#Baifeng

[porkofart]

"My past enemies are either dead or captured, and my past friends are scattered to the winds. Now that I think about it, I am indeed an old man..."

[5water-kohaku]

And these guys need more wallpapers! They totally deserve it...! Well, Ge Nie has enough, but I’m talking about Ying Zheng and Li Si here. xD

[kakyoindeservedbetter]

Gang's all here

(Fenris Legault Rufus Kakyoin Joon-gi Baifeng)

Gonna draw another batch soon...

[poorlittleyaoyao]

re the mountain hunt

i don't know if you know the fic lynchpin (it's a time travel fix-it) but it had a very interesting take/spin on jgy's move to bring out the prisoners for the archery competition.

"It could be a power play, to show the Jin were so powerful they could be publicly terrible with no consequences, except by his own admission this had been Jin Guangyao's idea and he didn't do that kind of loud, pointless display.

Maybe it wasn't to make the Jin look good.

Maybe it was to make them look bad. Maybe he was flaunting the atrocities the Jin were committing because he couldn't do something about it but he thought that someone should. Lan Xichen, for all that he was a formidable warrior, was gentle too. He loved Jin Guangyao, and if he'd thought Jin Guangyao was the kind of person to keep war prisoners as slaves and then brag about it, he wouldn't love him. But he had. Probably he does. Which means that whatever is happening, it can't be that.

Lan Xichen had looked away just now as if he were ashamed. Possibly because Jin Guangyao is asking for his help, is asking him to do something about this, and he doesn't think he can."

Obviously this is from an AU so i'm not trying to say that this is what happened, but it's such an interesting scenario to contemplate bc you know what? jgy IS not the kind of person for pointless displays like this. he's much more subtle. i mean there's always the possibility that jgs told him to say it was his own idea to avoid backlash in case it came but still. fun

I'll begin with a possibly silly question, which is: does it ever state that it was his idea? In the subtitles, JGY steadfastly uses "we" when addressing the crowd (ex: "we have designed a special activity to delight our guests"). Which makes sense regardless of who planned what; JGY's acting as the Jin clan's spokesperson, and the ambiguity of "we" lets JGS avoid the blame for failures while taking credit for successes. The only time in that episode that I remember JGY being singled out as individually responsible by others or himself is when he's getting castigated for WWX catching too many monsters.

That said, I agree that LOUD OBVIOUS CRUELTY FLEXES aren't really JGY's way of doing business! Morality aside, he's more politically savvy than that. The overwhelming reaction to the prisoners being led out is one of shock and concern--which I have my own issues with, narratively speaking (because BOY are they all complacent in practice!!), but in the moment it means that this was a bridge too far, the CQL equivalent of Octavian Augustus marching Cleopatra and Antony's children through the streets in chains as part of his triumph parade. Furthermore, since it's ostensibly inviting all the participants to fire on the captives, it doesn't function as a show of strength either. At best, it's forcing them to be complicit in crimes that, whether due to support or ignorance, they weren't opposing in the first place. It's hamfisted in a way that reeks of JGS and his whole "if I'm pushy enough people will do it" MO. JGY as sect leader wouldn't play that way.

My personal reading for JGY's involvement here--what he'd get out of it from a utilitarian standpoint--is that the display is SO EGREGIOUS that it erases all doubts about his true loyalty during Sunshot. NMJ nearly chopped him in half over being WRH's lackey, after all, and NMJ can't possibly be the only one suspecting JGY of opportunism. Facilitating that POW archery contest show everyone that he super duper doesn't have any Wen sympathies whatsover. (WWX being the one to make a spectacle of himself at the contest and then immediately piss everyone off right before he busts the Wen out of prison is an added bonus.)

For all that the whole thing is his fault to some degree, JGY actually isn't one I get frustrated with in that scene, because the show undoubtedly means us to think that he and this action are Bad. He threw a shitty evil party in tandem with his shitty evil dad. That's it. I feel that we are not meant to have the same reaction to, say, JZX (who AT BEST is so clueless he had no idea what was happening at HIS OWN FAMILY'S PARTY and at worst knew and went "woohoo! showoff time!") or JYL (who's just so proud of her crush and her shidi doing cool tricks! no lingering concerns about the human targets!), or LXC (so gentle! so compassionate! so silent this whole scene!) or many of the other onlookers... which is really too bad, because that's absolutely the kind of thing that makes for fun complexity.

