If I had ever learnt

The doctor put her hands over my liver, She told me my resentment’s getting smaller No, I’m not afraid of hard work–

part two : reaching

In which Maedhros begs to be delivered from his torment and Fingon’s hand is stayed by divine intervention.

Is the law of our side if I say “ay”?

Because my first time through watching this episode, I was like NIE MINGJUE, CHIFENG-ZUN, YOU ARE A RENOWNED WARRIOR, WHY DO YOU KEEP GIVING HIM YOUR BACK

Not, “I’m Xiao Xingchen, student of famed immortal Baoshan Sanren and  this is Song Lan of Baixue Temple” or even, “I’m Xiao Xingchen, the bright moon and the gentle breeze and this is Song Lan, the distant snow and cold frost.”

Just, “hey everyone, I’m me, that’s my friend him!” 

The only thing about them that matters is how they’ve just acted, with the small allowance that Xiao Xingchen would also like to note that Song Lan is his friend. (cute.)

This is not how cultivators introduce themselves. Cultivators introduce themselves with their sect affiliation or other identifying information. They bow, usually with their swords in hand. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan don’t bow until Lan Wangji initiates one in a moment, which he does, because, in spite of Xiao Xingchen’s thoroughly unhelpful introduction, he recognizes them.

But that’s not what’s important to Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan (and Song Lan has no excuse, unlike Xiao Xingchen, he must know social conventions are being broken and is happy to let Xiao Xingchen do the speaking anyway). 

Here is what is important to Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan:

a) they have apprehended a violent criminal

b) these friendly young cultivators have helped them do so

a means they are good people and they trust Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng to see that. b means that Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and are good people they can trust as well. (And that’s fortunate because here’s what Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan are not interested in: actually delivering said violent criminal to politically expedient justice.)

It’s really a lovely illustration of just why they want to start their own sect. One free of political ties and bloodlines where the only thing matters is how they help people. Xiao Xingchen is always eminently gracious but he lacks social graces.

oh I agree with you anon, I don’t think Wei Wuxian is being actively, maliciously rude, but you gotta admit, teenaged Wei Wuxian in Cloud Recesses is pretty darn obnoxious. He’s a guest, a summer student, the very least he could do is at least try and obey the rules. Keep in mind that Lan Wangji was raised on these sect precepts, and for Wei Wuxian to stroll in, break half a dozen rules, refuse to admit his wrongdoing, and then continue to make comments about the Lan Sect being stiff and no fun for the rest of the summer? That can’t sit well with Lan Wangji, no matter how early or fast he falls for Wei Wuxian. We as viewers are inclined to sympathize with rebel-just-for-kicks Wei Wuxian, but Lan Wangji built his life on these principles. Maybe he does need to get out of that kind of rigid, rule-based environment, but you could, y’know, ease him into it. Lan Wangji has barriers for a reason, and a good relationship based on mutual consent involves both parties working to break those barriers together, not one side deploying relentless siege weaponry to get the other to crack out of their shell.

(I’m afraid I’m not familiar with their intimate lives, since I haven’t read the novel and don’t plan on doing so anytime soon)

The comment I made about teenage Wei Wuxian not understanding consent comes from that moment when Lan Wangji catches One Braincell Trio drinking after hours, and Wei Wuxian slaps a talisman on Lan Wangji’s back to prevent him from immediately going out and reporting them. We don’t know exactly what this talisman does, but it renders Lan Wangji alternately immobile and compliant; Wei Wuxian successfully gets Lan Wangji to take a drink while the talisman is still stuck to Lan Wangji’s shoulder, which gave me all sorts of really uncomfy vibes about consent under the influence.

Again! Nothing bad happens! Wei Wuxian is a sweetheart and would never dream of taking advantage of someone like that! He won’t even ask (overly) invasive questions!

Wei Wuxian is constantly doing things to get a rise out of Lan Wangji; in the cold springs, he shuffles closer when Lan Wangji moves away. He darts in and fixes Lan Wangji’s sleeve; he tugs on a shoulder ribbon. I’m personally of the opinion that you don’t touch someone unless you’ve been given permission to touch them, and at that point in the show, Lan Wangji has not given Wei Wuxian this kind of blanket permission. Oh, we can speculate for days about how Lan Wangji has secret repressed desires for Wei Wuxian to break down all his walls about trust and etiquette (I’m actually pretty sure that’s what 50% of this fandom is about), but as far as I’m concerned, that’s something that can and should be worked out slowly through a relationship built on permission asked for and granted.

