#kingsandbastardz

[peridot-tears]

Fic Writer Q & A!

Tagged by @dragongirlg-fics UwU

How many wips do you have currently?

2 for Lianhua Lou, 3 for Mo Dao Zu Shi.

Lianhua Lou

strings played against his throat, my whumpfic in which FeiHua's escape from Jiao Liqiao goes wrong, and Di Feisheng marries her to ensure the wellbeing of Li Lianhua, who becomes her concubine. Just updated uwu

My unpublished modern AU where Di Feisheng is an MMA fighter cowboy, Li Lianhua is his chiropractor, and Fang Xiaobao is the new sheriff in one of those Chinese towns they built purely for tourism. In this case, it's an Old West theme. Here's a preview.

Mo Dao Zu Shi

My Mo Dao/Percy Jackson crossover where WangXian and friends romp through Camp Half-Blood!

My Wen Xu/Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji AU where Wei Wuxian is adopted by the Wens instead of Jiang Fengmian. I swear I subvert so many jianghu tropes, this could be its own original novel, but here we are lol.

My two-part where Jin Zixuan flees to Lotus Pier and manages to alert the Jiangs in time for the Wang Lingjiao's attack. It's mostly written from Yu Ziyuan's perspective, and it's been a delight.

More Q&A below the cut!

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish?

Definitely #1 under Mo Dao. It's a huge labor of love, but I'm thinking maybe I thought too big with the plot. It could have just been a fun teenage romp, but then it turned into a drama that handles much larger themes, and the trouble is in being able to tie up all the plotlines I suddenly have.

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you?

Usually when I have two days in a row off of work, so my brain has had at least 24 hours to clear out and think about fun. I go into a pleasant fugue state, meaning I'm focused, but I can occasionally take a five-minute break to chatter about it with my frens or listen to a song. (I'm answering this post while I'm working on fic btw.)

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different?

Oh nah lol. I sometimes line some chill songs or ballads up in the background or like a Buzzfeed Unsolved marathon for background noise, but sometimes it has the opposite effect where I can't focus at all. So sometimes I just write in complete silence.

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized?

Balls to the waaaaaaall babeeeeeee. Aside from the ones that're born from me chattering with frens. Both my Lianhua Lou fics and #2 under MDZS are from very specific and thorough chats that I screenshotted for reference.

I tag @westiec @theleakypen @kingsandbastardz @tavina-writes @heyholmesletsgo @the-wintry-mizzenmast and whoever else wants to do this, how do I know this many people lol.

[peridot-tears]

^ TRUE. The biggest tell for me was when I'd travel elsewhere or literally just meet someone here in the US who grew up in another country and grew up watching the exact same TV shows I did. Cultural imperialism and soft power is also a thing!

'White Americans don't have any culture, they're just [normal/boring/generic/empty]. 'Culture' is when you're quaint and exotic and have interesting ethnic foods and holidays." is such a grating bit of nonsense to have somehow become progressive commonsense in a lot of places.

[bbcphile]

We’ve talked a lot in Mysterious Lotus Casebook about the importance of the Eastern Sea beach, but I just realized that waterfalls also play a really important role in the show, especially as related to Di Feisheng! Di Feisheng’s interactions with waterfalls reflect his past memories of and feelings for Li Xiangyi and hopes for the future with Li Lianhua.

Immediately after his enthronement ceremony, Di Feisheng escapes to a private gorgeous waterfall to drink wine and reminisce about missing Li Xiangyi and how empty things feel without him. The waterfall is beautiful, secluded but with good sightlines, and sensorily soothing (smell and sound of moving water)—everything the Di Fortress wasn’t—so it is probably one of the few places he can actually decompress. He certainly seems more at home there than he does in the alliance headquarters or at his training grounds, given his occasional half-smile and more relaxed body language replaced the crossed arms, loose fists, rigid posture, and hypervigilance to his surroundings he often has. Given his usual discomfort in new places, his comfort at this waterfall suggests that he’s spent time here prior to entering seclusion, especially since Wuyan knew to meet him there. Once we learned about the extent of his trauma, I’d assumed that this private waterfall functioned as a safe space–for any of you lucky enough to have not needed PTSD therapy, it means a place you can visit or imagine to calm down and ground yourself in the present if you’re experiencing flashbacks or other symptoms, and moving bodies of water are common choices–and that it was comforting because of the space itself and not because of any associations between waterfalls and memories of Li Xiangyi.

