#so i'm having yi city feelings (what else is new)

[krispycreamsicle]

Song-daozhang, sometimes I feel like you educated people are really the worst at cursing. You just repeat the same words. Nothing creative. No killing power. I haven't used those words since I was seven.

[rejectedfables]

While the source material clearly intends Xue Yang to be read as an orphan (perhaps orphaned so young he has no memory of his parents), I think it’s underexplored in fandom that he never ACTUALLY SAYS that his parents DIED, but rather that he was a child without parents. 

"He had neither dad nor mom nor money" (via the official english translation)

I think there's something in here worth exploring about the possibility that Xue Yang was abandoned by his parents. 

Perhaps he remembers one or both of them and/or the event, perhaps he does not but just has a sense of it having happened, perhaps he has no memories of it at all but it still psychologically impacted his development. 

Just about every character in the story can be better understood by looking at how they were raised, and Xue Yang is CERTAINLY not an exception. 

There are myriad ways to interpret his childhood (though none of them stable, safe, or cared for), but I have been thinking a LOT lately about how being abandoned by his parents could have shaped him into who he later became.

His behavior in the Villainous Friends extra (wherein he, seemingly arbitrarily, breaks things and antagonizes people and then specifically challenges Jin Guangyao about paying for damages) COULD be interpreted as acting out in a way that's common for children and teens with a history of abandonment who are testing the waters of just how much their new guardian/s will tolerate. This sort of behavior can be a self fulfilling prophesy as well as an attempt to prove to themselves that their expectations of rejection or punishment are correct.

If Xue Yang has only ever known the world to be a painful place where people reject and abandon him, then that's how he expects the world to continue behaving. If suddenly someone defies this expectation, it is simultaneously a fascinating and wondrous thing, and also a threat to his worldview. After all, if THIS person can be kind and care for him, then why didn't anyone else?

If JGY, who at this point is essentially just his handler, can be unconditionally patient with him... then why couldn't others have been patient with him over much less? And why couldn't his own parents, who had considerably higher responsibility to him, be as patient as JGY?

It's much easier to push and push and push until you break the patience and prove your cynicism correct, than it is to grapple with those painful questions. And after all, Jin Guangyao had an exterior force (Jin Guangshan) requiring him to show patience. And once that force was removed, so was Xue Yang. This, perhaps, felt as much like validation as it did betrayal.

There might be a parallel to be made here, too, about how JGY was and felt betrayed/abandoned by his father. This in common might be something that they bonded over.

And of course, as always, there's Yi City.

Xue Yang expects Xiao Xingchen to abandon him, and his elaborate “revenge” was at least in part in preparation for that anticipated betrayal. He "knows" he will be betrayed and, perhaps unlike what happened with Jin Guangyao, he intends to be ready for it this time. Ready to punish Xiao Xingchen the MOMENT it happens, or ready to convince him not to betray him after all (what is "We're not so different, I'm not uniquely evil, you're ending our life together because you think you're better than me but look! Look! You and I are the same now" if not a deeply misguided and utterly desperate plea?).

At some point he starts hoping it just won't happen, and stops needing the “revenge” plot. When it starts unraveling before him, he tries for understanding first. What is "Hear my story, THEN decide--" if not begging to be understood?

Of course it doesn't work.

Xiao Xingchen doesn't even kill Xue Yang, either; he goes Away. Goes where Xue Yang can't. If Xue Yang is read as having this particular trigger, Xiao Xingchen's suicide may feel like abandonment all over again.

Perhaps Xiao Xingchen NOT killing Xue Yang becomes a parallel to Xue Yang's parents abandoning him to suffer alone instead of keeping him or killing him. Or else maybe Xue Yang's mother DID try to kill him (drown him or left him out in the cold) and he just managed to survive, in which case Xiao Xingchen NOT trying to kill Xue Yang puts him a cut above even Xue Yang's own mother/parents.

Final thought:

While I find Xue Yang's lack of familial connection to the rest of the cast compelling, I also find "what if" scenarios fascinating to explore, and "Xue Yang was abandoned by parents who might still be around during the story" does create some fascinating opportunities for fic.

Such as:

What if Xue Yang was yet another illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan? What if he knew but Jin Guangyao didn't? What if Jin Guangyao knew but Xue Yang didn't? What if Jin Guangshan himself knew? That would really put the insistent protections into a very weird light (is there a heart in there? Or did he think he could string Xue Yang along like he did Jin Guangyao? Or was Xue Yang blackmailing him?)

OR

What if Xue Yang was the illegitimate son of Chang Cian? It certainly puts a spin on that entire scenario. Little Xue Yang has another reason to want to please this man, and a further reason to feel betrayed by the abuse. Chang Cian not even recognizing him. Xue Yang taking revenge on the entire family because they ALL wronged him in a way he can't articulate. Because they got to live the life he could have if he'd been wanted.

Certainly none of this is canon, but it's not TERRIBLY far beyond the bounds of canon either, and makes for some juicy food for fic.

[sonderwrit]

C120: This is enough

I Have to Be a Great Villain - Masterpost

Author's 木火然 Weibo post:

亿哥秦先生祝福大家新年快乐！！！新的一年一起走下去吧！[爱你][爱你][爱你]大家都有什么新年愿望呢～

Brother Yi and Mr. Qin wishes everyone Happy New Year!!! Let's walk towards the new year together! [love you][love you][love you] What kind of New Year's wishes does everyone have~

Qin Xian: Mm.

QX: Come on.

Wang Yi: …..

WY: [Ahh, I hate this feeling]

WY: [Of being overly protected by someone else)]

Y: [I'm not upset because of Luo Wenliu targeting me]

WY: [Or the packet of realgar that Qin Xian gave me.]

QX: Disci…ple?

*nomnom*

WY: [But because I don't want to admit—]

WY: Hahhh—

WY: Finally I feel more clearheaded.

