#even before finding out he had a part in nevernight

[trans-xianxian]

nawt somebody saying that jin guangyao didn't actually wrong nie huaisang or nie mingjue in a way that they should get sympathy for and thus nie huaisang didn't deserve to kill him 😭

[drwcn]

I loved your fem lwj take on things. How would thibgs go if WWX was the lady? Other than ppl assuming she stood up for the Wens bcs she jad feelings for WN ( and that Yuan was hers)

Heyyy friend, I think I’ve seen a couple of girl!wwx fics floating around in ao3 so i certainly won’t be the first :P.

Also I completely misread your ask initially, I thought you were asking me what I think would happen if A-Yuan was WWX’s kid, and I was like oh?? But then I realize wait... I can make it worse.  

Today, I decided that my mortal soul doesn’t matter, so here we go. Let’s see how accursed I can make this idea: 

[1]

It started with Jiang Cheng. Jiang Wanyin had set out for the Burial Mount with the explicit goal of throttling speaking with Wei Wuxian, but what greeted him at the entrance of the “Demon Subduing Palace” — more of a cave than anything really — was not his martial sister, but Wen Ning. Well, what had once been Wen Ning.

Black veins ran across his pale, ashen face, down his equally ashen neck , and into the major veins beneath his clavicles covered by the collars of his black threadbare robes. Lifeless eyes, white as his skin, stared into a void the living could not see. There were talismans littering his body, and Jiang Cheng knew that when he spoke to this fierce corpse, he was not speaking to the young Wen boy, but to his mistress who controlled him with her demonic cultivation. 

Wei Wuxian refused to face him. Refused him explanation. Refused him closure.

“Er-jie!” Jiang Cheng screamed into the stony expressionless face of Wen Qionglin. “If you continue to protect them, then I can’t protect you!!” 

There was no response. 

Suddenly, just as Jiang Cheng was about to kick and fight his way into the cave, Wen Ning thrusted out his right fist, and in his grasp was a piece of purple silk. Jiang Cheng unfolded the silk, vaguely recognizing that it had been cut from someone’s robe, and saw what was wrapped within was a slip of parchment.

割袍断义*, the paper read. Tell the world that I, Wei Wuxian, first disciple of Yunmeng Jiang has forever defected (Note: 割袍断义- to rip one's robe as a sign of repudiating a sworn brotherhood (idiom)).

With this, there was nothing left to say. Hurt and furious, Jiang Wanyin threw the piece of parchment onto the dirt ground, grinded his heel down on it, and left the Burial Mount without ever having drawn Sandu. 

Inside the cave, Wen Qing held Wei Wuxian’s hand. “Why won’t you just tell him? He’s your brother; he can help you, you can —” 

Wei Wuxian’s mile long stare seemed to be gazing at something — someone — very far away. Slowly, she placed her other palm over her belly, which horrifically was already starting to round out. “Nobody can help me now, Qing-jie.”

“I can,” said Wen Qing, blunt as ever. “I can make it go away, if you want.”

“No.” A droplet of tear escaped pass long lashes. “No.” 

[2] 

It continued with Jiang Cheng.

On a snowy night, the first winter after Wei Wuxian escaped with the Wen remnants to the Burial Mount, Jiang Cheng was rudely awakened from his slumber by a less-than-stealthy intruder breaking and entering into his bed chamber.

Zidian whipped through the air, lighting the room with her eerie violet glow, before the intruder could think to take one more step. It was a man, judging from his silhouette colliding against the wall and the pained groan he made in response. The very next second, the tail of Zidian coiled tightly around his neck and dragged him across the floor towards beneath Jiang Cheng’s waiting foot. 

The Sect Master of Yunmeng Jiang summoned Sandu, ready to deliver the final strike, but just as his blade sailed towards the intruder’s chest, a pale arm jutted upwards, blocking Sandu’s descent and revealing a pale hand holding a … a... 

Even in the dark, Jiang Cheng immediately recognized the mahogany comb. 

“Jiang — ! Zongzhu —!” The man croaked out urgently, throat still stomped on by Jiang Cheng’s foot. It was - it was Wen Ning?!

Jiang Cheng looked him over. He was pale, yes, but his eyes appeared human. His hair was brushed and haphazardly done up in a farmer’s top knot. He was wearing farmer’s clothing too, probably more inconspicuous for travel than his Ghost General getup.  

“Jiang-zongzhu! P—please!!”

No, impossible. 

“Wei — Wei-guniang—”

Jiang Cheng lifted his foot and dragged Wen Ning up in a split second. “What’s wrong with Wei Wuxian?!”  Wen Ning coughed and shook his head desperately. “No time to explain. My sister asked me to fetch you. Please, you have to come! Wei-guniang’s life is in danger! If you won’t come, I’ll...I’ll have to go to Gusu, and I don’t know if - if -” 

Jiang Cheng followed Wen Ning. 

For speed, they travelled by sword, but even so, dawn was breaking by the time they arrived. The crowd of Burial Mount’s villagers huddling anxiously outside of the Demon Subduing Palace parted for them upon their arrival. Jiang Cheng took a moment to gather himself and square his shoulders. Whatever it was; he was ready.  

He was wrong. None of the dozens of scenario he had agonized over on the flight here could have prepared him for what awaited him inside. 

Wen Qing, pale and drenched in sweat, was near complete spiritual collapse, and without Wen Qing’s spiritual energy sustaining her, the single tenuous thread by which Wei Wuxian’s life hung on would have undoubtedly snapped under the toil and devastation her body had been put through. 

There was so much blood, so, so much blood everywhere, and amidst the blood, there was a baby. 

Fuck. 

Jiang Cheng transfused his sister half of his total spiritual reserve over the course of a day, while an exhausted but unrelenting Wen Qing worked diligently under blood-soaked sheets. 

Then at dusk, when the storm finally passed, Jiang Cheng sat at the mouth of the cave with a tiny, perfect little human — a girl, a niece! —  in his arms and cursed Lan Wangji’s name. 

Wen Qing was extremely clear with them: 孩子要是留在这里，养不活。

If the newborn was left to be raised at the Burial Mount, she would not live. And so, because parting was inevitable from the start, Wei Wuxian adamantly refused to hold or nurse the child. Her child. 

I can’t. If I do, I won’t be able to let her go. Those dark eyes burned with more than just the delirium of her childbed fever. For once, Jiang Cheng could not find it in himself to argue.

Thus, he took his niece home and named her Jiang Yan 江曕. The name was not his doing. His foolish, misguided, stubborn sister had stroked her daughter’s soft, baby cheek and whispered it to her as a farewell gift. 

Yan - to be bathed in daylight. In the end, when given a choice, Wei Wuxian still opted for her child to walk on broad sunny road. 

It made Jiang Cheng wonder why, then, she would choose the dark twisted path for herself instead. 

[3] 

It ended with Jiang Cheng. 

The truth was simple: Jiang Wanyin killed his shijie Wei Wuxian. He did. He meant to. 

He killed her. But that did not mean he wanted her dead. 

In one day, he had lost both of his sisters, leaving two orphans in their wake. Jiang Cheng could not ignore the cruel irony of their fate: one’s father murdered by his aunt, and other’s mother murdered by her uncle. 

This was the kind of tragedy fairytales were made of, and if there were anything left in him to shed tears over it, he would.  Standing amongst Nevernight’s carnage, he could not dredge up even a single drop of tear.  

Jiang Cheng didn’t know how he could return home to Lotus Pier to face that cherub face, always so happy, so sweet, so utterly untainted by the world. She had her mother’s smile. Yan'er was starting to learn how to speak. Her first words were da-da. 

Da-da. Die-die. Father. 

He was standing beside her father now. 

Lan Wangji. Devastated. Destroyed. …Deceived.

Jiang Cheng hated him so much, so fucking much that for one insane second, he thought about telling Lan Wangji the truth just to see what would happen. Maybe he would run Jiang Cheng through with his Bichen - that would be a relief now, wouldn’t it? - or maybe he would jump after Wei Wuxian. 

Truly, if he knew, he would. Jump, that is. Jiang Cheng was almost entirely sure. Oh the utter melodrama that would inspire indeed!  

But then... 

Wei Ying birthed you a daughter, a lovely, perfect, blessed little girl, and she carried that secret to her grave. I may be damned by my actions, but you, who have done nothing for her and taken everything, why should you deserve something as sacred as the truth?

Jiang Cheng turned away. 

He was acutely aware that one day Jiang Yan may very well be the literal death of him. After all — 杀母之仇不共戴天 — one cannot tolerate living under the same sky as the murderer of one’s mother. 

Be that as it may, he would raise Jiang Yan well, just as he promised. Unlike his sister, he would not break his word. Jiang Yan was of Lotus Pier, of Yunmeng, like her mother and grandfather before her. That for him, was enough. 

Jiang Cheng clutched Sandu and gripped Zidian. Whatever his fate, he already made peace with it, and the rest was inconsequential. 

One day, he may die, but today he lives, and so as long as he lives, Jiang Yan and all of Yunmeng Jiang will be protected . So as long as he lives, they will flourish. 

[...and in between]

On the streets of Yiling, Lan Wangji tilted his head inquisitively at Wei Wuxian and the little boy at her side and asked, “This child, he...” 

In response, Wei Wuxian patted her chest in a self-declarative kind of way and announced, “Oh this child, I birthed him!” 

He stared at her in shell-shocked silence, his mind racing with panicked thoughts of but that’s impossible — that was just once — even if — the boy is too old to be —

“怎么，蓝湛，不要我���娘儿俩了？” What, Lan Zhan, you don’t want the child and I?

“Wei— Wei Ying—” 

Then of course, she had laughed, and Lan Wangji thought no more of it. 

Just a joke. A silly joke. 

