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PLAYER INFORMATION

PLAYER NAME: Pia
OVER 18?: Yes
PREFERRED CONTACT(S): haseul
OTHER CHARACTERS: N/A

CHARACTER INFORMATION

CHARACTER NAME: Jiang Yanli
CANON: The Untamed
TIMELINE: Episode 24
AGE: Mid 20s, a concrete age would be something like 25

REFERENCE: Character wiki; the wiki relies heavily on novelization information, and Jiang Yanli's role is made meatier in the show. I'll link a bulleted list of timeline events here, and there are definitely spoilers abound.

PERSONALITY:

There has perhaps never been someone so willing to do everything in her power to protect and support her family. That's Jiang Yanli to a 'T' -- her name literally means "to dislike separation," and she asks for Wei Wuxian to keep she and her siblings together numerous times in canon, feeling a great unrest when they aren't together and harmonious. Jiang Yanli's base identity is very tied into her family, where she's from, and the union of these things -- it's part of why she's so absolutely lost when Lotus Pier is lost and her brothers begin to grow distant from their old selves and one another.

She's basically an ideal-homemaker and sister; Jiang Yanli is endlessly supportive, gentle in nature, maternal in every instinct she has. She prefers cooking to cultivating, always has a kind word to say in an effort to soothe a soul. She's not a stranger to fooling around, having spent a whole childhood wrangling and playing with two upstart brothers. Jiang Yanli has an absolute sense of empathy, kind nature extending to basically anyone. She wants to be a good person, kind and giving without the promise of something in return.

However, to only see Jiang Yanli as a pretty girl with a knack for making soup is a mistake. She lacks the raw power for cultivation that both of her brother's possess, but her talents are just as necessary -- just perhaps not so obvious, looking at her. Yanli is observant, quick to know the emotional states and going's on of her brothers, no matter how tight-lipped they might be in an effort to protect her. She quickly assesses Wei Wuxian's new cultivation techniques, as well as his accompanying emotional grievances, even if she kept her knowledge of the subject close to the vest.

She's also a master of diplomacy and reason. When Jin Zixun insults Wei Wuxian as the 'son of a servant' who cheated in a cultivation competition, she keeps her anger in check while scathingly cutting down the other disciple in a masterful display of class and justice; she was assertive and fair in the face of a clan that others might have just knelt to. And again -- she'd do anything for her brothers. From defending Wei Wuxian, to taking care to make sure that Jiang Cheng is safe and emotionally sound, there isn't anything she wouldn't do for them.

Which is ultimately Yanli's downfall. She's forgiving, self-sacrificing -- even though the Jin sect turned against Wei Wuxian quickly after the death of Jin Zixuan, and even though she didn't know all the details of what happened, her first instinct was to go to her brother. To make sure that he was alright and communicate the issue. Her brother would never do this on purpose, and she's willing to see him, to hear him out even as her heart is broken. Supposedly because of his actions. It's for Wei Wuxian that she even dies, putting herself in harm's way and being killed while she and her brothers are together one last time.

It's also worth noting that Jiang Yanli is very solitary when it comes to her own emotions. Unless she's pushed to the brink, she's forever the dutiful "third parent"-type sibling who puts the burdens of others on her own shoulders, leaving nowhere for her own emotions to go. She keeps her own feelings of grief and insecurity inside of herself, even going so far as to leave a misunderstanding with Jin Zixuan unexplained because she would rather move past defending herself instead of arguing a point. If it was someone else, she would certainly be more willing -- but Jiang Yanli is selfless, often showcasing that she puts many others above herself.

And, no matter how weak her cultivation skills are, Jiang Yanli's heart and mind are strong. She's been through so much loss -- her clan was slaughtered, her home destroyed. Jiang Yanli watched as the two people closest to her drifted further and further apart with nothing she could do about their choices, even if the outcome hurt her deeply. Her husband was killed; someone she had pined for and watched over for years snatched away in a diabolical incident and leaving her alone with her son. And after each horrific circumstance and emotional turmoil, she endured. She rebuilt Lotus Pier, she stood strong as a Yunmeng Jiang sect cultivator and daughter in the face of adversity and outside pressure. If she had lived longer, she would have raised her son on her own as a young master of the Jin clan, moving forward despite the loss of his father. Jiang Yanli has had a lot thrown at her, from war to personal loss, and she came out on the other side as much as she possibly could.

ABILITIES:

■ It's worth noting that despite never showcasing her skills in canon, Yanli is a cultivator, meaning she has a Golden Core -- the spiritual center of a cultivator's magic. She's never shown using talismans or spells in The Untamed, with an implication that she doesn't actually have a lot of strength in this area.

■ Instead of focusing on cultivation, Jiang Yanli instead took to practical chores -- mending, cooking, cleaning, basic healing practices. Her ability to make a soup on the fly -- and the sheer amount that she makes -- is iconic; basically anyone who knows Jiang Yanli well will know that she's probably got soup stashed somewhere to whip out at any given moment.

PERSONAL EFFECTS: A draw-string purse filled with numerous herbs and lotus seeds, her sword Wuyun.
PRIZED POSSESSION: A lotus ornament from her chambers — Yanli isn't one to feel as though material things are so important, but this is symbolically surprised as a signet of who she is, her family and what she wants out of life.

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