#Jiaojiao: well...

[vroomian]

i am still reading, but know that i am CACKLING because i just remembered you said yrz would maybe be/accidentally seducing wc and i had assumed it would be in his male body but this makes more sense

oh i considered it but wc has huge toxic masculinity energy so i decided to start with the fem version.

(no promises that it'll stay fem yrz lol. let wc get fucked! judging by 'jiaojiao's' temperament he'd probably enjoy it!)

[danmei-confessions]

I will never understand why anyone thinks Jiaojiao's account of YZY and JFM's courtship is accurate. She wasn't there! She's from a Wen subsidiary clan and she wasn't even born yet! Also she hates YZY and specifically felt humiliated by her. She is spreading nasty rumours to make herself feel better about YZY calling her her inferior and stepping on her. Beyond that I don't get how people think that JFM didn't outwardly favour WWX? he's more affectionate towards him and gets along with him better. He's also conflict avoidant and doesn't want to start shit with his wife. There's no amount of loving WWX that will change that part of his personality. Moreover he's already only picking JC up in the single digits when he's like 10, I do not think "my child has bad vibes like his mother" is really a factor in play there or if it is it's one that speaks very poorly of him. I also don't get feeling the need to defend WWX from the idea that his presence made an already tense situation worse. He's literally a starving orphan child in need of a home. Neither YZY or JFM's behaviour is on him, but if you think his presence in that household didn't exacerbate YZY's anger and JC's insecurity because of the contrast in how he treated JC and WWX as well as his past connection to WWX's mother you are just in denial. He makes sure that he gets to go to Gusu lectures and shows up in person to smooth things over when WWX starts shit, he picks him up and cuddles him as a child, he spends lots of time and energy searching for him to bring him home in the first place! None of that is at all wrong in fact it's a rare JFM win but it's way more than being a present for JC. Which again would be fine if he wasn't so willing to give up on his own kid for the crime of resembling his other parent making the contrast in easy affection obvious. He obviously loves JC but he doesn't understand or like him and he's terrible at hiding that. The absentminded well meaning father who's kind of a dick to his kid because he wasn't in love with his wife is a classic historical drama/wuxia trope anyway. You can see it in Joy of Life and Nirvana in Fire it's just that in both of those cases the protagonist gets to tell the dad his son loves him and he needs to do better and his relationship with his son is saved.

.

[draconicfool]

@acr3ss-the-cosmos asked: "echoes of the past" - gimme something for jiaojiao

echoes of the past || accepting

-

Perhaps Jiaoqiu should consider himself lucky that he couldn't see when he'd come to visit the small male on his frozen planet. For if he could, he would remember the scene before him all too well. Or at least, the area they were in. The very wall of the back of the fight club. And Amatus Bahre pressed against the wall by a man unknown to the Foxian.

"C'mon, sweet girl. Aren't you even gonna give me a taste~?"

"I thought I told ya t' buzz off. 'm here t' support Luka. Not be bothered by y'er old ass," he all but spits in the man's face, trying to get out and under his arm before the miner's hand is on his face. Squeezing his cheeks. A panic that sets his heart thumping in his ears. One Jiaoqiu can all but feel given he's viewing the memory as he is.

"The hell did you just say to me? After batting your eyes all pretty like that. Jus' shut up and admit it." And how quickly his other hand was already unbuttoning that cute pink belt of Amatus', trying to slip a gloved hand between the fabric and his skin.

"I said t' get off-!" The smaller brought a knee up quickly. Taking the moment of space to try and dart back into the fight club. Back to Luka. How fortunate then, that he would run smack into the redheaded boxer. The younger looking for where his friend had gone. As if Amatus would ever miss a match- no this he knew. And seeing how frazzled he was...well, Luka was all too quick to slam the miner against the wall in turn.

"Did you put your hands on them?"

"She asked for it--"

Metal fist slammed only mere inches from the man's head. His blue eyes burning. A look that Amatus was unfamiliar with. one he doesn't think he's ever seen since then. "L-Luk' I just- wanna go home- let's go home-."

Even if violence never bothered him. He felt filthy. Disgusting. Had he been asking for it-? Had it been his fault he'd nearly been cornered in the alley? This had been just like--

Those thoughts running through his head were interrupted by the redhead wrapping his coat over the other's shoulders. By and arm around his waist to lead him home.

"Yeah...I bet Doctor Bahre needs his assistant anyway, right? I'll tell 'em to have someone else fight in my place. You need me more."

"...thanks, Luk'. Let's- let's go see Daddy, yeah."

[amorremanet]

well, speaking as a lesbian who hasn’t actually finished watching cql, no. you’re wrong. lu enjie being beautiful has nothing to do with my meowmeowification of jiaojiao

it’s like 15% thinking she’s an underutilized character who gets unfairly reduced to the closest convenient tropes bc mxtx handed her some interesting traits but didn’t actually care about her that much outside of how she helps to advance the plot, 15% how she fits into the larger narrative picture of how mdzs discusses and wrestles with issues of classism and how We Live In A Society has fundamentally different meanings and ramifications for any given character based on the circumstances of their birth, 5% finding her stupid malapropisms ridiculously charming, 5% wishing she would’ve bit wen chao’s dick off without being influenced by wwx’s bullshit because i think jiaojiao deserves to do violence to wen chao i think it would be very sexy of her, and 60% wanting donghua jiaojiao to smother me with her bountiful titties

anyway thank u for asking, person in the tags of a post i didn’t write or agree with! i adore my poor little jiaojiao, she has done everything wrong ever in her life and i love that for her 🥰🥰🥰

[mdzs-fics]

no step had trodden black by Stratisphyre

Canon divergence 4 chapters 32k words

Wei Wuxian tried to prepare himself, but the blow landed lower this time, hammering directly into his surgery site, and he buckled over. This time, they let him go and he hit the floor with a groan. Wen Chao planted his boot on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder and rolled him over with a deeply unpleasant smirk.

“A warm up only,” he stated. “Though I’m surprised. I remember you being quite a bit tougher when you were my guest before. Or maybe you only made it seem so.” He waved Wang Lingjio forward. “Here you are, Jiaojiao, a gift just for you. Make him scream all you want.”

“Pardon me,” a low voice said from behind them.

Almost as one, the Wen all turned and Wei Wuxian had to crane his neck to get a look at the speaker. Through the sweat and pain stinging his eyes, he could still say the man was probably the handsomest he'd ever seen. Despite being simply dressed in grey robes, he carried himself with more dignity and grace than the Second Young Master of Wen, currently staring at him with the same cold envy that Wei Wuxian had become accustomed to seeing directed his way. He stood tall with one hand behind his back and the other clutching a sword styled as simply as his robes. A cultivator, then, but not one Wei Wuxian would ever associate with one of the established sects. Even the lesser sect leaders wouldn’t let one of their disciples walk out in the open dressed like a peasant.

"You are disturbing my mother," he said. Well past him, a woman in similar robes wearing a heavily-veiled weimao sat at one of the smaller tables in the teahouse.

Meeting with Wen Chao after the Golden Core transfer runs differently. in no step had trodden black begins with Wei Wuxian being rescued by a rogue cultivator who brings him home to try to heal his wounds, which include several direct hits by the Core Melting Hand. What follows is a very different, yet still eerily similar, Sunshot Campaign. The main difference? Wei Wuxian is not thrown into the Burial Mounds.

Instead, he recovers in the home of Li Linxia and her sons, learning another way to cultivate. Three months pass, and after an altercation upon the return of Wen Chao to Yiling, Wei Wuxian arrives at the main encampment of the Sunshot Campaign at the border of Qinghe and Qishan with a head in a bag, and some, but not all, truths to be told.

There is an encounter that began earlier, within the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter, that leads Wei Wuxian to an idea on how to overcome Wen Ruohan's use of the Yin Iron using his new cultivation method.

Too much more in detail would spoil this wonderful canon divergent story.

[winepresswrath]

22 and 23 for the ask game?

