Lan Xichen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ze_uwu_jun) wrote2020-01-02 12:50 pm
ze_uwu_jun) wrote2020-01-02 12:50 pm
Entry tags:
App for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenace
〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Kiki
AGE: 35+
JOURNAL:kikibug13
EMAIL: kikibug13 at gmail
PLURK:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
kikibug13
RETURNING: No
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Lan Xichen (private name Lan Huan; title: Zewu-Jun)
CHARACTER AGE: Late 30s (probably 38-39, but time is a little imaginary in the series)
SERIES: The Untamed / Chen Qing Ling
CHRONOLOGY: The last time we see Lan Xichen in canon, around mid ep. 50
CLASS: Hero (a little broken currently)
HOUSING: Randomize him, please.
BACKGROUND:
World information:
-> Fantasy version of olden (though not quite ancient) China:
- According to the author, there is a ruling Imperial Dynasty, but it generally stays out of the way of the 'Cultivation world'.
- People who are trained in cultivation - varieties of inner alchemy that result in some additional powers - protect civilians from threats that are extraordinary. In the so-called 'night hunts' they dispatch various monsters, ghosts (think zombies, rather than incorporeal), and other things outside of the reach of the general population.
- The ultimate goal of cultivation, just like the more widely known external variety, is immortality (one cultivator only is known who has achieved it - her name is Baoshan Sanren and she has isolated herself from the world, taking disciples on the condition that if they leave her mountain, they can never go back). On the path to that, the so called golden core is formed (in this canon, in the area below the navel), which both generates and stores energy / spiritual power / qi. The strength of the core varies and increases with more cultivation (usually with age), so the level of energy available to an adult vs. that of a teenager varies. The core amplifies the so called efficiency of the body, leading to the ability to practice various skills, such as inedia (going for extended periods of time without food). There is one known cultivator who can destroy for good a person's golden core, and one known transfer a person's golden core to another who has none and cannot develop one.
- There are many paths of cultivation. Those who practice similar paths generally congregate together. With time, those groups grew and began to be referred as sects; usually, the core of a sect is a clan/family. At the beginning of canon, there are five major sects, named after the region they are in and the name of the clan that leads them: Qishan Wen, Lanling Jin, Gusu Lan, Qinghe Nie, Yunmeng Jiang. One of them (Qishan Wen, at the time most prominent/powerful) attempts the equivalent of world domination by means of zombies, and the other four team up and destroy it. That said, there are many smaller sects, entirely outside the big few or partially subject to them.
- Most of the cultivators are known as sword cultivators - they rely on swordwork (though they are usually versed in also at least archery). The Qinghe Nie Sect deviates, as their weapon is a blade/saber, evolved from cleavers. Besides fighting on them, they can control the swords from a distance and also fly on them. (One of the small number of visual effects that looks terrible in the live action. But it's a thing.) One needs a golden core to be able to do that.
- For those who can afford them, there are spiritual swords and other items which can be used, in battle but not only. These in the show include musical instruments as well as an electric whip.
- Medicine in this world is complicated. There is the transfer of spiritual energy which can strengthen the body and help it heal, especially if there is a golden core to be strengthened by the qi that is lent. There is acupuncture. There are also medicines, which are sometimes the product of external alchemy, that is sometimes very potent. Prominent cultivators seem to have a store of medicines (antidotes, anti-infection, blood stopping) medicines available on them at all times - with some it's for personal use, with others to help anyone who is in need of it.
- Qiankun pouches/sleeves: bigger on the inside. While at most time the cultivators have their primary weapon available/held in hand, they can carry a whole array of items in their sleeves, or small pouches they can tuck in their robes.
- Spiritual animals. The one in the drama is a dog (Fairy), but others are mentioned in additional materials. (Nie Huaisang mentions owning a spiritual tortoise.)
- Talismans and artifacts. Usually smaller items with characters / spells on them, but sometimes a talisman can be drawn with spiritual energy (or blood, in the case of demonic cultivation) directly on an item that it is supposed to affect. Their potency can vary, from the likes of a compass that points to the nearest big source of resentful energy, to something like yin metal/yin iron/yin seal / stygian tiger seal.