Which I guess is what fic like the one you referenced is for--to explore those possible complexities, for good or for ill!

[loxli]

Creates another dnd character then claims I can stop whenever I want.

[luobingmeis]

is there truly anything anyone needs besides episode 25 of the untamed

[jzixuans]

they should’ve had wang yibo punch a tree in half for no reason

[hereforaseason]

AU where wei wuxian is in the habit of talking to one (1) other human being (seriously anyone) before making impulsive decisions that will be political disaster for him and his goals

[ispybluesky]

lan zhan you crazy bastard

[notoisstrange]

1010-天天

Yiling Laozu's revenge on Mount Baifeng 🍁

[razberryyum]

Favorite moments from MDZS manhua chapter 256:

(covers novel chap 111, adapted in audio drama S3Ep17 and partially in donghua ep 35)

Phoenix Mountain Revisited

BUT FIRST, manhua artist Mao Tuan Xiao Jian Jian-laoshi (@maotuanxjj on Twitter) gifted us with the uncensored version of the kiss in chapter 255 from last week:

This week, Wei Ying finally discovers the identity of shy, strong "lady" who kissed him on Baifeng (Hundred Phoenix) Mountain :

😂

They are each other's first kiss 🥹

Again thank you to Maotuanxjj-laoshi for posting this uncensored version of their next kiss:

🥹

😭😭😭

Next week, hopefully, everyday is everyday!

Don't forget to give the manhua artist @maotuanxjj (on Twitter) some love!

~

Official raws of the manhua (behind paywall): Kuaikanmanhua

Order English release of the og MDZS novels (mother of all adaptations) at Sevenseasdanmei

MDZS carrd for all adaptations of MDZS: here

Thank you to Exiled Rebels for first fan-translating the novel!

Panel translations by yours truly, shortcomings are inevitable.

[ninjakk]

A friend who, unfortunately, likes JC defended him a lot to me when I was first watching the donghua then read the novels. Perfectly honest, I thought he was a loser but my friend kept defending him for being able to pull the Jiang sect together after the LP massacre but...I don't know? Did he really? wasn't it more WWX's reputation that pulled the sect up and high? Is JC actually a good leader? I have trouble seeing that

Hi anon 😊

Ah yes, I have been there as well unfortunately!

Although I was respectful of their opinion, it seems we no longer talk haha 😆 Perhaps it was something to do with the time they claimed JC hunting down and torturing innocent people who used guidao was "just a baseless rumour" - to which I casually responded with proof it was certainly not a rumour. I mean, JC literally encouraged JL to kill them and feed them to his dog for a start 😂 I don't think that was a joke in the slightest lmao. Honestly, I didn't expect them to take offence at the evidence proving otherwise, since we enjoyed discussing the novel and debating such things anyway! But, hey-ho!

Hmm, the whole "restoring the Jiang sect to its former glory" debate is a major source of discourse between MDZS fans! I mean, JC did join forces with the Twin Jades of Lan and launch a surprise attack on the Wens in order to secure their confiscated swords. Which I have to say, I always found so hypocritical and two faced of him to do... You know, considering he not only unjustly blamed LWJ for everything that happened to LP, but even wished WWX had left him and JZX to die in the cave prior to the attack as well! And he calls WWX shameless...

But even so, JC seems to have worked hard in the three months WWX was missing. Attacking the Wens supervisory offices and hunting down WC alongside LWJ and the respective cultivators under their command. Even WWX praised his efforts when they were all reunited. So credit where credit is due, I guess.

