#<- internally and reasonable of course

[be-queer-do-arson]

I love that scene in tkm where Wymack tells Neil he's going to make him vice captain the next year and Neil tries to politely decline (on the grounds that he'll be dead by then) and Wymack is literally like too bad bitch. This isn't a democracy and i say you're the next captain so figure it out

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

thinking about Lucanis again (always). and how so much of his narrative boils down to the theme of "control". and of course also about how this applies to the Rook x Lucanis relationship.

like the first scenes with him in the game are, in theory, about freeing him from the Ossuary (although he seems to have an escape attempt already in progress at the time, they certainly weren't just letting him keep those knives on him for enrichment purposes, Rook just provided an opening/distraction he could take advantage of and crucially Rook has A Way Out of the whole place not just a cell). but ACTUALLY the purpose it to put him right into a new contract for Us, one set up by his own grandmother and first talon no less, and the person he has the MOST trouble saying no to. He's escaped torture and the Venatori for sure but he still isn't free, which I think is part of what leads to Spite's confusion/the Inner Demons plotline. He agrees to the contract but you can tell it's in many parts out of a sense of duty/mourning vs something he actively wants to do for himself. And then the FIRST real heartfelt conversation you have with him, where he tells you "even before I was captured, my life was not really my own. So much had been determined for me." But he's chaffaing at that! He thinks "to live truly is to live fully" and so directly tells you he doesn't think he's lived a life true to himself. He's been constantly smothered by the weight of expectations around him, even though he longs for more.

And then once you get him to the Lighthouse you see how this Big lack of control in his life comes out as all these smaller frustrations. He's terrified of sleeping and downing 11 cups of coffee per hour because sleeping means he will lose control to Spite, even though Spite is shown to flee rather than fight when he feels threatened, and once calmed down, is more drawn to just benign curiosity/mischief than anything actively malicious. Like if Lucanis loses control and sleeps for a few hours he is not going to wake up surrounded by bloodshed, he's going to wake up to a belly full of candle wax because he wouldn't like Spite taste one while they were awake. Which is the other half of this--he constantly denying Spite's impulses for reasons that in some ways make sense (HE doesn't want to eat candles), but not in a way that's actually satisfying to either of them (why not just take a bite, chew for a bit, and spit it out so Spite knows they kind of suck actually?). But he CAN say no to Spite and so he does. Over and over. Spite's one of the few people he can deny things without feeling bad about it, because it's HIS body he doesn't like that has to share now (<- this is what he thinks about it at first anyway, but he's wrong, it's both of theirs and it's useless to try to hold those kind of boundaries forever. but the "no its mine" spiteful instinct is very beautifully ironic and reflective of them both and their early relationship).

And personally I think this is where his fear of his own desires and intimacy is coming from, at the root. I don't think he's afraid of the concept of being in a romance or having feelings (even if they're unusual and rare for him, this is by no means incompatible with him being demi) but I DO think he is afraid of the kind of power it gives people over you. Getting something you want means there's something else that can be taken away. Admitting your desire means the other person has the opportunity to deny that. The more you have, the more you have to lose, and he has lost again and again and again in his life--his parents, his childhood to the crows, his independence, even his future--he doesn't aspire to be first Talon but he knows the rumors. He knows his grandmother wanted it for him, not Illario. His life path has been laid out for him by others and up to this point he has simply been going along with it anyway, even though it bothers him. He COULD argue and fight Caterina and push for Illario who actually wants the job to be First Talon instead, but from The Wigmaker Job we know he doesn't. He just ignores it and pretends maybe it won't happen, without him having to do any of the work. Which is why in the end Illario is the one who has to make a move about it (and even warns Lucanis of this!!!!). Lucanis KNOWS all this makes him a target but is neither taking charge or getting off of the train tracks, just closes his eyes.