Character history:
Lan Huan, courtesy name Xichen, is the eldest son of the leader of the (previous) Gusu Lan Sect and his wife. His parents were complicated (his father fell for his mother at first sight; she, somewhat less so. Then she killed one of his teachers for reasons unknown, and he married and imprisoned her on the premises of the Sect, the Cloud Recesses, until she died when Xichen was 8 or 9 and his younger brother Lan Wangj was 6. The father was in secluded meditation most of the time) and he and his younger brother were raised by their uncle, Lan Qiren. Lan Qiren was strict and demanding, and both boys had to deal with the pressure of who they were from a very young age. Xichen learned to interpret his younger brother's apparent taciturnity very well.
Lan Xichen became sect leader upon the death of his father, probably sometime in his late teens (he was already one when Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were studied together at the Cloud Recesses in their late teens, and Xichen is only about 2-3 years older than Wangji), his abilities and skills as such recognized at that point, for all he is clearly a generation younger than most of the other leaders of the major sects. He navigated the progressively-tenser political situation of Wen Ruohan attempting to acquire the pieces of Yin iron (one of which was safeguarded with the Lan Sect until it was sent out with Lan Wangji to try and find the rest of the missing pieces) until the situation came to a head with the Wen attacking the Cloud Recesses.
During the fighting campaign that follows, Xichen is shown as both skilled and powerful in fights. He is shown to be in close and cordial relations with Nie Mingjue, the leader of the Qinghe Nie Sect who is only a few years his elder, with the younger brother, Nie Huaisang, studying alongside Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Lan Xichen is also the liaison that Meng Yao reaches out to, to sneak out information about Wen Ruohan's stronghold and his plans, which then it is up to Xichen to persuade the rest of the alliance, especially Nie Mingjue - who repeatedly questions the source of the information - to trust.
After the conflict is over, with Wei Wuxian holding up the alliance againstthe Uruk-Hai Wen Ruohan's Yin-Metal-controlled puppets and Meng Yao dealing the lethal blow into Wen Ruohan's back, Lan Xichen protects Meng Yao from Nie Mingue's anger, arguing the case for the younger man, and the three end up swearing as brothers. When the youngest one, now properly functioning as part of his father's Jin Clan, leads the wiping out of the remaining captive members of the Wen Clan, Xichen is the one who raises his voice to question the slaughter of the defenseless, and while Nie Mingjue soothes him, he also tries to uphold the argument in front of Jin Guangshan, the Lanling Jin Sect Leader..
In the times that follow, Lan Xichen often takes up the position as negotiator who soothes the conflicts among the principal players, standing up for, for example, Jiang Yanli's right to choose whether and when to resume her engagement, or accepting Wei Wuxian's offer to drink with him and reminding him of things that he might have lost sight of. He also stands by his brother, whenever possible, even if that may not always be an option within the family - Lan Xichen is Sect leader, but Lan Qiren is Clan Elder.
As the animosity against Wei Wuxian escalates, Lan Xichen is present, but he noticeably does not take part in the hatred directed towards the Yiling Patriarch. Later, he tries to forestall Nie Mingjue's likely qi deviation, but he accepts to teach and be assisted by Jin Guangyao, and thus instead ensures the speeding up of that disaster, unwittingly.
By the time Wei Wuxian is brought back, Jin Guangyao is a sect leader and very obviously close to Lan Xichen, which leads to him arguing for Jin Guangyao's innocence as parts of the mystery are revealed, but he does listen to reason, rather than turning a blind eye to it, as the situation is cleared out.
PERSONALITY:
Lan Xichen is naturally warm and gentle, which is tempered (moderately) by his Sect's striving for righteousness and the responsibility he has carried since rather young. Normally, he is a negotiator, someone who can deescalate a situation and does not back off from attempting to do so unless he has reasons that persuade him. In many ways, he is a sensible person who will consider the available information and draw his conclusions accordingly, via a filter of mercy rather than harshness. It takes much for him to believe ill of people; even more to get actually angry.
His kindness, however, has been a weakness that has been exploited for years, because when he cares for someone - and he cares very easily - he will forgive more easily than judge. His wish to keep people safe has been preyed upon, and at his canon point he has been very profoundly made aware of it, twice over.
