#tho hes not my favorite i do really like thinking about jiang chengs character

[dvasva]

Edit: more thought out ideas in reblogs!

something i think i dont necessarily agree with in mdzs discussionnis the idea that 'jiang cheng sacrificed his golden core for wei wuxian' which, while technically true, kinda wasnt jiang chengs intention.

jiang cheng intended to die.

like, think about it. he had just lost his family and clan, he was basically incapable of taking care of himself due to grief and anger, and wwx had to find them food and keep them moving, and wwx had the legitimate fear that jc would go back to lotus pier. jiang cheng ran out, yes with the intention to save wwx, but also knowing he was trying to die. he didnt trade his golden core for wwx, he tried to trade his life and ended up losing the golden core which is more unbearable to him than death.

thats why hes so shocked and upset about wei wuxian giving him his golden core. because giving someone your life is one thing, but purposefully choosing to live without a golden core is unthinkable to him. imo, jc doesnt tell wwx about saving him for two reasons at two times. the first, directly post war, because jc sees his sacrifice as more than he intended to give and therefore too much to bring up especially since wwx seemingly gave jc a wish to get it back making them even, and then after the golden core reveal, he sees his intended sacrifice as too little, something not worth mentioning in the scale of exchange. he intended to give his life, unintentionally lost something more valuable, then instead was intentionally and knowingly given something he was unwilling to live without.

[sillygoofyqueer]

Finished reading the latest chapter of losing hope and if you’ll excuse me, I just have to…. *distant squeals of happiness*

I’m SO happy you took some of my suggestions!!! When I was reading I kept being like “OMG!! THEY DID THE THING!!! THE THING I MENTIONED!! AND THEY DID IT PERFECTLY!!!!” Like, the LWJ and JC rivalry?? Immaculate. Perfection. Could not be done better. (Though I am a little curious as to why LWJ scares JL) also Wwx in his natural habitat of teaching the small children? Adorable. I Want To Hug Him So Bad.

Also seeing Nie Huaisang get properly introduced??? I’m in love??? Huaisang is my fav character aside from Wwx so I’m happy to see him being a scheming little shit who is Scary while still retaining his whimsy as an artist who still enjoys his hobbies. Him planning the Jin clan’s downfall with his favorite advisor as he watches the Jin clan’s propaganda? Iconic. I do love the little tidbit of NHS planning to break WWX out tho. Very sweet and makes me smile. (Slightly unrelated but it’d be funny if he’s in the middle of painting when shit starts going down because I SWEAR TO GOD that people ALWAYS need me for SOMETHING whenever I start painting so it’d be cool to see a character share the struggle)

Can’t wait for Jiang cheng to realize that all his struggles are still from his shixiong. (Why do I feel like he’d going to have an aneurism when he finds out?) in the meantime I hope Jin Ling is ok and that his uncle (JC. Not JGY) helps him through it. Especially as he can relate with wwx leaving for Reasons and Not Really Saying Anything. It is nice to see Jiang Cheng parenting JL tho. Even if every time Wwx is mentioned in his pov it is Heartbreaking. Also… *sniff sniff* is that XiCheng I smell??? Maybe I’m just crazy bur that seemed sus…

As always LWJ getting *concerned* is both heartbreaking (pain over Wwx getting hurt) and a little funny (the mental crisis of your crush being alive after 13 years).

As always, thank you for writing Four and please remember to take breaks and overall take care of yourself. I wish I could give more kudos <3333

Hi, hello, I'm dead again, you've killed me, you have to now wait three business days for me to be raised from the dead. I'm so glad you think I pulled off your suggestions well!! I was biting at Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji rivalry and I could not rest before I dropped it in, and I'm so going to make it a running thing - it's going to be soo funny because you have the idea of Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian like "you?? Oh god no" and then Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji like "I come armed with spice!""Oh yeah? I have this flour that I'm going to drop all around the castle!" Madly in love with the fact that you like Nie Huaisang, because I love him sooo much, he's so iconic. He gets dragged into everything when he just wants to affect the plot from the sidelines like any normal schemer! On the topic of the Jin Clan propaganda play that Nie Huaisang was watching I (and I'm not afraid to admit this) was listening to "Shia LaBeouf" by Rob Cantor and was like...well, now I have to have a little nod to this. It's my life. Soooo, Jin Clan propaganda. It was so funky, and I need you to understand how stupid the play is in that regard - it was why Nie Mingjue liked it so much. There was no hidden messages (apart from the propaganda). Also, keep an eye on Nie Ziyi...he's going to be fun to play around with. I can't wait to write Jiang Cheng's reaction to Wei Wuxian, but that's for later on teehee. He's going to have SO many emotions, and we all know how he reacts when he's feeling emotional. There's going to be so many tears. SO many. He and Jin Ling are both going to be infuriated at Wei Wuxian, and Wei Wuxian's just like "man, I can't catch a fucking break, can I?" after trying to hide from them for a long time. Wei Wuxian, mentioned in Jiang Cheng's pov? Nahhhhh, I don't know what you're talking about, it's just an unnamed shixiong I swear (/j of course). Also Xicheng? In my fanfiction?.................................ANYWAY Lan Wangji is really going through it, alright? He is both concerned but also HIS BBG IS BACK AFTER THIRTEEN YEARS?? HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO REACT? I like the idea of the juniors watching Lan Wangji trip over himself when Wei Wuxian laughs or something and just going "Ohhhh, he's down bad, I see..." Once again, I'm vibrating intensely with the love you show my fanfiction and I'm dead. On the floor. Sobbing screaming etcetera. You motivate me and it makes me lose it.

[llycaons]

Ep5: the gay porn episode

even tho we know that lwj is at the very least attracted to wwx, this early on it really doesn't come off like that at all to anyone else besides lxc. he's even harsher and stricter with wwx than he is with anyone else. of course, later on he does a 180 because he's incapable of acting like wwx means as much to him as anyone else does

a boy is FLIRTING

wwx goes to a lot of effort this episode to repair his relationship with lwj, which indicates a lot more responsibility and maturity than, say, jc would have us believe. though tbf, wwx isn't trying to become friends for political reasons, he just wants lwj's attention. but he's also defending and explaining his actions, and the fact that he'll retaliate when attacked is of course extremely important later on. even with all the changes he goes through and and nuances we see, his core character is intact throughout. such strong writing

saw a blog once claim this wasn't necessarily sexual but um that's definitely how I read it. with that look? come on.

their rooms are so gorgeous

ICONIC APPEARANCE OF HISTORICALLY ACCURATE GAY PORN!!!!

this is so funny to me. wwx is so shocked that the extremely uptight young heir of a famously conservative and traditional sect hasn't seen gay porn. my boy idk how open-minded the jiangs are but you are not in yunmeng anymore...tbf lxc and lqr aren't even homophobic, but the kind of distress that his feelings cause lwj have got to come from somewhere, and I don't think it's just 'not wanting to be into someone so different from the lans'

wwx turning back the rules on lwj extremely fucking funny

aw :(

JIANG CHENG IS NOTHING EASY.GIF MOMENCE

nooooooo jc don't say that

jc is so happy to see wq, and his little pleased smile when wwx complains that she's only paying attention to jc....oh boy. boy oh boy. this is so sad

young jc is like. he's so fragile. he still has potential. he hasn't done anything he can't come back from yet. he loves his siblings. he likes a pretty girl. I mock him for the comb but it's not a great wrongdoing to be a little awkward and go for the thing that adults say girls like. it's not like he has any healthy relationship to emulate. ough.

SO MEAN. in contrast lwj is just a huge fuckin brat

see we rag on wwx for not telling people shit but early on at least, he was a good communicator! he saw that his actions could be misread and he took steps to clarify where he was coming from and why he did what he did

this is still one of my favorite jokes

wq literally is doing her job as a doctor and jc is like 😳 lady wen... I don't blame jc for having a crush but I DO blame shippers for being shitheads about a woman who is literally just doing her job

wen ning rushing in to save su she is so. he's the weakest cultivator here and he still put his life on the line to save this guy. this is something else we'll see later, when he uses his meager position to save jc and the jiang parents' bodies, and when he tries to stand up for his fellow wens at the camp

ppl who ship jc and wn are unhinged for various reasons but the kicker is right here. wq briefly held fast to her principle of looking after her family and nobody else, but wen ning never did. he puts himself in danger for people he barely knows over and over again, with no possible reward. this mindset is so alien to jc's caution and 'I got mine' outlook that there's no conceivable way that they could ever make a relationship work. even in an AU, I could barely see them becoming friends. they're just too different at their core

whew, what a long episode. ngl, this sequence at the lake ties with the maze forest as my least favorite parts of the show. it's just so BORING. there's some character work, like wwx saving wen ning and giving him the amulet, jc getting himself a crush, and wwx flirting, but it's not enough to liven up this very dull passage. regardless, the ending where lwj bought the ES for wwx was sweet

personal highlights: ep5

wwx being very openly and vocally into male erotica. I mean how are people STILL saying he didn't know he was into dudes. boy was about to start crying when lwj destroyed his treasured collection

wwx flirting in the library. he knew what he wanted. oh and him being really good at communicating. nice job, wwx!

jc has such a nice smile it breaks my heart for him

wwx giving wen ning the protection pouch 🥺

[marquisguyun]

mdzs/cql ask meme: 1, 2, 6, 12, 25 :)))

1. which adaptations have you seen/watched? which one do you like best and why?

I’ve watched both the donghua and CQL (and read the book and some of the manhua). I’m not sure if I have a definitive answer to which visual adaptation is better? The donghua is gorgeous, especially all the demonic cultivation in the third season (plus it was my first mdzs adaptation, my first danmei of any kind actually). I do really enjoy CQL tho, and there are things I like and dislike about both adaptations. That answer is a total cop out but it’s also the truth 😂

2. top 5 favorite characters? what specifically do you like about each one?

Okay so I thought I had this, no problem, and then I counted again and realized I had six characters lmao... I’m not doing this in order bc that’s too many decisions to deal with

1. Wei Wuxian - What can I say, I love a tragic hero! I am intrigued by how smart he is (inventing demonic cultivation, lure flags, etc) but also how he makes mistakes and does some really fucked up stuff even tho he has good intentions. A great complex character!

2. Lan Wangji - I mean who doesn't like Hanguang-jun? He's a badass and a romantic, plus he's stubborn as shit. I really appreciate his relationships with the juniors. I also think his whole teenage angst about liking wwx is fantastic, and also him being super horny and dominant... I am a fan of novel dynamics for wangxian's sex life lol

3. Xue Yang & Xiao Xingchen - I am a slut for a good tragedy and for messed up characters! Plus I love identity porn. Yi City and XueXiao were basically tailored to my personal taste.

4. Lan Sizhui - He's just a good boy! And I like the added complexity of his identity.

5. Jiang Cheng - Honestly it took me a little while to latch onto him as hard, but he grew on me steadily. I originally mostly thought about him in relation to WWX, but damn he's been through a lot! Raising his nephew and running his sect on his own after he's lost everything? Really fucking sad and angry about it? That's good shit!

