#on ha jun was irredeemable

[erenaeoth]

do u have any specific headcanons for kazuya and jun’s relationship dynamic? i loved reading the chapters u wrote about these two in ur series and would like to know more about how u interpret their feelings for each other

Kazuya and Jun's Relationship

Hello this ask got away from me (as usual) sorry!

Hey thanks for the ask, and I'm very glad you enjoyed my writing of them! All the chapters in Iron Fist and Iron Will were written after Zen Gardens of the Heart where I really spent time thinking about Kazuya and Jun's relationship, so mostly I followed on from the dynamic I'd established in that. This is mostly a rundown of how I approached the relationship in Zen Gardens with some indicators of why I went this way based on canon material!

My motivation for writing Zen Gardens was to sit down with the canonical material and puzzle out from the tidbits of info we had what a believable relationship between Kazuya and Jun would look like. Writing Kazuya came more naturally since we have lots of info about him, but I had to reconstruct Jun a lot from fractions of information we had about her. To me there were certain questions that I had to address and work back from in order to understand both them and their relationship.

- What was it about Jun that let Kazuya let his guard down enough to have physical proximity with another human being?

To me, Kazuya comes over as extremely insular and controlling of his personal space. He's violent and volatile, with layers and layers of armour that he's built up to protect himself from others since early childhood. He will resort to violence and making people hate him before he lets someone come close to him or touch him. I wanted to think about what Jun offers him that's more than just 'I want to save you' or 'she's attractive'. I do think her Kazama ability to hush Devil up did give a lot to the initial attraction though. He noticed her because he could hear his own thoughts and think free of Devil's presence when he was around her.

Beyond that, I could see several things that would appeal to Kazuya about Jun. The first is that she confronts him. At the time when Kazuya is at the height of his power and everyone is bowing and conceding to him, Jun is one of the few people who never seeks to appease or supplicate to him, is never impressed by his power or wealth, never asks for favours. She intrigues him as someone he has no kind of conventional power over.

This gradually leads him into a kind of open honesty in return. The frustrating realisation that there isn't any part of him, no matter how honest he is, that's going to push Jun into believing that he cannot be saved or turned into a better person, makes him both cruelly reactionary, and makes him start to believe with her that maybe she's right. To me, the most important thing Jun offers Kazuya is hope in himself. For as long as he can remember, he's been hated and treated as something unnatural and irredeemable by his father, and has played into that role himself as an adult. Jun treating him as a human being worthy of love starts to open his eyes to the possibility of being a different person. He becomes more willing to change himself into the man she believes he can become.

- What is it about Kazuya that is important for Jun?

I've mentioned this in previous asks before, but even more important to me in Zen Gardens was to think about how Kazuya is good for Jun. I didn't want the relationship to be entirely one-sided and all give and no take for her. It felt vital to me for Kazuya's development in this relationship too that he perceived their relation as mutually desired, since he'd never permit proximity if he thought he was being pitied.

For Jun's initial interest in Kazuya, I had both her surprise at the depth of otherworldly darkness clinging to him, and the intensity of being subject to his attention. As a young woman living in mid-90s Tokyo in a male-dominated workplace, I imagined that she was often overlooked or talked down to, and never quite given the respect that she deserved as someone competent at her job. From the start, I always showed that Kazuya gave her a singular attention, respect, and affirmation, that wasn't just to do with attraction. I imagine Kazuya as someone with a lot of cunning and attention to detail, able to pick up easily on social cues if they catch his attention. He hates social attention on himself, but reads it and takes it apart in others for his own benefit. So for Jun, initially, there's an intoxication not just with the desire to understand this peculiar darkness around Kazuya, but also to return to proximity with him, where she feels respected and appreciated in a way she doesn't get elsewhere.

As their relationship develops, I focussed on things like Kazuya immediately picking up that she's a martial artist, from her musculature, the way she carries herself, and the way she speaks about martial arts. Jun admits that she's never had anyone assume she's a martial artist before, not even when she's in a gi in a dojo, something I've sadly seem a number of times in dojos. Kazuya meanwhile is someone who seems to never be hindered by appearances or to make premature judgements of character. He has little care for someone's background and cares only about their proficiencies. We can see this in his raising of Bruce Irvin, someone he just picked up from a random plane crash, to his head of security, and Anna, who's flirtatious manner and appearance never seems to bother or phase him as he just elevates her on the basis of her skills alone. I think that cutting incisiveness and ability to see truths and value honesty in people is something about him that Jun really appreciates. Kazuya, in marked contrast to Heihachi, isn't interested in deception or appearances and values blunt honesty over all else, including assumptions and stereotypes.

I had Kaz and Jun get very fiery over their opposing moral worldviews, but again, for Kazuya, being confronted in this way is really valuable to him, even if he's often mocking and dismissive of Jun's views. He mulls them over and they hang in his thoughts in between their meetings. He brings her views up later, and fights her on every point, trying to understand them and show Jun the naivety in her ideas. Jun, by contrast, can see someone who's lost and has built up what he's become out of necessity and fear. She believes that by endlessly giving Kazuya her patience and firm belief in the importance of compassion that she can show him a way of life that tears down his (understandable) assumption that the world is only violence and pain.

As you can see I get very wrapped up in talking about this lol. The to-and-fro dynamic and the desire of them both to want to understand the other was a key part of their relationship to me. They had to both desire to alter themselves for the other. The side characters in Zen Gardens also gave some really important additions to this dynamic. Quite early on, Lei is enraged by what he sees as Jun trying to 'fix' Kazuya. He asks her why she can't give her compassion to more worthy causes. Jun has to admit that she doesn't have an answer, and that she just wants to love Kazuya. She thinks everyone is a worthy cause and that Kazuya has never been given a chance before, but at the end of the day, it comes down to something simpler and that's that she enjoys his company.

Lee's role in the story is to kind of show that all through this, there is a real danger and edge to Kazuya. Lee is someone who's extremely close to Kazuya and knows all his secrets, but who's still on the receiving end of Kazuya's brutality. Lee's very aware that Jun is getting close to someone who's wildly unpredictable, and he frequently places himself nearby to intervene should matters call. He and the things that happen to him serve as an important way to show that, no matter how tame a face Kazuya is putting on around Jun, he's still someone doing terrible things. It was important to me to show that Jun is aware of this, and there is a bias in her actions towards Kazuya. She believes that her compassion can eventually save others from Kaz's actions, but she does suspend a lot of her condemnation just on the basis that at this point she's head-over-heels for the guy. Jun's not some infallible goddess, but a human with human desires.

