#fatal journey

[br-disaster]

Nie Mingjue: *is a little unsteady on his feet*

Nie Huaisang, immediately: 🏃🏃

#hello i'm learning to make gifs #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #cql #fatal journey #cql nhs is at least a little worried about nmj all the time it's so endearing #he's always paying so much attention to him #i wish we could have seen their reunion after the war because that mingjue surely needed the physical support #the emotional support too

[greenandhazy]

Spent a solid 20 minutes on discord debating whether Huaisang was meant to be wearing the same robes for the entirety of Fatal Journey because the sleeves were so dramatically different. Then I went back to the beginning for something completely unrelated and realized that we see Huaisang deliberately wrap up his sleeves in this extremely practiced and hilarious motion when he tries to pretend he's totally been working out this whole time. It's such a great detail, I just had to share.

(forgive the crappy quality, but these were the still references we were using before this)

#nie huaisang #fatal journey

[lyselkatzfandomluvs]

Wáng YiZhou 王翌舟

Wb update 12.08.2023

Looks like someone finally remembered their logins for their account. I've missed his cryptic posts and dimples!

#wang yizhou #chinese actors #the untamed #the flaming heart #ark peace #dear mayang street #an eternal thought #your highness the class monitor #strike back #warm happiness #second child time #fatal journey #cql #cdrama

[lost-sheep]

...If I can meet you once again

 I'm willing to walk through the burning sea

#separation at qinghe #fatal journey #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #mxtx mdzs #mdzs #danmei #mo dao su zhi #nie bros #魔道祖师 #聂怀桑 #聂明玦 #the untamed #mxtx fanart #qinghe nie

[untamedmetablogiguess]

the other thing about Fatal Journey is that it is an almost perfect example of my the-untamed-as-a-dnd-game thing. they are literally exploring a dungeon. it's set up with a bunch of smaller fights and also various puzzle rooms. it leads them to an ultimate boss fight. splitting the party is a bad idea. they take a few scenes to pause and have an intense emotional conversation. like!!!!!

#the untamed #fatal journey #the wwx is a bard theory #which is just my general mdzs-dnd tag lol #dungeons and dragons

[thewalrus-said]

Me and the squad after kicking in the door to the McDonald's at 10:59am

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #modao zushi #fatal journey #cql movies #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #nie brothers #memes #mxtx

[themaevethcometh]

i find it interesting that everyone has accepted that nie zonghui inexplicably has two sabers when no one else in the show dual wields and my sister and i both assumed that he carries huaisang’s saber when we first watched fatal journey.

think about it. mingje wouldn’t let huaisang go on such a dangerous mission without his blade, and if huaisang wouldn’t carry it, he’d have someone else have it on their back, someone who he trusts and who he plans to have stick by huaisang to give him the blade the moment he asks for it.  zonghui has probably done this numerous times just from ensuring huaisang doesn’t leave his blade in random spots at the unclean realm, so much so that the saber is perfectly fine being wielded by him and he is adept at using it alongside his own blade.  when huaisang takes it from him in the woods, it’s not one of his subordinates giving him one of their swords, it’s him finally taking up his own saber, a decision that he still doesn’t feel comfortable with and therefore recants when he gives the blade back to him to hold again in the tomb

#maeve posts #nie huaisang #nie zonghui #fatal journey #the untamed #that's my headcanon anyway #and then i think he leaves it in the tomb with zonghui when they leave #i think that journey is him deciding for sure that he doesn't just hate swords but that he's never going to use a blade specifically again #and i think mingje is emotionally distraught enough to let him especially after the conversations they had in there #idk it's probably more likely that zonghui just. has two sabers. not for narrative purposes but because the creators thought it'd look cool #but i just can't fathom mingje bringing huaisang along without also forcing him to bring his sword #and if huaisang himself won't take it then someone else will take it for him

[wangxian-the-zhijis]

Me, watching nmj’s arc for the first time, seeing his qi deviation and jgy killing him: oh sad. Anyways—

Me, after watching Fatal Journey: OHMYGOSH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

#reminding everyone to watch the fatal journey #it’s abt nhs and nmj #after watching cql and you didnt care about nmj and nhs then Fatal Journey will prove you wrong #the untamed #cql #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #fatal journey