Also want to note that I like all of these characters in all adaptations, but their actors all did a fantastic job in cql and really added to my love for the characters, especially Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang and Wang Zuocheng as Jiang Cheng!

6. unpopular opinions?

1. I don’t hate Jiang Cheng or Lan Qiren? those can be pretty unpopular opinions

2. I’m a white American and my reading of danmei is definitely colored by my different experiences/worldview... I try to be aware of that as much as I can be and to read meta by Chinese disaspora (EDIT: I wrote this like a year ago and idk where I was going with this, but I think I was trying to say something about how I try to make sure my opinions aren't culturally insensitive? Bc some of the takes you see definitely are)

12. do you like any other of mxtx's works? is mdzs your first of hers or did you watch/read the others first?

It’s less obvious on tumblr bc there’s less content I come across compared to twt but your girl is a Scum Villain main lmao (EDIT: That was written a year ago when I started answering this ask. One of the advantages to twt's whole mess is that there's more scum villain content on tumblr now!!)

That said, I have read all three MXTX novels, watched all three donghuas, watched CQL, and read at least part of all three manhuas (rip sv manhua)

my order of watching/reading (with some overlap) was something like: watched mdzs donghua s1-2 >>> read mdzs novel >>> watched cql >>> started scumbag system >>> started heaven official’s blessing donghua >>> read scum villain >>> read what little there is of the sv manhua >>> waited several months?? and then read tgcf >>> dabbled with mdzs and tgcf manhuas >>> watched mdzs donghua s3

25. queer headcanons? 

- I definitely see Wei Wuxian as bi, altho I can understand reading him as a gay man who isn’t actually attracted at all to the women he flirts with - On the other hand, 90% of the time I see Lan Wangji as gay. The other 10% is me going “but what if Wei Ying was a girl tho”

I don’t think I have a lot of definitive non canon queer headcanons for mdzs honestly? There are definitely ones I enjoy and ones I don’t really see, but a lot of times I’m just happy to be taken along for the ride of other people’s headcanons for a fic or meta. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed:

- Asexual Jiang Cheng - Bisexual Jiang Fengmian (in love with Wei Changze) - Trans headcanons/AUs for various characters

[spockandawe]

Well, this is interesting! So, in that post yesterday, there was one line that really baffled me, a thing about people brushing off a character as an asshole “because he shows literally zero growth.” I kind of set that aside because it was such a weird non-sequitur, and guessed that it was just someone’s sentences not quite keeping up with their train of thought, which has happened to me many times. Apparently I was wrong! I already spent long enough on that one post, I’m tired of talking about that, but this is new and interesting. 

Okay. I kind of wanted to see if I could talk about this purely in terms of abstracts and not characters, but I don’t think it’ll work. It would be frustrating to write and confusing to read. It’s about Jiang Cheng. Right up front: This isn’t about whether or not he’s an abuser. Frankly, I don’t think it’s relevant. This also isn’t about telling people they should like him. I don't care whether anyone else likes him or not. But I do like him, and I am always fascinated by dissecting the reasons that people disagree with me. And the process of Telling Stories is my oldest hyperfixation I remember, which will become relevant in a minute.

I thought I had a good grasp on this one, you know? Jiang Cheng makes it pretty obvious why people would dislike Jiang Cheng. But then the posts I keep stumbling over were making weird points, culminating in that “literally zero growth” line.

So! What happened is that someone wrote up a post about how Jiang Cheng’s character arc isn’t an arc, it’s stagnation. It’s a pretty interesting read, and I broadly agree with the larger point! The points where I would quibble are like... the idea that it’s absolute stagnation, as opposed to very subtle shifts that still make a material difference. But still, cool! The post was also offered up as a reason why OP was uninterested in writing any more Jiang Cheng meta, which I totally get. I’m not tired of him yet, but I definitely understand why someone who isn’t a fan of his would get tired about writing about a character with a very static arc. Okay!

Now, internet forensics are hard. I desperately wish I had more information about this evolution, because I find this stuff fascinating, but I have no good way to find things said in untagged posts, reblogs, or private/external venues. But as far as I can tell, that “literally zero growth” wasn’t just a slip of the tongue, it’s become fashionable for people to say that Jiang Cheng is an abusive asshole (that it’s fucked up to like) because he doesn’t have a character arc.

Asshole? Yes. Abusive? This post still isn’t about that. This is about it being fucked up to like this character because he did bad things and had a static character arc.

At first, that point of view was still deeply confusing to me. But I think I figured out the idea at the core of it, and now I’m only baffled. I’m not super interested in confirming this directly, because the people making the most noise about this have not inspired confidence in their ability to hold a civil conversation and I’m a socially anxious binch, but I think the idea is: ‘This character did Bad Things, and then did not improve himself.’

Which is alarmingly adjacent to that old favorite standard of ‘This piece of fiction is glorifying Bad Thing.’ I haven’t seen anyone accusing mxtx of something something jiang cheng, only the people who read/watched/heard the story and became invested in the Jiang Cheng character, but things kind of add up, you know?

Like I said, I don’t want to arbitrate anyone’s right to like/dislike Jiang Cheng. That’s such a fucking waste of time. But this is fascinating to me, because it’s like..... so obviously new and sudden, with such a clear originating point. I can’t speak to the Chinese fans, obviously, but exiledrebels started translating in... what, 2017? And only now, in 2021, do people start putting forth Jiang Cheng’s flat character arc as a “reason” that he’s bad? I’m not going to argue if he pings you in the abuse place, I’m not a dick. I’m not going to argue if you just dislike his vibes. I’m just over here on my blog and in the tag enjoying myself, feel free to detour around me. But oh my god, it’s so silly to try to tell other people that they shouldn’t like him because he has a static character arc.

I want to talk about stories. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to say, because it’s impossible to make broad, sweeping statements, because there are stories about change, there are stories about lack of change, there are all kinds of media that can be used to tell stories, and standards for how stories are told and what they emphasize vary across cultures and over time. But I think that what I can say is that telling a story requires... compromise. It requires streamlining. Trying to capture all the detail of life would slow down most stories to an unbearable degree. Consider organically telling someone ‘I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich’ versus the computer science exercise of having students describe, step by step, how to make one (spread peanut butter? but you never said you opened the lid)

Hell, I’ve got an example in mdzs itself. The largely-faceless masses of the common people. If someone asks you to think about it critically like, yes, obviously these are people, living their own lives, with their own desires, sometimes suffering and dying in the wake of the novel plot. But does the story give weight to those deaths? Or does it just gloss by? Yes, it references their suffering occasionally, but it is not the focus, and it would slow the story unbearably to give equal weight to each dead person mentioned. 

Does Wei Wuxian’s massacre get given the same slow, careful consideration as Su She’s, or Jin Guangyao’s? No, because taking the time to weigh our protagonist with ‘well, this one was a mother, and her youngest son had just started walking, but now he’s going to grow up without remembering her face. that one only became an adult a few months ago, he still hasn’t been on many night-hunts yet, but he finds it so rewarding to protect the common people. oh, and this one had just gotten engaged, but don’t worry, his fiancee won’t mourn him, because she died here as well.’ And continuing on that way to some large number under 3000? No! Unless your goal is to make the reader feel bad for cheering for a morally grey hero, that would be a bad authorial decision! The book doesn’t ignore the issue, it comes up, Wei Wuxian gets called out about all the deaths he’s responsible for, but that’s not the same as them being given equal emotional weight to one (1) secondary character, and I don’t love this new thing where people are pretending that’s equivalent.

When Wei Wuxian brutally kills every person at the Wen supervisory office, are you like ‘holy shit... so many grieving families D:’ or are you somewhere between vindicated satisfaction and an ‘ooh, yikes’ wince? Odds are good you’re somewhere in the satisfaction/wince camp, because that’s what the story sets you up to feel, because the story has to emphasize its priorities (priorities vary, but ‘plot’ and ‘protagonist’ are common ones, especially for a casual novel read like this)

Now, characters. If you want to write a story with a sweeping, epic scale, or if you want to tightly constrain the number of people your story is about, I guess it’s possible to give everyone involved a meaningful character arc. Now.... is it always necessary? Is it always possible? Does it always make sense? No, of course not. If you want to do that, you have to devote real estate to it, and depending on the story you want to tell, it could very possibly be a distraction from your main point, like the idea of mxtx tenderly eulogizing every single character who dies even incidentally. Lan Qiren doesn’t get a loving examination of his feelings re: his nephews and wei wuxian and political turnover in the cultivation world because it’s not relevant, and also, because his position is pretty static until right near the end of the story. Lan Xichen is arguably one of the most static characters within the book, he seems like the same nice young between Gusu and the present, right up until... just before the end of the story.

You may see where I’m heading with this.

Like, just imagine trying to demand that every important character needs to go through a major life change before the end of your book or else it didn’t count. This just in, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg go through multiple novels without experiencing radical shifts in who they are, stop liking them immediately. I do get that the idea is that Jiang Cheng was a ~bad person~ who didn’t change, but asdgfsd I thought we were over the handwringing over people being allowed to like ““bad”” fictional characters. The man isn’t even a canonical serial killer, he’s not my most problematic fave even within this novel.

And here is where it’s a little more relevant that I would quibble with that original post about Jiang Cheng’s arc. He’s consistently a mean girl, but he goes from stressed, sharp-edged teenager, to grief-stricken, almost-destroyed teen, to grim, cold young adult (and then detours into grim, cold, and grief-stricken until grief dulls with time). He does become an attentive uncle tho. He..... doesn’t experience a radical change in his sense of self, which... it’s...... not all that strange for an adult. And bam, then he DOES experience a radical change, but the needs of the plot dictate that it’s right near the end. And he’s not the focus of the story, baby, wangxian is. He has the last few lines of the story, which nicely communicate his changes to me, but also asdfafas we’re out of story. He was never the main character, it’s not surprising we don’t linger! The extras aren’t beholden to the needs of plot, but they’re also about whatever mxtx wanted to write, and I guess she didn’t feel like writing about Jiang Cheng ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But also. Taking a step backward. Stable characters can fill a perfectly logical place in a story. Like, look at Leia Organa. I’m not saying she has no arc, but I am saying that she’s a solid point of reference as Luke is becoming a jedi and Han is adjusting his perspective. I wouldn’t call her stagnant, the vibes are wrong, but she also isn’t miserable in her sadness swamp, the way Jiang Cheng is.

Or, hell, look at tgcf. The stagnant, frozen nature of the big bad is a central feature of the story. The bwx of now is the bwx of 800 years ago is the bwx of 1500+ years ago. This is not the place for a meta on how that was bad for those around him and for him himself, but I have Thoughts about how being defeated at the end is both a thing that hurts him and relieves him. Mei Nianqing is a sympathetic character who’s also pretty darn static. Does Ling Wen have a character arc, or do we just learn more about who she already is and what her priorities always were? I’m going to cut myself off here, but a character’s delta between the beginning of a story and the end of a story is a reasonable way to judge how interesting writing character meta is, and is a very silly metric to judge their worth, and even if I guessed at what the basic logic is, for this character, I am still baffled that it’s being put forth as a real talking point.