22. Popular character you hate?

I don’t think I really hate anyone except the characters that are pretty unanimously hated. I started out being less fond of Xichen than the fandom generally seems to be, and I’m still not overly fond of Jiggy, but I like reading fic about and thinking about him because he’s very important to Jin Ling, who I adore, and I trolled myself into genuinely really liking Xichen and his sad bad throuple choices. Now I’m actively into Nielan and the 3zun threesome, which is a pretty cursed place to be tbh. All you Nieyao fuckers should feel bad for luring me into your agony pit. Xiyao is obviously very valid but it tends not to work for me on an emotional level all on its own, but like, I tried the fic to see if it would! I tend to like characters more the more I think about them, because I wind up getting into why they’re making the choices they do and then I empathize with those choices and it’s all downhill from there.

23. Unpopular character you love?

I also don’t love anyone in the Jin Guangshan/Jin Zixun/Wen Chao/Sect Leader Yao club, and everybody else is just controversial. Incidentally that is the worst foursome imaginable. I guess I think Jiaojiao is a lot of fun and would gleefully read either Jiaojiao redemption fic or fic where she attaches herself to a less terrible patron and then is gloriously horrible but not in a genocidal or face burning way, but that’s more enjoying the campy awfulness of the character than loving her. I do have a soft spot for social climbing mean girls in social contexts where they genuinely don’t have many options available to them. Get paid, Jiaojiao! I don’t support your Mianmian burning or Shidi murdering but I do support you taking Chaochao for all he’s worth. If someone wrote fic where she set her sights on a teenaged Jiang Cheng and Madame Yu nearly had an aneurysm about it I would think find that genuinely delightful, especially if the plot is basically her first deciding to use him for social climbing purposes and then being like “Wow, it was actually very easy to make this sad lonely dumbass fall in love with me. I guess I’ll keep him!” while even Jiang Fengmian begins to experience alarm in the distance.

[pastelcheckereddreams]

I stopped mid-drawing because I saw this screenshot and cannot get Wen Zhuliu out of my head.

Why does he notice something suspicious about the liquor and look towards the bodies of Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian? Why does he drink it even though he suspects it’s drugged?

I’m having so many thoughts.

Although he doesn’t say much, it’s clear that he prioritises duty over anything else. We can presume from his actions that his main objective is to safeguard Wen Chao at all times. So on that surface assumption alone, he isn’t drinking during the Wen’s celebrations because he must keep a clear head. But then Wen Chao, the son of his (unhinged) employer who has charged him with Wen Chao’s safety, challenges him to drink. 

(Sudden parallel! Wen Chao 🤝 Jin Zixun, forcing people to drink as a power play.)

So the glance towards Madam Yu (and I will go out on a limb and say he’s looking towards Madam Yu specifically) makes sense, because she (moreso than JFM, sorry JFM stans) is the last known threat he can think of. His eyes dart around slightly before he does - confirming he sees no one suspicious in the shadows. He’s simply confirming “the dead woman’s not still a threat...right?” before he acquiesces to the boss’s son’s weak flex to save everyone face.

(There’s a slight nod to superstition there, and a belief in the supernatural, that I’ll return to in a moment.) 

But first let me point out the deeper context, seen in that first screenshot - he knows there’s something sus about the drink. And he drinks anyway. 

That’s a big gamble. Let me explain why - 

This is perhaps the more heart-wrenching scenario: Wen Zhuliu could not see an active threat in those split seconds he scanned the gathered Wen troops upon smelling the unidentified drug in the alcohol. He was perhaps looking for an unfamiliar face, disguised in Wen red, or a flash of bloodied purple in the shadows - Jiang Cheng, despite his presumed incapacitation, or another Jiang clan member. 

Because Wen Zhuliu knows that it wasn’t just the Jiang Sect’s heir that escaped the massacre, but the Jiang head disciple as well. It was Madam Yu’s last (rare, poignant) selfless act to save them both.

And he looks to Madam Yu’s corpse.

Perhaps, in that moment, he weighs the probability of the Jiang poisoning their own liquor supply in preparation for a lost battle (unlikely - they surprised the Jiang) or the Jiang heir has done so under their very noses sometime in his later capture. 

Perhaps he reasons, with Zidian-quick logic, that both scenarios are unlikely, and so he drinks anyway. 

Or perhaps he looks towards the corpses of Jiang Wangyin’s parents, so disrespectfully displayed after such a heroic last stand, knowing the boy has also just had his core ripped from him at his own hands, and thinks - so be it.

(Do you think Wen Zhuliu spoke to Jiang Cheng before he took his core? Do you think Jiang Cheng looked at him with the same fire in his eyes as his parents?) 

In his quiet, duty-bound way, Wen Zhuliu comes across as a man who respects those who have earned it. And Madam Yu surely did in her last stand. So did, perhaps, Jiang Cheng. 

So he drains his cup. 

(I don’t think he did this in some sort of salute to her, though, despite the formidable opponent she made. His eyes don’t linger on her, instead his gaze is down in an internal calculation.)    

A few seconds later, Wen Chao is appeased but Wen Zhuliu’s suspicions are confirmed as he feels the drug take effect:

He closes his eyes and settles back, presumably now knowing the drug to be a simple sedative and - deeming it to be harmless, as he doesn’t stop Wen Chao as he urges Jiaojiao to drink more - focuses on his internal force to dampen its effects. 

But there’s this lingering shot, as he does, on the blood still dripping from Madam Yu’s fresh corpse as dancers celebrate the Wen’s victory:

It feels ominous, which circles me back to the superstitious undertones of the moment - emphasised mostly by the soundtrack. The ominous music rises towards a crescendo just as the scene above cuts to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng - alive, (mostly) whole, being rescued. The Jiang clan live on, despite the Wen’s best efforts at subordinating them; despite the two Sect leaders hanging lifeless from the rafters.

But I can’t help but circle back further - back further than the moment Wen Zhuliu first glanced towards Madam Yu’s corpse, or the moment the drugged liquor was first served. The moment this scene begins, we hear the flute music associated with Chengqing.* 

*Will edit later with the track name and possibly more meta. 

So I wonder if this scene, this moment, is actually subtly foreshadowing Wen Zhuliu - and Wen Chao’s - end. And that focus on Madam Yu? My own headcanons about a history between the two aside, that shot has a sense of lingering, of unfinished business. 

The scene abruptly cuts to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian - the two people that will bring about Wen Zhuliu’s death, that were saved by Madam Yu, that were harmed directly by Wen Zhuliu, and who will consequently finish the fight Madam Yu started. 

They are both her legacy, and this is the moment death marks Wen Zhuliu. Everything after he takes that drink is inevitable, because he chooses social protocol/servitude to the Wen over self-preservation.

Perhaps, just maybe, there’s even a Wei Wuxian parallel there - food for thought. Their outfits certainly match.   

[robininthelabyrinth]

🍊🍋Wen Chao and/or wen xu is a good guy and actually wants to end wen ruo jan's reign of terror (cloud recesses, lotus pier, xuanwu cave or all are elaborate ruses)

ao3

Untamed

“A-Chao,” Wen Xu said. “I think our father is insane.”

Wen Chao’s eye twitched visibly, his shoulders rising up to his ears. “You can’t say that! That’s treason!”

“I’ve already made sure there’s no one anywhere around us right now, not even people I trust.”

Down went the shoulders.

“Of course he’s insane,” Wen Chao said. “Some of his orders recently…”

He shook his head.

“Not much of an empire to rule if they’re all ghost puppets, is there?” he concluded. “I think the Yin Metal is poisoning his brain.”

“I agree,” Wen Xu said. “Now what do we do about it? He’s just ordered me to raze the Cloud Recesses.”

“…when you say raze –”

“To the ground.”

“What happened to just dominating the rest of the cultivation world?” Wen Chao complained. “I liked that plan. I was going to have a really great life. A palace. Servants. Good food. Even better wine. Enough clothing to keep Jiaojiao from complaining.”

“I…don’t know if that’s possible,” Wen Xu said. “Haven’t you given her three closets’ worth already?”

“I have no idea, and I’m too attached to my balls to ask.”

