#ning zheng did nothing to you!

[angry-glasses]

Valid reasons to kill someone, according to Tang Mo:

They attacked you first

To get their skill

To get their props (or just one (1) extra rare prop for the ML)

They're annoying

Apparently not valid enough reasons to kill someone:

They're quite literally asking you to???

[presumenothing]

wherefore // 几生轮回

unfinished nirvana in fire fic for @goodintentionswipfest​

(aka the kimi no na wa au that i posted the first part of in 2018 before being once again reminded that i am physically incapable of plot. sections i-iii are complete, rough outline follows afterwards)

i.

When Jingyan wakes up in another body, his first reaction is to be altogether grateful that he’s spent much more time at the borders and generally out of the capital than your average nobility. The slightest breath of unusually chilly morning air is enough to confirm that this is all the way to the border – of Liang and Da Yu, Jingyan suspects, much further north than even he’s ever gone.

(…well actually his first reaction is a flat startled “what”, right before he’d pinched himself to check if he’s still dreaming, but Jingyan figures anyone would’ve done the same anyway.)

The first bell of morning rings outside, and out of long habit Jingyan swings his feet off the bed and makes to rise before he can entirely realise what a terribly bad idea that is.

At least he manages to catch himself with a hasty hand on the bedframe. He’s even less coordinated than he was right after his growth spurt, when Jingyu-gege had kept a very straight face and not laughed at him at all.

That’s when Jingyan sees it: the ring of a silver bracelet around his ar– well, not his arm, but currently-his arm. Whatever.

He runs a light finger over the cool metal surface, over the deep grooves of an emblem that curls like flames and the shallower etch of a name. Lin Shu, it says.

Jingyan stands, properly this time, and goes to peer out the window, wondering if this Lin Shu can afford to take a day off. Whoever he is.

.

As it turns out, the answer to that is a resounding no, because Lin-Shu-whoever-he-is turns out to be the young marshal of this border army, as Jingyan swiftly finds out as he makes his way to morning drills.

Something he probably should’ve noticed right off, really, given the room he’d woken up in. Not large, certainly not by Jinling’s standards, but the noticeable lack of sharing made it a rare luxury in the barracks.

By the time he arrives at the training grounds, navigating purely on long-honed familiarity with army facilities, Jingyan’s already learnt to answer almost automatically to the many cheerful hails of “Young Marshal!” coming from the general outflow of people from the mess hall – many many more people than he’d been expecting, to be honest.

He doesn’t remember the actual numbers like Prince Qi probably does, but from personal experience Jingyan does know Da Liang’s border armies to be fairly impressive on the whole. Yet he’s never even heard of one this large, save perhaps Duke Mu’s army to the south.

It’s unmistakeably Liang’s colours they’re flying, though, alongside the same fiery emblem engraved on his bracelet, so Jingyan decides not to worry about it too much.

Either way it puts paid to his vague ideas of begging illness and staying firmly on the sidelines, though Jingyan finds to his pleasant surprise that this young marshal has trained some fairly competent lieutenants clearly capable of running the drills themselves.

It’s almost reminiscent of mornings in Jing Manor, honestly.

(And it could be worse, Jingyan thinks. “Young Marshal” is just a title, like “Your Highness” is, and after a whole life of answering to one it’s hardly a suffering to be addressed by the other – almost freeing, actually, even if he has to err on the side of caution by being much more taciturn than usual and hoping that the edge of exhaustion from sheer shock shows just enough to excuse him for it.

All said and done, though, Jingyan rather believes he’s done quite the good job of things.

Certainly better than whoever’s now in Jinling has probably managed, but as long as he hasn’t accidentally offended the Emperor or anything.

…Jingyan can only hope.)

–

ii.

This, as Jingyu-gege often says, is why Jingyan should never, ever jump to conclusions about things.

Admittedly this doesn’t backfire so much as it goes completely off the rails of his expectations, trundling like a particularly enthusiastic horse in the opposite direction.

Nothing terrible awaits when he wakes up back in his room the next morning, and a quick inquiry to Zhanying confirms that he definitely hadn’t entered the palace yesterday.

Jingyan breathes a deep if silent sigh of relief.

(A quick check of the outer walls turns up a scuff mark matching his shoe on the roof, so faint as to suggest that it’d only been left because someone obviously hadn’t entirely adjusted to his new height yet.

Fair enough, Jingyan thinks. He’d have done the same last night if he hadn’t been too tired from the sudden cold to sneak out and explore anywhere.

Maybe next time, he catches himself thinking, and pulls a face, because no, none of that.

That jinxes it right away, of course, as he promptly realises the morning after.

Jingyan stifles a shiver in the wintry sun, even colder now after a day in Jinling’s warmth, and thinks – really, Jingyu-gege would have a field day with this.)

.

Possibly the oddest thing about this, thinks Jingyan on the eighth day he wakes up at the border instead of Jinling, is that neither of them have ever thought to question, even once, whether this is really happening.

Or at least Jingyan hasn’t, and if Lin Shu’s wondered about it he hasn’t mentioned it either, at least not in the increasingly copious notes they’re leaving for each other.

They end up making a routine of things without much discussion about it, even though the setup in each of their rooms almost mirrors the other. Jingyan begins to stock more scrolls of paper and sticks of ink at his desk, keeps their correspondence in a hidden drawer within easy reach of his chair.

But Lin Shu apparently fears the cold as little as his relatively thin wardrobe would suggest, because his stationery inevitably is set up at the low table with only a cushion to sit on – admittedly quite a comfortable one, yes, but still unseasonably chilly for the stone floor.

Either way, what had started out as a simple way to update each other on the day’s events devolves into something else altogether, and Jingyan can even pinpoint the moment it happened: when Lin Shu had added also stop wearing my hair down you’re making me look like an idiot as an afterthought on the third entry, followed by oh and don’t eat hazelnuts squashed into too few inches of space.

Jingyan’s learnt enough of medicine from his mother not to take the second part lightly, but the first almost tempts him into putting a flower in Lin Shu’s hair just because.

But only almost.

Then you stop tying my hair all up like that first, he adds to his next summary, it’s giving me a headache.

The palace would give anyone a headache, he finds written almost musingly in the reply margin.

Jingyan rubs at his temple, and finds that he can’t even argue with that, really. So instead he pulls up a fresh sheet of paper and quickly outlines the basics of court etiquette, because the Emperor’s probably going to end up summoning Jingyan while he literally isn’t himself one of these days, if this is going to continue.

He has a feeling it will.

.

It takes Jingyan a whole month of alternating days to admit, not quite grudgingly, that he is rather impressed by the fact that Lin Shu is already the young marshal of such a large army at this age.

In his defense, he’d rather naturally assumed the worst when he first found out that Lin Shu was the son of the commander himself, but that was before seeing the genuine respect rather than mere tolerance he got from every last man in the army, even those thrice either his or Lin Shu’s age.

(It’s the Chiyan Army, Lin Shu writes back, the very turn of each stroke arrow-sharp with irritation. Chiyan! Army! Will you get it right, it’s not just any army!

And I’m literally a prince, Jingyan snipes back in his most practiced handwriting. Also, if you’re insulting my men…

Hardly. Zhanying deserves a pay raise and a better boss, Lin Shu answers, then adds, pointedly, Your Highness.

Probably just so he could use up the last bit of paper.

Jingyan scowls at that last scrawl before pulling out yet another fresh sheet and dipping his brush in ink.

As if he’s going to let anyone have the last word over him quite so easily.)

–

iii.

“I didn’t know you liked archery, Prince Jing-gege,” says Nihuang one afternoon when they’re resting in his manor’s study after an impressive practice bout. The young duchess Mu had gotten quite formidable enough to attract the rapt attention of the entire training field – or she would have, if Zhanying hadn’t promptly barked at all of them to get back to their drills right then.

(It’d almost tempted Jingyan into asking, really, whether Zhanying had noticed anything different about his fighting style on the days when it’d been Lin Shu instead.

Not that Zhanying necessarily knew anything, per se – but from the subtly helpful way in which his general had volunteered information that Lin Shu’s writings occasionally failed to convey, between the carelessly precise updates and snarky comments in the margins… Jingyan rather thought he did suspect something, at least.

Wei Zheng was the same, up north at the border, which was just as well.

Lin Shu doesn’t know how good he has it, really, that the Jing army has closer to seven hundred men than seventy thousand – all of whom apparently assume that their young marshal will recognise them. Which says something fairly impressive about Lin Shu, of course, but still. How fortunate for him.)

Both their fathers have been closed up in Yangju Hall all day long – all the palace servants had been dismissed, and he’d heard that even Xia Jiang and Xie Yu had been summoned in.

Whatever it is they’re discussing must be important indeed, he knows. It’s hardly unusual, for both the Marquis of Ning and the Xuanjing Bureau’s head officer to meet the Emperor, but Jingyan doesn’t think he’s ever seen the Duke of Yunnan even half as stern as when he’d arrived this time, both his children firmly in tow.

Mu Qing had been unabashedly cheerful as always, and easy enough to handle – Aunt Liyang had been more than happy to help. It wasn’t like two more kids running around the house would trouble her much further, anyway, what with Yan Yujin already practically living there half the time.