The other side characters that play a really important role for showing another side to their relationship are Jun's family. They only know the Kazuya on Yakushima, have no knowledge of his global exploits, and only see this charming, aristocratic gentleman. They think he grounds Jun, and see a side of him that stops her from taking on too much work or doing too much for others, and reminding her to have time for herself. He intervenes when she's agreeing to take on too much, and he's willing to try new things for her, and adapt to her slower and rural pace of life. The Kazuya they see is a kind of window into the person he could have become. I think that's an important part of their relationship, because it allows people to see that Jun wasn't crazy for pursuing this, and was right actually that with patience and hope, Kazuya could have come to define himself by and held himself up to better standards.

Sooo, these are the main key themes running through their relationship for me. Growing closer to each other was about mutual vulnerability and self-discovery, and it was this that grounded their ability to love one another. Thanks for the ask and sorry for the mammoth answer! They are still very close to my heart :)

[dangermousie]

Hello !

I was wondering whether you could rate and tell us of your top 5 favourite webnovels/cnovels of all time ?! (Sorry if this has already been answered lol😅)

Thank you, stay safe and have a nice day🖤

Awww, thank you and that is such a lovely ask!!!

From n1 to n5, here they are (they happen to be all danmei.)

1. The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha) - my n1 forever and ever.

Taxian Jun, the horrific cultivation emperor of the world who razed cities and destroyed sects, is surrounded on his mountain. The righteous sects are terrified to confront him but tired of living, Taxian Jun consumes poison and dies by suicide at the age of 32. And opens his eyes as 16 year old Mo Ran, Mo Ran long before he became Taxian Jun, Mo Ran who is excited at a chance to save the one person he loved and lost. Oh, and to deal with his loathed shizun, the unapproachable and strict Chu Wanning, his past life’s biggest enemy.

I have no idea if it’s objectively the best on this list but it hits every trope I love, its bleak worldview (the world will change only incrementally but that’s enough, average person will not appreciate the sacrifice but it’s still worthwhile, and love is worth everything) mirrors mine, and the sheer complexity of the plot and cascade of plot twists each of which is insane and yet completely logical, is amazing (this is a rare novel where it’s even more fun to reread than read for the first time because you keep seeing all the hints and trail crumbs laid out that you did not see the first time.)

And the characters!!! I mean, this novel has multiple universes/timelines, a side trip to the Underworld AND the demon realm, a plot more twisted than a store’s worth of pretzels and yet the thing that hits me the most are the characters. Mo Ran is my favorite web novel character of all time and I love Chu Wanning so. All the secondary characters are wonderfully written (and some of them made me bawl) and they are all complex. My opinion of all of them changed many times over; the novel doesn’t make it easy to love some of them but then you do and it’s so worthwhile! That slow change is one of the delights of the novel - I started out disliking the unpleasant, superior Chu Wanning and cruel, callow Mo Ran and then I loved them so so hard and cried for them so so hard and was in awe of their heroism and sacrifice and selflessness and capacity to love.

Oh, and the fact that this novel does something almost impossible - it has its protagonist start out as so clearly irredeemable and then slowly and painfully and thoroughly redeems him (without ever letting the reader forget what it is he needs redemption for.)

Also, for a novel that made me cry so hard I felt ill, this book is just so damn funny with the most sarcastic sense of humor imaginable (the serious angst doesn’t even kick in until 90+ chapters!)

Anyway I should stop or I will write a dissertation. But this is the one web novel that I would put in my top 5 not just web novels but any novels in any shape or form. The plentiful trigger warnings are there for a reason so stay away if they are an issue, but if not, if anyone hasn’t read it yet, what are you doing with your life?!

2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - another novel by the author of 2ha. Clearly she just pushes all my buttons every time. This one is much shorter and has a plot that is twisty but less twisty than 2ha. Still, all that means is that intensity and the pain are more concentrated.

Aristocratic Mo Xi and former slave Gu Mang were both legendary generals of the empire and lovers. But Gu Mang betrayed the country and switched to the enemy. Now he is back as a peace offering by that country and Mo Xi has to deal with the fact that his feelings are as strong as ever.

This novel!!! So much pain and intensity!!! So many amazing plot twists and supporting characters. The same bleak world view, the same unjust society, the same protagonists doing right things despite the cost. Mo Xi’s intensity and inability to let go (he’s imprinted on Gu Mang and that’s it) is romantic, bone-shakingly intense, and tragic all at once. And oh Gu Mang! So many times I just wanted to reach into the book physically to protect him. The novel deals with unjust societies, memory versus personality, what it’s like to be good in a bad universe etc. And it both made me sob and giggle, repeatedly, and sold me on literally death-defying (but not honor-defying!) love.

Oh, and special shout out to the fact that like 2ha, you may start out hating some characters and end up a rabid fangirl (cough Murong Lian!)

3. Qiang Jin Jiu - a dense political tome that takes a while to get going but then it’s a runaway train.

In a fictional dynasty, Shen Zechuan, the only remaining son of a disgraced aristocratic family and Xiao Chiye, the younger son of a family of generals guarding the border join forces (and then something else) to get power and pull down the dysfunctional system.

This is so elegant and smart (a rare web novel I’d recommend to anyone who just loves solid period fiction) and you probably need a notebook to keep track of the politics and military strategy. These characters are very very smart not just because the author says so.

As to the characters, there is a large cast and I love many of them, but for me the novel is made by Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye. SZC is gorgeous and delicate and icy and can kill you before you have time to blink. Saddled with the sins of the family he had no pleasant interaction with, he claws his way out of hell (seeing the sinkhole he was trapped in, literally as well) to take down those who wronged him but also to amass power so all the tragedy and corruption won’t happen again and the whole rotten system comes crashing down. XCY is a military genius who is trapped as a hostage in the capital because the court doesn’t trust his family. He longs to return to the plains of home and to take his rightful place. The two men start out as bitter enemies, then reluctant and sniping allies, then as friends and eventually as one of the most gorgeous, tender, swoony OTPs.

Anyway this is one is a bona fide masterpiece, equal parts smart and emotionally intense.

4. Wu Chang Jie - are you an emotional vampire? I am and this novel is a banquet.

In a highly fantastical setting, we meet our protagonists - the sunny Xie Bian and the intense and surly Fan Wushe. Xie Bian is a human who assists his master in conveying souls to the underworld and making sure no mishaps happen. Bian is concentrated sunshine in human form and to meet him is to love him. When the novel opens, his drunk master brings back another human to be his shidi and assist with duties - said human is uncommunicative, intense and surly Wushe. Bian is excited to have a shidi but little does he know that a story dealing with the horrors of past lifetime is about to start.