“Anyway,” Wen Xu said. “What do we do about it?”

“You’re asking me?” Wen Chao said.

“Well I’m certainly not going up against him by myself! He’ll kill me!”

“You think he would hesitate to kill both of us?”

“Ugh. Is there anyone we can ask for help? Anyone we haven’t pissed off?”

They both paused, thinking.

“…no,” Wen Chao said. “But in our defense, we never thought we’d need any of them, did we?”

“I don’t think anyone is going to buy that as an excuse,” Wen Xu said, scowling. “Fuck. Isn’t there anyone?”

“Well,” Wen Chao said. He did not continue.

“No,” Wen Xu said. “No. He literally wants to cut off our heads.”

“So does everyone else in the cultivation world,” Wen Chao said. “At least we know Sect Leader Nie hates Dad more than he hates us, which isn’t something that can be said about the rest of them.”

“Fuck,” Wen Xu said. “What’s our alternative plan?”

“…become ghost puppets?”

“Fuck.”

-

“You do remember that I want to kill you both?” Nie Mingjue said, scowling at them.

“We were betting on you wanting to kill our father more,” Wen Chao said.

“I’m not sure,” Nie Mingjue said. “You’re very obnoxious.”

Wen Chao scowled.

“He has a point, A-Chao,” Wen Xu said.

“Shut up.”

“Respect your elders!”

“If you two are going to start fighting, I’m leaving,” Nie Mingjue said.

They both squinted at him. “Does that mean you might not leave if we stop?” Wen Xu asked.

Nie Mingjue’s scowl got even worse, but eventually he begrudgingly said “…well, I really hate your father.”

They both exhaled in relief.

“What’s your plan?” Nie Mingjue asked.

“This was about as far as it went,” Wen Xu admitted, and Nie Mingjue gaped at him. “What? If we had planning skills, we’d be ruling the world.”

“Jiaojiao wants jewelry now,” Wen Chao agreed. “Lots of it. Keeping a mistress is expensive.”

“I’ll…take your word for that,” Nie Mingjue said, looking mildly uncomfortable.

“You’re always plotting against our father, right?” Wen Xu asked.

“No,” Nie Mingjue said. “If I could plot, your father would already be dead.”

“Good point,” Wen Chao said, but he wasn’t the sort of person to let little details like that discourage him. “But surely you know someone who can?”

“Just keep in mind that I’m on a deadline here,” Wen Xu said. “I have to leave to go raze the Cloud Recesses by the end of the week.”

“You want me to come up with a plan to defeat your father before the end of the week?!”

“Uh, yeah,” Wen Xu said. “That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” Wen Chao agreed.

“I’m going to go get Meng Yao,” Nie Mingjue decided. “And Huaisang, too, why not, somehow he always gets his way no matter what I do. Maybe he can come up with something for this.”

-

“I think we’re going to need expert assistance,” Nie Huaisang declared. “I’m thinking this is Wei Wuxian levels of plotting.”

“He can plot?” Wen Chao said dubiously. “Are you sure? He took nearly a week to fight a mildly ominous bird.”

“…is that so?” Nie Huaisang said, and sighed. “Okay, fine. Meng Yao, guess it’s up to you and me.”

Meng Yao was blinking his eyes very rapidly.

“What?” Wen Chao said. “You have an awful father too, don’t look so shocked about us wanting to get rid of ours.”

“That’s just how his brain works when he’s thinking,” Nie Huaisang assured him. “He’s kicking it like it’s a sleeping donkey that doesn’t want to get to work; give him a minute and he’ll be coming up with all sorts of ideas.”

“Good ideas?”

“All sorts of ideas.”

“…any good ideas? Mediocre ideas, even?”

“Listen, we have until the end of the week,” Nie Mingjue said irritably. “You’ll take whatever ideas we give you and you’ll like it, you hear me?”

“Is it too late to get Wen Zhuliu in on this?” Wen Xu asked Wen Chao.

“He has that weird thing for Dad,” Wen Chao reminded him.

“Fuck,” Wen Xu said. “I’d wiped that from my memory through the application of a great deal of alcohol, but yes, you’re right. Okay. Hit me with your worst plan.”

-

“That’s worse than I thought it was going to be.”

“Shut up and just do it.”

-

“I will now, in the name of the Wen sect, attack –” Wen Xu grimaced. “– this cave.”

“It’s a very important cave, actually,” one of the Lan disciples muttered.

“Be quiet,” Lan Wangji said.

They were all pretending not to notice the main force of Lan sect disciples, led by Lan Xichen, carting their precious books and treasures out of the Cloud Recesses right behind him.  

“I am attacking this very important cave,” Wen Xu clarified. “Of extreme importance to the Lan sect. So important, in fact, that it is clearly the correct target for an invasion.”

They stood around a while longer.

Someone cleared their throat. “Should we fight?”

“I can have my men beat you up if you really want,” Wen Xu said.

“…no thanks.”

“Then be quiet.”

There was a bit more standing around. Eventually Lan Qiren coughed.

“Would you like a chair or something?” Wen Xu asked, then frowned. “Never mind, I probably can’t justify that.”

“Probably not,” Lan Qiren agreed. He looked pained. Probably by the whole situation, but who knew, maybe he just had a bad back and the standing around was getting to him. “You will be taking Wangji hostage after this?”

“Along with most of the heirs of the Great Sects,” Wen Xu said. “As agreed, we’ll keep them out of the way.”

“Sometimes the most dangerous place is the safest place.”

“…yeah, that. Either way, they’ll be kept out of trouble.”

-

“This is not out of trouble!” Wei Wuxian shouted as they ran away from the Xuanwu.

“This stretch of river has never caused anyone any problems!” Wen Chao shouted back. “Ever! You’re the one who found the fucking cave!”

“Shut up and keep running!” Jiang Cheng howled.

-

“I really like your hair,” Wang Lingjiao told Madame Yu. “Also, that dress.”

Wen Chao sighed.

“Expensive tastes?” Wei Wuxian asked, pouring him some wine.

“You have no idea,” Wen Chao said glumly. “My allowance can’t cover it, so I ended up putting her as a line item in the military budget.”

“You did?” Jiang Cheng said. “Did your father, uh, object?”

“He’d have to notice.”

“I wonder how many other things he wouldn’t notice,” Wei Wuxian muttered to himself.

“You’re a young master of Yunmeng Jiang,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes. “What could you possibly want to fund that we won’t pay for?”

“I don’t know,” Wei Wuxian said. “Mad science experiments?”

-

“Can you pay him to stop?” Wen Xu asked. “I don’t even like flute music.”

“Shut up,” Wen Chao said. “You’ve been decapitated, remember?”

“Oh yeah, ‘decapitated’. And now I’m being force-fed lots of Qinghe barbeque,” Wen Xu said. “My life is really hard.”

“Why you…!”

Wen Xu sniggered. “How’s it going with Wen Zhuliu?”

“Fine, I think?” Wen Chao said. “He hasn’t actually noticed that the ‘demons’ we’re being hunted by aren’t really demons, but that’s because he’s been mostly drinking away his weird crush on our dad. I think Wen Ning is spiking his drink with something.”

They both turned to look at Wen Ning, who shrugged.

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person,” Wen Xu decided. “Are they attacking the Nightless City soon?”

“I think so.”

“What happens then?”

“Dunno.”

“Going to be kind of awkward when we ‘come back from the dead’ to take over.”

“I’m going to blame it on Wei Wuxian and his new weirdo cultivation,” Wen Chao decided. “We’re all sentient corpses he’s resurrected and using to puppet the Wen sect. Wen Ning, you in on this?”

“…sure,” Wen Ning said. “But only if I get first rights on ‘Ghost General’ as a nickname.”

“Oh, that’s a good one.”

-

“Thanks for the patricide,” Wen Xu said.

“Think nothing of it,” Nie Mingjue said. “Also, say nothing of it. Ever. In fact, let’s never talk again.”

“Can’t do that,” Wen Chao said. “Madame Yu told Jiaojiao that she got that fancy headpiece from Qinghe, so she wants to go there on a shopping trip.”