The aftermath is that a thick layer of guilt and self-doubt are added over the gentleness, making him extremely difficult to open up and talk about it but also very much not dealing well at all. While his sweetness is still there, he is... prone to spacing out, or being pushed into very upset by random things. Still, the core of his personality is not really changed, let alone swapped in alignment - he's merely dealing with the trauma of his actions having been manipulated into hurting the very people he was trying to protect.
POWER:
Golden Core Cultivation
Music Cultivation
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[ A voice message in a soft, a little raspy voice, the kind that one might like to hear the phone book read in because of how melodious it is, goes out to the network. ]
I am sorry to disturb you with something rather inconsequential, but I am curious. I find the tea one usually finds here, the one in little paper bags, somewhat unusual. I heard someone mention 'loose leaf' tea, and I wondered if anyone has recommendations.
Thank you for your time.
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE: TDM Link
FINAL NOTES: There are a few things that are specified in the novel which are not explicitly in the TV drama. Unless they are directly contradicted, I tend to keep them. Example: The Lan Clan tend to develop very great arm and upper body strength (one of the exercises for focus, or punishment, is copying texts while doing handstands, something that they do not assign to non-Clan/Sect members). Aside for this being spectacular in and of itself, it can be troublesome, such as when Lan Xichen tries to wash clothes and his strength just results in him tearing them. Aka, he's great at physical work but horrible at house chores.
NAME: Kiki
AGE: 35+
JOURNAL:
kikibug13EMAIL: kikibug13 at gmail
PLURK:
RETURNING: No
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Lan Xichen (private name Lan Huan; title: Zewu-Jun)
CHARACTER AGE: Late 30s (probably 38-39, but time is a little imaginary in the series)
SERIES: The Untamed / Chen Qing Ling
CHRONOLOGY: The last time we see Lan Xichen in canon, around mid ep. 50
CLASS: Hero (a little broken currently)
HOUSING: Randomize him, please.
BACKGROUND:
World information:
-> Fantasy version of olden (though not quite ancient) China:
- According to the author, there is a ruling Imperial Dynasty, but it generally stays out of the way of the 'Cultivation world'.
- People who are trained in cultivation - varieties of inner alchemy that result in some additional powers - protect civilians from threats that are extraordinary. In the so-called 'night hunts' they dispatch various monsters, ghosts (think zombies, rather than incorporeal), and other things outside of the reach of the general population.
- The ultimate goal of cultivation, just like the more widely known external variety, is immortality (one cultivator only is known who has achieved it - her name is Baoshan Sanren and she has isolated herself from the world, taking disciples on the condition that if they leave her mountain, they can never go back). On the path to that, the so called golden core is formed (in this canon, in the area below the navel), which both generates and stores energy / spiritual power / qi. The strength of the core varies and increases with more cultivation (usually with age), so the level of energy available to an adult vs. that of a teenager varies. The core amplifies the so called efficiency of the body, leading to the ability to practice various skills, such as inedia (going for extended periods of time without food). There is one known cultivator who can destroy for good a person's golden core, and one known transfer a person's golden core to another who has none and cannot develop one.
- There are many paths of cultivation. Those who practice similar paths generally congregate together. With time, those groups grew and began to be referred as sects; usually, the core of a sect is a clan/family. At the beginning of canon, there are five major sects, named after the region they are in and the name of the clan that leads them: Qishan Wen, Lanling Jin, Gusu Lan, Qinghe Nie, Yunmeng Jiang. One of them (Qishan Wen, at the time most prominent/powerful) attempts the equivalent of world domination by means of zombies, and the other four team up and destroy it. That said, there are many smaller sects, entirely outside the big few or partially subject to them.
- Most of the cultivators are known as sword cultivators - they rely on swordwork (though they are usually versed in also at least archery). The Qinghe Nie Sect deviates, as their weapon is a blade/saber, evolved from cleavers. Besides fighting on them, they can control the swords from a distance and also fly on them. (One of the small number of visual effects that looks terrible in the live action. But it's a thing.) One needs a golden core to be able to do that.