Anyway, why WCJ? So many reasons. It has such a dark bleak worldview - this world is a horrifying system where powerful cannibalize each other’s cores for an impossible chance to ascend, where gods have sealed off their realm and all that’s left is neverending human misery and hell (the only way you’d see a deity is if they’d been sent down to suffer over and over and over), where even reincarnation doesn’t fix things and bad acts are often unpunished. And the novel then asks - is it worth being a good person in such a world? More, is it worth being a good person in such a world when nothing good has ever happened to you and you have been repeatedly betrayed due to your goodness? And the answer, on Bian’s part, is an uncompromising yes.

Ah yes, the other reason to love this novel - the protagonists and their fucked up fucked up relationship. Bian (who was Prince Ziheng in the past life) is so genuinely good. But he is that rare thing - good but not saintly, noble but not cloying. So much of the novel is his getting taken apart over and over and barely able to put himself back together every time but his soul is still as amazing as ever.

And then there is Wushe (who was Prince Zixiao in past life, Ziheng’s not-bio-related brother.) Wushe is not a good person. He is a monster. And he loves Bian/Ziheng more than his life and his soul and the entire world but he’s also the one who hurt him more than anyone else ever could and did it over and over. His love survived a literal century of torture in the worst kind of hell and refused the usual memory loss of new life. But it also humiliated and broke Ziheng down to his constituent parts.

One of the things that is so fascinating to me about this novel is the question of what can be forgiven/what should be forgiven/what kind of expiation is enough/can you ever love someone who you loved so much and then he hurt you so badly and is now repentant? And it never sweeps trauma under the rug or hand waves it away but deals with it head on.

If you want healthy relationships, you should stay far away from this novel but if intense insane ones with a feral barely human one capable of destroying the world leashed by love and guilt to the sane deeply good one is your bag, come right in.

There is also the world building and the fact that yes, the big fall out between Ziheng x Zixiao is based on not knowing all the facts but it’s not “why can’t you talk?! This is dumb!” But is totally in keeping with both events and their characters. It’s reasonable for Ziheng to do what he does and for Zixiao to misunderstand and decide Ziheng is now his biggest enemy (but still one he’s fixated on) and for Ziheng to never be able to clarify.

Anyway, once again this is trigger warning central so please heed those, but if they are no issue, this one is wonderful.

5. OK, this is hard and switches between Sha Po Lang, Heaven Official’s Blessing and The Golden Stage depending on my mood. So what the hell, I am gonna write about all of them.

Sha Po Lang - so smart and so much clever world building. There is enough politicking to satisfy a Qiang Jin Jiu fan, it’s steampunk, and our two protagonists - Gu Yun, the empire’s most powerful general, who’s loyal to the empire despite being badly wronged by it, and Chang Geng, a cursed prince with barbarian blood and horrifying childhood - are wonderful separately and together. This is a huge slow burn but it’s totally worth it! They fall in love with each other’s hearts and brains and ability as much as anything. (Yes, this is the one with the yifu thing. Gu Yun is made Chang Geng’s foster father when he rescues him and brings him back to the capital as a way to keep CG safe in imperial strife. They are 12 and 19 at the time so clearly it’s never a parental relationship.)

Heaven Official’s Blessing (TCGF) - I love it’s sprawling narrative and cast, I love its inventive setting and picaresque story. It’s hilarious and can make me cry. But the novel’s place on this list is due to Xie Lian who is part Kenshin part drama WWX part pure goodness wrapped in heartbreak and trauma wrapped in sunshine.

The Golden Stage - two smart and principled (yes, they both have principles different though they may be) men navigate their arranged marriage, their past friendship and their past break up, become a super couple (one of the healthiest danmei couples I’ve ever read and proves healthy doesn’t have to be boring), save the country and bring down the emperor or two and just generally this is my rainy day book.

I guess I didn’t write as much for the three n5 candidates as I did for 1-4 but my brain is beginning to curdle so...

[plan-d-to-i]

let me ask you smt that i'm dying to know. when wwx died, he didn't answer the calling of the sects. ok. but I've been arguing with delulus who think that wwx didn't replay to the inquiry lwj played every single day 💔 because wwx's soul was lost and into pieces. it wasn't into pieces, I know, but— is there anywhere in the novel that he didn't answer because he didn't want to? I was so sure it existed... why would he be unable to answer if his soul was whole? idk this headcanons are so damn big that they become real to ppl wtf let the canon thing be, I DON'T LIKE YOUR FANON

LWJ playing Inquiry in the first place is fanon.

Wei Wuxian's soul was definitely whole:

As the arm raged, blue veins bulged from all its tendons and muscle, and the atmosphere grew even more oppressive. If it had been anyone else guarding the array’s west position, they could not have escaped Lan Qiren’s blood filled fate and would have fallen long ago. Wei Wuxian was secretly apprehensive. It should’ve been impossible for their “Soul Evocation” duet to fail to summon the deceased’s spirit…unless…unless it had been severed into pieces with his corpse!

It looked like his dear brother here had died a slightly worse death than him. Though Wei Wuxian’s body had been ripped into smaller pieces, at least his soul had remained intact and whole. (Chapter 19)

Nevertheless no one was able to summon him:

Wei Wuxian was supposed to have died at the Burial Mounds, but since then, not a single person had been able to summon him. His soul had, in a word, vanished. (Chapter 1)

He talks about his ghostly existence here:

How was he a “being of irredeemable wickedness?” Sure, his reputation wasn’t great, and the circumstances of his death were tragic and miserable. But first of all, he hadn’t turned into an evil spirit, and second, he hadn’t sought revenge! You could search all of earth and heaven without finding a single more peaceful, better-natured ghost. Promise!

But the trouble was, bodily sacrifice followed the wishes of the caster. It didn’t matter how uneasy Wei Wuxian was…he had already taken over the proffered body and therefore tacitly consented to the contract. He had to fulfill the caster’s wishes, or else the curse would backfire and annihilate his soul, damning him to eternal oblivion. (Chapter 2)

and here:

“How do I know?” Wei Wuxian muttered. Of course he knew! In the ten plus years he had been dead, he hadn’t received a single note!

Lan Jingyi knifed him in the heart again. “Even if you’ve been dead before and didn’t get any, it has to be because no one burned any for you.”