In time, he would come to realize his mistake. 

~~~

[A/N]: I’m not even a little bit sorry. 

[rosethornewrites]

Sunday T & G reading

The usual

Finished

Tumblr:

Nevernight!wwx au 1, by @drwcn

Nevernight!wwx au 2, by @drwcn

Teen:

(something ‘bout you) got me stuck and I’m sinkin’, by zelouqin (3 chapters)

“Here to talk.” He says. It’s a full sentence. It’s short, but it’s a start.

“Am I being arrested?” The boy asks in a teasing tone. He has a nice voice. But more importantly, has he done something he could be arrested for? Lan Zhan hopes he hasn’t. It would be hard to date someone who’s in prison.

“I’m not a cop.” His lips form the slightest frown. He isn’t sure if the boy can see the minuscule change in his expression, but kind of hopes he can.

“Ahaha! You took that seriously? You’re a funny one! Come, sit, sit.” It’s a genuine laugh. No one else has ever laughed at something Lan Zhan has said. Or if they have, they did it behind his back. But this is the first time it was in a good way. With his newly gained confidence, he sits down.

“I’m Wei Ying, nice to meet you!”

Lan Zhan finds himself at a party (thanks to his brother) and stumbles into the possible love of his life.

just remain senseless, by emptybuns

Now, Lan Zhan wasn’t just insanely hot anymore, he was lethal. An actual crime roaming among mortals.

Lan Wangji gets a haircut. Wei Wuxian doesn't know how to act.

Lacuna, by Eanna21 (mind the tags)

Lacuna

Noun: a blank space or missing part.

Lan Xichen reflects after the events at the temple.

amongst the living, by sasamelons

In Lotus Pier, the dead walk amongst — and within — the living. Sometimes, from the pavilions and docks, figures can be seen in the distance, their purple and lilac silhouettes appearing and disappearing through the fog like tricks of the light. Like all children of Lotus Pier, Jin Ling was told as a boy to never chase after these shadows, even as the adults watched after them with longing.

General:

Written, never said, by sandorara

”I have a letter to deliver to young lady Luo Qingyang. It has arrived from Gusu today, with the quickest delivery.”

Thirteen years of correspondence, understanding and friendship.

never thought of harming you, by stiltonbasket

“Xiongzhang,” Lan Zhan cries out, from the other side of the room. “Xiongzhang, what—”

Wei Wuxian looks up. It really hadn’t been his blood, after all.

Lan Xichen is standing a few paces away from the temple’s outer doors, his collar spattered with red, and he has Shuoyue held up against his own throat.

“Jin-zongzhu, let Wei Wuxian go,” he says coldly, “or I will die before you.”

Paperman, by Crowgirl

How such a small thing with no features, no toes, no fingers, can convey such an exact feeling is tribute, he thinks, to Wei Ying’s genius with these things.

to maintain., by goodnightfern

Lan Wangji cannot survive in a world without Wei Wuxian.

But this is a lie, and lying is forbidden in Cloud Recesses.

Unfinished

Teen:

Alternative Choices, by StarClearWaters (Readoutloud)

Lan Xichen does not think himself a man who is easily angered. He is not a man that can easily be made to hate, but as he looks at the mutilated body of his baby brother, he can not help but wish more than an eternity of horrible reincarnations for Wei Wuxian, who had used and ignored his brother so cruelly.

The Twin Blades of Yunmeng, by GhostySword & ofmindelans

Then Jiang Cheng brings both blades around, two sword glares flashing, and—oh. Wei Wuxian knows the second sword’s red and silver glare better than any other. His brother is wielding Suibian, the first and last sword that had ever belonged to Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng and the Jin sect took away different treasures after Wei Wuxian's death. When Wei Wuxian comes back from the dead, his brother has some theories, some feelings, and two swords strapped across his back. Now Wei Wuxian must solve a Chenqing-charged mystery while surviving a passive-aggressive custody battle between Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji.

What has long been concealed, by Gaby007

The Burial Mounds change everything falling in their grasp, Wei Wuxian is well-placed to know it. Lan Wangji is rather nonplussed when he learns his beloved's secret yet seizes the opportunity to finally bring the Yiling Patriarch to Gusu and keep him safe.

Now, he just has to keep Wei Ying hidden from the cultivation world, and maybe he will get to learn some secrets of the Lan sect as he does.

General:

The Great Chinese Cook-Off, by aubreyli, cafecliche, etymologyplayground, & mme_anxious

Ten amateur chefs, one coveted title. Who will be the first to win The Great Chinese Cook Off?

[gingersnapwolves]

The Untamed, a brief summary [Part 1/6]

Okay my friends, I have heard your calls. Here’s my play-by-play version of The Untamed.

Note the first: I’m dividing it up into sections because it is, after all, a 50 episode series and I doubt anyone will want to wade through it all in one go.

Note the second: I am going to try to be as unbiased as possible. There are different ways to interpret some of the characters’ actions, especially later in the show when things get morally complex. You can find oceans of meta on this stuff, so I will try not to pick a side when at all possible. 

Note the third: I’m going to keep the tone pretty light and humorous. This show gets *dark* in the middle but y’all are reading a summary and I don’t want it to get too dry or too depressing. Please pardon me if I am flippant from time to time.

Part One: Sword Wizard School

I thought about doing a character guide but decided it would be easier to introduce you to characters as we meet them, because there are a LOT of characters. However, I am going to give you a brief primer on the important families/places.

Actually, let me back up a little further. The Untamed is a xianxia drama, so it’s about people trying to become immortal celestial beings. They fight monsters and do a lot of magic, and they live in clans/sects. A clan is a family. A sect is a cultivation style/school. The terms are often used interchangeably (even I’m guilty) but they are not exactly the same. Members of a clan will belong to that sect, but the sect will also take in outsiders to train, who are sect members but not clan members.

There are five Great Sects:

Province: Yunmeng; sect: Jiang, home: Lotus Pier

Province: Gusu, sect: Lan, home: Cloud Recesses

Province: Lanling, sect: Jin, home: Koi/Carp Tower

Province: Qinghe, sect: Nie, home: The Unclean Realm (this is not to say it is dirty, it’s from Buddhism and might also translate to ‘The Worldly Realm’)

Province: Qishan, sect: Wen, home: Nightless City/Nevernight (depending on translation) 

Here’s a map I made for my fic reference which shows roughly where these provinces are in relation to each other. I may have pretended they were cities in America so I could calculate mileage. Yes I am the world’s biggest nerd, thanks.

H’okay! The show is not in chronological order but I am going in chronological order because the point is to make this simple for you. I’ll admit that I may not get everything 100% correct because it’s been a while since I watched parts of it but I’ll try.

Setting: Caiyi Town, [Gusu]

ENTER A GREMLIN.

Meet Wei Wuxian. He is a 16 year old chaos gremlin with ADHD. He does not look 16 but actors in American dramas pretending to be teenagers also do not look 16 so we’ll let that go. He is with his adopted brother (also 16ish, but younger than Wei Wuxian) Jiang Cheng, and his adopted older sister, Jiang Yanli (probably about 6 years older).

Oh, right. Names. Most characters have two names, a birth name and a ‘courtesy’ name which is a fancy name they get when they’re old enough to get their swords and stuff. They also have titles. For the sake of not driving y’all crazy, I will choose the most commonly used name for the character and stick with it, and then give you a chart at the end so you’ll understand fanfiction.

Wei Wuxian and his siblings are headed to Sword Wizard School in Gusu, hosted by the Lan sect. Wei Wuxian is clearly planning to Be Himself during these lectures, and Jiang Cheng does Not Approve. Jiang Cheng is obviously very serious and concerned with appearances, which makes sense because he is the sect heir. As an adopted son, Wei Wuxian can goof off; Jiang Cheng does not have that luxury. (Wei Wuxian is the son of two of Jiang Cheng’s father’s friends, who died when he was young. More on this later.) Jiang Cheng reminds Wei Wuxian and the other disciples that are with them that they are representing the Jiang sect and they should make a good impression.

They don’t think they can get to Cloud Recesses before dark so they get rooms at an inn.

ENTER A SNOB.

Jin Zixuan is the next fun character you’ll meet. He’s also 16 or thereabouts despite looking 24 at minimum. He is a sect heir to the Lanling Jin and he does not like being near or interacting with strangers. He pays the innkeeper to rent the whole inn and throw any other guests out. Is this a dick move? I’m trying to be unbiased here, so yes. Yes it is.

Wei Wuxian tries to flirt with a couple of Jin Zixuan’s retainers to get them to allow the Yunmeng siblings to stay, but Jin Zixuan decides to be a big jerk about it. Fun fact! Jin Zixuan is betrothed to Jiang Yanli! He is literally throwing his betrothed out of an inn so he doesn’t have to share a building with people. Wei Wuxian gets pissy and picks a fight with him but Jiang Yanli convinces him that he’s not worth it (although she is much nicer about it than any of us would be in her shoes), and they decide to head up to Cloud Recesses despite the time.

But alas! In their haste, they leave their invitation behind.

ENTER AN ICE PRINCE

As the Yunmeng trio try to talk their way past the gate, Lan Wangji arrives. Also 16, he is your classic stoic, repressed gay, and is the younger brother of the Lan Sect leader. With him are a bunch of Lan cultivators and a guy on a stretcher who is clearly in rough shape. The Lan cultivators carry him inside.

Wei Wuxian, pure of heart and dumb of ass, decides that this is a great time to try to talk his way through the gate, figuring that Lan Wangji, being an important person, can let them in. Lan Wangji reacts about how you would expect a stoic repressed gay would to a cute boy flirting with him for the first time: uses a silencing spell on him, tells him he’s absolutely not admitted without their invitation, and locks them out. 

Jiang Cheng, who has spent the last 3 minutes desperately trying to get his brother to shut up before he gets them all in trouble, sends him back to town to find the invitation.

Int. Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

ENTER A SOFT MAN AND HIS EXTREMELY STARCHED UNCLE

Lan Xichen, the head of the Lan sect and Lan Wangji’s older brother, is studying the guy they brought in, with his uncle. Lan Xichen is young for a sect leader (he’s only 19 in the book but probably 24-25ish in the show) and his uncle advises him a lot of the time. The guy they brought is kind of dead but also kind of not. They say a bunch of stuff you won’t understand if you have not seen xianxia dramas before. It’s not really important.

Ext. Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

RE-ENTER THE GREMLIN

Wei Wuxian has come back with the invitation to find the rest of his sect no longer waiting outside and all of Cloud Recesses sealed by wards. “Wards are made to be broken,” he says, demonstrating a clear lack of understanding of their purpose. It’s a good thing he’s here for school.

He breaks in, carrying a couple jars of liquor, only to find Lan Wangji standing guard. Lan Wangji reprimands him for breaking important Lan sect rules like a) not breaking and entering, b) not coming in after dark, and c) bringing alcohol, which is forbidden. Wei Wuxian offers him one of the jars because he is 16 and stupid and for some reason thought a bribe was what this situation needed. Lan Wangji pulls a sword on him, which is definitely a reasonable response and not because he has his first boner and he’s angry about it.

They have a sword fight, basically to a draw. Lan Wangji drags him in to see Lan Xichen, who clearly thinks this is hilarious. Wei Wuxian blames everything on Jin Zixuan and Lan Wangji. He also says intelligent things about the not-a-corpse they’re examining, because the writers wanted us to know that he’s not a whole dumbass. Lan Xichen basically slaps him on the wrist, tells him to behave himself and sends him off to the guest house his siblings were given, and then teases Lan Wangji about Baby’s First Crush.

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

ENTER AN OVER THE TOP VILLAIN AND HIS HENCHMEN

Nightless City isn’t actually nightless. It’s just never dark there because it’s on top of a volcano, because that’s where all the cool villains live.

This is the home of the Qishan Wen, who are Obviously Evil from the Black Outfits, Volcano Lair, and Shuffling Zombies. Their leader is Wen Ruohan. His personality is that he is evil. He’s saying a bunch of stuff you won’t understand yet and then sends his Obnoxious Son Wen Chao off to look for something. He also sends Wen Qing, who is related to him somehow, presumably. She asks if she can bring her brother, Wen Ning, and Wen Ruohan says sure because all he cares about is Being Evil in his Zombie Volcano Lair.

Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

ENTER A SLACKER and his friend, EVERY RETAIL EMPLOYEE DEALING WITH A KAREN YOU’VE EVER MET. 

They’re all at the first lecture, and there’s a ceremony where each visiting sect presents a gift to Lan Qiren (the uncle/teacher). I think we might see what the Jin give him but I don’t care. Right now we’re talking about Nie Huaisang, the younger brother of the sect leader of the Nie sect. He is baby. He has brought a bird to class for no reason other than that he caught it and thinks it’s cool. Presenting to the dour and stern Lan Qiren makes him nervous.

With him is Meng Yao. Unlike everyone else you’ve met so far, Meng Yao is not a member of the gentry. He is the son of the Jin sect leader and a prostitute. (Yes, this makes him Jin ‘I can’t breathe the same air as commoners’ Zixuan’s younger brother.) When he was old enough to do Sword Magic he went to the Jin sect and asked for admittance, and his father had him thrown down a set of 200 steps because his father is an Enormous Douche. (That’s not biased. Hating this dude is one of the few things everyone agrees on.) Then he went to the Nie sect, and they said, “Sure, you can come in, but you’re not really a disciple, mmkay?” and he said sure. But he has worked his way up to being the assistant to the sect leader which is a pretty important position for someone with his background. 

Naturally, because Meng Yao is Not Like the Others, a few people take this opportunity to gossip and talk smack about him. Meng Yao is upset but tries not to look it. Lan Xichen takes a moment to reassure him, saying that the Nie sect leader had written to him about what a helpful and awesome assistant he had now, and that Meng Yao obviously lived up to it. Meng Yao immediately develops the world’s Most Obvious Crush Don’t @ Me You Would Too.

ENTER MR. OBNOXIOUS, AN IRON MAIDEN, and A PUPPY. Fortunately these are the last characters you’ll meet for a while.

The Wen sect shows up at the gates of Cloud Recesses like ‘what up, I got a big attitude and fuck you’. The gate dude tells them they can’t come in without an invitation, and Wen Chao attacks him because he was raised in a volcano and they go in anyway. With Wen Chao are Wen Qing and her brother, Wen Ning. They are actually pretty awesome, you just don’t know it yet.

Wen Chao busts in on the Saluting Ceremony just as Jiang Cheng is trying to present their gift, and immediately begins insulting everyone there. You should count yourself fortunate that you’re only reading this because Wen Chao is literally the most obnoxious character in this show. Anyway, Wei Wuxian decides to pick a fight with him even though this is *obviously* a stupid thing to do. (I love Wei Wuxian with my whole heart but he is so stupid at 16 lmao.) He calls Wen Chao out on interrupting Jiang Cheng. Wen Chao reacts completely rationally and calmly BAHAHA who am I kidding, he pulls his sword out. Everyone else pulls their swords out. Wen Qing looks like she has the world’s worst migraine.

Lan Xichen takes out his flute and plays eight seconds of music that makes everyone’s swords go flying into the ceiling. Had I mentioned how awesome Lan Xichen is? Because he is Awesome.

Wen Chao gets even more pissy but Wen Qing shuts him down, saying she and her brother are there for Sword Wizard School and she’s sorry her cousin is such an asshole. Lan Xichen tells them to ‘try to come on time’ tomorrow. Had I mentioned how awesome Lan Xichen is? It bears repeating.

Ext, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Wei Wuxian is making fast friends with Nie Huaisang. They decide to go fishing in one of the streams. He sees Wen Qing sneaking around and asks what she’s doing there. She blows him off.

Meng Yao stops Lan Xichen and says goodbye to him. Lan Xichen asks why he’s leaving so soon, and Meng Yao says that he can’t actually stay for the lectures, since he’s only an assistant to the Nie sect, not a disciple. Lan Xichen tells him that Nie Mingjue (the head of the Nie sect) is just and honorable and will surely reward him for working so hard. They make heart eyes at each other for like a solid thirty seconds before Meng Yao manages to leave.  I’m sorry, I’m trying to be unbiased. They gaze at each other longingly – no, shit, that’s still biased. They, uh, regard each other with mutual respect for thirty solid seconds and then Meng Yao leaves.

Meanwhile Jiang Cheng is Fretting about the fact that Wei Wuxian is Making a Bad Impression. He ain’t seen nothing yet. Jiang Yanli calms him down.

Wen Qing talks to her brother Wen Ning and is sad because he’s sick. She promises him that someday they’ll be able to leave Nightless City.

Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Lan Qiren is lecturing. Wei Wuxian proposes some casual heresy. Lan Qiren gets mad and tells him to copy the Chapter of Conduct a thousand times, and throws him out of class. Jiang Cheng tries to crawl under his desk.

Instead of going to copy lines, Wei Wuxian wanders off and meets A PUPPY, ie Wen Ning. He is practicing his archery. Wei Wuxian proceeds to help him with his stance and Wen Ning looks like he just discovered his bisexuality. Wen Qing sees them together and is clearly not thrilled. Wei Wuxian asks her why she’s always wandering around the back hills of Cloud Recesses and asks if she’s looking for something. She tells him not to be stupid and leaves with her brother.

Lan Wangji drags Wei Wuxian back to the library for his punishment. Wei Wuxian proceeds to spend the next few hours doing Everything That Is Not That, which culminates in him exchanging Lan Wangji’s book for some porn when he’s not looking. Lan Wangji tears the porn up and tells him to piss off.

~romance~

Jiang Cheng: I hope you’re proud of yourself.

Wei Wuxian: I absolutely am.

They go back to their guest house. Wen Qing is there. She’s a doctor! Told you she was awesome. Jiang Yanli wasn’t feeling well and Wen Qing gave her some medicine. They talk about the fact that there aren’t lectures for a few days because Lan Qiren is off doing Official Stuff.

But there’s still fun to be had! There’s a water demon attacking people in the nearby town. Lan Xichen is worried that it’s serious and he’s going to go himself. Lan Wangji goes with him. Wei Wuxian asks if he and Jiang Cheng can go ‘get some practice’ as they fight lots of water demons in Yunmeng. Lan Xichen, remembering his brother’s obvious crush, says sure. Wen Ning wants to go too. So does Wen Qing. Lan Xichen suddenly feels like a chaperone on a field trip but says fine because he’s the cool older brother.

Wei Wuxian takes the opportunity to ask questions about the not-a-corpse from earlier. Lan Xichen politely tells him that’s it handled and not to worry about it. Wei Wuxian thinks there’s something he’s not telling him, and he mentions that to Lan Wangji, who agrees but won’t say so. Wei Wuxian can tell anyway because he’s learning to read Lan Wangji’s microexpressions.

They fight a water demon. Jiang Cheng gets injured and Wen Qing patches him up. He looks at her with puppy eyes. Some dumbass loses his sword in the water. Wen Ning tries to help him despite being uniquely unqualified to do so, and passes out. Wei Wuxian tries to rescue both of them, and Lan Wangji ends up rescuing all three of them despite clearly wanting to let the water demon eat them. Jiang Cheng buys a comb to give to Wen Qing but chickens out and doesn’t give it to her. Wei Wuxian deduces that Wen Ning’s illness is because of a previous bad experience with ghostly spirits or something, and gives Wen Qing a talisman to give to her brother that will help protect him from monsters. He says that no matter what she’s looking for at Cloud Recesses, he hopes the talisman will help Wen Ning.

