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(original post.)

— a Novel by Mei Changsu

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I WANT MORE

NIF White Collar AU

Because sometimes fairly disparate television interests deserve their own mashup notfic 

(this post inspired in no small part by @thelibrarina‘s very excellent Les Mis White Collar AU Still The Same)

–Agent Jing of the FBI: He investigates white collar crimes, he does his job to the letter. Takes great pride in putting con-men behind bars. Eternally frustrated by blatant departmental corruption at all levels above his own. (Should have been promoted YEARS ago and everyone knows this, but aforementioned departmental corruption + his habit of being the Official Department Stick in the Mud have held him back)

–Agent Xian (head of the department and Agent Jing’s boss): trying to solve a HUGE counterfeiting ring. Or similar. He does this mostly by 1. going to super shady bars and drinking and paying for strippers and “keeping an ear out,” or 2.  foisting off all his work on the agents under him and then stealing credit. Is in the process of employing Investigative Technique 1 when he runs into 

–Lin Chen: Underworld information broker and art fence. Extremely powerful, very good at what he does. Everyone knows he’s dirty but somehow no evidence can ever be traced back to him and the FBI kind of gave up on bringing him in years ago. Occasionally passes tips if it suits his purposes. Currently it suits his purpose to tell Agent Xian that:

–He can tie up this counterfeiting ring easily, but only if he brings in a particular convict, currently serving a twelve year sentence for grand larceny upstate. (is this three times the maximum sentence length for grand larceny? probably. was this sentence drastically extended for Weird Conspiracy Reasons? also probably). Agent Xian, never one to turn down an easy solution, starts the process to get Mei Changsu out of prison and into FBI custody house arrest as a confidential informant.

–Mei Changsu is brilliant. They meet at the prison and his advice leads to a couple of breakthroughs where the case has been stalled for weeks. He’s also super grateful that Agent Xian was willing to take such a large risk to his own career for this partnership. When MCS gets signed out he will be certain to ensure that the potential for negative impact on Agent Xian’s reputation is minimized wherever possible. He will work SO HARD for the FBI.

–Agent Xian is… not a huge fan of taking big risks. Or of long term projects with a lot of management. He had not considered that if things go wrong it would reflect badly on him. He therefore decides to employ Investigative Technique 2, and assigns MCS to Agent Jing’s custody instead.

–Agent Jing is Not A Fan. He does NOT trust this slimy white collar criminal. He puts people like that behind bars for a living. He opposes everything this man stands for. The only reason he’s doing this is because this counterfeiting ring stands to hurt a lot of people and he wants to see this case solved. He is not at ALL charmed by MCS’s clearly brilliant strategic mind. He is only sad that such a talent went to such a destructive use. He does NOT enjoy their conversation on the drive back from prison. He is NOT reminded of his best friend from the academy, who disappeared while undercover twelve years ago. He deposits MCS at the cheap residential hotel, makes DAMN SURE that the ankle tracker is active with its two mile radius, and goes back to the office to do angry paperwork for the rest of the day. (Jing’s paperwork is FLAWLESS. It’s part of the reason he’s still with the agency. Agent Xian and Agent Yu (and a bunch of other higher ups) have tried to get him demoted or fired via schemes a bunch of times but it’s REALLY HARD because his work is always to the letter and meticulously documented).

–MCS (formerly Agent Shu, before the massive fuckup that left him stranded undercover, with his handler dead and his entire task force dead or dispersed, now back with a fuckload of reconstructive surgery and a bunch of underworld contacts), is kind of wildly entertained. Jingyan is somehow even more of a stick in the mud than he was before Agent Shu went undercover. MCS is also definitely not staying in this hotel. He calls his friend Lin Chen who, wonder of wonders, just so happens to have an apartment for rent within MCS’s radius, and wouldn’t you know, it’s well within the FBI budget. It also just happens to have a closet FULL of immaculately tailored suits, made to measure. Really what are the chances? MCS moves in immediately and calls Jingyan the next morning for a ride from his new place.

–Agent Jing is SO ANNOYED

–He’s even more annoyed to discover that MCS actually has fantastic insight, and works well with the department, and is able to sew up the counterfeiting case brilliantly and in very short order. Even if it is satisfying to see justice being served so thoroughly. Even if it is nice to have a partner he works well with (not that he works well with MCS. He would not say that). Even if it is a relief to have one colleague whose agenda he at least knows.

–He’s glad that the case is over and that he can take MCS back to prison now. Definitely. It’s a relief. He double and triple checks the paperwork, taking even more time than usual. It’s because he wants to be SURE that when MCS goes back he goes back for good. Even if it takes a few extra days.

–On his last night of freedom, MCS invites Agent Jing to his apartment for tea. His last tea before prison, won’t Agent Jing join him? The tea is ABSURDLY expensive and Agent Jing is once again annoyed. But after the first cup MCS makes him an offer:

–He doesn’t want to go back to prison. He has two years left on his sentence and he can serve them working for Jingyan. In exchange, he can help Jingyan find answers. He can figure out who was responsible for the leak that got Agent Shu killed. Internal affairs had concluded that Agent Qi, who was Agent Shu’s handler, had turned on his own task force but gotten caught in the crossfire. It’s mostly circumstantial evidence though, and Jingyan has never accepted it. If he’s willing to keep working with MCS, they can find the source of the real conspiracy together.