I don’t think WWX means to be malicious, but he lets his boundary-pushing go too far, and I agree with some of the other replies that this is a moment that seems out of character for him (or at least the CQL version of him). Not that he’s not a trouble-maker in general and obnoxious, but that particular act broke into new territory, I think.

I assume the writers wanted to incorporate the “drunk LWJ” aspect into the earlier parts of the show, since the narrative restructuring meant they otherwise wouldn’t get to it until the last dozen or so episodes otherwise. And the only way to get him to drink that early in his character arc was to take away his agency.

The novel is definitely sketchy when it comes to WWX/LWJ and consent. I like the novel, but those scenes are uncomfortable.

Novel spoilers follow:

In his head it starts out as a hilarious prank in exactly the same vein as his other hilarious pranks. Ha ha, watch me trick that stuck-up Lan Wangji into having fun! When LWJ passes out cold after one drink, I think WWX is slightly taken aback (though he hasn’t yet worked out the consent issues.) I could have really hurt him.  (But I would never, of course. It’s me; no harm no foul, right?)

But then the next day, when LWJ accepts the punishment for something that WWX knows to be unambiguously his fault, I think the consent piece snaps into place. I did really hurt him. For the first time (but not the last!) LWJ is punished for his association with WWX. Getting other people hurt on his account is a sensitive point with Wei Wuxian that will only become more sensitive over the course of the show - and in this case Lan Wangji had no choice in the matter at all.

Wen Qing: They are not our friends, they cannot be our friends.

Wen Ning: What is friendship, anyway? Do we get brunch sometimes or would I die for you? Both? Neither?

Wen Qing: Why are there semi-aquatic refugees in my house

Wen Ning: sometimes an enemy is very special to you so you give them shelter and medicine and a piggy back ride and drug a small army and your least favourite cousin on their behalf

me, at the rarepairs conference: *taps mic* um............... wen zhuliu/lan xichen

so i propose an AU where the Gusu Lan sect has 3000+ rules and also a strong and thriving tradition of, like, talmudic scholarship, commentary, and debate

I bet a sect founded by a former monk would require its students to have a grounding in rhetoric

Lan disciples breaking rules, writing their lines, but their lines have to include justification + commentary for why they broke the rules

It is taught, “love all beings,” these are the words of Lan Zhangwei. 

How so? Love them by bringing them close to the righteous way. What is the righteous way? Lan Song says, “the righteous way is the path of swordsmanship.” Lan Yi says, “the righteous way is the power to protect.” There is no difficulty! The power to protect is through the path of swordsmanship.

An objection! Is it not also taught, “distance yourself from the wicked person!?” Distance! All the more so one should not bring them close!

There is no difficulty. Distance them from their wicked path by drawing them close to the righteous path. 