But then Di Feisheng visited a waterfall in the back hill of the Sigu sect (!!!) three times in three episodes (!!!), which make waterfalls even more overtly associated with Li Xiangyi. For the first instance, he meets Wuyan at the Sigu waterfall after he failed to break into the prison there. Di Feisheng must have spent time there in the past in order to have suggested it as a meeting spot for Wuyan in the first place, and it must have been a secret that he knew about it for it to not have already been crawling with guards after he defeated the entire sect leadership. This is the first big suggestion that he and Li Xiangyi had spent significant amounts of time alone together at the waterfall before the East Sea battle 10 years ago, and that he still treasures those memories. The fact that Di Feisheng spends the scene staring with overt longing at the waterfall, even while Wuyan is talking to him, makes this reading seem even more likely. It might also explain why he loves his own private waterfall, if waterfalls and memories of happy times with Li Xiangyi are so inextricably linked.

Di Feisheng leaves the waterfall that reminds him of Li Lianhua just long enough to save the man himself by taking Qiao Wanmian “hostage” and proposing a prisoner exchange at the gazebo on the back hill of the Sigu sect. This gazebo is, of course, right next to the waterfall he couldn’t take his eyes off, so back to the waterfall he goes.

After having deposited Qiao Wanmian at the gazebo, Di Feisheng resumes staring at the waterfall, not taking his eyes off it during his entire conversation with Wuyan, which is, like the conversation at his own private waterfall, mostly about wanting Li Xiangyi in his life. It’s no surprise, then, that everything Di Feisheng does at the waterfall is to try to win back Li Xiangyi’s trust: first, he protects Li Lianhua’s identity by claiming his own Beifeng Baiyang cured a-Mian’s poison, and second, in freeing the subordinate who can prove to Li Lianhua that the Jinyuan Alliance was framed for Shan Gudao’s murder, he gives Li Lianhua proof that he didn’t betray his trust or break the peace treaty. With the prisoner exchange, then, the waterfall becomes more than just a reminder of his memories of Li Xiangyi: it becomes the site of two acts of service (Di Feisheng’s main love language) designed to restore Li Lianhua’s trust and their former intimacy to what it used to be.

The last time we see Di Feisheng and the Sigu sect waterfall is when he’s been poisoned with Wuxin Huai and is struggling to stay conscious and about to lose his memory: he carves “find Li Lianhua” on his palm with a rock, then stumbles past the very gazebo he’d placed the formerly poisoned Qiao Wanmian in and into the water, hoping it will carry him to where Li Lianhua can find him. The entire time he’s writing and then walking, the waterfall is behind him, but as he begins to lose consciousness, he twists before he hits the water, which means that he’s facing the waterfall as the current carries him away. This scene perfectly and heartbreakingly shows the connection between waterfalls and Di Feisheng’s memories of Li Xiangyi, which he knows he’s about to lose from the poison; you could even read the way he wants to float down the river while facing the waterfall, even though he’s unconscious and unable to see it, as his trying to hold onto his memories of Li Xiangyi for as long as he can, by facing the waterfall that represents him until it’s gone from view. 

The Sigu Sect waterfall then becomes a literal safe space when he has nowhere else to go and when he’s being hunted by his own people (a nightmare that must have at least in part reminded him of his time at the Di Fortress). For him to trust it to carry him safely while unconscious, given his trauma history, he must be so familiar with it from his time with Li Xiangyi that he would know both where the waterfall would spit him out, and that the area is secluded enough that no Jinyuan alliance members would find and kill him. In other words, the Sigu Sect waterfall brings him the same sense of safety, familiarity, comfort, and protection that Li Xiangyi/Lianhua himself provides, and he entrusts his unconscious body to its waters just as carving his name into his palm entrusts his body to the man himself.  