But Nihuang had declined her offer politely before asking to see the Jing manor’s grounds, which is how she’d ended up here, hands clasped behind her back as she considers the red bow in pride of place on his weapons rack.

At least the sparring earlier had worn away most of the tension in her features, though Jingyan can still see the trace of it in the graceful stiffness of her posture, and wonders silently if she too feels the same thing he does, the slight wrongness in the air.

He shrugs anyway, trying for relaxed. “I got back into practicing it over the past couple months. It’s quite a bit more enjoyable now that I actually have enough strength to draw the string back fully.”

Which is completely true, even if he’d only had reason to discover it because Lin Shu’s weapon of choice is bow and arrow, as Jingyan had found to his utter surprise.

Nothing like muscle memory when the muscles weren’t even yours to begin with – though he supposes that it’s a fair trade, since Lin Shu’s also had to up his own proficiency with swords and spears to match Jingyan’s.

Neither does he mention that he’d only bought this bow on a whim because it reminded him of the one Lin Shu used. A resemblance that the young marshal had swiftly noticed, from the way he’d filled entire swathes of paper with gleeful gloating, only punctuated by a brief note on how he’d restrung it and adjusted the tension to match.

(Jingyan had kindly reminded Lin Shu about the fact that he’d gone and taken one whole day off to go diving for pearls that time the Jing army had been at Donghai, apparently having completely forgotten that he wouldn’t be able to bring the pearl back with him anyway.

The answering blankness had somehow conveyed a very mulish silence nevertheless.

Jingyan had rolled his eyes before writing if you really want it back I can always ask a courier to bring it over, it’ll just take time to reach the border.

And money, came the reply, or do you think I’ve no idea how much it costs to send something from Jinling? Nah, just keep it and go spend that money on food instead, you’re like a stick.

You’re just jealous because I’m taller, Jingyan does not answer, because he can be the better person here, so instead he writes Tried my mother’s hazelnut pastries yet?)

Nihuang gives him an inscrutably knowing look, even though Jingyan’s plenty sure he hasn’t shown any signs of his thoughts. “Maybe you should teach Qing-er then,” she muses as she comes back down to sit at the table. “The way he’d always playing around, I don’t know if he realised that he’s going to take over Father’s position someda– huh.”

Jingyan glances up from where he’s pouring out another glass of cold water, and finds her attention apparently caught by the documents he’d left out on the desk. “What is it?”

At his nod of permission Nihuang lifts a half-familiar paper from the stack, and there’s a brief moment of alarm when he spots Lin Shu’s handwriting, though it fades when he realises it’s not one of their written conversations.

Luckily Nihuang doesn’t notice either way, too intent on reading. “This naval strategy…” she finally says, “it’s just like the one we received some time ago, when Yunnan was under attack by river.”

Jingyan doesn’t need to feign his surprise. “Really?”

Nihuang nods, smiling faintly. “It saved all of our lives.”

“Oh,” Jingyan answers a little dumbly, his mind spinning. All of this is quite real, obviously, everything has convinced him of that, but for some reason it hadn’t struck him how Lin Shu too existed in this same world as him, more than just another body he sometimes woke up in. Rather slow of him, he thinks wryly, Lin Shu would have a laughing fit if he found out.

The specifics of this paper escape him now – it’d been part of some grand point Lin Shu had been trying to make, he thinks, as if they didn’t both know he was just cribbing the strategy from Nie Duo – but Jingyan doesn’t even need to look at the paper to see that familiar handwriting half his own. “Do you know who sent it?”

Nihuang shakes her head, her expression clouding over. “Father refused to tell me who’d sent it, forbade me from even mentioning it to Qing-er.”

And as if everything’s just been waiting for this last piece to fall into place, Jingyan feels the thing niggling at the edge of his consciousness, just out of realisation.

“Jingyan-gege…” Nihuang says, slow and terribly hesitant, “what do you know about the northern b–”

“Your Highness!” comes Qi Meng’s harried shout from outside, and Jingyan has never been more infuriated with any of his men in his life. “Duke Mu is here, he says the Duchess is to go with him immediately!”

Jingyan looks across the table to find his own frown reflected fiercely back at him.

Nihuang rises, looking suddenly older than she is, and says, quietly, “Be careful, Jingyan-gege. I don’t know what’s going on but I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I,” Jingyan says honestly, and doesn’t press her for whatever it was she had been about to ask earlier. He stands to see her out. “You be careful, too.”

Nihuang nods firmly, then she turns and is gone.

(Spoke with Nihuang today, Jingyan writes before going to bed that night. I don’t think you’ve met her yet, she’s the daughter of the Duke of Yunnan.

You know, he finds written beneath it the next time he wakes up in his own room, it’s been a whole year and that’s the first I’ve heard you talk about any lady. And don’t say Xia Dong, she’s just terror manifest.

The raised eyebrow is clearly audible, even via text.

Jingyan snorts, grabbing the brush that sits ready and waiting, as always. Nonsense, he starts, then pauses for a moment before adding I think you’d like her.

He’s looking oddly forward to the reply, whatever it is: which one, and don’t say Xia Dong or even well certainly she’ll like me, all the girls do – though the last of that is nonsense, seeing as there aren’t really any more ladies hanging around the border pass than in Jing Manor.

But he never hears from Lin Shu again.)

–

iv.

Jingyan still finds himself in his room when he wakes up the next day.

And the next, and the next after that.

(On the eighteenth morning in a row he remains stubbornly stuck in Jinling’s oppressive warmth Jingyan punches the wall so hard it almost cracks cleanly in half – or maybe that’s just him.

Zhanying hurries up, voice tinged with ill-concealed worry. “Your Highness?” he says tentatively, except the words themselves feel like a shackle now.

Jingyan leans just slightly against the cool smoothness of the wood, and tells himself to breathe.

“Zhanying,” he says, finally, “what do you know about the northern border army?”

It’s the Chiyan Army, not just any old military! echoes Lin Shu’s voice in his head.

“…not much,” hedges Zhanying, and it clearly isn’t a lie but his eyes are also very wide.

The wrongness from before congeals into an ugly mess, settles decidedly in his heart. It’s the only thing he can be sure of not imagining.

Jingyan suddenly feels very tired indeed. “It’s nothing.”)

–

v.

And then he finds out in the worst way possible: far too late, and all at once.

.

.

.

would have been: jingyan finding out the truth about what’s been happening, which is fairly true to kimi no na wa canon except that it’s everything at meiling instead of a meteor extinction event. in jingyan’s present time he finds the lin manor in absolute disrepair, asks questions of his mother that make both of them sad, and eventually forces a bodyswap to save lin shu and the chiyan army by… using the pearl somehow? and how would he stop this single-handedly anyway? never quite managed to figure either part out. though on his side lin xie is shown to also have realised Something was going on with lin shu (like zhanying realised about jingyan) and even if he doesn’t buy the “hey i’m from the future” shtick, he at least would be willing to hear out someone with a good idea of what’s currently happening in the capital, which helps.

anyway there would’ve been one section where we finally get lin shu’s pov which is when he realises what This Bloody Idiot xiao jingyan is trying to do and curses up a blue streak. from there this could’ve had one of two endings:

a HE where jingyan succeeds, lin shu and the chiyan army survives, and they forget but eventually find each other again (after remembering when jingyan sees lin shu doing archery or vice versa).

or a BE where jingyan doesn’t succeed and we end up right back in the canon timeline, dammit guys. optional extra being that changsu remembers for some reason even though jingyan doesn’t… but sometimes, jingyan can’t help thinking that changsu reminds him of someone. a person he’d forgotten? angst ensues. the end.

[razberryyum]

The Untamed and The Living Dead movie Thoughts

SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you haven’t watched the movie, it’s best not to proceed cuz you will be spoiled.  

OR, if you have already watched the movie and love it completely, AND you stan Yu Bin and will not put up with any criticism about his performance, it’s also best not to proceed cuz you’ll most likely be annoyed/upset with me. Let’s just agree to disagree right now and move on with our separate happy lives.  

Overall Rating for The Living Dead: 3 Lil Apples out of 10

Yeah, I know that’s pretty harsh…I waffled between 3, 4 and 5, but I had to settle on a 3 in the end because I don’t think I’ll ever rewatch this movie and there were just so many problems I had with it, that I realized I can’t say I liked the movie much at all.  

Before I go on, let me first address the big white elephant in the room: no, WangXian does NOT cameo in The Living Dead nor are they even mentioned in any capacity that would assure us they are still together and happy in the movie’s timeline. At one point Wen Ning does mention them in the same sentence, but only in relationship to himself (that they saved him) and the past. For those of us desperate for confirmation of WangXian happily ever afterness in the world of CQL (“us” meaning me only most likely), we get no assurance whatsover. This is especially disappointing since the movie apparently take place years later after the events of The Untamed so it’s really sad that we have no idea if they are together. Of course in the world of the novel, we know they are absolutely together, happily married, everydaying everyday, but it would’ve been nice if we were given some tiny morsel of comfort for WangXian of The Untamed.  

Not only does Lan Zhan not make an appearance, he’s only mentioned by Wen Ning once, as I indicated above. As for Wei Ying, he’s mentioned a few times and he kiiiiinda makes a cameo…but honestly, I wish they didn’t even attempt that cameo cuz it was so bad. It’s basically the backview of some extra dressed as Wei Ying and dubbed over by someone else that’s not Lu Zhixing-laoshi. Or if it is, the dub was so bad that it didn’t even sound like him anymore.

