all right guys, let’s have a conversation about linguistic register, Lan Wangji, and I guess Wei Wuxian can come too
(and I do genuinely mean conversation, I’d love to hear other people’s input on this, because I did just write a long-ass post about the subjectivity of interpretation in translations)
So when I started interacting with the fandom and reading people’s fics, I got really confused by the way some folks were writing dialogue for Lan Wangji; he often sounded super awkward, spoke in fragments, and sometimes exclusively in third person. To be fair, all of those are elements of his speech at various times, but like, seeing it in English-language material felt like a really heavy-handed way of rendering it in translation?
I guess when you use third person within the first three episodes of the show, it makes a pretty big impression on the audience
This is not at all intended to be a criticism of people who are 1000% writing and creating wonderful work, which is more than I can say for myself, but I want to poke and prod and tease at some linguistic nuance here.
Take a deep breath, grab a pot of tea (this’ll take more than a cup), because we’re going to take the scenic route on this one–
Hi! I love your analysis on the characters because you always seem nice and open minded and not the kind of "I'm right, you are wrong", that's why I wanted to hear your opinion on this topic!
I've read that one of the most important character trait of Lan Wangji is being a sadistic, and instantly I was like "what but he's not AT ALL like that". I thought that person could be an anti but actually they wanted to praise the character. I have still thousand doubts because maybe it's me who totally read the character wrong after all this time, and because I've never read such opinion on the character, neither from the novel fandom nor from the drama or donghua fandom.
What do you think about it? :)
hi anon!! thank you 💓💕❤️ i'm glad you like them!!! (and i'm glad i come across that way, even though i have certainly slipped and said some things like that hahaha)
so my first reaction was "HUH?????" but i think i understand what that person must be talking about! and while i can't say that find his sadism "one of his most important character traits", it IS something that i think it's very endearing about Lan Wangji!!
(long post under the cut lmao)
so before we elaborate, lemme specify that in this case, i am specifically talking about the sexual, BDSM meaning for sadism. here, a sadist is someone who finds sexual pleasure in inflicting pain on their partner during sex, on the same vein that a masochist is someone who enjoys being inflicted pain on during sex.
most importantly however, this pleasure tends to be exclusive to the mindset one has during a sexual situation, and does not translate to regular everyday life, so if that person was saying that Lan Wangji is a sadist who obtains pleasure from hurting ANYONE or ANYTHING, at ANY MOMENT, then i absolutely disagree with it
okay, so... why do so many people LOVE that LWJ is a sadist? well, obviously i can't speak for everyone, but for me, i love it because of how well done it was. sadism IS an integral part of Lan Wangji character, and he KNOWS it, and for most of his life? it scared him
imagine it with me for a second: you are a 15 year old teenager, who's lived his whole life following very strict rules with a very strict view of how one should behave. you never once indulged in "common teenager behavior", you never felt the need to. then, out of nowhere, a gremlin boy comes into your life as the very embodiment of those behaviors—drinking, flirting, breaking rules, causing trouble, saying ridiculous things in class, reading... forbidden material,
that boy thinks you're a stick-in-the-mud. that boy wants you to loosen up a little. that boy tricks you into opening one of those forbidden books, and laughs at the face you make about it, then runs away happily. your blood boils, your face is red, you've never felt so hot and so frustrated in your life. you want to teach him a lesson
however, next day comes and that boy and his shidi join you on a nighthunt, and you come to the realization that he's actually... not as terrible as you first thought? he's a troublemaker, sure, but he's also incredibly competent, intelligent and even selfless if the situation calls for it. that... also stirs something in you.
then, that boy comes bearing "an apology gift", two cute, white little rabbits he caught himself, just for you. you know, deep inside, he's just doing this to get a reaction out of you. that's all he ever does. so when he makes an inappropriate joke and you (before you can even stop yourself) push him out the window, hearing him laugh joyfully even after he hit the floor, you feel that stiring again, that hot frustration, and at this point... you start suspecting something. something about what this feeling is
the thing is, for as much as you want to, you don't hate that boy. you hate how he makes you feel, but you don't hate him. in fact, you start suspecting quite the opposite. but you ignore it, and you push it aside, even as you catch yourself thinking about him, and doing the things he told you about—he's always in your mind... and you don't hate it. even when you catch yourself looking for forbidden material yourself, a type that not even that boy showed to you, a type that you can relate to, maybe even fantasize with
so, imagine now, that is how your very young life is going. then, one night... you have a dream, one very different. it starts out as a memory, but early on, it changes. in that dream, that boy teases you just a bit more cruelly, says some things with stranger implications, he pushes, and pushes you, and pushes you, and you break.