It’s no wonder, then, that Di Feisheng’s fainting into the Sigu Sect waters is a literal trust fall that he hopes will carry him from the waterfall that embodies past memories with Li Xiangyi to Li Lianhua himself; he knows Li Lianhua will help and protect him as the water did, and hopes that he will regain not only the memories of Li Xiangyi, but also the trust of Li Lianhua, and perhaps, an even closer intimacy than they once had by the Sigu Sect waterfall.

[la-muerta]

《也且由他》 Translation

On 14 March 2024, 藤萍 Teng Ping-laoshi (author of Auspicious Pattern Lotus House) and 严艺丹 Yan Yidan-laoshi (music director for Mysterious Lotus Casebook, who also wrote most of the songs for the OST) posted the lyrics for a song that did not make it to recording eventually.

It's clearly written about Di Feisheng and Li Lianhua/Li Xiangyi, and I've translated the lyrics below:

--

"Even In This, I’ll Leave It Up To Him"

I've been on a reckless journey of a thousand miles How many times going back and forth have I asked for directions?  How many people have lost hope in the desolate fog and under the waning moon? Shoulder to shoulder, we have faced many dangers and difficulties

I didn’t understand the wind and the moon [1] even when the city was destroyed  My eyes are heavy as I stared into the darkness of the night I fulfilled my promise to meet you for our battle of life and death  By ending the delusions and obsessions [2] of love and hate Fulfilling our final farewell to each other

Here I am, my dao is weeping blood While you charged ahead alone on the quest for innocence Only on a snowy day in the crumbling ruins will I be able to meet you again I look back, and the road behind is filled with raging wind and biting cold

The path ahead is uncertain again I'm always gazing at the crows circling at sunset [3] Favours owed and resentment grow together Life is more unpredictable than death A thousand piles of snow drowns ten thousand waves [4]

--

Translation notes:

[1] literal translation, but 风月 also means romantic entanglements

[2] 痴嗔; referring to two of the three “poisons” in Buddhist teaching that are the cause of all mortal suffering and obstacles to enlightenment

[3] crows mate for life, at sunset they return to their nests; likely a reference to Yuan Dynasty poem 《天净沙·秋思》 describing the melancholy sound of their cries

[4] the snowfall represents inevitability, and the tides are obstacles in life

Thanks to @kingsandbastardz for sharing the lyrics!

P/S: 14 March is White Day (when guys give their partners reciprocal Valentine's Day presents) so happy V-day to DiHua nation I guess 🥲

(Image from weibo post and transcription of original Chinese text under cut)

《也且由他》 

千里莽征途 几番来回问去路  荒烟残月下几人还凋零了期盼 并肩共度了重重危难 

城破湮灭也不知风月 眼眸沉沉望尽了黑夜  赴君一战生死约  痴嗔爱恨终结 是同奔赴了诀别 

此处有我长刀在啼血 你自去闯清白戒 残垣断壁大雪天才能与你相见 潇潇回首一路凛列

前路又茫茫  总凝望昏鸦夕阳 恩与怨共长 生比死更近于无常 千堆雪淹没万重浪 

[randomingoftherandomness]

I shall be severely unwell when this drops. SEVERELY. UNWELL. 

One may even say FERAL.

Can they just... drop it already ;A; I’m too impatient to watch this. The trailer is so good...

Tagging the moots @kingsandbastardz @xinyuehui @xia-xueyi @snicker-doodles @rose-tinted-vision @dangermousie BECAUSE HNNGH

[peridot-tears]

Wait, so this could mean that Di Feisheng and Li Lianhua BOTH had elder brothers they lost in childhood.

Which begs the question, did Di Feisheng also suppress the memory or forget the way Li Lianhua did?

Here's a thing to get people's brains churning.

Di Feisheng's gege = played by Mei Dijie 梅弟杰

Now that one kid that DFS fights and kills at Di Fortress is named Di A'man (played by Wang Ziyi)

This means... there is a missing/deleted scene somewhere involving DFS' gege?

Barring a brand new location with brand new actors, it's possible that DFS' gege is one of the guys either at Di Fortress or the bamboo grove fight.