(also, has it jumped ship to any other characters yet? have people started applying it in other fandoms as well? please let me know if this is the case, I am wildly curious)

(no, but really, if anyone is arguing that bwx is gross specifically because he had centuries to self-reflect and didn’t fix himself, i am desperate to know)

And finally. The thing I thought was most self-evident. Did I post about this sometime recently? If a non-central character experiences a life-altering paradigm shift right near the end of the story (without it being lingered over, because non-central character), oh my god. As a fic writer? IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE. This is the most fertile possible ground. If I want to write post-canon canon-compliant material, adsgasfasd that’s where I’m going to be looking. Okay, yeah, the main couple is happy, that’s good. Who isn’t happy, and what can I do about that? Happy families are all alike, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, etc.

It’s not everyone’s favorite playground, but come on, these are not uncommon feelings. And frankly, it’s starting to feel a little disingenuous when people act like fan authors pick out the most blameless angel from the cast and lavish good things upon them. I’m not the only one who goes looking for a good dumpster fire and says I Live Here Now. If I write post-canon tgcf fic, it’s very likely to focus on beef and/or leaf. I have written more than one au focusing on tianlang-jun.

And, hilariously. If the problem with Jiang Cheng. Is that he is a toxic man fictional character who failed to grow on his own, and is either unsafe or unhealthy to be around. If the problem is that he did not experience a character arc. If these people would be totally fine with other people liking him, if he improved himself as a person. And then, if authors want to put in the (free! time-consuming!) work of writing that character development themselves. You would think that they would be lauded for putting the character through healthier sorts of personal growth than he experienced in canon. Instead, I am still here writing this because first, I was bothered by these authors being named as “freaks” who are obsessed with their ‘uwu precious tsundere baby’ with a “love language of violence,” and then I was graciously informed that people hate Jiang Cheng because he experiences no character growth.

[featherfur]

I got questions about the daemon au— starting with names and what everyone’s daemon looks like? JC is a wolf, would WWX would be scare of them because is just an even scarier dog? Would that also play a part on JC self hatred?

You’ve unlocked something I can talk about forever. Please feel free to send in more questions because uh… this got long

Okay so:

Honestly, I like roasting Jiang Cheng so his daemon’s name is Camellia kinda like his dogs were named Jasmine, Princess, and Love. (Technically his parents would have named her but Zidian is literally just “purple lightning” so maybe his mom is also bad at names, just go with it) he gets to live with his bad name choices forever.

Wei Wuxian settles as a raven while young, something considered to be impressive and a sign of his intelligence, and his demon is Wei Liao, often called Liaoliao (meaning letting go, since Wuxian means to have no envies I thought it worked well). When he comes back as Mo Xuanyu, she’s in the form of his demon a crow (both for intelligence and the canon fact that they looked almost identical) but as WWX adjusts to the body she will slowly start to get bigger and take on more Raven like features but will never return to her original form due to soul damage.

Lan Wangji is a white stag, also named Wangji because any kid that names his guqin after himself should live his life reminded of it. (Also because I think it’s funny tho I am open to new names I just like roasting my favorite characters) given to him because Stags want to do two things: fuck shit up and fuck. Lan Wangji also wants to do those things.

Lan Xichen is a white doe, kind of running with the Twin Jades bit but he fits more into society (most daemons are opposite gender of their humans) then Wangji. Which on both a meta and literal way is fun for me and boi could I go into that. Currently unamed.

Nie Huaisang is a house cat, I’m thinking a very fluffy Maine Coon. Because he is very pampered and gives off a very tame aura, most people look at house cats and think about how cute and fluffy they are. They don’t really realize that cats are amongst the best hunters and utterly destructive to native environments and shouldn’t be outside without supervision because they destroy ecosystems. I thought it fit well with him, I think he started as a smaller long haired domestic and with Nie Mingjue’s death she started a steady shift into a bigger actual breed and very few noticed and the ones who did chalked it up to Nie Huaisang’s grief. Rather than his decision to fuck up the native ecosystem, ie the cultivation world.

Onto JC and his wolf problems below

I wrote a bit of meta before on my drawing’s post but essentially: Family is such a majorly important thing to Jiang Cheng that despite his daemon originally being intended to be a dog/canine of some type she instinctively shifted away from that even if it was painful.

Technically daemons do settle in the books at around 13-14 but while that’s when you hit puberty, at that point you are still very much who your parents raised you to be rather than who you will be, which is why personalities tend to differ so much between 10yr olds and their 17yr old counterpart. Personally I think they’re more likely to settle at around 17-20.

Jiang Cheng settles as a Harris’s Hawk during the war, whereas Wei Wuxian had settled earlier at Cloud Recesses. Harris’s Hawks are the only bird of prey to live in groups and be social animals, while they’re okay hunters on their own they’re much better with a team and do well for themselves. (I thought it was a good match of how JC isn’t as strong as WWX but it’s because his strengths lie in teamwork and leadership rather than genius and power)

He remains a Harris’s Hawk for a while but when Yanli dies the shock, pain, and hatred that he feels is enough to shift him and in my own words “marked the shift of ‘I will break you if you stand in my way’ from Jiang Cheng who was nervous and flustered easily like a bird to a ground predator ready to bare fangs quickly but still respectful of other ‘predators’ I.e. other sect leaders. Also brings forth the more feral nature Jiang Cheng gives into in order to protect his family.”

When Wei Wuxian returns he and Liao are ABSOLUTELY terrified of Camellia, and JC knows it. There’s no Fairy here, it’s just Camellia in the same room shouting at WWX the same questions her human is and snapping at him for all his shit. She doesn’t even have to growl, just yelling is enough to terrify him.

It causes major issues post canon when they start to reach out to each other again, WWX and Liao can’t stand to be near her so a lot of his and JC’s reunions are with Camellia… not there. Which means JC is splitting himself in half just for his brother to look at him, just to have a chance at his brother’s new life.

WWX hates it as much as JC does but no matter what he does he can’t squash the fear.

As for how does JC take it, well, I think this prior post answers it:

https://featherfur.tumblr.com/post/661884147721175040/personally-i-see-jiang-cheng-as-some-sort-of-cat

Or this one

https://featherfur.tumblr.com/post/670223241450782720/this-is-a-little-dark-but-man-the-idea-of-a-daemon

He absolutely LOATHES himself, to the point of lashing out at Camellia and she lashes out in turn. There’s a lot of blood spilled from each other over the first few months, hatred mixing with the love they’ve always had for each other. You don’t grow up hating your demon, your partner, you love them because they aren’t you as much as they are.

So it mixes and it gets violent because they can’t take their anger out on anyone else, everyone else is dead, and Jiang Cheng is happy that Wei Wuxian is dead!

But he isn’t! And Camellia knows it! But she also knows she’s the embodiment of protecting their home from Wei Wuxian.

But Jiang Cheng made a promise! He would never break it, he’ll always protect his brother from the thing he fears most, and yet here she stands as his soul and he hates her.

And he loves her.

Camellia is protection to the sect, love and affection JC feels towards them. She’s the embodiment of who he should have been, the protecter, the guardian of his home. She is a Wolf and Yunmeng Jiang Sect sees her and sees a promise to protect them. Everything Jiang Cheng stands for, everything that he is proud to be. Everything he strives to ensure is known by his disciples.

Jiang Cheng sees her and sees a broken promise to his brother, his best friend.

He hates her.

She hates him.

He loves her.

She loves him.

[br-disaster]

nie mingjue’s outfits appreciation post

This is way longer than I expected oh gods, please forgive me for it. 

 It’s a well known fact that Jiang Cheng has the best wardrobe of all CQL characters, I’m not here to argue with that, but I think it’s time for us to stop sleeping on Nie Mingjue’s absolutely fantastic fashion sense.

I mean have you seen him?? The man is out there serving looks even with the Nie sect limited color palette. Please let’s ignore the context here and just look at his robes

I wasn't sure if I should rank them, so I’ll just ramble about them in order of appearance:

1. The gray “I’m the boss” one

That’s the first time we ever see him and what can I say? He does leave an impression. We see him using these robes two times, in episodes 10-11 and on the beggining of Fatal Journey, as the first picture shows, which makes me wonder: Is this his stay-at-home set of robes? ‘Cause damn

I don’t know how I should comment on the particular details of his robes but I really appreciate how wide this extra fabric layer makes his shoulders look.

Really imposing and powerful look.

2. The Sunshot incredibly beautiful "this is how you win a war" one

Look, this one might be my favorite, it has EVERYTHING

Shoulder game is strong here, and this bronze-like color goes really well with his belt. Now let's talk about his outer robe for a moment, just THE COLOR I mean it's the prettiest shade of gray I've ever seen.

Also Long Sleeves

And a CAPE. A f**king CAPE. I'll never get over this look and I'm really glad the costume department let this king wear a cape again in Fatal Journey, he was made for it.

Next comes the inner layer that's not really a robe, as you can see when he's standing, but the silver pattern is what really does it for me, guys. It's probably the first thing you see once you look down from his face, 'cause I know we all get lost on that beautiful mustache, and it's perfect.

You can’t lead a war campaign if you don’t look good, I see.

3. The "I didn't really want to be here but I’m looking good anyway" one

It's so dark, it probably reflects how he was feeling during pretty much all the scenes he's in while wearing it.

Once again he accentuates his shoulders with an extra fabric except this time his sleeves are not long at all. I personally think he looks even more handsome like this, it makes his arms look bigger. What is it called? I don't know, but it matches his belt as well.

( Is it really a belt, guys? I don't wanna disrespect but I don't even know where to start looking for names nor I know other english names for belts)

The subtle golden/bronze details on the outer robe and on the inner robe's collar contrasts really well with the black and dark gray

Sad thing he looked really miserable wearing it :c

4. The "big event he seemed ok with attending" one

Dark again. But he didn't look as depressed as in the previous one, he actually had fun that day, which is good. Enough of tears and betrayal for now.

May be the wider sleeves he ever wore, perfect for clapping his hands like a happy toddler. There's also a lovely flowery pattern on the darker robe that you can easily miss if you don't pay enough attention.

For the first time his shoulders are not accentuated by fabric or shoulder pads and it's really nice to see him like this. We all love a buff Mingjue, but CQL Mingjue is not that buff and I love him just as much.

Really elegant, not as imposing and he has every right to want to look civil for once. It may be the series' way of telling us that he's not dressed for real combat or war, who knows.

5. The "all this just for a flashback?" one

Listen, this one right here is just AMAZING

I don't understand why they dressed him so beautifully for what? 10 minutes of a flashback. I wanted to see it for more than a couple os scenes!!

Everything here is different, so this will take time.

First: His inner robe, the first one, is not the usual black, it's light gray, it's lighter than his robes actually, and we don't see him wearing it like ever again since chronologically in the series this is the first robe he wears. Does it secretly mean that all went wrong from the moment he met MY? who knows

Second: The outer robe is fancy. There’s so many details to it and it may be the lighting of the scene, but it seems to be a warmer shade of gray, doesn’t it? The golden\bronze thin strip around the silver larger strip is perfect. It kinda has the opposite effect of his shoulder pads, since it makes his shoulders look a bit smaller but it’s so very elegant.

