#the more dynamic headband to fit with the rest if that makes sense yeah. so it flowed better in a loop

[ladybugboots]

here is the progress for the animation for snake

[itsclydebitches]

Just watched episodes 15 and 16 of The Untamed (AKA massive unhappy times that I was not prepared for!!) and - working from the Netflix English translation - I was really struck by how Wei Wuxian fits in with his adopted family. More specifically, what everyone else perceives his role in that family to be. This whole tragedy begins with him being whipped by Madam Yu, a physical expression of what we’ve already heard from her verbally: I don’t consider you to be my son. Wei Wuxian’s only response to this is thinking that sacrificing his hand wouldn’t be so bad if it got the rest of his family out of this. He’s already making plans to start practicing fighting with his left. 

When Madam Yu sends them off she has more verbal lashings for Wei Wuxian, blaming him for all of it and expressing her disgust in no uncertain terms. Yes, the fact that she’s saving him at all and her demand that he protect Jiang Cheng and Yanli, that trust, hints at her secretly caring, the warm demeanor we only really see when she’s reaching for Fengmian, but as final goodbyes go it was far from kind. Definitely not a case of tragedy forcing her to admit hidden feelings, as happens with her husband. 

But I thought yeah, that’s in character, but Fengmian is so gentle in comparison. Surely he’ll treat Wei Wuxian as an equal in a situation like this. He cups his son’s cheek, telling him not to cry. He cups his daughter’s cheek, telling her not to cry. ... and he puts a hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, telling him to take care of them both. 

I’m sensing a theme here. 

They return to Lotus Pier where Jiang Cheng (unknowingly) compounds this by referring to Fengmian and Madam Yu as “my parents.” Obviously Wei Wuxian has biological parents of his own - no one would want to erase that - but despite growing up together there’s a strong insistence that his adoptive parents aren’t really his. At least not compared to what Jiang Cheng has with them. 

Jiang Cheng then chokes him and blames Wei Wuxian for all that’s happened, just like his mother did. Rather than getting angry, Wei Wuxian is entirely focused on the task that both parents demanded he shoulder: keep your siblings safe. Chasing Jiang Cheng down leads only to keeping him from going back to Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng choking him leads only to the reminder that Yanli is currently alone. Wei Wuxian ignores his own grief and justified hurt to prioritize his siblings, just like he was taught. 

Even Yanli who so clearly adores Wei Wuxian ends up repeating this perspective in her grief. When he goes off to find Jiang Cheng he begs her to be safe. Wei Wuxian can’t bear to even think of losing her right now. He needs a promise. “Ah,” I thought. “Now here’s where Yanli demands the same promise from him, especially since he’s the one going off on the super dangerous mission.” Instead she only begs that he bring Jiang Cheng back. The message here - though unintentional - is that Wei Wuxian isn’t important. He may be powerful and have gotten a lot of attention for that skill, but when life and safety are on the line he’ll never be first. He doesn’t get a goodbye from his adoptive parents, only an order to protect others. He doesn’t get the reassurance that Yanli wants him safe too, only the request that he bring back Jiang Cheng. He gets all the attention when it comes to sword skills, inventing talismans, or just acting out (desperate need for attention, anyone?) but outside of cultivation Wei Wuxian is always the last one people think of, if they think of him at all. 

To be clear, I’m not blaming any of the characters for this. They all went through absolute horror and are dealing with their grief in a variety of ways. I adore how complex the situation is, especially in regards to Jiang Cheng’s feelings of inferiority when the reality is that he and Wei Wuxian are both struggling to get the reassurance they need. The writing is fantastic. The setup for their tragedy is so painful because it has such depth and relatability. It’s just that in-world I keep thinking about how horrifically damaging all this is. No one is at fault (except maybe Madam Yu...). They’re all victims here. But regardless of intentions, Wei Wuxian is being told loud and clear that he doesn’t matter on top of going through the same tragedy his siblings are.  

Thinking about this dynamic and knowing that at least parts of it existed before this tragedy made it all more obvious, it shines a whole new light on many of the things that I know are coming later in the series. (I spoiled myself for... everything lol). Despite his seemingly cold demeanor, Lan Wangji goes on to do so much for Wei Wuxian. Or, to put it another way, he puts Wei Wuxian first, even above himself at times. That’s not to say his family has never done the same (Jiang Cheng traveling non-stop for two days to save him from the cave comes to mind) but only that gestures like that stand out to someone who has often been made to feel inferior. People remember those kinds of hurtful words, even the unintentional ones. They eat at you and Wei Wuxian got one hell of a hefty dose over the last few hours, to say nothing of what else he might have heard since he was nine. Having someone like Lan Wangji who so steadfastly prioritizes his well being (using his sacred headband to keep him safe against the guqin, rescuing him from the water spirit, shouting in horror when Wei Wuxian is pushed off the cave cliff) is really something that Wei Wuxian needs. It’s a part of their relationship I hadn’t considered until now but damn, it’s a good one.