WY: [The fact that I'm gradually falling behind S-0 and Qin's footsteps.]

WY: [I have no idea what they want to do.]

QX: ……

QX: No need for this. Biting me is the same.

WY: It's not the same.

WY: (Although I easily agreed to losing my memories, it doesn't feel good to be the only one who's protected.) [It's like I'm dragging them down.]

WY: Pain is better than drinking blood to clear the head.

QX: …..

QX: (Memories?)

QX: It's a Master's duty to protect the disciple.

WY: Huh?

WY: (What kind of reaction is this? Is that all he wants to say?)

WY: But disciples should respect masters too, right? How can I rely on you all the time.

WY: (I thought he'd question me on my chaotic thoughts.) [I even prepared an excuse in advance.] *rips fabric*

*can barely control himself from leaking any "fatal" intel*

QX: …….

WY: *doesn't treat the wound so the pain can keep him clearheaded*

WY: !

QX: Master isn't sure what disciple's being so stubborn about. Since you don't want Master to ask, then I won't.

QX: However, Yunshan Sect doesn't accept demonic disciples, so you can't return with your current symptoms of demonization. Master will find a way to solve…

WY: Master.

QX: ?

WY: It's fine, you've already helped me a lot. And you've always cared for me and accompanied me.

(FLASHBACK)

Young Wang Yi: Kitty! Kitty!

(END FLASHBACK)

WY: This is enough.

QX: !

QX: What does disciple mean.

WY: Disciple hopes you won't consider my safety. Whether it's cultivation or eliminating demons, just do what you have to do.

QX: ….. I made an agreement with you to study all the contents of that book.

WY: Huh? Don't misunderstand, I'm not leaving you.

WY: That's not what I meant.

WY: It's just that you've been looking after me and staying by my side so long that it's time for you to take a break.

WY: (Haha, I'm so ashamed.)

WY: [I should've figured it out earlier.]

QX: ? It wasn't very long, I'm not tired. [Only over a decade or so.]

WY: To me it's a long time.

#Communication along different frequencies#

WY: [Since there's no way to change the status quo or the people]

WY: So coming up next—

WY: [The only way left—]

WY: It's my turn to chase you.

WY: [Is to change myself, right?]

WY: [I've never been someone impressive.]

WY: [And I've never thought of accomplishing great things.]

WY: [Although my friends did and I accompanied them]

Friend: We're just catching a thief.

Wang Yi: Hello, is this 110?*

*110 is the equivalent to 911 in China

WY: [Since Mr. Qin has rushed to me again and again]

Qin Xian 1: Brother Yi.

Qin Xian 2: City lord.

Qin Xian 3: Wang Yi.

WY: [I too, towards him—]

WY: [Will take this step.]

WY: Urk. *blushes*

WY: In any case, just busy yourself and I'll follow you like death. If I can't catch up, don't worry about it, just treat it as me going out to gain experience, but I'll definitely find you after a year.

WY: (Since the story plot will begin then, I'll need to return to the sect even if it means spending points and using props.)

QX: ….. *Iceberg Sword Saint Trying to Understand Human Emotions.jpg*

WY: (So awkward…)

WY: (I never thought there'd come a day where I pursued someone myself.)

S-0: Host—

WY: (See, I'm even hallucinating S-0's voice.)

S-0: Host—great—

S-0: AhhhHHHHHHH HOST—! GREAT NEWS!!!!

WY: (Damn! It's really him?!)

WY: (BUT QIN XIAN IS STILL HERE!)

WY: Sao Ling! *blocking him from Qin Xian*

QX: ?

QX: (This cat again)

WY: Why did you run out again! Don't you need to hide?

WY: Master, go rest first. This spiritual cat seems to want me for "something unimportant."

QX: ? (High cultivation, heard every single word)

S-0: It's fine it's fine!

S-0: I came to tell Host that the Main System—

S-0: HAS COMPLETELY LEFT!!!!

~𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖑𝖚𝖏𝖆𝖍~

WY: ???

QX: *trying to understand*

S-0: It's not time for the plot yet, so you and Sword Saint Qin don't need to worry about breaking character. [The novel doesn't record what happens in the downtime outside of missions.]

WY: *quietly* No, I don't understand.

WY: Rather, I'm not even sure what you two are playing at, I need an explanation.

S-0: Oh, how to put it.

S-0: It's more or less what you guessed, we put on an act to fool the Main System.

S-0: There was originally a little complication.

S-0: "It" finished inspecting the world and was too lazy to leave because it didn't find any loopholes.

(FLASHBACK: S-0 saying "Yes" to the Main System's declaration that they'd stay.)

S-0: I was almost scared to death and even considered messing with the world itself.

S-0: But then Luo Wenliu showed up.

(FLASHBACK: Qin Xian going "oh" to LWL's dramatic reveals.)

S-0: The Main System inspected him, found a fragment of data related the "Wanted Person" on him, and chased that fragment out of this world. (Lucky~)

WY: ? *Confused #1*

QX: ? *Confused #2*

S-0: Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I explained.

S-0: At any rate, the alarms are clear.

S-0: Before the mission starts one year later, Host can be your own person.

WY: ….hey. (Don't monologue to yourself.)

S-0: All you need to do is:

S-0: One, explain the situation to Sword Saint Qin and help him recover his memories.

S-0: Two, playact as before until you reach the novel ending, and that's it. (That's why I avoided telling Sword Saint Qin about this matter.)

(SCENARIO: Qin Xian going "Unfilial disciple! Master will clean up the sect today!)

WY: ……

WY: Hah…. *headache*

WY: (And I was just preparing to "reverse pursue" him.)

WY: God knows what you two were plotting. I'd thank the Heavens if it went as smoothly as planned.

WY: Master, you've more or less heard about the situation.

WY: May I ask what you're…

WY: Thinking, right now?