5/26 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd 5/27 Charges dropped for Kenneth Walker (Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, who police accused of killing her) 5/28 University of Minnesota cancels contract with police 5/28 3rd precinct police station neutralized by protesters 5/28 Minneapolis transit union refuses to bring police officers to protests or transport arrested protesters 5/29 Activists commandeer Minneapolis hotel to provide shelter to homeless 5/29 Former officer Chauvin arrested and charged with murder 5/29 Louisville Mayor suspends “no-knock” warrants 5/30 US Embassies across Africa condemn police murder of George Floyd 5/30 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison takes over prosecution of the murdering officer 5/30 Transport Workers Union refuses to help NYPD transport arrests protesters 5/30 Maryland lawmakers forming work group on police reform, accountability 5/31 2 abusive officers fired for pulling a couple out of their car and tasing them - Atlanta, GA 6/1 Minneapolis public schools end contract with police 6/1 Confederate monument removed after being toppled by protesters - Birmingham, AL 6/1 CA prosecutors launch campaign to stop DAs from accepting police union money 6/1 Tulsa Mayor agrees to not renew Live PD contract 6/1 Louisville police chief fired after shooting of David Mcatee 6/1 Congress begins bipartisan push to cut off police access to military gear 6/1 Atlanta announces plans to create a task force and public database to track police brutality in metro Atlanta area 6/2 Minneapolis AFL-CIO calls for resignation of police union president Bob Kroll, a vocal white supremest 6/2 Pittsburgh transit union announces refusal to transport police officers or arrest protesters 6/2 Racist ex-mayor Frank Rizzo statue removed in Philadelphia 6/2 6 abusive officers charged for violence against residents and protesters - Atlanta, GA 6/2 Civil rights investigation of Minneapolis Police Dept launched 6/2 San Francisco resolution to prevent law enforcement from hiring officers with history of misconduct 6/2 Survey indicates that 64% of those polled are sympathetic to protesters, 47% disapprove of police handling of the protests, and 54% think the burning down of the Minneapolis police precinct was fully or partially justified 6/2 Trenton NJ announces policing reforms 6/2 Minneapolis City Council members consider disbanding the police 6/2 Confederate statue removed from Alexandria, VA 6/3 Officer fired for tweets promoting violence against protesters - Denver, CO 6/3 Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art cut ties with the MPD 6/3 Chauvin charges upgraded to second degree murder, remaining 3 officers also charged and taken into custody 6/3 Richmond VA Mayor Stoney announces RPD reform measures: establish “Marcus” alert for folks experiencing mental health crises, establish independent Citizen Review Board, an ordinance to remove Confederate monuments, and implement racial equity study 6/3 County commissioners deny proposal for $23 million expansion of Fulton County jail 6/3 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously votes to sever ties with MPD 6/3 Seattle withdraws request to end federal oversight/consent decree of police department 6/3 Breonna Taylor’s case reopened 6/3 Louisville police department (Breonna Taylor’s murderers) will now be under review from an outside agency, which will include review on training, bias-free policing and accountability 6/3 Colorado lawmakers introduce a police reform bill that includes body cam laws, repealing the “fleeing felon” statute, and banning chokeholds 6/3 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announces plans to reduce funding to police department by $150M and instead invest in minority communities 6/4 Virginia governor announces plans to remove Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond 6/4 Portland schools superintendent discontinues presence of armed police officers in schools 6/4 MBTA (Metro Boston) board orders that buses wont transport police to protests, or protesters to police 6/4 King County Labor Federation issues ultimatum to police unions: admit to and address racism in Seattle PD, or be removed 6/5 City of Minneapolis bans all chokeholds by police 6/5 Racist ex-mayor Hubbard statue removed - Dearborn, MI 6/5 NFL condemns racism and admits it should have listened to players’ protests 6/5 California Governor Gavin Newsom calls for statewide use-of-force standard made along with community leaders and ban on carotid holds 6/5 2 Buffalo officers suspended within a day of pushing 75 year old protester to the ground, and lying about it 6/5 2 NYPD officers suspended after videos of violence to protesters 6/5 The US Marines bans display of the Confederate flag 6/5 Dallas adopts a “duty to intervene” rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in excessive use of force 6/5 Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax releases an 11-point action plan for immediate police reforms 6/6 Statue of Confederate general Williams Carter Wickham torn down - Richmond, VA 6/6 2 Buffalo officers charged with second-degree assault for shoving elderly man 6/6 San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces effort to defund police and redirect funds to Black community 6/7 Frank Rizzo mural removed, to be replaced with new artwork - Philadelphia, PA 6/7 Minneapolis City Council members announce intent to disband the police department, invest in proven community-led public safety 6/7 Protesters in Bristol topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston, throw it in the river 6/7 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio vows for the first time to cut funding for NYPD, redirect to social services 6/7 A Virginia police officer faces charges after using a stun gun on a black man 6/8 NY State Assembly passes the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act 6/8 Democrats in Congress unveil a bill to rein in bias and excessive force in policing 6/8 Black lawmakers block a legislative session in Pennsylvania to demand action on police reform 6/8 France bans police use of chokeholds 6/8 Seattle council members join calls to defund police department 6/8 Boston reevaluates how it funds police department 6/8 Honolulu Police Commission nominees voice support for more transparency, reforms 6/8 Rights groups and Floyd’s family call for a UN inquiry into American policing and help with systemic police reform

No, it’s not enough, but this is only the beginning. Keep fighting!!!