All in the Wangxian Family by tungstenpincenez (G, 19k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, family tree, Comic-Con, Humor, tutorial, Chinese names, chinese honorifics, warning: mental illness discussion)
🔒 Writers Guide: The Guqin by ThisIsWhereTheMagicHappens (Not Rated, 1k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Writers, guqin, chinese instrument, Meta, non-fiction)
How Mo Dao Zu Shi Uses Classical Chinese Literature and Ideas in Character- and World-Building by yakuzakuma (G, 5k, Reviews, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
Working Guide to almost every single mxtx character by Nightfeather18 (M, 1k, all the characters, every single one, help guide, Spoilers, my horrible sense of humor)
🔒 On Character’s Ages by thewickling (Diviana) (G, 5k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Meta, Nonfiction, Cross-posted on Dreamwidth)
🔒 On Qishan Indocrination’s Duration by thewickling (Diviana) for pumpkinpaix (G, 1k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Módào Zǔshī History, Qíshān Wēn Indoctrination,Timelines)
🔒 A Compiled List of Known Lan Clan Rules by Unforth (Not Rated, 2k, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Nonfiction, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Podfic by dangercupcake)
A Writer’s Unofficial Guide to Chinese Naming by FireflyPie (G, 2k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Chinese Language, no knowledge of the MXTX novels strictly required)
🔒 List of Differences Between Modao Zushi and CQL/The Untamed by Unforth (Not Rated, 3k, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Nonfiction, Cross-Posted on Tumblr)
🔒 The Untamed / MDZS, resources link post, stuff I needed as a writer by AteanaLenn (G, 1k, Meta, Metafiction, resources, linkdrop, Nonfiction, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
Chinese naming basics for fanfiction writers by miqqumi (Not Rated, 937, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
🔒 MDZS Timeline by thewickling (Diviana) (G, 22k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Meta, Nonfiction, Módào Zǔshī History)
Grandmaster of Demonic Timeline by chrisemrys (G, 2k, timeline, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
MDZS Audio Drama Episode Guide by pumpkinpaix (Not Rated, 5k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
Mo Dao Zu Shi Writer Reference: Novel Chapter Summaries by threerings (Not Rated, 2k, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Podfic by dangercupcake)
Reference for Modao Zushi Writers: Chinese terms by chaoticjoy (G, 3k, WIP, Meta, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides)
🔒 MDZS History Context for Dummies by enbysaurus_rex (Not Rated, 14k, WIP, Meta, Analysis, Historical Accuracy, Historical Metaphors)
Ghostbusting Economics: The Great Cultivator Labor Shortage by GhostySword (G, 3k, Meta, Economics, Worldbuilding, Crack, Though honestly it’s not that wild and pretty well supported by the text)
RL Cultivation 101 by Gina3 (T, 2k, Meta, cultivation, Taoism)
Fanwork Research & Reference Guides tag on AO3
WangXiantics: The (unofficial) Untamed Episode Guide by Trensu (T, 116k) although it’s a reaction work, it also serves as a list of episode summaries highlighting key moments.
meta and translation masterpost by @songfeng-shuiyue
The Reading of Sorrow (and other works) by Tavina (T, 10k, WIP, Meta, Worldbuilding, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE), Essays, Research, Historical References, Historical Accuracy, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Yuan Dynasty Paintings and Painters, Future Fic, Appendixes, Music) historical research underlying the fic but I’m not in charge of sorrow (so please don’t ask me when) with abundant book recs.
Who Knew the Truth About the Wen Remnants? by Karmiya (T, 8k, Meta, Essay)
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Google Docs
transcripts and translations for the entirety of The Untamed (Spreadsheets)
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Maps of MDZS
Twitter thread by @/wangxianling
Twitter thread by @/bosbiee
Stunted, Starving Juvenility - Addendum by TomatenMark
For this exchange, the sky's the limit! We’ll be creating fic, art, and podfics set in an alternate universe to the original MDZS or The Untamed canons.
My submission to the 2026 bottomji big bang event - be sure to check out the art too!
Dealing with more serious and darker themes, this fic follows trans male Lan Wangji in the devastating aftermath of his clan's near total slaughter as circumstances force him to make difficult decisions that put his family's well-being above his own. He suffers a great deal as a result, separated from them and under the power of an honorless Jin Guangshan, at the mercy of him and his merciless wife both.
Its got a lot of whump but I promise that it really does get better by the end!
Green Pines
by somevariationofgay (@somevariationofgay)
E, 58k, Lan Wangji/Jin Guangshan | Pre-Wangxian
Part of the Bottomji Big Bang 2026
Summary: After the destruction of Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji gives his body and his service to Jin Guangshan in exchange for the means to secure the future of Gusu Lan. Left defenseless and alone by his own actions, he is resigned to a life of cruelty and degradation in Golden Scale Tower, entirely cut off from events happening beyond its filigreed walls.
