The Untamed: Vid Recs Edition
Jul. 3rd, 2020 05:31 pmI have now watched The Untamed all the way through (and I'm even rewatching it with ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tabacoychanel! thanks for tolerating the way I yell every time Dimples appears onscreen, mi amor!) so I'm ready to make some additions to my initial recommendations. I remain deeply invested in Sunshine getting a happy ending, Grumpy's tragic adoration of him, and their son being a Very Good Boy, but now I'm also ready to cut someone on behalf of Wen Ning, furious about EVERY SINGLE DEAD LADY, and fully on Meng Yao's side for a solid, like 50% of the murders he committed. Maybe up to 75%. That one tumblr post about how his descent into the dark side is completely understandable for anyone who's worked in customer service? Yeah. Just! Appreciate! His! Work! And! Let! Him! Hold! The! Baby!
I'm also really excited because now I understand the vids!!!! Some of my favorites so far:
a love that won't sit still - lovely and mostly linear, so it's easy to follow. Stray Italian Greyhound is a popular song for vids but it really is perfect for Lan Wangji.
NFWMB - iconic!!!! I loved this even before I watched the show, but man, "give your heart and soul to charity" sure hits differently when you know what Wei Wuxian is about to give to Jiang Cheng.
Heaven - not even remotely linear but if you want to scream about how Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian so much that he had to realign his entire worldview, watch this vid and then come back and I'll join you.
Daylight - for whatever reason most of the vids I've seen are Lan Wangji-centric but this one is all about Wei Wuxian and I feel like it really captures something fundamental about his character. He's been through a lot but he keeps smiling. (And also, he loves Lan Wangji.)
The Phoenix & the Ash - a darker (but still ultimately optimistic) look at Wei Wuxian's character arc. Unlike the previous vid, not really filtered through a romantic lens. (I mean, Lan Wangji is definitely still there, it's just not about him or Wei Wuxian's feelings for him.)
True Love - set during their teenage pre-death years so it's more cute than harrowing. Truly, baby Lan Wangji was so mad about having a crush.
Death By A Thousand Cuts - by contrast, extremely harrowing! Lan Wangji has to say goodbye to Wei Wuxian so many times and it's causing me emotional distress! The fast cuts over the bridge are so good, though, I keep rewatching even though I know it's going to hurt me.
make it holy - I just! Love Meng Yao!! So much!!! Ugh, he loves Lan Xichen and it doesn't redeem him but he really does. Gorgeous and agonizing.
if we live to see the other side of this - speaking of agonizing! The character study of Wei Wuxian and Meng Yao's parallel arcs that we deserve. There are so many amazing moments but "now you see me, now you don't" on that iconic "Wei Wuxian!" scene, followed by "now you say you love me, pretty soon you won't" and the blood spreading across the floor after Meng Yao executed the Wen civilians... damn. (That final half-verse recap with Nie Huaisang: DAMN.)
Nothing In This World I Wouldn't Do - is this vid perfect? No. Some of the long clips are just too long, the transitions especially could use work, and the fadeouts in the first few seconds are unfortunate. But if you have any feelings about siblings in The Untamed, you should stick with it, because wow, this vid is a real kick in the heart. That long shot of Nie Huaisang bowing on "nothing in this world I wouldn't do" gets me every single time.
Sharp-Dressed Men - and this one is just plain fun. The costumes are so pretty! For both the ladies and the gents, title notwithstanding.
Hold On, I'm Coming - Lan Wangji protec, he attac, and most importantly: he loves his boyfriend very much and wants to pamper him and keep him safe forever. The slow intro sequence of Lan Zhan's many faces of being desperately in love and completely feral with it because he wants to protect Wei Ying and can't is incredible, and the motion and cuts once the bass kicks in... phew.
Ready For It - will I ever not be screaming into the abyss about my feelings regarding Meng Yao? Unclear, but either way, that day is not today. The comparisons this vid sets up about his relationships with Nei Mingjue and Lan Xichen (and his dad, I guess, I just don't care about Jin Guangshan) are breathtaking. I'm ready to die on the "Meng Yao genuinely loved Nie Mingjue and felt just as betrayed by Nie Mingjue not taking his side when he murdered a Nie soldier as Nie Mingjue did by the whole murder thing" hill so the first time the tonal shift of the "in my dreams" chorus hits is... oof.
The Crooked Wens - it's always a great day to sob your eyes out over Wen Ning! I love the slow build of this vid. A beautiful, introspective tribute to Wen Ning and Wen Qing and their heritage, and then their legacy.