Then he tries to buy Lan Wangji some fruit as a gift. Lan Wangji refuses to look at him. Lan Xichen starts mentally writing wedding invitations.

Ext. Nightless City [Qishan]

ENTER AN EDGELORD (sorry I forgot about him, in fact I think this happened earlier but the timing isn’t really important)

Meet Xue Yang. You have no idea who he is. Wen Ruohan is demanding he hand over something called yin iron. Xue Yang’s response to this is basically ‘choke me harder, Daddy’ and you’re left feeling vaguely disturbed.

Int. Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

It’s party time! Wei Wuxian smuggled some liquor back with him. He, Jiang Cheng, and Nie Huaisang get drunk. They give Jiang Cheng a hard time about his high standards for women.

Lan Wangji comes in like the hall monitor you hated in high school to break it up. Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang run away. Wei Wuxian uses a talisman on Lan Wangji to keep him from reporting them and make him take a drink of the alcohol. We all remind ourselves very firmly that he is only 16 and will do stupid shit, despite wanting to slap him. Lan Wangji has never had alcohol before and one drink makes him blackout drunk. Wei Wuxian has to babysit him for the rest of the night. Serves him right.

The next day, they’re all in trouble, even Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian tries to tell Lan Qiren that it’s not Lan Wangji’s fault, but Lan Wangji accepts his punishment anyway. They get hit with a stick a bunch of times.

Lan Wangji goes to recuperate in the cold springs. Lan Xichen, the world’s biggest troll, sends Wei Wuxian to do the same. Lan Wangji nearly has an aneurysm when Wei Wuxian tries to start taking his clothes off.

ENTER THE PLOT

They get pulled underwater and end up in a cave. It’s a magic cave where only members of the Lan clan are allowed to be. To keep the cave from killing him, Lan Wangji wraps his Magic Forehead Ribbon around Wei Wuxian’s wrist. This is the same magic forehead ribbon he told Wei Wuxian ten episode minutes ago that only parents, spouses, and children are allowed to touch. Draw what conclusions you will.

There’s a ghostly lady in the cave who is Lan Wangji’s ancestor. She tells them Evil Is Abroad. A long time ago a dude named Xue Chonghai took a bunch of pieces of metal and filled them full of evil energy. Everyone banded together and killed him, but the metal couldn’t be completely destroyed, so it was split into ‘the cardinal directions’ and then sealed and hidden. Ah ha! This is what Wen Ruohan is looking for! It’s called Evil MacGuffin yin iron.

Wei Wuxian says if it’s so powerful, why don’t they use it to fight back? Ghost lady says she tried that but it’s too evil and it doesn’t work. She gives them the piece that was sealed in the cave and tells them to go fight evil together. Lan Wangji is glad it’s too cold to have a boner.

Except then she throws them out of the cave and onto dry land and Wei Wuxian lands on top of him and he definitely gets one from that. Sorry, Lan Wangji, I don’t make the rules.

They’ve been missing for two days and everyone is really upset, especially Jiang Cheng, who thinks Wei Wuxian was just goofing off.

Lan Xichen takes the piece of yin iron they got in the cave and seals it in a pouch. They discuss the fact that Wen Ruohan is clearly collecting the pieces of yin iron and this is Bad News Bears. The yin iron will respond to other pieces of yin iron so they decide they should use the piece they have to locate the other pieces.

But first, classes are over! Despite the fact that each of these events has led seamlessly into the next and it seems like they’ve been there a week, they’ve actually been there six months. If you dealt with the Teen Wolf ‘timeline’ I assume you can deal with that lmao.

There’s a lantern-lighting ceremony to celebrate. Wei Wuxian paints a rabbit on his lantern because there were a bunch of rabbits in the cave and Lan Wangji clearly likes rabbits. This makes Lan Wangji smile for the first time. They all light their lanterns and make a wish.

Wei Wuxian wishes he can stand with justice and live without regrets. Lan Wangji looks at him like he’s about to propose. Wen Qing wishes she could protect her little brother and that he’ll always be safe. Jiang Cheng looks at her like he’s about to propose. Nie Huaisang wishes he can pass his classes and get the hell out of high school. Truly, the most relatable.

But the moment is ruined because people start teasing Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli, asking why they didn’t light a lantern together and wish for a happy marriage. Jin Zixuan, the paragon of reacting reasonably to things, storms off. He tells his sect members he doesn’t want to hear about the marriage and they should stop bringing it up. Wei Wuxian overhears and they get into a fight. Jiang Yanli manages to get Wei Wuxian to back off.

The next day, Wei Wuxian is being punished for punching a jerk in the face. He is kneeling on the rocks of the courtyard. But he’s already gotten distracted because there’s an anthill and he has ADHD. Lan Wangji calls him ‘unteachable’ and stomps off, clearly mad at his boner like usual.

Because this is kind of important, the two sect leaders have showed up to hash it out. Jiang Yanli’s dad says ‘listen, if your son doesn’t want to marry my daughter, we shouldn’t force him’. Jin Zixuan’s dad says, ‘kids are stupid and they don’t know what they want’. Jiang Yanli’s dad says, ‘well I absolutely agree your son is stupid but he’s being a jerk to my daughter so why don’t we politely call this off before something happens that makes one of us impolitely call it off’, and Jin Zixuan’s dad agrees. Jiang Yanli is upset, although why she actually wanted to marry Jin Zixuan is beyond everyone involved, including the audience. Then again it can’t be easy to hear that some dude who has barely even met you has decided you’re not good enough for him.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian sees Lan Xichen telling Lan Wangji ‘be careful’ and correctly deduces that Lan Wangji is leaving with the yin iron to try to find the other pieces, while Lan Xichen stays behind to protect Cloud Recesses since the Wen sect thinks it’s still there. He leaves a note that says ‘gone monster hunting, meet you back at home!’ Jiang Cheng nearly has an aneurysm, especially when his dad is like ‘lmao that kid is such a dumbass’.

~end Sword Wizard School~

okay, guys, what did you think? was this helpful? could you follow it? was it at least vaguely entertaining? should I keep going?

[treemaidengeek]

Nevernight part 6: Zhuliyao Party Time

Previous installments: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

CW: this work implies that Meng Yao has a history of sexual trauma, though there’s nothing specific.

.............................................................................

There was something wrong with Wen Zhuliu. Not that he seemed to Meng Yao to be the sort of man to boast and drink and embroider tales after a military victory. But… it was more than his habitual somber mood. His movements were subtly off--more deliberate, perhaps, or less fluid than usual. There was slight tension in the line of his jaw and the set of his shoulders. Meng Yao smiled at his feasting companions and nodded along and worked his careful diplomacies, but he kept finding his eyes drawn to the pillar of shadow whenever he was unobserved. Wen Zhuliu’s lips tightened and his eyes closed to mere slits during the endless toasts celebrating the conquest of the Jiangs. Was he feeling guilt or shame, then? Perhaps in part, but there was something more there. Anger? Preoccupation with some secret matter or unfinished business?

Then late in the evening, Wen Rouhan called for a display of arms from the heroes of the evening. Wen Zhuliu’s answering bow was stiff. He moved through his forms with the deadly elegance of a panther hunting amidst housecats. And when they were finished, and all eyes had returned elsewhere… as he lowered himself back to his seat, his shoulders twitched in what was not quite a flinch. The ghost of a grimace flickered across his face.

Pain. The man was injured.

Meng Yao worked his way around the room. He was, he knew, skillful at being pleasantly unremarkable and unobtrusive when he wished to be. He had the brothel-women to thank for that, as much as any other influence in his life. Several individuals who ordinarily would have waylaid him barely noticed his passing.

He bowed at the table of Wen Zhuliu and the other retainers of status. “An impressive performance.”

The man nodded once in acknowledgement. The two swordsmen who flanked him grinned and lifted their drinks.

Meng Yao continued, “This one is no great warrior like yourselves, but I do study history and theory. I was hoping I might have the honor of a moment of Core-Melting Hand’s time to satisfy my curiosity about the fusion of techniques of different classical schools employed in his footwork, and how it relates to his unorthodox qi cultivation practices.”

The others at the table visibly lost interest before Meng Yao was even halfway through his request. Men like them were so predictable.

Wen Zhuliu studied him for a moment, deep eyes unreadable. Finally he stood and began to walk away without a word.

Meng Yao blinked. So… no, then?

But the man stopped and half-turned after three paces. “Are you coming or not?”

.....................................................................

Wen Zhuliu led them through a serving-corridor to an open courtyard. Some of the tension left his shoulders as they emerged out under the stars.

“How was your journey to Yunmeng?” Meng Yao started.

Wen Zhuliu stared at him--through him, really--with flat fatigue. “What do you want?”

Meng Yao swallowed. That was fair. This man was not someone to be misdirected by careful webs of courtesies, and he was doing himself no favors in the man’s eyes by attempting to approach him that way. Instead he said simply, “You’re hurt.”

Something about that seemed to surprise Wen Zhuliu. (The fact that Meng Yao had noticed, or the fact that he'd spoken of it? He had no idea.) Those dark eyes slid away to stare into the middle distance. His shoulders tensed again. He made a “hm” of assent in his throat.

“You are a powerful cultivator and possessed of some skill with medicine. It’s been at least a few days since the battle. And yet…” Meng Yao trailed off, uncertain how to finish.

“I’ll heal,” Wen Zhuliu said gruffly.

“I’m no trained medic, but I’ve tended wounds before,” he replied quietly. “If you want help.”

A long and near-tangible silence stretched between them, a wire pulled taut almost to the point of slicing skin.

“I’ll heal,” Wen Zhuliu repeated, and started to turn away.

Meng Yao saw it, then: the fine tracing of burns climbing the side of his neck from beneath his robes. The flesh darkened along a network of raised lines that almost resembled…

Oh.

“I’ve heard of Zidian’s power,” he said. “I’ve heard that most who endure its lash are unable even to stand for days.”

Wen Zhuliu stopped moving. He drew a slow breath, and when he released it his shoulders sagged. “Madame Yu was a formidable opponent. She died honorably.” After a moment he added, a touch bitterly, “What happened after her death doesn’t diminish that.”

Meng Yao was almost afraid to speak. Men like Wen Zhuliu did not show weakness readily, and there were so many layers to this pain.

Imagine how much information about Core-Melting Hand’s weak points was worth to the rebel clans.

He felt abruptly queasy. Yes, that was why he was here. In general anyway. But…

But in this moment, a decent man was hurting.

“You tended my back once from much lesser injuries. Please, consider my offer.” He hesitated before adding, “You will be of better service to your masters if you heal more swiftly, will you not?”

Wen Zhuliu laughed. It was a soft sound, dry and pained. But when he turned to face Meng Yao, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “You are…” He lifted a hand slightly, let it fall again to his side. “Fine. They've already had what they require of me tonight. Come.”

[sssrha]

WangXian wouldn’t have been very functional pre-Wei Wuxian’s resurrection

So I was talking to @litescheme on Twitter and I decided to pour my heart out about how I hated the general fandom consensus that Wei Wuxian going to Gusu when Lan Wangji asked him to would have solved all of his problems, primarily because the idea of just straight up going to Gusu is incredibly flawed. Lo and behold, they agreed wholeheartedly. We had a great discussion and now I’m here to relay the discussion onto Tumblr in essay form uwu.

(By the way, this is based mostly on CQL with a good bit of novel added in, as well as a few hints of the donghua.)

Part One: “Come back to Gusu!” is a great romantic notion but a terrible plan of action.

First of all, one must ask the question: what on Earth was Lan Wangji’s game plan with the whole “Come back to Gusu!” thing? I think we can all agree that most of the Lan Sect hated Wei Wuxian - by the end, at least. Lan Xichen certainly had less than charitable feelings toward him. With such a hostile environment, the only way I can see Wei Wuxian surviving within the Sect is while being forced into a Madam Lan-type situation. I find that prospect more reminiscent of a horror movie than a heartwarming fic about healing.

Luckily for us, we can safely say that canon Lan Wangji would not have done that! Due to certain childhood trauma, Lan Wangji definitely would not have forced Wei Wuxian to do anything, go anywhere, or stay anywhere that he didn’t want to. That isn’t even touching on how much Lan Wangji genuinely wanted Wei Wuxian to be happy, and forcing Wei Wuxian to do anything had generally been proven to not make him happy. Good on him!

The next point: why would Wei Wuxian have gone to Gusu in the first place? Even while ignoring WangXian’s rampant misunderstandings, Wei Wuxian always actively had a reason to not go to Gusu. During the Sunshot Campaign, he was a major player and commanded a huge amount of power that probably aided the Sects greatly. During his stay in the Burial Mounds, he had a community of war prisoners to protect. How could he go to Gusu?

I’ve seen fics where Lan Wangji ensured the safety of the Wen Remnants, and while I absolutely adore the trope, I really don’t see that happening with canon Lan Wangji. First, I don’t think he’d grown as a person enough to fully rebel against his Sect until Wei Wuxian was in immediate danger, and second, I straight up don’t think that he had the sway to. Pulling that kind of stunt implies a good deal of political power within the Sect...and also implies that Lan Wangji would have had enough power to escape a punishment which he clearly never thought he deserved. However, I could be wrong on this point! Politics has never been my forte. 

Also, I don’t think anyone can bank on the Lan Sect accepting the Wen Remnants. After all, the Lan Sect participated in the First Siege of the Burial Mounds and thus, presumably, also the slaughter of the Wen Remnants.

Upon further reflection, I figured that the only time Wei Wuxian might have actually gone to Gusu was that brief period of time after the Sunshot Campaign and before he met Wen Qing. However, for him to agree, I figured that three things had to happen:

Wei Wuxian had to understand that Lan Wangji wanted to help him, not hurt him.

Wei Wuxian had to come to the (false!) conclusion that Jiang Cheng no longer needed his help or support at Lotus Pier.

Wei Wuxian had to accept that he was worth saving in the first place.

(The concept came pre-set with some delicious Yunmeng Bros angst because Jiang Cheng would almost certainly take Wei Wuxian (permanently) going to Gusu the same way he took Wei Wuxian taking the Wen Remnants to the Burial Mounds: a betrayal, a promise broken. Emotionally, of course. There definitely wouldn’t have been political pressure closing in from all sides the way there was in canon.)

I was going to expand on that concept, but then I hit a bit of a hurdle: I genuinely did not, and still do not, see any reason for Wei Wuxian to actually go to Gusu. At that point, Wei Wuxian was doing everything he felt he needed to: he protected Jiang Cheng because Madam Yu told him to (and because he genuinely cared for him, but Madam Yu’s command was his driving force) and he only left Jiang Cheng when Wen Qing - someone he perceived himself owing a greater debt to due to the golden core removal - came along. When looking at it from that regard, I don’t think Wei Wuxian would ever see a reason to go to Gusu.

So, even after clearing up the miscommunication, Lan Wangji would have to present a good reason for Wei Wuxian to listen to him. 

I don’t think Lan Wangji going up to Wei Wuxian and saying, “Please come back to Gusu, I want to protect you,” would have worked. Considering how prideful Wei Wuxian was back then - with a good bit of it justified when you consider the fact that he killed a large amount of people in a single night during the Pledge Conference (though the exact number is never actually confirmed as far as I remember) - I don’t see Wei Wuxian taking the implication that he needs protection very well. No matter how many good intentions Lan Wangji had, he would have ended up offending Wei Wuxian at that point.

Another route Lan Wangji could have taken: “Please come back to Gusu, I want to play Cleansing for you.” Again, I don’t think this would have worked. (At least, that was definitely his stance in CQL and Wei Wuxian still didn’t do anything.) In Chapter 78, Wei Wuxian mentioned that the Sound of Lucidity had no effect on him. The Sound of Lucidity is, presumably, one of the Song(s) of Clarity, of which Cleansing is the most powerful. Lan Wangji used the Sound of Lucidity at the Pledge Conference after the battle had started. I don’t exactly know why he didn’t use Cleansing when it was more powerful... Either way, after he played the Sound of Lucidity, Wei Wuxian said, “You should’ve known since long ago—Sound of Lucidity is useless to me!” Thus, Lan Wangji asking him to go to Gusu so he could play Cleansing probably wouldn’t have seemed like an especially compelling reason to Wei Wuxian.

After some thought, I figured that post-resurrection, Wei Wuxian agreed to stay with Lan Wangji in the Cloud Recesses after the mystery was solved because:

He was not as prideful as pre-death Wei Wuxian.

He saw no reason to go back to Lotus Pier since Jiang Cheng made it very clear that he was unhappy with him.

He managed to process and confess his feeling to Lan Wangji, who did the same.

Pre-death Wei Wuxian has none of this. Basically, Wei Wuxian at that point had no reason to go to Gusu for anything other than a short visit.

Now, I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but this entire time I’ve been ignoring not only the reality that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s relationship pre-death was...very bad, but also something else very important: the Stygian Tiger Seal. 

The Stygian Tiger Seal was, of course, stupidly powerful, and Wei Wuxian only kept it because it would take too much time and energy to destroy, and it was meant to deter anyone from attacking him since he already knew that so many people were against him. One of his main fears was someone else - someone with impure motives - getting their hands on it, so of course he was paranoid wondering who would try to steal it from him. Lan Wangji asking him to go to a place where Wei Wuxian would be surrounded by people who hated his form of cultivation? Yeah, that didn’t sound that great. 

(Also, can we please take a moment to appreciate this excerpt from the novel: “The Stygian Tiger Seal’s powers were considerably greater than what he had imagined. He originally wanted to use it to assist him, but its powers were almost exceeding him, its creator” (Chapter 30). Almost. He said the Seal was not as powerful as him! The Stygian Tiger Seal was, indeed, strong, but he was more so! I see a lot of fanfics paint the Stygian Tiger Seal as what made him so terrifying and...it was certainly a part of it, but he did most of it on his own! Ah, we love terrifying main characters~)