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Yes!!!! Im rewatching and I realize Ive missed him. Also I'm pitying at how hard this dude is trying 😭

It hasn’t been terribly long since I finished Nirvana in Fire, but do you know who I find myself missing most?  Prince Yu.  Was he horrible?  Yes.  Was he horrible with style?  Oh my god, did he try.  Modern era Prince Yu would wear loud dress shirts and handmade Italian shoes.  He’d have a convertible worth more than the GDPs of several nations, but he’d never put the top down because he wouldn’t want to risk the Stare of Ban Ruo if her hair got messed up in the wind.   Everyone thinks they’re dating but she’s really his personal assistant.  He collects vintage Ray Bans but rarely wears them.  Watch tan.  Distressingly competent until he starts Thinking.

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I don’t know why I assumed that because I had not read spoilers for Nirvana in Fire 2 that the protagonists would all be safe. That no one critically important would die from a weird convoluted poisoning. In retrospect that was a supremely stupid assumption.

In other news this show has eaten my heart and dragged my soul through thorn bushes and I have no intention of relinquishing it at any point.

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more thoughts on morality in Nirvana in Fire

I wrote about this at LENGTH on Thursday but it turns out I still have more to say. This is a little shorter though:

At the start of NIF, Prince Jing is treated as an objectively terrible choice for a run at the throne. The other princes consider him a non-issue. The rest of court dismisses it. When MCS has his “I choose you” moment, Jingyan himself laughs in his face. There’s a bunch of dialog about how Jingyan is politically weak, and furthermore that this is largely due to his nature. He’s stubborn, outspoken, and morally uncompromising. In addition to his disadvantageous birth and history, he’s not willing to play the game enough to get promoted. He’s barely able to keep himself alive in the dangerous court atmosphere.

Mei Changsu is the only one who sees Jingyan as a viable option because he’s the only one willing to imagine a court that isn’t toxic with intrigue and factionalism. It’s true that Jingyan really can’t survive the politics of the court as it is, but while everyone else concludes that this means Jingyan is doomed to obscurity and military service and an early death, Mei Changsu concludes “If good people can’t survive in this court than we must build a better court where they can.”

It takes him twelve years of planning and two of hard work, but he does actually get his better court in relatively short order. And if the second season is any indication, this better court endures for at least the entirety of Jingyan’s reign.

I absolutely love this. “How can a good person survive in a toxic political climate” is a REALLY common court politics conflict. It’s a trope. Usually it’s presented as a binary choice: compromise your morals or fail in your goal. I love how this show looked at these two bad options and made a third option that no one thought of but that was, in retrospect, completely obvious. If the system is terrible, fix the system. The problem was never Jingyan in the first place. Interestingly, from the sound of it, this factionalism is a fairly new thing. Yes there was a LOT of conflict associated with Xiao Xuan’s rise to the throne, but Jingyan and Mei Changsu’s childhoods appear to have been relatively stable and safe. It took less than twelve years for the entire court to collectively forget that the factionalism wasn’t normal or necessary. Of the many incredible gifts that this show gives us maybe the best is this reminder: first, that this kind of political toxicity is not normal or necessary, and second, that systems that require moral compromise for survival are not meant to be preserved or protected. We always have the option of choosing people over systems.

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“Wherever she is, however she looks, whatever type of person she is, I have never hoped to be with her. But I sincerely hope that she can be safe and sound her entire life.”

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CUTIESX1000

Flower for you! Wallpaper

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BEBEEEE

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Jingyan being a proud uncle parent

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Xiao Pingjing (played by Liu Haoran).  ————————– I only take the time to draw someone/something who/that made a strong impression on me. 

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Nirvana in Fire 2

PingJing Drunken Sword Style

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Some Lin Xi appreciation

Everyone calling lin xi dull and boring bc she's aloof and cold. Now if it were a MAN in her place people would go DAMNNN UHH hoT SaxAYyyyyyyy.

I love this kickass doctor. She displays a version of bravery that does not require swords and arrows. I guess she has some martial arts skills but I LOVE that this female character's kickassery does not have to be justified simply because she can fight! I love how she does not think twice about herself during the epidemic! I love that she is completely her truest female self and is dignified and respected for it!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that she's a female in 6th(?) Century china that does not want to conform to mens idea of what an ideal women should be. I LOVE THAT SHE HAS DREAMS, AMBITIONS AND STRIVES TO REACH FOR THEM WITHOUT THINKING TWICE. 'Pingjing, you're going to the battlefield? WELL DONT EXPECT ME TO WAIT AROUND PUTTING MY LIFE ON HOLD imma be travelling the world recording medicinal herbs and doing ma own thing. Boi, you better come find me'

Tell.me.linxi.is.not.kickass.

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Who can teach me some martial arts plis plis

everyone is so badass in #nirvanainfire2

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Ahahhahhahahahahs look at that cute 'HAHA I MADE YOU BLUSH SMILE'

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BBYSSS

PingJing always seeking out Lin Xi’s company and their harmony with each other give me so much joy

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My heart

Best brothers, I need to lie down and cry buckets and buckets and buckets.

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Look! The chieftain made a new post!