Third: The upper part of the inner robe. I mean who gave him the right to look that good ??? It’s dark but it has golden little shapes in it!! And it kinda looks like there’s a zipper in there because of that mid section. And oh to be a single jewel resting over Sect Leader Nie’s chest...

Fourth: The bottom part of the robe is also something new. We see pleats on Huaisang’s main robes, but never on Mingjue’s until now, that’s why I took the last screenshot, nothing to do with the bloody Baxia at all. I wish we could have seen them in pretty pleated robes together.

It probably contradicts what I said about his shoulder things being a code for battle, since the first thing we see him doing with this outfit is killing some guy/puppet; but for the rest of the time he wears it is peaceful

Honestly, imagine how Meng Yao felt. It was some fairy tale thing, wasn’t it? You’re a nobody eating bread and drinking water and then this king pops up out of nowhere and defends you from bullying and offers you a job and takes you home with him?? 

6.The “kick your local murderer down the stairs” one

I don’t really know what to say about this one. The context kind of ruined it for me, but let’s try.

 It resembles the fourth outfit since it’s a really dark inner robe and a lighter and patterned outer robe. Except this one has this nice and shiny thin strips around the sleeves and the waist.

It’s pretty but not especially pretty in my opinion. If I were to rank the outfits, this one would rank last.

7. The “fighting qi deviation and needing emotional support” one

Fatal Journey, baby.

I know what I said about the second one, but this might be my favorite.  It’s practical, no long sleeves or heavy outer robes. It’s also appropriate for horse riding, wich is great. The simple, sleeveless light gray outer robe is really nice.

There’s a cape again!! And I have to say the cape looks even better now that his sleeves are tighter, the way it falls gracefully on his back is perfect. I love the way it seems to be attached to the shoulder pad too. 

The robes are simple but the thing is: The accessories are not. 

His belt is now silver and if we ignore that the production team just painted it, we can assume he has two sets of identical waist belts, one is bronze and the other is silver. Now the final touch: The shoulder pads. This is what makes this outfit the most extra of them all. It’s silver and just so, so pretty I wanna cry everytime I look at them. I mean, the layers, the dragon\beast entire head makes him look so fierce and ready for the fight.

 I wonder how comfortable they are tho.

10/10 would rank first place.

bonus: Baby Mingjue

We love a consistent king after all! Has he been wearing dark robes since he was a baby? We will never know. I love this dark yet translucent outer robe tho.

1000/10 the cutest and best dressed child out there.

Conclusion: Nie Mingjue is a fashion icon! 

* Do not take this too seriously, I did zero research and english is not my first language. If there’s any terrible grammar mistakes, point them to me and i’ll edit it. If I’m somehow disrespecting Chinese culture, please also point it to me and I’ll apologize, edit or even delete the post.

[danhoemei]

Thank you so much, for answering my asks. If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite MXTX characters (top 5 from each novel)? And why? I'm sorry if you've answered this question before.

Gosh 5 each novel. You really like fives huh

[SPOILERS ahead]

MDZS

1. wei wuxian

A ray of sunshine with a noble heart; smart and witty, wild and bold, not afraid to reach for what he wants and not afraid to fight for what he believes in.

2. a qing

I was immensely impressed by her wit and creativity. Her sharp mind and sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue could utterly destroy others lmao. I am WEAK for smart characters and she rocks it. If only she had more luck...

3. jiang cheng

He has a lot to work on and can be unbearable but no matter how much he tries he can’t hide the softness in him. I know many people don’t like him and I understand, but I have a soft spot for characters who try too hard and constantly feel inadequate, who don’t believe in themselves, who are hard to approach and bottling their feelings and thoughts up, but given love and understanding they can bloom and be fiercely loyal to those who are precious to them.

4. wen qing

Tough, brave, ready to fight, smart and unyielding. Inspiring. I am also often fond of medics, I almost always play rpgs as the team’s badass medic xd

5. meng yao

He suffered a lot and never gave up, constantly cornered and made to fight for survival in a world which repeatedly rejected him. He committed awful crimes, but many other people in mdzs did, and I kind of can’t blame only him without blaming society and others as well. There is a good post that puts to words my saltiness for this character.

TGCF

1-2. xie lian & hua cheng 💕

xl impressed me for his wit and calmness. Cheerful and accepting of whatever was to come, but at the same time ready to give his all in literally anything, no matter if it was an important matter or a small task he was given. I liked to see him grow and mature, then find his happy place surrounded by his friends he cared about and fought for 😭

hc similarly to xl, impressed me in his own ways. He was pretty much a mary sue, to a kinda ridiculous degree at some points, and I regret that we couldn’t see more of his background and know him solely as xl’s sidekick, when there could be so much more content. But anyway, his sheer devotion still sends be flying. He suffered so much and should have disappeared so many times, but every time his love and need for xl’s protection held him in this world. Ghost king created of love. I am on my knees.

3. pei ming

Lmfao enjoyed his every appearance. He has his flaws but his core is kind and honest, and I respect him for that.

4. yin yu

I do have a thing for sad loyal and hardworking characters xd Thinking about his story twists my insides because of the amount of powerlessness and slow descending to despair that I felt. I respect how hard he tries, even while being aware of his shortcomings or lack of “talent”. He’s sad and I wish for him to be happy ;___;

5. he xuan

Another person who suffered a lot yet wasn’t destroyed by their misfortune and injustice, rather rose as a different person filled with determination, persistent in their goals.

Svsss

1. shang qinghua

Best hamster character lmfao. Chaotic, full of memes, just trying to survive and live by. Forgetful but smart and creative. Made me laugh many times and he has a comfy nest in my heart.

2. liu qingge

Hah, another grumpy and awkward character who has problems expressing themselves. I’m soft for him and I want happiness for him ;___; Qingge my boi ;____; Svsss should have been a harem story change my mind you won’t.

3. shen jiu

Another unhappy character with a shitty life huh. I am once again impressed by wit and strong survival instincts. Can’t get too deep into him because, I must confess, I haven’t been able to read his extras... If something is too painful I feel it physically and I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the amount of powerlessness, anger at the world, and regret for what could have been. I know enough from the fandom tho :’) Anyway, I like this poor bastard despite his shortcomings and I dwell on the idea of AUs where he and qi-ge can open up to each other and be happy ;___;

4. shen yuan

Awkward millennials constantly screaming inside, what’s there not to relate to lmao

5. mu qingfang

Again, soft spot for medics xd Also pretty related to his #done attitude towards his friends going around doing stupid shit and getting hurt. Had so many situations like that in rpgs I played with my friends xddd *flashbacks to ridiculous stunts my friends pulled*

[curiosity-killed]

Hi....If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite MXTX characters (top 5 from each novel)? And why? I'm sorry if you've answered this question before.

Aw of course I don’t mind! Though I feel like my answer is going to be a disaster bc I love these casts so so much aha let’s see:

✨ SPOILERS AHEAD ✨

MDZS/CQL

1. Wei Wuxian

Ah so I feel like this is obvious based on the sheer quantity of things I produce and the effort I put into hurting him 😅 but yeah! I love how much of a classical tragic hero he is and I love how much love he has and how that gets twisted around and shaped into a collar of spikes around his own neck. I saw gif sets of wwx before I ever knew about CQL and my reaction was “fuck. I’m going to love him” and I do! And I love that he does learn from his past and I love most of all that he learns to accept the love he is given and is able to make a happy ending in a place of being loved and held in respect and appreciation

2. Wen Qing

On the other hand, I did not expect to be like “mine now” with Wen Qing. Don’t get me wrong, the sexy immortal look got me but it wasn’t really till I started writing fic that I was like ohhhhh Oh Boy. Wen Qing is brilliant and ruthless, fiercely loving and aloof and cold. I love that she gets the lose-lose challenge of balancing what is right for her family vs what is right in the world, what she owes to her sect and what she owes to individuals. The golden core transfer is my favorite dubious science experiment in p much all media I’ve consumed. She gets to be so human—prickly and tough and also achingly gentle and afraid and putting on a tough face and sometimes still crying. “I’m sorry and thank you” ! Im!!

3. Jiang Yanli

The first fic I wrote for this fandom was literally “Jiang Yanli died no she didn’t” lmao I do feel like I underserve Jiang Yanli in that I often fall prey to using her to further the complexity that the male characters are permitted while denying her the chance to be given the same space for development and breath — something to work on! But in that, I really genuinely love how tightly she binds herself to her family and how she tries so hard to be what others need her to be—and then she does make a choice for herself and for a single moment at least, she gets to be loved and to be happy and to have this, a husband and a son and a place, for herself. And terribly I love how much she permeates the story still after death. She is the unspoken voice, the face turned from the camera but always still present, carried in the hearts and names and memories of the ones left behind

She deserved better but—I am weak for the tragedy of it all

4. Jiang Cheng

Another surprise (tho hardly surprising in hindsight): Jiang Cheng is just...horribly understandable. He makes terrible choices and his greatest heroism is undone by a choice made for him or, in the case of “killing the Yiling Laozu” is a lie. He is such a youngest sibling who doesn’t want to be the youngest until all at once, he’s the one in charge and he doesn’t want it at all. He is full of anger and hurt and so much love he doesn’t know what to do with it, doesn’t want it anymore, has no place to put all of its terrible, overwhelming flood.

5. Lan Wangji

I almost didn’t put Lan Wangji or Jiang Cheng on here and then I realized that this is sort of a list of characters I’m pickiest about in fic and...yeah. I think what I love best about Lan Wangji is his journey of grief and healing and through that, his decision to step into world. Where Wei Wuxian’s decision to travel and be removed from the cultivation world (in varying degrees depending on your headcanon preference lol) is really, really important to me, Lan Wangji’s decision to go from being an isolated lone agent working apart from the systems of the world to being involved and invested in changing those systems and working to make them better is also really important to me. I’ve talked before about how relatable Lan Wangji is to me (esp with regards to our interaction with the outer world) and there is something deeply hopeful and comforting about post-timeskip Lan Wangji being in his like mid-/late-30s and still making decisions and growing and changing and choosing to invest himself in the world and the future

yeah. i have thoughts here that I don’t really have the maturity, life experience, or articulation to put into words but Lan Zhan Good basically

TGCF

1. Xie Lian

suuuurpriiiiise!! Yeah honestly mxtx’s mains in TGCF and MDZS really just hit all my buttons basically. What appeals to me most of all about Xie Lian is, fittingly, how he is humanity taken to extremes. His capacity for incredible kindness and compassion is equaled with his capacity for cruelness and ruthlessness. His heaven-shaking highs are matched with calamitous lows. He is the hyperbolic of what it is to be human—and he is also the small moments, the wildflowers and the maple leaves and the mundane chores and the comfort of whispered conversations late into the night. I could quite literally go on for pages about what I love about Xie Lian but I am not Hua Cheng and can restrain myself LMAO

2. Hua Cheng

of all the characters on these lists, Hua Cheng is the one I’m pickiest about tbh! When I say I love him for similar reasons as Xie Lian I don’t actually mean this as being similarities between the two but the fact that both of them so richly convey mxtx’s points about the nature of humanity and what it is to be human. Hua Cheng is both the boldest and most arrogant of all and also the most vulnerable, the one who shies away from the truth because he’s braced for it to hurt and isn’t sure he can take it. He is gory blood rain and an umbrella to shelter a fragile bloom; he is a blade whose wounds only heal if he permits it and he is a sacrifice that he brushes aside as a fit of madness. *pats his head* this boy can fit SO MUCH inside him that he refuses to acknowledge

3. Jun Wu

Definitely my favorite antagonist in recent reading. I was doubtful of him from the start (something something issues with authority something something probably should talk to my theoretical future therapist shhh) but the unfolding of his reveal was so delightfully painful and exquisite that I was like “YES!!!” reading all of it. About the epitome of a satisfying plot twist imo. But about the character himself, I love how he parallels so many — Xie Lian in his rise and fall, his glory and disgrace; Hua Cheng in his fixation and ruthlessness; He Xuan in losing himself to the plot and not knowing how to move forward. I love that he feels beyond human in a way the others don’t—he’s so old and has gone through so much and he doesn’t feel things the way humans do anymore, doesn’t remember right how love squeezes the heart or how hate can exist without acting on it. I love that he thinks he knows how to control everyone and that it’s such mundane things that fool him: Xie Lian’s absurd stubbornness, Hua Cheng’s foolish faith, Yin Yu’s...emotional maturity??? Not Sure how to verbalize that one. But in the end, he is defeated by both the humanity of others and by his own—he’s so tired. He’s exhausted in a way that gods and ghosts aren’t meant to be. He is, under the armor and the masks, the curses and the power, human—benevolent and cruel, evil and good.