- For those who can afford them, there are spiritual swords and other items which can be used, in battle but not only. These in the show include musical instruments as well as an electric whip.
- Medicine in this world is complicated. There is the transfer of spiritual energy which can strengthen the body and help it heal, especially if there is a golden core to be strengthened by the qi that is lent. There is acupuncture. There are also medicines, which are sometimes the product of external alchemy, that is sometimes very potent. Prominent cultivators seem to have a store of medicines (antidotes, anti-infection, blood stopping) medicines available on them at all times - with some it's for personal use, with others to help anyone who is in need of it.
- Qiankun pouches/sleeves: bigger on the inside. While at most time the cultivators have their primary weapon available/held in hand, they can carry a whole array of items in their sleeves, or small pouches they can tuck in their robes.
- Spiritual animals. The one in the drama is a dog (Fairy), but others are mentioned in additional materials. (Nie Huaisang mentions owning a spiritual tortoise.)
- Talismans and artifacts. Usually smaller items with characters / spells on them, but sometimes a talisman can be drawn with spiritual energy (or blood, in the case of demonic cultivation) directly on an item that it is supposed to affect. Their potency can vary, from the likes of a compass that points to the nearest big source of resentful energy, to something like yin metal/yin iron/yin seal / stygian tiger seal.
Character history:
Lan Huan, courtesy name Xichen, is the eldest son of the leader of the (previous) Gusu Lan Sect and his wife. His parents were complicated (his father fell for his mother at first sight; she, somewhat less so. Then she killed one of his teachers for reasons unknown, and he married and imprisoned her on the premises of the Sect, the Cloud Recesses, until she died when Xichen was 8 or 9 and his younger brother Lan Wangj was 6. The father was in secluded meditation most of the time) and he and his younger brother were raised by their uncle, Lan Qiren. Lan Qiren was strict and demanding, and both boys had to deal with the pressure of who they were from a very young age. Xichen learned to interpret his younger brother's apparent taciturnity very well.
Lan Xichen became sect leader upon the death of his father, probably sometime in his late teens (he was already one when Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were studied together at the Cloud Recesses in their late teens, and Xichen is only about 2-3 years older than Wangji), his abilities and skills as such recognized at that point, for all he is clearly a generation younger than most of the other leaders of the major sects. He navigated the progressively-tenser political situation of Wen Ruohan attempting to acquire the pieces of Yin iron (one of which was safeguarded with the Lan Sect until it was sent out with Lan Wangji to try and find the rest of the missing pieces) until the situation came to a head with the Wen attacking the Cloud Recesses.
During the fighting campaign that follows, Xichen is shown as both skilled and powerful in fights. He is shown to be in close and cordial relations with Nie Mingjue, the leader of the Qinghe Nie Sect who is only a few years his elder, with the younger brother, Nie Huaisang, studying alongside Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Lan Xichen is also the liaison that Meng Yao reaches out to, to sneak out information about Wen Ruohan's stronghold and his plans, which then it is up to Xichen to persuade the rest of the alliance, especially Nie Mingjue - who repeatedly questions the source of the information - to trust.
After the conflict is over, with Wei Wuxian holding up the alliance against
In the times that follow, Lan Xichen often takes up the position as negotiator who soothes the conflicts among the principal players, standing up for, for example, Jiang Yanli's right to choose whether and when to resume her engagement, or accepting Wei Wuxian's offer to drink with him and reminding him of things that he might have lost sight of. He also stands by his brother, whenever possible, even if that may not always be an option within the family - Lan Xichen is Sect leader, but Lan Qiren is Clan Elder.
As the animosity against Wei Wuxian escalates, Lan Xichen is present, but he noticeably does not take part in the hatred directed towards the Yiling Patriarch. Later, he tries to forestall Nie Mingjue's likely qi deviation, but he accepts to teach and be assisted by Jin Guangyao, and thus instead ensures the speeding up of that disaster, unwittingly.
By the time Wei Wuxian is brought back, Jin Guangyao is a sect leader and very obviously close to Lan Xichen, which leads to him arguing for Jin Guangyao's innocence as parts of the mystery are revealed, but he does listen to reason, rather than turning a blind eye to it, as the situation is cleared out.