“Our economy could use the boost, da-ge,” Nie Huaisang said, and Nie Mingjue sighed. “It’s going to be a really big boost. Especially if she convinces Madame Jin from Lanling to come with her.”

“I still can’t believe they made friends,” Wei Wuxian marveled. “It must come from having more money than brains.”

“Brains aren’t exactly what I look for in a partner,” Wen Chao said. “Luckily for you, neither does your boyfriend.”

“Hey, I have brains!”

“You’re certainly intelligent,” Meng Yao – now named Jin Guangyao – told him.

“See?”

“That was an insult,” Nie Mingjue said.

“…hey!”

“When are you coming back to Qinghe?” Nie Huaisang asked Jin Guangyao, who blinked. “I mean, unless you want to spend all your time slaving away for a guy who thought Wen Ruohan was neat.”

“He’s right,” Wen Xu said. “Father or not, don’t do it. It’s not worth it. You’ll end up having to rebel and ask your worst enemies for help and it’s awkward.”

“I appreciate the offer,” Jin Guangyao said. “But I really can’t accept.”

“Why not?” Nie Huaisang asked.

Wen Chao pointed at him. “Seconded.”

Jin Guangyao grimaced at them both. Possibly it was meant to be a smile.

“You don’t have to go to the Unclean Realm, A-Yao,” Lan Xichen said.

“Thank you, er-ge.”

“You can come to the Cloud Recesses instead.”

“Er-ge…”

“Did anyone ever tell the Jin sect that we were working with the Wen heirs?” Nie Mingjue wondered out loud, and everyone frowned. “Because if they don’t know, and Jin Guangshan thinks he’s being subtle with the whole trying to hire Xue Yang thing, things are going to get really awkward.”

“…well, shit,” Jiang Cheng said. “I call not being the one to tell him.”

“Seconded!”

“Cloud Recesses, you said?” Jin Guangyao asked Lan Xichen, who looked pleased.

“I’m leaving,” Wen Xu decided. “I want nothing to do with this disaster. You all have fun now, I’m fucking off back to the Nightless City to live the rest of my life as a very rich man with no life goals.”

“I want to do that,” Nie Huaisang said.

“No,” Nie Mingjue said.

“But –”

“No.”

“Hey,” Wei Wuxian said. “Unrelatedly, anyone have any ideas on what should I do with the whole resentful energy seal thing now?”

“I don’t know,” Wen Chao said. “Play a giant game of keep away with it and then fake your own death?”

[nancy-plays-dutp]

Moving Mountains - First Look

A new book has come out, and I’m excited to play it! This won’t be too spoiler heavy but just in case I’ll put stuff under a cut once I actually get into the story content. Also it’ll start getting long.

Moving Mountains is the 33rd book to be released. It is set in the fictional country of Yuanning, a feudal monarchy that takes inspiration from China. I’m not a historian and have received no details on the dynasty, so I can’t comment on historical accuracy, but it appears to be fairly grounded with no fantasy elements.

Listed under “Adventure,” “Romance,” and “Healing” in the bookstore, the summary indicates that our protagonist, Wen Rou, is struggling between the education given from her father and the expectations society has from her state as a noblewoman. I do think this is a rather simple premise, but it can still be a good story if the characters and writing are done well. Especially after the last story, Code Whalefall, being so incredibly confusing and hard to follow, a simple story can be a treat. But it could also risk becoming forgettable, especially since it’s working with an aesthetic easily compared to so many other books, like Gourmet’s Journey, Tang Hunter’s Dynasty, and Ancient Dreams, all of which I consider to be high quality stories; Moving Mountains has some work to do if it wants to distinguish itself.

Moving Mountains is two chapters long, with 33 stages and 43 stage events, making this story more linear than average with less stage events, which are the meaningful choices you can make throughout the story. With 46 new clothing items this also is on the low end, which is not necessarily a negative thing. All the outfits do appear to have thought and care put into them, with many details and subtle touches, and I quite enjoy them. This being said they are remarkably similar to the outfits in Gourmet’s Journey, so while they’re beautiful they’re not exactly anything new.

Displayed are three of my favourite outfits from the story; the middle one is a Jerry outfit while the other two are craftable, and while the Jerry outfits are more detailed the craftable ones are certainly not lacking in style. The first outfit I especially enjoy as it reminds me of Mulan with the red and the sword, which raises my hopes to dangerous heights for this story. I do hope we get to use a sword.

One thing that was rather interesting about the clothing in this book is that two of the six encounter items are only one star; usually one star items are rarer in the game, with many stories having no one star items at all. I haven’t graphed this but I believe this may make these the lowest stats for encounter items. While I haven’t unlocked enough blueprints to evaluate crafting costs it’s likely this will not be a cheap book. I do commend the restraint shown for Parvens shop, with only seven blueprints (especially when compared to Code Whalefall’s nineteen), and among those only one costing over 300 diamonds.

There are three companions in this book: Gu Yin, Luo Jiuhua, and Shen Jiaojiao.

Design wise the men are nothing remarkable, resembling the companions we saw in Tang Dynasty Hunter and Gourmet’s Journey. If anything they have even less to set them apart from each other than usual, seeming to share the same kind of stature with a different hairstyle and color robe. Shen Jiaojiao fares slightly better and it amuses me how similar her dress is to one of our craftable outfits, but just as before there really isn’t much to distinguish her design from the protagonist. Theoretically this is on purpose, to characterize her as a kindred soul, and I have no real complaints about this. I simply find it amusing how female companions usually get unique designs while male companions look alike so often that I have a difficult time telling them apart.

Personality wise, Gu Yin is set up to oppose you, telling you to mind your place and believing that you can’t accomplish all that you claim. Clearly he’ll be won over by your skill and charm throughout the story and admit the error of his ways. His backstory has him rising through the ranks of society from poverty, and claims that he’s more open minded than most.

Luo Jiuhua is your childhood friend who you’ve been reunited with; although you lost touch many years ago in the story you are reunited and rekindle the relationship. His family is rather wealthy, being merchants that have found some degree of success. I suspect he’s going to be somebody who might end up using his status to help you; I’d really like an arranged betrothal leading to real feelings stemming from your friendship, but I don’t know if we’ll get that arc.

I haven’t met Shen Jiaojiao yet, so I only have her bio to go off of; it would appear that she’s reserved and gentle, the perfect lady of society, and I guess that we’ll befriend her and help her open up and be braver about her desires. 

I mentioned that I hadn’t met Jiaojiao yet; I am currently three stages in to this story, so will just be able to comment on the setup and speculate on where the story might go. The protagonist has a strong personality and feels trapped by her mother’s desire for her to get married; she loses her Nanny who tells her to be brave, and decides to chase her dreams. She’s characterized as quite intelligent, having taken lessons from her father and seeking rare books to buy, and even mentions having taken martial arts lessons in her youth. There is also a subplot about a terrible flood in the southern provinces of Yuanning, where her family is from, and her father has been sent to aid the situation, but refuses your request to accompany him and help where you can.

Three chapters is not enough to form a definitive statement on the entire book. I do think this could be quite a good story, but hope that the protagonist is allowed to take some major action to choose her own path. Disguising herself as a man to travel to the flooded areas and help, for example. Court intrigue and marriage arrangements have their place, but I enjoy it when protagonists get to do more active things, and a disguise would lead to some interesting situations. But since we’ve already met most of our companions at home I doubt this will come to pass.

One thing I enjoy is how the mother is being written so far. She’s stern and insists that her daughter must get married, but it’s clear that she’s doing so out of concern. I will say not too much depth is being given to this plotline at the moment, other than saying “I’m not like those other women who want to marry” and “Don’t be silly, you’re a woman. Of course you want a husband,” and I do hope that these perspectives can be fleshed out a little. I’m not arguing for every woman to embrace an arranged marriage, but I just think its interesting to consider what societal constraints might place a woman in a position where she feels that’s her best option, whether financial or social or political or a combination of all three. The protagonist’s assumption that a woman gives up her dreams when she marries is something I’d like to see challenged by a character in the narrative, maybe one who sought an advantageous marriage to gain enough wealth and power to pursue her dreams and interests. 

