#also i havent read thousand autumns in a while so. so if anythings wrong and a yan wushi aficionado wants to take over. please do so

[shizunitis]

Tell me about Thousand Autumns and why I should read it. (I think that’s the thing you reblog a lot of with the guy with the white stripe in his hair?)

Aside from the fact that Yan Wushi, the love interest of the novel and Danmei’s cuntiest dilf, is my deadbeat father and legal guardian, and thus should inspire you to read it for his role in my life?

Basically: Read Thousand Autumns? Please? For me? 🥺

Actual answer under the cut since this is getting longer than I expected (I’m too tired to actually try and be concise about it, so sorry.)

It features: lying and deceit, sect politics, jianghu fuckery, a temporarily blind and depowered MC, political intrigue, awesome fight scenes, a wonderful cast of supporting characters, interesting takes on the cultivation system, social commentary, an incredible dynamic between the main couple that isn’t front-and-centre, dramatic not-confessions, and the sweetest little sex monster of a woman you’ll ever meet. (She’s my favourtie character. She’s like if Sha Hualing was in love with Shen Qingqiu. Do you see?)

It’s a much more mature relationship than what we see with SVSSS, by virtue of happening between two people whose identites are, in spite of their circumstances, on sturdier foundations.

Now, then, the circumstances:

Shen Qiao, who must start from the ground up in every possible way, while he’s suffering from amnesia—something which Yan Wushi takes full advantage of, the bastard—is the true embodiment of an enlightened daoist. He’s a former sect leader and an honest, hard-working, good person; he is also not a pushover, and the moments he decides to bother standing up for himself are more satisfying than if he retaliated with fury and vengeance. He is relentless in how fairly he treats the world in spite of its rejection of him.

Yan Wushi: villain-love interest, leader of a demonic sect, and a jaded man convinced of the world’s cruelty. He believes it an ugly, vicious place that will snuff out all light by force. He attempts to break down Shen Qiao’s righteousness and honesty by being very gay Disney villain about it, and tries to get him to join him and see the world theough his eyes. He’s cunty, and an asshole, and makes horrible decisions to prove his own convictions, and he pushes, and takes, and betrays, and does everything but lay down his arms and accept defeat, even in the face of certain death.

They have a convoluted, twisted road ahead of them from the very beginning of the story. And yet, they gravitate towards each other even when they renege each other, falling back into each other’s orbit not with ease, but ruled by a profound understanding of their differences. How they navigate them, how they make space for each other, how they interact— Wonderful. Beautiful. Excruciating. I adore them.

Whether by design or coincidence, their lives tangle so much that they become inextricably linked, and the longer the story goes, you begin to see the cracks in both of their resolves to try and change the other. Their dynamic is gripping.

It is, however, not the main plot of the novel. Arguably, their relationship features as an accessory to the plot, rather than its focus. It plays a big part in how the plot unfolds and it does affect both Shen Qiao’s and Yan Wushi’s relationship and interactions with the world, but it’s—

I kind of felt, you know, like it was being preserved away from the world in a way. Like it was kept for them. Don’t know exactly why, or how I could give arguments to support this idea without spoiling some stuff, but. They have married bickering couple energy. You know?

There’s some CW’s, for sure. If you need a list I can definitely lay them out, so shoot me another ask in that case. Otherwise, I hope my deeply sleep deprived attempt at listing off why Thousand Autumns is worth reading works. If not, I got to call Yan Wushi a gay Disney villain, so I got my needs met for today!

Also: Do I reblog Thousand Autumns that much? I know it’s more than Erha, but. Hm. Maybe I should make it a bit more clear exactly how I feel about Mo Ran. Wouldn’t want the hierarchy to be destabilised.