Application/Info

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▶ PLAYER
HANDLE: Kitty
CONTACT: fortheteam @ Plurk

▶ CHARACTER
NAME: Wen Ning
CANON: No Dao Zu Shi (The Untamed)
CANON POINT:
AGE: 21 physically, mid-30s mentally
BACKGROUND: Wiki

In case you don't feel like reading the Wiki, the main thing you should know is that Wen Ning is a sentient zombie and looks like one.

The Untamed is the live action drama adaptation of the story that inserts a few minor changes, some due to censorship. The biggest ones are that Wen Ning is shown to be especially susceptible to possession and that Wen Ning's murder of Jin Zixuan was due to him being possessed by another's power instead of Wei Wuxian losing control. I do not believe these changes will have any significant impact on the cast here, as Wen Ning will not bring up the murder.

PERSONALITY:
One of the interesting additions from The Untamed's version of this story is suggesting that Wen Ning wasn't just weak when he was alive but that he was also sickly and susceptible to possession. This made him a joke to most of the more vicious Wen family members and caused him to be perpetually shy and nervous. He used to stutter often so now he speaks very slowly, carefully and deliberately to avoid that trait. His shyness remains but he can overcome it when he really wants something, such as his managing to ask his cousin Lan Sizhui what he remembered about his past. His sickly upbringing also speaks to how close he was to his older sister since she was the one who cared for him. This is why it's so significant when Wei Wuxian, someone other than his sister, acknowledges him.

The possession susceptibility has been a frequent issue, resulting in his being often targeted by spirits when he was alive. The problem continues to plague him when he's brought back as a walking corpse (essentially a sentient zombie), leading to him attacking others on two separate occasions, one of them fatal. While these instances confuse Wen Ning and leave him to deal with the aftermath, there is little he can do to stop them, leaving him feeling somewhat helpless and a burden to others.

Loyal is the word most would use to describe Wen Ning. Once someone establishes themselves as his friend or someone he should care for, Wen Ning will do everything in his power to keep them from harm. Even before he was brought back as a walking corpse, Wen Ning demonstrated this fierce degree of loyalty. Wei Wuxian earned Wen Ning's admiration and friendship by aiding him in his archery and showing rare interest in him, to the point of praising Wen Ning's talent even after he shot poorly, thus causing Wei Wuxian to publicly lose face in front of the sect leaders. This friendship was so important to Wen Ning that he was willing to sneak around a Wen prison to care for Wei Wuxian and later drug guards to help Wei Wuxian escape a Wen-occupied city. When Wei Wuxian gives him a good luck charm, Wen Ning keeps it to the moment of his death.

After Wen Ning is brought back from the dead by Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning becomes extremely protective of him and frequently flings himself into danger to put himself between Wei Wuxian and harm. Part of this is also because of what Wei Wuxian goes through to protect Wen Ning's family. Thus, Wen Ning will fight through hordes of attackers if it means keeping Wei Wuxian safe. He applies the same degree of loyalty to Sizhui and Jin Ling, one of whom is his family and the other who he feels he owes for accidentally killing his father. His extreme loyalty causes others to basically view Wen Ning as Wei Wuxian's loyal dog.

This loyalty has caused Wen Ning great pains, such as when Wei Wuxian ordered him to not tell Jiang Cheng what Wei Wuxian had done to save Jiang Cheng's spiritual energy. It ends up being one of the few times that aspects of Wen Ning's loyalty clash, as he's so upset at Jiang Cheng's treatment of Wei Wuxian that he ends up telling him the truth. This personal loyalty to someone's self-worth, beyond simple orders, speaks to the autonomy that Wen Ning develops throughout the story.

Guilt is a major motivator in Wen Ning's after-life. Because he has little control of himself when affected by Wei Wuxian's resentful energy, his immense strength often gets the better of him and leads to casualties. Wen Ning holds himself responsible for most of the terrible things that have happened to Wei Wuxian, as well as his sister's death since she and him sacrificed themselves to atone for Wen Ning's killing of Jin Zixuan. He apologizes frequently for any misstep and hates to cause trouble to Wei Wuxian. Guilt is also what keeps Wen Ning from considering any other path in his life other than at Wei Wuxian's side until the very end of the story. He doesn't believe he deserves anything.

Wen Ning is also defined by his accommodating and slightly air-headed nature, despite the carnage he has wrought from his unstable corpse state. He is terribly willing to please and does things like scouting ahead for Wei Wuxian without Wei Wuxian knowing, down to camouflaging himself in mud and grass, or cleaning graffiti a drunken Lan Wanji leaves on the walls so nobody will get in trouble. He rarely defends himself when not in battle so that it's easy for even children to bully him. He responds to teasing with more confusion than anything.

As can probably be inferred from all this, Wen Ning is very emotional. This is ironic because he cannot physically express emotions as a corpse. But his lasting guilt, actions with Jiang Cheng and his happiness at finding Sizhui, the last surviving member of his family, speak to these hidden emotions. He also seems melancholy when he cannot join Wei Wuxian at the other's former home because of all the pain Wen Ning has caused Wei Wuxian's adopted family.

Toward the end of the story, Wen Ning is showing more hints of autonomy as opposed to his initial need to always be around Wei Wuxian. He makes more of his own decisions and even decides to leave Wei Xuian to find his own path. This suggests that he has gained more confidence from his experiences and he's finally able to accept his own right to keep "living" the way he is.

POWERS/ABILITIES:
Unlike most of the MDZS characters, Wen Ning has no real cultivation powers. His abilities resolve around the resentful energy that resides in his walking corpse self. This grants him incredible strength, such as lifting large boulders and breaking stone, as well as punching through human flesh. He moves supernaturally fast and does not react to pain, fire, cold or poison. He can easily take on large groups in combat and is basically regarded as a monster when he fights. His power also seems to increase when he's being controlled by Wei Wuxian.

INVENTORY: Wen Ning doesn't really have stuff.

MOONBLESSING: Iris

▶ SAMPLES

link #1
link #2

Comments

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