[Mainland Chinese Drama 2019] The Untamed 陈情令

[owlstar]

I thought this was a really interesting analysis of WWX's feelings toward LWJ.  See link to original post and more stuff here: https://wangxianyizhan.tumblr.com.  

 

Wei Wuxian - On Loving Lan Wangji

One of the most charming things about CQL!Wei Wuxian is this: up to the end, I don’t think he has realized that he is in love with Lan Wangji.

I mean, we know. The world around them knows. Heck, I think even Lan Wangji knows, because bless this boy, I think he resolved his own 'I am in love with Wei Wuxian’ arc even before the show’s half-way point. 

Wei Wuxian, though? I don’t think so. Funny enough, in CQL-verse, there were already hints of something promising between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji even before Wei Wuxian’s death, unlike in the novel where Wei Wuxian was completely in the dark and only developed feelings for Lan Wangji in his second life. CQL-verse though gave them that foundation of them being two people who were drawn to one another from the start, who became friends and even established a bond so close they can consider thenselves as soulmates. Again, all these before Wei Wuxian even died.

I would like to once again send my heartfelt gratitude to Xiao Zhan for all those interviews that gave us a glimpse of his headspace as Wei Wuxian. In a few of these interviews, Xiao Zhan mentioned how part of Wei Wuxian’s next life involved having to resolve things in the last one, and this actually included his learning to trust Lan Wangji again. 

In his old life, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had to struggle with a beautiful relationship on the verge of collapse, brought by Wei Wuxian’s seeming refusal to let go of his ghost cultivation path, and Lan Wangji’s conviction that Wei Wuxian had to return to sword cultivation because any other path would harm him. The tragedy of it all was that they were both in the right—Wei Wuxian required an alternative path to fight for what he believed was right despite having lost his golden core, and Lan Wangji (who did not yet know about Wei Wuxian’s core) was also correct in that ghost cultivation was affecting Wei Wuxian’s psyche. All these came to a head at Nightless City, with Wei Wuxian, heartbroken over having lost the people he fought so hard for, went against the whole cultivation world. In that state, he also saw that Lan Wangji was still against him, tried to stop him, even though Lan Wangji himself was still conflicted though his heart was still with Wei Wuxian in the end. 

Now, this time it would be Wei Wuxian’s character song that makes things interesting. His character song seems to be set while he was in that space between his two lives, looking back at a life that strayed so far away from where his good intentions would have wanted it to go. He recounts his life, but interestingly and heartbreakingly, when we reach the chorus, although the words are actually never the same, the lines are nonetheless about the same single thing:

 

Chorus 1:

I have tried to take a jar of liquor with a smile

And once fought with the most beautiful person in Gusu

 

Chorus 2 (here, the lines dedicated to the subject are even longer):

I was once stunned by someone

And teased the cloud patterns with my fingertips

The sudden vibrations of a zither

I wonder why I am remembering these deep in my dream

 

Chorus 3:

I also once had someone in the mortal world

To love and to long for

 

The chorus always starts talking about Lan Wangji—and yet, it doesn’t really sound like Wei Wuxian fully realizes how much this person means to him. He looks at it from a distance, perhaps because it was a life that was already over and he was regretful about how things had ended. The feelings are bittersweet—and just wow, those lines where Wei Wuxian calls Lan Wangji as “the most beautiful person in Gusu” are just too powerful for my poor, weak heart. Note though that with Wei Wuxian, this could mean either he did think of Lan Wangji as the most beautiful person in Gusu, or he just took it for granted that Lan Wangji was known as the most beautiful person in Gusu. Or it could be a bit of both, with not a lot of overthinking because… ah, Wei Ying, Wei Ying.

Fast forward now to after Wei Wuxian’s resurrection. We know he and Lan Wangji were not in a good place because Wei Wuxian hid from him at first. He got anxious when he heard the juniors talking about Hanguang-jun, and actually discouraged them from calling him over. This was the man he once called his soulmate! How bad of a fall-out had theirs been for things to change so drastically. It definitely took some time for Wei Wuxian to feel comfortable around Lan Wangji again. 