And I think THIS context is what makes the almost kiss scene in the pantry make more sense to me. Rather than being afraid of having feelings (and then NEVER addressing this in game with a Rook who pursues him anyway) or not knowing how to finish what he's started via crow seduction training, it's more like this is a pivotal moment where he can actively choose to step off the planned path of be given a job -> kill the gods -> enact revenge -> go home. even if he doesn't at that point realize that a relationship with Rook could be something that lasts long-term, the very act of doing something just for himself is what's foreign and scary and hard. It's that first step off the tracks, and even if he were to keep walking in the same direction, it means he's making a choice about it. he's accepting that one way or another it IS in his power to go along with everyone else's plans or not. Hence the hesitation, and drawing back, and needing to clear his head.

And then the rest of Rook's role in his narrative IS about giving him more and more control for himself. Inner Demons, dealing with Illario, his questlines move less towards revenge and more towards just... not being locked into one fate. Which of course Caterina comes back and immediately tries to overturn by declaring him First Talon after all, even though she and him and everyone else knows she's not ACTUALLY ready to give up her rule/decision making power yet. Which in a way is maddening because cmon I did all this work here so this sad man could have some agency in his own life just to watch him get sucked right back in (which, at least we get many directions to headcanon from here), but there's no denying that THIS version of Lucanis at least is actually going in with his eyes open now. THIS Lucanis has had a taste of life outside the Crows, and seen the politics and power dynamics in other places/organizations, and finally has emotional ties to the big picture state of the world now, both in relationship and friendship paths with Rook. He's not just hyper focused on each contract as it's given to him now, he's looking at the whole thing.

Anyway of course the beautiful culmination of all this within the romance is the lighthouse scene with Rook, where he finally is willing to let himself be vulnerable (emotionally and physically), and fall asleep without fear of what Spite's going to do in the meanwhile. He also (depending on dialogue choice) finally talks about his feelings directly with you for the first time instead of in roundabout ways (the dessert being "not enough" is it really the dessert you mean, Lucanis. is it.). Even though he is STILL reluctant to verbally admit his feelings or let Rook share their own at this point, I think that's more a narrative choice about saving those last emotional dialogue options for the big final battle. but it is another point where he does have to stop just following along and ACTIVELY choose that yes, yes sometimes loving is worth the risk of losing it. Even if someone takes it away from you later, even if you don't survive it, sometimes the love alone makes it worth it.

I have like another 5000 words I could add into about how Spite ties into all this, about how having the demon in him is something he both fears AND how it forces him to acknowledge that actually yes he DOES share the same base feelings/instincts Spite does in terms of not wanting to be told what to do. And how this in a way is part of what gives him permission to act on it since he can no longer just shove it down out of sight. but this post is long enough already so i'm just going to take the rest of this and gnaw on it all day like a chew toy I guess.

anyway. AHG. it is kind of frustrating that the culmination of his arc seems to be "and then he got the job he never wanted anyway" but I do think at least all this prepares him for it in a way Caterina actively failed to actually do on her own. He NEEDED that step away from his straightforward path. Whether he stays first talon or not, and with or without rook as a romantic partner, he's finally been able to explore ideas outside the expectations of others.

[eobe]

My dearest Lupe 🤩🫶 Thank you so much! ✨

All credits to the enticing wording of Amber‘s magical owl feather, that not only lured me back to AO3, but also lured this artwork out of my own owly feather in the very moment I finished devouring savouring the 2nd chapter myself ☝️🫠✨ You know me, Lupe, when dopamine kicks in, then I‘m ooowwwwwling in the woods ✨🤩🦉 And as Amber is an owl herself, you get a duo (h)owling ✨🦉🎶🦉✨ Why do my speeches sound like a threat currently 🙈

It‘s one thing, if you have a little snack (more ore less innocent Commander Caf art for example ☕️🦊) or if you have to deal with a whole entchanted, sparkling BACCHANAL 😱✨🧁☕️🍫✨ (whole scenes of magical images full screen, 8k cinematic quality inviting the brain to add weird things like glowing space decoration fungi out of pure blissful overwhelming error AND a walking, speaking, intimidating, good-looking, sly and flirt-failing Commander Caf ☕️❤️‍🔥🦊)

☝️I only allow myself internally self-inserting while drawing to deliver the artist!reader‘s art! Absolutely my altruistic, sacrificial contribution for the general wellfare 😌🙏 … Believe me pleeeaassse ☝️🤓

"The Spicy Fox": EXCITING UPDATE

It's no longer a one-shot! 😃

When a situation inspires a fic, and that fic inspires art, which inspires more fic, inspiring more art, more fic, more art...