This isolation is abruptly broken when, part of a subtle scheme, he is sent as payment to the ancient and powerful immortal the sects bargained with to achieve victory against Qishan Wen. Caught between the keen eyes of the great immortal and the threats of the Jin sect, Lan Wangji gathers his wits and his courage, committing to a desperate plan that he hopes will save his family - one last time.
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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)
I love my bloodthirsty princess of a cursed blade, and in my heart of hearts i am nothing but a sword nerd, so i've been extremely fascinated by Baxia and how we know frustratingly little about what she actually looks like!
I mean, look at bichen, right?
Bichen in the donghua:
Bichen in the drama:
They're clearly not exactly the same. The scabbards are different, and the guards have a different shape. But these are recognizably different iterations on one theme, right? Thin jian with a white grip silver guard, light blue tassel and silver mounting accents on the scabbard.
Now this is baxia in the donghua:
And baxia in the drama:
????????
THAT'S A COMPLTELY DIFFERENT WEAPON
it doesn't stop there either, the audio drama is kind enough to give us ANOTHER COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BAXIA
pretty! But how is that he same sword??
And when we go back to the novel, we get very little information on her appearance other than the fact that her blade is tinted red with all the blood she's absorbed. Which none of these designs incorporate.
This is not a dig on the designs itself, they're all quite gorgeous in their own right and i'm going to spend a while discussing all of them! Because isn't it fascinating how, since we know little about novel baxia beyond "saber" all of these designs ended up so different? What kinds of sabers are these, anyway?
So, a chinese aber, aka a "dao" (刀) just means a sword that has only one cutting side. As opposed to a jian, which has two.
You can see how that leaves a LOT of room for variaton.
I've actually seen some people get confused because Huaisang's saber in the untsmed is thin and quite straight, making it superficially resemble the jian more than drama!baxia, but it is still clearly a saber!
See? only one cutting blade!
This, to me looks a lot like a tang dynasty hengdao
credit to this blog for providing his image and being a great source for all this going forward.
TANGENT: during all this I found out the english wikipedia page for dao is WRONG! Ths is what they about the tang hengdao!
So that sounds like the hengdao was called that during the sui dynasty, but then, after that, started being called a peidao, right?
WRONG
I LOOKED AT THE SOURCE THEY USED AND IT SAYS THIS:
IT WAS CALLED THE PEIDOU UNTIL THE SUI DYNASTY, AT WHICH POINT IT WAS CALLED A HENGDAO. Which would carry over to the Tang dynasty. This was the source wikipedia linked! and it says something else than they say it does!
Anyone know how to edit a wikipedia article?
ANYWAY
BACK TO BAXIA
Since we're already at the drama, let's look at drama baxia: She's also straight! the general term for straight-backed saber is Zhibeidao, but that's a modern collector's term, and doesn't really say anything about which historical kind of saber baxia could be based on. Another meta i found on the drama nie sabers already went on some detail here.
I'm gonna expand on that a little: The kinds of historical straight-backed sabers we see resemble the hengdao a lot more than they do baxia. They don't go to their point as harsly as she does (she's basically a cleaver!) and they're all way skinnier.
No, my personal theory is that instead of being based on any kind of historical sword, drama!baxia is based on a Nandao.
I mean, come on, look at it!
Baxia!
The Nandao... isn't actually a historical sword. It was invented for Wushu forms. There's a really fascinating article about its conception, but that's why the swords in the images look a little thin and flimsy. Wushu swords are very flexible and light, they're dance props, not weapons to fight with. There are actual steel versions of Nandao, but they're recreations of the prop, not the other way around.
So That's one way in which Baxia differes from the Nandao: she's actually a real weapon. The other is that, as you can see above, the nandao has an S-shaped guard. Baxia doesn't. She's also much more elaborately decorated, of course. Because she's a princess.
Now: audio drama baxia!
This is much easier. with that flare at the tip?
Oh baby that's a niuweidao, all the way!
There are more sabers with that kind of curved handle, but the broad tip is really charcteristic of the niuweidao. The Niuweidao is also incredibly poplar in modern media, often portrayed as a historical sword, but it originated i nthe 19th century! And it was actually never used by the military!
That's right, the Niuweidao was pretty much exclusively a civilian weapon! That makes its use here anachronistic, but so is the nandao, and considering that the origin story of the Nie is that they use Dao intead of Jian because their ancestors were butchers, portraying them with a weapon historically reserved for rebels and common people instead of the imperial military is actually very on theme!
Finally, Donghua/Manhua baxia. These two designs are so similar I'm going to treat them as one and the same for now.
Unlike both previous baxias, The long handle makes it clear this baxia is a two-handed weapon, though Nie Mingjue is absolutely strong enough to wield her with one hand anyway. Normal rules don't count for cultivators.