That’s actually one of my main problems with the movie: the dubbing or sound mixing just sucked. Every time there was dialogue it sounded very obviously that it was on a different track. I didn’t even feel like the characters were saying the words because their voices sounded detached from them. Whereas in The Untamed, I sometimes would completely forget that with the exception of Nie Huaisang, everyone’s line reads were performed by voice actor because the voices were blended so well within the scenes. I don’t know the technical terms of all this dubbing stuff so hopefully I’m making some sense.

Another big problem was the CGI. Holy crap was it bad. It was so bad at no point was I able to immerse myself into the action scenes…I didn’t feel anyone was in danger because they were being attacked by a bunch of obvious and bad CGI. One of the worse scenes that they showed THREE times was when the sister (Xiao Qing) being burned up in CGI flames. First of all her acting was horrendous (why was she covering her ears while she’s being burned alive??) and then the fake fire just made me groan out loud. I didn’t even want to look it was so embarrassingly bad.  

I’m trying to figure out when they shot this movie…in order for them to be able to release the movie so soon after the show, the filming had to overlap with The Untamed’s filming, right? So I guess budget was still tight, probably even tighter than the main show, since CQL probably didn’t start actually seeing the money it made from ads, etc until towards the end. Either way, it feels like they didn’t put much money into this movie, especially not the effects. And if I’m going to be honest, I think they probably just had their second…nay…probably third unit direct it. Or at least, they had their third unit decide on some of the casting cuz some of the performances were…OOF. One thing I really appreciated about The Untamed is that even with most of the background actors, there was hardly a glaringly bad performance. I’ve said before the worse really was the actor who played Wen Ruohan, which is a shame cuz he’s more than an extra, but overall all the performances by the supporting characters ranged from decent to strong with hardly a weak link. Here, in this movie, I would say most of the performances from the new cast members were very mediocre. In fact, the only truly consistently good performances from beginning to end was Zheng Fanxing (Sizhui) and that cute little girl in the beginning:

I was kind of sad when she got killed off cuz she was adorable and definitely a MUCH better actor that the dude who played her older brother…at no point was I remotely convinced he was scared so on the other hand I was happy he died. But I thought she was going to burn to death or something because it didn’t seem like a good idea to have her hide in a wooden cupboard with a lite stove…that was so stupid and weird. Btw, what the hell was with that cat screeching sound effect?? Sounded like someone was throwing a cat, but like WHY?  

As for the three new players introduced for this movie—Gao Han as Xiao Yi, Wang Yifei as Xiao Qing and He Longlong as Zhou Zishu—I’ve never seen their work before, and nothing about their performances in this movie makes me interested in what they will do in the future. To be fair, Gao Han tried…you can totally tell he was trying REALLY hard in some of his scenes, but for the most part, he either overacted or strangely enough, underacted. He was just really inconsistent. I know Zhou Zishu was supposed to be a red herring so the fact that he started out looking sketchy AF was supposed to be a ruse since our narrator was entirely untrustworthy, but even in the context of that false narration, he was really bad. As for the sister played by Wang Yifei…just look at her performance as she’s being burned up again.  

By the way, I’m gonna say this now: if Wei Ying and Lan Zhan don’t even get to share a fucking real hug between them throughout the entirety of The Untamed, then I don’t think some generally unimportant-in-the-greater-scheme-of-things couple should be allowed to freaking KISS in anything related to the world of CQL.

I understand it’s all about the censorship, etc etc, but if any hetero couple deserved to share an onscreen kiss, it would’ve been Shijie and Jin Zixuan, and since even they were deprived of that, then these two nobodies should not have been granted this privilege. Seriously, fuck whoever decided to stick that moment in the movie. That’s just fucking unfair and really annoyed me. There better not be any more of that kind of nonsense in the Nie brothers‘ movie.  

The last I’ll say about performances is that sadly, I felt as if there was something off about Yu Bin’s. I totally understand that this is a different Wen Ning than the one we saw in the show—he’s older, more mature, since God knows how many years have passed already—so I don’t mind that he’s more serious. But at the same time, he was just so uneven that I couldn’t get behind his performance at all. He was always one key off, if that makes any sense, so it almost felt like someone else was playing Wen Ning entirely, someone who is completely unfamiliar with that character. And his work in the…whatever fuck that place was…Yin Metal purgatory?? (and for those who are familiar with Guardian, that place was giving me bad flashbacks to Dixing)…was kind of cringey overall.  

I wanted to love seeing Wen Ning be a badass wise uncle, so I actually feel really sad that I couldn’t enjoy his performance in general. However, what I absolutely did enjoy was seeing uncle and nephew bonding and working together…  

…just wish those moments weren’t marred by all that bad CGI.  

Wen Ning’s new look gave me pause though: not that I didn’t appreciate the whole metal look, but I kind of couldn’t figure out why Wen Ning added the chains back to his ensemble when he got rid of them back in The Untamed already.

I mean, if the black veins on his neck don’t attract attention, walking around wearing heavy, clangy chains sure would probably alarm people as well, I think.  

Last thing on Wen Ning: again, not that I didn’t appreciate his newfound ability to hulk out, but yikes, that whole effect was ruined by yet again bad CGI AND a really goofy score. Sounded like something they “borrowed” from Naruto.

Except for that one piece of music, I did like the score for the rest of the movie, especially in the opening credits since it definitely evoked a sense of creepiness. The images in the credits were good too. I can easily imagine that being the OP creds to a horror anthology.  

As for the story, I was fine with it. I liked that they related the family to Nightless City because apparently they are the ones who helped make Nightless City nightless? Here I thought it was the surrounding lava but I guess there were lanterns lighting the place up that I just somehow missed completely.  I liked the plot twist with Xiao Yi and his “sister��…although I did guess there was some incesty thing going on in the beginning…just didn’t think I would be right and wrong at the same time. I thought they would relate their relationship back to Wen Ning and Wen Qing somehow, considering the sisters shared the same name…this was before the “incest” part was confirmed of course…but they never really did so having Wen Qing share the same name as Xiao Qing felt like an oddity in the end. It’s also odd how they used the same phonetically sounding last name of “Xiao” since of course I immediately thought of Xiao Zhan (different characters). Like, couldn’t they come up with completely different names? Overall, the plot wasn’t bad, as mysteries go, at first I couldn’t figure out why the Yin Metal all of a sudden had all these new powers and why the metal wielder, Zhou Zishu, would become a ghost puppet himself, but with the plot twist, all of that was explained so I was fine with it. The last shot of “Xiao Yi” in the Yin Metal purgatory made me guffaw; yeah, that didn’t look suggestive AT ALL. 

The Living Dead actually makes me look forward even more to the next movie, The Fatal Journey. I’m hoping that since it’s potentially about the Nie brother’s past and Jin Guangyao, that perhaps there will be less need for CGI as it will focus more on just dialogue and story-telling. Not to mention, again, apologies to Yu Bin fans, but those three actors are generally stronger performers, so with them at the helm, I’m expecting/hoping for greater things.    

Since I’ve been mostly negative, I wanted to leave on at least one positive note: Sizhui is still an adorable puppy. His dads, wherever they are, whatever they’re doing during the movie, must be so proud of him. 

[zirroxas]

So I Found All the Characters With Unique Backstories

Spent some time rooting around in the files to figure out which characters the game actually gave unique background descriptions to. There’s 94 in total. There’s something around 750 historical characters in the game, but only these comes with unique backstories. 

Some of them are quite hilarious. 