Now, I’ve acknowledged the existence of WangXian’s miscommunication, but I’ve never actually addressed it. So, here it is: I do not think Lan Wangji confessing to Wei Wuxian (even before his stint in the Burial Mounds after the Bloodbath at Nevernight) would have gone well. In Chapter 2, there is this excerpt: “Wei WuXian’s eyebrows twitched. Not only a lunatic, a homosexual lunatic as well.” This requires a bit of interpretation because it’s not exactly clear what Wei Wuxian’s eyebrow twitch means, but I’ve always interpreted it as annoyance - or even disgust - at the addition of “homosexual” to Mo Xuanyu’s profile. I’m not saying that Wei Wuxian was necessarily homophobic before the entire events of the novel, but I sincerely don’t think Wei Wuxian would have appreciated Lan Wangji - or any other man, for that matter - confessing to him. If even (immediate) post-resurrection Wei Wuxian had that attitude, I can imagine what would have gone through pre-death Wei Wuxian’s head. 

So, Sunshot Campaign, post-Sunshot Campaign, and Yiling Patriarch Wei Wuxian would all definitely not go back to Gusu, nor would they appreciate a confession from Lan Wangji. That leaves the question: what about pre-Sunshot Campaign Wei Wuxian?

Part Two: Why I really don’t think WangXian would have worked out pre-Sunshot Campaign.

From here on out, “Wei Ying, come back to Gusu!” is no longer relevant because, well, Lan Wangji never said it before the meeting in the supervisory office. (And I think I’ve made my point regarding that as well as I could.)

Starting with Cloud Recesses-era Wei Wuxian...I think that, out of all the different versions of Wei Wuxian, he would have been the one of the two most-likely to get together with Lan Wangji (pre-resurrection, of course). Even then, I don’t see that high a likelihood of that actually happening. Why? Repression! Fuck both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were so deeply repressed at that point! Lan Wangji was obviously more aware of his feelings, and Wei Wuxian...I don’t know, I haven’t read the novel far enough to actually have this be a legitimate interpretation, but looking at CQL, I don’t really think Wei Wuxian was in love with Lan Wangji at that point (but I don’t have much evidence to back that up other than my a-spec radar...).

And even if they did somehow manage to overcome their repression - and actually both had feelings for each other in the first place - they were still teenagers! Fifteen at the beginning, I’m pretty sure, and fifteen-year-olds are decidedly bad at maintaining any sort of relationship. That doesn’t even touch on the fact that WangXian was probably legitimately incompatible at that point. Lan Wangji still lived and breathed the rules and Wei Wuxian didn’t give a fuck about them. To maintain any sort of long-term relationship, they’d have to simultaneously undergo a whole novel of character development...which is doable! But! I don’t exactly see it as plausible.

Then, of course, Wei Wuxian got kicked out of the Cloud Recesses and WangXian didn’t see each other until two years later, at the Discussion Conference in Qishan. I don’t really see long-distance relationships working out very well in ancient China, so I can’t imagine them properly maintaining their relationship throughout that. And, of course, Lan Wangji’s rage after Wei Wuxian pulls his forehead ribbon was also due to his repression. Considering how short the Discussion Conference seemed to be, I don’t think there was much room for a relationship to develop. 

At the Indoctrination Camp, Lan Wangji had a whole swarm of things to worry about other than his (frankly painful) pining for Wei Wuxian so, again, I don’t see a romantic relationship developing at that point in time. 

A time-frame that I think can be uniquely isolated as a very possible place to develop their relationship would be while they were trapped in the cave with the Tortoise of Slaughter. Mostly before they killed the beast, though, since afterward, Wei Wuxian had too much of a fever for any romantic shenaniganry. My reasoning is that the cave was the first time since Wei Wuxian’s punishment in the Cloud Recesses that the two of them were forced to spend a long stretch of time together, and thus could potentially open up to each other. I remember in the anime that Lan Wangji sheds a few tears as he mentions that the Cloud Recesses had burned, that his brother was missing, and that his father was...dead? Severely injured? One of those two. He was back in business-mode pretty soon afterward, but if Lan Wangji could have been persuaded to open up a bit more by an persistent and concerned Wei Wuxian, I can see a slow confession being teased out of him - there was certainly enough time!

Then again, them getting together would only happen if Wei Wuxian were both comfortable with the idea of gay men and willing to accept that he was, in fact, attracted to Lan Wangji, and if Lan Wangji were willing to let go of the rules enough to be comfortable with Wei Wuxian’s naturally rebellious nature.

After that, WangXian doesn’t meet again until the supervisory office, and I’ve already talked about all of that.

In conclusion, “Come back to Gusu!” was sweet but misguided and WangXian wouldn’t have effectively happened pre-resurrection.

Now, what does that mean for you? ...Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. This doesn’t mean I’m forsaking all fics where WangXian gets together pre-resurrection (in fact, I absolutely love them!) and I’m definitely not trying to say that my interpretation is the only right one. I’m not trying to police what everyone thinks and decree that all fics where Wei Wuxian is open about liking men are wrong or any crap like that. Those fics are great and I love them! These are my (and @litescheme’s) thoughts on the matter that I (we) wanted to spill out into the greater world! You can agree, you can disagree, you can ignore me (us) entirely! But if you read through this meta, then I’m assuming that you found the concept interesting. That is all I was going for!

(Well, that and trying to thoroughly debunk the notion that Yiling Patriarch Wei Wuxian getting shoved into seclusion in the Jingshi by an apologetic Lan Wangji would be in any way “healing” or even “good” for Wei Wuxian, because honestly? Fuck that.)

Ahh, thanks for reading!

[hellofavillain]

Fic rec

I decided to create a list with some fics I enjoyed in this fandom, thank you to all the amazing fanfic writers blessing us with your stories ♥

This House of Ill Repute by Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle):

“They are not rogue cultivators. Wei Wuxian is pretty clear about that. A few weeks after Lan Zhan joined him on the road, Wei Wuxian is still getting used to the new, unnamed normal when they get caught in a rainstorm and have to make an unplanned overnight stop.“

Even A Shallow Heart Can Still Beat by JemTheKingOfSass:

“Jiang Cheng is the baby of the Jiang family. They are far from the perfect family, be he has always had the security of parents and older siblings surrounding him, filling his life with noise and love and protection. One by one, their flames are extinguished, and Jiang Cheng suddenly realizes he is all alone with no one left to remind him of home.”

wraps around my heart, wraps around your head by Kika988:

“Lan Wangji's head spins; he knows Lan Xichen had likely relayed this information to him in the past, but he'd been too fevered and out of his mind with pain to process it. A-Yuan is his son. Wei Ying's son is his son.

Lan Wangji made exceptions to his personal rules for Wei Wuxian, and that caused him nothing but pain. Now someone else - someone small who smiles with the same brightness Wei Wuxian once did - is slipping under his guard.”

A Dragon Lies in Wait by Ulan:

"This could be harder, I can tell," Wei Ying says across the field, "if Hanguang-jun was not busy ogling his opponent."

"I was not ogling," Lan Wangji immediately denies, but the tips of his ears feel hot anyway.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji spar for the first time in years.

To give the world to you by pomidor:

“All Lans knew that Hanguang Jun would only consider an offer of marriage from someone who was able to win a duel with him. Of course, he just had to choose one condition Wei Wuxian was unable to fulfil.

Meanwhile, Lan Wangji travels to Yunmeng to request help from an unlikely ally.

That something was impossible, never stopped either of them before.”

16 Years by KucatsHouse:

“Four moments of grief and one moment of hope in Lan Wangji's life during the 16 years following Wei Wuxian's fall at Nevernight.”

the symmetry of scars by ennta:

“A silence hangs between them, filled with the past and the present--their silences always are, laced with the comfort and catharsis of finding themselves together again. But there is something new in this silence: the unspoken question of the future, winding about them like fog.

or

Killing is as easy as dying; neither are as difficult as unraveling the mysteries of intimacy.”

you're moving away again - i'm back here, again by iamjustakiddo, VishCount: a series with 5 parts set after the ending - it’s amazing! ♥

medium blues by dark_and_terrible: WIP, modern AU with Paranormal Investigators, I like the world-building a lot 👀

a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke: 

“When the entire cultivation world turns against Wei WuXian, Jiang Cheng comes up with a plan to save him and arranges a marriage between his brother and the Second Jade of Lan, Lan WangJi.“

[trans-axian-archive]

If The Untamed had gotten one (1) wangxian kiss scene, where you put it? (ignoring like any other canon of course) Personally, I say either like during that snowy scene in LWJ's mom's house OR Lan Wanji just kissing Wei Wuxian at Carp Tower when Wei Wuxian had just been rediscovered as alive. You know, to shove it in Jin Mengyao's face.

UGH okay I have a few ideas!! those are both v good options esp since I think Something definitely happened after that snowy scene (there's actually a fic that I really like that explores that concept right here).. other good placements include:

- in the last ep when they're going their separate ways on the cliff. like very comfortable and tender and familiar, implying that this is not their first kiss or a love confession - they are going to be apart for a little while and they love each other and this is just what they do. just a soft sweet little press of the lips like "I'll see you when I get back, take care, I love you" not meant to be like a big heavy monumental moment just... they love each other and they know and have acknowledged this so they're giving each other a kiss

- the boat scene!! maybe just after wei wuxian wakes up and he's lying in lan wangjis lap n they're just like. gazing at each other lovingly... maybe after lan wangji picks the lotus pod for wei wuxian. the only issue w this option is that this scene is just so like,, tender and intimate that I imagine it being a little more passionate than just a lil peck on the lips and wen ning is like Right there 1) he's already third wheeling so hard in that scene I don't want to put the poor man through any more that he already has to, and 2) wangxian would definitely be shameless and physically affectionate around people but I don't think that (at least in cql canon) they'd just like. Make Out in front of people esp their friends/family? n there are some.. uncomfortable implications that go along with that anyway

- if we'd like to get Sad with it then the scene when they're parting after lan wangji visits wei wuxian in yiling (there is literally a child right there so it wouldn't be anything particularly Intense). it both makes their fight at nevernight all the more tragic and makes the years wei wuxian was dead more devastating for lan wangji because he would Know with confirmation that wei wuxian loved him back in the same way but... they missed their chance and it would probably make lan wangji feel even more like he'd failed wei wuxian. it also makes the implication of that scene and wei wuxian telling a yuan that lan wangji probably isn't coming back because "everyone has their own path to walk" feel more tragic and finite. by having them kiss right before they go their separate ways it's like wei wuxian is saying goodbye for good, like, "I wanted to do this, to say this one thing, while we still have the chance to. goodbye, I love you" its a goodbye kiss not in the sense of "I will see you again" but a goodbye kiss in the sense of "I will never see you again" like kissing somebody right before you die as they hold you in their arms

- in yi city Right after they say goodbye to song lan n they stare after him and look at each other like we are so fortunate that we got to find each other again... they both sorta just realize at the same time that they cannot waste this second chance that they have, unbelievably, been given. it's a sacred thing and it would be disservice to not do all of the things they want to do and say all of the things they want to say. I think this option has the best opportunity for a pre kiss conversation... maybe this is the moment they outright say "I love you" and like.. I'm glad I get to be with you again. this is also probably the scenario with the most intense kiss potential (aside from koi tower but we'll get to that in a moment) because they are yknow,, completely alone and can kiss each other soundly against a pole or something

- like I said I think the koi tower concept is definitely the most Intense kiss option. firstly because if they're saying fuck you to jin guangyao and everyone else, might as well make it a Big fuck you like... they're gonna make it count yknow. a sweet lil press of the lips doesn't quite carry the same weight as them kissing Soundly for a solid 20 seconds in front of a bunch of people who are prepared to stab them and think that any loyalty and affection for the Evil Terrible Unforgivable Yiling Laozu is a horrible crime. secondly that moment is already just like. incredibly emotionally charged and I cannot imagine a kiss following "the feeling of walking a single log bridge til it's dark is indeed not bad" being a brief peck on the lips. wei wuxian tells lan wangji that if everyone knows he protected and went around with wei wuxian Knowing it was him all along, lan wangjis reputation will be ruined forever. lan wangjis following speech that may as well be a love confession is not Only a love confession but also him telling wei wuxian that he doesn't care about any of that and he will follow wei wuxian wherever he goes and stay by his side not matter what. lan wangji kissing wei wuxian in front of all those people drives that home even More like... "I don't care about what any of these people think, let everyone watch as the righteous hanguangjun kisses the wretched yiling laozu, let them see how much I love you"

- bonus not kiss idea but: when wei wuxian is taking care of drunk lan wangji and they're having their little moment, lan wangji Trying to kiss wei wuxian, but wei wuxian is a gentleman and wouldn't take advantage of lan wangji like that so he just sort of very gently turns him down like nonono you are Not in a state to be doing this right now lets talk in the morning. then in the morning wei wuxian is like No You Didn't Do Anything Last Night What because right here on the street is Not the time or place to have this interaction. this could then tie into my yi city idea.. after they have their little we are so fortunate that we got to find each other again moment wei wuxian tells lan wangji what happened when he was drunk n they have their lil talk n smooch

I think with the jingshi scene a kiss actually works better Afterwards just because with the way all of it plays out, shoving a kiss inbetween any of the existing little moments kinda ruins the flow? so that would involve not adding To a scene but adding On a scene which is why I didn't elaborate on that concept. I think adding a kiss to their lil moment on phoenix mountain would both fit well into that scene/be like... narratively valuable And be a big fuck you to mxtxs weird gross unconsensual kiss. the only thing with that tho is that putting a kiss So early on changes the tone of the entire rest of the story n fucks with the plot at least a lil bit so having the kiss be there requires a lot more editing than the other scenarios for it to be successful and make it/the rest of the story still make sense

[scarletjedi]

Sangcheng Time Travel Fixit Outline Part 2: Sunshot

(Part 1)

The adventure continues! This post contains some adult language and some more frank discussion of sangcheng’s sex life. Also features Jiang Cheng: Fashionista 

After the Wangxian wedding, they all return home…

…save for Wei Wuxian, who goes off with Lan Wangji to search for the other pieces of Yin Iron

…and Madame Yu, who takes Yanli to Koi Tower to begin the plans for her wedding to Zixuan. While this doesn’t lead directly to Jin Guangshan’s death, it does pave the way for a limited-to-non existent power vacuum after he does die, later in the story, sorry spoilers.

They limit his access to wine and women, which will make him act more recklessly. They support Jin Zixuan finding answers for himself, as well as his project to collect his siblings (remembering what Jiang Cheng said to him about being lonely)

…and Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng sneak away to meet Wangxian and Wen Qing at Dafan Mountain.

This goes relatively as before because Nie Huaisang’s plans means they kinda need to invoke the indoctrination to defeat the Xanwu of Slaughter before the Wens decide to unleash it on the countryside

When they retreat to the Unclean Realm, Nie Mingjue is not happy that Nie Huaisang ran off.

Nie Mingjue does the “older brother meets new boyfriend” thing to Jiang Cheng – who realizes that he’s actually *older* than Nie Mingjue and might leave an odd impression, but Nie Mingjue likes Jiang Cheng, and the way he speaks of Nie Huaisang (like he’s precious but also capable).

Nie. Zonghui. 

Nie Huaisang may orchestrate the demise of Xue Yang. Oops. Sorry Meng Yao. (except Meng Yao doesn’t seem that upset by it. “Hm. Maybe he can be rehabilitated/kept from Jin Guangshan’s clutches” “Whatever you want, dear”)

Nie Huaisang’s network pays off, and they receive word that the Wens are marching on Gusu. Nie Mingjue musters a force to their aid. Wangxian head back to help defend Gusu. Jiang Cheng flies to Yungmeng – Lotus Pier is also an ally of Gusu and will also muster forces.

There is a question as to whether Jiang Cheng should defend Lotus Pier or help defend Gusu. Jiang Fengman sees Jiang Cheng as a child, and wants him “safe” at Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng also knows there’s a possibility that Lotus Pier will be attacked, and his desire for bloodshed is at war with his feat that he will lose Lotus Pier again.

In the end, Jiang Cheng leads a force to help Gusu and even though he doesn’t yet have Zidian, it’s the first time we see Sandu Shengshu in this timeline.

Cloud Recesses do not burn.

Wangxian arrived with enough time to help shore up defences – there are no guards at the gates, but the wards have strengthened.

The Wen force ends up trapped between the Lans ahead of them and the Nie and Jiang behind.

Wen Xu  is killed…by Jiang Cheng.

The Jiangs, the Nie, and a contingent of Lans head for Lotus pier to wait for Wen chao and Wen Zhuilu, who will come to avenge his brother

Jin Zixuan arrives with a force of Jin cultivators…and Zidian.

“Your mother insisted. I didn’t ask questions, she’s scary” 

It’s because she heard of his victory and decided it’s time. She’s been busy helping Madame Jin undermine Jin Guangshan and cut him off from his internal power. You see, while in Koi Tower, she noticed how deep the corruption runs, and how frustrated her friend has been, and has decided that it’s more important to make her daughter the next Madame of Koi Tower sooner rather than later.

Jiang Cheng makes a note to tell Nie Huaisang, because that will *directly impact his plans*

Word comes from Huaisang that they’re coming – and that they have a man on the inside (Wen Ning)

Wen Chao attacks Lotus Pier

It’s a full frontal attack this time

The line “…but water does not burn” or “fire can not burn water” is uttered because I’m like that.

Jiang Cheng holds up Wen Zhuilu with Zidian and Nie Mingjue kills him. Wei Wuxian claims Wen Chao (again).

It’s now full scale War, and they have to move quickly. The war council is held in Lotus Pier this time. Sunshot has officially begun.

It gets handwavy because I don’t actually care about battles, so fast forward to the end of the campaign. 

Meng Yao stays Meng Yao (for now) and runs the unclean realm as Huaisang plays central intelligence.

Jiang Yanli runs a field hospital in Lanling

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are fearsome (and Wei Wuxian may be playing with some more heretical ideas to counter the “puppets” but not on the same scale). Zewu Jun is a legend. Sandu Sengshu gets his name. (Jiang Cheng may occasionally forget how old he isn’t. The first time he rolls into camp and his father is there he nearly has a meltdown).