Wei Wuxian searched his soul. How could that be? Was I really such a failure? Not a single person? Is the only reason I didn’t receive any money really because no one burned any for me? The more he thought about it, the less plausible it seemed. He turned to Lan Wangji. “Hanguang Jun, did you ever burn any paper money for me? At least you must have, right?” he whispered.

Lan Wangji eyed him, then glanced down and brushed away a bit of ash that had gotten on his sleeve. Silently, he lifted his gaze and surveyed the distant scenery, not a word passing between his lips.

Surely not? Wei Wuxian thought as he stared at Lan Wangji’s serene profile. Had there really been no one?! (Chapter 42)

[tossawary]

Shen Jiu’s character has been... difficult as hell to handle in “pride is not the word I’m looking for” at times. SPOILERS up to Ch28-ish. 

Because, like, he’s an asshole. He really is an asshole. He’s a terrible person and should not be allowed be near children. 

However, Shang Qinghua is also kind of an asshole, and Shang Qinghua does actually seem to like many of his characters, though he’s not really interested in helping them or risking his neck for them, with the glaring exception of Mobei-Jun. Mobei-Jun is also an asshole. SQH doesn’t seem to care at all that MBJ killed several of his fellow disciples besides fear for his own life. 

And making Shen Jiu that shitty coworker Shang Qinghua hates dealing with was funny to me. He’s a bastard and it’s very fun to write. I’m fond of characters who aren’t nice because they actually keep things interesting. (Not that nice characters can’t be interesting, I just think Cang Qiong Mountain Sect dynamics are funnier if they’re all kind of bitchy to each other.) 

Making Shang Qinghua invested in the Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu drama, then using it to explore SQH’s own relationships and character and growth, that was fun too. 

I thought that it would be super out of character for Shang Qinghua to condemn Shen Qingqiu or try to get rid of the man, especially given Shen Yuan and the fact that the System in SVSSS seems invested in keeping Shen Qingqiu around for the Eternal Abyss scene. The fact that SY couldn’t get out of the Eternal Abyss makes me think that Shang Qinghua thinks that SQQ pushing LBH into the Abyss (the betrayal that kicks off LBH being a “blackened” protagonist) is a crucial, unavoidable plot point. So Shen Qingqiu has to stay. 

But I don’t really want to make Shen Yuan be SQQ, because that’s a little too close to canon for my tastes and I want to steer clear of just redoing the plot with only a few twists. I wanted to make SY his own characters so that I could explore a really different take on the relationship between transmigrators. 

I also wanted to have SY’s arrival kick off that terrifying World Update in Part 3 for plot purposes. So, again, it looks like Original Shen Qingqiu has to stay. 

I kind of like the tragedy of Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu. I don’t see their relationship as romantic personally (I’m not against it), but the intense attachment and self-destructiveness of their relationship regardless is fun to me. They’re so explosive and miserable, which is interesting.  

So, I don’t want to make my fic about how evil Shen Jiu is when the entire fic is about Shang Qinghua becoming a better person. It would feel kind of icky to me if I pointed at Shen Jiu and went, “THAT GUY is irredeemable. I’m writing a fic about Shang Qinghua trying to be a decent person and yet also have him fall in love with Mobei-Jun, who’s definitely an asshole, but Shen Jiu is the lost cause here! Throw the whole man away!” That... didn’t seem to fit. 

(Sadly enough, I’m also leery of receiving abuse from people who think Shen Jiu “did nothing wrong”. Fandom sucks sometimes.) 

It’s Pre-Canon, we don’t actually know that SJ has done anything yet, so I have a little bit of leeway there to say he could actually improve instead of stewing deeper and deeper in his own resentment and bitterness. 

Also, making Shang Qinghua invested in watching Shen Jiu’s moral status and trying to point Shen Jiu in the direction of being less shitty was funny. 

I also LOVE “villain decay” and “people being unwillingly dragged towards morality” stories. I just love them. It’s why SJ appeals to me as a character. 

And I know some people like Shen Jiu and don’t want to see him suffer, so I thought, “Okay, I can have Shen Jiu develop from an asshole to... an asshole who can behave decently sometimes... and at least not abuse children beyond being kind of a shitty teacher during music lessons.” 

Also, I just... didn’t want to deal with child abuse in my found family fic. I didn’t want to have to tackle that, guys. SJ becomes a less shitty person so that I didn’t have to write that arc because I wasn’t interested in writing that arc. 

But I also didn’t want to make Shen Jiu nice. He’s fun to write. 

The character of Fu Qiang does have some plot stuff coming up, but also she’s kind of there to... separate Shen Jiu from the students. Fu Qiang’s plot stuff may explain SJ’s improvement a little. He did NOT decide to get better for Shang Qinghua and/or Yue Qingyuan’s sake. SQH is... kind of wildly projecting onto both Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu at times. 

 Anyway, writing SJ is a terrible balance act. I’m mostly pleased with what I’ve managed, especially since SJ isn’t the main character and I don’t want to devote too many time to him, but sometimes it feels like one of those “in order to make no one here ‘foaming at the mouth’ angry with me, I am going to make no one totally happy” situations. 

[wuxiaphoenix]

A Long Road Chapter 11 Ficbit - Awkward

“Because he’s in love,” Selenay sighed. “A Herald in love with a necromancer. I can’t think of anything more awkward-”

Talia barely blinked. “They’re lifebonded.”

Oh no. Oh, no. It can’t be. The gods can’t have that wicked a sense of humor. Itcan’t be a lifebond....

Talia was an Empath. And lifebonded herself. She knew the signs.

Selenay buried her face in her hands for one more moment of sanctuary. Sighed, and lifted her head again. “Go on.”

“Wei Wuxian is in true, life-threatening danger,” Talia said soberly. “Nie Huaisang is convinced the sects want him conveniently dead. And someone’s stirring up rumors to make it happen. Now Lan Wangji has finally learned enough about politics to grasp how dangerous rumors can be. Enough to realize the fact that Hanguang-jun, the Light-Bearing Lord, kept demanding Wei Wuxian abandon the ghost path as heretical cultivation-”

“Fed the rumors like a gale feeds a forest fire,” Selenay finished grimly. “People love the simple stories. If Lan Wangji’s the Jianghu’s bright hero, then anyone who stands against him must be a horrible, irredeemable enemy. And when that enemy is an actual necromancer who raises the walking dead....”

Talia nodded. “Lan Wangji is afraid, and guilty. And we can’t tell him not to be, because part of that threat is his fault.”