Two things, I think, softened Wei Wuxian. First, Lan Wangji’s drunken confession in CQL-verse was that he regretted the events leading to Wei Wuxian’s death. It made Wei Wuxian realize why Lan Wangji was looking for him in the first place, all this time. He sought to comfort Lan Wangji and explained that he was not to blame. We can see Wei Wuxian was moved by how gently he took care of Lan Wangji that night, drunk as he was. 

Second was Lan Xichen telling Wei Wuxian about the events after his death, what punishments Lan Wangji endured and how he retained his faith and conviction about Wei Wuxian even after all of that. Even the story about their mother was telling; it was a glimpse of how strongly and stubbornly Lan Wangji loves someone, and how deeply that love goes, even if he does not say anything in words. Lan Xichen reminded Wei Wuxian of how adamant and persistent Lan Wangji had been about saving Wei Wuxian in his past life. Wei Wuxian said that it was unnecessary for Lan Wangji to have done these things, to suffer through his loyalty to Wei Wuxian especially when Wei Wuxian was already dead. But somehow it must have proven something to him, too, and gave him a sense of security with Lan Wangji. 

After these things, love (or at the very least, trust and attachment) just seemed to develop naturally from there. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are good together especially as “partners-in-crime”, so to speak. They are a very effective team, and while this goes to show how naturally compatible they are, the adventures they go through just also strengthen the bond between them. What finally cemented their relationship in this second life, resolving any other doubts Wei Wuxian might have had with Lan Wangji, was that face-off at Lanling, where Lan Wangji had the opportunity to deny Wei Wuxian again in order to retain his respected status in the cultivation world. Lan Wangji refused, announced that he knew it was Wei Wuxian from the start, and told Wei Wuxian that it wasn’t so bad, walking in this path of his. 

They were noticeably inseparable from there. What makes my heart sing about this is that this time, Wei Wuxian is more actively sticking to Lan Wangji. He needs no one else other than Lan Wangji, has complete faith in him. Back in Yi City, we saw how confident he was that Lan Wangji would win against Xue Yang, he was not even worried when he took the kids to safety. Then at the Burial Mounds, when he drew the spirit attraction enchantment on himself to drive away the corpses, he refused any other help, saying Lan Wangji was enough to protect him. 

There were many other instances. In Lotus Pier, he was constantly with Lan Wangji, and even presented him to his family. He accepted insults about himself from Jiang Cheng, but not even his guilt towards Jiang Cheng would allow him to let his brother insult Lan Wangji. Even his asking Lan Wangji to take him away from Lotus Pier after the confrontation with Jiang Cheng was telling, because Wei Wuxian used to be self-sufficient and was uncomfortable asking for help. But he was doing so freely with Lan Wangji. 

Even before entering the Guanyin Temple, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had a conversation about Wen Ning—another staple in Wei Wuxian’s life—needing to find a life for himself. Interestingly, the thought that Lan Wangji (who was about as attached to him as Wen Ning was) similarly needed a life free from him did not even occur to Wei Wuxian. He would let Wen Ning go, but Lan Wangji stays. 

Then, at the Guanyin Temple, when he found out that everyone seemed to know about his losing his golden core, Wei Wuxian checked with Lan Wangji first, asking, “So do you also know?” By this point, Lan Wangji had become a far first in his mind, far from everyone else. Wei Wuxian looks to him first, and before facing anything else that remained against him, he has to check first that things between him and Lan Wangji were okay.

This is also why the last episode is so heartbreaking. After the events at the temple, Wei Wuxian whisks Lan Wangji away and makes a run for it. Escaping did seem to be his intention, too, because when Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui—the most harmless, loyal people to them both—caught up to them, Wei Wuxian looked disappointed that they were caught. 

Of course, he then learned that Lan Sizhui was none other than their beloved A-Yuan, and that was a heart-warming reunion all around. Eventually though, Lan Sizhui and Wen Ning said their goodbyes, and Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Wangji, wondering where they would go. He never thought to even ask Lan Wangji where he would go, never thought it would be anywhere Wei Wuxian wouldn’t be, because already he learned to be secure that Lan Wangji would never leave his side. In a way, he took it for granted that Lan Wangji would no longer leave him, but to be fair to Wei Wuxian, after everything that had happened and given his own feelings towards Lan Wangji, it was an easy assumption and mistake to make, to have that sense of security towards someone to whom one’s heart was so drawn to.  