PERSONALITY:
Lan Xichen is naturally warm and gentle, which is tempered (moderately) by his Sect's striving for righteousness and the responsibility he has carried since rather young. Normally, he is a negotiator, someone who can deescalate a situation and does not back off from attempting to do so unless he has reasons that persuade him. In many ways, he is a sensible person who will consider the available information and draw his conclusions accordingly, via a filter of mercy rather than harshness. It takes much for him to believe ill of people; even more to get actually angry.
His kindness, however, has been a weakness that has been exploited for years, because when he cares for someone - and he cares very easily - he will forgive more easily than judge. His wish to keep people safe has been preyed upon, and at his canon point he has been very profoundly made aware of it, twice over.
The aftermath is that a thick layer of guilt and self-doubt are added over the gentleness, making him extremely difficult to open up and talk about it but also very much not dealing well at all. While his sweetness is still there, he is... prone to spacing out, or being pushed into very upset by random things. Still, the core of his personality is not really changed, let alone swapped in alignment - he's merely dealing with the trauma of his actions having been manipulated into hurting the very people he was trying to protect.
POWER:
Golden Core Cultivation
- - Cultivation: Discipline for controlling and enhancing the inner / spiritual / qi energy, allowing various effects, both internal and external, to be possible (improved health, strength, and speed; higher resilience, quicker recovery. Later, maintaining youth. Abilities to produce bursts of energy, or imbue objects or processes - such as swords or music - with spiritual energy. Ability to transfer spiritual energy to help another body recover from damage, poison, or illness. Ability to control weapons, especially spiritual weapons, from a distance, and fly on them.)
- Sword fighting - cultivators use swords (or sabers/blades, for Qinghe Nie Sect) extensively as part of the training and use of their spiritual powers. And yes, they fly on them, as long, fast, and far as their spiritual energy allows. Some swords are more powerful than others - one of them might be able to carry one person only and fail to bring up a second, while another might be able to sustain the weight of four people.
- Talismans creation and use: A lot of the magic effects are accomplished via talismans - they can be used for protection as well as attack, to start fire or simply produce light, and various other actions that are necessary for night hunts. In the Untamed, talismans can be both drawn on paper or drawn in air with spiritual energy and then pushed onto the target.
Music Cultivation
- - Lan music techniques: Lan cultivation is heavily based upon using music as the medium of power transfer. Spiritual energy imbued music can attack, protect, calm, agitate, query the (un)dead. Lan Xichen is shown as very powerful even around the age of twenty, usually using the power of the Xiao for pacifying and subduing, rather than attacking, and the music of the guqin for healing. Xichen is shown to play both the xiao and the guqin well; it is likely that he has mastery of other instruments as well.
- Assumed: string assassination technique: A technique developed by the third sect leader. Lan Wangji demonstrates such at several points, and while Xichen isn't shown using them directly, the probability is high that he also can use them.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[ A voice message in a soft, a little raspy voice, the kind that one might like to hear the phone book read in because of how melodious it is, goes out to the network. ]
I am sorry to disturb you with something rather inconsequential, but I am curious. I find the tea one usually finds here, the one in little paper bags, somewhat unusual. I heard someone mention 'loose leaf' tea, and I wondered if anyone has recommendations.
Thank you for your time.
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE: TDM Link
FINAL NOTES: There are a few things that are specified in the novel which are not explicitly in the TV drama. Unless they are directly contradicted, I tend to keep them. Example: The Lan Clan tend to develop very great arm and upper body strength (one of the exercises for focus, or punishment, is copying texts while doing handstands, something that they do not assign to non-Clan/Sect members). Aside for this being spectacular in and of itself, it can be troublesome, such as when Lan Xichen tries to wash clothes and his strength just results in him tearing them. Aka, he's great at physical work but horrible at house chores.