Now, this is where things get tricky, because there are a lot of words for long two-handed sabers. And a lot of them are interchangable! This youtube video about the zhanmadao, one of the possible sabers this baxia could be based on, goes a little into just how confusing this can get. This kind of blade WAS actually in military use for many centuries, making it the most historically accurate of all the baxias. But because of that it also has several names and all of those names can also refer to different kinds of blades depending on what century we're in.
So here's our options: i'm going to dismiss the wodao and miandao, because these were explicitly based on japanese sword design, and as we can see manhua baxia has that very broad tip, so that won't work
(Example of a wodao. According to my sources Miaodao is really just the modern common term for the wodao, and the changdao, and certain kinds of zhanmadao... do you see how quickly this gets confusing?)
Next option: Zhanmadao.
Zhanmadao stands for "horse chopping saber" so... yeah they were anti-cavalry weapons. meant to be able to cut the legs and/or necks of horses. That definitely sounds like a weapon Nie Mingjue would wield. But if you watched that youtube video i linked above, you'll know the standardized Qing dinasty Zhanmadao looked very different from earlier versions. It was inspired by the japanese odachi, and more resembles the miandao than its ealrier heftier counteprarts.
Earlier Ming dynasty Zhanmadao on the other hand were... basically polearms. the great ming military blog spot, another wonderful source, says these are essentially a kind of podao/pudao (朴刀) which looked like this
Now that blade looks a lot like baxia, but the handle is honestly too long. Donghua!baxia straddles the line between sword an polearm a little, but while zhanmadao have been used to refer to both long-handled swords and polerarms, this was undeniably a polearm, not a sword.
If you want to know what researching this was like, I found a picture of this blade on pinterest-- labeled as a "two-handed scimitar"-- and the comment section was filled with people arguing about whether this was a Pudao, Wudao, Zhanmadao, Dadao, Guandao, or a japanese Nagita.
So... that's how it was going. This has kept me up until 2 AM multiple times.
However! Thanks to this article on the great ming military blog I found out there have historically been pudao blades with shorter handles!
Specifically, Ming dynasty military writer Cheng Ziyi created a modified version of the pudao to work with the Dan Fao Fa Xuan technixues-- aka technqiues for a two-handed saber, which would alter heavily influence Miaodao swordmanship-- thereby, as the article points out, essentially merging the cleaver-polearm type Zhanmadao with the later two-handed japanese-inspired design.
This is the illustration for the Wu Bei Yao Lue (武備要略) a Ming dynasty military manual
This blade shape in the illustration doesn't match Baxia exactly, but since it's a lengthened Pudao-like blade and we've seen above that those can match Donghua Baxia's shape, i'm gonna say that calling Baxia a Zhanmadao with a two-handed grip isn't all that innacurate!
However, because all of these terms are so intertwined, there are a dozen other things you could call her that would be about equally correct.
To show that, here's a lightning round of other potential Baxia candidates:
Dadao (大刀)
Which are generally one-handed and too short. However!
Another youtube video i found of someone training with a Zhanmadao that resembles baxia a little also calls it a "shuangshoudai dao" (雙手带 刀) shuangshou means two-handed, and while 雙手带 seems to refer to a longer handled weapon, when looking for a shuangshou dao or shuangshou dadao (双手大刀) we find a lot more baxia-resembling blades like here and here
I also found that, while the cleaver-like Dadao is strictly a product of the 20th centuy, since dadao just means big sword or big knife, it has been used to refer to loads of different weapons! Some people could've called the zhanmadao and pudao "dadao" during the Ming dynasty as well.
Another potential baxia candidate that mandarin mansion classifies as similar to the later dadao (though longer, as seen in the illustration below) is the "Kuanren Piandao"
Which piqued my interest because this diagram classifying different tpye of Dao:
Claims that a Kuanrenbiandao (diferent spelling, same sword) is the same as a modern day Zhanmadao.
(So once again, all of these terms are interchangable)
Another opton Is the Chuanmeidao/Chuanweidao (船尾刀) below you can see a diagram, based on the Qing dynasty green standard army regulation, of blades all officially classified as types of "pudao"
The top middle is the Kuanren Piandao, and bottom left is the Chuanweidao.
Both of these have a lot of baxia-like qualities.
So there you go! live action baxia is based on a Nandao, audio drama baxia is based on a Niuweidao, and Manhua/donghua baxia is some kind of two-handed Zhanmadao/Pudao/Dadao depending on how you want to look at it.
I'm honestly surprised no one has made the creative decision to portray Baxia as a Jiuhuandao, aka 9 ringed broadsword yet.
I mean look at it! Incredibly imposing. Would make for a great Baxia imo. (@ upcoming mdzs manga and mobile game: take notes!)
amandla