---

(look they have matching panels in this chapter hehe)

[dulcesiabits]

honestly as a raging lesbian ptn has me by the neck rn… like ptn does not need to go off as hard as it does in multiple areas and yet it does. like a gacha game has never made me cry before but ptn has managed like twice???

but im so glad you’re enjoying your time with it! have you done any of the interrogations? they’re a lot of fun when you’re not being emotionally sucker punched haha

also speaking of bai yi idk if you’ve heard her annoyed voiceline but why is it so…. also pls send me some luck priscillas literally the only a rank I have yet to get so I am unintentionally separating her from tetra 🥲 and lucky!! Hamels one of the best s rank to have haha she’s so good as a staple in ur team

also ur tags I’m in 100% agreement. genuinely zoya and the chiefs dynamic drives me literally insane why is it so good. like the enemies to ??? to still kind of ??? but leaning towards tentative allies to i would literally fight through hell just to bring you back safely is such a tasty tasty relationship to have

sorry for the rambling! as you can see I have been diagnosed with ptn brain rot

PTN has such an engaging story and there's always so many different things to do so I never feel bored/I'm out of content! The new event is also really fun to play bc I love the minigames and the mystery :3c I just think what makes PTN hit for me is the humanity behind each "sinner," and how sympathetic they feel. Like they are a product of their environment/consequences of a corrupt system rather than just being purely malicious...

I've done most of the interrogations!! Like Roulecca, Pacassi, Wendy, Chelsea, Maria, Sumire... I love Chelsea's because she flirts with you and Sumire's because she's in love with you fr <3 99 and Hela have the cutest dynamic and the way they look out for each other is so!! good!!

Good luck pulling for Priscilla!! A phantom thief is hard to catch </3 Maybe she'll come home if she realizes Tetra is waiting for her... I haven't heard any of Bai Yi's voicelines because I've been trying so hard to pull for her on standard banner TT TT Hamel has carried me so many times tysm queen. Can't wait to play ch7 and 8 learn what's up with her!!

ZOYA AND CHIEF'S DYNAMIC!! I think the fact that chief spent like two/three chapters trying to save Zoya, never giving up on her, and how they both pulled each other out of hell... ohhh my god. You captured it perfectly tbh and I just. Yeah me too chief. f the city, I have to put Zoya over everything else!!

And feel free to ramble lol I love when people share their thoughts <3

[fanonplussed]

thanks @lu-sn for tagging me!

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason.

--

first fic ever published: Settling Down, Settling In

this was Beka Cooper post-canon fic from 2011 and also the only het fic i ever wrote lollll though i then proceeded to publish nothing else for 8 years, i do still have a lot of fondness for this fic, and for the many, many het YA fantasy novels that have shaped the way i read and write

last fic published: a patient kind of guy

actually i lied, there's het in this fic too...specifically comphet, and the explorations thereof (it's a Be My Favorite fic, specifically a Pisaeng character study, nuff said). actually really proud of this one cause i like to think this fic showcases how far i've come in terms of being able to write angst, smut, humour, longing, and complex themes all in one 6k word fic

any fic i wrote for a ship only once: Five Times Wen Qing Writes to Jiang Yanli

huh, turns out i write quite a lot of ships only once, but i'm particularly proud of this femslash fic, firstly because in general there's not enough femslash in the world, and secondly because the MDZS ladies in specific deserved better!! also there's an incredible podfic recorded by some incredible people for it and listening to that was the COOLEST FREAKING THING

favorite fic for ship with most works: Thirty Years of (Someone Else's) Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!

you know what, i loved this ship SO FUCKING MUCH and this was hands down the most joyful cracktastic fic i've ever written and it's all about THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP and yeah, if i could pick one work to remember of everything i wrote for these boys, it would be this one. sigh.

fic i wish more people read: Dad Joke

speaking of joyful cracktastic fics about the magic of friendship lolllll Macau and Chay have so much potential to be INCREDIBLE together as romantic/platonic co-conspirators and i didn't even realise until i finished writing this fic--this legitimately started out with me wanting to have Macau yell "it's a dad joke" about calling Pete 'dad' and then i woke up from my 24 hour writing fugue state with new, inconvenient macauchay feels lol guess the joke is on me (also i sometimes read this fic again and still laugh at my own jokes and i'm v proud of that)

fic i agonized over the most: Starving, Faithful

okay i'm sure i agonised over The Long Road Across The Wilderness - 荒尘渡 too (42k words of yi city boys on a big bang deadline ><) but FUCKING HELL the sheer amount of SCREAMING i did about the vegaspete post-credits scene for Starving Faithful man, and how it didn't ALIGN THEMATICALLY with how i'd conceptualised vegaspete in chapters 1 through 4 with the HUNGER and the OWNERSHIP and i rewrote that ending scene SO many times (with very patient, intelligent handholding from my incredible beta) and in the end just kinda went fuck it and gave up lol tbh i still have no idea if it's as resonant or consistent as i wanted it to be but overall i think i did pretty okay with that fic anyway

fic that sprang fully formed from my mind: Seven Years

444 words of Xue Yang character study that just flowed out in like 10 minutes inspired by this piece of fanart, one of the coolest collab and writing experiences i've had because i'm a plotter so that's basically never happened to me before and has never happened to me again lol (maybe i should actively look for fanart i like to see if inspiration will strike again hmm...)

work i am proud of: all of them. genuinely. i worked hard on every single one of those fics and at least one person has enjoyed reading each one of those fics, and i dunno i just think that's really, really cool. fandom is really pretty special <3<3<3

--

tagging @ghost--houses and @giraffeter

[llycaons]

ep38 (1/3): that which resembles a romance but is in fact a horror short film

lsz is eager to help ofc, but wwx doesn't know who he is yet

wwx asking for jl and the jiang bell matters - his connection to his old home and family. and apparently the jiang bells are powerful? they were more described in the book. I actually forgot they were even in the show since they're barely talked about