Somehow though, I do think their parting might have done Wei Wuxian some good. Again, Wei Wuxian is a dense motherf*cker not the type who digs deeply at his own mind and feelings (heck, the boy falls asleep during meditation, and never forget the 'Do you like Mianmian?’ incident), doesn’t label things and just rides those feelings out openly and freely. Time apart from Lan Wangji could have given him more space to assess what he was feeling for the guy, what it meant to miss him, how badly he was missing him, and so on. And we know he missed him badly, because who in their right mind would play their theme song atop a mountain, looking like they were about to cry? How afraid he was to look behind him and find that maybe Lan Wangji wasn’t really there, that it was all in his head… oh, Wei Ying. 

So, yes. We did not get the “I love you’s” (nor “that night, I really wanted to sleep with you!” lmao) in the drama, but this also makes sense because Wei Wuxian probably also did not even know, or did not know what to call it, or whatever the heck they were. But spending those days (perhaps even months or years) away from Lan Wangji were clearly difficult for him, enough for us to know that their reunion would bring Wei Wuxian such relief, he likely would never let Lan Wangji go again. And maybe, just maybe, when they meet again, that’s when it all comes to Wei Wuxian, the feelings he isn’t able to keep anymore, and he would just burst out, “I miss you! I love you!”

[frostflower14]

There’s going to be official The Untamed plushies for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. The release date is 20/10/2019.

 

The one English site I found that sold these was kind of overpriced, so I decided to buy through Taobao instead. Try searching on eBay and you will find a way inflated price.The Taobao page that sold these didn’t seem to take PayPal so I used Superbuy to preorder them.Not sure how much international shipping is going to be though, hopefully not too much...

 

In case anyone else wants to buy through Superbuy the link for Wei Wuxian plushie is. Just copy and paste link into Superbuy search window

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=600378412490

 

The link for Lan Wangji plushie is 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=601002043815

[frostflower14]

 

There’s going to be a The Untamed movie. It’s called The Living Dead and looks like it will show what happened to Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui after they split up with Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian.

 

I really want the production company to make a “Hook Ghost” movie though. That would be hilarious...

[Renka Mizu]

I'm dont remember which episode but there was scene where WY and LZ disccuss how MHY can summon WY. There must be someone behind the scene. Then there is scene where two people in MHY room. Wearing similar cloth. one standing, one siting. The one standing then say

 

I'm sorry, didn't meant to put curse on you.

but Mo just to cruel

Not only torture you but also other people.

 

Idunno either it's MHY who already leave his body and WY already inside him. Or it's just another person(NHS maybe)

[fragglerock]

@frostflower14 @MK916  Is there any english translation of the book anywhere or at least any interesting parts.  I have read the one above and that is sweet, but curious if there are any other good bits.....

 

[MK916]

1 hour ago, fragglerock said:

@frostflower14 @MK916  Is there any english translation of the book anywhere or at least any interesting parts.  I have read the one above and that is sweet, but curious if there are any other good bits.....

 

 

I have the complete novel translated in English. PM with your email address and I can send you an ePub of the novel.

[owlstar]

I read the book and was craving more LWJ/WWX scenes, so I'm slowly working my way through the huge amount of fanfiction out there.  Here's a couple modern day setting LWJ/WWX stories that I liked.  No graphic stuff but it's got the feels!  

 

equilibrium

Summary:

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are sort-of-friends with benefits, and that's all there is to it.

(It isn't.)

 

resonant frequencies

Summary:

In which Wei Wuxian decides that the best way to deal with being in love with Lan Wangji is to pretend to date him for three weeks.

It goes about as well as can be expected.

[fragglerock]

@MK916  As requested have sent you the email address and thank you again in advance.  its much appreciated....

[MK916]

1 hour ago, fragglerock said:

@MK916  As requested have sent you the email address and thank you again in advance.  its much appreciated....

 

Hi I just sent it to you.  I enjoyed reading and hopefully you will too. 

 

It was ALOT of work putting together Heaven Official's Blessing; 252 chapters! Having to do grammar check and making sure the names are consistent across the book. I'm still waiting for one more chapter to be translated and then the novel translation will be completed.

 

In the meantime, I'm putting an ePub together for the author's other work, Scum Villain System. I just want to read all the novels just to compare.