Which also means DFS potentially had to kill his own brother.

*finger guns* Kinda gives additional meaning for him going back to the fortress and freeing everyone.

[rose-tinted-vision]

nine albums or songs I've been listening to lately x nine people I’d like to get to know better x tag game with no name

(thank you for the tag @lianhuajing !!)

1. why did you choose your url? uh. it was a play on "rose tinted glasses"

2. any sideblogs? if you have them name them and why you have them. nope!

3. how long have you been on tumblr? I think 2022? i knew about it before, just never bothered to make a blog

4. do you have a queue tag? don't kill me, what's a queue tag?

5. why did you start your blog in the first place? I had some Thoughts about Blue Lock and wanted to post meta for it

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp? uhh Flora.

7. why did you choose your header? Reo is one of my Blorbos and I just really liked that panel of him

8. what’s your post with the most notes? probably the "do you download fics" poll

9. how many mutuals do you have? about 20? i don't remember

10. how many followers do you have? 120?

11. how many people do you follow? 91

12. have you ever made a shitpost? yes. i think.

13. how often do you use tumblr each day? an hour?

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? nope

15. how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts meh. some of them are funny i guess

16. do you like tag games? yep! it's nice interaction

17. do you like ask games? i do! but uh. it's a silent empty void here. an echo chamber, if you will.

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous? i have no idea but i see @kingsandbastardz a lot in the mlc community

19. do you have a crush on a mutual? nope

20. what is the last song you listened to? 若梦 by 周深

21. what are you currently watching? i just finished The Double! probably starting on Dashing Youth next

22. sweet/ savoury/ spicy? savoury!

23. what is your current relationship status? single

24. what is your current obsession? The Double,,,,

25. what are nine albums/ songs you've been listening to lately?

若梦 by 周深

如故 by 张碧晨

如初 by 张碧晨

借过一下 by 周深

万物不如你 by 张杰

Our dawn is hotter than day by Seventeen

Hitorijana by Seventeen

my music taste is kinda...i tend to stick to a few artists...

26. tagging (no obligation to do this!) @randomingoftherandomness @good-vs-evo @chrysofightme @bbcphile

[lyselkatz]

Flowers for the Black Fairy 💐

Adding a new outfit to the "YáoYao paperdoll collection" to mark this day. We sent a bouquet (from 10 countries) to him thank to the help of a couple of Mainland wolflings.

🖌Commission

Special thanks to @kingsandbastardz and @the-wintry-mizzenmast 💜💜💜

[mx-myth]

I was talking with @kingsandbastardz the other day and happened to get enough inspiration to smash this out. Kind of ooc for dfs? But also it's exactly him because he is that possessive.

The harsh noise of the waterfall has become the background to his meditation by now. His senses easily wash over his surroundings, aware of every stone and tree and blade of grass. Di Feisheng feels one corner of his mouth quirk up, infinitesimally, at a change in the air.

“Mengzhu,” Wuyan says, materializing by his side. He brings the scent of pine with him, as he always does. Di Feisheng breathes it in. “I come to report there are no threats in the area.”

“As expected,” he says. It was Wuyan after all who had found this waterfall for his meditation, and it was him who worked hard to make it safe for him. “Always diligent.”

“Mengzhu,” Wuyan says. It comes out like he’s saying thank you. He leans in and pulls him closer by the back of his robes. “You flatter this one,” he says.

Di Feisheng rumbles as he presses his nose against the warm, vulnerable skin of Wuyan’s neck. It had taken a long time to get him to stop saying this lowly one or this unworthy one. He disagrees with those forms of address because Wuyan is the most capable person he’s ever met. “It is merely a fact,” he says before he turns his head to kiss him.

Wuyan reciprocates. He kisses him like they have all the time in the world, his hands sliding carefully over his ornate robes. Di Feisheng, amused despite how familiar this all is now, lets him take the lead. They end up sideways in the grass, trading breath between their soft open mouths. He considers this too a kind of meditation.