Selenay had been too busy saving her country to pay close attention to Dirk’s outburst when they’d learned Ancar was a regicide, and Talia was dying. But she’d heard plenty of accounts later. They’d almost lost Talia. If they had... there was a channel between members of a lifebonded pair, stronger and deeper than any Healer formed with a patient. When one died, the channel shredded, wounding mind and soul. Given how sick Dirk had already been from pneumonia, the Healers had feared they would have lost him too.

“I’m not losing another Herald if we can save him,” Selenay said grimly. “But getting involved in Jianghu politics will be a risk to anyone we send; possibly to all of Valdemar. Are you certain they’re lifebonded?”

“Rolan’s sure,” Talia said soberly. “Kellen’s sure. I know it will be dangerous, Your Majesty, and I’m not sure how we can divert enough people to do it, with Ancar probing at us with magic - but we need to rescue that man. If Wei Wuxian dies, a lot of people are going to die with him. Including Lan Wangji.”

[theladyofravenclaw]

Hello, theladyofravenclaw! In regards to the "Ballad of Hanguang-jun and the Yiling Patriarch" universe, how would Wangxian, Xuanli, ChengQing, 3zun, Nie Huaisang, Wen Ning, the Junior Quartet, and Liao Yanshi & troupe react to modern day discourse and their wild interpretations? Whether it's historians with the Wen Qing Discord server or the "Web's Most Searched Questions" about them.

@kaitou-cure-prism12

This question has me laughing at the thought of their reactions to a modern audience 😂 I don't know if I just want to answer it or do a crack oneshot where they look up the top googled questions.

I will say, there are a lot of Wen Qing defenders in the future who claim that even though this is the most thorough depiction of Wen Qing they’re probably ever going to get, they don’t believe it is 100% accurate. So she might appreciate that.

Meanwhile, wangxian gets the patrochilles treatment where they are sprinkled across mainstream media as classic lover icons for the generations to come. I think that Wei Wuxian might find it amusing after a while but Lan Wangji does not want to talk about it.

Xuanli are considered a hidden gem of a relationship amongst the modern fans who argue that more people need to appreciate the nuance of their story, so I think Jiang Yanli would like that but Jin Zixuan would just be nervously checking to make sure people don’t hate him.

Chengqing in general don’t really want to hear the discourse but Jiang Cheng in particular gets dragged through the mud with people either saying that he’s the true villain and irredeemable or others defending him by saying that the point of his story was to act in juxtaposition to Wei Wuxian’s.

Nie Huaisang I imagine wouldn’t have that much of an opinion on what people think moving forward but he would find it amusing how many strangers still cling to this play.

Wen Ning would probably just be happy that Liao Yanshi’s work continues to resonate with such a large audience after all this time.

The Junior quartet would probably just think it’s neat that people are so passionate about the play that they would still talk about it to this day, but Jin Ling still hates it and you can’t mention the Xuanwu Cave scene to Sizhui without him getting uncomfortable (those are his dads guys!).

As for Liao Yanshi and his crew, the troupe would be ecstatic that their play is still a hit centuries after they first debuted it. Mao Tianxu is the most vocal about how proud she is of her work as Wen Qing.

Liao Yanshi on the other hand is probably not even surprised. He would most likely say that “Art is supposed to transcend language, barriers, and time! If it hadn’t continued to touch the hearts of millions I would consider it a failure!”. Nonetheless he would be happy but also incredibly smug 

[mercyandmagic]

Hi, mercyandmagic....If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite “villains” (or antagonists) in all of MXTX novels? Whether it’s a final boss like Jun Wu or more of a side character like Xue Yang. (Whether you want to do a ranking or just write out in no particular order)...Sorry if you've answered this question before....

Aghh sorry I haven’t responded all through the month – I’m a university instructor and this past month has been h e l l. Ahem. I will start working through your asks now!

These are solely my opinion, from most to least favorite:

1. Jin Guangyao (was there any doubt?)

I firmly maintain he’s an antagonist and not a villain because he really just wants to live safely. He only goes against Wei Wuxian because Wei Wuxian is in his way; otherwise, he wouldn’t have harmed him. And Jin Guangyao did so much good for the cultivation society once he was free of his father. Not that I’m excusing what he did with his dad, but it really does seem his misdeeds were 95% during his father’s reign, 5% when Wei Wuxian returns, and 5% the mystery of Rusong. 

Plus he’s kind, humble, defies tradition by allowing his dead brother’s murals to be treated as equal to his, and... look, to be motivated to do evil to earn your father’s love is a compelling motive. The pain of realizing he isn’t loved by a parent is... awful, and that makes me want to cry over him quite a bit.

2. Xue Yang

He’s charming in an wicked way. Not that I actually think he’s evil – he’s not. But I do think there’s undertones of text that support him as a clinical psychopath, and I don’t mean that in the way of “he’s an irredeemable monster.” I mean his lack of response to pain or risk, his difficulty with relationships, and his difficulty with empathy make me think he has a brain condition. I agree with MXTX  that he’d always be different, but so what? I think if someone had intervened earlier or helped him along the way he could have found happiness. Instead, he was asked to do demonic cultivation (which definitely affected even Wei Wuxian’s mood by the end) and a knife to slay political enemies without repercussions was put in his hands by Jin Guangshan. It’s tragic.

3. Shen Qingqiu (original)

Look, his backstory and lack of resolution breaks my heart.

4.  Tianlang-Jun

It’s debatable if he’s even an antagonist, but I’ll include him. He’s sad and his story of love and heartbreak made me sniffle.

5. Wen Ruohan

Mysterious, formidable, overwhelming in the one scene we have of him (novel-verse). He drips style and is fodder for so many fanfics. 

6. Old Palace Master 

Go f**k yourself, Harvey Weinstein of the SVSSS cultivation world.

7. Jun Wu

I grew more and more sus of him throughout the story and was truly delighted to learn he was, indeed, the Big Bad. I do feel empathy, sure – actually more so than for Old Palace Master. But Jun Wu went so far over the line and his torment of Xie Lian was so bad that I don’t care for him personally. He can have his redemption since he’s still alive and I hope he does, but stay far away from me in fanfic. I think the fact that he’s also the head of the gods turns me away from him – religious hypocrisy is something I have a harder time with personally due to experiences growing up. 

8.  Jin Guangshan

The real villain of MDZS, am I right? Oh, the sexist hatred of talented women, the predation, the manipulation, the lack of love for his son, the murder of political enemies. At least the Old Palace Master kind sorta cared for his daughter. Jin Guangshan reminds me of so many men. Go f**k yourself, Harvey Weinstein + [insert many potential autocrat names here] of the MDZS cultivation world.  