✨ IT'S TIME FOR A TEAM-UP! ✨

This is a multi-chapter fic now! Beginning with Chapter 2, the (insert eighteen complimentary adjectives here) @eobe and I are creating more of this Fox x Reader story TOGETHER! 🦊☕✏️

Come check it out!

[kujo1597]

I really love the design of Nina's room here. It looks very realistic for one a high schooler would have. But of course Nina needs some special accommodations and they make sense. Her room is cute and believable. I adore the stickers on her bed. What a fun little detail. There's a bunch of posters showing that she has a wide variety of interests, and even an amp.

The pom-pom topped pencil is just *chef's kiss*

Nina's just a regular girl who happens to have aquatic traits and I love that.

[jessicas-pi]

-- part one | part two | part three | part four --

Sabine lived in a world where everything and everyone was flawless.

No self-respecting Seelie over five years old went anywhere without their best glamour on. If they fought with each other, they played nice in the Summer Court. If they were unwell or sad or poor or unhappy in some way, they certainly didn't let on to it around their princess. Sabine had lived her life surrounded by beautiful, perfect fey in beautiful, perfect clothes with beautiful, perfect lives.

Maybe that's why she found this human so utterly fascinating.

He, with his scars and unwashed hair and dark circles under his eyes. He, with a life so miserable that he told her to her face that he didn't mind getting kidnapped by the Fair Folk, if it meant he got away from it. He, with his sun-faded shirt and scuffed shoes and ripped, ragged jeans.

He, with no glamour to hide who he was.

He bewitched her.

Sabine looked at him, and struggled to look away.

She was almost upset when her mother insisted he at least be cleaned up and dressed in Seelie garb, if he wasn't to be sent home. (And Mother would have sent him home, too, if that clever boy hadn't actually managed to get Sabine's Word that she would keep him with her until he told her his Name.) But, even without the dirty clothes and greasy hair and faint smell of something strange and mildly unpleasant, he was still flawed.

She was so used to seeing perfection in every face that she found her mind continually wandering back to him during the council meeting Mother forced her to sit in on that night, as punishment for her mischief. The Treasurer, the Advisors, the Captain of the Guard---they were all so unquestionably beautiful. It hurt her eyes to look at them for long. So she called up an alertly attentive glamour over herself, providing the illusion that she was listening to the Chief of Informants report on the Winter Court's most recent doings, and slouched in her seat with her sketchbook and pencils and tried to draw her new guest's expression. But it wasn't right. It was too smooth and symmetrical. It was too... fey.

She slapped the notebook shut with a scowl of frustration and resigned herself to suffering through the rest of the interminable council meeting.

The instant it ended, she rushed from the room, following the tether her Word had joined them with. She found him in the garden, sitting on a bench surrounded by foxglove flowers and, irritatingly, a dozen Seelie youths of her court. They were talking with him and laughing, but in a patronizing way—the way one might laugh at a particularly clever pet. As she watched from a distance, one of them reached over and tugged the color of his new jacket, saying something that sent the others into titters of merriment. Sabine's new friend laughed uncomfortably, his shoulders hunched inwards, glancing between the Fair Folk around him.

Sabine scowled.

She had cast off her formal glamour as she ran; it was cumbersome and got in her way. Now she called it back up, presenting herself in full regalia, with a diadem of flowers and dewdrop-like crystals, a cape of spider-silk gauze, piles and loops of snowy-white hair, and dark kohl around her eyes.

Sabine had been told her fullest glamour was frighteningly beautiful. And right now, she wanted to be frightening.

None of them saw her—she made certain of that with another glamour—as she approached noiselessly, circling around behind the bench and coming within earshot.

"—met a human before," one of the flaxen-haired sons of her mother's most bothersome advisor said, leaning down to look at her guest more closely, going so far as to grip him by the chin to force his head up. "So very unique. Don't you think so, brother mine?"

His twin agreed in a snide voice. "Never seen anything like it."