That being said, it works both ways! WWX's efforts should not be ignored either - which I often find the case whenever JC is praised for his accomplishments regarding the Jiang sect. WWXs new cultivation path is what helped them gain an upper hand during the Sunshot campaign, he garnered much praise and admiration during the war - it was only in the aftermath that people began to turn against him, especially seeing the obvious lack of loyalty or protection from JC. But WWXs guidao most certainly helped rebuild the sect's reputation and enticed new disciples as well. JC even gave his blessing for WWX to showcase his cultivation during the Mount Baifeng night-hunt, in order to recruit even more disciples! So I agree with you, WWX's new cultivation path was one of the driving forces in helping elevate the sect to its former glory, perhaps even beyond.

As for whether JC is a good sect leader? Honestly? No.

Evidence would suggest otherwise, in my opinion. Some like to pretend JC is the beloved sect leader of Yunmeng - but that's far from the case. He's made the sect less approachable, closed its doors to the public and scared away those seeking help on matters he doesn't deem worthy of his attention.

The general public seem frightened of him because of his awful personality and the fact they have witnessed him torturing innocent people. His own disciples seem to feel like they have to walk on eggshells around him and be careful of his famous temper. He seems more focused on pushing JL beyond his limits and imposing his own insecurities on the poor kid than actually helping others with their problems. When he's not doing that, he's off hunting down his latest unsuspecting victims to torture and do god knows what to!

So no, I don't consider him to be a particularly good sect leader, his priorities do not align with what I (or I would assume most others) would consider as such. A great leader is able to get along with others and inspire their disciples. They should also be able to secure backing from the general public by being present and approachable when issues arise.

Let's put it this way - LWJ was given the title 'Hanguang-jun' a title befitting of how the public perceive him, righteous and willing to help others. JC also has a title, that of 'Sandu Shengshou', which is in relation to a Buddhist saying regarding the three poisons - the root of all turmoil. Certainly not a good public image to have! Even the general tone of anyone talking about him isn't overly respectful - people rarely call him by his courtesy name unless they are addressing him directly. Otherwise, it's his birth name, which of course, is highly disrespectful unless you are very familiar with said person. MXTX made a deliberate choice for the public to call him 'Jiang Cheng' instead, so it is certainly significant and shows us that he is not well respected or liked by the general public and even other cultivators! This is in the first few chapters as well! All in order to set the tone of how JC is perceived. I mean, even the narrator (which is of course a stand alone entity/person and not WWX as many wrongly assume) calls him JC instead 😂

Overall, I think JC did put effort into building his sect up again, but WWX certainly deserves equal credit for that as well. That being said, it doesn't alter the fact he's not a very good leader in the sense I would consider, and I think that's been made more than apparent in the text as well.

[5water-kohaku]

Since I just made a lyrics video for future karaoke with family, I made this short video for "9 Songs of the Moving Heavens" too, but with its anniversary videos. XD

[kakyoindeservedbetter]

Baifeng but he's a NU Carnival SSR

[youhideastar]

Fit for Purpose Deleted Scenes II: Alternate Version, Second Half

Yesterday I posted the first batch of deleted scenes from Fit for Purpose: the first half of a backstory chapter that I ultimately deep-sixed as a distraction. For more explanation, please read that first-half post! Today I'm sharing the second half of that backstory chapter. Again, I'm going to try to keep my commentary on the scenes to a minimum so as not to make this post longer. Other deleted scenes posts are linked in the masterpost. I hope you enjoy!

We pick up during the Sunshot Campaign, with a scene that I've always found perplexing in canon - WWX promising to let LWJ help him with the demonic cultivation. It's not clear in canon whether he ever actually does that. Here, I decided he would.

On another rooftop in the moonlight, eyes dark and urgent, Lan Zhan says, “Wei Ying. You are trying to snatch grain from a roaring fire.”

Because without that grain, I’ll starve, thinks Wei Wuxian. For a moment, he imagines telling Lan Zhan about his core. It’s a wild thought, quickly smothered.

“Wei Ying. Let me help.”

Wei Wuxian knows what he should do: call him “Lan Wangji” again. Smile like a knife. Shove him away.

But the end of the war is coming, and Wei Wuxian knows he’s unlikely to survive it. A few months doesn’t seem like too long a time to pretend that he can be fixed—that what he’s missing is something Lan Zhan can give him.