The final battle at Nevernight happens more quickly than before mostly because Wen Rohan is taken by surprise and also undermined by Wen Qing and Wen Ning

In the end, he is paralyzed by Wen Qing and Wen Ning kills him.

When the forces break down the door, they find Rohan dead, with Wen Qing and Wen Ning surrendering

The Aftermath.

So, the fallout from the Sunshot Campaign is a bit different. Despite Nie Huaisang’s plotting, there was never an indoctrination, so they never hunted the Xanwu of slaughter, so there is a rogue piece of Yin Iron in the wilds of Qishan. 

Wen Rohan’s Yin Iron Pieces (of which he only had 2, as he never gets the one from Gusu as The Cloud Recesses never fall, Xue Yang’s piece is in Qinghe in the care of Nie Huaisang, and then, of course, the Xanwu) become the custody of Lanling Jin, a move that is not subtle, but the others don’t really have a reason to deny Jin Guangshan’s claims of being a safe haven – Lanling did take the least amount of damage in the war, as it was never directly attacked, and boasts that they have the means to suppress the Yin Iron.

It’s observed (by Nie Huaisang) that it’s Gusu Lan that has the reputation for suppression skills, but it does little at this time but sow discontent. It will come to fruition later.

As the spy was not Meng Yao (and as he never makes a deal with Xue Yang and loses Nie Mingjue’s trust) but Wen Ning (with help from Wen Qing, who finds out what her brother is doing an insists), Meng Yao ends up remaining with the Nie and he and Wen Qing are able to advocate (to the right people) for a reduction in status for the Wen clan rather than a total eradication. Thus, Qishan Wen becomes the minor clan of Yilling Wen. (I know they are Dafan Wen, but I think the clan is “moved” to that a major house can keep an eye on them. Yunmeng is chosen because of proximity/maybe he volunteers?) Jiang Cheng feels some complicated way about that.

Meng Yao, by the way, has privilege, power, and respect from a clan leader he actually trusts and admires. He has a growing relationship with the next heir to Langling Jin, and has seen the way Jin Guangshan’s power is being undermined. He decides he wants no part of that. He’s still a little murder beast, however, and Nie Huaisang will one day take advantage of that

I’m having a hard time not thinking of this as an endgame 3zun romance, so that’s probably going to start to happen about now.

The Banquet

The battle ends and they take the time to rest and recover before holding the formal banquet. It’s a few days out from the end of the fighting so they can heal, get everyone gathered, get better robes fetched from home (I assume, they show up all clean in the show after all), and properly handle the dead.

This means that not only does Nie Huaisang attend, but he is dressed well – closer to the way he dressed as Sect Leader Nie than he would have the first time around, but he’s means business and he has missed his finer clothes

Jiang Cheng straight up rolls up looking like Sandu Sengshu, Sect Leader of Yungmeng Jiang, walking in out of Huaisangs fantasies-I-mean-memories. The only difference is his hairpiece and the depth of purple of his outermost robes. (It looks like that deep purple is reserved for the sect leader, so his father would be there in it). But, otherwise, he is decked OUT. Bling. Nails. Perhaps a little eye shadow. For a treat.

I like the idea of Jiang Cheng using his appearance as a way to gain confidence, and he would want to dress like himself because he was not HIMSELF during this banquet the first time around.

Jiang Fengmian is confused by his son’s sudden fashion sense and totally fails to understand that his son is a grown man. Madame Yu looks proud because he’s finally asserting himself, but confused a bit as to HOW he’s asserting himself.

Huaisang nearly swallows his tongue, and has to hide behind a fan until he can be sure he can control his expression. Mingjue is the only one who notices and totally laughs at him for his “crush”

There’s a brief moment during the introductions where the group from Gusu reconnect. Nobody seems to notice but Madame Yu, who is pleased by what she sees as an alliance/chance to build allies.

The biggest announcement is that of the Mountain Hunt/Floral Banquet in one months’ time, but instead of it coming after the awkward attempt to reinstate the engagement between Yanli and Zixuan (who are already engaged), it’s to celebrate the reunification of the cultivation world. A return to normalcy. (Also, where the wedding will be formally announced. Jin Guangshan wouldn’t want to overshadow one with the other, and it was Madame Jin’s idea)

Nie Huaisang, with a much more nuanced understanding of politics and a greater reason to pay attention realizes that the main problem moving forward is not just Jin Guangshan like he remembered, but all the members of the older ruling class. The minor sects always follow the major, but with Nie Mingjue uninterested in politics, Lan Xichen too passive with his politics, and Jiang Fengmian too accommodating, the one who rules is the one with the loudest voice – and in this case it’s Jin Guangshan.

Then, of course, Jin Guangshan begins making allusions to having Wen Qing marry – to more fully bind her hands, “give her the protection of a major house” and “cement peace and new order” ie – a way to control her and gain access to her assets under the guise of inter-sect unity

Huaisang and Meng Yao both realize this, but know they can’t actually say much. Significant eye contact is made with Yanli, Nie Huaisang says something “foolish” to gain attention while she whispers to Zixuan, who then speaks out against Wen Qing marrying – “certainly it’s too soon…” basically giving Wen Qing the same push off that Yanli used the first time. It is effective, enough, but not as much as it was for Yanli

However, Huaisang is aware of the efforts to cut him off from his power, so he puts the problem of Jin Guangshan on the back burner, focusing instead on ways to make the others see that Jin Guangshan is an issue without accidentally provoking the next clan war.

The biggest issue to deal with, for Huaisang, is removing the Yin Iron from play – without the carrot, Jin Guangshan will be less of a nuisance and Nie Huaisang could focus on more important things like preventing his brother from early qi-deviation and finding new things from himself and Jiang Cheng to do in the bedroom.

Which gives him an idea. “Change of plans, Wanyin. We need to court publicly.” Luckily Jiang Cheng was tired of sneaking around. Of course, he plans on broaching the topic with his mother after they return home. Nie Huaisang has other plans, and at this point, Jiang Cheng is willing to follow his lead.

Jin Guangshan turns out to be a slipperier snake than Nie Huaisang planned, and manages to do some harm before he’s finally taken out. 

GusuLan Class of ’84 reunion!! 

Thoroughly disgusted by how little has changed (so much has changed, but it seems to be making such a little difference), Jiang Cheng leaves the banquet as soon as he can sneak away. He can do this now – he’s not sect leader. He finds an empty courtyard to brood, and is “interrupted” by Nie Huaisang, who saw him leave. They have a moment before…

Wei Wuxian shows up with wine and Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji brings his guqin and begins to play – simple music, low enough to talk over, but loud enough to make it hard to overhear.

This would be a fun moment for Wei Wuxian to be like “So, my dude, my friend, my buddy, my pal…you like my brother?” “I’d hope so, considering what we’ve been getting up to since we got to Gusu” “wuxian.exe has stopped working” “not everybody is as shameless as you, Wei Wuxian.” “Though, I do try.”

Wen Ning, Meng Yao, and Jin Zixuan show up next – they each realized the others were missing independently and met up on their search. Wen Ning brought snacks. Zixuan has a surprisingly nice voice, and begins to sing along when Wangji plays a song with lyrics. Meng Yao pulls out something like dice or cards.

Yanli, Wen Qing, and Mianmian appear with more snacks, and a strong desire to keep these idiots from doing anything stupid. Yanli has (soft, loving, terrible) words for Jiang Cheng for keeping his relationship a secret. Wen Qing has some *choice* words to say about Jin Guangshan and marriage in general

This is a chance for them to be silly and young.

***If I was going to do a dance scene, (and I’m not confident that I could, but I do love them so much) this would be it Lan Wangji is entreated to play something to dance to - perhaps Wei Wuxian joins with his dizi, maybe someone pulls out something drumable, but either way,  you have an impromptu jam session, as usually happens when you have teenagers who can play in one space together. 

Wei Wuxian dances constantly, the minute the music starts

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian dance something local to Lotus Pier - it’s similar to their martial style, acrobatic and flowing, and eye catching 

Jin Zixuan is a wallflower until someone flings him into the dance - maybe it’s Mianmian, maybe it’s Wen Ning, but either way he ends up blushing like hell but manages to ask Jiang Yanli to dance

Of course Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang dance. It’s very sweet. 

Either way, Huaisang says the following to Jiang Cheng under the guise of sweet nothings: The war is won. They have a moment to breathe, and they need to breathe because they both know how bad it could be and they’ll need to be ready to fight. But also, that this is half the fight right here – their parents/older brother might be stuck in the rut of the same old politics, but their children are friends, and if that friendship could be fostered into alliances, then they could avoid war and keep each other in check. Maybe, just maybe, they could keep more of their loved ones alive, if they weren’t all trying to do this alone.

Of course Jiang Cheng has to kiss him then, because he knows he means their brothers, he knows he means his sister and Zixuan (and Jin Ling, who Jiang Cheng still misses like an ache). It’s a bit more honest, more passionate than is technically proper for public, but Jiang Cheng has gone through caring and come out the other side, his love is here, before him, and he’d be a fool to let that slip from him.

…which would be the perfect time for their parents to stumble across them on their way out of the banquet.

Jiang Fengmian is bewildered (because he still looks without seeing at his son, and it hurts but whatever, he has A-Sang now)

Madame Yu is instantly calculating. If Jiang Cheng is tied to Nie Huaisang, that means Lotus Pier is connected by marriage to the remaining major houses, which gives LP a lot of political power.

Nie Mingjue takes a moment to be sure this is what Huaisang wants (it is), ignores Lan Xichen (who is only barely containing his mirth behind a too-wide smile) and suggests that they meet the next day (with clear heads) to open negotiations. “Acceptable” “…what?”

Negotiating the Marriage Contract

Jiang Wanyin has a long overdue conversation with his parents

Dad, you don’t see me

Mom, the secret to appearing strong is to ignore the rumors. The minute you let them dictate your actions, you’ve lost

….and ffs, when we need heirs we can adopt or something. It’s rare enough that I’m attracted to Huaisang, if we wait for a woman to appeal, I’m going to be blacklisted by every matchmaker (again). Funnily enough, this is something his father backs him up on – both because of achieving the impossible, but also because he’s determined his children will find love matches

Meng Yao and Nie Huaisang tag-team prepping Mingjue for the meeting. This is the sort of thing he’s really bad at, after all. (not because he can’t but because it’s where he directs the least amount of effort – partially because that’s something he can rely on Meng Yao and Huaisang for)

“A-Yao, you’ll be with me…” “As your seneschal, not as your equal. I won’t be able to simply jump in – I’ll have to be selective.”

Nie Huaisang to himself: …A-yao???? Oh, nononono (oh yes! But not yet. I think I like the idea of never saying exactly when they get together, they just *are* at some point and Nie Huaisang *does not want to know*)

(Part 3) 

[inanna-arianna]

Another meta on Lan Xichen I did not want to write

Never once does the novel state that LXC was romantically even interested in JGY. And here is why the people who ship JGY and LXC are the most tedious, annoying and delusional part of not just MDZS but MXTX works in general.

It’s their insidious and tenacious twisting of information and pushing of their headcanons as legitimate narrative. The best example of this is the wiki page for MDZS outside of tumblr. Twitter is not as infested as tumblr is. Twitter favors NieLan pairing, it would seem. But those who ship NieLan do not try to pass their ship as canon nor do they shove it down everyone’s throats. Ship all you want, but once you start adding your headcanons to profile pages that are supposed to be an objective analysis of the character profiles and source materials, that is where you become a delusional menace.

Author even went as far as to state that the only gay couple in the novel is WangXian. Why would she be coy? Why would she hide? She has written novels with more than one homosexual couples before.

To the delusional shippers LXC has gone into seclusion to repent for the killing of JGY. They even twist his seclusion to such a level that they insidiously add LXC seclusion to be the same as his father’s. Even adding it to the list of clearly romantic acts of passion such as here:

this is sadly just one of many pages they infected

I don’t think people give LXC’s dimwitted naivety the full credit it deserves. I get it, people are fond of his character. He is one of my favorite characters also. But he is not benign.

His idiocy has come with a terrible price.

Siege of Burial mounds? Against a broken man and a group of farmers who were non-combative? The siege came to their doors. WWX had the right to raise the dead to defend them. Ultimately, had LXC been a competent clan leader and had his clan stood for what they say they do: righteousness and justice, WWX would not have been as desperate as to resort to such horrible cultivation practices. Had the Lan clan been what they pride themselves at being, they would have stood on Wei Wuxian’s side. And don’t try to oversimplify it. I’m not talking just about the siege. I’m talking about the build up to it as well. But Wei Wuxian stood alone. He stood alone at the path where they failed to assassinate him. He stood alone at Nevernight. He stood alone at the siege. But the snow white boots of the righteous Lan clan, stomped the skulls of old women and frail men.

Nie Mingjue’s death is on LXC’s hands more than JGY. You don’t blame a tiger for being a tiger. It does what it was made to do. Nie Mingjue trusted Lan Xichen. Painfully so. And it cost him his life. It was LXC constantly making excuses for JGY and shielding him from criticism and consequences that allowed him to get away with all the evil he has done for so, so very long. JGY carefully and meticulously build the image Lan Xichen had of him. I don’t deny that LXC was a victim of JGY. Perhaps the most tragic victim. But it does not absolve him of his crimes and playing a part. Weather out of his dimwitted naivety or moral cowardliness, does not matter. JGY needed Lan Xichen. He needed him to be his moral guarantor, his warranty, his shield and advocate. He used LXC’s impeccable reputation as a shield. He needed LXC to vouch for him.

That is why he never mistreated Lan Xichen.

But it’s not exactly true, right? I don’t doubt that JGY in this cruelty and arrogance and lust for power truly believed that he never mistreated LXC. But that is just not true. Weather the suffering of the person Lan Xichen loved most in the world, his own brother. Or by having LXC be his unwitting accomplice in his crimes. Nie Huaisang used LXC to deliver a final blow to JGY. But JGY was a villain. JGY’s fans want to condemn Nie Huaisang for that one act but gleefully ignore just how much damage JGY has done to LXC by using him to further his own ambitions. A man that now has to live with the consequences of his naivety and blindness.

Lan Xichen spending time in seclusion is coming to terms with what he has allowed to happen by continuously absolving JGY of his crimes and willfully turning a blind eye to his wrongdoings. Do people seriously believe that a man who is the head of a clan that prides itself on righteousness and intolerance of all evil is going into mourning for the death of a villain than rather to repent for being the guarantor that allowed the said villain to go unchallenged for so long? That his reputation was used as a cover that allowed a murderer to go unpunished.

Before those shippers try to point out how LXC was hiding JGY’s crimes and avoiding reveling them out of romantic interest: Don’t try it. LXC was naïve and non-confrontational on all fronts. He stood by and watched the mistreatment of Wen civilians, elderly and disabled and even children. His greatest love is his brother, yet despite being the head of the clan he stood by and watched his brother be viciously beaten and scared for life. Even refusing to know why his gentle and kind mother would murder someone is part of his refusal to even think and dwell on things that displease or hurt him. He is an incredibly passive and lethargic person.

Even his demeanor, gentle smile and voice are a shield against aggression. Author herself has stated that when drunk his voice becomes more booming, deeper. It’s a common tactic to defuse aggression. He puts on a submissive stance. Gentle voice and smile, non-aggressive and non-threatening gestures. But even he snaps from time to time. Like he did with WWX. But ultimately he is someone who avoids confrontation and pushes all that is too hurtful for him to think about out of his mind. Even if it is his own mother and her pitiful destiny, even if it is the brutal beating of his own bother. So no, he was not hiding JGY crimes out of love or romantic interest.

Do not forget, when confronted with the facts: he sided against JGY. Immediately. He sided with his brother. He sided with the man who is possibly the only man in the world that he hates (or as close to hate as LXC can muster). LWJ one mistake in his own eyes. He helped them gather evidence against JGY. He hid WWX in Cloud Recesses at great personal risk fully knowing that he was gathering evidence against JGY. He revoked JGY’s access to Cloud Recesses as soon as suspicions rose.

My point is: Ship whatever you want to ship. But don’t insert your headcanons or shipping fantasies into source material or profile pages that are supposed to be objective. Why have I decided to go off this time? Well, I have, so far got 4 people to look into the MDZS fandom and 3 of them were very much confused as to why they could not find a single reference to JGY and LXC “epic romance”. And asked me about it. Every time it was them reading wiki pages maliciously edited by JGY/LXC delusional shippers. I’m not going off at normal shippers. I understand the appeal. Many people like to ship the victim and his/her abuser. Just look at the people who ship Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang. Not that I would ever ship those. But I’m not here to ship-shame. Just for mercy’s sake stop shoving your ship down our throats or try to pass it off as canon. It’s not.

I hate writing metas on LXC. I love his character. I truly do. I relate to him more than many other MXTX characters. He is deeply flawed. A bit dimwitted, lethargic, non-confrontational, but he is well meaning, benevolent, and generous. Whenever I have to write about him I have to unpack things I don’t particularly enjoy pointing out. See, why his character appeals to me. I don’t like thinking about those things so I push them out of my mind. And so I apologies for grammatical errors, to begin with I was short on time. But once again I was irritated into writing a meta on this subject. So I combined many of my metas and rants into this mess.

[shewholovestoread]

Aurora Burning (Aurora Cycle #02) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Review

Okay, for those who read Godsgrave (Nevernight Chronicles 02) by Jay Kristoff, do you remember the cliffhanger at the end of that particular gem? Well, Aurora Burning very nearly topped it, no small feat. Something to keep in mind in case you're thinking of picking this up.

Aurora Burning begins with a bang, literally, Squad 312 are on the run, only now they're not only running from the Global Intelligence Agency but also the Terran forces including the Aurora Legion, their own comrades. They are fugitives with no allies and an ever increasing horde of adversaries around every corner.