[tailor314]

1 hour ago, fragglerock said:

@MK916  As requested have sent you the email address and thank you again in advance.  its much appreciated....

the entire novel is available online for free and the translators have requested no one distribute epubs or other consolidated copies of it. just google exiledrebelsscans and you'll find all the chapters (plus the manhua translations) under "GDC". the novel is completely translated in great quality!

[Sisca_TVXQ]

1 hour ago, tailor314 said:

the entire novel is available online for free and the translators have requested no one distribute epubs or other consolidated copies of it. just google exiledrebelsscans and you'll find all the chapters (plus the manhua translations) under "GDC". the novel is completely translated in great quality!

I think the translator mean not to sell it, they said feel free to make epubs by yourself, but for someone like me who don't understand how to do that I really appreciate @MK916  who share it with us

[MK916]

17 minutes ago, Sisca_TVXQ said:

I think the translator mean not to sell it, they said feel free to make epubs by yourself, but for someone like me who don't understand how to do that I really appreciate @MK916  who share it with us

 

I am an avid reader and have a HUGE collection of ePubs that I’ve created. I liked the drama so much that I wanted to read the novel which turned out to be amazing as well. I do a grammatical check and format with as much detail as possible (such as table of contents, footnotes and add pictures) on everything I’ve read. I just want other people to enjoy reading it as much as I did in a more accessible way such as on phone/tablet instead of having to go online to read them.

[Raindrop]

36 minutes ago, MK916 said:

 

I am an avid reader and have a HUGE collection of ePubs that I’ve created. I liked the drama so much that I wanted to read the novel which turned out to be amazing as well. I do a grammatical check and format with as much detail as possible (such as table of contents, footnotes and add pictures) on everything I’ve read. I just want other people to enjoy reading it as much as I did in a more accessible way such as on phone/tablet instead of having to go online to read them.

 

H!  Please send me the link too. I just messaged you. Thank you!

[frostflower14]

I found an extra chapter in the Audio drama of Mo Dao Zu Shi on YouTube (but can’t find that video again) about Raising Rabbits.

 

Lan Xichen found a herd of wild rabbits when he was resting somewhere in the Cloud Recesses. He took them with him to give to Lan Wangji, so that the rabbits given to him by Wei Wuxian would have some company. Lan Xichen remarks that things will become more lively when Lan Wangji’s rabbits have babies,but Lan Wangji tells him his rabbits are both male! Lan Xichen tells him that the rabbits seems to have different personalities, one seems to like tranquility but the other one seemed more sociable. The sociable one is already making new friends with the other rabbits, but the quiet one is scaring them all away. Lan Wangji says that the rabbit is only protecting what’s “his”.Lan Xichen remarks that he has never seen a white rabbit get so aggressive over its territory. Lan Wangji tells him it’s not about territory!!! He takes his rabbits away because the quiet rabbit was getting so aggressive over protecting its “mate”.

 

I’m guessing all the other rabbits are female...So the quiet rabbit didn’t want its mate to get so popular with the ladies.Ha ha even the rabbits in Cloud Recesses get jealous and possessive.

 

 

 

[car12Aniime]

Hi, this is my first time posting on the thread. I usually just read the thread without leaving a comment or anything... But I do want to know where one can read the English translation of the novel. I recently just finished watching the Untamed and really want to try out the novel. If anyone can kindly tell me where I can read the English version of the novel, I would appreciate it! Thank you!

[frostflower14]

I found a page that lists all the available Audio Drama episodes with English subs for Mo Dao Zu Shi, if anyone wants to check it out. (Not sure if I can post link publicly)

 

The extra episodes are hilarious! My favourite so far is the one about the Flower Maiden and the bad poetry Wei Wuxian recited to make her throw him out of her garden and reveal what she really looked like. This part was from the chapter where Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian take the junior disciples near an abandoned garden that was once famous. Lan Sizhui tells the others about a story he once read about the Flower Maiden.She would gift a flower to people who recited poetry well, but no one actually saw her face. Only one person was annoying enough to make her throw him out multiple times...He was Wei Wuxian!!!

 

[MK916]

1 hour ago, car12Aniime said:

Hi, this is my first time posting on the thread. I usually just read the thread without leaving a comment or anything... But I do want to know where one can read the English translation of the novel. I recently just finished watching the Untamed and really want to try out the novel. If anyone can kindly tell me where I can read the English version of the novel, I would appreciate it! Thank you!