The reason why I am coming up with these ideas is simply because I’m looking for what this story can offer that would truly be unique. We already have several stories featuring a female protagonist escaping marriage and seeking her dreams, and while they’re of varying quality I tend to find that it’s better when she actually has a dream to pursue rather than just a desire to not be married. For example, in The Perfect Storm you escape your marriage to become a pirate, and while that past does come back most of the story is spent being a pirate, which I found highly enjoyable. Wen Rou has said that she wants to be free, but hasn’t expressed what she’ll do with that freedom; I’d enjoy it if she decided to masquerade as a man to save people, or if the story allowed her to be more of a scholar and seek out knowledge, or perhaps a shrewd businesswoman who’s skilled at running an estate. This could easily happen in the story, and I do hope it lives up to the potential I see in it.

I’ll be playing through Moving Mountains for the next few weeks and compiling more statistics on it, so I can do a full in depth analysis of the themes once I’ve completed this story. In summary my current stance is that this could be quite an enjoyable book, but it needs to go beyond the bare minimum to really set itself apart from the many books it resembles.

[madtomedgar]

The Mirrorverse Versions of Untamed Characters

Wei Wuxian: humble, cautious, observant, doesn’t really care about people or ethics. Gets mistaken for JGY possessing WWX’s body by people from the normal universe

Lan Wangji: Evil. Just absolutely 0 morals. Still calm and kind of cold but smiles a lot (Yibo gremlin smile). You know he had to do it to em.

Lan Xichen: Mean, but like. in a passive aggressive vicious kind of way. Laughs out loud at things, but at like... kind of bro-y things. Power-player.

Jiang Cheng: Emotionally intelligent, self-aware, soft-spoken. A very sweet man. Terrible at hugging, but hugs people all the time.

Jiang Yanli: Regina George with a sword

Lan Qiren: fun uncle who wears hawaiian shirts

JiaoJiao: Extremely classy and elegant lady, nice, but in that distant polite sort of way

Wen Chao: that guy from that meme that’s like. “just found out about transphobia. extremely fucked up.” Himbo, but like. Still says dumb offensive shit, but will tell people unironically that it’s like totally not tubular of them to like call people names.”

Jin Zixuan: suave

Nie Huaisang: Saber King. Jock extraordinaire who is the founder of the MDZS-SPCA and also the MDZS-SPCC. Sounds like he knows what he’s talking about at all times but usually does not.

Nie Mingjue: strategist, sees people primarily of how they can be useful to his long-game of bringing Qishan under Qinghe’s control, anti-war-crimes but only because those peasants will be more useful if they see how well they’d be treated under him and he can use them to foment rebellion. Forgives but does not foget.

Jin Guangyao: rude and brash but a burnt marshmallow. Black and crusty on the outside (thick skin from his sad upbringing), soft and gooey on the inside. Has a beard. 

Jin Ling: Has Lan Sizhui’s personality

Lan Sizhui: Has Jin Ling’s personality

Lan Jingyi: has canon-verse teen Lan Wangji’s personality

Ouyang Zizhen: callous and spoiled

Mianmian: doormat

Wen Ning: confident, cool, powerful

Wen Qing: Mad scientist a la The Brain from Pinky and the Brain. Would sell her little brother for one corn chip.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

💓 and 👀?

💓 - Ship you didn't expect to ship but now do -

This one is hard for me because it's not common for me to get more interested in ships over time - it's more likely that I'll start off with a vast array of ships that I'm open to, but that my interests will then steadily shrink. But I definitely was not expecting to ship Qin Su with anyone the first time I watched CQL, but thanks to @coldwind-shiningstars I've gotten very attached to the character and am open to shipping her with a pretty big variety of people - especially Wen Qing, Jin Guangyao, and Jiang Cheng.

👀 - Ship you're curious about -

Curious to explore in fandom/be persuaded to ship by good content? Ship I'm curious about in the sense of wanting more canon details? I guess wrt the first category, see above - Qin Su/Jiang Cheng didn't occur to me until I saw this gifset, which was definitely enough to sell me on the possibility. (The only problem is I've seen iterations of it that are predicated on putting down Jin Guangyao, which I'm not about.) And a Qin Su/Wen Qing ship is so intriguing to me that I'm tentatively planning how I might explore that in a fic.

Also, I'd be open to being persuaded on a variety of Jiaojiao ships! Not to mention certain takes on Jiang Cheng/Wei Wuxian.

As for the second category - well, once again, I want to know more about the Jin Guangyao/Qin Su courtship. And the Struggle re: Qi Ye was wanting to know all about the previous life and the details of the Jing Beiyuan/Helian Yi relationship (Priest really baited me with that one, sigh.)

[gingersnapwolves]

The Untamed, a brief summary [Part 3/6]

Part One: Sword Wizard School

Part Two:  The Search for the Yin Iron and the World’s Worst Summer Camp

Part Three: The Fall of Lotus Pier and the Sunshot Campaign

Here’s where it starts to get dark, folks. 

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng get back, and Wei Wuxian promptly collapses because they were in the cave for a week and then he walked all the way back to Yunmeng. He sleeps for three days. When he wakes up, Jiang Yanli gives him soup. Jiang Fengmian comes in to congratulate him for killing the evil CGI turtle snake. Wei Wuxian tries to say it wasn’t a big deal. Jiang Cheng tells him he only got it done because he was playing the hero, and Jiang Fengmian reprimands him for being a jerk.

Yu Ziyuan comes in and the two get in a big fight over how Jiang Fengmian treats the kids. Yu Ziyuan says people think Wei Wuxian is actually Jiang Fengmian’s son, and Jiang Fengmian gets pissy about it (which is fair since it insults both his friends). The two of them storm off. Jiang Cheng is upset because his father doesn’t even like him. Wei Wuxian tells him not to be so hard on himself and says he’ll beat up anyone who’s mean to Jiang Cheng, that he doesn’t want anyone to think he’s anyone’s son but his parents, and that he’ll always be Jiang Cheng’s right hand man. It’s super sweet honestly.

ENTER A USELESS MESS

Meet Sect Leader Yao. He’s super annoying and shows up occasionally to require exposition and give the characters an excuse to explain things to the audience. His sect just got attacked by the Wens and most of his people are dead.

This obviously ain’t cool so Jiang Fengmian goes to talk to the leader of the Lanling Jin about joining up to fight Wen Ruohan. He brings Jiang Yanli with him for some reason.

While he’s gone, Jiaojiao shows up to demand Wei Wuxian be punished for all the shit he did in Qishan. Yu Ziyuan is enraged at Wei Wuxian for upsetting the Wens, or possibly just at Wei Wuxian existing in general. She whips him with her cool lightning weapon and injures him badly, while Jiang Cheng begs her to stop. Jiaojiao says this isn’t good enough and demands they cut off Wei Wuxian’s hand.

It looks like Yu Ziyuan is going to do it, but then Jiaojiao pisses her off by telling her that once the Wen have taken over Yunmeng, Yu Ziyuan can help out by being their governor or whatever. Yu Ziyuan gets pissed and starts beating the shit out of Jiaojiao. It’s really satisfying.

Wen Zhuliu shows up. He clearly has some history with Yu Ziyuan, because he calls her ‘Violet Spider’ and she calls him ‘Core-Melting Hand’. A rarepair is born.

All hell breaks loose. Jiaojiao signals their troops. Yu Ziyuan takes both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian and throws them in a boat, and then ties them up with her lightning whip. She tells Wei Wuxian to protect Jiang Cheng with his life, which he would undoubtedly do anyway, blames him for everything that’s happened, and tells him she hates him. Then she starts the boat going down the river.

They’re still struggling to get free when they run into Jiang Fengmian coming back. Rather than release them, he ties Jiang Yanli in with them and goes to the defense of Lotus Pier. He also tells Wei Wuxian to protect Jiang Cheng with his life. They really want to drive this point home.