cai mao  -- Competent Sailor  -- "Cai Mao is adept of naval combat, and a budding admiral." cao ang  -- Prince Min  -- "Cao Ang's fate is to one day be prince of the House of Cao, be it in life or in death." cao cao  -- Strategic Mastermind  -- "The wily Cao Cao sees opportunity in the hardships of others, skewing things to his advantage." cao pi  -- Political Animal  -- "In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.""""" cao ren  -- Brave Hunter  -- "The skills of a fearless outdoorsman --horse-riding, archery, and hunting --make Cao Ren a valued battlefield ally." chen gong  -- Master Magistrate  -- "Chen Gong knows that even great men are imperfect, and righteousness is often not immediately obvious." cheng pu  -- Bandit Killer  -- 'The General of the Household Who Defeats Bandits' is living proof that bravery can overcome adversity. dian wei  -- Brute of Unmatched Power  -- "Such prowess! This is old Elai again!""""" dong zhuo  -- Cruel Tyrant  -- "Consumed by his hunger for power, Dong Zhuo's despotism knows no bounds." fa zheng  -- Vindictive Strategist  -- "The intelligent and vengeful Fa Zheng should not be crossed, lest you become the target of his deadly schemes." gan ning  -- Pirate of the Bells  -- "Cao Cao may have Zhang Liao, but I have Gan Ning! Thus we are evenly matched.""""" gao gan  -- Loyal Nephew  -- "Ever the rebel, Gao Gan's true allegiances shall only die when he does." gong du  -- Master of the Land  -- "Far from being just a heartless bandit, Gong Du is a principled soldier of honour." gongsun du  -- the Warlike  -- "In war, Gongsun Du does what is required of him; he revels in bloodshed and conquest." gongsun zan  -- The Iron Fist General  -- "Defence of the frontiers requires more than just the resources of a warlord, but also a merciless attitude." guan yu  -- God of War  -- "A famed warrior and righteous slayer of all who dare oppose him, Guan Yu's deification is already assured." guo jia  -- Astute Advisor  -- Guo Jia is a confidant of unparalleled foresight --to ignore his counsel is to invite failure and defeat. han fu  -- Diligent Agriculturalist  -- "Using his ability to manage food supplies with tireless efficiency, Han Fu is a most valuable logistician." han sui  -- Tireless Insurgent  -- "Insurrection is in Han Sui's blood. To him, subservience cannot be permanent." he man  -- The Most Powerful  -- "I am He Man, the devil who shoots across the sky! Who dares challenge me\?""""" he yi  -- Leader of the People  -- "With unwavering faith, He Yi inspires others to follow in his righteous footsteps." hua xiong  -- Fierce Beast  -- "With a head shaped like a leopard's and ape-like shoulders, Hua Xiong's ferocity is matched by his appearance." huang gai  -- Unreadable Warrior  -- His outward demeanour belies his real allegiances --Huang Gai truly is the very definition of inscrutability. huang shao  -- Wielder of the Heavenly Way  -- "All uprisings, no matter how widespread, stand little chance of success without strong leadership." huang zhong  -- of the Ageless Strength  -- "The venerable Huang Zhong, to whom age is just a number, is frequently underestimated in battle." huang zu  -- Ranged Ambusher  -- "Huang Zu likes to start offensives on the front foot, from a safe distance and out of sight." huangfu song  -- Aged General  -- "In the brutal business of war, there is no better teacher than experience." jia long  -- Short-sighted Peacekeeper  -- "Jia Long may dedicate much time to forethought, yet still lacks caution now and then." jia xu  -- The Blade in the Dark  -- Decisions made in secret can have the deadliest outcomes. jiang wei  -- Budding Commander  -- "Known for being an expert general despite his inexperience, Jiang Wei has a precocious talent for war." kong rong  -- Master Scholar  -- "Kong Rong claims descent from the great Confucius himself, attested to by his remarkable wit and scholarly fame." kong zhou  -- Pure Conversationalist  -- "A master at the art of Qingtan, Kong Zhou utilises discussion and debate as a means of intellectual self-improvement." lady sun  -- The Rising Sun  -- "As surely as the sun rises, the Lady will always endeavour to get her way." li ru  -- Vicious Shadow  -- Behind every despot's schemes is the intellect of a consummate strategist. ling tong  -- Daring Errant  -- "For some men, war is a chance to prove one's self and seek adventure." liu bei  -- Virtuous Idealist  -- "Despite having come from modest beginnings, the blood of ancient Han emperors flows through Liu Bei's veins." liu biao  -- Gentleman of the Han  -- "A man seldom ruffled, Liu Biao demonstrates his aristocratic pedigree through stable officiality." liu dai  -- Generous Attendant  -- "In spite of the harsh realities of palace life, Liu Dai conducts himself according to his nature: with kindness and benevolence." liu xie  -- Former Emperor  -- "While no longer leading their people, they still strive to bring peace to the land." liu yan  -- Opportunistic Ruler  -- "Some men just want to watch the world burn, while others use the opportunities placed before them." liu yao  -- Welcoming Magistrate  -- "Liu Yao appears to be a 'yes' man, but is nevertheless known for his staunch incorruptibility." liu yu  -- Prosperous Trader  -- Liu Yu's rapport with foreigners and minorities has enabled him to amass considerable wealth from trade. liu zhang  -- Proponent of Peace  -- "A timid and suspicious noble, Liu Zhang displays a willingness to avoid war, even if that means surrender." lu bu  -- Warrior Without Equal  -- "With unpredictable loyalty and unsurpassed martial skill, Lü Bu is the most dangerous warrior beneath the heavens." lu fan  -- Go Master  -- Go is not just an abstract game of strategy --it is a measure of one's aptitude in tactical forethought. lu meng  -- Late Scholar  -- "Despite becoming literate late on in his career, Lü Meng has proved himself a most able scholar." lu su  -- Charitable Envoy  -- "Ever the philanthropic diplomat, Lu Su's affluence empowers his charitable nature." lu xun  -- Scholar General  -- "Equal parts brains and brawn, Lu Xun can oversee both civil and military matters." ma chao  -- Most-brilliant Warrior  -- "With a complexion like jade and eyes like shooting stars, Ma Chao is a warrior truly brilliant in appearance." ma dai  -- Fraternal Warrior  -- There are few things more important to Ma Dai than bloodline and family. ma teng  -- Protector of the West  -- "Ma Teng may treat his friends well, but he remains merciless with the Han's enemies." mi zhu  -- Dependable Administrator  -- "In these interesting times of fluctuating allegiances, the steadfast loyalty of Mi Zhu can always be relied upon." pang de  -- White Horse General  -- "Pang De is an unrelenting force, whose avowed enemies know they must face him sooner or later." pang tong  -- Fledgling Phoenix  -- "Having risen from the ashes of obscurity, the 'Crown of Learned Men' is an advisor of the highest esteem." pei yuanshao  -- Virtuous Outrider  -- "Whether in charge of brigands or soldiers, one must lead by example, always riding at the head of the host." shi xie  -- King Shi  -- "With his long and distinguished record of sophisticated service, Shi Xie is destined for stately eminence." sima yi  -- Silver Eminence  -- "If you cannot fight, defend. If you cannot defend, flee. If you cannot flee, surrender. If you cannot surrender, die!""""" sun ce  -- The Little Conqueror  -- "Sun Ce has been likened to the warrior-kings of old, with an aptitude for military leadership that belies his youth." sun jian  -- Tiger of Jiangdong  -- "Claiming ancestry with the renowned military strategist Sun Tzu, the fearless Sun Jian has war flowing through his veins." sun qian  -- Upstanding Loyalist  -- Sun Qian's word is an unwavering bond. sun quan  -- Emerald-eyed Administrator  -- "Striking looks and a sturdy frame betokens Sun Quan's great nobility, heroism and longevity." taishi ci  -- of Exceptional Dexterity  -- "From horse-riding to archery, Taishi Ci excels in all manner of physical pursuits." tao qian  -- of the Sincere Jurisdiction  -- "Tao Qian may be a highly influential and ambitious figure, but expansionism is not on his personal agenda." wang lang  -- Ardent Educator  -- "A keen imparter of knowledge, even when it is neither wanted nor welcome." wang xiu  -- The Righteous Hero  -- "Never can it be said that Wang Xiu was ever disloyal, dishonourable or unwilling to come to the aid of those he serves." wei yan  -- Disobedient Tiger  -- "For the distrustful Wei Yan, a violent betrayal always simmers below the surface." wen chou  -- Fierce Firebrand  -- "If only Wen Chou were here, I'd have nothing to fear!""""" xiahou dun  -- Hotheaded Officer  -- Those who know Xiahou Dun know not to get on his bad side. xiahou dun 2  -- The One-eyed Exile  -- "You really don't want to know what he did with his eye after losing it to that arrow...""""" xiahou yuan  -- Maker of Ways  -- "When it comes to military logistics, where there's a will, Xiahou Yuan has a way." xu chu  -- Tiger Fool  -- "Xu Chu is a man of simple thoughts and principles, but an impressive warrior who fights with a bestial rage." xu huang  -- Guardian of the Gates  -- "When assigned to guardianship, Xu Huang is an immovable sentinel, requiring a tremendous effort to bypass." xu shu  -- Disguised Diplomat  -- "His body may be in one place, but his heart is in quite another." xun you  -- Gentleman Attendant  -- "A member of the learned scholar-gentry, Xun You is a profound thinker of great insight." xun yu  -- Hegemon's Aide  -- "Here comes my Zifang!""""" yan liang  -- Valiant Vanguard  -- "A foremost general of considerable military prowess, the gutsy Yan Liang is unmatched among ordinary warriors." yu jin  -- Enforcer of the Law  -- "As an imperious, by-the-book disciplinarian, Yu Jin rules his subordinates with fear and drilled-in obedience." yuan shao  -- Preeminent Commander  -- "Yuan Shao's astuteness, dignity and arrogance are the mark of his ancestors, many of whom served emperors past." yuan shu  -- Ambitious Powermonger  -- Yuan Shu is an ambitious but overconfident individual --time will tell whether such qualities shall trip him or aid his desires. yue jin  -- The Lion of Yangping  -- "What Yue Jin lacks in stature he makes up for in fierceness, fearlessness, and deadliness with his bow." zhang chao  -- Flowing Calligrapher  -- Such graceful skills with ink and brush are the mark a man of great education and scholarly puissance. zhang fei  -- Drunken Brawler  -- "Hold my wine...""""" zhang he  -- Courageous General  -- Zhang He's fearlessness enables him to retain his composure when having to adapt to unfavourable situations. zhang kai  -- Slayer of Tyrants  -- "The unjust rulers of the old regime shall perish.""""" zhang liao  -- The Heavenly Dragon General  -- "The model of professionalism and organisation, Zhang Liao has heavenly leadership skills." zhang lu  -- Celestial Master  -- "Just as water penetrates mountains, Zhang Lu always seeks to overcome hardness by his own accord." zhang yan  -- King of Black Mountain  -- "With his scores of followers, the bandit leader known as 'Flying Swallow' wields the influence of a king." zhang yang  -- Ignored Warlord  -- What is the fate of he who is forsaken and unjustly distrusted by his fellow warlords\? Only heaven knows. zhao yun  -- Light in the Dark  -- "In the darkest times of war, the auras of the most resplendent warriors gleam brightest." zheng jiang  -- Bandit Queen  -- "Hell-bent on plunder, Zheng Jiang goes to unspeakable lengths to obtain her loot." zhou tai  -- Man of Many Scars  -- "His scar-riddled skin is a canvas of stories, telling of countless bloody battles past." zhou yu  -- Melodic Strategist  -- "If there is a mistake in the tune, Zhou Yu will look up.""""" zhuge jin  -- Bookish Scholar  -- "Having studied history and poetry in years past, Zhuge Jin is a man who appreciates scholarship." zhuge liang  -- Sleeping Dragon  -- "A peerless genius and insightful strategist, there are few situations that Zhuge Liang's astute intellect cannot overcome."