One of the complaints that some had with the first book was that there wasn't enough action. Well, Kristoff and Kaufman turned the notch up to 11 in this, the team barely has any time to slow down and take stock, to mourn, to just be. Aurora Burning feels like one long action-packed adventure. The pace slows down a little towards the third act before the no-holds-barred finale at the end.

The writers also split up the squad, a la The Last Jedi, with Tyler on his own, in the clutches of the GIA and Scarlett and the rest trying to make sure that Auri stays safe. So while Tyler must try to escape their clutches, the others have their own mission, figure out what happened to Auri and what being the Trigger actually means.

Where book 1 was more concerned with slow and small revelations, book 2 builds on those revelations but with greater urgency. I loved that while the plot kept getting more and more intricate, it never got convoluted. There’s nothing quite as satisfying when all the carefully laid out foreshadowing comes together in a big pay off. Kristoff and Kaufman added quite a few twists and red herrings to keep things fresh.

We learn more about the Eshvaren, the ancient race who defeated the Ra'Haam all those centuries ago and are responsible for Auri's powers. One of the best parts of the book was the all the mystery surrounding them, a race so ancient that most didn’t even think that they had indeed existed, instead treating them more like mythological beings. Then there are the Syldrathi and we finally meet the Starslayer. We already know he’s ruthless but he takes it to a whole different level. Speaking of, there are so many antagonists, you have the Ra'Haam, GIA and pretty much all Terran forces, the Unbroken but the Starslayer specifically, these guys just can't catch a break.

As good as Kristoff and Kaufman are with plot, they’re even better where characters are concerned. Aurora Burning gives us a deeper insight into the Squad with some very shocking revelations. Tyler is the captain, the leader of this rag-tag group, a master strategist, splitting him from the team, gave Scarlett the space to really shine. In the previous book, she was kind of relegated to being the caretaker of the group, well she really steps up to the task at hand and she does so admirably.

I’m normally not a fan of the whole “soulmates” romance, too often it feels like a shortcut, where 2 characters meet and immediately fall in love and I was afraid of what the Pull meant for Kal and Auri. But I needn’t have worried. The love story between them felt real and earned. I loved that while Kal experienced the full effects of the Pull, a near physical ache for Auri, he gave her the time and space to make up her own mind. His presence never overpowering but always close should she need any help. I loved their dynamic.

Finian was his usual charming self, king of sassy comebacks, second only to Scarlett but then let’s face it, she has it down to an art. I loved his unashamed sexuality, he is clearly drawn to Scarlett but he also really appreciates Tyler and Kal. But the breakout star of book was Zila. This girl knocked it out of the park. I loved learning more about her. Her past explains so much about Zila, her personality, her behaviour and it’s heartbreaking. She’s also so damn badass. I loved the way she could just blend in with the background, simply disappearing, a very useful talent. And she likes girls!!

There are also a few new characters but the only one of note was Saedii, Kal’s sister. But unlike him, she was loyal to the Starslayer, utterly devoted to his cause, viewing Kal and his team with disdain, disgusted with what she perceives to be his weakness. By the end of the book, there is a slight change in her outlook but it’ll interesting to see where she lands up with the conflict in book 3.

I love the representation in this series, of the squad, Finian is pansexual and Zila is queer (I’m leaning towards lesbian given her obvious crush on Scarlett but we’ll wait for confirmation) and even Scarlett isn’t completely straight if her reaction to Saedii is any indication.

The 2nd books in most trilogies are among the weakest, they have to set up the finale so the conflict, if any, is usually small and contained, making them feel more like fillers than an installment that you could enjoy on their own. Aurora Burning is a great second book, it keeps the plot progressing at an excellent pace while still setting up the final book, raising so many new questions. And that cliffhanger I mentioned at the beginning? It could not have been worse and now I will have to wait, at the very least, till May 2021 to find out how things pan out. It’s worse because book 3 doesn’t even exist right now… the wait will be long and it will be painful.

[thesffcorner]

An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors

An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors is an adult fantasy written by Curtis Craddock. It follows Isabella, the eldest daughter to Comte des Zephyrs, who is born without her sorcery. Growing up in a world that treats her as either a demon or an object, she only has one friend; Musketeer Jean-Claude. When she gets betrothed to a prince from a neighboring Kingdom, she sees this as an opportunity to have a new life; though a web of assassinations and conspiracies may threaten this future. I had a real hard time getting into this book, and even as I was reading it and was fully intrigued by the plot, I had this sense of dread that the book will go in a direction I would not like, or the ending would make me very mad. I’m happy to report my fears were for naught, and I ended up really enjoying this book. There were definitely elements and plot points that annoyed me, but the plot and characters were strong enough for me to enjoy my my time in this world. So let’s start with what I think will be the biggest draw and the biggest deterrent from reading this book. 

Writing: The best way I can describe Craddock’s style is a mix between The Three Musketeers and Nevernight. The world-building and the plot focused on political conspiracy, marriages and royal bloodlines, as well as just the aesthetics of the book were straight of both Dummas’ work but also the much maligned 2011 film. The way this plot and world are conveyed however (as well as a lot of the magic system and religious aspects of the book) reminded me a lot of Jay Kristoff’s writing. Craddock has a style that I can only describe as overly-specific, overly-descriptive, and quaint; he uses very specific nouns for everything, from the clothes, to the different parts of the flying ships the characters move around on. And when I say specific I don’t just mean dictionary, I mean specific to the time period this is based on, which is 1600 France. It took me so long to parse out what title Comte and Comtessa and Le Roy are equivalent to, who all these different bloodlines and families were, and the fact that all the names of families, characters, cities, ships and castles were French didn’t help one bit. To give you an example, here is just a sentence from Chapter 1. ”All around him, deckhands scurried about, tugging on lines, adjusting sails in a madman’s dance, choreographed to the boatswain cry”pg. 9 And another from a bit later: ”Jerome stood on the rolling deck as if nailed to it, not a hair of his white, powdered wig out of place. He jerked his chin toward the bow and said, “We’re coming in widdershins on the trailing edge”, as if that clarified the matter. “If we don’t overshoot and ram the tower, we should make harbor within the hour”” pg. 11 This, again, comes down to personal preference. If you like this style of writing, and you don’t mind spending the first few chapters kind of confused and just coasting until you pick up on the world and the language, you will certainly find this enjoyable. By chapter 5, I was well caught up in the writing style, and really enjoyed how much personality Craddock managed to inject in the chapters, based on whether we were following Jean-Claude or Isabelle. It also made the world feel that much more well-rounded and real, since at no point did the characters stop and exposit for 3 pages about how things worked. However, if you struggle with this type of writing and world-building you will not have a fun time, because in addition to having to adjust to all the French terms and period words, you also have to contend with all the stuff that’s purely fiction to this world, like otomations, aether, artifex, and sanguinare, to name a few. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t confused; but I liked the plot and the characters enough to keep reading. World-Building: I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this in any review, but I’m a huge fan of The Three Musketeers. I’ve seen almost all the versions outside the BBC show, and I’ve read the books; they were the first classic I was ever really in love with as a kid. I also love flying ships that look like Caravels, so this world was perfect for me. San Augustus was a fascinating world; it’s a floating island that is held in the sky by magic which is never explained (which isn’t a bad thing). Since it’s floating in the air, people travel on this massive ships like the ones it Treasure Planet, which run on aether, a substance that seems to be the equivalent of whale-oil in the Dishonored games. I know I’m mentioning a lot of visual media, but it always helps me visualize the world, and there was more that reminded me of Dishonored, like the otomations which I imagined were like the Clockwork soldiers and the blend between technology and magic of the world. Where Nevernight comes into play was the fact that this world too is built on the ruins of an ancient civilization of Gods, which is where a lot of the technology, and magic comes from. The people who live in San Agustus today know very little about the Saints that inhabited the world before them, and though they use some of their technology, most of the artifacts and knowledge are collected by the Temple, the religious order of the world. The magic system was another thing that reminded me of Nevernight, and it was very cool. Saint Augustus is ruled by descendants of the Saints, who lived at the same time as the Builder. Each Saint controlled a different type of magic (now categorized by the Temple). Isabelle’s family, the Des Zephyrs are sanguinaires: they have bloodshadows that they use to feast on other humans. They can also hollow out a human and turn them into a bloodhollow, which they can possess to communicate with people or spy on them. The ruling family of Aragoth, the family Isabelle is to marry are glasswalkers, which I found the coolest powers. They can cast their reflection through mirrors and walk in the real world in various locations. Their mirror image is limited by hunger and thirst, and they see everything in reverse, but the mechanics of the power and the creative use it’s put to in the novel were really fun to read about. As for the religion… it was an interesting choice. I had some gripes with it. It’s clearly based on the Old Testament; a woman who was close to the Builder was curious to find out how his inventions worked, and tried to learn math which somehow awoke a demon which destroyed the Builder and all the Saints. Supposedly, in a time of great turmoil and violence, the Builder will be reborn and will resurrect the worthy in a Judgement Day type scenario. Seeing as the basis of the religion is profoundly sexist and even misogynistic, in this world women are not allowed to learn the sciences or the old language, and in some cases even reading is seen as heresy. The one thing they especially can’t do is learn math or astrology, which is precisely what our lead Isabelle really loves and studies. Moreover, women in this world seem to be seen as just walking wombs. They are sold into marriages, and being able to give birth is their only function. I couldn’t tell if this was a thing of the nobles, since we do see working women that are not aristocrats, but there are very few non-noble characters in the book. But rest assured, the society is profoundly sexist one part that made my stomach churn, was a bit where 12 year old Isabelle tells us she carries around a maiden blade, which she isn’t to use to ward off attackers, but to kill herself rather than risk being raped and bring shame upon her family. This was so incredibly unsettling, I even looked it up to see if it was a real historical thing, and apparently it is not. Even if it was, why would you write it in your FICTIONAL book? I will be fair and say that most of the sexist and misogynistic structure of the world is not meant to be seen as a good thing; the characters do lament the state of affairs, the ones we are meant to find likable disagree with seeing women as broodmares and prizes (for the most part; there are quite a few moments where Isabelle defaults to being owned by her father or being owned by her husband which was also Yikes). Craddock does try to show that the sympathetic men do see Isabelle as a person more than a womb with legs (though again, most of them with the exception of Gran Leon think she either needs protecting or want to sleep with her), and he does make sure all the female characters we get, even the villains have agency that is not tied to the men around them. I also have to give him props for having actual female friendships and having characters who are usually either background or written as shallow and vain, have a voice, like the servants, the handmaidens, the ladies in waiting, etc. However. When it comes to male authors, I am always wary of WHY they feel the need to write the world as horribly sexist in the first place. It’s not an oppression they can claim, and everytime I see it in fiction, even if it’s done with the intent to subvert it or question it, I feel squeamish reading it, and don’t trust them to handle it well. Even if the point is to make a point about sexism or misogyny, that doesn’t mean I want to endure 300+ pages of women being treated horribly, assaulted, kidnapped, silenced or otherwise harmed for the benefit of 100 pages of gratification. I have grown jaded of these kinds of stories, and though I really did like the world, and all it’s steampunk musketeer glory, and all the political intrigue, this was not something I could overlook. Everytime I would have fun, I would be reminded that this society sees women as just their womb, that they are completely indispensable and disposable. And I would stop having fun, and start dreading that the next page would have a rape scene or unwanted pregnancy, especially seeing as the main theme of this book is pregnancy. I didn’t trust Craddock as a writer because he chose to set this story the way he did, and while I will admit that was fully my own fault as a reader, I think it’s worth pointing out that we have to endure enough mistreatment in the real world, and I don’t necessarily want it into our fiction, even if it’s made clear that the author disagrees with it. Themes and Plot: The world-building leads me to my next point which is the plot. I’ll start with the bad first and then move onto the more positive stuff. I mentioned at the start, that this book centers on an arranged marriage between Isabelle and Prince Julio of the neighboring Kingdom of Aragoth. The King of Aragoth is sick and dying, and his eldest son, the heir, Prince Alejandro, is refusing to divorce his wife Princess Xaviera or take in a mistress, despite her not being able to bear children. Margarita, the King’s second wife wants her son, Julio to take the throne, and to leverage his eligibility, she wants him to marry and have a child. As all marriages are arranged through the Temple, an artifix, Kantelvar is sent to arrange the one between Isabelle and Julio. What I want to focus on is the theme or pregnancy, childbirth and being infertile. First off, I find it incredibly icky whenever male authors chose to write about women’s abilities to have children or even worse, their inability to have children. It always, always boils down to the character either being told or thinking herself that she’s some kind of monster for not being able to conceive. I HATE this trope, and unfortunately it’s present here. All we ever really know about Xaviera is that she can’t have kids. We know Alejandro loves her, and we know she can apparently wield a sword and pistol (not that we ever see it), but as a character she is simply reduced to her infertile womb. There is even a scene, which was profoundly ill conceived, (no matter how pure the intentions were) where Isabelle tells Xaviera she understands what it’s like to have your entire personhood being boiled down to your disability (Isabelle has a wormfinger). It’s a nice sentiment, except not being able to have children is NOT a disability, and the experiences are nowhere near SIMILAR, let alone the same. Yes, it’s horrible to feel like your body is betraying you, or working against you if you want to have kids and can’t. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to go through something like that, ESPECIALLY if you live in a society where that is what your entire worth as a human is boiled down to. But this is not a story for a man to tell, especially not if you want to focus so heavily on how other people think Xaviera is worthless, and not XAVIERA, the person who is seen as worthless and who actually has to experience this pain! There is never a scene in which Craddock dissuades the readers from thinking that it’s COMPLETELY unfair and sexist that Xaviera’s competence at being a Queen is negated because she can’t have kids; instead we focus on Alejandro and how he’s just such a good guy because he loves his wife so much that he won’t cheat on her or divorce her. Xaviera deserves a better story than being sidelined to be a foil to Isabelle’s working womb, and I absolutely hate this storyline, even more after we get a reveal that makes Xaviera;s infertility completely moot. Then, there’s also the whole thing with Isabelle’s mother having 3 miscarriages before she gives birth to Isabelle and dying while giving birth to her brother. Her character is mostly comedic relief, and though she may have been a vain, bad person, treating her miscarriages as some sort of divine punishment is incredibly offensive in a book that’s otherwise genuinely funny and clever about it’s writing. Isabelle’s entire birth scene left such a poor taste in my mouth, that I contemplated DNFing the book; it’s played mostly for laughs, with the Comtessa struggling to push Isabelle out, and yet Craddock wrote it the artifax giving a sermon about how the pain women experience in childbirth is the punishment from the Builder for destroying his Kingdom with their curiosity. Not only is this verbatim something religious fundamentals use to torment women with to this day, it’s so incredibly tone deaf and ill-placed in this supposedly lighthearted scene, that I was ready to quit. Then there’s Isabelle. There is a LOT to unpack with her, but unfortunately I can’t, without spoiling the whole book. What I can talk about is how she is treated as, again, a walking womb, for the whole first half of the book. She is arranged to marry Julio because she’s off saint’s blood, has a fertile womb and can’t do magic. It has nothing to do with her intelligence, or her skills or even her damn beauty; no it’s because her womb works and Julio needs a baby. And literary no one, not Jean-Claude, not Isabelle, not even Julio is opposed to this idea, at least until we find out the real reasons for the marriage. She is literary boiled down to her womb, and treated like a prized racing horse, and she is the LEAD CHARACTER. Again, this is not necessarily supposed to be viewed as good, but that’s only after we find out why the marriage was orchestrated. Up until then, no one questions this, and I cannot describe to you how uncomfortable it was for me to read all the 10 000 times people care about Isabelle’s womb more than her, encourage and downright blackmail her into sleeping with a complete stranger so that he can Euron style put-a-baby-in-her, and everytime someone calls her breeding stock or broodmare. That felt good to get off my chest. Let’s talk some positives. My favorite part of the The Three Musketeers is the bit about the Comtessa having her diamonds stolen, and the King asking her to wear them at the ball, and the Musketeers having to go make a new set and bring it in time for the ball. This plot is that same rush of tension and political maneuvering mixed with humor, except the conspiracy is so complicated, there would be no way I could describe it to you all without spoilers. What I can talk about is how through very different approaches and skill sets, Jean-Claude and Isabelle figure out what is happening parallel to each-other. Jean-Claude is like a Musketeer version of Hercule Poirot. He is incredibly good at improvising and acting, he has a way of getting people to talk to him and reveal information they don’t want to, he knows how to lie, fight, shoot, run and has a bit of a temper. While with Isabelle we learn more of the mechanics of the plot, with Jean-Claude we learn about the people involved in the conspiracy, and their various motives. I really enjoyed Jean-Claude’s detective skills; also since he’s the Musketeer, he gets the brunt of the action scenes which were all very fun. Isabelle on the other hand, is more like Sherlock Holmes. She’s good with words and people, but not the Jean-Claude’s effect, and she’s more than a little socially awkward and insecure, especially at first. What she’s good at is logic, facts and math, and she uses her analytical skills to deduce answers and see irregularities and inconsistencies around her. Though a lot of her skills are ones that she’s not supposed to have, like being able to read the Old Language, or know about how ships run and machines operate, her real skill is the ability to appeal to people and what they want, and she has a real knack for diplomacy that I really enjoyed watching develop throughout the book. The entire focus of the book, and Isabelle’s character arc is about soft power; she isn’t a sword fighter or a gunsmith, but she’s very intelligent, kind and clever, and combined with her deduction skills and wordplay, she makes a formidable political player. There is a reason Gran Leon picks her to be an ambassador, even if it’s with hidden intentions; she sees the loopholes in others’ plans and weaves her own, manipulating people when she must, and offering a branch of friendship when she can. I already mentioned the scene between her and Xaviera, but there are many more examples in the book of her making unlikely friends without even really trying to; my favorite scene was her duel of wits with Gran Leon. 