“Mengzhu,” Wuyan says finally, some indeterminable time later. It’s in his apologetic tone that means they probably should stop indulging themselves and resume their normal roles and responsibilities. He huffs and accepts it, sitting up. Wuyan does the same, shaking the grass from his ponytail. He feels something akin to jealousy, looking at his plainer clothes and simpler hairstyle.

“Go first,” he orders. Wuyan gets up and bows, disappearing in front of his eyes. His pine scent, a byproduct of his qi-concealing technique, lingers even as his qinggong carries him away. Di Feisheng breathes it in one last time.

A-Yan, he thinks possessively. It’s too dangerous a thought to have. It’s a double-edged sword, the kind that can kill him or Wuyan or both of them. He breathes it out and leaves it to be carried away by the water as he goes, following.

[peridot-tears]

Jiao Liqiao's theme iirc is similar to Di Feisheng's, and she's canonically "ethnic" as hell.

The meta here is that Xiao Shunyao himself, despite being Han (on paper and according to himself), "looks" very Tibetan and is from Qinghai right off the Tibetan Plateau. People have commented on it before, so this isn't just me going, "Manz is too pointy to be Han." The kind of music they play in his theme -- the vocals, the instrumentals -- are the type you hear when you listen to Han-made music inspired by the Silk Road further west. (Some examples here and here.)

I think the vagueness on Di Feisheng's background and "ethnic"-coding is intentional on the part of the show writers because he has very dubious origins. We don't even know how he ended up at Di Fortress, other than "orphan adopted by the Di Family," according to one of the official MLC BTS books.

There's a lot to unpack here, but very little actual detail given...but hey...that's just more fanfiction fodder.

based on locational clues i'm getting from this rewatch so far— di feisheng being from the southwest and using nanhai as a cover; jinyuanmeng being located by the ocean (potentially hainan in the present according to others); li lianhua saying that jinyuanmeng was destroyed by the zhongyuan wulin (why would he specify zhongyuan unless jinyuanmeng exists outside of it); and li xiangyi leading sigumen in fighting much further north than all this in mobei— the conflict between the two sects is. um. fascinating to think about if sigumen is a zhongyuan-situated sect while jinyuanmeng is not

[evilfarmin]

Enjoy more casebook 🪷 silly comic below :D (3ish pages)

Fdb and dfs have been relegated to plastic IKEA plates until they can prove that they can handle breakables. Llh still gets to enjoy 14k ppm of lead with his bdubs soapy chicken.

Llh: if you're going to be homophobic I have news for you about your so called shifu. You won't receive it but there is news.

this is big poggers to @\kingsandbastardz for that pillow meta wouldn'tve had the mental image without you.

[kseniyagreen]

To avoid making this long post even longer, I'll just quote the end and continue:

@kingsandbastardz "He's just not translating it very well and I wonder if, in the end, llh ever fully gets the message?"

Yes, this question has been bothering me since I finished watching the drama.

I think Li Lianhua fully realized Di Feisheng's love for Li Xiangyi, not just for fighting, at least after the scene in the wedding chambers - this one looks like Li Lianhua understands and accepts Di Feisheng's feelings. But.. Big but...

It seems to me that until the very end, he was inclined to believe that Di Feisheng loved Li Xiangyi and wanted to bring Li Xiangyi back. And if Li Lianghua doesn’t want to be Li Xiagnyi anymore, then he can’t be with Di Feisheng.

Therefore, his farewell to Li Xiangyi’s sword was also his farewell to Di.

What he doesn't fully understand is that for Di Feisheng, there is no dilemma for Li Xiangyi or Li Lianhua at all. For him there is only a living spirit, which he sees in him now as well as ten years ago.

And Di Feisheng tried to express this in words about the sword, that the owner of the sword is alive as long as his sword is alive.

But did Li Lianhua understand the symbolism of these words correctly? Or again he fell into the trap of an internal traumatic delusion that if he does not want to be Li Xianyi, he cannot have anything that Li Xiangyi had.

And the saddest part of this misunderstanding is that I think Di Feisheng in the finale makes the same mistake he made ten years ago, which is, in general, an inevitable mistake for him.

He relies entirely on fighting as a way to establish contact.