[drivingsideways]

Episode 70

*deep sigh *

It’s clear that FZW by now, has completely lost all trust in NY; or rather she *trusts * him to do all the wrong things. 

OH THE FUCKING IRONY OF THIS, LISTEN TO YOURSELF NING YI, YOU REALLY HAVE BECOME YOUR FATHER. 

Zhiwei’s single minded focus here is to get her people to safety- a stance that Ning Yi finds infuriating. 

I remember the first time I watched this I went DUDE NO DON’T GO THERE DON’T GO THERE DON’T GO THERE

BUT OF COURSE HE WENT THERE

ME: *GASP * DUDE YOU DID NOT YOU DID NOT 

Oh Zhiwei. But here’s the thing- in the end, this simplifies things for her? Like, he’s just another man, who thinks he can take what he wants from her, just another man who’s reducing her to her body, and that? that is nothing that she can’t trade for the sake of her people, whom she OWES. 

Ning Yi YOU FUCKED UP

SO BADLY I CAN’T EVEN. 

me: take it back, take it back, jesus have you lost your fucking mind

Zhiwei starts disrobing: the equivalent of a slap to his face, and you can see he FEELS it. 

“Why?” he asks

He’s so angry, he pushes her to the bed- DUDE DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU FUCKING IDIOT

MORAL: WE ALL TURN INTO OUR PARENTS

me: * bangs head on desk *

They cut to that scene where Wei Zhi and Ning Yi had a conversation about how society needs to change (disregard status and connections) 

what a fucking tragic call back, my heart is in pieces. 

Again, I’m fairly sure a scene cut here ruined some of this: it feels Zhiwei would have something to say here?  because the next scene is a jump cut to them sitting together on the bed and she’s all soft and sad and tragic

He also reiterates his wish for peace and prosperity for Tiansheng, and the right to life and dignity for all people-

but it’s tragic that she calls him “Your Majesty”, and not Ning Yi, and his response, heartfelt as it is, is also from that perspective. And so no matter that he is tender and emotional (”I want all your lifetimes”), the man next to her is The Emperor, not just the man she is in love with; and she is the Princess of Dacheng, not just Feng Zhiwei. 

OOOOPS. 

Yep boy, you’re always going to be the Emperor, even in the bedroom, there’s no escaping it. 

Ning Yi tells her that he’ll have proof for her in three days time, and asks whether she will be willing to become his Empress if she is satisfied after that. 

The contrast to the first proposal he had made, way back in Minhai, could not be more stark. This is an Emperor negotiating, never mind that he is still desperately in love with her; but love and possession and power are too mixed up now, and he doesn’t know how to untangle it. Neither of them does. 

Later, she comes to the former residence of the Prince of Chu

ARGGHHHHH THESE TWO ARE SO GREAT IN THIS SCENE,and i love how this is set in this room, with the masks, and how Ning Yi swings between being just himself and being The Emperor (even when he clearly doesn’t want to)

When he takes a step toward her, she steps back! 

Me: OH NO, OH NO. THIS IS TOO PAINFUL TO WATCH. 

AND SO HE STEPS BACK TOO.

I’m just going to be wailing for the rest of the time. 

Yueling is brought out (by Gu Nanyi, which, what?? NO EXPLANATION FORTHCOMING) - but Zhiwei can only remember her brother’s telling her that he loved Yueling and that she must trust her. Turns out that *Yueling * stabbed Helian Zheng to death. 

me: *rolling eyes * This show is so transparent in its attempts to make NY a “hero” despite all the awful things he’s done. Like the whole Helian Zheng thing is twisted in a most unfuckingbelievable way to make it that NY *didn’t * kill HZ. Outrageously bad writing there, I can’t even.

Yueling’s anger spills over

(Note the similarities to what happened with Zhu Yin)

Feng Zhiwei tells her that she is willing to lose her life to make sure Yueling is safe, but she must give up her plan to destroy the Ning family.

Ning Yi interrupts to say, she doesn’t want you dead, she wants you and me to turn against each other, she wants Tiansheng to destroy Dacheng so that you and I can never go back, and he vows that he will not let that happen. 

She brings up Ya Le, Lady Wang and Helian Zheng’s deaths, blaming the both of them for it. You both have so much blood on your hands, she says.

She confesses to killing Ning Shizheng, but Ning Yi doesn’t let Ning Cheng immediately kill her, he orders that she be taken to the Ministry of Justice to await trial.

Alone together, Ning Yi tells her that the truth is hard to bear, and that sometimes it is best not to know. 

Meanwhile, Ning Ji tries to convince Ning Qi to turn himself in. There’s a jump cut, so we’re not clear whether his argument actually works, but the next scene is that Ning Qi goes to the Prince of Chu’s residence to meet Ning Yi. They face off against each other, and then DUN-DUN-DUN-

Ning Shizheng is ALIVE! 

Honestly, on the first watch, this PLOT TWIST shocked me, but I still find it kind of ...unnecessary? 

Ning Qi and Ning Shizheng have a confrontation, with Ning Qi clinging to the edict , like, at the end of the day, it’s the only concrete sign he has that his father may, possibly, once, have loved him. GAH. FUCKING TERRIBLE. :’(

Again, really weird scene cuts- when Ning Qi comes in, there’s only Ning Cheng and Ning Yi in the room. When the Emperor comes in, he’s accompanied by Official Zhao and Yujin. After the flashback to the night of the coup, we come back to the room- and suddenly we have Xin Ziyan and Ning Ji in the room- WHAT???? 

Me: *tearing out my hair *  WHY DID THIS SHOW GO AND RUIN BASIC STUFF LIKE SCENE CONTINUITY IN THE LAST STRETCH

Ning Qi demands that Ning Yi be punished for killing Lady Wang, and finally, finally, Xin Ziyan admits that he was the one. 

Oh Ning Yi. What were you planning to do, if Ziyan hadn’t admitted it? (Luckily we don’t have to find out, because I’m sure it would have been something terrible)

The revelation of the miscarriage shocks Ning Qi- “Child?” he keeps saying, “child?”. 

Because this entire fiasco is really about their totally fucked up father, and his inability to be a good parent. 

Ning Qi stabs himself with the hand with his hair pin

the answer to that is pretty much, NOPE. 

Have you not been paying attention, Ning Qi? 

God, Ning Shizheng needs to DIE. 

In the end Ning Qi is taken away to Zongzheng Temple, completely unhinged. 

It’s a very distressing scene, and everyone there is deeply affected by it, and you can see the mix of pity and revulsion on their faces, except the Emperor, who, having survived a murder attempt is probably still bitter about having to give up the throne...ugh. 

After Ning Shizheng leaves, Ziyan and Ning Yi are left together.

Ziyan finally comes clean, and also, it seems, finally recognizes Ning Yi’s right to the throne

but Ning Yi has already lost too much, too many people

Ning Yi is too wearied by the losses already, and chooses to let Ziyan go free (or at least that’s the implication) p.s I had to look up what the “Ten Abominations” mentioned in the oath Ning Yi takes as the Emperor were i.e. which crimes did not come under the general amnesty he announces on his ascension and ha, consequently the “Eight Deliberations” i.e. which crimes may be forgiven and for what reason- and I suppose Ziyan could be forgiven on several of those counts, legally and ethically as per the conventions of that time, but honestly, in this case, it really is that Ning Yi cannot bear to lose his friend (though, in a certain sense, the distance between Ziyan and The Emperor will now always remain, as we see below)

HANDHOLDING! OH NO, KILL ME NOW. 

Ziyan takes a step back- leaving Ning Yi’s hand empty (me: :’(( 

oh no

:’((

Somebody rescue my sad murder bae from his lonely fate :’((

Meanwhile, Feng Zhiwei finally confronts Ning Shizheng

area man is shocked by local news at 10

Sigh. Her fight to exist as her own person, to get to choose whom she wants to be during this story has been even more intense than Ning Yi’s, actually. Being a woman in a patriarchal, misogynist world has meant that she’s had to fight every step for her freedom. It is only Qiu Mingying (another woman) who finally says “let her be whoever she wants to be”. 