THERE SHE IS!!!!!!!! I love a-qing, such a strong personality, her own goals and motivations, curious and intelligent and out for herself and brave. it is shitty to pretend to be disabled, but I'm going to blame the author for that instead of a 16 yr old orphan girl living on the streets. it's not like it doesn't backfire on her anyway

also she's so funny. 'why do men dress nice when they're poor, this is an attack on me specifically'

FIRST MEETING!!! that blindfold is alarming but the blood looks a little pale (fake)

ohh I could swoon. saints and heroes don't really exist in this world, it's too complicated and brutal for them to survive. but xxc was as close as anyone else ever got and I think a-qing knew she'd never meet someone as special as him again

not to say he doesn't have flaws - his naivete is disastrous for all of them and he overlooks her concerns out of a patronizing dismisiveness when he should be respecting her instincts, which helped her survive all her life on the streets. also, it's admirable of him to be nonjudgemental but xy just has odious vibes and it's a tragedy he was so charmed by him that he didn't pick up on that. sort of a xxc jgy situation except xy was fully in love with him or whatever approximates love for him and I still think jgy was mostly using lxc to survive. so another dark foil to wx just as songxiao are a lighter (but still tragic) parallel

anyway he thinks a-qing is funny and is clearly endeared by her, and she clearly likes him a lot despite lying to him. their dynamic has so much chemistry and potential for being great family, it's a shame they're not more popular to write about. this is probably one of the only reasons he's had to smile since he and SL parted ways

smart girl! this guys sounds like bad news, so get outta there

ah! curse the hyperdeveloped senses of a cultivator!

unlike the tragedy of wwx, this could literally have all been avoided if not for a single person - there are many ways to rewrite this and just have them never cross paths. of course, that misses out on the richness of this story and the themes at play, not to mention their significance for the wider narrative, so I don't particularly like yi city fix-its before the fact. but they're definitely easy

christ he's bleeding like craxy. what did they do to him. and why didn't they do it better

of course as soon as he sees xxc he's like FUCK

yeah and if xy lets xxc touch his hand he'll know he's missing his pinky

...not that I like to think about them having a relationship but IF they had sex I wonder how he managed that

god this is so kind 😭 why couldn't it have been wwx that xxc found and they just had a nice little family time (they're cousins or something) for a decade or so before wwx was comfortable enough to leave. MAN

a-qing sleeping in that coffin then hopping out is so cute I love her

it's only been a day and already he looks perfectly groomed clean robes clear skin fully hydrated etc. the man knows how to look good I gotta say

and he starts right off by being a piece of shit to a-qing. I think the siblings dynamic can be really funny but lbr in canon he terrorized her and she hated him for it

I thought this was kind of dumb. like even if she was blind anyone would feel a SWORD. and if he learns she's not really blind, what, xxc is disappointed? I suppose it means he's less careful around her. bc she was able to witness a lot of his crimes bc he wasn't as watchful, assuming she couldn't see (and therefore could never understand what was happening? ableist of him)

a-qing: please don't leave me alone with this scary stranger we picked up by the side of the road, he's really aggressive and he's lying about who he is and I think he's dangerous

xxc: oh you silly girl. he'll be leaving soon *immediately starts flirting with him*

actually xy comes at this with a very specific angle. it's almost like he's emulating wwx - he presents himself as someone hardworking, uncomplaining, and good-hearted despite the hardships he's clearly gone through. of course xxc was taken in

haha no big deal! I'll just casually drop this little fact! it's definitely not something I want you to know about me so you can sympathize with me while admiring how blase I am about it! MAN

on the one hand I can see why xxc is being so open-minded and I appreciate his kindness. on the other hand he IS misled by his own feelings and she is also literally right. she gives him good reasons not to trust him and he's like *pats her on the head* we'll be fine

the head-pats are sweet when coming from adults to their kids (or jyl to wwx) but it just feels patronizing here

literally this is blatant flirting. a-qing off to the side going 😭 he has a crush what I am supposed to do now!!

and THIS??? I was so shocked the first time I saw this I was like THIS is allowed but wwx and lwj can't hug??? huh??? idk the exact specifications of the censorship but in some ways xy/xxc hits you harder with the gay subtext than any other couple including wx which is so wild to me. and also deeply tragic obviously

I think it helps that the writers have a very solid idea of what this relationship is and exactly how each character felt at every moment of it. meanwhile for wx interactions can be very inconsistent and confusing. anyway GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM YOU FREAK

so yeah overall super eerie and frightening to see xxc fall so readily in love with someone you KNOW is cruel and sadistic and lying to him and deceiving him. like this could have been a cute second-love kind of deal with a new family in a new city. fresh start. but then again, no it couldn't have

[lafiametta]

For the past weeks I have been slowly scrolling through your 1899 tags and reading the asks you receive about the show and Olek/Ling Yi, and I'm so mesmerized at how much effort you put into fleshing them out as characters and as a couple! I'm very captivated by your 1899 New York AU as well, everything you wrote about it is so sweet. I'm excited to read your longfic set in this period.

I would like to ask you something about the 1899 au, but that can be applied to the modern New York as well. When have them spent the longest amount of time away from each other? I ask this because, in your 1899 AU, if Olek got badly injured while working in the factory, which was a normal occurrence then as it is now, how long would he spend in recovery, and how would Ling Yi find out he was hurt if no one knew he lived with a girl? I imagine that their relationship being secret and forbidden is very fragile in case something bad happened to the other out in the world, even more so for Ling Yi who could only wait for him to come back home at the end of each day. Would the landlord know they lived together and warn her that he got hurt? The thought of Ling Yi feeling frenetic as the night grows darker and Olek isn't back yet, only to then receive the bad news, is devastating, but I'm still intrigued to know what she could do in that situation. Visit him in the hospital? If, that is, he is even sent to the hospital? Or would he be sent home to recover while she's still at work, and then welcome her back and try to calm her down as she panics and cries at his injuries?