[momzawa-5]

This shot from Fatal Journey GAVE ME CHILLS OMGGGGGGGG

#nie huaisang #fatal journey #fatal journey cql #cql #nie mingjue #the untamed nhs #the untamed #nie bros

[jiaoliqiao]

Nie Mingjue & Nie Huaisang in 乱魄: Fatal Journey

#theuntameddaily #theuntamededit #mxtxnet #chinesemedia #the untamed #fatal journey #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #cdramaedit #chen qing ling #cql #cdrama #*mine #girl help why is fatal journey so grainy

[grandmaster-of-bunny-cultivation]

Reposting my old CQL fanart (7)

#the untamed #CQL #my art #fanart #pencil sketch #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #fatal journey #mdzs

[br-disaster]

Nie Mingjue's Fatal Journey crying scenes appreciation post

There's no way I wouldn't make this post, but it ended up way longer than I intended.

Fighting with Huaisang

When is this man not tearing up?

This fight is so important for Huaisang's character development and the movie's themes, with Huaisang being ready to challenge and question the Nie ways and Mingjue doing his best to uphold those traditions and keep the peace through the only way he knows how.

But it's still hard to be challenged like this and to face the possibility that everything you've ever known might not be right, actually.

And this gif specifically is from the moment Huaisang questions if Mingjue even knows what they're there to fight and what this supposed great evil that will come to Qinghe if they fail to balance their blades even is. Mingjue has no answer, of course, I suppose he was only taught this and never had reason to question it.

But Huaisang is also talking about the disciples they already 'lost' at this point of the movie, and he says something along the lines of " You don't know anything, you only know how to bring them here to die" and that does it. Because it's both "you can't follow these rules blindly when they rely on sacrificing people" and "you've changed and I don't trust your judgement on these matters anymore".

And as he says it, Mingjue looks at their disciples and he sees the puppets for a moment. And Huaisang just questioned if the other disciples were really attacked by puppets.

So that's a big moment and Huaisang is right, of course, but he doesn't have a confirmation that this is the result of Mingjue's health deterioration yet, so he keeps pushing. And Mingjue doesn't really have a counter argument because he knows what's going on with him, but it must be very scary to hear it from the person you care about the most and realize just how much you're being affected.

(Actually, Mingjue has one counter argument and that is "Well, I am at least trying to do something while you're painting and living a carefree life", and he's not wrong either. Huaisang is right and rightfully harsh, but this is the first time he's being confronted with these difficult choices and all their family history. He can reflect on and question it, but his brother has been meking those hard decisions since he was 14, when did he ever had a break to question and change things?)

Which leads us to

The Talk

After seeing his brother sacrifice himself for him at the bridge, and then seeing Mingjue be so vulnerable and lost, that anger from their fight is gone. They can meet in the middle with "You are right, I wasn't thinking straight, this is not a long term solution and I've failed at changing our ways" and "It's not your fault, you did everything you could but you're not responsible for this situation" and it's very beautiful and heartbreaking.

Mingjue is so remorseful, both because he has condemned Huaisang to die with him and because he feels like he failed everyone and everything (even if he doesn't seem to know what he could have done differently to avoid all this).

And Huaisang's reaction in this scene is so calm it made me think this Huaisang is somewhat used to his brother displaying vulnerability around him. This isn't book NMJ with all his victories, this isn't a man who never let the Unclean Realm be conquered and who could afford to keep Huaisang far away from the war. This is a man who was attacked and subdued in his own home, who had to send Huaisang to the hands of the people who killed their father.

This Huaisang doesn't have reasons to see Mingjue as this unmovable force, he has seen Mingjue hurt and threatened and fearful; and he's now seeing him remorseful and defeated.

(I'm sure Mingjue telling Huaisang about the fact that he's dying and admiting his mistakes and insecurities is something new, especially considering their previous fight, but this Huaisang doesn't take it as a shock, because he knows his brother is only human and there's only so much he can handle. He even, like, explicitly says this)

And so he assumes this calm, reassuring and empathetic posture, because that's what his brother is asking for. And it's the most beautiful thing, Huaisang has so much love for him, so much empathy. And this is Mingjue's reaction to his brother's reassurance that it's okay if they have to die there:

I'm sure Huaisang is still processing Mingjue's "I only forced you to practice because I'll die soon", but he's so good at reassuring his brother.