She confronts him about the deaths of her mother and brother

me, whispering softly: oh no oh no oh no

me: * lies down on the ground *

Literally every man in her life has tried to force her to being the shape that they want or need her to be, and expected her to follow, and like in this case, be grateful for it. Whether that was Master Zong (her first teacher), or Ning Yi (her lover) or Zhangsun Hong (her brother). 

THAT’S RIGHT GIRL

But Ning Shizheng is more than a match for her, a man who knows exactly how to wield a knife and how deep it will go. He asks her whether Ning Yi has asked her to be the Empress, whether she thinks that will turn out well. Your identity as Dacheng’s heir will be a thorn in his side, he says. and it will turn to bitterness and resentment. 

look at her face, oh no oh no 

me: *gasp *

OH THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION. IS HE, IS HE? 

I’ll be honest: I don’t know, and I think Feng Zhiwei doesn’t know either, and that’s not a good enough answer. 

and then the MOST TERRIBLE SCENE OF ALL

GOD HE CAN’T EVEN LOOK HER IN THE EYE FOR LONG AS HE ASKS WHETHER SHE WILL HONOUR THEIR PROMISE

She asks for three days

me: Zhiwei, Zhiwei, wait, wait , wait , think about it, take a year off, take two years off *whimpering *

me: *wailing * GO AFTER HER YOU STUPID MAN GO AFTER HER YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN SHE’S ACTING HOW MANY TIMES HAS SHE DONE IT IN FRONT OF YOU 

Zhiwei goes off to settle things so that the remnants of Dacheng can be safe in Minhai. Honestly, Yan Huaishi is the only valid person in this entire clusterfuck, fight me. 

After they leave, she says

Zhiwei, retain some of that hope for yourself, gdi.

Nanyi renews his vow to go where she goes. 

This is the part I really don’t get- would she really do that to him? Leave him alone in the world? I can’t believe it :’( 

I would have absolutely accepted an ending where she takes him and they leave? Like, if anyone can swing that, it would be her. 

But I think this is where the weight of everything that has happened to her, the seeming inevitability of it, seems to have finally broken her. 

And so, like Ning Shizheng had predicted, it is a harsh winter. 

So look- I said earlier that on the rewatch, I could see that they were telling  a different story than what I had first imagined: that the central conflict is not between individuals but between individuals and Fate, and the writers come down on the side of “Fate” winning, all the time. 

With that in mind, I suppose, you can see her suicide as a last act of resistance- “you are free” says Ning Yi to her, in his last soliloquy. She escapes her “Fate” through death; but he remains alive and bound to it. Theoretically, I can see how that works? 

But on another level, I still can’t accept it specifically because she’s a woman, and how they wrote that story.  While Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei have parallel arcs about identity and finding their place in the world, and fighting Fate for their freedom, only one of those two arcs ends in death.

 Her anger- which we are only allowed to see in flashes, and always, is almost just as quickly, undermined- especially, especially at the end, when it is turned at the “hero” of the story. Her anger is transmuted in the writing to despair and sorrow. I was reading a Leslie Jamison quote the other day that hit me so hard, because I was watching this at the same time. A woman’s anger is not seen as “manageable”, we would rather see her sad, than angry. A corollary to that is that the anger and sorrow must be- has to be- turned inward, upon herself than outward. Men, on the other hand- well, we know how that goes. And that’s why, at the end of the day, Ning Yi’s sorrow can be (hypothetically) turned into a vision of a utopian empire; his anger and power seeking (morally justified in the writing, over and over, because of the terrible things that happen to him, upto and including the fact that Zhiwei leaves him behind in the end) can be rewarded, in some way; not that he’s not tragic, like sure, there’s the whole metaphorical sacrificing of himself (Liulang) for the man he is destined to be- it’s that he’s left alive. With life, there is always possibility. Besides, being a man, HE HAS THINGS TO DO LIKE RUNNING THE WORLD. NATURALLY. So Ning Yi is left with possibility, and a final breakng-the-fourth-wall-look-into-the-camera-as he promises to Fulfill his Mission- while Feng Zhiwei- no, she’s not allowed that, she can only throw herself off a cliff (and float through the air, as though someone ending their life because they can’t see their way forward is beautiful.) 

Well, anyways, that ends that. 

This has been...fun? ahahahahaha, NO IT HAS NOT. 

THIS SHOW HAS RUINED MY LIFE. 

[bookofjin]

Biography of Li Xi

[From JS041]

Li Xi, courtesy name Jihe, was a native of Tongdi in Shangdang. His father Quan was Han's Grand Herald. Xi as young was lofty in his actions, was broadly studied and [could] sift through to the essence. He and Guan Ning of Beihai were summoned as Virtuous and Good, but did not act. He amassed nominations from the Three Offices, but did not go. Emperor Xuan again nominated Xi to be on the staff of the Grand Tutor. He firmly declined due to illness, the commandery and county supported him with a carriage to send him up the road. At the time Xi's mother was gravely ill. He therefore stealthily went over to Xuanshi city and came back on foot. Thereupon he encountered the mourning of his mother, opinion praised his aspiration to steadfastness.

Later he became Bing province's Attendant Officer. At the time the General of Valiant Cavalry, Qin Lang, was stopping by in Bing province., the province general Bi Gui respected him. He ordered to drive the chariot to reach the passageway [?]. Xi firmly remonstrated that it could be done. Gui did not manage in the end to follow it.

When Emperor Jing assisted the government, he instructed Xi to be Assistant Officer Palace Gentleman to the Great General. When Xi came, he pulled him in for an audience, speaking to Xi, he said:

Earlier, the Former Excellency nominated the Lord, yet Lord did not obey. Now This Orphan instructs the Lord, and the Lord arrives. Why?

He replied, saying:

The Former Lord used the rites to be seen to be waiting on, [so] Xi managed to use the rites to advance and withdraw. Your Enlightened Excellency uses the law to be seen to be guiding, [so] Xi feared the law and arrived.

The Emperor considerably esteemed him. He moved to Marshal, and was employed and designated Senior Clerk of the Right. He accompanied on punishing Guanqiu Jian and the return, and was transferred to Imperial Clerk Palace Assistant. He was a responsible official with a proper countenance, he did not dread the strong and powerful. The hundred companions shook in respect for him. He recommended Sun Pu of Le'an, likewise considered to be a display of the Way and the Virtue. At the time people considered him to be a perceptive person. He was employed and moved to Grand Marshal [!?], due to dismissal of Excellency affairs [?].

When Sima Zhou was General who Soothes the North, headquartered at Ye, he used Xi as Army Minister. Soon after, he filled the vacancy of Inspector of Liang province, concurrently General who Spreads Power, Acting with the Tally, acting as Colonel who Protects the Qiang. He appeased and controlled the Hua and the Yi, and had considerable renown and achievements.

Qiang miscreants trespassed the frontier, Xi because of them interrupting the assembly places. He did not when learnt the news [?], but always considered when it was the convenient and proper to set out and enter deeply. Thereupon he greatly overcame and captured [them]. Due to his merits being heavy, he avoided reprimand. At the time people compared him to the Han court's Feng and Gan. And so he requested to return. Permitted it.

He stayed with the family for the remainder of the month, [and then] was designated Inspector of Ji province. He amassed to move to Colonel Minister of Retainers. When the Wei Emperor announced the abdication to Jin, Xi used his original office to act on the affairs of the Minister over the Masses, and assisted the Grand Commandant, Zheng Chong [JS033] in attending on planning. At the beginning of Taishi [265 – 274], he was enfeoffed Marquis of Qi.

Xi sent up words:

Formerly when they were established and advanced, the Prefect Liu You, the Forward Master of Writing, Shan Tao [JS043], Wang Mu of Zhongshan [?], and the former Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, Wu Gai, each occupied official [land] three or more rice fields. [I] request to dismiss Tao, Mu and others from office. Gai is already deceased. [I] request to demote his posthumous title.

A decree said:

The law, Under Heaven accepts as proper, and does not excuse the close and valued. As such to later act and that is all, why would I want to indulge in its intervals! [?] As such to table this affair all thus made by friends, encroaching upon and peeling off of the hundred families, thereby preposterously confusing the court gentlemen. Perfidious magistrates therefore dared to do this, thus examine at last friends to thereby punish pernicious flattery. Tao and others did not twice do their transgressions [?], all never were inquired into.

The Changes assess: “A King's subject who is rough and ragged, has no intentions for his own person.” Now Xi has excessive aspirations to be impartial, must be an official and act, he can be said to be one who is “the nation's upright minister” [an expression from the Poetry]. Guangwu had a saying: “The valued relatives [should] furthermore draws back [their] hands to thereby avoid the Two Bao”. [Bao Yong and Bao were two officials noted for their strictness.] Is it so with him? His repeated counsel to the crowd of companions, always cautiously directing, the kindness of broad pardons, cannot be counted [?].

Xi had been Minister of Retainers for two eras, court and countryside spoke of him. Due to the public affair he was dismissed [?].

