"Between us, there is no need for 'thank you' and 'sorry'." @userdramas get to know me bingo → lgbtq+ rep

• chrysanthemums: death, immortality, good luck
• cherry blossoms: the cycle of life and death
• wei wuxian dies young to his grief and rage, mo xuanyu dies young to his grief and rage, wei wuxian is disgraced from the cultivation world and labeled a lunatic, mo xuanyu is disgraced from the cultivation world and labeled a lunatic, wei wuxian invents the sacrifice ritual, mo xuanyu uses the sacrifice ritual to bring wei wuxian back, if wei wuxian had never died mo xuanyu never would have sacrificed himself and if mo xuanyu had never died wei wuxian would never have lived again. of course they are the wheel of fortune. of course they are
• wei wuxian and mo xuanyu are perfect for the wheel of fortune not only because of the role of their relationship in the story at large, no matter the adaptation, but their relationship in the actual structural plot of cql itself. cql is absolutely cyclical, we start and end with wei wuxian on a cliff, we know he dies before we even know who he is and when we learn who he is he dies, etc etc. the show opens to his death, and onto his resurrection via mo xuanyu, then into his life, and after his death, we are back into right after his resurrection via mo xuanyu. the resurrection is the point that resets the story each time
• they are wrapped in a white cloth together to represent mourning - the fact that both of them and the cyclical relationship they have relies on each of their deaths. the cloth is stained with blood in the middle to represent the actual cycle of bloodshed and violence, but also simply because blood is red, an auspicious color in chinese culture. red symbolizes good fortune and celebration and power. because for as much as the death of mo xuanyu is a tragedy, the subsequent resurrection of wei wuxian is a gift. an important aspect of the meaning of the wheel of fortune card is the Fortune part. the card is a blessing, a sign of good things to come, just like wei wuxian's resurrection
• the entire composition is supposed to be circular and cyclical, their positions, the flow of the cloth, the path of the blood, the positions of the flowers and talismans, the circular symbol on the floor. you could turn it in any direction and it would still make sense
• I know that I drew it so that technically they do not have cuts on the same wrist, but the visual symbolism of the mirrored imagery was more important to me than complete accuracy
• the talismans in this card are all ones seen during wei wuxian's resurrection scene
• the symbol on the floor beneath them is my (vague) interpretation of the sacrifice ritual
• I almost placed the mask in the middle of the page to further drive home the imagery of cycles in their relationship, but it ended up looking weird
• the wheel of fortune is one of the most powerful cards in the deck, so of course one of the most powerful rituals in the show gets to feature on it

[id: eighteen gifs from “The Untamed”, each with text overlaid. They are as follows: Nie Mingjue chained up and shaking his head, “Strange house we must keep and fill.”, Wei Wuxian reaching out for the sword covered in resentful energy, “House that eats and pleads and kills.”, Luo Qingyang walking away from the Jin sect, “House on legs.”, Wen Qing standing behind a fire, “House on fire.”, Jiang Yanli looking up at Jin Zixuan in his arms, “House infested / With desire.”, Wen Ning reacting to Wei Wuxian playing the dizi, “Haunted house.”, Lan Sizhui looking away, “Lonely house.”, Xiao Xingchen reading Song Lan’s sword name, “House of trick and suck and shrug.”, Jin Zixuan hiding a lotus flower behind his back, “Give-it-to-me house. I-need-you-baby house.”, Xue Yang with his hands on his head, “House whose rooms are pooled with blood.”, Nie Huaisang holding Jin Guangyao’s bloody hat, “House with hands. / House of guilt.”, Jin Ling holding out his shaking sword, “House / That other houses built.”, Jin Guangyao holding his hands behind his back, “House of lies / And pride and bone.”, Lan Xichen curling his fist and closing his eyes beside Jin Guangyao, “House afraid to be alone.”, Jiang Cheng collapsing and crying after talking about his golden core, “House like an engine that churns and stalls.”, Song Lan crying, “House with skin and hair for walls.”, Lan Wangji alone in the cold pond cave, “House the seasons singe and douse.”, Mo Xuanyu’s spirit standing above Wei Wuxian, “House that believes it is not a house.” /end id]

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