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hello! would you mind if I printed and bound one of your fanfictions (the weakness of falling in love)? it means a lot to me and id love to have it on my MDZS shelf. I’d use the official art as cover art of course!

Hello hello! And how flattering! That fic was a huge labour of love, so whenever someone tells me it means something to them I make a face not dissimilar to this:

In short: go for it!

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Xiyao having a genuinely good and, yes, healthy (especially by the standards of the narrative they are in) relationship and still coming to grief are not mutually exclusive. They are doomed by external forces and the narrative as it stands provides them with no way out.

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神仙眷侣

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琴箫合璧 (x)

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It's not safe to stay in one place for too long, but Meng Yao is all too aware of the toll their journey is taking on Lan Xichen. The closer they are to the coast, the more often they see the effects of the war with their own eyes: the refugees and struggling farmers, the half-abandoned villages. The burn scars.

x

While hiding from the Fire Nation and trying to come up with a plan, Meng Yao takes Lan Xichen to Yu Island.

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I have been thinking about Episode 4 of CQL again lately and, although I've talked before about how I prefer the MDZS sequence of events, I do think CQL executes the changed version very well.

I know we all spend a lot of time on the box scene, but, as I think I've touched on before, that initial meeting, however electric it may be, is so effective because it functions as the first half of an extended scene that concludes with LXC and MY's later parting conversation.

One of the benefits of CQL, and of the change in medium, is that we get to see private moments happening away from our POV character. While there is certainly plenty to observe about JGY and LXC in the novel, the only time we get them in private conversation it is when they are being eavesdropped on and interrupted, where the show is able to offer more opportunities of looking at them without the presence of another character's viewpoint. Episode 4 is the first time we see them interact, and the structure of their two conversations provides a good example of this.

The initial meeting could not be more public, a formalized ceremony of gift giving and gift receipt, which everyone is watching closely, and the camera moves around the room, showing various reactions to the proceedings. We do get both LXC and MY's reactions to one another, but the entire exchange is very much about how they both know they are being watched and both conduct themselves with impeccable propriety; neither MY nor LXC can avoid scrutiny, albeit for very different reasons, and LXC is able to take advantage of the attention he commands to silence the whispering and give MY standing. This is a significant moment, one in which they impress and make an impression on one another, but it would be an incomplete one without what follows, and it is here I think CQL really makes the best of the change they're working with.

As noted above, CQL offers the opportunity for more private moments and the parting conversation between MY and LXC cements the connection that the initial meeting had sparked. I won't do a full breakdown, but it is especially notable that MY takes the initiative to seek LXC out (a fairly bold move for someone we learn is not even a Nie disciple) and, on LXC's side, a demonstration of both interest and understanding, as he is clearly disappointed that MY cannot stay, but nonetheless understands why he must go. Additionally, while the conversation is still fairly formal and semi-public, it is much more relaxed than the salute ceremony and lays the groundwork for the intimacy that will develop, with LXC calling himself 'Xichen' to MY, before going on to stress that they are peers.

Taken together, these two exchanges effectively form a solid basis for the relationship that will develop between LXC and JGY; by creating space between the two exchanges and setting them in different environments, CQL creates a clear progression, even in so short a time, from an initial interest and admiration to a mutual willingness to seek one another out that will continue over the course of the show.

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不得不说， 他穿金色衣服很好看

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Little signal boost: @knightofcups21 has let me know that the Russian translations for some of my Xiyao fics are now up on AO3 as part of an event. It's very flattering that someone enjoyed my work enough to do a translation, which is an art all its own and no easy task. There's also Russian translations for the work of other writers, including the awesomely cerebral welcome_equivocator, whose stuff is always in conversation with the text and rewards rereading.

If you read Russian (or are just curious) you can check the various translations out here and give some kudos and comments for their hard work.

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tags are from ME but: #speculation that has its clear origins in what we know from the text!#come and admire this rare and radiant post in its natural habitat#seriously though#this is certainly interesting#love the point about jgy only having one son#actually making things more difficult for him re: jl#as it sort of inherently creates an uncomfortable rivalry#even if jrs does grow up happy with his lot#i do think a lot of this massively depends on who jrs turns out to be#and whether or not he has expectations or desires#that jgy can't reasonably meet#also absolutely jl would not be able to spend as much time at lotus pier#pls imagine jc coming on far more visits to golden carp tower#like jgy can't do anything without jc popping up from behind a bush#telling him to STOP SPOILING A-LING

Had JRS lived, what do you think JGY's plans would have been for him?

Ah, you sent me a question and now I actually have to answer it. This is an interesting one, and something I've thought vaguely about before, so it was fun to reflect a bit more on it, even though it means traveling further into speculation than I usually do. For the purposes of this, and so as not to keep going forever, I'm going to focus on what plans JGY might have for a living JRS in his earlier life, albeit with an eye to the future.

First of all, I think it really would be "plans," plural, with a combination of preparation and flexibility, to try and anticipate potential problems down the road. JRS is in a bit of an odd situation, being JGY's only son, but not being his heir. JL needs to stay heir, I don't think that's up for discussion at all, for a variety of reasons, but JRS being an only child is going to draw more attention to this central issue than it would if he had siblings. So, starting early, I think any plans would need to involve how JGY is going to deal with that situation, and he would be looking around to find an appropriate role for JRS.