Ten years ago, during the Battle of the Eastern Sea, he also saw that Li Xiangyi was confused - but put off the conversation until after the battle. Because fighting is the most reliable and complete way for Di Feisheng to communicate, convey his feelings and perceive the feelings of others.

But then a lot of things happened, and instead of understanding, they both almost killed each other.

And I think in the finale he makes the same mistake - he expects to make things clear about their relationship through a fight. And, as is generally typical of autistic people, he relies too much on the agreement between them. That Li Lianhua will fulfill his promise and come, no matter what is going on in his head.

[the-wintry-mizzenmast]

笛花 Dihua/Feihua prompt fill for @kingsandbastardz The groupchat had a burst of inspiration from @lyselkatz's post-canon fanart of silver-haired Li Lianhua and bearded A-Fei, and wanted to play around a little.

[Being officially dead doesn't mean they no longer solve problems. Dead bodies keep appearing with distressing regularity.]

-----

Normally, a dead body found in the streets of Jia Town isn't their problem. But three bodies scattered in different places in one night? Even Li Lianhua's old fox ears begin to twitch as the news breezes through the morning market bustle. 

“Don't,” Di Feisheng warns, as his husband stops to inspect some radishes being sold by Sun Erniang and ever so casually inquires about the strange nature of the injuries found on all three corpses.

She claims she doesn't know much, but the excruciating detail with which she is able to describe the blood which was seeping from the corpses’ eyes, nose, and ears, and the bloom of black bruising on their necks when they were discovered, means that the farm wife rumor mill has been hard at work.  

After he's wrung out every last scrap of detail that Sun Erniang knows—for her neighbor's cousin’s brother-in-law works at the local yamen—Li Lianhua turns and deposits an armful of radish and cabbage in the woven basket Di Feisheng is holding. The farmer has been well-rewarded for her information, he observes.

Li Lianhua turns, bidding her a good day. He cozies up to Di Feisheng, relieving him of the basket and uses the excuse of steering him through the crowd to hang off his arm so they can convene in low tones. 

“So, A-Fei,” says Li Lianhua lightly. “Do you think this is the Qiankun Wudu Shou 乾坤五毒手 or the Tiangang Xuanwu Zhi 天罡玄武指?”

Di Feisheng strokes his beard thoughtfully. Since his retirement from Jianghu ten years ago, between the travels, the sunsets, and the chores to do around Lotus Tower, he's managed to amass quite the collection of esoteric martial arts tomes. Between the two of them, there's not a single technique that can escape their discerning eye, but that doesn't mean that the old fox should be poking his snout where it doesn't belong. If the Emperor ever gets word that Li Lianhua yet lives…well, Di Feisheng doesn't need to remind his husband of how suddenly the quiet life they've managed to lead will come to a juddering halt.

“I'd have to see the bodies myself to know for sure,” Di Feisheng hears himself saying, even though he knows where this is going to lead. 

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Li Lianhua agrees, with a mischievous grin playing about the corners of his mouth. “The yamen is that way,” he says, nudging Di Feisheng to turn right down the next street. 

“Don't worry,” Li Lianhua continues, before Di Feisheng can even open his mouth to voice his concern. “Sun Erniang’s neighbor’s cousin's brother-in-law works there. They won't tattle on us.”

Di Feisheng merely grunts, and lets his husband lead him onto the next mystery. It's only been a week since the last one. He begins to wonder whether they are somehow cursed, or if his husband is just terrible at minding his own business. Perhaps it's a bit of both.

[romchat]

My Journey to You Ep. 1-2, 24 visuals: Portraits of power and masculinity

I'm doing a rewatch of My Journey to You and I just can't get over how well the show introduces its two male leads, Gong Ziyu and Gong Shangjue. In under two minutes, these two scenes brilliantly establish one of the show's core themes around masculinity and power without a word of dialogue.

Ok, so I gasped when the first glimpse we get of Ziyu's character, the protagonist of a wuxia drama, is a delicate shot of his bare feet. He's a nobleman's son in a sect that is revered by the rest of the martial arts world and yet look at what he's (not) wearing: no military regalia, weapons--just a thin robe and his bare feet.