Sabine's fists curled, but twisted her growing snarl into a saccharine smile as she stopped behind the bench. Folding her arms on its back just beside her guest, she leaned forwards, getting as close to the face of the horrid advisor's son as possible before dispelling her glamour and announcing, "Treating him well, friend?"

The Seelie youths all startled, the ones sitting beside her guest jumping up off the bench and backing away guiltily. The elder twin was the first to reply.

"With every honor and dignity we judged fitting," he answered—well, he was honest, if nothing else.

"I see that," Sabine replied, sweetening her smile and gesturing towards her new guest. "I'm so glad someone has taken the initiative to make him feel welcome here."

"He's a very interesting boy," a Seelie lady put in, sounding eager to please. She'd been coveting a position as Sabine's attendant for quite a while, Sabine recalled. "So... unconventional."

Sabine gave her a smile that showed all her teeth and stood up straight.

"That wasn't the word I'd use," Sabine enunciated slowly. "But I suppose it's true." She glanced down at her guest. One look at his face told her that his every nerve was on end. "You look frightened, friend."

He glanced at the other Seelie, then gave her a weak smile. "I'm nervous around strangers."

Sabine thought quickly, weighing a few different options before settling on the one that would drive the others away while causing the least offense.

So she smiled at him, dropping her voice.

"I'm sure they didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You're new, and... fascinating. Your eyes... they're marvelous, you know." Sabine put her hands on his shoulders, sliding down so her arms hung about his neck and the side of her face was pressed close to his. As she did so, she spoke, in a slow, smooth, breathy voice. "It's... no wonder... you've got..."

She leaned away just enough that she could put a gentle finger under his chin and turn his head to face her, catching his gaze and holding it tight, and finished in a whisper:

"...admirers."

Her guest blinked at her, wide-eyed, turning red with an unhidden blush, and Sabine felt a pang of guilt. No one in the Summer Court would willingly wear their emotions so blatantly on their face.

The younger of the twins made a choking noise of incredulity and there were a few snorts of amusement at her statement. Instantly discarding her plan of making them embarrassed enough to leave, Sabine turned upon them, feeling a spike of anger.

"Welll, your manners seem to have room for improvement, don't they?" she snapped, dropping the smile from her face, but keeping her arms draped protectively over her guest's shoulders. "All you've done to welcome my personal guest is to make him uncomfortable. He may not be Seelie, but he is here under my Word. So you answer to me for your what you say to him. Is that fully understood?"

A scattering of "of course, my lady," "my apologies," and "sincerest regrets" later, the youths had dispersed, and Sabine was left alone with her guest. Releasing him from her hold, she moved to the side, leaning on the back of the bench again. Sabine watched the others to make sure they were truly gone, then she addressed him once more.

"I give you my apologies," she whispered. "I was trying to make them feel awkward enough that they'd leave without me telling them to. I didn't mean to make you... embarrassed."

"It's okay. I'm just not used to..." He trailed off for a second, biting down on his lip. She almost wanted to reach out and stop him with a light touch of her thumb, traced down his lower lip, and she wasn't sure why.

Or rather, she was sure—or fairly sure—and the reason unsettled her.

"Compliments," he finished, after a second. "I'm not used to compliments."

"I suppose humans didn't really like the way you look," she remarked, and kept herself from adding, but I do.

Her guest was still blushing and clearly trying not to look at her as she straightened up and walked around the bench. In a move of impulse, she cast off her entire glamour. Without it, her hair was straight and plain, cut short above her chin, and her clothes were a simple linen tunic and leggings. She had bare feet, and she kicked them in the grass as she dropped down onto the bench beside him.

"Lucky you," she joked. "Not many people get to see the real me."

"This is what you look like?" he asked quietly, his ethereal blue eyes widening. "You don't have any—glamour, on, right now?"

She leaned back on the bench, lounging casually. "Nope. Not so impressive anymore, am I?"

He fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve—white, trimmed with gold and the same blue as his eyes—and glanced up at her for a second before looking away. " Actually, I... um... I think you're really pretty."

"Oh." Sabine blinked in surprise, instinctively summoning up an illusion to hide a blush that tinged her own face. Looking away, she tucked her hair back behind an ear. "That's... very kind of you to say. Most people think it's quite a step down from my glamour."

