are the two characters you see inside the red stamp next to the show’s title logo).

When a native speaker hears the term WangXian 忘羨, they get the basic meaning of “forgetting envies”, but at the same time they’re inevitably reminded of this famous idiom:

只羨鴛鴦不羨仙 Zhi Xian YuanYang Bu Xian Xian Literally: Only envy the mandarin ducks, and not the deities. (Alternatively: A pair of love birds is more enviable than immortality.)

In a world of cultivators whose ultimate goal is to ascend into deity, lovers only envy the mandarin ducks, which are symbols of faithful monogamy and harmony, a tribute to growing old together, companions for life.

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I have questions about the untamed's name, specifically, is that a fair translation of the title in Chinese and why do you think they changed it from mo dao zu shi to chen qing ling? Also it sounds the same as chenqing the flute, does that have any meaning or is it pure accident?

oh hey! look, it’s another thing I love rambling about!

so English title of the show, The Untamed, has absolutely nothing to do with any of the titles in Chinese, but I’m going to walk through the titles to get see how we get to ‘The Untamed’

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Rules of the Gusu Lan Clan

Since I wrote my fic about junior Wei Wuxian trying to follow every rule, I’ve been wanting to compile a list of all known rules across multiple sources, and apparently today is the day for that.

General notes:

According to the MDZS novel, there are 3,000 rules at the time of the lectures, and 4,000 rules 13 years later after Wei Wuxian is resurrected. According to CQL, there are 3,500 rules at the time of the lectures.

These rules are presumably numbered, as when Lan Wangji is being beaten, Lan Qiren asks him “what is the 52nd doctrine of the Lan clan?” However, they are given in a different order in different sources so establishing how they are numbered is impossible. Since we can’t know the order they “belong” in, I’ve organized them by grouping them thematically. For the few I know numbers for, those numbers are included in parenthesis.

I don’t know how these rules are referred to in Chinese; in English they are translated as rules, principals, doctrines, or laws. Based on contextual clues, it’s possible that the rules are sorted into different categories (ie, principals vs. doctrines vs. rules)

I did my best to consolidate the rules listed duplicatively over multiple sources, but as I don’t speak Chinese and therefore cannot say which are identical in the original, there is likely some redundancy. This is exacerbated by a lot of rules apparently being given in both “do not” and “be” forms - ie, “do not disrespect elders” and “be filial” and “be respectful to teachers” are all rules. The reason I opted to leave these areas of redundancy is that this compiled list is around 175 rules. There are 3,000 plus of these things. If just ~175 have this much duplication the amount of redundancy in the actual list must be insane, so I think these overlapping rules are intentional and consolidating them would be inappropriate.

Crossposted to AO3

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people all collectively coming to tumblr to see if ao3 is down for other people too or if it’s just them and their wifi is so poetically nostalgic when you think about it, because in some way, it’s the equivalent of those times in the past when you’re a kid and visiting your grandparents’ home and there’s a blackout and so you just walk outside of the house to see if your neighbors experience the same thing too. the ao3 is just. like. a modern version of that

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sometimes i forget my characters are transgender but not that they like physically are trans i just forget that thats considered like a defining quality. like i dont remember being trans is a thing. to me a boy has boobs sometimes and thats just how it is

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CQL Companion Album Annotated Translation Project: an introduction

Over the course of this year and my time spent in this fandom, I’ve spent a lot more time thinking about translation as a practice, translation as a service, translation as a literary form, and translation as an intensely personal journey for diasporic individuals. As a result, I feel the need to preface these translations for the CQL companion album with a lot of background and disclaimers before I start throwing things on the internet.

Also because I am… incapable of doing anything without getting on a soapbox about it first:

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