Int, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Yu Ziyuan has killed like a hundred guys all by herself. It’s awesome. Jiang Fengmian shows up and charges to her rescue and promptly gets killed. Great job, Jiang Fengmian. Yu Ziyuan sees that they’ve lost and kills herself rather than be taken prisoner.

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng have gotten back to find that their parents are dead along with most of their sect members. It sucks. They run away, which is honestly the most sensible thing to do.

Int, an inn [Yunmeng]

Jiang Yanli is sick. Jiang Cheng is shell-shocked. Wei Wuxian goes to get them food and medicine. When he returns, Jiang Cheng is gone. He gives the medicine to Jiang Yanli and tells her to stay there until he can get Jiang Cheng and get back.

Int, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Wei Wuxian is looking for Jiang Cheng. He grabs a random Wen and starts to choke them to steal their uniform, only to realize it’s Wen Ning. He asks Wen Ning if he was involved and Wen Ning says no, he heard that Wei Wuxian was in trouble and decided to commit a little light treason. He offers to get Jiang Cheng out.

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Wen Ning puts a bunch of drugs in the party punch. Wen Zhuliu sniffs it and clearly detects shenanigans. Wen Chao tells him to stop being a pussy and drink. Wen Zhuliu decides that if his boss wants him to pass out on company time that’s okay by him, so he drinks.

Wei Wuxian is waiting in a boat. Wen Ning comes back with Jiang Cheng, who is badly injured, and the magic lightning whip. He offers to take them to his sister’s house in Yiling so they can lay low.

Ext, Yiling Supervisory House [Yiling]

Wen Qing is understandably a little miffed that her brother decided to commit treason without checking with her first. But in for a penny, in for a pound, she patches Jiang Cheng up and hides them in her living room or something.

Jiang Cheng wakes up the next day and is basically a shell of a person. Wen Zhuliu, it turns out, has the ability to crush someone’s golden core, which is where they keep their spiritual power, so they can’t cultivate any longer. Think of it like cutting off a Jedi’s connection to the force. He’s lost his will to live and lies there like a dead thing for like two full episodes. No judgment.

Wei Wuxian starts reading every book Wen Qing owns in an effort to find a way to cure Jiang Cheng, despite this being said to be impossible. He finds one. She tells him not to do it because of the sacrifice that’s involved. He remains committed.

For some reason, Song Lan shows up. (Batman from earlier.) Xue Yang attacked his temple. He was blinded and has been wandering. Xiao Xingchen took him to see Baoshan Sanren, a famous cultivator in the mountains. She does not run a sect but will occasionally take on students. Xiao Xingchen was one and so was Wei Wuxian’s mother. Song Lan’s eyes are getting better.

Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng that they’re going to go see Baoshan Sanren, who he knows because of her connection to his mother, and that she’ll restore his golden core. They ask Song Lan to take Jiang Yanli to Koi Tower (Lanling) so the Jin sect can keep her safe. He agrees.

 Ext, a random mountain [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng goes up the mountain blindfolded. Wei Wuxian tells him to say his name is Wei Wuxian and ask Baoshan Sanren to restore his golden core.

Ext, a random town [Yiling]

Look, I’m gonna be honest with y’all. What happened between these two scenes is something that I figured out as it was happening, and I was never aware it was supposed to be a ~big reveal~ later. My wife likewise figured it out and treated it as fact. When it’s revealed later it’s a big deal to Jiang Cheng, but it wasn’t a big deal to us. However I’ve seen some people talking about how they didn’t figure it out until then, so I thought maybe I shouldn’t say what happened. But then I thought, this is just a summary, if you cared about spoilers you wouldn’t be reading this, and it’s much easier to explain what happens going forward if you know.

So, on that note, Wei Wuxian cut out his own golden core and gave it to Jiang Cheng. Or actually Wen Qing did the procedure. So now he has no golden core and can’t cultivate. Which sucks because he immediately gets captured by the Wens. He taunts Wen Chao, who decides not to kill him because he might become an angry ghost. Instead, they throw him into the Burial Mounds.

Ext, The Burial Mounds [Yiling]

A big battle happened here and it’s full of dead bodies and restless spirits. Cultivators have tried over the centuries to clean it up, but nobody who goes in ever comes out. Wei Wuxian lands in the middle of this mess and it sucks.

The creepy sword he’s been carrying in a spirit pouch asks if he wants revenge. Turns out he does. It’s super hot.

Ext, everywhere [everywhere]

Everyone is hella pissed that Lotus Pier was sacked. (I guess it was fine when it was Cloud Recesses for some reason.) The four great sects (or what remains of them) band together to fight Wen Ruohan. We see shots of lots of people looking badass. The mission to overthrow Wen Ruohan is dubbed The Sunshot Campaign.

Ext, the Indoctrination Bureau [Qishan]

It’s been three months. A bunch of nobodies are yukking it up that Wen Chao killed Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji comes out of nowhere and forces them all to kneel. It’s super hot. They admit to him and Jiang Cheng that Wei Wuxian was thrown into the Burial Mounds. Obviously this makes him very unhappy.

But on the plus side, they get their swords back. Yay! The disciple offers Wei Wuxian’s sword to Lan Wangji even though Jiang Cheng, who is Wei Wuxian’s brother and sect leader, is literally standing right there, so clearly everyone knows they’re married.

Ext, the Unclean Realm [Qinghe]

Everyone’s coming to Qinghe to discuss the final campaign. Wen Xu is now dead despite having never made another appearance, killed by Nie Mingjue.

Jiang Cheng reunites with Jiang Yanli, who has been in Lanling this whole time. She didn’t even know Wei Wuxian was missing and she’s pretty upset to hear about it.

They have a battle strategy meeting. Lan Wangji asks if he can go kick some ass in Yiling, and Nie Mingjue tells him and Jiang Cheng to go ahead.

Nie Mingjue asks Jin Zixuan how Meng Yao is doing in Lanling, having assumed (for some reason) (actually the reason is from book canon but didn’t translate to the show very well) that Meng Yao would have gone there. Jin Zixuan tells Nie Mingjue that Meng Yao didn’t go to Lanling, and that even if he did, his father would not have welcomed him. Nie Mingjue appears upset, possibly regretting that he exiled Meng Yao over one measly murder.

Ext, Yiling Supervisory House [Yiling]

Wen Chao and Jiaojiao are having a great time until a mysterious man dressed all in black shows up and uses a mysterious flute to drive everyone there insane and kill most of them. Wen Chao only escapes because Wen Zhuliu rescues him.

The next day, Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng show up, view the carnage, and say ‘well that ain’t good’.

Jiang Cheng finds Wen Qing imprisoned in the basement. She doesn’t know where Wen Ning was taken. She thanks him for the rescue and says they’re even now. He gives her the comb he bought for her back in the first arc. Or actually he just sets it on the table because he’s bad at romance. We don’t see whether or not she takes it.

Int, an inn [Yiling]

Wen Chao is totally nuts and freaking the fuck out. Wen Zhuliu is trying to get him to calm down long enough to treat his injuries, while mentally updating his resume again.

A mysterious man in black shows up with a flute and summons a demon or three.

Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng, who have been tracking Wen Chao, show up in time to hop up to the roof and look through a convenient window to see what’s happening. It’s revealed that the mysterious man in black is *drum roll please* Wei Wuxian! He is super hot.

Wei Wuxian is doing absolutely fine with the murdering but Jiang Cheng jumps in anyway, using the lightning whip to kill Wen Zhuliu, which, props to Jiang Cheng. Wen Chao cowers in a corner.

Jiang Cheng asks Wei Wuxian where the hell he’s been, returns his sword, and hugs him, and your tears are ‘what the hell I thought this was a silly show about sword wizards’. Wei Wuxian has clearly forgotten what hugs are. It’s sad.

Lan Wangji ruins the moment by demanding why Wei Wuxian is using seriously evil magic to kill people. Wei Wuxian says ‘you can’t tell me what to do, mom’, which does not help the situation at all. He and Jiang Cheng murder Wen Chao while Lan Wangji stands outside looking messed up about it.