He says yes. Lets Lan Zhan play pretty songs for him. Spiritually, they do nothing for him.

But the lie makes Lan Zhan feel better.

They’re at war. Lan Zhan could be hurt or killed at any time. Wei Wuxian doesn’t want the last thing he said to him to be cruel. That’s all.

*

In the end, they win. He wins.

The other sects make the omega Meng Yao—Jin Guangyao, now—the hero. What he did, they understand. One short, sharp thrust.

It makes A-Cheng and Lan Zhan angry on Wei Wuxian’s behalf; for his part, Wei Wuxian couldn’t care less. He did what he needed to do. He fulfilled his purpose. He didn’t do it for the glory.

They go back to Lotus Pier.

A-Cheng and Jiejie want everything to go back to the way it used to be. They treat him like Yunmeng Jiang’s head disciple.

So he tries to act like it.

But there’s a hole inside of him. And so, there are things he can’t do. Things he can’t give, because he gave them already, and there’s no getting them back.

He can’t teach sword cultivation—can’t even draw his sword. And no one wants to hear about his talismans; the ones he writes in blood. The ones that draw evil in, rather than repelling it. Any of a half-dozen others would be a better head disciple than he would.

There’s only one part of his job he can really do anymore. And even that is… harder than it used to be. They want to touch and be touched, but his skin still crawls with the touch of the dead. And he doesn’t want to put his mouth on them. He never wants human flesh in his mouth again.

He’d thought he’d be dead for this part.

He was supposed to be dead for this part.

Maybe he is.

A-Cheng lays into him for failing in his duty. For not giving enough. Wei Wuxian places his hand over his incision scar and keeps his silence. He knows it’s true. No matter how much he gives, it could never be enough.

That previous scene is probably the one that hurt the most to cut. I really liked it. But DAMN did it bring down the vibe of the fic. It's so bleak in tone that it really could not coexist with the cute banter in the Jingshi.

Next is my first crack at the Baifeng Mountain scene.

Come to Gusu with me, he says. Let me play for you, let me help you, he says. I am the one who knows you, he says. Better than you know yourself.

For a moment, he imagines it. Going to Gusu with Lan Zhan. Letting Lan Zhan take care of him, letting Lan Zhan imprison him—he can’t tell anymore what it is that Lan Zhan wants to do with him, but he’s not sure he cares. At least he’d be with Lan Zhan. At least Lan Zhan understands that he’s changed. At least Lan Zhan isn’t expecting him to pretend he’s still the laughing boy on the rooftop.

Ah, but it’s a selfish, selfish thought.

Yu-furen saw it in him all along.

For him to cling to Lan Zhan—brilliant, perfect, unparalleled Lan Zhan, who has never needed or wanted anything from Wei Wuxian, not even his body—is just another symptom of his weakness.

No. Wei Wuxian knows what he is. What he is meant for. He is meant to be of use. That is what he was made for. That is why he was saved from starvation on the streets – so he could be of use. To Jiang Cheng, and to Jiejie.

He ignores the voice murmuring in his head, But what use are you to them, really? Except as a mascot, and a whore.

But that didn't really address what I consider the main point of the Baifeng Mountain sequence in this AU, and an incredibly overlooked moment in canon, imo: Jin-furen's assertion that people are starting to believe that WWX and JYL are sexually involved. To me, this is THE turning point of this arc for WWX. The only way he'd ever leave Lotus Pier is if he thought it was better for JC and JYL if he did. I think by this point in canon, he's long ago decided JC would be better off with a different head disciple, but JYL is keeping him hanging on. He doesn't feel like he's failing her. Until this moment, when Jin-furen supplies him with a reason to believe that his presence is hurting JYL, too. At that point, he feels he has to leave. I think if he hadn't found Wen Qing in the street, he might have just wandered out of Lanling and noped out of the whole cultivation world at that point.

None of Yu-furen’s lectures or Jiang-shushu’s stories or A-Cheng’s threats taught him what to do when the very people he’s supposed to live for are better off without him.