Characters:

Outside of the plot which was excellent and incredibly clever, I loved the characters. There are so many of them, that I couldn’t possibly cover them all, and a lot I can’t talk about because of spoilers, so I’ll just talk about the leading duo, which is Isabelle and Jean-Claude.  

Jean-Claude was my favorite person in this whole book. He was exactly what I imagined Aramis to be like; funny, sarcastic, too clever for his own good, very capable, and yet quite flawed. His father-daughter relationship with Isabelle was heartwarming, though I didn’t much care for how he saw her as someone who constantly needed protection, until she was to be handed off to another man to protect. He sees her as capable, but I wasn’t a fan of how he seemed to never quite understand that she was more than just whatever man was beside her.

He had the funniest quips, and keeping in with the theme of wordplay I liked his little anaphore game with Isabelle.

The other great thing about Jean-Claude, was how his moral compass was at odds to his loyalty to Grand Leon. He owes everything to Grand Leon, as he had handpicked Jean-Claude to be his own Musketeer, but when he finds himself in situations of injustice, Jean-Claude has a hard time standing by, even if it means potentially endangering his standing. He’s a flawed character, and sometimes he was too arrogant or too blindsided to see the full picture, like with  Vincent and Thornscar, and he is like any good Musketeer quite fond of self-indulgent pity.

One of his best quotes:

”Majesty, please excuse me for bleeding in your presence, but someone just tried to shoot the princess’s coach and bomb me, which is rather backward of the way I would have done it, but I’m thankful for his incompetence” pg. 249

Isabelle on the other hand is a lot more subdued, which makes perfect sense, seeing all the things she has been through. She has had a very abusive childhood, with her father trying to force her sorcery to come out, as well as being bullied and shunned because of her wormfinger.

I tried looking up to see if wormfinger is a real thing, and I couldn’t find anything, but as best as I could understand it, it’s a hand deformity where the hand has a single, unresponsive finger. Since this society is incredibly focused on looks and sexual appeal for women, Isabelle is considered a freak and even a devil-child, which isolates her. However, what I really appreciated was that she accepts her disability as just another part of herself, not some kind of burden, and she is content with herself. The book also doesn’t focus on her appearance, other than general descriptions, (which was true for all of the characters, points for you Craddock).

Isabelle suffers from a lot of trauma, especially concerning her own voice and words, as something happens to her, which is a direct result of someone misconstruing her words to hurt her. However, she’s still if not happy, then content, and though she’s not the bravest character in the book, she pushes through regardless, and tries to meet all her obstacles and overcome them, no matter how daunting they look.

There is a very mild romance in the book, but it’s so insignificant to all that happens that I hesitate to even call it a subplot. I liked this too; most of the relationships Isabelle builds are with friends and allies and what motivates her is entirely her friendship to Marie. I loved that her strongest allies outside of Jean-Claude were always other women; Marie, Valery, Gretl, even Xaviera. Her friendship with Gretl was especially important, as she is the only character who treats Gretl as a  human rather than some kind of object and the disability representation for Gretl was I thought well done.

Conclusion:

Though I might have come off harsh on a lot of aspects of this book, it’s only because the parts that were good were great, and every time we took a detour from those parts into bad territory it was all the more jarring. It’s a really fun book, and if you are looking for a gunpowder fantasy with a world we don’t often see in fiction, a focus on diplomacy, politics and a kick-ass pair of leads, then I recommend it.

However, if talk of fertility, childbirth, miscarriage and the threat of sexual assault unsettle you you might want to stay away; as much as I’d like to separate the adventuring from this, these are the main themes of the book, and it’s impossible to ignore them.

goodreads

[drwcn]

《 Without Envy 》 storyboard 10 - concubine/sleeper agent!wwx & prince!lwj

Other snippets and storyboards can be found on [Master List]

Exactly 851 days - 2 years, 4 months and 11 days - after Wei Wuxian arrived at Gusu and began his mission as a sleeper agent, he was activated.

That chilly morning, he walked into the pastry shop - a front maintained by a decade-long Wen spy - a walk he'd done hundred of times on hundreds of mornings since he arrived. He breezed past the packaging counter, skipped through the faded cotton drapes, and rounded behind the back staircase to the room where Xue Yang always waited for him. Only this time, it was not just his candy-obsessed, murder-happy shidi, but a face he hadn't seen in many, many months. "...Shifu?" Wen Zhuliu's visit meant the end of his carefree days. It's time. That night, Wei Wuxian did not look at either Lan Wangji or Jiang Yanli when he bid "dianxia" and "Jiang-zhuzi" good night. He pretended to retire to bed early, after washing himself of his servant's exterior and donning his robes of night-black. He laid in the dark, waiting for time to pass, and reminded himself of his true purpose. He was never meant to care about these people; love these people. Jiang Yanli was not his doting foster sister; Lan Wangji was not his beloved wangye. I am Wei Wuxian of the great Qishan Wen. Nevernight is my home. I am a spy. Gusu is my enemy. Wei Wuxian kept his eyes closed, his breathing even, and his heartbeat slow. In the lonely quiet, he waited, and waited, and waited. Until the candlelight around the princely manor dimmed to nothing, until the night grew still and the moon shone bright and high in the dark, dark sky. Reaching under the floorboard beneath his bed, Wei Wuxian retrieved his life-long companion from its hiding place and released it from its sheath. "Hello, old friend." He whispered, stroking the blade edge. Suibian's steel glistened with cold malevolence in the stark, pale moonlight.

It would be another year before WWX's identity is discovered. During that time, he lived a double life. In the day, he was Lan Wangji's precious Wei Ying, and at night, he was the blade in Wen Ruohan's hand, stealing, killing and destroying on command. His assignments were not always murder; sometimes it required him to break into secure facilities and obtain copies of certain documents. He was never alone on these jobs; there was always someone convalescing with him from within. Slowly, he began to realize just how deep Wen Ruohan's spy network had infiltrated Gusu's foundation. In a way, it excited him, to know that the posturing and pretending would soon be over, that in the near future a quick war would sweep across the land and unite the two nations. In another way, it frightened him to the bones.

Wei Wuxian killed 37 individuals within the span of a year, 37 men and women of different ranks, status and stations. He did not always know why these people needed to die; in fact, he often didn't and preferred it that way. If he didn't know the motive, then he couldn't argue against the reason, and thus could go on believing that what Wen Ruohan did was ultimately for the betterment of everyone. The men of Gusu were weak - Wei Wuxian was always told - they were not fit to rule. The people of Gusu would be better served under a united empire. He repeated this statement to himself before every job, but over time, the mantra on his tongue began to lose its flavour.

In the meantime however, Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli quickly formed a strong plan on how they wanted to live out the rest of their lives. Lan Wangji never quite enjoyed laying with women, but Jiang Yanli had just enough wickedness behind her demure exterior that things were... well, interesting. In any case, it was not long before she came to him all smiles and whispered the good news over luncheon .

"Truly?" Lan Wangji set down his chopsticks. "Hm uhm." Jiang Yanli dapped her mouth delicately. "Now, perhaps it's a good time to discuss how dianxia should go about winning A-Xian's affection. He's under the impression you've cast him aside on taishi's orders and has been giving him the cold shoulder." "I wasn't." Lan Wangji defended himself, distressed and slightly offended. "It's just, huangshu's been watching me like a hawk. I was afraid any further attempt to be closer to him would give my uncle reason to remove him from my household entirely." Jiang Yanli was sympathetic. "The summer hunt is in two week's time, and afterwards, since bixia always likes to finish the night on the river with fireworks, perhaps...." She let the sentence dangle, a knowing smile playing at her lips. Lan Wangji felt hope.

Unfortunately, a little hiccup happened before the hunt could take place. Jin Ziyan falsely believed that Wei Wuxian had fallen out of favour with Lan Wangji and was itching to show him his place. Poor Mo Xuanyu was caught in the middle. Jin Ziyan knew Wei Wuxian was an audacious one, but not so stupid that he could be easily goaded into committing a grave offence. Thus, Jin Ziyan planned to cause an incident in the garden whereby poor Mo Xuanyu would unwittingly "offend" him, and he would publicly announce a punishment that was harsher than necessary. He made sure that Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian were near by, as they usually took a mid-afternoon stroll after lunch. True to his predictions, Wei Wuxian could not stop himself for interfering on Mo Xuanyu's behalf. Then in their altercation, Jin Ziyan would fall into the pond, making it seem as though Wei Wuxian was the one who shoved him out of anger. Oh but a lowly servant shoving Hanguang-wang's deputy consort into the pond??! He was as good as dead. What's more, everything happened on the same afternoon that Lan Qiren was scheduled to visit Lan Wangji to discuss matters of court. If it was only Lan Wangji, Jin Ziyan knew Wei Wuxian would suffer little consequence, but taishi tolerated no insubordination or churlish behaviour of any kind.

Lan Qiren was incensed, livid, but he was not hasty to deal the punishment. Instead he turned to his nephew and asked, whilst fully knowing the answer, "Wangji, your household follows the regulations that govern all princely manors, does it not?" "It does, huangshu." "Then tell me what is the punishment reserved for a servant for daring to lay hands on a deputy consort and to cause physical harm to said consort?" "It....I - huangshu -" "What is the rule?" Lan Wangji knew very well that the punishment was death for any servant, maid or eunuch who dared to harm any member of the harem. But Wei Ying, his Wei Ying... "Wei Ying is very precious to Yanli and to Yunmeng-hou. As well..." Lan Wangji hesitated. "Yanli is with child again. It is still very early so we thought it best not to announce it lest we have a repeat of last time. It would not do to upset her at this time." Lan Qiren was extremely dissatisfied with his answer, but conceded for Jiang Yanli's sake. "I'm glad, Wangji, that you've found your way back to your proper companions. This Wei Wuxian clearly has been spoiled to the point of impropriety. His actions today are utterly unacceptable and cannot be allowed to go unpunished or else others would surely follow his example. Guards!" "Detain Wei Wuxian. Have him strung up on a post in the servants' courtyard and give him fifty lashes. No food nor drink. Sun or rain, he is not to be let down until dusk tomorrow." "Huangshu!" Lan Wangji's head buzzed, as though someone had struck him squarely in the temple. His chest felt tight, and his heart ached where it rebelled inside him. "Please -" "He has his life. That is mercy enough."

Wei Wuxian was stripped down to his trousers only and tied up to a post, his hands bound together above him and his bare feet never finding purchase on the ground no matter how he struggled. This fucking suck ass. Jin Ziyan you're a dead man. When all fifty lashes were dealt, even the guards were sweating through their robes. They left him dangling there in the blistering summer heat. A young maid dared to try and sneak him some water but was thwarted by an older momo. "What do you think you're doing, lassie? Did you not hear taishi, no food or drink until dusk tomorrow. Do you want lashes too? Go on! Go!" It rained hard all through the night, only easing up at dawn, but the aftermath of the storm left the air muggy and humid. Combined with the heat, it felt as though he was being steamed alive like a wheat bun. At some point during the second day, Wei Wuxian finally lost consciousness. He was not aware when Lan Wangji barged into the courtyard against Lan Qiren's explicit orders and cut him free.

Really tho, i just want this scene to happen (╹ڡ╹ ) "I'm sorry." Wei Wuxian blinked at Lan Wangji's hunched figure sitting at his bedside. "Whatever for? You saved me, dianxia." Lan Wangji, "But it was my attention that put you in such a position in the first place. Huangshu was looking for a reason to punish you since that day he saw us in my study." Wei Wuxian, "dianxia..." "I find you... lovely, Wei Ying," confessed Lan Wangji with a heavy sigh. His ears burned red not only with the embarrassment of a youth in love but with shame. "I wish for your company, even when you have no desire to be part of my harem. Now I know my mistake. I should have respected the boundaries. I should've known my attention on you would incite jealousy from the others, and as a servant, you have no means of protecting yourself. This is entirely my fault." Wei Wuxian's heart fluttered despite himself. He quickly shook his head. "No dianxia, please don't blame yourself -" Lan Wangji, "perhaps I should send you back to Jiang-fu; I'm sure Jiang-xiao-gongzi would be delighted to have your company back. You would be safe there." Jiang Wanyin had come to visit his sister the very next day after Wei Wuxian was sentenced to whipping. He was one of the most accomplishment young men of his generation, anticipated to be a great general. Nie Mingjue had thought highly of him and had expected great things from this youth. Though perhaps what the late feng-jun found truly commendable was Jiang Wanyin's complete lack of pretense and his short-fuse temper. That is to say, he did not hesitate to get in Lan Wangji's face. His sister would have chastised him, had she not been so preoccupied by her tears. Wei Wuxian, "Jiang...Jiang Cheng was here?" "He was, and he was very upset about your condition. He left many fine medicine and ointments for you." Lan Wangji sighed again. "I shall speak with Yanli. If she is amenable, then I shall make arrangements for you to go back to Jiang-fu. You would not have to put up with me any longer." Lan Wangji stood up. Wei Wuxian grasped his sleeve immediately. In that moment, he could not tell if his panic was derived from his worry that he would not be able to complete his assignment if Lan Wangji were to send him away or if he simply did not wish to part with the prince. "Dianxia - I - I don't want to leave. I - it's true I had once rejected you, but...would you think less of me if I said your attention … hasn't been unwanted for a while, that I have come to enjoy them." At Lan Wangji's widened eyes, Wei Wuxian continued quickly. "You need not give me anything, no elevation, no rank. I don't care about any of that. I am a man, I have no ability to give you children. Nor do I have any family who would benefit from your continued favour of me. I am an orphan, dianxia, I have no place to go. I just....don't send me away. Please let me stay! I'm not afraid of Jin Ziyan, or taishi, or anything!" Lan Wangji sat back down. His hand trembled when he laid it on top of Wei Wuxian's. "Wei Ying...?" Wei Wuxian smiled, still radiant despite his pale complexion. "Dianxia -" "Lan Zhan. No more dianxia, I only want to hear you call me by my name." Wei Wuxian flushed pink. The blush was real, as was the pleased little smile he tried to hide. "Lan Zhan, Wei Ying is yours, if you still want him." The worst part of that was that he meant it. Just the mere thought of being held by Lan Wangji, of being kissed by him, of... so many other wonderful possibilities, made Wei Wuxian want to hide his flaming face into his pillow. Lan Wangji smiled. Quietly, he lifted Wei Wuxian's hand and pressed a kiss to the inner side of his wrist. "Rest, I will be right here." Wei Wuxian felt his treacherous little heart soar: oh no … oh no no no no ….. (Xue Yang's voice in narration: and it was in this moment, that Wei Wuxian knew, he fucked up.) The cruellest thing Wei Wuxian ever did was give Lan Wangji hope knowing that one day he would take it all away.

[rosethornewrites]

Monday’s T & G fics

Here are the fics I read today! Some of these are ones I’m subscribed to (and behind on).

Finished:

Rated T:

Encounter - Grass Butterfly, by ArchiveWriter

LWJ POV - set just after WWX's death and LWJ having suffered his punishment.

Context: Timeline mash-up. In my interpretation of events, Wen Quing and Wen Ning go to Jinlingtai alone; a lynchmob of clansmen led by Jiang Cheng besiege Burial Mounds whilst WWX is away with little Wen Yuan to try and get them back; when he returns, he can only hide the child in the charred tree before flying to face the massed clans in his last battle. LWJ chases after him – trying to find him after learning of the Wen siblings’ fate, he races to the old mountain, finds the child and rescues him to Cloud Recesses, then flies to the battlefield at Nevernight where he defends WWX and injures the elders of his own clan, who on behalf of his brother and uncle try to capture him and whisk him to safety before the clans overwhelm WWX (and potentially LWJ with him), then gets dragged off to Cloud Recesses after WWX jumps off the cliff.

two scheming babies scheme murder, by anxiouswreck0_0 (second in a series)

SangYao get married! Knowing how the last wedding went, how will this one go?

Mourning for Love, by bingolin

Lan Wangji had not thought about him in a while. But all who looked at him could almost see the ghost embracing him from behind and weighing him down- regardless of whether they knew to whom the ghost belonged.

Lan Wangji had not thought about him in a while.

But tonight, he was thinking about him.

Home is in Your Arms, by kitsyu

Lan Wangi is trying to grade papers; his husband is a welcome distraction.

(Just a short bit of post-canon fluff and domestic life in the cloud recesses. Minor spoilers if you squint)

Rated G:

In Which Lan Xichen Finds His Brother’s Behavior Concerning, by AshurbanipalJones

“He drank the wine he drank, suffered the wounds he suffered.”—Módào Zǔshī