[mcgrillzdumpinc]

Between Friends

Summary: Lan Wangji does not consider himself and Nie Huaisang to be friends. However, when faced with the choice of supporting Nie Huaisang fledgling romance, Lan Wangji finds it hard to turn a blind eye.

ao3 link

Rating: G

Pairing: Sangcheng, NHS & LWJ friendship

Warnings: there is a line that may come off as biphobia, but it comes from a character who lacks understanding & terminology & is not intentionally harmful

Written for sangchengber!

Lan Wangji wouldn’t necessarily say he and Nie Huaisang are friends.  More accurately, they are two younger brothers whose older brothers just so happened to be the best of friends.  As such, they were often paired together on inter-sect trips.  Really, they are more familiar acquaintances rather than friends. Lan Wangji knows what Nie Huaisang’s favorite foods are and his preferences in jewelry makers.  Likewise, Nie Huaisang is privy to Lan Wangji’s favorite authors and (after one unfortunate pubescent incident) his preferences in men. They have secrets between each other and can calmly spend time together.  But Lan Wangji has never exchanged letters with Nie Huaisang nor sought out his company. So, they are not friends.

This is all to say that Lan Wangji, nearing seventeen years old, finds himself debating if he’s familiar enough with Nie Huaisang to tell him to shut up and accept that Jiang Wanyin has a crush on him.

As it currently stands, he’s in the middle of the forest on Phoenix Mountain and he has made the unfortunate discovery of Nie Huaisang crying on the forest floor.  To make matters worse, he’s been spotted, and he’s too familiar with Nie Huaisang to be able to politely leave.  So now he’s sitting next to his childhood friend (more accurately ‘person he has been affiliated with since childhood’) and listening to Nie Huaisang expound upon all of Jiang Wanyin’s good qualities.

In truth, Lan Wangji thinks that all of Jiang Wanyin’s bad qualities outscore whatever good he has.  Case in point: he has not confessed to Nie Huaisang.

“Do you know what he said to me when we finally had some time alone?” Nie Huaisang says.  Lan Wangji already knows the answer, his acquaintance has repeated it twice by now.  But he stays quiet so Nie Huaisang can continue with, “‘You look pretty!’ Nobody says I’m pretty except the girls when they’re being mean!  And da-ge, but he’s usually angry at me, though I think he means it as a compliment? But, you know what?  I am pretty!  I am incredibly pretty!  I can give any maiden a run for her money!  So, what do you think he meant by that, Hanguang-jun?  Was he being nice?  He ran off right after, so I can’t ask him!”

Currently, Lan Wangji is wondering if he can convince Nie Huaisang to return to the base of the mountain so they can play weiqi. That usually shuts him up.

“Hanguang-jun!  I asked you a question!”

He concludes that it is unlikely he can convince Nie Huaisang to leave this spot any time soon, so Lan Wangji replies, “He was complimenting you.”

“Eh?  No way, no way.”  Nie Huaisang shifts so that he is sitting with his legs stretched out.  “Why would Jiang-xiong dare to compliment me?”

It bothers Lan Wangji that his acquaintance would ask such a thing.  He knows of Nie Huaisang’s low aptitude for cultivation, but he has never seen that as something to be ashamed of.  And Jiang Wanyin would be an irredeemable fool if he didn’t agree.  Besides his penchant for complaining, Lan Wangji cannot think of anything Nie Huaisang should think of himself as lesser for.

“Why wouldn’t he compliment you?” Lan Wangji asks in turn.

“Oh, must I say it aloud, Hanguang-jun?” Nie Huaisang sighs.  He worries at his bottom lip until eventually mumbling, “I’m useless.  I only live such a good life due to status.”

“No you are not,” Lan Wangji retorts, somewhat louder than he intended.

Nie Huaisang’s eyes go large.  “Not what…?”

“Useless.”  Lan Wangji stands up and begins to brush his robes off of forest foliage.  “Nie-er-gongzi is very capable.”

Nie Huaisang hurries to stand next to him.  “I’m afraid I don’t understand—”

“I can never win against you in weiqi.  You are very smart.”

Nie Huaisang grins, impish.  “And…?”

Lan Wangji does not roll his eyes, but he comes very close to it.  “Jiang-gongzi has reason to compliment you.  Do not doubt yourself.”

He begins to walk away, but Nie Huaisang does not let him go very easily.  In fact, he latches a surprisingly strong grip to Lan Wangji’s arm and walks with him. “I didn’t know Lan-xiong could be so kind.  I have learned something new today.”

“Mn.”  Lan Wangji would free himself but, well, this is nice.  Usually only Xichen would dare to hold his arm like this.  The new experience is welcome.

Still, though, it seems that Nie Huaisang is not without worry yet.  Some minutes into their walk, his friend speaks up again.  “Lan-xiong, between us cutsleeves, how do you know you’ve fallen for man?  I’ve read so many romance novels, yet… I’m certain it’s different for us.”

A red ribbon, a bright smile, an over-delighted laugh—they flash into his mind alongside a tightness in his chest, a sinking denial and knowledge that something he wants is disappearing by the day.  He swallows it all down and adjusts his grip on his sword. “I do not know.”

“Lying is forbidden for the Lans.”

“I am not lying.”

Nie Huaisang stops.  Lan Wangji stops with him.  Eyes bore into the side of his head, but he stares resolutely ahead.  The forest is beautiful in fall.

“Oh, Lan-xiong, I—”

“Watch out!”

With the shout, a spirit crashes through the woods, followed by a talisman-carrying arrow.  Lan Wangji steps aside, pulling Nie Huaisang towards and down with him. The arrow passes through the spirit, the talisman catching on the its form.  The talisman burns while the spirit releases its death wail.  In seconds, the spirit is no more while the Jiang contingent (minus Wei Wuxian and a few disciples) appear before them.

“Are you hurt?” Jiang Wanyin asks.  Lan Wangji knows he is not asking him.

“We’re fine!” Nie Huaisang answers.  He stands up, taking Lan Wangji with him.  “Your call was well-timed, Jiang-xiong!”

Jiang Wanyin gives Nie Huaisang a careful once-over. You would have to be a fool—or Nie Huaisang—to not notice the way relief pulls his shoulders down and how infatuation catches his breath.  Lan Wangji will admit—Nie Huaisang is an exemplary pick for a cultivation partner. Jiang Wanyin should count himself lucky.