Oh my goodness, Anon — I'm super flattered that you've been reading through my 1899 posts! (There are so many at this point *hides face in hands* so I can imagine it might have taken a while!) And thank you for your interest in the longfic, which I feel a bit guilty teasing you all with for so long, even though there's nothing to show for it yet. I'll just say that work continues... ;)

To answer your question, I'll start with the modern AU. After they Ling Yi and Olek get together (beyond just the first few casual dates), I would say that the longest they've been apart is two weeks, because that's how long Olek's trip back home to Poland lasted. Of course, they still texted and talked, along with some FaceTiming. (I imagine there were at least one or two more, um, private phone chats as well!)

In the 1899 New York AU, they're never really apart at all, aside from when they go to work (or during those first few Sundays when Olek used to go to church by himself, although he stopped going after a while). Part of the issue is that there really wouldn't be anywhere else for them to go — in the city, they only really know Olek's brother and sister-in-law — and the working hours are so long that when they're finished, they mostly just want to come home and rest.

If Olek got injured on the job, which, as you say, was a relatively common occurrence, he would have to hope that it was minor enough that he could get home and let Ling Yi know what happened, once she got back from her own job. (Of course, he wouldn't have any income during his recovery, and he would probably lose his job for being gone so long.) If it was something serious and he was unconscious and unable to get a message to her, then I imagine she would be terribly worried about what had happened. (For immigrants and the poor, you would have been taken to one of the public hospitals, maybe by ambulance or just in the back of an empty cart. Can I just take a minute here to put in a plug for The Knick, a fantastic series by Cinemax set in The Knickerbocker hospital in 1900? Staring Clive Owen, directed by Steven Soderbergh... Seriously, it was so good, and if I had to imagine an 1899/The Knick crossover, would I put Dr. Maura Franklin into that hospital, doing groundbreaking neurological research while also caring for penniless immigrant patients? You bet I would.)

If Olek didn't appear at the end of the day, I imagine Ling Yi would start looking for him. They each know where the other one works (they don't need to keep that part secret from each other), so she would probably start there. If the factory was closed, she could only hope that there would be a night watchman on duty and that he knew something about the accident that had happened that day. But the language barrier could present a serious problem, so she might be reduced to just saying Olek's name over and over, hoping that someone would recognize it and be able to help her. I don't want to turn this into the saddest story ever told, so let's imagine that there is a night watchman (probably Ukrainian) who has a smattering of English and who had heard about what had happened from a few of the workers as they left for the day. Maybe he even takes pity on this strange, panicked Chinese girl and tells her what he knows. Would Ling Yi have to make her way through the gaslit streets at night, finally arriving on the steps of the public hospital, only to be told that it's too late for visitors, besides only family members are allowed to visit? Again, maybe there's a sympathetic orderly who lets her go in a side door and points her towards the indigent ward, mostly full of occupied beds. A lantern would draw too much attention, so she follows the rows of beds in the hushed darkness, squinting carefully at each face to find one that looks familiar. And when she finds him, his head bandaged from the injury he got earlier in the day, she would be both relieved and terrified. The only thing she could do would be to sit on the floor beside the bed and hold his hand, waiting for the morning and the moment when he would finally wake up.

[muninnhuginn]

Top 5 mdzs characters? :0

Okay so for top I'm doing as in the ones I think are best written rather than necessarily my favourite? That said, these are pretty similar in my mind, just that I'm not including characters where you can find loads to say about them if you read into the implications but textually there's not as much there (see: lxc, nhs, yi city trio)

Wei Wuxian. He has it all honestly. Bad decisions galore, some serious denial going on, some nice greyish morality (though the Untamed does tone that down). I guess if I had to sum him up to one word it would be 'sacrifice'.

Jin Guangyao (was torn on where to put him in the order honestly because he's definitely top three). Foil to wwx in so many ways, but ultimately prioritises himself as his first port of call and only once his survival is secured does he start looking outwards to try and improve things, e.g. watch towers (as opposed to wwx who time and again takes the L for the sake of others but at the same time has no big ambition to 'better' the cultivation world so long as he's free and those he loves are happy). Anyway, his background is more similar to wwx than the rest of the characters but he wasn't able to obtain the same upbringing and so that spirals on to anything else. It's fascinating to wonder about what he'd be like if he had managed to obtain Jin recognition earlier or had a better childhood, but ultimately the entire point is that he didn't

Jiang Cheng. Similar to Wen Qing (and I may have said this before but I love how the live action leaned so heavily on their parallels) in that he is constantly torn between duty and family. It feels like half the main cast are sect heirs, but it's Jiang Cheng where you can actually see what that means. Also, core reveal/wen distraction combo is OHKO. Jc and wwx both do so much for each other but the circumstances and miscommunication keep them both from seeing the other end.

Lan Wangji. He's kinda slipped down my list over time but he's still got enough to him. Got the entire rule-abiding quiet thing down to a tee, which means when wwx comes in with a hammer it's lwj who has the most to question. And obviously we miss some parts due to the time skip but you can still track through his journey to find his own happiness rather than sticking solidly to the path written out for him. And when you bring in what happened with his parents it just adds a whole new dimension to that all. The risk of repeating their mistakes is present for both him and lxc at all parts of the story.

Uhhhh shout out to all the sibling pairs that act as compare/contrasts to each other?

[fortune-maiden]

How could I NOT ask this about NHS?? but also SQX if you'd like!

Thank you :D (and I would like!)