"Well, your glamour is..." He laughed a little. "It's something, that's for sure."

"It's so beautiful it's frightening?" Sabine suggested. "Everyone says so. Mother says it's something to be proud of."

"You're not proud?" he asked.

"I'm... not sure," Sabine said softly, gazing out into the garden. She'd never noticed how neatly arranged it was before—how artificial. "I think I might be bored of perfection, actually."

And, she added mentally, I think it's your fault.

"How long have you been waiting in the garden?" she asked, by way of conversation.

He shrugged lightly. "A while. I haven't been keeping track of time."

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long," Sabine told him, clasping her hands on her knees and leaning forwards, chasing the lightest wisp of a breeze that darted past her. "Mother made me sit in on a council meeting. They always seem to take forever."

"It wasn't too long," he assured. "It gave me time to think."

"About what?"

He hesitated a moment.

"My friends," he said. "I was thinking about my friends. I hope they're not too worried about me. I left a note, but... knowing Ka—er—one of them, he'll freak out anyway. Actually—" He reached up to the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. "I'm wondering if maybe that note just made him more worried. He believes in the Fair Folk too, but, um, I think he's more scared of them than anything."

"If it's the Unseelie he's afraid of, then he's right," Sabine said frankly. "Thousands of your years ago, they were friendly with your kind. Helpful. Generous, even. Then the Emperor Palpatine of the Winter Court changed things. Humans have always called us petty, but the new Unseelie are nothing less than evil."

"Then I'm glad you found me," he said, giving her an imperfect smile.

"I'm glad I found you, too," she replied absently. He showed his teeth when he smiled, and one of them was a little bit crooked. But he noticed her staring and stopped smiling, looking awkward. Sabine turned the conversation to another topic. "If you think your friends at home are worried for you, we could go visit them."

He did a double-take. "Visit them? I thought I had to stay here."

"You have to stay with me. If I go to your realm, then you come along." She smiled. "Shall we go? I think I can fit in with your people and not draw attention, in a pinch. No one will know I'm Seelie."

A twinkle came into his eyes, and the side of his mouth twitched. "Actually, you just gave me a really funny idea."

Sabine grinned and leaned forwards conspiratorially.

"Oh? Do tell."

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Three

For Xiantober Day Five: Past and Present, in which the author gets very unhinged about what parts of the past are shown and how that’s affected by the present!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

The Power of Agency: Shaping the Narrative

When I've discussed Wei Wuxian's agency previously, I’ve talked about how what’s shown and omitted tells us about a character, and we’ve talked about the character himself. Though this is a niche topic, it’s not necessarily something out of the ordinary to analyse, and we can assume everything up to here has been in some way intentional.

This? Linking structure to a character’s in-universe preferences?

This is where we get unhinged.

Before I start, let’s quickly establish something which will be important later: although Wei Wuxian is the central character, MDZS isn’t strictly from his POV. While omitting events a character doesn’t like to dwell on and concealing things the character wishes to hide is common in books with only one narrator, MDZS has multiple narrators which it switches between relatively quickly. This includes Wei Wuxian, but it also includes nearly every major character that appears in the story, and omniscient narrator as well. As a default, this format doesn’t lead to this deliberate shaping and omission because of one character’s preferences, since we have many other sources of information and events – which is what makes Wei Wuxian’s influence over the narrative and structure so interesting. We could have access to a lot more information, and access to it at different times, than we do (and that’s not an insult, quite the opposite!).

To begin: we’ve established that times such as Wei Wuxian’s time on the streets, his three months in the Burial Mounds and his loss in the Siege aren’t shown because Wei Wuxian has little agency there. But that’s not the only special thing about them. They’re also the three most traumatic times in his life, and so moments Wei Wuxian himself either can’t remember, or doesn’t like to dwell on.

This is why discussing Wei Wuxian’s treatment of tragedy in his life was important. Firstly, it shows he doesn’t focus on the tragedy in his life, so the idea that the narrative not focusing on this tragedy relates to his character has merit; secondly, it affirms that this is not a passive trait, but a choice. Therefore, when the narrative omits events due to this aspect of Wei Wuxian, it’s respecting not only a character detail – which would be cool by itself – but also an active decision. One that shapes the story it’s made in.