4. He Xuan

I love my fish man! No but really I love how He Xuan is so fixed on his one goal that he refuses to acknowledge anything else in his (after)life—which doesn’t make it go away. I love that he is left unmoored, purposeless through the very act of completing that which gives him purpose. I love his long con and the ways he clings to himself but loses himself not in the act but in the telling himself it’s an act. I love that he tries to be a moral man and then becomes a ghost king, a calamity. His reveal is also terribly badass and I do love his bone fish wholly unironically. Like I’m not going to get a He Xuan tattoo (for one thing I’ve been meaning to get a tattoo for 5 years and still haven’t gotten around to it) but also. B o n e f i s h

5. Mu Qing

Of course! The Jiang Cheng of tgcf lol Mu Qing (which my phone desperately wants to autocorrect to my Qing) is so...gah he’s such a mess! And he so fully commits to the belief that no one will ever see and understand him as he is but will always view them through their own convictions about him and his actions — which is simultaneously heartbreakingly lonely and also. Sir You Are a Clown. I genuinely think he’s owed apologies from both Feng Xin and Xie Lian for their treatment and assumptions of him and think that he would be HORRIBLY offended at the thought (while secretly touched? But like secretly even to himself). He will never explain himself and will just clam up tighter the more people accuse him and it’s such a self-sabotaging behavior and also so horribly relatable. I love u sir, you’re a disaster

SVSS I have not read but I do really like the moshang art 😂

[stiltonbasket]

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight wrap-up Q & A!

(brief note that this post does contain spoilers, so don’t click past the cut unless you’ve finished reading!)

__

1. Hi Stilton! I love you and TMAAF! The way you write the letters really feels organic and like people writing letters to other people in a time where communication wasn't instantaneous and thats a pet peeve I have with some fics that treat letters like text. I don't know if you've been asked this but what's your inspiration for the letters? Did you just make them up as they are? Did you look at old letters and studied the tone? @iwillbetrash4eva

I made the letters up as they are, but it was essential for me to keep in mind that the characters are all highly educated, and that Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Nie Huaisang in particular are very accomplished in the arts. Letters written by someone who composes music and poetry in their spare time aren’t going to be the same as emails and text messages written for the sake of raw information transfer, so I made sure to incorporate that into the letters; they’re written on pretty paper, usually in the sender’s best calligraphy, and it takes time to sit down and write them, so there’s an aspect of aesthetic reflection there that we rarely notice in modern communication.

I also felt that the characters would include snapshots of their lives and feelings while writing; this was more important with Wei Wuxian, since he throws himself so deeply into his daily life, but I also had to remember how important the past is to all of the characters and how enmeshed it is with their relevant current events. Ultimately, each letter serves as an extra look into the characters’ state of mind, which is something the narrative might not give us. 

2. What was your favorite scene in TMAAF, and which OC was the most fun to write? @keela1221

My favorite scene was Wei Wuxian’s departure from Lotus Pier in chapter 46, especially the part when everyone chased after him! I planned it several months in advance (sometime last summer, I think?) so finally getting to write it felt amazing.

Surprisingly, my favorite original characters to write (besides the main additions of Xiao-Yu, Yu Zhenhong, and Li Shuai) were the Jiang juniors. They love their Wei-zongzhu so much ;~;

3. What made you think of writing this fic? And would you consider a special epilogue because I don't think 50 chapters were nearly enough for me.❤ @avezevin

I think I just wanted to speculate about what cultivation politics might have been like after Jin Guangyao died, and TMAAF was born! And I most likely will be posting an epilogue, since I realized that the Zhenqing wedding works best as a coda instead of as a fic of its own.

4. what's your research process for tmaaf? the worldbuilding is so detailed!!

I read posts on tradition and culture and use them as sources if the chance ever comes along. A significant portion of the lore was entirely made up, but @light8828 helped me with some of the language, and offered so much guidance on cultivation worldbuilding <3

5. I really like the way you write the dynamic between Wei ying and lan zhan with their kids in all your stories. Xiao-Yu is a very lovable character and his relationship with his parents is something I go back to read many times. What do you use as inspiration when writing his, or any of his siblings, relationship with their parents?

Real life, I guess. Some of my older friends have recently had children, and they’re very good parents. :3

6. Where will you be going with the series? I need to prepare myself for heartbreak if the end is approaching, (its ok if you dont know tho! Idk is an optimistic answer, its just that you seem to have many things plotting away in that brain of yours)

Up next, I’m going to finish all the fics in the series that are still in progress, and then I’m going to write Lan Xichen’s fic, maybe a fic from Wen Qing’s point of view, a fic focusing on a reincarnated Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, and a fic from Jin Yun’s POV focusing on his relationship with LXC and the latter’s death and ascension. This doesn’t count all the fluffy wangxian oneshots still bubbling on the back burner, so I expect this series to keep me busy well into 2022. *sweats*

7. TMAAF Q&A: when did you decide you were bringing wen qing back? what led you to making her return a result of the soul-summoning array, rather than having her have survived by some other method? @mischief7manager

I decided that Wen Qing would be returning sometime between chapters 12 and 15, since that was when I knew I wanted her to be the one to cure Wei Wuxian. And as much as I liked the idea of Wen Qing surviving, I didn’t want her to be imprisoned for the 16-year interim; it was important that she appear in TMAAF as she was before her death rather than having over a decade of character development off-screen. But she wasn’t a fierce corpse that could just be put to sleep for all that time, hence the soul-summoning.

8. For the Q&A: Stilton, how did you come up with such an adorable perfect little child like Xiao-Yu?? You write him so well it really does seem like it’s a child talking!! @whereisyourcahier​

He’s partly based on a real baby I know. :P It might sound impossible, but he’s even cuter than Xiao-Yu is.

9. Thank you for doing this Q&A! Was Xiao Yu always part of the story? (Ilhim so much!!)

He was! I always wanted Wangxian to experience parenthood together, so Xiao-Yu’s entry was planned long before he actually appeared in the fic.

10. how did you deal with any writers block that came up?

By reading comments!! I have all of you to thank for that <3<3!!!!!!

11. What was the process for plotting each arc of tmaaf? & when did you decide on what the storyline was going to be? Did you know when you started or did you incorporate stuff as you wrote?

I hashed out the whole plot at once sometime last May, and that was when I laid down the rough storyline. The overall plot was finalized by the time chapter 18 went up, though I did add further details as I went along. In particular, the mini-arc of Wei Wuxian investigating the Yangshuo plague was mostly written on the fly.

12. how long have you been planning the wen qing lang xiyan reveal? has it been something set in stone from the start?

I’ve been planning it since last April, though the exact circumstances weren’t clear until around August or September. Originally, Jiang Cheng was going to ask “Lang Xiyan” to marry him after her mourning period was over, only for her to reveal herself as Wen Qing before accepting, but I soon realized that this wouldn’t fit either of their characters. Wen Ning recognizing her was the only way the reveal made sense (both emotionally and logically) so I had to find a reason to bring him to Yunmeng at exactly the right time.

13. I just want to ask two little things (well three). Where we will be able to read the wedding of baby Zizhen and A-Qing? Will there be Chengqing? And with the last question, if it's yes, will you write a one shot, drabble or something like that?? 🥺🥺🥺

I’m going to post a 51st chapter to TMAAF with the Zhenqing wedding as an epilogue, and Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing are married by then! Wen Qing will most likely be getting a fic of her own, focusing on the time between her revival and her engagement to Jiang Cheng.

14. I just finished reading your fic and let me tell you it's one of the best I have ever had the pleasure to read :) For someone who wants to start writing, how did you start the story? Did you wrote everything with a little scheme or you just leave your brain to work in the document?

I wasn’t planning to write fic for MDZS/CQL at all, and then I randomly ended up outlining, drafting, and posting the first chapter of TMAAF within the span of around two hours. When starting a story, I think it works best for me to just let my brain work in the document without worrying too much about how it might turn out--outlines and schemes tend to come later, after I’ve gotten a feel for how the characters act and laid down some dead-basic worldbuilding.