This got long so under a cut ahaha

Nie Huaisang

How I feel about this character: DIRECTOR NIE MY BELOVED! NHS is my favorite character in mdzs so I am very biased towards him. I really love the younger NHS because he is very relatable with his disinterest in academics, general friendliness, and sheltered upbringing. And I love those things play into his brother's tragedy, and how he transforms from flighty dilettante to ruthless schemer. But imo I still think he's a good person at heart, and isn't out to be the new villain of the cultivation world. -

All the people I ship romantically with this character: XiSang is my OTP, but I also like WangSang & SangNing -

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Nie Brothers! NHS & JZX! NHS & WWX! but also all of the romantic ones above are great platonically too! -

My unpopular opinion about this character: I think the flighty lazy NHS we see in the past story arcs is really how he was back then. He wasn't a secret genius, he wasn't carefully cultivating a useless mask, he wasn't scheming anything more than how to avoid responsibility. He just really was like that and didn't care how it would affect his future. Also, I think he will be more or less fine post-canon. I don't think he's burned all his bridges. -

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. I wish we had gotten interactions between NHS & NMJ before NMJ's death/saber spirit problems. We're told they had a close relationship but we never really got to see it, and the scenes in NMJ's inquiry were dubious about whether or not he was being poisoned at that point (and even if he wasn't, he was affected by the saber spirit). One of the things I love about the Untamed was that we had these scenes, even if it was just the two of them standing side by side at times. It was very nice to see! I also wish NHS had a little more involvement in the post-Sunshot arc. We don't know any of his thoughts about the events of that time, and I feel like it was a missed opportunity. (My personal headcanon is that he was more or less following the mob when it came to the Yiling Patriarch protecting Wen, though maybe a little more conflicted and trying to understand his old friend until Nie disciples were killed at Koi Tower/Nightless City....and then his brother died and he saw how public opinion turned on NMJ just as it had on WWX...)

Shi Qingxuan

How I feel about this character: WIND MASTER MY BELOVED! I think a lot of what I love about NHS applies to SQX too, but admittedly 'spoiled kindhearted younger sibling with a fan' is where the similarities between them end. SQX is pure-hearted and a bit naive, but is a heroic go-getter, who knows exactly how powerful he is and takes full advantage. SQX was living his best life before the Black Water arc and loving every moment of it! -

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I'm honestly not sure... I like all configurations of PeiXuan, but part of that is because there's not enough content for me to be choosy. I don't think I actually ship SQX romantically with anyone else. (although I had my eyes recently opened to SQX/Ming Yi (real) and I am liking it A LOT) -

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Shiblings! Even if their relationship is as unhealthy as it is loving, they are still so good and love each other so much T_T Also good: SQX & PM (of course), SQX & XL (besties!), SQX & QYZ, SQX & YSH - SQX deserves all the friends! -

My unpopular opinion about this character: I actually don't want him to ascend again. I think SQX should get to have the experience of growing up and living a mortal life. But also please accept some care from your friends/brother's friends. Please go make the most of the fate you were allowed to keep. please go become the Akiyama Shun of TGCF -

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. Shi Qingxuan did nothing wrong and deserves the world! But I also think his story arc was left a bit incomplete. I really wish we got some kind of extra focused on how SQX's doing and his relationships with the other characters he was close with in the past. And I know I'm just pushing my PeiXuan agenda BUT, I really think there should have been a proper reunion scene for them, especially since prior to the Mt. Tonglu arc, pretty much all interactions with Pei Ming have involved SQX in some way (Pei Ming's grand in-person intro after the Banyue arc? SQX is there heckling him. Pei Ming's intrusion into Puqi Shrine? SQX is there to dump a pickle jar on him. Pei Ming's entire involvement in the Black Water arc? Chasing down SQX. The grand total of 2 times SQX is mentioned after disappearance? Both times involve Pei Ming) The way their relationship just gets completely dropped after SQX's reappearance is very unsatisfying!

[lanwangjisnow]

Melting Ice

Lan Wangji x reader ( Part 5)

The night at Mo mansion Wei Wuxian saw Hanguang- Jun arrived just in the moment to defend his disciples. Wei Wuxian had to run away before getting caught, but Hanguang – Jun had already suspected it could be Wei Ying. He saw Lan Wangji was staring at the darkness as he was secretly watching him from far behind. Then there was a person approached Lan Wangji. "Senior Y/N" young disciples chanted. You were glad to see Lan Wangji and all disciples were safe.

"Y/N" Wei Wuxian whispered "you are still at Cloud Recesses. It's good to see you. Hope we can meet again" he smiled to himself.

"Hanguang-Jun" you called Lan Wangji. He turned around and walked away with you.

After Lan Wangi finally brought Wei Wuxian back to Gusu he did not forget to run behind you. When you were petting rabbits he hugged you from back, giving you a heart attack. "Y/N" he purred. "Wei Ying!" you panicked ( note that - you were the only other person who knew he was real Wei Wuxian and not Mo Xuanyu after Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen then) Wei Wuxian laughed but did not release you. "Are you not happy to see me after many years? No. I'm not letting you go"

"Wei Ying, I missed you so much but..." You sighed. It wasn't that you were not happy to see him but you did not want a new rumor to add up to the ongoing list. Then, there heard some noises and Wei Wuxain dropped his hug. Less than a couple of minutes Lan Sizhui and some young disciples came.

"We can't hug because of them? " Wei Wuxian pointed young disciples with a pouty face. You were so embarrassed when young disciples were confused and said, "I'm going to the library" because you wanted to run away from the situation but Wei Wuxian immediately wanted to follow you. "I'm coming too" he said and about to touch your hand but Lan Jingyi interfered.

"Are you crazy? "he yelled at Wei Wuxain" You shouldn't be so close to Senior Y/N"

Wei Wuxian smirked. "Ah! what made you think so?"

"because Hanguang- Jun..." Lan Jingyi stepped front and was about to bluster but Lan Sizhui dragged Lan Jingyi back. "Apologize for our behavior, Senior Mo". He bowed and you tried to melt the tension by saying "Sizhui, do not be late for lunch and take everyone with you", despite you were flushing after hearing about Lan Wangji.