  Ext, the Unclean Realm [Qinghe]

Wei Wuxian is reunited with Jiang Yanli and shit I’m crying again.

Jiang Yanli’s worried about the evil magic. She talks to Lan Wangji, who tells her that it sure is evil and Wei Wuxian shouldn’t be doing it because it will corrupt his mind and temperament.

Everyone wants to know why Wei Wuxian isn’t carrying his sword. He blows them off. (It’s because he can’t use it, since he’s not a cultivator anymore.)

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian manage to use their words for exactly one (1) scene. Lan Wangji says ‘let me help you’ and Wei Wuxian says ‘okay’ and then promptly spends the next ten episodes not letting Lan Wangji help him.

Int, the Unclean Realm [Qinghe]

There’s another battle strategy meeting. They discuss the fact that they need something that can counter Wen Ruohan’s yin iron. Wei Wuxian says ‘I’m working on it’ and then refuses to give them any details and leaves, which is super rude, my dude.

Lan Xichen is getting information from a mole in Wen Ruohan’s troops. Nie Mingjue asks where it’s coming from and Lan Xichen beats around the bush.

Wei Wuxian wanders off to have a PTSD breakdown.

  Ext, somewhere I don’t remember

Jin Zixuan is a jerk to Jiang Yanli. It’s about soup. It’s as stupid as it sounds. Wei Wuxian loses his temper even though it’s stupid and nearly evil magics Jin Zixuan and a bunch of guys to death. Lan Wangji tells him to chill.

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

They’ve fought their way to Nightless City! Now all they have to deal with is that Wen Ruohan has like a zillion zombie puppets. It goes as badly as you would expect.

Int, Nightless City [Qishan]

Somewhere along the way, Nie Mingjue had the brilliant plan to sneak in and assassinate Wen Ruohan during the chaos of the battle, despite the fact that Nie Mingjue is akin to a rhinoceros and does not sneak. He is immediately captured along with a bunch of his guys.

Meng Yao is here! He has big ‘look how much better I’ve been doing after the divorce’ energy. He kills a few of Nie Mingjue’s guys and then taunts him about how much he sucks.

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

Despite the fact that it took Wei Wuxian three seconds to summon evil spirits over his sister’s hurt feelings, he stands around for like twenty minutes watching every non-main-character get murdered before he’s like “oh, right, the creepy sword I have was yin iron all along” and he’s made it into an amulet which enhances his power. He seizes control of Wen Ruohan’s zombies and makes them all kill each other. He is super hot.

Wen Ruohan stops murdering Nie Mingjue when he realizes this is happening and goes out to see what’s going on. He and Wei Wuxian, who is still super hot, have a brief exchange before Meng Yao fucking stabs Wen Ruohan in the back like a badass motherfucker.

Wei Wuxian passes out which seems reasonable.

Int, Nightless City [Qishan]

Nie Mingjue is pissed. Lan Xichen quickly explains that Meng Yao is the one who was undercover and was passing information back to him the whole time. Nie Mingjue points out that Meng Yao killed his men. Lan Xichen points out that Meng Yao had to, because he didn’t want to blow his cover. Nie Mingjue begrudgingly accepts this explanation.

Turns out that when Lan Xichen was fleeing the Wen sect burning down Cloud Recesses, he ran into Meng Yao, who headed to Gusu after leaving Qinghe because Wen Chao told them that Wen Xu was going to attack it. Meng Yao saved Lan Xichen’s life, and with this paragraph, a hundred fanfics were born.

  ~end part 3~

[leatherbookmarking]

fuck that ! im gonna talk about them deadboyz!! shame is for the WEAK

overall:

belong to a much less known subsidiary company of jinhit no jgs isn’t worth the joke entertainment. if they were in any other company they would be super rookies but jgs is keeping them in the basement and it’s not even his own basement

initially i think there were some high stakes in it for jgy...? something like ‘you produce the songs and make their chores and if you flop you’ll never be on stage again’ but?? i don’t know now tbh

would have been really popular (they are Good) but less known company, etc, and also some rumors around the time of their debut made it so they’re only knows because ‘they’re kinda good at dancing aren’t they’

general concept is uh... cool dudes, kinda fucky but not too much...? gotta think about the baby (a-yu)

THE MEMBERS: meng yao (leader, main dancer, vocalist), wen chao (oldest, main rapper), su she (main vocal, dancer), xue yang (rapper, dancer, unofficially: moodmaker, if by ‘mood’ you understand ‘horror at whatever has just come out of his hellish mouth), wen ning (dancer, vocalist, sometimes rapper), mo xuanyu (vocalist, the Baby™)

MENG YAO:

leader, single-handedly responsible for making these rowdy boys (wc&xy) stop wanting to kill each other

has probably auditioned for every single company there is. was in the nie company for a bit, but it was still a mess freshly after the previous owner, nmj’s father, has died, nmj has struggled (being a producer, not a businessman) so when it turned out they’d have to let some trainees go, the other trainees made it so meng yao was the one to leave. then he temporarily was at wrh’s company where he got kind-of-semi-famous as one of wen qing’s main back dancers (the one she’s interacted with the most) during her last performance. then the company went kaputt and jgs has snatched him off for himself, and then... put him... in the basement.... for two years... after which he gave him a chance, and voila

insanely hard-working. an all-rounder. mainly he excels at dancing, but his vocal and rap skills also Fuck. persona? impeccable. he’s learning to write and compose his own songs and he’s doing well, but he can’t even upload his stuff on soundcloud, because... you know why. has doubled as a manager in their early days. also, dimples.

the fans had tried to make a dad/mom dynamic with him and uh... wen chao...? since they were the oldest and pretty much the opposites, but quickly gave up and he’s now simply known as yao-ge due to his stern but loving persona. (yao-jie, sometimes)

DOES do the split. it was his rookie trick for a year after they debuted, but he simply is just like that. one show host asked him “is there definite proof that you have bones?“ and meng yao only shrugged humbly

WEN CHAO

oldest, has been a trainee for the longest time, hasn’t debuted because... well... he wasn’t good... and that was because he’s felt too safe in his dad’s company. WELL ABOUT THAT,

his older brother wen xu has debuted Long before him, but after a few years his group disbanded, he moved on to modeling and then stopped after a couple of years, too. (he got married.)

you know how i said their image is ‘cool, a bit fucky’? well, he’s 40% of that fuckiness. he’s been told again and again that idols aren’t supposed to date/have dating experience, but he still can’t get the hang of it

yes, he and jiaojiao were an item back in the wen days. she’s a trainee at some other company now but they still hook up sometimes

initially was intent on maintaining a cool, calm and collected image... then he met xue yang and threw that idea outta the window. paradoxically, they’re interesting together, not only as rappers but also as... high-energy, chaotic energy makers of the group...

this is a happy au, so: initially he’s thought everything is bullshit, these talentless fucks are dumb and he should already be a top idol. by the time of their debut, he agrees that meng yao is one crafty motherfucker. a year after their debut, if anything happened to any of his boys, yes even xue yang, he would kill everyone in the room, etc, etc BUT YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT.