In other words, its very structure is respecting Wei Wuxian’s agency!

Now, of course there are flashbacks to other moments of his past he probably wouldn’t like to dwell on, too. But within the structure, they’re only shown when Wei Wuxian is thinking about them (or when he has reason to)!

Wei WuXian hadn’t woken up yet. His eyes were still tightly shut, yet his hand didn’t let go either. He seemed to be dreaming, muttering, “… Don’t… Don’t be angry…” Lan WangJi seemed somewhat surprised. His voice was gentle, “I am not angry.” Wei WuXian, “… Oh.” Hearing this, as though he finally felt assured, his fingers loosened. Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!” Chapter 63, EXR translation

Which, of course, is him dwelling on…

Lan WangJi spoke one word at a time, “Go back to Gusu with me.” Hearing this, both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were surprised. Quickly afterward, Wei WuXian laughed, “Go back to Gusu with you? To the Cloud Recesses? Why go there?” He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.” Chapter 62, EXR translation

…the painful flashback immediately preceding this. The third set of flashbacks (which are also painful) are a similar case. Look at the contex:

He lifted the bottom of his robe, revealing a prosthetic leg made of wood, “This leg of mine was destroyed by you, that night in the Nightless City (…)” (…) “Wei WuXian, I won’t ask you if you remember or not. Both of my parents died by your hands. You owe too many people. You definitely won’t remember them either. But, I, Fang MengChen, will never forget! And never forgive you!” (…) “In the fight at Qiongqi Path, my son was strangled to death by your dog Wen Ning!” “My shixiong died by poison, his entire body festering due to your cruel curse!” Chapter 68 (immediately preceding the flashbacks), EXR translation

And Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts and words:

Wei WuXian looked at the cultivators before the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Their expressions were the absolute same as those of the cultivators from the night of the pledge conference, pouring their wine on the ground as they took the pledge to scatter the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remnants and him.  (…) Wei WuXian, “Now it’s time to ask just whom it is that treasures it so much. It’s like Wen Ning. Back then, some certain sects or so were scared to death of the Ghost General. They said they’d kill him on the surface, but behind their backs they hid him for over ten years. How strange. Who was the one that said his ashes had been scattered back then?” Chapter 79 (immediately succeeding the flashbacks), EXR translation 

Once again, Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts relate to the flashbacks we’ve just been shown. And, as I previously mentioned, though all the events which are shown are tragic, they’re also events which Wei Wuxian’s own choices and actions shaped – which he has this to say about:

“The things I did, not only do you remember them, I remember them too. You won’t forget them, and they’ll stay even longer in my mind!” Chapter 82, EXR

Admittedly, this applies more to the third set of flashbacks than the second (which is still fitting as the third set was the most recent), as in the second, although he still had agency within and influence over his circumstances, the majority of the pain was caused by others’ actions (excluding, of course, the Golden Core transfer… which is something we know stays for a long time in his mind, albeit with a caveat we’ll soon discuss). But it’s still important to note – especially considering that otherwise, focusing on this very painful time in his life wouldn’t seem like something very in-character for Wei Wuxian to do.

Of course, this can all just be explained by good writing. It is best to insert flashbacks when they’re relevant to the characters and events in the present day! But it is interesting to compare these to the start of the (not painful) Gusu flashbacks, which open this way:

At a later time, Wei WuXian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan WangJi wasn’t good. Getting to the root of the matter, everything started when he was fifteen, coming to the GusuLan Sect with Jiang Cheng to study for three months. Chapter 13, EXR

Again, considering the circumstances around which these flashbacks take place – returning to the Cloud Recesses for the first time since the lectures, and meeting Lan Wangji once more – it makes complete sense for Wei Wuxian to be thinking about these events*. So it does fit the pattern of Wei Wuxian dwelling on something, thus leading to the narrative dwelling on it, too (and being shaped by his thoughts)… but there’s another layer to this. Importantly, it is the only flashback where Wei Wuxian’s present thoughts don’t lead to this happening, with his thoughts at an unspecified future time leading to it, instead. I like to interpret this as the text saying that, since these events aren’t something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t focus on in normal circumstances, he can dwell on them at any time. Therefore, they’re free to come up in the narrative at any time as well, even if he’s not dwelling on them in the present moment!