But you're somebody else, by hamlets_ghost (second in a series)

Two brothers reunite for the first time after many, many years...

Wei Wuxian's plan for sneaking alcohol into the cloud recess is less than successful

Now I can't stand to be alone, by hamlets_ghost (third in a series)

Wei Wuxian is out night hunting alone and bites off more than he can chew.

Luckily a handsome rogue cultivator comes to his rescue.

Don't need you, by Poitre_4

Prompt: 178. "Don't do it. If you attack now, then I won't be able to keep you safe"

Character: Jin Ling

The Best Medicine, by BaconnEggs

Wei Wuxian knows something is wrong when he wakes up before Lan Wangji does.

It's nine in the morning. Waking up at this time is par for the course for Wei Wuxian, but absolutely unheard of for Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian turns over to look at him, and even in the dim light filtering in from the curtains, the drawn paleness of his skin is hard to miss.Wei Wuxian grazes a tentative hand over Lan Wangji’s forehead and he seems to wince at the touch, face tightening as a low groan escapes his lips. The knuckles of Wei Wuxian’s fingers are met with dry, unpleasant warmth.

A fever.

(AKA Wei Wuxian takes care of a sick Lan Wangji because dammit Lan Wangji deserves to be taken care of and given soup as much as Wei Wuxian does)

Alternate Evil, by enchantingmiranchahalo

Post-canon Wei Wuxian time travels to the moment he's reunited with Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng after the Burial Mounds.

Serial Killer, by nirejseki

“So what are you going to do about it, Xichen?” Jin Guangyao heard Nie Mingjue demanding, and paused, tilting his head to the side to listen rather than proceeding to enter the room.

Nie Mingjue had gotten increasingly irascible as of late, no doubt in large part to the growing influence of the Song of Turmoil that he’d been playing for him, and much of his ire was (correctly, although unknowingly) aimed at Jin Guangyao. It therefore would be better to stay outside and listen, to figure out what argument Nie Mingjue was using and design appropriate countermeasures – to convince Lan Xichen that Nie Mingjue was, as usual, making a fuss when there was no reason, and that it was safe to simply ignore him or downplay his concerns.

“Da-ge…”

“Don’t da-ge me! He’s killing people!”

Jin Guangyao tensed.

intersections, by sasamelons

He had just made it to the streetcar stop when he heard his name being called.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying clattered his way down the street with his hastily-thrown on jacket and wild shoulder-length hair falling out of his ponytail. Lan Zhan had given up on trying to fight his way across the crowd before he left, had only managed to catch Wei Ying’s eye and wave from the other side of the room. His heart sped up at the thought that the other man had run out of the bar to say goodbye.

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” he said in between pants as he caught his breath. Despite his exhaustion and eagerness to get home only a moment ago, Lan Zhan had the sudden thought that he might be happy to stand on this street corner forever, if Wei Ying kept saying his name like that. “You’re leaving already?”

--

Growing up, at five intersections.

A Game of Chess..., by Ladycroft4evr

Just WangXian hanging out at Cloud Recesses, Life after Yi City... specifically after that insanely adorable bunny lantern/heart eyes at Tanzou market <3

Of course WangXian have a heck of a lot of free time between then and the Epic Confession @ Jinlintai :D So A bored Wei WuXian suggests a game of Chess (Weiqi/Go), small bet between WangXian...juniors make a cameo too lol.. Have fun, folks :)

Unfinished:

Rated T:

I've Heard of Second Chances, but This Is Ridiculous, by velvet_green

One of Wei Wuxian’s experimental talisman arrays sends himself, his husband and his brother to that mythical land of long ago – the Gusu Lan lectures of their youth.

Wei Wuxian is amused. Lan Wangji is silent. Jiang Cheng is angry.

And their younger versions are mostly just very, very confused.

Muted, by Akabara_13

Jiang FengMian thought the boy would talk again once the storm passed, but Madam Yu praised his silence. The boy would not talk to anyone, but his brother and sister.

demons run when a good man goes to war, by Miranda_Aurelia

In their attempt to consolidate power, Wei Wuxian is framed and executed by the Jin Sect.

A pity, because Wei-xiong was possibly the only person that could have stopped Lan Wangji from razing Koi Tower to the ground, thought Nie Huaisang uncharitably. As for him? They really should have left his brother alone.

Serendipity, by midnight_soul

Lan Wangji is tired of his family’s passive-aggressive persistence in his love life. He will not go on another blind date; the first two times were disastrous enough.

Wei Wuxian has had enough of his family telling him no one would want to stick with him, no one decent at least.

One trying to live his life peacefully and another wanting to prove his family wrong, how can their plan fail? They’re practically meant for each other.

Decay exists as an extinct form of life., by Amanie

Wei wuxian dies after years with the people he loved.

And then he woke up.

——

A jar of emperor’s smile crashed to the ground.

And Wei Wuxian screamed.

“How do you kill an immortal?”

Rated G:

The Undesirable Son, by FragranceLotion97

Wei Wuxian has been living with his Master, Baoshan Sanren, ever since his parents died at a Night Hunt when he was ten years old. Years later, his Master sends him off to join the lecture in Cloud Recesses for a special secret mission to save the entire Cultivation World from the heinous dictator, Wen Ruohan.

Wei Wuxian's journey in finding the real meaning of family and love in Cloud Recesses.

Patriarch, by nilavu

In which Hanguang-jun sends a letter to the Yiling Patriarch inviting him to Jin Rulan's one-month celebration and receives a surprising letter back.

[coffeebooksorme]

‘FURYBORN’ REVIEW

GOODREAD’S SYNOPSIS:  The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it. When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first. A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined. As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.

I received a a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As per usual, I was sucked in by a badass cover and intriguing premise, only this time it paid off! I read this book (a 512 page book) in a day. A DAY! I hardly ever (meaning, very very very rarely) do that! I was so enthralled by this story and its characters that I honestly could not put it down, even when it meant being exhausted for work the next day. Totally. Worth it.

I’m being 100% candid with you when I say that I think this book is going to be one of the next top fantasy YA books. It’s got action, romance, magic, TIME TRAVEL, well fleshed out characters, and a really interesting premise. It’s original without being all “But I’m not like other YA books”, wah. There’s really something here for everyone in this book and I think anyone who has any inkling for fantasy or just...badass books in general, should pick this up when it comes out.

The premise does a very good job of giving you an idea of what this book is about, but it still leaves enough to the imagination that there will be points in the book where you will gasp in shock. And laugh because the author did an excellent job of incoorporating some humor to lighten it up every now and again.

Our two main protags are Rielle (the past) and Elianna (the future) and they’re obvious the Blood queen and the Sun queen, respectively, in our story. We start off the book knowing Rielle is the blood queen and end knowing that Elianna is the sun queen so...no spoilers, I promise. 

Rielle is this sheltered...I don’t want to say meek, but let’s say...hrm, she’s been beaten down. She’s got this awesomesauce power that no one else has (yeah, yeah, trope-y tropiness going on here) but she’s taught by her dad and the ministers of her faith to tamper it down because it’s weird, the yokel locals might not like it, and this awesomesauce power caused a horrifying accident when Rielle was little. Secretly, she’s a badass magician who just wants some Princely loving and to be allowed to live her life like any other normal chick. Simple enough.

BUT OH NO! She shows off her awesomesauce power and as predicted, the yokel locals and ministers freak the heck out! In order to prove that she’s not some rando magician willing to murder everybody, they decide to put her through a 7 week trial where she proves to everyone that she’s loyal and devot in using her powers only for good. Rielle, who has never even been encouraged to use her powers let alone really learn about them in depth (like every other magic wielder in the country) is totally gung ho for it! Thus, shenanigans ensue!

With each trial, we see more and more of who Rielle truly is shine to the surface. It was so great to really see the growth of her character and cheer her on as more of her badassery emerged. I know the ‘chosen one’ trope is there with her and it makes you want to roll your eyes that she has this ‘power that no one has’ but I really enjoyed Rielle as a character. She is fiercely loyal to her friends, absolutely dedicated in wanting to prove this loyaltly, a 100% fighter to her very marrow, and yet she’s vulnerable. We get to see this vulnerability throughout her interactions with her father (who has never shown anything more than barely checked disdain) and it just made me want to reach into the book, hug her, give her some cake, and tell her it would be alright.

The next POV is from Elianna who is this smarmy, smartass, egotistical assassin who is literally snapping necks and cashing checks. She was taught from a very young age by her mother how to kill folks in order to put food on the table. I was very pleasantly surprised at the fact that the author made her mother an amputee because I had never encountered that in a novel. She’s a side character so I don’t want to say it’s rep (?) but hey, I was surprised. And then pissed off with what happened to her character later on. I won’t go into it because it’s major spoilers for the book, but...yeah. Back to Elianna.

Elianna is annoying at first. Think Celaena Sardothien from the ToG series or Mia Corvere from Nevernight and that’s pretty much Elianna. She’s got amazing fight skills, she’s stealthy, she’s sexy, and she knows it. Oh, and she’s like Wolverine because she can heal from anything. She is indestructible! But she has no idea why. But, of course, she’s got an ooey gooey inside to her. She portrays this mask of hardness in order to hide the ooey gooeyness because killing folks is how she supports her family, it’s how she’s going to get them out, and if she doesn’t do it, then they’ll starve. She is the breadwinner for her family and her devoutness to her family really sold me with her character.

Her POV follows her going from hunting down this known rebel and being ordered to kill him to basically lusting after him and joining his rebel cause. It’s all a ruse at first and then, of course, as the story progresses, Elianna’s ooey gooeyness comes to the surface, one of the rebel leaders (Wolf and Elianna’s man) and a princess in disguise (no, not Jasmine) basically submerge her in what is actually the real world and help her come to terms with the fact that she’s been part of the problem instead of the solution. 

Rather than rehash the book, I’m going to leave it there because going any further would spoil it and I don’t want to do that because it is so good and you must read it! There’s diversity of characters but it’s never made into a big deal. It’s always thrown in like ‘Yeah, I like chicks.’ or ‘Yeah, my name is Bob and this is my husband.’ Women are in high positions of power. There’s a king in Rielle’s time frame but he isn’t the kingly type that puts down women. I mean, the entire religion in the book is focused on two queens. None of the women hate on each other over a man. There’s actually some really good positive female interaction through the entire book. I dig it a lot.

The writing itself is astounding. The author did such a good job painting a picture of not only one world but two different worlds and still making them weave together that I didn’t feel like I was reading two entirely different books. That is difficult as hell, but it was pulled off so beautifully. The characters are well written and even though they could be considered trope-y because of what I mentioned before, they have enough flaws and different characteristics to really set them apart. Not to mention there is significant growth throughout the book! I can only imagine what happens throughout the rest of the series. Not to mention, the side characters are awesome! Our sidekicks, if you will, are just as fleshed out as our mains and were so much fun to read! I loved them just as much as I loved the two mains. Heck, there were some characters that only appeared in the book for a chapter or two and I fell in love!

Oh, before I forget, this is a pretty explicit sex scene in the book. It was...weird. I mean, I’ve read SJM so I’m used to explicit sex scenes in YA but this one just felt...unnecessary. It could have faded to black and I would have been fine with it. I mean, I used to write NSYNC smut back in the day, I’m fine with smut, but this was just...weird. I honestly have no other word to describe it. Well, wait, no, I lied, maybe bad. Bad would be a good word for it because it made me feel awkward and I didn’t appreciate the fact that the author perpetuated the idea that a girls first time is supposed to be painful. Nah, son, it’s not...not unless you have something physically wrong with you or you’re not properly lubricated. Otherwise, the first time just feels weird and awkward and then should move on to amazing. Not painful. But whatever, let’s keep that stereotype ball rolling, eh?

So...if you like assassins, magic, diversity that’s in there without needing a huge neon sign pointing to it, badassery, and just an all around amazing fantasy novel, then this is the book for you!

[writing-ideas-inc]

Hello! Me again. A while back I asked about flow writing, and I'm still having that problem but now I'm also having a huge struggle slowly putting in information about my world, meeting characters and giving a relationship about those characters. It's the pacing that's getting me now. Thank you!

☆Hey! Sorry for the wait, but I had each of the mods answer your question, so you'll have lots of different advice☆ Oh gosh, I’ve struggled with too! One of the things I’ve done to help with that is to not use list like to describe, like: when he first saw her, he was struck by her big blue eyes, long blond hair, and bright smile. A way to help with that is for the character to notice little things over a period of time, like: she laughed softly, hiding a her beautiful smile behind a hand like she were self conscious of herself. And for environment, I’d say it’s also about mentioning stuff over time. Like if it were a big city, you could mention how the buildings tower over you, and maybe mention the flow of people. How I think about it is, you’re painting a portrait, it takes steps and lots of time, like you wouldn’t paint the skin and the eyes at the same time because the paint would mix if you didn’t let it dry first. And for pacing, I’d just let the story flow and see where it gets you. Every story is different and none are ever the pace, some move faster, and some move as slow as ice melting, it’s all about personal preference!~ Bubs (@ruddiestbubbles) Hi there! Putting in expository information (information about background, characters, and the world that doesn’t have to do with the immediate plot but which provides necessary context) can be tricky, especially because no one wants to read blocks and blocks of exposition. If you’re dealing with a fantasy or dystopia, some people go with prologues to set up the backstory of the world. This is especially applicable if there’s some specific event that happened before your plot’s timeframe that you want to have the readers know about but can’t fit into the story anywhere. Also in these genres, some authors include glossaries with character information. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff uses footnotes to add snarkily written pieces of worldbuilding that, because they’re funny, don’t come off as exposition. Also you can set it up so that as the characters discover it, the reader discovers it. This is how Tolkein sort of does it in the Lord of the Rings, and it’s effective because we discover it with Frodo. For relationships between characters, I recommend strong dialogue. Do your best to show your characters talking to one another and doing things for one another so that we as readers have evidence for their good relationship. Having them ask one another questions about themselves (as it’s relevant to the plot) is also a good way for them to reveal expository things about themselves. Telling us “Suzy got along with Adam” is not nearly as effective as writing a scene where Adam has a problem and Suzy helps him out with it. Hope this helps!~ Gloria (@gloriawriting) Sneaking in exposition and information about your character’s world can be really tricky. You never want to dump a lot of info on your reader all at once. You want to trickle tidbits of information throughout the story. Have your character notice small things about their world. Maybe they meet someone dressed in heavy furs and robes; that could tell them the person lives in a colder climate. Maybe your world is more of an underdeveloped one with people scattered about in small groups. Your character could make observations about having to find shelter from animals and harsh weather, or rarely ever seeing one other person, let alone a group of people. The main idea is to keep the information scattered throughout your story and mentioned casually when it makes sense. If it’s information another character has that is crucial to the plot, then it will probably receive a little more attention. Your characters should not only stand out from each other, but they should have their own voice, and their own specific purpose in your story. Ask yourself; “What is this character’s point? Why do I need them in my story?” It doesn’t always have to be something profound. Maybe you need a character to be there to support your protagonist. But if you can’t think of a reason for your character to be there and are having trouble really developing relationships between them and your other characters, it might be time to cut them out.Understandably, developing relationships between characters can be hard. Think about how your characters will treat each other and act around each other. Again, it’s the small actions that can show a lot about a character. If you have two characters who have known each other for a long time, chances are there’s going to be a lot of trust between those two. They may share inside jokes, or be more affectionate towards each other. Their body language around each other will be more open and relaxed; they might be used to giving friendly hugs or touches on the arm. On the other hand, if you have two characters who have just met, things are going to be very different. How they treat each other often depends on how they’ve met, and remember that even acquaintances on friendly terms will not trust each other with everything right off the bat. There’s going to be a period of the characters finding out more about one another, and learning how to act around each other. Unless a new character is part of a major plot point, meeting them should not take very long in your story. When pacing your book, you want to keep everything balanced, be it dialogue and narrative, or action and peace. Give your readers something to keep them hooked, then let them rest for a little bit. If you’re having trouble deciding how to pace the plot as a whole, I’d highly recommend looking into the Hero’s Journey. The “Hero’s Journey” is the cycle almost every novel follows, and it helps build up each part of the plot to lead into the next part. It generally goes that your protagonist is the hero, and they have their own version of comfort at the beginning of the story (what is usual to them/how they usually live). Then something happens that disrupts their usual life, and they must embark on a journey because of this event. Along the way there are a number of obstacles they must endure before they reach the climax of the story, the main “fight”. It might help you a lot to divide up your story like the “Hero’s Journey”, and then decide what parts are more important and should take up a larger chunk of your story, and what parts should take up smaller chunks of the story.~Carolyn (@theories-fans-andwombats)