In truth, Lan Wangji knows intimately the many reasons why Jiang Wanyin has not made his affections known.  They are all heirs.  They know beyond any doubt what is expected of them, of the families they are expected to carry on.  There is also the rarity of their sexuality.  One’s orientation is not so easily discovered.  He and Nie Huaisang only know each other’s due to that unfortunate pubescent incident.  And Nie Huaisang is not a cutsleeve, not fully, not truly—he has the luxury of an eye for women.  It occurs to the Lan Wangji that perhaps this is only a problem for himself and Jiang Wanyin, then—the knowledge that rationally they are not the first choice, if they are a choice at all.

Still, though.  There is a red ribbon, a bright smile, an over-delighted laugh that sticks in every fiber of his being.  He cannot stand to know there is at least one tragedy he can help avoid.

He puts a hand on Nie Huaisang’s back and pushes him towards Jiang Wanyin.  “Nie-er-gongzi lost his contingent.  It would be best if you remained with him for the rest of the night hunt.”  Without waiting for a response, Lan Wangji turns and walks away.

From behind, he hears his friend call out to thank him.  It’s nice, knowing he may have been able to help.

[sen-no-kotowari]

Enstars! Saegusa Ibara Idol Substory 3

Enstars! Saegusa Ibara Idol Substory 3

They'd be the perfect nourishment for us, and it'd be all for the sake of our glorious paradise.

Season: Autumn

Location: Shuuetsu Academy

Hiyori: Jun-kun, Jun-kun! Hurry up, will you? We’ll be late at this rate!

Jun: Really, now? Just whose fault do you think this is?

How 'bout you prioritize arriving early for once, instead of making plans of your own and going off on a shopping spree at the station?

And you even went and bought so much shit again. Forcing me to carry all these bags and then telling me to hurry up—that’s just slave-driving at its finest right there.

Even a chill guy like myself would get angry too, y’know~? Though I could go a lil' faster if you’re fine with me just ditching all these bags right here, hm~?

Hiyori: Don’t you dare! Do that and we are through, Jun-kun! I finally found a good bargain and all so it’d be unthinkable to just throw it all away!

Jun: What am I supposed to do then, jeezus... You’re being way too selfish, as usual.

Ibara: I’ve been waiting for you, gentlemen! Salute~☆

I was worried since you two were taking so long!

If something were to happen to the both of you, it wouldn’t be just a disaster; it would be an irredeemable loss on a global scale! Ahahaha♪

Jun: ...Ibara. Couldja take half of these bags?

Ibara: Aye aye! Since you've done quite the extravagant amount of shopping again, should I have all of this delivered back to the Reimei Academy dormitory?

Well, you are members of Eden, so you could at least have someone else do those things for you!

There’s no need to do all these unnecessary, tedious things ourselves, right?

Jun: There are times I do wanna ask for help, ‘specially on days like these… But I just can’t bring myself to stop worrying with the amount of shady people loitering around, y’see?

Ibara: Worry not about that! If I were to oversee these arrangements, I shall see to it that the most trustworthy of personnel will be employed!

Jun: The fact that you'll be the one taking care of things makes me even more skeptical.

Ibara: What’s this I hear? How harsh of you to say such things; nevertheless, that just means I am unworthy!

I shall be wholeheartedly diligent enough to properly earn your trust! Salute~☆

In any case, His Excellency is waiting for us so let us hurry! I will lead the way! Your Highness Hiyori, shall I escort you? ♪

Hiyori: I'd rather you refrain from touching me, you viper.

Ibara: Eh~? Oh, please, gentlemen, aren’t we comrades? Please do put a little more faith in me ♪

Location: Adam Exclusive Room

Jun: Heya, sorry for the wait.

We've changed in a jiffy into our exclusive Eve outfits now.

Look, we're keeping the Adam guys waiting, so can you please hurry it up, Ohii-san? Geez...

Hiyori: Hold on a minute! I really can't decide on a hairstyle for today — I'd also like to bring out the glow of my complexion, too.

Jun: Huh? Isn’t that just your usual hairstyle...? Actually, why do you even bother to put in the effort to pretty yourself up when it’s just us today?

Hiyori: Eh~? I want to always look my most beautiful no matter the occasion, of course!

That would be the finest weather there is...!

Ibara: Gentlemen, my apologies for the wait! Thanks to how incredibly quickly you've arrived, we've somehow managed to proceed according to schedule! I thank you all for your effort!

Hiyori: That’s quite a lot of sarcasm I hear, isn't it? How vulgar... More importantly, Ibara-kun, where’s Nagisa-kun?

Ibara: Ah, it seems like His Excellency has recently taken interest in canvas painting.

The smell of oil-based paint is difficult to remove, so he’s taking a shower before changing into his costume.

Jun: He sure does change hobbies frequently, huh…

So right now it’s canvas painting. That time he got hooked on mountain climbing was kind of hectic—we even had to send in the search-and-rescue squad when he went missing, didn't we?

Ibara: Rather than hobbies, I’d say for His Excellency, the desire to learn new things is instinctive in nature.

All of those will assimilate as a part of him, making him even stronger.

As of late, however, I’ve been the one to arbitrarily choose what he shall immerse himself in next.

He is steadily evolving in a good direction, so I hope you’ll look forward to His Excellency’s growth ♪

Hiyori: Hmm, I think you should let Nagisa-kun decide on what he wants to do. Then again, as long as it’s something new he has yet to know about, he’d love to try anything and everything.

But tell me, are you really capable enough of handling him?

Ibara: I guarantee you that I’m quite capable of controlling him, even if my life depends on it; he is our secret weapon after all!

Nagisa: ...Being called a “weapon”... I’m not sure how I should feel about that.

Ibara: Oh, Your Excellency! We’ve been waiting for your arrival! Come along now, right this way...☆

Nagisa: ...Okay. Uhm, what was our work for today again?

...It’s strange that the four of us are gathered here, yet we are wearing the exclusive costumes of our respective subunits.

Ibara: Indeed! Adam and Eve join forces to become the unit Eden, and yet there aren’t many people aware of that! 

If they only ever see either one but never both, we won’t garner the interest of a potentially new audience of people!

Following both subunits will heighten one's enjoyment of Eden—that is the sort of idea I aim to introduce to them!

If we manage to make either subunit popular, this synergy would immensely sky-rocket!

The first agenda we have to address for today is the magazine interview!

Adam and Eve will have their individual photoshoots, so I had everyone be in their respective costumes!