If you’re just starting out, make sure you’re having fun and that everything you write is as self-indulgent as possible! Enjoying the process is the most important thing, worrying about all the specifics can come later. <3

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

on wtf happened yesterday, rant/essay ahead

so here's what i think happened the other day: i'm so incredibly not up to date on the current mdzs discourse (which is apparently a war between wwx antis, who are apparently jiang cheng stans, and wwx fans) that the slightest hint of anything that could be perceived as seeing wwx not as "angel baby boy who has suffered too much!" means the wwx fans pull out their bazooka guns. and lose all of their human decency, apparently.

also, for some fucking reason people are making a novel about "gay dudes with swords solve mysteries and have badly written sex" into some treatise on classism. what the fuck. it's. it's not that deep. it's really not that deep.

i keep seeing weird backlash on twt too? i see people absolutely enraged and foaming at the mouth at "those who believe jgy and xy are misunderstood babeys" because said people are "illiterate," "are live action onlys," and generally "wwx haters."

what?

what?

i have not seen a single person in my life who genuinely believes jgy and xy are misunderstood babeys who have done no wrong. i'm a xy fan! yes! i admit this! but it's because i really like amoral, gay-coded villains with a dramatic streak and a penchant for murder, not because i think xy is a great guy. i just think he's compelling and the donghua made him pretty.

so like- do these people exist, first of all, which goes into "does the backlash come from misunderstood tweets or the hot takes of twelve year olds?" because the people who were sending me gross shit were, according to their bios, fully grown-ass adults. GROWN ASS ADULTS. i'd have expected you all to be less of a piece of shit but apparently not.

dude, mdzs fandom is a trip and a half. like, my post that got shit was me saying that wwx and jc, if they ever properly reconcile, will probably end up in a fight. wwx is probably getting punched.

this, obviously, makes me a terrible person for wanting wwx to get punched.

listen. they're fictional.

do i need to repeat that? fictional. they do not exist. and i know better than anyone how attached you can get to fictional characters! just look at my ao3 account. but if you are so attached that the merest hint of your fave getting smacked or something makes you violently angry then you need to take several steps back.

i didn't explain this in the post because it was a one-off sort of thought i had, but here. here's the explanation, as someone who has watched the donghua and read the book and written fanfic for mdzs.

jiang cheng is a violent person! he just is! lots of repressed rage! and this isn't inherently a bad thing because the cultivation world is inherently violent. he and wwx have a complicated relationship where they've sacrificed a lot for each other but also hurt each other, irrevocably. i can hear you say "wwx didn't mean to hurt him tho-" but that does not matter. good intentions only go so far when it comes to interpersonal relationships.

i've always been a fan of the "beat the shit out of each other and make up" form of reconciliation. it's generally unrealistic, but something about the catharsis of it is something that deeply appeals to me.

hence my post that if the yunmeng bros ever make up properly, wwx is getting punched.

and the mdzs fandom made this innocuous, shitposty hc about classism, called me an abuse apologist, and a bunch of other shitty things.

did we read the same book?

jc and wwx didn't have an abusive relationship? at all? it was jc's parents that were abusive, emotionally neglectful, etc etc. not jiang cheng. i don't know where the "abuser jc" thing comes from.

and i resent people saying i dislike wwx. if you follow my blog, you know he's one of my favorite characters. as in, my favorite mdzs character. i wrote an essay on how much of an impact he had on my life and the way i consumed media.

in conclusion: i'm still fucking confused but at least i had hot takes for the genshin fandom to get pissy about and i have deliberately baited them at least once or twice. mdzs, y'all got no excuse.

if you're in deeper with the mdzs fandom and ~the discourse~ than i am, feel free to let me know what pile of manure i accidentally stepped in. otherwise, if this post makes you angry, keep your thoughts to yourself. this is my official statement that i do not want to hear any of it because i've gotten enough harassment from the mdzs fandom, thanks. just block me and move on.

[cross-d-a]

fic tag game

aaahhh @vishcount thank you for tagging me!!! These are so fun and I adored reading about your fic journey~!  ೖ(⑅σ̑ᴗσ̑)ೖ ❤

OH as a note!! For the ppl I tag at the end I don’t expect you to read all of this bc it’s A Lot!!! but I figured you might want to do this game yourself? haha :)

Name: cross-d-a shortened version of my first ever username. unfortunately stuck with it now haha but i’m fond of it :p wish it was cuter tho!!

Posting the rest of this under the cut so it doesn’t eat up people’s dashes!! 

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Fandoms: 

oKAY YIKES there are....honestly too many too name. I’ve got a short and obsessive attention span so it’s either all or nothing with me usually. When I can stay in a fandom for a long period of time it’s a miracle. I’ll name the bigger ones that I’ve all written fic for! Even if I’ve never posted them haha

Right now I’m very firmly into Daomu Biji (dmbj). It feels like it’s both got a crap ton of content and yet barely anything at all haha. Maybe because the English fandom is so small. But at least there are a bunch of dramas and books!!! I really, really, really adore dmbj so much!! And a large part of that is the fandom!!! It's been a really cool and unique experience! Everyone in it is truly so kind and wonderful, and I’ve made some really incredible friends because of it (looking at you vish!! ❤). I’ve got a bunch of wips, but I’ve only posted two fics for dmbj!

Before this I was very into Guardian and mdzs. MDZS was my first foray into cdramas and Guardian’s Zhu Yilong really suckered me into watching more haha I also have fics for both these fandoms!

My very first fandoms were Fullmetal Alchemist, D. Gray-Man and Naruto. My very old ffnet account has fics for these and I’ve got a bunch of newer wips on my tablet. Then Star Trek, Twilight, BBC Merlin, Sherlock, Death Note, Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, Battlestar Galactica, Avatar the Last Airbender and Marvel were a few of my main ones in high school. Plus a bunch of anime (like Fruits Basket! and Kuroshitsuji and Natsume Yuujinchou). 

Then college hit and I renewed my childhood love of Tolkien (mainly lotr and the Hobbit), and Star Wars. I also found Teen Wolf! Then after college it was Stranger Things. 

I find myself in a cycle of mild fondness and complete obsession with these fandoms haha I go back to Star Wars at least once a year!! Then I’m in the gffa hole for a few months. Marvel also reoccurs, depending on how interested I am in new content! Star Trek I always always always go back to. TOS is my comfort show and it will never fade from my heart ❤

But for now I’m stuck in cdrama hell and I love it

Tropes: 

Time travel, found family, whump+hurt/comfort, fairytale-like elements, resurrective immortality (thanks to a “Nine Lives” Hobbit fic), CROSSOVERS

I’m a slut for all these things so they often worm their way into my plots haha

I also just- love weird premises. I think that’s the anime influencing me haha

Fic I spent most time on: 

My series he leaves sand and stardust in my wake (main fic is hurricane on the edge of oblivion), I have...spent five years on now. I have done so much research for this fic it’s insane. 

The premise is force ghost!Obi-Wan getting shunted back into his tiny 10 year old self. I incorporate a shit ton of legends and I try to stay as canon as possible. I basically want this au to feel like it’s 1000% plausible while still getting all my gay shit. It’s chock full of whump, redemption, found family, minor characters turning into major characters, and I’ve got slavery uprising on the mind, too. It’s just- everything I could ever want to explore in the Star Wars universe basically. 

It’s my first big project. I started doodling and scribbling ideas in the margins of my notebook in my Scottish History class. I adore it so so so much. But, because of my hyperfixation and fleeting intense obsession with things it makes it- really difficult to consistently update. I leave it for months at a time and I am constantly guilt-ridden about it. Because it’s my baby and I have a lot of wonderful readers. I fear I’ll never be able to finish it. Especially since I’ve written so much and I’m still only in the beginning of it. ( ; A ; )

Also, I’ve spent so much time with Xanatos, Feemor and Bruck that they just feel like mine now. I can’t read any fics that involve them, it’s too strange. Which is a damn shame because I love them so much haha OH ALSO!! I think it’s the first really big fic to include those three?? So I’m very proud about that haha (I’ve had so many ppl comment about how they actually Give A Shit about these three and are Invested bc of me haha)

Favorite fic(s) you’ve written: 

hurricane on the edge of oblivion (with nowhere to go) (Star Wars)

My long-term passion project. My love-letter to Star Wars, I suppose. Reading it now I feel like a lot of it is clunky or long-winded, but I think it really shows the foundation of my writing today :) Main characters are Obi-Wan, Xanatos Du Crion, Qui-Gon Jinn, Bruck Chun and Feemor. Eventually we’ll get to Maul, Savage, Feral, Shmi Skywalker, (more!) Ahsoka, Anakin and a shit ton of clones ❤

things we hunger for (Guardian)

My Ye Zun self-indulgent fic. It’s a time travel amnesia Weilanzun! Honestly has some of my fav writing I’ve ever done. It’s so soft and really indulges in the hurt/comfort. It gives Ye Zun the friends and family I think he deserves. Also, he gets to grow into a (mostly!) functional person and I adore him.

the beast that slumbers within your soul (mdzs)

Jiang Cheng centric fic!! I feel like all my favourite fics I’ve written are love letters haha. This is one def my love letter to Jiang Cheng. This fic possessed me for two whole days. I wrote 16k in almost one sitting. I went to sleep at 6 in the morning bc I couldn’t stop writing. And when I drifted off I kept thinking of new ideas so I’d whip out my phone and write down lines and notes. I- have never ever ever felt that way about anything. It was- insane. It felt insane. It was so amazing. I’m still riding the memory of that high.

 Basically Jiang Cheng actually finds Baoshan Sanren and it turns out she’s a fox demon and Jiang Cheng is descended from wolves. It’s- okay I said the fic above this had my favourite writing?? That was a lie. This has my favourite writing I’ve ever done. It’s unfinished bc I am in dmbj hell but I am still excited about the next chapter which features Wei Wuxian’s pov!!

the whispers of spirits (dmbj)

My current passion project. In a way it kinda feels similar to hurricane? Bc multiple povs, incorporating different aspects of canon (we’ll get there!! I promise!), shit ton of research, etc. etc. I really really really love it for so many reasons. I’m basically taking all the things I was unsatisfied with in Reboot and Sha Hai and running with it. Found family and whump galore! It’s also a love letter to the women of dmbj who really deserve so so so much better.

Honourable mention to:

One Day (you’ll have given more of yourself than is meant to be taken) (Marvel)

This fic also kinda possessed me. I just- couldn’t get rid of the idea of a trans!Thor. And I mean a mtf Thor! It’s just? So many people look at Thor and go “that’s a Real Man.” Full stop. They never think there could be anything more, and it really really really bothered me. So I wrote out my feelings. I’m not trans. I don’t have that experience at all. I’ve had issues and confusion about my gender but nothing like this. I just wanted to do justice to this idea of Thor in my head. And I still feel a bit nervous having posted it. But I've gotten so many comments from people who really connected with what I’ve written? So I’m very very thankful I wrote it and it has a very special place in my heart. It’s a very cathartic fic.

Fic I spent least time on: 

Probably we rise (Star Wars) and I think it shows haha. I wrote it in response to Dave Filoni posting a drawing of Ahsoka and Gandalf telling her “People thought I was dead, too, and look how that turned out...” So I incorporated Ahsoka (and Din and Grogu and Ezra!!!) into the ending of Rise of Skywalker, kinda explaining how I think they could all still be alive. :)

Longest fic: 

hurricane is my longest fic (159k) but I’m kinda worried whispers will eclipse that.....

Shortest fic: 

Of my posted ones it’s The Five Moments it Took Tony and Scott to Admit They Were Best Friends (and the first time they ever did), currently clocks at 1.6k. It’s unfinished tho so maybe that doesn’t count.... otherwise it’s we rise which is completed and 2k.

Most hits/kudos/comments/bookmarks: 

hurricane overall has the most of all these. Though I don’t think hits counts as much bc it’s multi-chapter. If you discount multi-chapter stuff, most hits goes to my obikin smutfic Homecoming, bc people are horny af haha

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: 

If I had energy I’d like to rewrite the beginning of hurricane bc it feels so so wordy. I’d want to expand on One Day bc I really would like to write a whole series with trans!Thor. And like- I’d really like the focus to finish any of my WIPs.

Share a bit of a WIP: I really wanna share my Guardian/dmbj crossover that I started back in August. Bc I adore the idea of wu xie&shen wei&ye zun triplets! Plus time travel!!! I dunno if I’ll ever finish it tho ( ; A ; ) It just feels like a lot to deal with right now.