Next year, the August Heir-Apparent was established [in 267], used Xi as Grand Tutor to the Heir-Apparent. From Emperor Ming of Wei and afterwards, for a long time it had been empty in the Eastern Palace, the authorities had ruled to abolish the palace, the officials and ministers had not been drawn up. The offices of Household Officer, Leaders of the Left and Right, Cadets and Palace Retainers had all not yet been set up. There had only been set up a Leader of the Guard to order and direct the troops, the two Tutors also administered the multitude affairs.

[There had not been a proper Heir in Wei after Cao Pi was succeeded by his son and Heir Cao Rui in 226.]

Xi held the rank for a number of years, teaching the Way and exhausting his counsels. He moved to Supervisor of the Masters of Writing. He was designated Specially Advanced and Brilliantly Blessed Grandee. Due to his advanced age he yielded the position. A decree said:

The Brilliantly Blessed Grandee and Specially Advanced, Li Xi with cane and virtue has served righteously, and has climbed to be an eminent minister. He has assisted brilliantly Our Person, and accordingly for venerable years has come to serve in government. Only leisurely and carefree doing nothing, can be considered to nourish the godly, but the expectations of an empty heart, being able to not be regretful.

Thus take the title of the Brilliantly Blessed, and change to Acting with Gold and Purple, set up 10 official cavalry, bestow 500 000 cash, favourably bestow distributing the rites [?], one like the Three Ministers, at the gates grant to move with horse.

Earlier, at the time when Xi was Supervisor, the miscreants of Liang province robbed the border. Xi spoke up first to righteously dispatch an army to punish them. The court gentlemen said that sending out an army was not easy, and the miscreants were insufficient to be worrisome. In the end [the court] did not follow him. Later the miscreants as a result greatly indulged and let loose. Liang province was turned over and lost. The Imperial Court deeply regretted it.

Since Xi was pure and simple, poor and frugal, bestowed 100 bolts of tabby silk. When the King of Qi, You, set out to quell, Xi sent up a missive to remonstrate and dispute, the language considerably sincere and cutting. Xi from his successive service, though his purity from wrongdoing [?] was different from the common man, yet his house had nothing stored and amassed up. When his relatives, old acquaintances and friends therefore arrived [they?] divided the garments and ate together [?]. He not once privately used public property. When he passed on, he was posthumously bestowed Grand Guardian, his posthumous title Completing [cheng]. His son Zan inherited.

His younger son Jian, courtesy name Zhongyue, was successively General who Amasses Crossows of the Left and Colonel of Garrison Cavalry. Jian's son Hong, courtesy name Shiyan, as young was pure and moderate. At the end of Yongjia [307 – 313], he was successively Attendant Gentleman Serving within the Yellow Gates and Cavalier in Regular Attendance.

[xiahoumiaocai]

Letter to my critics (stance on fiction/game vs historical)

Not so much here on Tumblr, but on other sites (koei warriors forums - how little I miss you) I've been labelled as a hypocrite for my stance on history vs fiction.

They tend to point out that I often adamantly press for historical accuracy in some of my posts yet also suggest that in the games certain characters should be shown doing things that they only did in the novel or that Koei should invent for the characters.

Look, one thing you need to know about me is that I am a fan of the games. A very critical fan, but one of those types who hold the franchise closely enough to my heart to never truly abandon it despite its faults. And I am entirely aware that the game is a fictional interpretation of historical events. Therefore I accept that Koei want to put their own stamp on the era. Of course.

When it comes to promoting fictional events in the games, I follow a guideline.

It must further a story - it must give us something that can’t be given as well by excluding it

If the fictional event serves no purpose in the story, it isn't needed. I define this as something like a fictionalised battle or a character death scene which isn’t historically accurate. Think battles like Xuchang (DW6 did it best). Sun Ce never invaded Xuchang or died in that battle, but it's a great way to end his chapter to the story, much preferable to the Gan Ji bs. It also sets up Sun Quan's motivation to focus primarily on preserving his territory instead of aiming to conquer all of China.

An example of where it didn’t further the story is the inclusion of the Nanman stage in DW5 featuring Wu, or the Nanman stage against the Yellow Turbans. They were added to give the Nanmans screen time, but it didn’t help the story in anyway. To the contrary, Meng Huo’s unification of the different tribes was something that helped the story and gave us some insight into how Koei intends to interpret tribal culture.

It must further the character development of as many of the characters involved

This worked well with independent character stories. Cao Cao, Ling Tong and Sima Yi's were the best written stories in DW6, in my opinion, and they were all riddled with fictional events, especially Sima Yi's. It developed all of the characters involved in the story very well. For a kingdom story example, think Cao Cao's attempted assassination of Dong Zhuo, or the manner of the deaths of Cao Mao and Zhuge Dan. They never receive their exact historical deaths at the hands of their actual killers, Cheng Ji and Hu Fen, but the way it is handled helps the character development of Sima Zhao, Jia Chong and even Zhuge Dan himself.

It must be rooted in logic / not clash with historical basis

This goes mainly for character interaction. Most of the characters who interact in the games scarcely ever met or worked together and certainly weren't close. But it's logical to have characters who fought in the same campaigns to have some emotional connection to one another. Historically, a lot of figures wouldn't have personally met even when participating in the same campaigns because they played their own role in different locations. They may have interacted in letters, but not closely, just to communicate battle plans. Also battles that didn't have characters participate historically who were involved in the games. Especially battles like Yiling, where Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, Zhang Bao, Gan Ning and Ling Tong get thrown in even though four of the aforementioned characters were already dead, and the other two were absent entirely. It makes sense for all of these characters to play a role, and adds to the intensity that the battle is supposed to represent.

A counterexample of something that wasn't logical was Zuo Ci's role in DW5's story, or if they had Xiahou Yuan or Xu Shu appear at Fancheng. Or characters serving their lords well before the characters joined their lords. DW4 was guilty of this, but their story mode style made it somewhat forgivable. But imagine having a character play a role that they simply do not belong in. Zhao Yun serving Yuan Shao in DW5 is a good example. It added nothing to his character or to Yuan Shao’s, it just gave him screen time. Dian Wei surviving his death in DW5 is another example? His death gives his character’s presence meaning and develops Cao Cao and Jia Xu. If he survives, it takes these things away. It’s a reason why I disliked many of the what-if stages in DW8. No to Sun Jian and Sun Ce surviving their deaths but still surrendering power to Sun Quan, who is evidently less successful than they are. They have no valid reason to set him up for leadership, especially Sun Jian who has no idea his sons will become established warlords in their own right.

If a character is given fictional merits, they cannot take away from the historical merits of another character

Yes, Guan Yu I’m looking at you. Zhuge Liang, you too. Zhou Yu and Lu Xun, you are both sitting in my peripheral. Guan Yu killing Hua Xiong over Sun Jian is never going to be something I support. Chibi is often guilty of this. Zhuge Liang gets credit for the winds, fine whatever, but sometimes he pushes Zhou Yu to realising fire would work. No. When Zhuge Liang takes game for any other characters' merits. No. Zhou Yu and Lu Xun are often credited with developing the strategies for all of early Wu or all of late Wu. With Zhou Yu, you can make allowances until Lu Fan becomes playable. With Lu Xun, you can sort of make allowances but now that Zhu Ran is playable, far less so. 

An example of fictional merits given done right? Characters who kill other characters they didn’t kill in a battle where the killed character was killed by a current NPC or died of illness (in cases where an in-battle death would serve them better). So Jia Chong or Sima Zhao killing Zhuge Dan and Cao Mao. Jiang Wei killing Guo Huai. Xiahou Yuan killing Fa Zheng in his last breath. Zhang Liao killing Taishi Ci. Gan Ning’s death at Yiling. Or characters who are in command of battles where the commander was an NPC. For example, Zhou Yu taking solitary command instead of Cheng Pu at Chibi, or taking Lu Fan’s role in the foundation of the warlord state.

So there.

When we are discussing the game, I might suggest a minimal few fictional battles, or small events to be turned into fictionalised battles/stages. I might suggest fictional character development and motives that bring out the story, I might suggest fictional character relations to be portrayed and followed, like a friendship between Liu Feng with Guan Ping and Zhang Xingcai. I might suggest a horizon of fictional things for the game to use for the furtherance of the story.

Talking about history is another thing altogether. I press for historical accuracy, not in regards to conversations about the games (although let it be noted that I would rather see an almost perfectly historical accurate game but I know not to expect it) but in regards to conversations about the history. I’m avid - perhaps too much - about the history. I will point out whenever someone attempts to justify a character’s inclusion by using their role in the novels to show that they are worthwhile additions. Sure, you can use the novels as your basis for the justification of that character, but don’t tell me that’s what they did historically. Don’t tell me that Liu Bei or Zhuge Liang were some humble, benevolent sages, that Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao were unrivaled and valorous heroes, that Wei Yan deserved to die because he rebelled to join Wei (?) or that Sima Yi had been trying to usurp Wei since he joined Cao Cao’s government (Wei didn’t even exist then). 

Feel free to have your own opinion on the characters, but please don’t tell me what is fictional is historical. Especially when you are adamant you are right in the face of H I S T O R I C A L   E V I D E N C E. Please. Please. It’s the only thing that stings me.