SU SHE

unfortunately, was added before their first comeback (second release) and therefore controversial. fortunately, his vocal completes the group’s image and musical flavour

was a trainee in yinshen ent where he really admired their top idol, lan wangji, until... he got to know him (?) when they were sent to compete in a survival show and decided lan wangji ain’t shit and is, in fact, a stuck-up self-centered bitch. the survival show crashed (unrelatedly), but still some serious words were exchanged. during Some Company Problems, quite a lot of trainees have left, but he was the one who left with a Bang.

joined that one subsidiary of jin ent because of meng yao, who, just like in canon, recognized him, said he loved him in (song he’s performed in the survival show) and with this he cemented his position as su she’s new Boy Who Makes Him Go !!!!.

slowly replaced meng yao as The Man Who Does This Face at the other lads’ rowdy behaviour.

fans remember he was :/ at lan wangji, so his persona wouldn’t work anyway, but he does make quite a convincing kind dude-next-door.

stubborn side of the fandom’s next candidate for the mom member, because... he’s ridiculously prepared and reliable. who carries hydrogen peroxide in their daily use backpack? this boy !

it used to be rubbing alcohol but i had too many reasons to apply it internally, he once says mournfully, and this is how xue yang discovers he has a sense of humor, sort of

unfortunately, has the juiciest ass in the group. unfortunately, because

XUE YANG

responsible for: being inappropriate. the other 60% of fuckiness, really enjoys getting into wen chao’s personal space (since wen chao is That straight dude) and just... doing whatever to make su she Scandalized.

but he’s so cute we’ll forgive him. at least until the next time he does a surprise butt grab

very agile! dance line along with meng yao and wen ning. apparently he was a stunt guy...? apparently the lived in the streets...? apparently he went to the same dance school as meng yao...? no one knows his past. no one has seen his kid photos. did he go by another name...? insert the what are birds gif but make it who is xue yang.

adds sound effects to real life. also in his raps, sometimes

started hugging and initiating physical contact with people to assert dominance to be annoying, but ended up actually liking it, even though the one he does it comfortably with is meng yao. just like... back hugs? resting his chin over a-yao’s shoulder? it’s neat. sometimes a-yao pats his hand or taps his nose absent-mindedly and it’s super neat. if he notices you noticing it, though, he will BITE

most popular member, but everyone likes him for different reasons and has a different uhhh headcanon about potentially dating him. bad boy xue yang/cute bratty didi xue yang/sweet boyfriend xue yang, etc, etc

no one knows how, but apparently he knows the iconic duo from a small company, xiao xingchen and song lan...? or rather, song lan pretends not to know or notice him, meanwhile xiao xingchen is very cute when they’re interacting, and basically it prompts a lot of dating rumors, especially since they’ve been spotted having hotpot.

WEN NING

su she was the one to join last, but actually it’s wen ning who’s the least popular member. i’m just so quiet that people don’t notice me, haha, he says while being 180cm tall and having killer charisma when he dances

seriously, what’s up with that? it’s almost like he’s a different person, a possessed one to add to that. huh!

in contrast, his voice is very gentle and even cute, and he often sings quietly to himself. sometimes to other members (there’s a video of him singing what seems to be a lullaby to mxy), sometimes to little animals (there’s a video of him singing to a tiny frog he’s found during a walk). gentle boyfriend wen ning but it’s CANON

in contrast to the contrast, he doesn’t rap often, but when he does, it’s like... who’s that?? another member??? dualism king

when wc/xy cause problems on purpose, he doesn’t react/allows them to tease him/slap his ass/bump into him when they’re fighting. he seems like a calm, gentle guy so when they’re in a variety show and it’s Time For A Punishment, of course he gets to decide/wield the squeaky hammer, WHEREUPON ‘yang-ge, three weeks ago you ate my yoghurt even though i specifically asked you not to, so...’ (whacks xy’s ass into next tuesday)

nice, sculpted shoulders make for very good pillows

MO XUANYU

a Baby, but watch out: a horny one. fully on board with xue yang’s Inappropriate Ideas Of Entertainment. there’s a video of them doing some Rather Dirty dance moves while meng yao and su she make pained faces in the bg

fashion king. make-up king. none of his selfies are bare-faced, he always has some red eye shadow/blue eyelashes/yellow blush/black lipstick going on. sometimes even at the same time. paints his nails and toenails as well. somehow yao-gege doing his make-up makes him fall asleep one minute in. (cute)

his sincere smile is a 100% foolproof way to just... melt everyone’s hearts. in wen ning’s case: with a smile as well. meng yao and su she: an eyeroll (fond). xue yang and wen chao: ‘oh, fuck you’. but it DOES

most of the time though when he does sajiao it’s totally weird. (on purpose, on purpose)

tiny boy. skinny boy. once he turned to the side and vanished. even though most of the time in videos the other members sooner or later end up giving him food! (at some point wen chao says ‘it’s so that you’d shut up’, causing a-yu to start talking animatedly, spitting crumbs into his tea. serves him right)

has a potential to end up as a vocal god. currently however his favourite method of doing things with his voice is SCREAM

famously examines what things are by putting them in his mouth/licking them. he is a little creacher. he cannot change this

bites

[draconicfool]

@acr3ss-the-cosmos asked: 🎶 gimme songs for jiaojiao

💕 - Rule #13 - Waterfall by Fish in a Birdcage This one gives me big big them vibes cuz it's about like falling in love and realizing it suddenly [at least in my interpretation] and the music video that plays in my head is really cute of like them before he lost his sight and how he remembers those things after the fact when thinking of the moment he fell in love w her that's my thought anyway RAH

💕 - Dear Sam by TROY Uhhh a bit sadder cuz I'm thinking about how that's- that's his great love and he will only ever love Jiaoqiu even after he's gone but how there's still the want for Eros to live his life after that. 'our love will live again when the hands of time start to carry you in' um ouch anyway

💕 - Soap by The Oh Hellos Very kinda opposites attract vibes 'i think that you're worth keeping around, i think you're worth holding on to' and then 'it's gonna hurt like hell, but we're gonna be well' they're like always helping and working on the thing the other is struggling with and jiaojiao is helping him get over a lot of trauma so yeaaaah

💕 - where do i begin by egg literally just eros it's his thoughts exactly cuz he does in fact watch jiaojiao sleep and just think of how gorgeous he is and how lucky eros feels to have him

💕 - Work Song by Hozier you thought you'd get away Hozier-less? In my house? Never hah! um but anyway y'know just very devoted vibes very them to me i don't think i need to explain this one

rat the playlist man || accepting

[guqin-and-flute]

QUESTION: the Netflix subtitles said that Wen Chao has a primary wife (and that JiaoJiao is her handmaid), which implies that he has secondary wives. Was that the correct translation and could people have had multiple wives (on top of having concubines as well)? Or did they mean wife with the implication that she wasn't a concubine?

[mercyandmagic]

Ahh yes, I finally can contact you. So The teenage girl's self saving system is one of my favourite stories that you've written, though I do have to wonder, of all the characters to transmigrate into, why choose Wang Lingjiao of all people? You really chose hard mode writing this story from the perspective of a civilian. Was it so that you could give us a glimpse into what it's like in the Wen sect?

Ahhhhh thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that!

Truthfully, I chose Wang Lingjiao for ~three reasons. 

1) Precisely because, in true SVSS fashion, she’s probably one of the hardest characters to transmigrate into. On a list of characters with least redeemable qualities, she and Wen Chao are probably near the top. 

In addition, I think I said at the beginning that I was inspired by Mists over the Nightless City. In that story, (which is fabulous, btw) someone transmigrates into Wen Chao. But even there, Wang Lingjiao is not redeemed. It got me thinking how power-wise, Wang Lingjiao is definitely worse than Wen Chao. I thought it would that would be interesting to read from a civilian woman in a male-dominated cultivation world, and the story was born. 

2) I just love the Wens. I find them very mysterious. I loved exploring them in The Lotus and the Dragonfly, and I really love any chance to explore them more. 

3) While I won’t excuse Jiaojiao’s many cruelties, there’s tidbits about her in the novel that are genuinely interesting. She’s not well-educated, but she’s sharp enough to realize that the war is going wrong, back when Wen Chao is still in denial, and she tries to leave when Wen Chao is tired of her. And it’s sad that she really was a romantic at first, only to realize she’s not uniquely fit for him after all. The fact that she’s capable of realizing that indicates there’s a chance she could have changed. In fact, Wei Wuxian had come one day or even. one hour later, Wang Lingjiao would have survived. Aghhhh! 

Basically, Wang Lingjiao is most likely a teenage maidservant who had zero power, then her boss’s husband decides he wants her, and suddenly she has tons of power over those who probably used to step on her... so long as the husband stays interested in her. I’m not justifying her petty bullshit or cruelty, nor am I saying it was an act – actually I think she and Wen Chao were one of those couples that brought out the worst in each other. But in true MDZS fashion, people are gray even if not much good is shown about them, and I’d like to think Wang Lingjiao could have matured had she escaped. 

Thank you for the ask!