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lan jingyi isn't "un-lan-like" at any point he's actually a normal lan: a thread
in our first direct introduction to jingyi he loses his cool and threatens to beat wwx up while sizhui mediates. the dynamic where jingyi is blunt, abrasive and comparatively loud while sizhui stays calm and resolves conflict is established
but: the reason jingyi loses his cool is that wwx is causing disorder and disrupting the lan juniors' work. wwx has already been subject to threats of violence by a certain upright fuddy-duddy lan in the past, and he finds sizhui's level-headedness more notable
this is all from @fanyiyi33's ongoing retranslation btw https://mdzstranslation.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/
in these chapters most of the time jingyi's sentiments are shared with the other kids while sizhui is an exception:
1. all the lan kids crack up
2-3. all the lan kids are upset; after wwx speaks up, "ljy and the others exhaled"
4. all the kids erupt in cheers when lwj arrives
1. all the lan kids crack up
2-3. all the lan kids are upset; after wwx speaks up, "ljy and the others exhaled"
4. all the kids erupt in cheers when lwj arrives
in ch4, sizhui knows "his friend was thoughtless and didn't carefully consider anything, regardless of situation" but again isn't that behavior shared with the other kids? this is sizhui being exceptionally good at fulfilling lan ideals rather than jingyi being bad at it
dafan mountain is when jingyi's main un-lan behavior comes out: willingness to call bullshit even to a superior's face. here all of the lans are all hostile to jc, but jingyi is the only one who just says what he thinks
notice how they're all fucking rude in this scene and really it's lwj who is going to send jiang cheng to an early grave. this isn't about being rude as much as it is about how rudeness is performed
second un-lan behavior that occurs on dafan mountain: jingyi breaks the rule against gossip, only remembering himself around lwj. note that this is the rule against gossip and not something else & the topic is jiang cheng. i'll address this later
things lan jingyi is rude and loud about in chapter 8:
- lack of cleanliness. narrative notes this is typical of lans
- lack of proper address from wwx, who he doesn't consider their senior
- wwx's horrible flute playing, a sentiment shared by lan qiren
- lack of cleanliness. narrative notes this is typical of lans
- lack of proper address from wwx, who he doesn't consider their senior
- wwx's horrible flute playing, a sentiment shared by lan qiren
jump to chapter 10, taking wwx back to gusu. once again jingyi is the person who gets pissed that wwx is causing disorder and from now on he's often going to express that by reciting lan rules at him
chapter 10 also has the second time jingyi breaks the rule against gossip, once again when talking about jiang cheng, once again taking his cues from lwj
it's notable that it's the rule against gossip and not something else. in a way a rule against gossip is a rule against human communication, it's hard to say what counts as gossip and what counts as relaying relevant information and warning others of someone's bad behavior
if lans didn't condone breaking the gossip rule about ppl they believe to be Bad we wouldn't have seen them participating in nightless city or the sieges on burial mounds. here ljy is aware that he's in a danger zone but doesn't get reprimanded because the subjects are jc & ylz
for this reason i would say it's very normal for a lan to break their own sect's gossip rule, and jingyi is no exception. imo it's the most normal rule-breaking for any lan
chapter 12, after wwx runs into lwj in the cold springs: again jingyi acts as pearl-clutching rule enforcer and his reaction is what wwx anticipates from a lan. he's the most upset lan disciple in a crowd of upset lan disciples
things jingyi gets angry about in chapter 19:
- wwx having the gall to accuse lwj of anything
- donkey is loud
- rabbits threatened
again facing chaos mode wwx like you would "a major enemy" is normal for a lan
- wwx having the gall to accuse lwj of anything
- donkey is loud
- rabbits threatened
again facing chaos mode wwx like you would "a major enemy" is normal for a lan
what isn't necessarily normal is this, after wwx helps lwj subdue the hand in the mingshi: "though ljy already knew wwx couldn't possibly be a lunatic, he was still unable to keep himself from criticizing"
i read this as another instance of ljy saying what he means when other lans wouldn't. it's harder to tell when he's not contrasted with a crowd of nameless disciples but the language of "unable to stop himself" is a clue
okay i'm running out of steam so i'll end this for now with lqr agreeing with jingyi about wwx's flute playing 
i made this thread to say lans exist on a spectrum of behavior and jingyi's is very much within the realm of acceptability for his sect, at time out-laning other characters
i'm not sure why so many fans feel such a burning need for lan characters not to be lans, but in fact all of them are lans and choose to stay lans. jingyi is very much included in that
i love him for being a pearl-clutching zoomer who goes on to drink alcohol and even question his seniors re: the yiling laozu yet at no point does any of it change his position in the sect or put his core belief system under question. happy birthday king