For lack of a better system, I'm still adding fic recs to my first Untamed post, but I may do another one for rare pairs later. It's been a long time since I was so deep in fandom hell, but so far I'm enjoying it! If you wish to be dragged in as well, I will happily hand-select you a sample platter of fanworks before you decide whether you want to invest in 50 episodes of television. Come yell with me about Meng Yao's dimples and unfortunate lack of morals and Lan Wangji's tragic, beautiful face.
tabacoychanel! thanks for tolerating the way I yell every time Dimples appears onscreen, mi amor!) so I'm ready to make some additions to my initial recommendations. I remain deeply invested in Sunshine getting a happy ending, Grumpy's tragic adoration of him, and their son being a Very Good Boy, but now I'm also ready to cut someone on behalf of Wen Ning, furious about EVERY SINGLE DEAD LADY, and fully on Meng Yao's side for a solid, like 50% of the murders he committed. Maybe up to 75%. That one tumblr post about how his descent into the dark side is completely understandable for anyone who's worked in customer service? Yeah. Just! Appreciate! His! Work! And! Let! Him! Hold! The! Baby!I'm also really excited because now I understand the vids!!!! Some of my favorites so far:
a love that won't sit still - lovely and mostly linear, so it's easy to follow. Stray Italian Greyhound is a popular song for vids but it really is perfect for Lan Wangji.
NFWMB - iconic!!!! I loved this even before I watched the show, but man, "give your heart and soul to charity" sure hits differently when you know what Wei Wuxian is about to give to Jiang Cheng.
Heaven - not even remotely linear but if you want to scream about how Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian so much that he had to realign his entire worldview, watch this vid and then come back and I'll join you.
Daylight - for whatever reason most of the vids I've seen are Lan Wangji-centric but this one is all about Wei Wuxian and I feel like it really captures something fundamental about his character. He's been through a lot but he keeps smiling. (And also, he loves Lan Wangji.)
The Phoenix & the Ash - a darker (but still ultimately optimistic) look at Wei Wuxian's character arc. Unlike the previous vid, not really filtered through a romantic lens. (I mean, Lan Wangji is definitely still there, it's just not about him or Wei Wuxian's feelings for him.)
True Love - set during their teenage pre-death years so it's more cute than harrowing. Truly, baby Lan Wangji was so mad about having a crush.
Death By A Thousand Cuts - by contrast, extremely harrowing! Lan Wangji has to say goodbye to Wei Wuxian so many times and it's causing me emotional distress! The fast cuts over the bridge are so good, though, I keep rewatching even though I know it's going to hurt me.
make it holy - I just! Love Meng Yao!! So much!!! Ugh, he loves Lan Xichen and it doesn't redeem him but he really does. Gorgeous and agonizing.
if we live to see the other side of this - speaking of agonizing! The character study of Wei Wuxian and Meng Yao's parallel arcs that we deserve. There are so many amazing moments but "now you see me, now you don't" on that iconic "Wei Wuxian!" scene, followed by "now you say you love me, pretty soon you won't" and the blood spreading across the floor after Meng Yao executed the Wen civilians... damn. (That final half-verse recap with Nie Huaisang: DAMN.)
Nothing In This World I Wouldn't Do - is this vid perfect? No. Some of the long clips are just too long, the transitions especially could use work, and the fadeouts in the first few seconds are unfortunate. But if you have any feelings about siblings in The Untamed, you should stick with it, because wow, this vid is a real kick in the heart. That long shot of Nie Huaisang bowing on "nothing in this world I wouldn't do" gets me every single time.
Sharp-Dressed Men - and this one is just plain fun. The costumes are so pretty! For both the ladies and the gents, title notwithstanding.
Hold On, I'm Coming - Lan Wangji protec, he attac, and most importantly: he loves his boyfriend very much and wants to pamper him and keep him safe forever. The slow intro sequence of Lan Zhan's many faces of being desperately in love and completely feral with it because he wants to protect Wei Ying and can't is incredible, and the motion and cuts once the bass kicks in... phew.
Ready For It - will I ever not be screaming into the abyss about my feelings regarding Meng Yao? Unclear, but either way, that day is not today. The comparisons this vid sets up about his relationships with Nei Mingjue and Lan Xichen (and his dad, I guess, I just don't care about Jin Guangshan) are breathtaking. I'm ready to die on the "Meng Yao genuinely loved Nie Mingjue and felt just as betrayed by Nie Mingjue not taking his side when he murdered a Nie soldier as Nie Mingjue did by the whole murder thing" hill so the first time the tonal shift of the "in my dreams" chorus hits is... oof.
The Crooked Wens - it's always a great day to sob your eyes out over Wen Ning! I love the slow build of this vid. A beautiful, introspective tribute to Wen Ning and Wen Qing and their heritage, and then their legacy.
For lack of a better system, I'm still adding fic recs to my first Untamed post, but I may do another one for rare pairs later. It's been a long time since I was so deep in fandom hell, but so far I'm enjoying it! If you wish to be dragged in as well, I will happily hand-select you a sample platter of fanworks before you decide whether you want to invest in 50 episodes of television. Come yell with me about Meng Yao's dimples and unfortunate lack of morals and Lan Wangji's tragic, beautiful face.