in that dream, you hurt him
and not just any kind of hurt. you do something unspeakable. the most immoral of acts a human can do. you hurt him as he cries and begs you to stop. you don't
and the worst part? you enjoy it
you were so certain, up until that point, that you were a good person. that you'd never want to hurt anyone, especially like this. so why does that dream make you feel that way? what does it mean?! that boy angers and frustrates you, sure, but you never ever wanted to hurt him. so you convince yourself that it was how your young, hormonal brain processes this anger, and tries to move on
and you don't think about why, by the end, you were holding each other close. why, by the end, you'd wanted him to enjoy it as well
KDFKSHC OKAY SORRY this ended up longer than i'd planned, but this? this is a VERY very common experience for teenagers who happen to have this type of sexual inclination to have. your mind is so young and you don't know much about sex at all, but your brain and your body betray you, and you feel drawn towards fantasies that by all means should disgust you. and it scares you, it scares you because if i enjoy these thoughs, then what does that make me?? so, much like lan wangji, those feelings get repressed and turned into something shameful for themselves
AND HERE IS WHERE WEI WUXIAN COMES IN!!! because that dream lan wangji had? it gets exposed in full sound and color to the very person it was about. now, up until that point, wangxian had already been exploring their sexuality together, and after their little fucking in the woods where lwj kept trying and trying to hold back as to not hurt him, apologizing and feeling frustrated that he can't (and who could, in his place?) wwx's reaction was to continuously rile him up more and more, because he DOESN'T want lan zhan to hold back!! no restraints, right? he wants all lan zhan has to offer!!! he wants lan zhan in all he can be!! he wants it, he enjoys it, even if it hurts!!
(how lucky, that this repressed little sadist found love in someone who turned out to be a repressed little masochist LMAO)
what is endearing about that incense burner extra is that lan wangji is visibly nervous and embarrassed about this dream, even now, even after him and wwx got married and have had sex many times. this is STILL something that lwj is ashamed about. and wei wuxian's response? to be as open as possible, to reassure him that he finds it SO hot, that he loves it, that he wants him to fuck him like that RIGHT NOW!! that there's nothing to be ashamed about cause guess what? wei wuxian is SO into it too, he's egging on little 15yo lan zhan on his actions against his own younger self!! and lan wangji finally lets it go!!! he accepts this part if himself, because now he knows it doesn't mean anything bad, it doesn't mean he's a horrible person who wants to see wei ying hurt and crying (he has, already, back when everything was falling apart), because he only wants it when he knows that wei ying wants it too. he only wants it if it's a way for wei ying to also enjoy himself
soo yeah, this is what i think that person meant when they said lan wangji was a sadist. he is!! actually, for as much as i love what the incense burner means to them, i personally don't even like reading it because of how violent it can be, and i cannot blame anyone for not being able to read it, but it IS very important to his character, and such a compelling look into his mind!
but you can also imagine how much it would have scared little lan zhan, and how validating it must have been years later, to finally know that hey, it's just a dream, and me? your husband who loves having rough mean sex with you? finds that EXTREMELY hot and it only makes me love you more ❤️💞💕
Hi! I love your blog! I have a question about a type of accessory that I frequently saw in dramas. (Tried to find out about it myself but I can't read chinese.😣) Can you tell me what those beautiful hanging pendants of jade and tassels, tied to the waist, are called? Thank you for any information you have!
Hi! I’m glad you love my blog, and thanks for the question! (Illustration Via)
Yaopei/腰佩 (lit. “waist wear”) is the general term for traditional Chinese waist ornaments, of which there are several types. Yaopei are typically decorated with jade (Yupei/玉佩), as the Chinese have revered jade since ancient times, and would (and still do) adorn themselves with it in various forms, including jewelry, hair ornaments, and waist ornaments.
Those beautiful long pendants of jade and tassels hanging from the waist that you see in Chinese dramas are a type of Yaopei called Jinbu/禁步. An accessory worn since ancient times, Jinbu was initially used to hold down the skirt. Below - Jinbu in the Chinese drama series Nirvana in Fire.
Jinbu typically consists of one or more jades hanging in combination with beads and a decorative silk tassel (Liusu/流苏). Some of these jade stones are in the shape of bi-discs and Huang/璜, an arc shape with one hole on the top and two on the sides.
Apart from the symbolism of the jade and the beauty of the stone, the ancient Chinese appreciated the delicate tinkling sound the jades made as they touched each other when the wearer moved. Below - historical Ming dynasty gold-and-jade Jinbu (left), modern Tang-style gold Jinbu (right).
Worn by men and women, Jinbu served as symbols of virtue and emblems of rank. Below - illustrations of ladies from the Han dynasty (left) and Ming dynasty (right) wearing Jinbu.
Due to the hanfu revival movement, the wearing of Jinbu is making a bit of a comeback. Below - modern Jinbu from 秋雨夕阳的店.
Beautiful and versatile, Jinbu are a great way to accessorize any hanfu outfit.
For more posts on Jinbu and other types of Yaopei, please see my waist ornament tag.
ok but one thing i love about goncharov is the ironic subversion of themes. like we have katya, the madonna-like character whose white palette screams of loyalty and purity, while andrey is the judas-like character whose motifs are the dagger and the poisoned cup.
but at the end, it’s katya who draws a gun on goncharov, and andrey who’s left holding his bleeding body in his arms. by having the “loyal wife” be the backstabber and the “doublecrosser” be the broken-hearted lover, scorsese subverts both biblical imagery and gender roles, and he does it in such a subtle and poetic way too, without taking away the complexity of either character.
I can’t be the only one who has fond memories of this old gem. It didn’t really follow the events of the movie (like most tie-in games at the time) but the characters and the atmosphere drew me in even back then. Glad it’s getting some recognition again. Maybe I should go bargain bin diving again, see if I can find a copy somewhere.
rewatched goncharov last night and im down on my knees foaming at the mouth bc in the market sofia said 'all memory is treachery' and the last thing katya says to her is 'i wonder how you will remember me'