Revisions: Powers
Golden Core Cultivation
- Cultivation: Discipline for controlling and enhancing the inner / spiritual / qi energy, allowing various effects, both internal and external to be possible:
= Improved health, higher resilience, quicker recovery: cultivators have been shown to keep going with a broken leg, sword slash on the arm, cut off arm (though that one definitely needed to be attended to to not become lethal). Using the limitation from Lan Wangji's listing with permission, Xichen can heal at about four times the normal human speed. (Unless for some reason his spiritual energy has been expended, in which case it slows down.)
= Enhanced strength and speed: this is more to the range of Danny Rand than Superman. He can leap up to about the height of a two-story building, leap parallel to the ground for about 40-60 feet, and pick up 3-4 people (factoring in the Lan sect handstands adding to arm/upper body strength) at a time. Speed-wise, it's good enough to avoid surprise attacks and maybe dodge 1 (one) bullet if he's aware it's being shot at him, but not quite up to continuous dodging since his training has been with swords.
= Ability to produce bursts of energy - with sword or with music, send shockwaves out in order to hit objects over a dozen feet away (not quite enough force to knock someone over with the sword, a little more with music, depending on how much of his energy he uses)
= Ability to imbue objects or processes - such as swords or music - with spiritual energy. This includes allowing a sword (which is not inherently magic) to be thrown a distance - maybe around 60 feet - and recalled back with a hand motion (seal), to make it hover and fly so the cultivator can fly on it; an instrument, such as a guqin/zither or a flute to produce music which can have magical effects (the instrument is again not magical itself); or a guqin string/a series of tied up strings to vibrate and produce effects that turn it far more dangerous.
= Ability to transfer spiritual energy to help another body recover from damage, poison, or illness. This is strictly strengthening the body, rather than direct healing, and a recipient without a golden core can't benefit as much from it as one who has a golden core.
- Sword fighting - cultivators use swords (or sabers/blades, for Qinghe Nie Sect) extensively as part of the training and use of their spiritual powers. Some swords are more powerful than others - one of them might be able to carry one person only and fail to bring up a second, while another might be able to sustain the weight of four people; that is, however, not a magical ability of the weapon but rather how much of the spiritual power of the wielder it can take in. Without a wielder who can do this, the swords are simply swords.
- Talismans creation and use: A lot of the magic effects are accomplished via talismans - they can be used for protection as well as attack, to start fire or simply produce light, and various other actions that are necessary for night hunts. In the Untamed, talismans can be both drawn on paper (once drawn, these can be used by anyone, whether or not they have spiritual energy) or drawn in air with spiritual energy and then pushed onto the target. The focus of talismans is towards controlling/containing/fighting preternatural threats, so the uses they have are:
= calming down a raging zombie (unless the power of the zombie is too great or there is an additional control exerted)
= bursting into a small fire - from small enough to light a candle, to being able to maintain a campfire-sized fire for a few hours. This is not a 'start a conflagration/arson' sized thing
= with enough skill and power, breaching through power magical power barriers
= spirit flags are a sort of talismans, though their goal is to attract spirits/resentful energy towards a target so that the threat of them can be dealt with
= As protection: when set around a house, or a body, they repel resentful spirits/energy/zombies.
Music Cultivation
- Lan music techniques: Lan cultivation is heavily based upon using music as the medium of power transfer. Spiritual energy imbued music can attack (energy blasts, strong enough to knock people or zombies back), protect (create a temporary - while the note lasts - barrier), calm (uncontrolled corpses can be stopped by the calm soothing down the resentment; people's inner peace can improve), agitate (strengthen anger/resentment that already exist), query the (un)dead. Lan Xichen is shown as very powerful even around the age of twenty, usually using the power of the Xiao for pacifying and subduing (and one time disarming an entire group ready to fight by lifting their swords into the air), rather than attacking, and the music of the guqin for healing. Xichen is shown to play both the xiao and the guqin well; it is likely that he has mastery of other instruments as well.
- Assumed: string assassination technique: A technique developed by the third sect leader. Lan Wangji demonstrates such at several points, and while Xichen isn't shown using them directly, the probability is high that he also can use them. It consists of a string, or a line of attached strings, which vibrates fast - making the string both capable of cutting through things, and sending shockwaves. It's powerful enough to knock people over, though people without powers or with a wekness might be hurt or knocked out just from the force with which they hit the ground.
no subject