To return to preparation and flexibility, I think JGY would not necessarily hold JRS back, but would watch to see what things JRS shows an interest in, and make use of that to encourage him into some kind of support role, while trying to preempt possible resentments by trying to find something that suits him. I also think having to manage this situation, and try and create a balance between JL and JRS, might do something to curb some of JGY's tendency to spoil people he cares about, and as a result JL might benefit. JL would also probably spend less time at Lotus Pier in this scenario, since the optics of that would change if JRS is staying in Lanling. I can also see JGY possibly balancing this out by having JRS do a certain amount of traveling once he's old enough, which could serve a number of purposes, again, depending on what JRS shows an aptitude for.

Plans for JRS are also going to have to include managing QS, and while it's not a given, I do think there's a certain amount of danger there, that JGY might have an eye on. I don't see her as the scheming type, or malicious in any way, but if JGY is more distant from JRS, I can see her overcompensating, especially given JGY's distance from her, and while I think she's going to follow JGY's lead, and wouldn't challenge JL being heir, she might, however unconsciously, undermine the balance JGY is trying to create. On the other hand, after a certain point, JGY might not be so afraid to be around the two of them in private, as the older JRS gets, the more formality will be expected, and that could help JGY get a better read on any potential issues. Overall, I think JGY's hyperawareness of the situation is going to make him even more careful with all of these things, and while it's not going to be the family life he'd hoped for, he might avoid some problems he might run into if it were.

Finally, to go along with whatever role JGY is developing for JRS, he's also going to put a lot of thought into JRS' marriage. I think he'd probably start thinking about this quite early, and probably has list of potentials he updates every year. This is something else he's going to have to balance against JL, and who JL might marry is also probably going to figure heavily into these equations.

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I can’t find my own damn post either, but happy to answer asks on the subject. Considering JL is bullied for simply being an orphan, I think JRS would have had a miserable time as the son of JGY (the son of the son of a prostitute, gasp). But we know he and JL were close and I can only imagine those external pressures uniting them further. JL and JRS teaming up and supporting each other is a really touching idea even if it’s not likely to fix everything. The Twin Dorkuses of Lanling haunt my dreams.

As for JRS being more popular than JL, JGY’s downfall would mean JRS’ downfall too—simple as that. This is not a world where personal charisma can hold its own against the mob. But it would definitely be interesting to see a JRS with an instinctive grasp of leadership and a confidence that JL lacks. Obviously JL has a good heart and I don’t see why he wouldn’t make a good leader, but if JRS inherits JGY’s political instincts and shows himself to be more inherently capable, it could make things awkward. I explored I suppose a similar idea in a later generation of Jin OCs in my ‘retirement’ fic. The characterisations don’t line up but the idea of the non-heir being more capable than the heir (to whatever degree) is in there.

And of course agreed that I don’t think JGY would have looked to supplant JL with JRS. He loves JL, and while that doesn’t mean JL can’t ultimately be sacrificed, that’s only in the most extreme of circumstances. It’s important to remember as well that there’s plenty of historical basis for heirs not necessarily being one’s own children. There are various possibilities, but it wouldn’t be remotely strange for JGY to be perfectly satisfied that his legacy as a leader resides with JL and JRS can have other things to do.

hi, what do u you think, if rusong lived, would anything change regarding who is to inherit the sect leader position? like jl's dad just would have been sect leader while rusong's is. or would it be about who has a bigger supporting/is mote popoular within the sect when the its time for one of them to take over?

hi hello 👋 i believe @fincalinde wrote a detailed post about what life probably would have been like for both jin rusong and jin ling, if jrs had lived! i can’t find it for some reason, but i would recommend checking their blog out and giving it a search for anything related to jin rusong.

the tl;dr version of my opinion, tho, is that i don’t think anything would have changed in the order of succession. his personal feelings aside, i think jgy knows that supplanting jzx’s son with his own as heir is nothing but a good way to confirm all of the jianghu’s worst beliefs about who he is, which would inevitably lead to conflict and potentially the loss of everything he’s worked hard to achieve.

i do think it is interesting to contemplate the possibility of jrs and jl as adults trying to navigate the dangers of secular politics together; what would happen if, inexplicably, jrs was more popular than jl at the time of jgy's death or abdication? 😬 someone (who isn't me) should write that fic.

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One of the things that perplexes me about a lot of depictions of JGY and XY spending time together, whether in fic or fanart, is that JGY is often shown to be relatively relaxed and on an equal level with him, which is kind of the opposite of everything we see of them in their canon interactions, which generally serve as a study in contrasts between an unruly subordinate and a tightly controlled superior. When JGY and XY are together, they are not socializing, JGY is on the job, and however far his fondness for XY might stretch, their relationship being a professional one is something JGY is extremely aware of, and he conducts himself accordingly; although he’ll discuss certain topics with XY and at times shows some fatigue, he does not respond to XY’s needling and doesn’t show an interest in falling in with XY’s way of going through the world.

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射日

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tumblr stop recommending I follow hedgehog-moss

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Greetings, Roquen! I'm very fond of your works and would like to translate the three of them ("as much as he saves you", "no simple answer" and "walking around like no one knows i'm a sinner") into russian, so that more people could appreciate them. Obviously, with links and respect to the text. Can i have your permission please? Have a nice day!)

Greetings! That's so flattering, I'm glad you enjoy my work. Yes go right ahead, as long as you reference the originals. And I'd love it if you could link me to the translations when they're done so I can take a peek!

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