"Senior Y/N, we will go now" Lan Sizhui bowed you and turned to Wei Wuxain "Senior Mo, we are more than happy to escort you"

Lan Jingyi rolled his eyes. He was not delighted to walk with Wei Wuxian anywhere. Wei Wuxian could not reject the kind invitation of Lan Sizhui. He looked at you and you nodded approving the suggestion. "Y/N, will you come too?"

"I'll be there soon" you smiled before leaving the group.

Wei Wuxian was half disappointed that you did not join them, but left with Lan Sizhui. However, you could not meet him at dining hall as Wei Wuxian was then ready go to Qinghe with Lan Wangji and you met them before the exit of the Cloud Recesses instead.

"Hanguang-Jun, I'm coming with you two"

Hanguang-Jun shook his head sightly "stay".

"No' you said sternly. Wei Wuxian giggled "feisty huh?" Actually he enjoyed how you rejected Hanguang-Jun's order. Lan Wangji did not say anything but for Wei Wuxian's surprise, Lan Wangji helped you to getting on the back of a pony, and took reins of both his horse and your pony as you were no good at riding on your own.

The journey did not end at Qinghe and it went further. Everywhere Lan Wangji was in constant anxiousness that you might get hurt and made you stay at comfortable inns until he dealt with dangerous places. (exactly, he was spoiling you).

One night when you were at Qiting Tavern, you were suddenly called by Wei Wuxian. When you ran to him there was drunken Lan Wangji besides him trying to stand steady. With an absent mind Lan Wangji looked at you and passing both you and Wei Wuxain made his way to bed. Wei Wuxian looked at you and you looked at him.

"Where's he been? "You asked worriedly.

“Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan! He is very stubborn" Wei Wuxian shook his head with hands on his hips. Next, he narrated you the story of from Lan Wangji trying to give him hens to where he called you. You giggled. You knew Lan Wangji could be a baby, sometimes when he was drunk.

After bidding goodnight to Wei Wuxian, you returned to your room, but before you could fall asleep, your eyes widened as Lan Wangji came to your bed staggering. He just plonked on small bed and started cuddling. "Y/N" he cooed and snuggled closer.

"Lan Zhan" you smiled as you found him had fallen asleep while hugging you.

At Yi City Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxain had met the juniors and together they came to Tanzhou at night. Out of all shops Lan Sizhui's eyes caught a toy store where there were paper butterflies. Even though Jin Ling insulted him for fancying toys, he could not resist buying a paper toy just like the one he got in his childhood.

You saw how dearly he was holding the butterfly and could not resist buying another for him. Lan Sizhui overjoyed and for a second he forgot Gasu rules, and threw arms around you. He has grown up taller than you but still hugging you as if he was a child. "Senior Y/N"

"Is Senior Y/N his mother? They don't look related? Anyway, Senior Y/N is spoiling him. May be that's why he is behaving like a kid after all" Jin Ling mocked.

"Yes, Senior Y/N is his mother and Hangunag-Jun is his father, and they do what they want. Do you have more questions?" Lan Jingyi retorted shutting Jin Ling's mouth.

You left the Sizhui with his friends and went to the inn where Lan Wangji told you to wait that day. On the other hand, it took a while for Lan Wangji to talk with Lan Xichen and to deal with bickering juniors at downstairs before reaching you. The juniors saw he was carrying liquor upstairs but there was something else in his other hand too. After he left Jin Jingyi suddenly realized what it was and dropped the pieced of the meat he was eating his for the second time.

"Wasn't that a jade rabbit?"

Lan Sizhui coughed.

When Lan Wangji walked in to the room, you and Wei Wuxain were having a chat. Wei Wuxain through this journey was thinking what kind of a relationship that you and Lan Wangji were having. The rumors were unavoidable, and he heard from random men that Hanguang-Jun and you were a couple, and you must have must have fed him with a love portion on him or he would never be fell for you. Then Wei Wuxian did not hesitated to reply with answers outwitting them and emphasizing how cute you were. Anyway, since he returned he felt that he was having serious feelings for you, even though he was been his usual flirty self earlier . Wei Wuxain wondered, if you felt the same sometimes or if you had mixed feelings and trying to replace his care with Lan Wangji's."Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian was glad to see Lan Wangji with liquor and grabbed it quickly from Lan Wangji before pouring it to his mouth. "I missed good times" he said while drinking.

"Y/N, did you have dinner?" Lan Wangji asked.

"No, we were waiting for you"

" Okay, then let's all have dinner" Wei Wuxain cheered up and grabbed Lan Wangji's arm by one hand and yours by the other, dragging you both downstairs. When you all sat, Lan Wangji was next to you and Wei Wuxian was the opposite. The juniors were still having dinner while food was serving for you.

"Y/N, shall we have a walk afterwards?" Wei Wuxain asked after some time. You immediately looked at Lan Wangji. He was listening but poured tea to your cup instead of saying something.

"Ah! Lan Zhan, can come with us too" you said trying to not make Lan Wangji provoke.

"Nah! Hanguang-Jun and I walked so many miles together how about us alone? We have many things to catch up" Wei Wuxian pouted.

Suddenly, you felt someone's arm was touching yours and you had not realized that Lan Wangji was moving closer until his arm was glued to yours. The whole hall was silent watching the scene.

"Senior Mo, isn't it late now?" you mumbled.

"Are you shy for me? Cute" Wei Wuxian laughed warmly.

From behind you felt, Lan Wangj's chest and the juniors gasped as it was new to them to see clinginess of Hanguang-Jun as he had never done that in public. In spite of all, Wei Wuxain was still messing with Lan Wangji.

"It's up to you to decide. I wish you meet me in the garden" He said blowing you a kiss. Lan Wangji thumped the table with his tea cup and stood up. Fuming, he climbed upstairs.

Wei Wuxian smirked. "Y/N, maybe I'm helping you if you are into Hanguang-Jun or may be helping you to decide" He was not even slightly affected by Lan Wangji's reaction while everyone else were terrified and muttered to you.