 

You can read the English translation from exiledrebelsscanlation online. If you’re interested in an electronic ePub version, PM me with your email address and I will send you a copy.

[frostflower14]

I found another fan made song I liked. Not sure if I translated the title correctly though, I couldn’t find this term on Baidu.

 

 

重饮 ( Drinking Again together)

 

WWX:

哪一轮明月曾照楼头

Moonlight has once shined down on these towers

交错间莞尔风流

Intertwined with a carefree smile

那时笑言的 一醉解千愁

At the time said with a smile, one drunken reverie dispels a thousand sorrows

云深本无忧 何须借酒

The Cloud Recesses is originally without sorrows, no need to borrow wine (get drunk)

 

LWJ:

问岂曰无衣 与子同仇

Asking how can you say you have no clothes? (This line if from a famous poem,refers to the enthusiasm of soldiers) Sharing with you a common enemy 

人非草木孰能休

People are not grasses and trees, who can rest?

纵歧路一别 从此难回首

At the fork in the road we parted, from then on it is hard to turn back

落笔犹探问 今日安否

Writing to inquire, today are you well?

 

年少心事未及思量透

In youth affairs of the heart were not yet considered clearly

便匆匆跌宕一去赴洪流

You had already recklessly fallen into the flood 

若这不平人间道 能护你再重走

If you are unsatisfied with the ways of the world,  am I able to protect you to retreat again?

可否将痛憾倾力挽救

Is it possible to remedy suffering, regret and losses ?

 

LWJ:

哪一轮明月又照桥头

Moonlight once again shines down on the bridge

心之所向尽如旧

My heart is the same as from the beginning (My Heart is unchanged)

经年暗涌的 醒来都缄口

The years filled with undercurrents flow, awakening only in silence

连一声有悔 也只借酒

Even a word of regret is said in drunkenness 

 

 

WWX:

十六载一梦 翻覆春秋

One dream of sixteen years,overturning the seasons 

目之所及仍相候

One gaze within reach always waiting behind

灰烬里捧囬 从此与君剖

Returning from the ashes, from then opening my heart with you

这一生零落 能得安否

One lifetime is wasted, is it possible to be well?

 

而今欲买枇杷同载酒

Today we buy loquats and drink together 

前尘入喉 终不似少年游

Past events enter vulnerabilities (cause pain),in the end we cannot return to our youthful travels

枯守过几番霜雪 落眉睫 满襟袖

 Guarding in vain over many seasons of frost and snow, falling on eyelashes, filling up sleeves

可否等到谁来共白首

Is it possible to wait for someone to return, to grow old together?

 

那一轮明月终照心头

Moonlight finally shines down on my heart

不夜长街遥相望 笑悠悠

On the Nightless City’s long road gazing at each other from the distance, smiling leisurely 

梦回天灯共一诺 并肩去 更何求

Dreaming of our promise to the sky lanterns, carrying the burden together, what more could we wish for?

听横笛快意 琴声温柔

Listening to the joyful sounds of the flute, gentle sounds of the zither

愿江湖快意 岁月温柔

Wishing for the martial arts world to be joyful,the years to be kind

[car12Aniime]

On 9/10/2019 at 6:55 PM, MK916 said:

 

You can read the English translation from exiledrebelsscanlation online. If you’re interested in an electronic ePub version, PM me with your email address and I will send you a copy.

 

Thank you so much MK916! I've PMed you my email.

[A1mm3]

On 9/10/2019 at 7:42 PM, frostflower14 said:

I found a page that lists all the available Audio Drama episodes with English subs for Mo Dao Zu Shi, if anyone wants to check it out. (Not sure if I can post link publicly)

 

The extra episodes are hilarious! My favourite so far is the one about the Flower Maiden and the bad poetry Wei Wuxian recited to make her throw him out of her garden and reveal what she really looked like. This part was from the chapter where Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian take the junior disciples near an abandoned garden that was once famous. Lan Sizhui tells the others about a story he once read about the Flower Maiden.She would gift a flower to people who recited poetry well, but no one actually saw her face. Only one person was annoying enough to make her throw him out multiple times...He was Wei Wuxian!!!

 

Can you PM the link?