So, to summarise: Wei Wuxian’s decision not to focus on the painful times in his life directly influences the narrative to not focus on these times. When painful times are brought up and shown to us, it’s in the context of him thinking about them in the present day, and even then, his most painful moments still aren’t shown to us. His agency in this regard is still respected by the narrative structure.

This is the main way his agency influences the structure of the narrative, but I’d like to talk about the revealing and concealing of information, too. For example, I said I’d talk about the Golden Core transfer – though Wei Wuxian does think about this many times, as evidenced by his internal narration in Chapter 103. But unlike everything we’re shown through the flashbacks, this is something Wei Wuxian is actively trying to hide from others. And the narrative respects this choice (Wei Wuxian’s agency, again), never reveals it even when it would be relevant in the flashbacks, and we find out not through narration, but through a character’s dialogue!

And to clarify – I know these aspects may not be in the book for this exact reason. Showing flashbacks in relevant moments is good writing, concealing an important plot point you want to do a reveal for is necessary writing, and MXTX has said she didn’t want to write about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, due to not liking to write transformation sequences (and also because it would not be pleasant at all, which likely also applies to Wei Wuxian’s death). That doesn’t prevent it from also being intentional – MXTX’s intelligence is shown in many aspects of this book, and there’s nothing disproving it – but there’s no proof for either option, so I won’t pretend there is. I bring this up because I know this feels like I’m overanalysing, as I feel that way as well.

But, whether it’s intentional or not, it exists in the text, and I adore it – so, regardless, it’s something I’ll explore. Because taking this into account… We aren't just told about Wei Wuxian having agency, we aren’t just shown it in the text, we aren’t even just shown it through which parts of his past are shown and hidden in the structure of the text (as I talked about in Part One). The parts of the past that are shown and hidden also have an in-universe reason for being shown and hidden, this reason being the choices he makes! Agency is the ability of a character to influence the story they’re in, but Wei Wuxian’s agency, as a property of a character who only exists in-universe, shapes the out-of-universe structure as well! That’s how we’re shown its importance! How cool is that?

At The End Of The Road: Summary and Final Thoughts

In this essay, we’ve covered how important Wei Wuxian’s agency is not only to the events of the plot, but to the structure of the narrative as well. The narrative omits periods in which Wei Wuxian has little or no agency, in favour of showing us periods in which he does, even when important events happened in the former. This indicates that who Wei Wuxian is without agency isn’t important enough to be shown to the audience, and therefore that his agency is an integral aspect of his character in MDZS. We’ve discussed how both in-universe and out-of-universe, tragedy does not define him – out-of-universe, the tragic events in Wei Wuxian’s life are used not to build sympathy but rather to show his strength of character and who he still is despite going through them; and in-universe, he chooses not to focus on the negativity and resentment caused by his circumstances or others’ actions, instead staying true to his moral compass and enjoying his life in the present day. Finally, we’ve also explored how this choice is another reason for the omission of certain events from the narrative, resulting in his agency shaping the story in a very literal way – it affects the out-of-universe structure, as well.

It’s quite fitting, for a story whose essence is about defying a conventional narrative – that of righteous clans rising up and defeating a great evil – and about a character who defies many conventional narratives on his own – that of status defining how skilled you could be, that for a golden core being necessary for cultivation and other paths being unavailable, that of a tragic but complete story of someone killed for staying true to their moral code (instead, that character returns to life and has a happy ending) – to have its own narrative play a role in such an important and interesting way.

(Or, if an image would be preferable:)

Thank you for reading!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

--

*This strong relation to the present day circumstances is another reason I love the flashback placement so much (and why I think it’s such a loss both screen adaptions altered it so strongly)! 