You did not care what it meant as you were busy chasing Lan Wangji. " Lan Zhan! " You caught Lan Wangji's hand and he shook it off instantly while walking straight to his room. " Lan Zhan! Please don't go" You begged but he was not even looking at you. " Lan Zhan" you hugged Lan Wangji.

"Why are you mad with me?"

“You like him flirting with you?" he said trying to pull you off from him. "No" you cried holding his waist tight burring your face in his robes" No, I LOVE YOU . Hanguang- Jun, Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji... I only need you" you cried.

Lan Wangji pulled you off and lifted you up with in blink and connected his lip with you. He kissed you hungrily even though, Lan Wangji always used to kiss you tenderly until now. You tied your legs around his waist and hands around Lan Wangji's neck. It took only a second for him to close the door and pin you against the wall before peppering kisses on your neck.

You pulled off Lan Wangji's forehead ribbion and accidently knocked off a jug next to you while doing that. Right at the moment Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen were walking to your room passing by Lan Wangji's room as Lan Sizhui was concerned about you after what happened in at dinner.

They heard the noise of the glass and looked at each other. "Is there some trouble?" they thought rushing towards the door but before they enter Wei Wuxian ran into them. "I'll go first. Everyone stay behind" but he did not go in either as he lightly heard your moans, when he was too close to the door. He smirked besides the little disappointment in his heart. It was no longer unclear for Wei Wuxian who you loved the most.

"Let's go Hanguang-Jun is fine. Also don't go to Senior Y/N's room to disturb." He said to impatient juniors.

"but Senior Mo..." Lan Sizhui was still worried.

"Ah not now. Ask Hanguang-Jun about it in the morning perhaps. Tssk didn't I save you all from being poisoned? Listen to me then" Wei Wuxian winked.

Finally, "go go " Wei Wuxian had to chase them away on his own when the young disciples were yet staring at him.

[touchmycoat]

e!you anon i rewatched the last ep to accurately tell you ^^; i hadn't watched it in over a year !! ok so they both forget at different times and remember, haru disappears before the final scene, kyung loses 2 haru lovewise, yeojoo ends up with namjoo, the story ends and we skip to a uni au. haru and dan oh keep on missing each other but eventually reunite oct 10 under the tree. it is a HE !! god ok liujiu is--well ok bingliushen isn't happening and yqy isn't ever going to communicate directly

p2 e!you anon so i was thinking of sj Despising that he's so toffee sweet w maiden lbh on stage while he vividly remembers past lives a la trumpet creeper with yqy and yqy being a character that doesn't remember, he stumbles across lqg and is like, piss off numbskull and lqg is ?? wtf and sj's like whatever you won't remember anyways--basically i want them to be wretched to each other but also have no one else to confide into. basically 'one good honest kiss' but electric boogaloo ykwim

e!you p3 im so excited that i relit the fire under u!! may ur pants not be on fire!! YES the webtoon is nuts and ripped me a new hide with the angst. i can't remember if the webtoon has a HE or not because i think i blacked out for the rest of the story. i also want to point you towards 'the romance of the tiger and rose' which has a similar-ish premise. pls disregard the wet wig scene i blocked it from memory. han shuo is an absolute delight as a male lead.

p4 e!you i just think liujiu would be awful for them and that's exactly why i'm pinpoint keen on them !! lqg would be like ur faces are similar --> projection of feelings and sj would be like :/// i could do worse than u and yqy would avoid the a3 room !! omg im thinking of the lunch scene with haru and dan oh wait what if yqy finds an au version of haru. and sj sees him pityadopt another guy and is like so im Replaceable + ups his cattiness to yqy god they're so bad at communicating i love it

--

BABE YOU GOT ME HOWLING THROUGH THIS WHOLE MULTI-PARTER one good honest kiss the electric boogaloo ndjfnkjndfksjnfkbgldk that's my literary goal right there. you blacked out for the rest of the story sjfksjndfklskfsdld i mean big mood i read a few chapters and i think i'm already ready to black out. how the fuck did i ever main Yi City, i feel so vulnerable to angst right now that the slightest touch of it has me jumping for the icy mountain spring

DUDE THE ROMANCE OF HTE TIGE R AND THE ROSE. NOT TO OVERSHARE ON MAIN BUT 陳芊芊 IS LITERALLY MY NAME SO YOU BET YOUR ASS I WATCHED IT. some of it. like 6 episodes??? it was so batshit what the fuck but the main leads, jfc. Han Shuo is so?? fucking??? fine??????? i think i literally had to stop watching 'cause i was not ready to get slutty over another new man all i wanted do was slap him and watch him make faces. AND CHEN QIANQIAN IN THE VERY FIRST SCENE WHERE SHE'S LIKE. "hey he's hot, bring me to my bedchambers immediately." EXCUUUUUSE ME. EXCUSE ME!!!!! WHERE WAS THAT SHOW!!!! WHERE DID THE REST OF THAT SHOW GO I NEED THAT!!! AND THAT DRESS!!!!! FUCK MEEEE!!!

romance of the tiger and rose gave me whiplash literally every scene change. it legit never went the places i thought it would, and not always in a good way, but never in a genuinely bad way. I remember the...friend?servant? with the magnificent faces? Qianqian is so. fucking. dumb. i'm obsessed with her. I was like yes, thank you, thank you for representing me and me specifically. i can't believe i entirely forgot about this show until this very moment hahahhaha thank you for the reminder

hello, i'm in love with the idea of carrying the "bitchy school idols" trope to its logical conclusion of "they've got such awful personalities that the only one who can stand them are each other so they fuck amongst themselves" for liujiu haHAH. like, you're right!!! this is a free-for-all!!! my ponderings this morning took the e!you AU into SY/SJ/SQH territory nfnjfdjdn and i'm honestly fine with that. What about some pair the spares action too??? How about LBH/LQG/YQY pityfucking each other????