[drivingsideways]

Episode 69

Me: I’m not ready for this, I’m not ready for this

This is a direct call back to what his mother said to him in the end, the talisman she left for him, to tell him to find his “mission” ...although in her vision/hope for him, his “mission” did not involve  sacrificing himself to the throne...

me: *whimpering * let me live 

In (the redecorated) Fengyun Palace, Ning Yi rewards Gu Yan and Ning Cheng by giving them high positions in his administration and orders them to investigate the Huofeng Gang who has been “causing trouble in the capital”. We’re never told what this trouble is i.e. has something gone down AFTER the Emperor’s death/ attempted coup or is this Ning Yi acting on the information he had before about their collusion with Ning Qi? How long after the attempted coup did the coronation take place anyway? Anyways, he orders them to capture the gang members and bring Ning Qi to the palace for trial. 

A note on the redecoration: the beautiful, large tapestry is gone, and replaced by a simpler one (can’t quite make out whether it’s fabric or not). The carpet has more muted colours. While Fengyun under Ning Shizheng was incredibly beautiful but also a little stifling in its grandeur, Ning Yi’s room is simpler, though still elegant and beautiful: I think it goes with what we are used to seeing him surrounded by in his older residence. Also, the Emperor continues to dress in muted brown/ blue/green hues; unlike Ning Shizheng who often wore yellow (apparently a favoured Imperial colour during the Tang dynasty? unless I’m mis- remembering that)

Headmaster Xin has been summoned to the Palace (evidently). 

I can’t even begin to capture Ning Yi’s emotions here- again, absolutely fantastic job by Chen Kun- anticipation, nervousness, but also determined to “play it cool” as befits The Emperor- GOD I DIED A THOUSAND DEATHS IN TWO SECONDS- THESE TWO FUCKING FOOLS- 

because, honestly, ZIYAN IS STILL THE FUCKING WORST, AS WE IMMEDIATELY SEE

HE SPENDS LIKE AN ENTIRE MINUTE INSPECTING THE RENOVATIONS IN THE ROOM INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE GODDAMN FUCKING EMPEROR IN HIS FACE POWER MOVE BUT ALSO YOU’RE A FUCKING DICK ZIYAN AND YOU DON’T DESERVE HIM YOU REALLY DON’T

Like, I can’t get over NY’s expression here, annoyance, amusement and the underlying fondness, and just..like of course Ziyan would do this

And I can’t capture that expression on Ziyan’s face as they finally make eye contact. 

BUT ZIYAN IS DETERMINED TO BE A FUCKING ASSHOLE, HE’S STILL SO ANGRY

And that tips Ning Yi over from a fond exasperation to real anger

SO OF COURSE ZIYAN IS IMMEDIATELY FAKE RESPECTFUL

and Ning Yi seems to accept that he will have to be the one that gives in- he takes a few steps toward Ziyan

aksdjhakdhaskehakhd

JESUS ZIYAN WHAT WILL IT TAKE

Of course, that really annoys Ning Yi (who strides back to the throne and puts distance between them) Why, he asks?

Because there’s chaos in the Capital since you took over, replies Xin Ziyan, and 

me: JESUS H. CHRIST ZIYAN TWIST THAT KNIFE SOME MORE WHY DON’T YOU

SO OF COURSE HE ORDERS HIM-

AND ZIYAN...

God,I hate to admit it, Ziyan is right...as Feng Zhiwei will soon find out...

ARE WE STILL ON THAT? WE’RE STILL ON THAT. 

In response Ning Yi says FINE, IF YOU WANT IT THAT WAY. (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but in this conversation he now switches the pronouns he’s been using for himself, I think- previously he refers to himself as Ning Yi, or in the manner he would when addressing a friend? but now he seems to switch to the “I, The Emperor” mode, and also he calls him by his full name “Xin Ziyan” instead of Ziyan xiōng )

i love how the tone and words is utterly contradicted by his outstretched hand

ZIYAN YOU FUCKING DICK YOU ARE THE BLOODY WORST DON’T HURT MY BAE LIKE THIS both of you have made mistakes, and he deserves an apology from you as well.

HAVE YOU GOT YOUR POUND OF FLESH YET YOU FUCKING DRAMA QUEEN

AND HE STRIDES OFF DRAMATICALLY, LEAVING NING YI ISOLATED 

JESUS THIS SHOW DOES NOT FUCK AROUND. 

Ning Yi has learnt the pain of isolation when stripped of all power, and now that he has it all, he’s learning it all over again. 

AND THAT IS HOW YOU WRITE A TRAGEDY FOLKS

Meanwhile, on hearing that Ning Cheng and the Royal Guards are on their way to arrest him, Zhangsun Hong tells his lieutenant that Feng Zhiwei must be here to witness the cruelty of the Tiansheng Empire- must be there to witness his death. Zhangsun Hong basically wants to ensure that Zhiwei will never forgive Ning Yi, and thus complete his revenge on the Ning family. 

WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH FENG ZHIWEI SINCE THE EMPEROR’S DEATH AND NING YI’S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE. 

WHO KNOWS? 

BECAUSE THE SHOW REFUSES TO TELL US. ARRRRGHHH. 

Anyways, very Dramatically, Feng Zhiwei and Gu Nanyi reach in time to see Zhangsun Hong be killed by Ning Cheng- although Ning Cheng had only wanted to arrest them, but y’know, FATE. 

ER WHAT?

LIKE THIS MAKES NO SENSE. FENG ZHIWEI IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE CLEVEREST PEOPLE IN THE EMPIRE, YOU’RE TELLING ME SHE COULDN’T PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER AND MAKE FOUR? IN ALL THIS TIME????? SHE ALREADY KNEW THAT NING QI AND HE WERE HAND IN GLOVE. AND THAT’S PUTTING ASIDE THE FACT THAT ZHANGSUN HONG LITERALLY TOLD HER ALREADY THAT SHE NEEDN’T KILL NING SHIZHENG BECAUSE HE WOULD INSTEAD. AND THE NEXT THING HE TELLS HER BEFORE HE DIES IS THAT SHE SHOULD TRUST YUELING (WHICH IS THE ONLY REMAINING PART OF THE PUZZLE SHE DIDN’T KNOW.)

LIKE COMPLETELY APPALLING WRITING. I CAN’T EVEN.

There’s a tense moment where Feng Zhiwei almost kills Ning Cheng- but Gu Nanyi stops her. 

Feng Zhiwei is grief stricken, but again repeats “What were you hiding from me?”

THE WOMAN WHO COULD SOLVE THE RIDDLES IN QINGMING ACADEMY CAN’T DO SIMPLE MATH. 

WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK. 

Anyways: Ning Qi is hiding out in the House of Lanxiang, which Yueling has bought out; alone, drunk, slightly insane, clutching the Emperor’s edict. Yueling encourages him to continue opposing Ning Yi, and not even Yijun can bring him back to his senses. 

AGAIN: HE’S LITERALLY A STONE’S THROW AWAY, AND NING CHENG AND THE ROYAL GUARDS CAN’T FIND HIM???? DID THEY NOT INVESTIGATE WHERE YUELING DISAPPEARED TO?

Feng Zhiwei requests Helian Zheng to provide protection to her people, and he agrees. She plans to return with him and the remnant of Dacheng to Jinshi. 

When Helian Zheng informs Ning Yi that he’s leaving, Ning Yi warns him “not to be blinded by love” ie don’t let your wife, the Princess of Dacheng, con you into launching an attack on Tiansheng. Helian Zheng’s answer reveals he has no qualms about NOT listening to the Emperor, and also pretty much warns Ning Yi to stay away from Zhiwei.  Ning Yi is furious, of course, and though he does nothing at that moment, you get the sense that Jinshi is not going to be safe in the near future. 

Yueling sends an anonymous message to Ning Cheng that Helian Zheng is concealing members of the Huofeng Gang in his entourage.

Our two babes meet on their bridge for the last time and have a brittle, poignant conversation where both are in so much pain, but cannot find a way back to each other.

ding ding WRONG ANSWER DUDE

But Ning Yi presses his case, that before they didn’t have the power to stop themselves being separated, but now that he’s Emperor, 

(again, correct me if I’m wrong, but he refers to himself as The Emperor here)

He makes a desperate confession, to stop her from leaving- about how he had gone to Jinshi to see her, but then, when he saw her happy and laughing with Helian Zheng, he lacked the courage to approach her. 

UGHHHHHHHHHH

“What do you want?” he asks, once, twice, thrice but the regret soon turns to anger, in the face of her silence...and she walks away.

but all his power can’t bring her back to him, and he’s left, again, alone. 

“Fate” takes a hand again, as Ning Cheng runs off to apprehend the Huofeng gang that Helian Zheng is escorting to Jinshi. It’s kind of odd that Ning Cheng does this without informing the Emperor- like diplomatic disaster, excuse me- but I suppose if I squint really hard, I can put it down to Ning Cheng’s deep sense of failure and regret that he couldn’t protect or save Ya Le, the person most important to Ning Yi. 

But of course, disaster strikes. 

Helian Zheng’s death leaves a furious Feng Zhiwei 

who breaks the token of their connection to each other

back in the control of The Emperor....who’s equally furious...

and so alone, he’s playing Go with himself (THIS SHOW DOES NOT FUCK AROUND, SERIOUSLY)

Me: this show is only pain, pain and more pain. WHY.