This scene takes place during the Mountain Awl arc. Guardian crew and desperado fam run across each other at the village! Wu Xie has recently found out that he’s adopted and he’s searching for answers in the area Sanshu originally found amnesiac!toddler!Wu Xie in :) Gonna pull two snippets bc I’m v excited and this might be the only time anyone else sees this fic haha:

“Oh?” Pangzi focuses on Yunlan now, lips twisting. “You think I’ve ‘got the wrong guy,’ huh?” He laughs, but it’s not a nice sound. “That’s rich! Are you that cocky or are you just stupid?”

Bristling, Yunlan drops his hands and scowls. “Excuse me?”

“Sir,” Shen Wei tries. “I think—”

Pangzi’s eyes snap back to Shen Wei, sharp and blazing. “How dare you fucking steal his face!”

What?

Automatically, Zhao Yunlan turns to Shen Wei, but the professor looks just as shell-shocked as Zhao Yunlan feels which- is seriously something. Since everything about Shen Wei is so carefully controlled, kept to the minimum. Except for those delightful little smiles that bloom across his lovely face, or the startled little bursts of laughter that fall from his lips. Or even when anger and frustration spark across his features, cracking his calm veneer open enough that he can see a glimmer of what lies beneath, the fire in those eyes. Zhao Yunlan delights in those moments, makes a game of making Shen Wei’s control slip.

He tells himself it’s nothing more than a game. Nothing more than trying to find out what makes Shen Wei tick.

Zhao Yunlan’s always been very bad at lying to himself. Or very good. Depending on who you’re asking.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Yunlan splutters.

But before anyone can say anything else, a very familiar voice calls:

“Pangzi? What’s wrong?”

Yunlan can feel Shen Wei stiffen, and Yunlan himself is pulled to that voice like a planet in orbit, like the inevitable plummet to the ground.

Another shadow wavers in the doorway before it steps out onto the dirt. Light illuminates shaggy hair, limning it gold, sharply casting everything else in shadow. But as the figure nears, the contrast softens until Yunlan can see the newcomer’s face properly and- and—

“Wu Xie!” Pangzi growls. “We’ve got ourselves an impostor!”

The man wearing Shen Wei’s face steps up to them, brows furrowed and mouth pulled down into a sharp frown. He glances between them, eyes landing on Shen Wei. His scowl deepens. He opens his mouth, but then—

“Wu Xie?” Shen Wei breathes, all trembly and lost and hopeless.

Heart in his throat, Yunlan turns to Shen Wei again. Turns and flinches at that stricken look upon Shen Wei’s pale pinched face.

“A-Xie?” Shen Wei chokes. “Didi?”

and

Pangzi snorts. “Professor?”

“I-it’s true!”

Startled Yunlan swings his attention over to Jiajia who clenches her backpack to her chest, face screwed up in admirable determination. “P-professor Shen took me and Xiao Quan on a field trip to investigate an archeological site around here!”

“Oh?” Wu Xie drawls all slow and amused. “Well, what a coincidence. We’re archeologists, too.”

“With guns?” Yunlan bites out.

Wu Xie raises a brow, grin full of teeth. “Well, you can never be too prepared.”

“Right,” Yunlan drawls right back. “Are you a professor, too, then? You come here with your students?”

Wu Xie outright grins. “You could say that, I suppose.”

Out of the corner of his eye, one of the men rolls his eyes. He’s the one with sharp features, glasses and looped earbuds. Does he think it’s appropriate to listen to music at a time like this? Yunlan admires the man’s gall.

aahhhh vish thanks so much again for tagging me!! This was so fun to relive my fic memories!! I’m gonna tag @alwaysaslutforshakespeare @jockvillagersonly @tehfanglyfish @lichelleme @undyingsunshine @humanlighthouse  @thewindsofsong I’m curious about your guys’ writing and fandom journey!! As always, no pressure to actually complete this!! I just thought it was fun ❤

Wow if you read all of this I am very humbled and impressed, thank you!!

╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

[puppy-phum]

thank you once again @yibobibo​ for tagging me ♥ even if, like I said, this is pure torture. I have so many sons that I’ve given up on counting them sigh but here goes.

favourite male fictional characters.

I took it that this meant ten so am going with that (tho am not gonna try and put them into order). am also sticking to all the characters I loved this year. and gonna ramble and add gifs so cutting it here. 

1. Liu Sang

The Lost Tomb Reboot/Reunion: The Sound of The Providence

I have so much love for this boy it’s not even healthy. it’s a bit funny tho bc once I started tltr, I didn’t really like him and almost forgot about him as the first season ended. he just felt so annoying and bitter in what I saw him, even if I did get that he had a Tragic BackstoryTM (I felt for him but well. tltr really made him hard to like at first). but then they brought him back in the second season with his sad puppy eyes and inability to handle his thoughts on wu xie and being all touch-starved and pitiful and whatnot and baam, I had the adoption papers ready. he’s wonderful and so strong and so smart and amazing. and liu chang as his actor has been wonderful (and he’s so pretty my god, have you seen him??)

2. Shen Wei

Guardian

never did I expect to just. fall into this hole after a year? I remember what a mess I was when I first watched guardian over a year ago, right after finishing the untamed. I was in shambles even as I knew how it would end. and now I’ve done this all again while also reading the novel and. my love for shen wei, especially bc it’s zhu yilong acting as shen wei? astronomical. I want to write poetry about him and his stupid responsibilities that he chooses to carry silently and his devotion to zhao yunlan and his love for his ppl and his didi and. I hope that one day I manage to write weilan bc I have this one idea and you can come pry it from my cold, dead fingers if it doesn’t get out there (am also super happy about the edit I made bc my god does he deserve at least that)

3. Cloud Strife

Final Fantasy VII

ok so stepping into the video games territory now. I was waiting for the remake like crazy and it was everything to me once the quarantine hit during spring. the game is so beautiful and I felt like I looked at this gorgeous boy once and was ready to give him my heart (tbh am quite sure he owned my heart before I even learned to know him). he is tragic in so many ways (I’ve only scratched the surface of all of his pain I know) and I wish I could just. hug him a lot. he is kind and cares very deeply even if he hates to show it and I love it how remake showed him also just being a human disaster (some of his scenes are just. peak comedy). I would kill for his smile (I have already cried for it a dozen)

4. Geralt of Rivia

The Witcher (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

if there’s one grumpy, brickwall of a man I love, it’s geralt. I affectionately call him “papa wolf” while playing witcher 3 and his voice in it does things to me (I am just so fond of him ok, begone you dirty fuckers). I got introduced to him through the books and adored him in them bc he is so prickly and sarcastic and still so full of love even if he will never admit to it. he is the father figure I wish I could have in real life. (and yes, I’ve seen the tv series (or at least a couple of the first episodes) and it looks stunning but. this is my version of geralt and that’s the hill I will die on)

5. Xiaoge

Zhang Qiling, Daomu Biji (The Lost Tomb 2)

(wow finding a gif for him was a pain, apparently I gotta learn how to gif or?) ah, my dear boy who I’ve ended up just calling xiaoge bc he seems to prefer it over his real name/title/whatever zhang qiling really is. I got introduced to him through tltr where we really didn’t get to know that much about him bc he was just... there. huang junjie was absolutely stunning tho and his soft smiles made me super fond, but only in the lost tomb 2 did I really fall in love with xiaoge as a character. I was surprised tbh bc I didn’t expect it to be this drama? I had so many doubts about the cast in tlt2 but they all delivered! and I think cheng yi’s xiaoge is now my favorite bc he somehow captured that softness and the pain of him? (and we do not talk about that buxun storyline tyvm) tho now that ultimate note is on the way, I gotta say that xiao yuliang does a wonderful job as xiaoge too!

6. Wu Xie

Daomu Biji (Ultimate Note)

(sorry we have to go with a pingxie gif now but maybe it’s only fitting) tbh it’s hard to choose my favorite version of wu xie. I think all of the actors for him have done amazing job showing wu xie in different parts of his life (all of them are very distinct but still feel like the same person) but currently zheng shunxi takes the lead. I really wanted to put the reboot version of him here (bc I love that mature, relaxed and somehow very soft version of him and the angst is phenomenal and the thoughts he has about death... yeah) but I already have zhu yilong’s face here once so :’D wu xie is just one of those characters you cannot not like. he is so strong, so kind, so stubborn, so wonderfully stupid sometimes and in need of careful protection. I also adore it how smart he is and I could listen to him spew history facts for 10 hours straight (even if it was in a tomb full of blood zombies) ♥

7. Jiang Cheng

Jiang Wanyin, The Untamed

my darling boy! my beautiful angry grape! I love him beyond words. I love him in all of his raging, misunderstood, stupid, sassy, constipated, abused, tragic, bitter, big hearted glory. I could write novels about him (and I did and am still writing oh boy) and his love for ppl and his inability to show that love and his loneliness and his issues. I could also write another novel for all of his outfits etc. bc damn, what a fashion king. he is just so great. he owns my soul. he deserves happiness and in this essay I will

8. Isana Yashiro

Adolf K. Weismann, K Project

I rewatched k project this spring bc a) it’s one of my favorite animes ever (it just looks stunning with all the colors) and b) I love yashiro to bits. I remember falling in love with him when I first watched k project many years ago bc he was just so kind and bright. this time though, I ended up seeing another side of him and my god did I cry. he is... so sweet. he cares for others so deeply and is ready to sacrifice so much for them and his love for his two clansmen... yeah. I think I finally saw the tragedy of him too, all the pain and loneliness and insecurity he decides to hide behind his smile and obnoxious personality. he reminded me a lot of myself and watching him made my heart bleed in a good way

9. Qi Tiezui

Ba Ye, The Mystic Nine

(wow am going to riot for the lack of all the gifs hhh) yes, we’re continuing with the dmbj universe that sucked me in big time this year. the drama of the mystic nine wasn’t probably that earth shattering for me as it somehow got boring more than once but I did love ba ye to bits. he was just... so nice? I got it that he was somehow this “comedic relief” in the drama with all of his funny scenes and ridiculous mannerisms but I could see the brilliance of him. he is warm and smart and kind of a romantic too and he cares for all of his friends so deeply? it was also sweet how protective of him his two zhangs were (does that run in the family? the tendency to imprint into one smart but disastrous man and keep him safe? maybe) and I really hope I knew more about him bc he seemed to have a lot of knowledge and a lot of impact to ppl’s lives (I yelled when they mentioned him in ultimate note, I miss him ;;)

10. Dorian Pavus

Dragon Age Inquisition

(yes I’ve been replaying DA:I this year, this counts!) another darling boy! my lovely sass master son! I have so much love for him and his story in DA:I. he is my favorite companion (and his romance is my favorite too, probably obvious in the way am currently romancing him for the third time) and he has given me a lot of strength. the way he stands up against his father, how he’s ready to reform his homeland instead of walking away, how he’s so caring for those he sees struggling... it’s very warming and I feel like I’m safe with him. it feels a bit silly to say that but he really is that comfort character I will seek out when I just want to know am doing fine :’) (and I am so excited to see him again in DA4! probably?)

