Intro Post: Wei Wuxian - The Untamed
Aug. 26th, 2020 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
toottootmagicflute
Canon
The Untamed (Chén Qíng Lìng) is a xianxia (fantasy) show from mainland China, currently available in the US on Netflix, Viki.com, and YouTube. It's based on a danmei (m/m) novel called Mo Dao Zu Shi. Wei Wuxian is the central character in both the show and the novel, though my Wei Wuxian is from the show canon. He's a cultivator (a magic user) in ancient, ahistoric China who learns demonic cultivation (basically, necromancy) to survive and to protect those that needed protecting. But protecting people puts him at odds with the rest of the cultivation world, who worry about him becoming too powerful and challenging the other sects. At least, that's official reason for opposing him. Unofficially, a lot of people want to get their hands on the source of his power (the Stygian Tiger Amulet).
Wei Wuxian doesn't want to rule anything. He just wants to protect his people and grow turnips in peace. (Actually, he wanted to grow potatoes, but he was outvoted.) He does know that if he gives up the Stygian Tiger Amulet the people he's protecting would be killed. A series of tragic events (vague for spoilers) leads to his death, and that's the point where I'm taking him from.
In canon, he is resurrected 16 years later, and manages to clear his name. Throughout the whole story, he becomes close friends with Lan Zhan, one of the most upstanding and ethical cultivators in their society. Due to censorship, their relationship remains technically platonic on the show, but it is very clearly intended to be a romance. In the book, it's explicitly a romance (for a high level of 'explicit'; don't ask what he did with the sword) and they get married at the end of the story.
Wei Wuxian
Call him "Wei Wuxian", all one phrase. ("Wei" is his surname.) He's also known as Wei Ying (his birth name), and Yiling Patriarch (Yílíng Lǎozǔ) (his supervillain name). He'll be coming to Fandom High directly after his death, though emotionally he'll have a little space between his recent trauma and his arrival. Canon is unspecific about his age, but 18 is a reasonable estimate. He'll be a senior when he gets here.
He is 6' tall, with long, dark hair, pulled up at the top into a ponytail and tied with a red ribbon. He wears long, black and red (or just black) layered robes (black on top), belted, covering him down to his feet and to his wrists. He wears black bracers and his black boots curl up at the toes.
He loves wine! He loves food, especially spicy food. He loves a good time. He's coming off a really dark time in his life when he arrives, so he's going to want to have fun and enjoy himself, even though he'll miss his loved ones. He has a severe phobia of dogs. He's a terrible, terrible cook. He likes to hang out on rooftops and drink or play flute.
He carries a black flute called Chenqing, which has a red tassel hanging from it. He'll have it in his hand or tucked in his belt at all times, unless there's a reason he can't have it. It's a spiritual tool, so if your character can detect magic or similar energy, they might pick it up from this flute. He also carries talismans in his robes. A single talisman is like a cantrip - he can use it to light a fire or do other small magics. He's got some other magical spells and arrays, too. Essentially, he's a wizard. (Or maybe a bard, since he does a lot of his magic with the flute.) But he also cultivates resentful energy, which means he uses the energy of the dead to power his magic, and he can sometimes raise and control the dead. Because of this, he's got a special affinity for the dead and the undead. If I think he'd sense something, I'll contact the player(s) involved before doing anything, but if there's anything you think he should know, or if you want to plan something, contact me!
What's with the bunnies?
The Chinese rabbit god Tu'er Shen is literally the god of the gays. As mentioned, this show was censored to make the relationship with Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan "platonic", so rabbits are an ongoing thing with them. There's rabbit candy, rabbit lanterns, and a whole herd of actual rabbits. It's an ongoing motif, so beware. Here there be bunnies.
For further reference:
A Primer for The Untamed
On Historical Accuracy in The Untamed
Every time someone addresses Wei Wuxian in The Untamed (If you want to know how to pronounce his name.)
In canon, he is resurrected 16 years later, and manages to clear his name. Throughout the whole story, he becomes close friends with Lan Zhan, one of the most upstanding and ethical cultivators in their society. Due to censorship, their relationship remains technically platonic on the show, but it is very clearly intended to be a romance. In the book, it's explicitly a romance (for a high level of 'explicit'; don't ask what he did with the sword) and they get married at the end of the story.
Wei Wuxian
Call him "Wei Wuxian", all one phrase. ("Wei" is his surname.) He's also known as Wei Ying (his birth name), and Yiling Patriarch (Yílíng Lǎozǔ) (his supervillain name). He'll be coming to Fandom High directly after his death, though emotionally he'll have a little space between his recent trauma and his arrival. Canon is unspecific about his age, but 18 is a reasonable estimate. He'll be a senior when he gets here.
He is 6' tall, with long, dark hair, pulled up at the top into a ponytail and tied with a red ribbon. He wears long, black and red (or just black) layered robes (black on top), belted, covering him down to his feet and to his wrists. He wears black bracers and his black boots curl up at the toes.
He loves wine! He loves food, especially spicy food. He loves a good time. He's coming off a really dark time in his life when he arrives, so he's going to want to have fun and enjoy himself, even though he'll miss his loved ones. He has a severe phobia of dogs. He's a terrible, terrible cook. He likes to hang out on rooftops and drink or play flute.
He carries a black flute called Chenqing, which has a red tassel hanging from it. He'll have it in his hand or tucked in his belt at all times, unless there's a reason he can't have it. It's a spiritual tool, so if your character can detect magic or similar energy, they might pick it up from this flute. He also carries talismans in his robes. A single talisman is like a cantrip - he can use it to light a fire or do other small magics. He's got some other magical spells and arrays, too. Essentially, he's a wizard. (Or maybe a bard, since he does a lot of his magic with the flute.) But he also cultivates resentful energy, which means he uses the energy of the dead to power his magic, and he can sometimes raise and control the dead. Because of this, he's got a special affinity for the dead and the undead. If I think he'd sense something, I'll contact the player(s) involved before doing anything, but if there's anything you think he should know, or if you want to plan something, contact me!
Here, have Wei Wuxian causing trouble for three minutes:
What's with the bunnies?
The Chinese rabbit god Tu'er Shen is literally the god of the gays. As mentioned, this show was censored to make the relationship with Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan "platonic", so rabbits are an ongoing thing with them. There's rabbit candy, rabbit lanterns, and a whole herd of actual rabbits. It's an ongoing motif, so beware. Here there be bunnies.
For further reference:
A Primer for The Untamed
On Historical Accuracy in The Untamed
Every time someone addresses Wei Wuxian in The Untamed (If you want to know how to pronounce his name.)
Questions? Comments? Snickerdoodles?
Also, hi! This is Airawyn. Nice to see you all again.