He’s a useless head disciple to Yunmeng Jiang Sect. Everything he does makes A-Cheng angry. Whenever Jiejie sees him, she looks worried. Even Lan Zhan—according to Lan Xichen—is working himself to the bone in a futile quest to purify Wei Wuxian’s nonexistent core and bring him back to the sword path.

Then, on Baifeng Mountain, he learns that it’s so much worse than he thought.

“You shouldn’t be alone with him, A-Li,” Jin-furen says firmly.

Jiejie flinches. “A-Xian is my didi. There’s nothing improper—”

“With your mother gone, there is no one who will tell you what you need to hear,” Jin-furen interrupts. When she looks at Jiejie, her face is kind; the look she flicks at Wei Wuxian is like a knife. “But I will. A-Li, didi or no, people are talking. An unmarried omega who turned down an advantageous match to a powerful alpha to stay with her brother…”

“Yes,” Jiejie says, cheeks pale. “My brother, Jin-furen. Will you tell me to stay away from A-Cheng, too?”

Jin-furen waves her fan. “Of course not. That’s different. A-Li.” She barely bothers to drop her voice when she says, “You know what betas do. You know what they’re for.”

Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what Jiejie says to that. He doesn’t stay to find out. And he doesn’t plan to come back.

If he drinks himself to death, it’ll reflect poorly on Yunmeng Jiang. But if he flashes enough gold in the right parts of Lanling City, he thinks he can probably get himself knifed pretty easily, and bleed out fast enough that no one will wonder why his core didn’t save him.

Then A-Cheng can find a better head disciple, and Jiejie’s reputation will be safe.

And Lan Zhan—

Well. Lan Zhan will be fine. He won’t have to try to save Wei Wuxian anymore. Once the first shock is past, it’ll probably be a relief.

*

But in Lanling City, Wei Wuxian doesn’t find a knife in the dark.

He finds a woman in a red cloak, starving and bruised, searching for her beloved brother.

And some part of him that he thought was dead roars back to life, like a new-fed flame.

He remembers standing side-by-side with Lan Zhan, remembers the vows they made. He can’t be a good brother or a good beta. He can’t be head disciple, or cultivate the sword path.

But he can stand with justice. He can defend the weak. He can live with a clear conscience.

For the first time since his body was shattered against the death-soaked earth of the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian feels alive.

*

Lan Zhan doesn’t see it that way. Lan Zhan, sheltered under his pretty umbrella, tries to call Wei Wuxian back to the path of orthodoxy.

But Wei Wuxian has just walked away from a valley of corpses. He has seen what the path of orthodoxy is paved with. His hands are shaking. Behind him are those few he managed to save – cold, dirty, half-drowned, frightened, sick. He cannot walk away from them. He cannot believe Lan Zhan would ask him to.

PISSED-OFF AND INCREDULOUS. “We promised we would devote our lives to fighting the wicked and defending the weak!” he shouts, while the thunder rolls. His eyes sting as rain drips down his face. “You tell me, Lan Zhan: who is strong, and who is weak? Who is right, and who is wrong?”

Lan Zhan has no answer.

It rises in Wei Wuxian, then: the same smooth-polished calm that came upon him in the Xuanwu Cave, when he thought the moment had come for him to die for A-Cheng. A quiet but powerful peace.

Yes. He could die here. Now. Not knifed in an alley by some thief, trying to slip unnoticed from a world where he was no longer needed, but in battle against the mighty Hanguang-jun, defending the innocent. That would be worthy. That would be right.

As he raises Chenqing between them, Wei Wuxian can feel himself smiling. His belly churns with joy and sorrow, fear and anticipation.

“If there has to be a fight,” he says, very steady, “then let me fight to the death with you. If I have to die, then let it be at the hands of Hanguang-jun. It would be no injustice.”

But in the end, Lan Zhan steps away.

So Wei Wuxian rides forward. To Yiling, where Jiang-shushu rescued him all those years ago. To Yiling, where he dragged his body back from broken death.