Because Mingjue just told him "I am dying and I'll go as a failure" and Huaisang insisted "None of this is your fault and you did everything you could and more, and if I have to die here with you today, I don't regret a thing, and you shouldn't either".

There's no despair or anger that his brother is only telling him this now, there's only understanding and acceptance and so much love and they really knew what they were doing with this movie.

His people love him

Mingjue is so moved. He just admitted to Huaisang that he's not in peace with his accomplishments, or lack thereof; that he feels ashamed to face his ancestors, having done so little.

So I truly believe Mingjue doesn't consider himself worthy of this much trust and support. (And I can't ignore how this is tied to the Nightless City situation, where he led the men who trusted him with their lives to a dangerous situation and couldn't save any of them).

As we see in the confrontation at Jinlintai, that technically happens after this movie, that is still a very sensitive topic.

And here he has his loyal disciples saying they will follow him yet again, despite his previous 'failures'; just like Huaisang was ready to die with him. They have so much trust in him, and the way he's nodding a little here, just like he was nodding when Huaisang reminded him of everything he's done for their sect since their father died, is like he's convincing himself of it. That he can do this and he can do this right this time.

And yet

He fails again. And I don't even think he knows it was him who killed those disciples, like some people say. He doesn't need to because it doesn't matter. His men, who followed him till the end of the world, are dead again. And so is the hope he had of doing this one right thing before he dies.

Yes, he supressed the saber spirit like he had to, but they're still dead, all of them.

He falls apart, how could he not?

At some point I'm sure Huaisang his holding all his weight because he just gives up. There's only so much loss one can handle and that's way too much.

And look at the way Huaisang is watching him as he realizes something inside Mingjue shattered forever.

There's so much pain in this scene, it looks physically taxing and I hope people gave Wang Yizhou a break after he shot this. I know it's his job and he's phenomenal at it, but this has to mess with your head a little.

And hey, it's a Huaisang crying scene as well. CQL Huaisang only really cries twice. First he watches his brother have a mental breakdown in his arms after unknowingly killing his own disciples; and then as he watches his brother qi deviate and die, while unable to do anything to either stop or comfort him.

(And a lot of people said there's no hesitation on Huaisang's part when he rushes to his brother's aid when Mingjue is hurt on this post's notes, and that's true for book Huaisang too, because he runs towards Mingjue as he is qi deviating, gets hurt in the process, and still keeps calling for him, which makes CQL's decision to have JGY holding him back kind of cruel, tbh, there's not a Huaisang who would run from a hurting Mingjue regardless of the risks

But at least we have this scene.)

And that's it, I guess. There's nothing uplifting to say about this, really. He just went through a lot and kept shouldering everything until he couldn't anymore. I just wish book NMJ had gotten to receive the same love and comfort and acceptance from NHS before he died, I wish he had been able to tell his brother what was actually happening, but thats kind of the purpose of this movie, so I'm just very grateful that it exists.

It's like that post says, it didn't change anything but the love was there, you know? That's how this movie feels for me.

#nie mingjue #nie huaisang #fatal journey #cql #long post #now this is meta with gifs #sorry i can't even attempt to joke a little about this movie everything is just sad from start to finish #the gifs might look worse than the ones on the other post and that's me not knowing how to deal with fatal journey being so dark and green #that talk they have feels kind of like an absolution for nmj doesn't it #book nmj deserved that too #oh yes we have two tearing up scenes #one crying scene #and one bawling his eyes out scene #on a movie that is less than 1 hour and a half long so he's crying the entire time; really

[nutcasewithaknife]

What really gets me about Nie Huaisang is that all of his schemes are not for his brother, but for himself.