[jjkyaoi]

yuta HATING suguru is one of my favorite stsg headcanons because it is so. ridiculous yet so accurate . he’d be ROOTING on their downfall 24/7 because he knows gojo can do so much better . like megumi also knows the infamous Stsg Past story and he HATES hearing anything about it (though would take gojo’s side every time to anyone else) but on yuta’s side he’s like severely emotionally impacted by it.

gojo, in the exact same tone he tells this story every time: and he just left me. STANDING THERE.

yuta, softly gasping: no..

gojo: YEAH. RIGHT. HE DID.

yuta: did he say anything? a goodbye? did he just leave??

gojo: he was saying a bunch of stuff that didn’t make sense—still doesn’t make sense. he asked me if i was gojo satoru cause im the strongest?? what the fuck does that even mean??

yuta, scandalized: gojo sensei..

his ass not even knowing about kenjaku and just assuming that’s suguru back from the dead out of the gate and being like oh this guy has to die. for my scorned sensei

yuta: HOW COULD YOU TREAT HIM LIKE THAT??

kenjaku: huh

yuta: he’s never ONCE allowed a bad thing to be said about you. he still talks about you so positively and yet years later you haven’t even CHANGED!! don’t you know how much you’ve hurt him???

kenjaku: what

kenjaku: what the fuck are you talking about

yuta: DONT PLAY DUMB.

[coquelicoq]

what is bothering me about the title of goblin is of course the order of the adjectives. the lonely and great god. this sounds unnatural in english, i'm not sure if it's because of syllable count or because of the meaning/type of the adjectives, but it should be the other way around. the great and lonely god. the once and future king. you could get away with putting lonely before great if they were separated by a comma instead of "and", thus making "lonely" seem to be modifying "great god" rather than both lonely and great modifying god in an equivalent way, but there's an "and" in there so never mind. i plugged the korean title into google translate and i see that they've just kept the order that the adjectives were in in korean, which is disappointing because if that weren't the case it would allow me to believe that they had done it on purpose for some effect, like to really call attention to the fact of his loneliness through unnatural phrasing that makes it impossible for you to not spend time thinking about the word "lonely". but no it's just that they translated it and then no one was like hey this sounds kinda funky. ah well.

[fromtheseventhhell]

Do you ever think about how Arya being left-handed most likely had an impact on her needlework and other tasks? And how she needed special attention not only because she wasn't as naturally gifted as her sister but because the way she was being taught fundamentally didn't work for her? And how instead of being given the attention she needed she was instead held to an unfair standard by her teacher and used as a measure for bad behavior? And how this all impacted her self-esteem and her views on being a Lady?

[cecoeur]

I know the dirlie community his hype on him as an alleged member of the family but sorry to arvid lindblad… unfortunately my ideal agenda would see you inherit a redbull team so bad it will probably impact the entire trajectory of your career :(

[neverendingford]

.

[ittybittybumblebee]

i want to see exactly how many people actually have thought i am for research because ive gotten this quite a few times from different people i just wanna see how far it goes

[spiritsong]

dogmatic viatrix is really testing me... gotta be mean to idira. gotta be mean to cassia. gotta be mean to jae. my girlies 😔

[imaginealpha]

Tech product guides trying to troubleshoot your issues: lol have you tried turning it off and turning it on again 🧐 I'm not going to read any of the things you said you did, if it doesn't work then get fucked. Go to settings and click this option that you said isn't even there anymore

Reddit: here's some actual helpful suggestions on where to find settings that can fix your problem. We're more reliable than google search. Except for when we just tell you to buy new hardware instead of trying to fix your problem

Some obscure tech blog article from 7 years ago: i *google ad* gotchu *google ad* *google ad* *troubleshooter you never knew existed* *google ad* *solution to your problem*

[briefcasejuice]

ive been seeing improvements in my reaction to my medication in the sense that i haven't complained about anything in the past four days and im actually washing the dishes and showering again (brushing my teeth is still an issue but you win some you loose some) + it only took me a few days to get something done instead of weeks or months but then i had a a minor car accident today (not my fault logically and in terms of what happened but legally my fault based on how it works. if that makes sense) and all that progress is gone now lol

[ofpd]

fictional characters aren't real that's kind of their thing but enjolras is even more not real than the other ones