He’s been reborn in Yiling twice. Maybe he can do it one more time. He can only try.

Here is an alternate version of WWX's decision to go with Wen Qing. I'm ultimately not sure which one I like better.

It would be monstrous of him to follow her. To turn his back on his family. His purpose.

You live for them. Die for them, if you have to. Don’t you dare keep anything for yourself that could go to them.

A perversion; a rebellion against nature, from which there could be no return and no redemption.

He thinks about the prisoners shuffled out in chains before the targets. Thinks about the screaming of the women, at Nightless City, as the blood ran from under the doors. Of the old men shot down from behind by golden arrows as they fled on the road, sobbing.

*

Three.

Two.

*

He swore, once, to live with a clean conscience.

He should never have made that vow—his conscience, like the rest of him, belonged to Yunmeng Jiang. It was not his to dispose of.

But he did. He did make that promise.

And even though it makes him ungrateful, and unfilial—even though he knows there will be no coming back from this—he finds he can’t break it.

This one thing, in the end, is his.

Either way, we pick up with this bit covering WWX's second stay in the Burial Mounds. Honestly, this is mostly me getting high on my own worldbuilding.

In the Burial Mounds, every moment reminds him of his time in hell. Resentful energy courses through his veins. His stomach growls with hunger. He wakes every morning with the knowledge that he has turned his back on the whole reason for his existence; that he is an ungrateful, unfilial disgrace.

And still, it is easier to breathe here than it was in Lotus Pier.

The things the Wen refugees need from him are things he can actually give: protection, and they don’t care that he uses methods other than the sword; labor, and for the first time since Wen Qing cut him open, he is not the weakest of the group; and money.

Most prostitutes are claimed omegas; safe enough, since a person can only be claimed once, but clients complain about the smell of a foreign claim, vinegary-sharp and off-putting.

A beta, then, can command a high price – even a skinny, dirty one, who can only ply his trade in alleys and teahouses, rather than silk-sheeted brothel beds.

Wei Wuxian doesn’t mind it. After all, it’s not like it’s so different.

This is what he was made for. People have always told him that. It’s just that, now, they give him money when they say it.

Then there's the "LWJ visits Yiling" section, which made it into the finished fic. We pick up with:

After Lan Zhan leaves, Wei Wuxian doesn’t expect to see anyone from his old life ever again, unless it’s at swordpoint.

But he’s always been loved too well – loved more than he deserves.

“Jiejie,” he whispers, eyes full of tears, as she stands before him resplendent in red.

“I wanted you to see me in my wedding clothes,” she says gently. “Do you like them?”

“You look magnificent,” he tells her, throat tight.

It’s almost more than he can bear, to sit around a table with Jiejie and A-Cheng eating pork rib and lotus root soup, being asked—at A-Cheng’s urging, how?—to give a courtesy name to Jiejie’s firstborn. He thought this was gone for good, and now, it’s—

It isn’t like he never left. It doesn’t feel that way. Wen Ning is waiting outside; the rest of the Wens up on the mountain; his stomach is growling despite the soup, because it’s all he’s eaten all day; black curls of resentful energy fill the ugly hole where his core used to be.

But it feels like, maybe, he could find a new way of belonging. Like, maybe, he could have both: be true to his family and his sect and be true to the vow he made with Lan Zhan.

*

He’s so stupid. He never learns.

And every time he falls into the delusion, people die.

*

But when he gets Lan Zhan’s invitation to Jin Rulan’s 100-days celebration, it seems like a sign from the heavens. Confirmation. He can have both, and the proof is right here, in his nephew’s name written in Lan Zhan’s perfect calligraphy.

He works in a frenzy on his gift for the baby. Night and day, applying new protections, refining those that are already there. Every mo, yao, gui and guai he can think of will be repelled. Curses, too – every curse he ever learned about, and some he invented himself.

This is how he’ll make up for it – how he’ll pay the Jiangs back for what he owes them. Every disappointment, every time he wasn’t there for Jiang Cheng or Jiejie when they needed him, will be made right. He pours his time, his ingenuity, his expertise, and his literal blood into these beads.