It's not just about putting his brother's head back on his body. It's not about getting his brother back, because that's beyond impossible. It's definitely not to avenge his brother the way he would've wanted to be avenged, because Nie Mingjue would never ever approve of the dishonourable way he went about it, under the radar, breaking fifty different taboos. It's because Jin Guangyao broke Nie Huaisang's trust and destroyed the person he loved the most, and for that, he had to pay with everything he held dear - the people he loved, his reputation and status, and ultimately his life. And what drives me fucking insane is that he didn't have to!!!! NHS was terrified of being found out and killed off, but he still did it because that was all he had left - his fury, and his fear to temper it. The boy who actually was outraged at the sword hall is gone, and right and wrong don't matter anymore. Not when it comes to this. It's a very selfish sort of fury he falls into - nothing righteous or just or redeeming about it. It's not about defeating a dangerous, powerful man. It's about defeating the man who ripped his world apart. It's just a man broken by circumstances so badly that he's not even trying to fix anything anymore, just doing what he thinks is necessary to keep the pieces together.

#nie huaisang #nhs #nie brothers #cql #fatal journey #the untamed #nie bros #they fuck me up so so much #meta

[scripted-downfall]

Fatal Journey has done many things, but the main one is preventing me from getting over my boy Nie HuaiSang. He has done nothing wrong ever, actually. If someone did to me what Meng Yao did to him, I might go a lil mastermind-ish myself.

#not serious but #the untamed #fatal journey #nie huaisang #nhs #meng yao #jin guangyao #jgy

[thirteenis-myluckynumber]

Ji Li Redbook update 2/2

#ji li #jili #纪李 #the untamed cast #mdzs cast #fatal journey #the untamed #cql #nie huaisang #that third pic killed me😳

[untamedmetablogiguess]

finally got around to watching Fatal Journey and honestly the most devastating part of it is not how it gives us adorable baby Nie brothers ( though that does hurt), nor how it makes Huaisang accidentally implicated in the music poisoning (though that hurts, too) - it’s how it deepens Huaisang’s character from merely a harmless pleasure-seeker to a genuinely good person.

the version of Huaisang we see in the show proper isn’t particularly interested in being moral! He’s not a BAD person, he doesn’t want to hurt anybody, but neither does he particularly care to be GOOD. he leaves that, like all the tough parts of life, to his da-ge to take care of. Surely Mingjue is righteous enough for both of them! Huaisang’s no good in a fight- surely he’d just get in the way! Huaisang’s tragedy, originally, is his descent from a lovable goofball, a harmless fop, a perpetual baby brother, into a hardened, ruthless, desperately lonely man hellbent on revenge no matter how many people he has to destroy on the way. And that’s a pretty good tragedy!

but with the material introduced in Fatal Journey, Huaisang appears to be a genuinely good person- a much better person than anyone ever gave him credit for. He sees something he believes is morally reprehensible being done by the people he loves and respects- especially his brother, who is regarded as a paragon of righteousness in their society- and he stands up and says ‘no.’ I don’t think ANYONE else does that, at least where we can see it. WWX’s whole DEAL is doing the right thing in the face of people who have waaay more power than him (Wens, Jins….), but he’s never put in this specific situation because the people he loves and respects aren’t the ones doing morally reprehensible things! The closest parallel we see is maybe LWJ fighting the Lan elders in defense of WWX, but that is much less a principled stance based on moral virtue and much more an act of tremendous personal love and sacrifice. He’s not doing it because it’s there right thing to do, he’s doing it because he loves WWX and doesn’t CARE whether that’s right or wrong anymore.

NHS is put in a fairly unique position where he is directly exposed to some of the basest hypocrisy of the cultivation world, and instead of saying ‘well, da-ge’s doing it so it must be okay, I guess it's not really that bad,” he says ‘No, this is unacceptable.’ He says ‘You’re better than this. WE are better than this. We HAVE to be better than this.’ He is not, ultimately, able to change anything about it, because he doesn’t have that kind of power, but he SAYS it, he makes it clear, directly to NMJ’s face, that he is disappointed in him, and ashamed of what he is doing, and he thinks it’s wrong.

and the fall from THAT, from someone who argues that exploiting the corpses of the dead is wrong EVEN if those people were criminals, into someone who would deliberately desecrate the body of a woman he KNOWS is innocent because it’s the best way he can think of to hurt the person he wants to hurt, a person for whom the ends justify any and all means, and who ignores or disregards the collateral damage of any other lives destroyed - that’s SO MUCH WORSE. That hurts SO much more.

#meta #my meta #nie huaisang #nie bros are fascinating #the untamed #fatal journey