+ 11. Li Cu

Tomb of the Sea

yes I cheated a bit (with my own rules lol) to fit li cu here. I didn’t really expect to like him or tomb of the sea as much as I did once I started it? I’ve seen leo wu elsewhere before this (battle through the heavens, nirvana in fire) and his face always makes me think about a sad puppy so maybe I just grew fond over li cu instantly bc he was... so hurt? the first episode really slaps you in the face with all of it, showing him being abused, wounded, kidnapped, tortured, used and then just very, very scared and broken. he continues being that throughout the whole drama and I feel like tomb of the sea (or sand sea or sha hai idk) is the darkest and angstiest story in the dmbj universe. I know it deserves to be bc this is a dark time for wu xie but... my darling li cu. I wish him only happiness ;; he was so strong and smart and wonderful in this and it was just so amazing to watch him grow and find his own place in the world just bc he did something himself (even when he got dragged into all of this bc of wu xie) also I support the wu xie adopts li cu -agenda

Honorary mentions: 

Zhang Rishan, Xie Yuchen and Hei Xiazi from DMBJ universe. The Twin Jades of Gusu and Ouyang Zizhen from The Untamed. The Iron Bull and Fenris from Dragon Age games. Thane Krios, Kaidan Alenko and Jaal from Mass Effect games. The whole lot of Assassin’s Creed protagonists (especially Ezio Auditore and Shay Cormac). Adam Parrish and Ronan Lynch from The Raven Cycle. Neil Josten from All For The Game. Eduon and March from The Smoke Thieves. Qiling from L.O.R.D. Critical World. Luo Fei from Detective L (played by Bai Yu). 

well, with this I can really see that I have a thing for those who are tragic :’D I have a thing for grumpy, prickly and antisocial guys or those who hide their pain behind a smile. maybe it’s bc I am somehow both, even if I can’t show my anger or be mean to others and even if I feel like my smile never sticks either. I just find kinship in all of the characters who are on this list. and I feel like I aspire to be as strong and as kind and as loving despite all the pain I’ve been put through.  

thank you, this was so much fun! and sorry I made this so long and so complicated ^^’ but well, there are just way too many male characters I love haha

at the end I want to tag @i-am-just-a-kiddo​ @ashenwren​ @kholran​ @tiesanjiao​ @lan-xichens​ @aheartfullofjolllly​ @manhasetardis​ and @lzswy​​ ♥ feel free to do this in your own way or not at all! and thank you if you managed to read through my rambling :’D

[marquisguyun]

For the character ask meme, The Untamed

Tysm!! I'm going to mostly answer this specifically about The Untamed/CQL, but there might be some overlap with the book/donghua bc the Untamed was not my introduction to the characters! Also because my answers to some of these questions are inevitably related to my fanfic reading experiences, which tend to blur the line between CQL and MDZS...

The first character I first fell in love with:

I'm pretty sure it was Lan Wangji? I already loved WWX from the donghua but Xiao Zhan's WWX took a few episodes to grow on me compared to Wang Yibo's LWJ. At this point I'm not really sure what my hangup was with CQL!WWX but we've long moved past it...

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now:

Xue Yang... I do love him in the book/donghua too, but I absolutely adore Wang Haoxuan's portrayal in the drama!!

The character everyone else loves that I don’t:

I'm not sure... I feel like I do like most of the characters besides the few exceptions (Wen Ruohan, Jin Guangshan, Jin Zixun, Su She, etc). I guess I'm not really much interested in Jin Zixuan outside of his relationship with Jiang Yanli? He's a fine character and I get why people like him I'm just not as invested

The character I love that everyone else hates:

I mean besides Xue Yang who is a divisive character for a reason? For one, I'm not on this train of hating on Jiang Cheng that's been going around. He's not perfect but he's not the root of all evil or something-- I'm invested in the relationship angst. Other possible answer: Lan Qiren. There are some great moments in the drama where it's obvious how much he genuinely cares for his nephews!

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Once again, I'm not sure I have an answer for this one. I think the closest thing to a character I don't love anymore (which psa i still love them) is that I used to think lwj was my favorite cql character for a while and now I'd say wwx

The character I would totally smooch:

The juniors are too young for me, Wangxian is too in love, I am *not* getting mixed up in whatever SongXueXiao or 3zun have going on... I think the logical answer here is Nie Huaisang tbh. And he'd probably even be good at it!

The character I’d want to be like:

You see, the characters I probably relate to the most as a burnt out "Gifted Kid" are Lan Wangji and Nie Huaisang. Which is... fun. I used to be a lot more like LWJ, and ngl I could use some of that clear judgement + hyper competence + no fucks given he's got going on post time skip.

The character I’d slap:

Jin Guangshan and/or Jin Zixun 🎉🎉🎉

A pairing that I love:

Okay I've read fic for a lot of different ships but (if we assume Wangxian is a given) my other favorite CQL ship is XueXiao!! Domesticity, angst, Identity Porn, and enemies to lovers, all set up right there in canon <3

A pairing that I despise:

CQL has a lot of ships that would read under the right circumstances/in the right mood... Generally I don't vibe much with Xicheng, SangCheng, or Chengxian but there's nothing wrong with them per se and I have enjoyed specific fics that included them. I'm not a huge fan of Zhuiling either but, again, it can be done in a way that I like it.

I guess maybe Wen Ruohan/Lan Qiren or Jin Guangshan/Lan Qiren? I can kind of see the appeal of a relationship that ended in tragedy (bc they are dicks in the current time frame and also not on good terms) but honestly I am just not into delving into WRH's or JGS's love lives. Y'all do you tho, no judgement here.

[basket-of-loquats]

8, 9, 26, 27, 32?

8. Most Confusing Part In The Story

For me, probably the very beginning just because like, did anybody actually know what was going on in the first episodes the first time they watched it? Also, in general, the timeline doesn’t make ANY sense... how was it sixteen years earlier AND sixteen years later when time literally passed during the flashbacks... like it should have been sixteen years earlier and then thirteen years later because like, several years passed.

9. A Fanon You Dislike

hmm... idk i can’t really think of any right now! I think a lot of fanon stuff related to nie huaisang irks me sometimes, because a lot of people can write him to be overly dramatic and like, visibly mysterious when the whole point was that nobody could ever tell. but honestly that’s such a little thing idk lol

26. Who is Jinling’s favourite uncle (ranking)

wait is this asking me who i think his fave uncle or who my fave of his uncles is... 

either way jiang cheng is number one lmao. he was his number one caretaker and clearly the one who exerted the most influence on jin ling, and i think it really shows how much they love each other in guanyin when they’re constantly fussing over each other and trying to protect the other.

I’d say that besides that, jin ling has very little “ranking” in his mind... his feels over jgy are quite complicated, but definitely until he realized he was evil jgy was number two. wei wuxian was definitely at the very bottom of the list until he realized he was NOT evil, and now his uncles ranking chart is all messed up and he doesn’t like to think about it anymore because it makes his heart hurt in many many ways.

27. Character Design That Is Just “Meh”

this is incredibly tough for me because like. i LOVE everybody’s character design. Honestly the design in this show is like, one of my favorite parts. if i really had to pick tho... maybe the juniors? specifically jingyi and sizhui. I feel like they could have given them more distinguishing features, closer to how the look in the donghua maybe? Seriously tho i love everybody’s design so much lol

32. Lan Sect Rule That Would Be The Hardest To Obey

honestly? “do not rise after 5 Am” lmao

[watch-grok-brainrot]

GOD I ENVY YOU ajskskks i'm an introvert and like.... i can't start or hold a conversation. mdzs is pretty much the first fandom that made me actually talk to people and get friends? i've got a bunch of mutuals where we don't really talk but y'know we like know, which is cool bcs all of them are intimidating af but i love them. then i got a couple of mutuals that i talk and shit post with and just, talk to? one of them is like.... really late in answering conversations but then again 98% of our conversations is me making her cry over wangxian. so that's fair ig. there's a mutual of mine that is learning my language, so sometimes we'll start talking in it and i will tell her if her grammar or anything sounds weird. (like, we have a formal you and an informal you, she often used the formal you with me which sounds weird bcs we're friends. also bcs this is tumblr. if she uses it with anons it's not that weird but still funny)

last week was great (i watched the tencent awards yesterday but i didn't understand anything they were saying, so yeah.) this week is christmas!! do you have any plans for it? i don't, the only thing planned is the food. which i don't have too cook myself, thankfully. imagine me cooking, the whole kitchen would burn down probably. (i'm decent enough at baking, so that makes up for it)

okay here are a bunch of questions. i'm gonna think of a character and describe them with emojis, you have to guess who it is. this will probably be really easy: ❤👻🎶🎨

which two characters would you like to meet your parents and which character should stay tf away from your parents? ngl my parents would love wwx, i'm not even kidding. as a kid i used to be a lot like him, so yeah they would probably know how to handle him (also i got friends that are energetically? just like him). then probably one of the twin jades, my dad would clash with nmj i think, so that wouldn't work out well. i'd prefer to go with lan xichen tho, since i don't want wangxian to make out 24/7 and ALSO PLEASE SPARE THE GUEST ROOK THE WALLS AREN'T THICK ENOUGH but otherwise i would go with wwx & lwj, if the risk wasn't too high. my parents would like both of them probably. i could also see jiang yanli being adored by my mother and my sister and just... my brother really likes her in the donghua (he doesn't like jc in the donghua, which.... i understand). one person my parents wouldn't get along with is definitely jiang cheng. or madam yu. jiang cheng would just clash with my whole family's temperament and the same goes with madam yu.

if you could meet one character in person, only one but they can be dead or alive in canon it doesn't matter, who would you want to meet?

do you have a favorite adaptation of mdzs? - ❄🐇

no need to be envious snowbunny! i think being an introvert/extrovert and start/holding a conversation are very different things. as an extrovert i just end up awkward a lot. and i start conversations without ever know how i will get received. it’s more about just charging in and hoping for the best. if they hate the way i am, well, uh... oh, well. i didn’t know them anyway. not much loss on my end. and that’s kinda how i made some of my best friends here!

i’m gonna make hotpot and eat with my husband for xmas eve and have leftovers on xmas. it will be good and chill. i have a board game i’d like to play with him. hopefully i’ll get some fandom related stuff i want to get done done. i am SO BEHIND on stuff. I have two fic prompts that i asked for in october that i haven’t filled. not because i don’t want to but because some other stuff came up that took up all my bandwidth. 

love ghost music art? what? if just the first three i would’ve said wen ning... but  i assume you’re talking about wwx. o.O 

i don’t think my parents would care to meet any of the characters? i mean they’ll just be random chinese people... hm.... my mom would enjoy wen qing because she’ll want to learn all the TCM crap. >.> my dad... maybe nhs and my dad can talk classic poetry. or any of the lans... and i think sect leader yao should stay tf away from everyone... so yeah. him. bleh. 

i would want to meet/hang out with wwx. we would drink together. i would make him cocktails and he would get WASTED. it would be a good time. who would you want to meet? 

i have only seen cql in its entirety. haven’t finished the manhua (i stopped following a few months ago... ), donghua, or AD. and the novel isn’t an adaptation. so uh... i guess by default cql. ope. you?