They’re not fine jade or lustrous gold. Probably a kid raised as the heir to Lanling Jin won’t want to wear it. But Jiejie can make him, when he’s little. And when he’s older, he can carry it with him in a bag or in his sleeve – that will be enough. Wei Wuxian takes care to make the protections strong enough for that. He doesn’t want to overlook anything. It has to be perfect. This is his chance.

You do anything your jie needs, Yu-furen’s voice echoes, every time Wei Wuxian’s eyes start to close under the weight of his exhaustion. And her children, someday.

I will, Yu-furen, he promises silently, rubbing his eyes and returning to his work. I swear it. I will.

*

And then, there is the ambush.

The box falls from his sleeve.

Jin Zixun closes his hand and—

Wei Wuxian doesn’t completely remember what happens after that.

The dust that used to be lotus-seed beads, pouring from Jin Zixun’s fist like sand through an hourglass – he remembers that very well. It replays in his mind, again and again.

But afterward. That’s when he loses the thread. Loses control.

Loses—

*

Jin Zixuan.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning.

A-Yuan.

Wen-popo. Fourth Uncle. All of the Wens he fought so hard and gave so much to save.

Lan Zhan – his enemy now.

Jiejie, widowed and grieving. Jiejie, wounded. Then—

*

“Jiejie!”

*

There’s no point, after that.

Lan Zhan takes his hand, holds on, won’t let go when Wei Wuxian tells him to. He looks at Wei Wuxian like he sees something worth saving.

But then A-Cheng is there; Wei Wuxian smiles. Good. This is how it should be. His life is A-Cheng’s to take. It always has been.

Everything happens very quickly, then.

And then there’s nothing at all.

Okay, that's all very depressing... future deleted scenes posts won't be so bleak, I promise! Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment.

[tiny-breadcrumbs]

A Notes on that "Battle Husbands" drawing process

First of all, Here is the quick sketch I do In between. Mostly when I feel like crying because I can't mix the right shade for li lianhua's robes or shoes. But then it frustrated me even more because zhan yunfei didn't looks like himself! so it served to motivatived me to go back to the main project.

Below are several of the thumbnail and initial sketch when I trying to figure out the composition,

I eventually choose the low angle perspective over the bird view for a more intimidating presence to our main. So it can give a clear distinction of which side has the upper hand on this fight.

And for the character, Yangzhouman is a calmer, steady energy (in comparison to di feisheng's baifeng baiyang) and it made for speed. So I do need li lianhua to be "light" on his feet. But still look fierce, alert, and ready to strike at any moment. Some of the pose I try for him have this softer energy for his stance, and I try to balance it with a sharp movement in his upper body. He also got some baifeng baiyang at this point, eh, so I refined his pose sharper and sharper. Initially, I want him to hold his sword in his regular habit of holding it upward (because it kinda majestic) but turns out I don't have enough brain power to draw it between the tangle of his sleeve and all that hair. So I throw out that idea really fast.

I also try one or two more pose in a different paper that sadly got drenched in the rain, along with all the planning for di feisheng! So this is all that left.

There is a change in the composition from vertical to horizontal. Because in vertical composition, they stand too close to fit in the frame and li lianhua looks like he is one wrong move away from stabbing di feisheng. (Can't let him injure his newlyweed husband after all)

I laugh for a whole ten minute while stubbornly trying to make it work. And it still didn't work. So eventually, the final sketch is in the horizontal format.

I forgot to take more photo of the process after this one. Probably too distracted with all the mixing of blue and purple to make everything coherent because I desperately avoiding any green. There is only the very bright kind of green on my color stash. The cursed one. And I'm not friend with green. Unfortunately, Li lianhua wear this ambiguous muted greyish green robes. And they are in a open space of a forest. A lot of green. And di feisheng wear a very dark color. It will not looks good for their contrast if one character blended with the surrounding and the other not, when they both supposed to be the main focus.

So the overall process took around 12 hours within the span of three days. I'm so slow 😂 But yes, all nice and fun, already on my way to draft a new fanart.

Stay tuned