He's also shown napping, sprawled across his seat like a Victorian woman on a fainting couch. And then when he wakes up, we see him staring longingly out of the brothel's window, his face gently cast in the morning light, like a fairy tale princess locked away in a tower.

Visually, the show immediately communicates to us that Ziyu represents a softer, more romantic image of masculinity, which is reinforced over and over again throughout the show with other feminine-coded symbols (e.g., Ziyu playing music, wearing a red couple bracelet, carrying a bunny lantern). He’s not meant to be seen as a strong son ready to lead his sect but as an overly sensitive playboy wasting his time away.

And then we're introduced to Shangjue.

The music thrums menacingly as Shangjue rides into the Gong residence, his uniformed men carrying spoils of war behind him. As he passes through the main gates, we see each guard bowing in respect. All of this fanfare and the solemn blackness of his riding gear signal the important political role he occupies within the Gong family.

(Side Note: Ryan Cheng's side-eye is magnificent and one of the sexiest things to hit Cdramaland in 2023.)

But what I love most about this scene is the use of high and low-angle shots and central framing. At 6'2’’, Zhang Linghe (the actor playing Ziyu) is a giant, and yet the high angle and surplus negative space around him makes his character look small, almost pitiful in comparison to Shangjue.

In contrast, the zoomed-in, low-angle shot for Shangjue communicates his intimidating persona. There’s something ruthless (even kind of malevolent) about his character, and the show tries to convince us of this first impression with repeated use of shadow and animalistic imagery in its early episodes. He embodies the type of masculinity a powerful sect like the Gongs would want representing them in campaigns with the outside world.

From the jump, Ziyu and Shangjue are set up as antagonists, both by how the characters dismiss one another in the script and also by the show's visual storytelling.

Of course, as the show goes on, both characters gradually change their opinion of one another, and this change is mirrored once again in the visual storytelling. Their final scene in Episode 24 is a near reversal of what we saw in their intro scenes (many thanks to @kingsandbastardz for pointing out the costumes!):

Shangjue's hair is up in a ponytail, neck bare, his rich blue robes nipped in at the waist. He's no longer dressed in his villainous black robes and he doesn't look as physically imposing without his signature cloak. He is finally Ziyu's ally. And check out how the camera angle is also reversed, with Shangjue being shot from a high angle so he looks less dangerous--even fragile--while Ziyu is shot from a low angle to look more powerful.

Despite audience expectations about what type of man would make a strong leader, he has officially grown into the role of Sword Wielder.

[bbcphile]

BBCPhile’s Original Content Masterpost

AO3: bbcphile 

Mysterious Lotus Casebook Meta

The Yin Leaves Threat is a Bluff

DFS and the Newlywed Room 

FDB and the Sad Beach Outfit 

MLC and CPTSD Part 1 (DFS & LLH) 

MLC and CPTSD Part 2 (DFS and Emotional Regulation) 

DFS and the Jinyuanmeng robes (+ crying) 

MLC and Neurodivergence

DFS, Autism, and CPTSD (Tumblr convo with kingsandbastardz)

DFS and Waterfalls 

DFS and Lying/Honesty 

DFS and Forced Clothing Changes (Tumblr convo with thesilversun)

DFS, LLH, and Handholding

LLH, Childhood Trauma, and his post-Donghai beach breakdown

LLH, Rebirth, and the Donghai Beach 

LLH and his Choice of Name

Mysterious Lotus Casebook Fic

“What’s Sealed Away” (DFS amnesia fic) 

“Waning Marks and Dawning Realizations” (12th Donghai Battle Anniversary fic)

MLC long fic excerpts 

(mainly from WIP Wednesday (fic not yet on ao3):

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26

(Selected) Horatio Hornblower fics:

Harboured and Encompassed (modern AU, Horatio/Archie/Will) 

Nunc Atque Semper (past Archie/Horatio, present Maria/Horatio. Warning: DKU (Dead Kennedy Universe) 

Taking Hands Against a Sea of Troubles (Archie/Horatio)

[omgpurplefattie]

@momosandlemonsoda @busarewski @lyselkatz @kingsandbastardz

Have a XSY with a sunflower for this beautiful Mayday!