Nagisa: ...I see. Since the four of us typically work together as Eden, I’m not used to seeing Eve in their exclusive costume.

…It really suits you, Hiyori-kun.

Hiyori: Why, thank you! You look dazzling in that outfit too, Nagisa-kun ♪

Ibara: Ahaha. The two of them certainly do get along well. Why don’t we learn a thing or two from them and become even closer as friends, Jun?

Jun: If you really wanna get along, then how ‘bout you start by showing me just what your true intentions are, yeah?

You do all your sneaky work from the shadows with such a fake smile on your face, so hearing you say you wanna be friends sounds like a load of bull[1].

...Ibara, is Autumn Live also a part of your business strategies too?

I dunno what kinda poison you’re planning to use, but don't do anything nasty to Trickstar; they’re nice guys, y’know~?

Ibara: Hmmm~ They'll eventually be our fierce competitors in SS, so I'm afraid I can't promise you anything.

Should we show our enemies mercy, we’ll be the ones who’d end up dead—that is common knowledge in the battlefield.

Well, like the snake I am, I inject my venom when I strike and devour them whole while they're paralyzed.

They'd be the perfect nourishment for us, and it'd be all for the sake of our glorious paradise.

Ah, such things can only be achieved with a shameless personality like my own!

Life must be so rough for people who actually have morals, so I'm truly glad that I'm such a Grade-A scumbag! Ahahaha ♪

Jun: You're aware of it and all and yet you're not repentant in the slightest... Ibara, you're not gonna make any friends that way, y'know...?

In the original text, 臍で茶が湧きます would mean “ridiculously strange” and Jun thinks that Ibara saying those kind of stuff is pretty much a load of crap coming from him.

Writer: Akira (日日日) JP Proofing: euni EN Proofing: Jay

[grumfield]

Sorry ur getting so many asks about ur comic on MDZS/CQL! I hope it cools down for you! (It is very funny though though and I love ur expressions throughout!) But since it seems like you've been reading a lot of novels since then any recommendations for me since I just started? (please note I need an english translation)

Yeah it’s a little bit much haha. But hopefully it’ll cool down. AND I WOULD LOVE TO REC YOU NOVELS I LOVE RECCING NOVELS

My absolute favorite is 2ha / Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Do not be fooled by the title like I was! This is not a cute fluffy story—this is a 311 chapter long angst-filled redemption novel with a complicated plot and even more complex characters. It’s honestly such a treat and I would give anything to relive reading it again for the first time. Filled with plot twists, dark content, humor, redemption, and a REALLY really good couple.

The novel begins with the main character killing himself. His name? Mo Ran (aka) Taxian-Jun, evil emperor of the cultivation world who basically went insane after the death of his unrequited crush Shi Mei (who is NOT the love interest) and razed sects to the ground, and killed thousands of people. He truly is absolutely horrible and irredeemable. The only one who ever stood up to him was his Shizun Chu Wanning—the man he hated most and blames for his crush’s death—but eventually, after Taxian-Jun imprisoned chu wanning and took out all his hatred out on him (this is where most of the dark material in the book comes from) he died too. And now, all alone and ruling the world, Taxian-Jun gets sick of it all and commits suicide, and then...is reborn into his 15 year old body, before his unrequited love dies. Mo Ran takes this rebirth as an opportunity to prevent the tragedy to come...but of course, not everything goes as planned. First: someone else has been reborn too, and they have their own agenda, and now the original timeline is getting fucked up. Second: Mo Ran comes to realize that everything he thought about Chu Wanning is completely wrong, and he realizes that Chu Wanning, despite his cold exterior, actually would do anything protect him and his other disciples.

REALLY WELL CRAFTED STORY. Favorite couple. Love the themes of redemption, because the main character really is insufferable at the beginning but comes back from that hard and you end up loving him. Nice smexy scenes. Loving couple, really tender. Uses food as a love language. They are very horny.

I cried very, very hard reading it. Like. Harder than I ever have with media. It has a happy ending though!

BE AWARE THAT THERE IS DARK MATERIAL IN THIS THO, AND READ THE WARNINGS.

Some other ones I liked:

Since you’re new, if you haven’t read the novels by the same author as MDZS, I highly recommend them, as you’ll probably enjoy them.

These are Scum Villain’s Self Saving System (mc gets transmigrated into the body of a villain from a trashy harem book and is intent on not dying so he is nice to the novel’s protagonist...which makes the protagonist fall in love with him.)

The second is Heaven Official’s Blessing, the story of Xie Lian, a god who’s ascended and descended out of godhood many times as he solves problems, and his love interest Hua Cheng, a very powerful demon. Nonlinear story with 800 years of pining.

Little Mushroom

It’s like if No.6 and Annihilation had a baby. It’s a post apocalyptic “organic” sci-fi. The main character is a mushroom who infected a human body, which is classified as “heterogenous”. The love interest is a man called the Judge whose job is to kill heterogenous organisms. It follows their relationship development in a world that tearing apart at the seams, as they learn to trust in humanity. Happy ending!

To Rule in a Turbulent World

Historical novel! Spoiled and rich young master saves the life of a Quanrong slave, and the two of them get mixed up in a variety of political schemes, while also doing things like irrigating crops and stuff. There’s a particularly good spicy scene in the 3rd chapter that I quite like. It’s a fun read, with a happy ending!

Golden Stage

Historical novel! Enemies to lovers Arranged marriage! What’s not to like. The main character is a young war hero left crippled by an ambush, and the ML is a guy who’s basically a court lackey for the emperor. They’re constantly at odds after a falling out in their youth, and are seen as enemies. That has to change though, once the main character is sent back home, for a variety of political reasons that actually make sense, the mc is set to be married to the ML. They’re a really cute doting couple, and are also very strong and intelligent.

Qiang Jin Jiu

Historical novel! Heavy on the politics and plot. Shen Zechuan is the son of the leader of an attempted rebellion, and is set to basically be a prisoner for life. The ML, Xiao Chiye, is a military general (I think) who, upon seeing the mc...immediately kicks him in the stomach and renders the Mc an invalid. It’s a very fun political book with an awesome couple who’s always at each other’s throats.

If you want any more recs let me know! I’d be happy to oblige.

[zangothedino-blog-blog]

Goro Akechi’s strange relation to Jun Kurosu.

So like theres this DLC for persona 5 for costumes that are based on previous installments in the persona franchise.

(spoilers for p2 and light spoilers for P5)

Most of the time it just puts the characters in the uniforms of each games respective school;

persona 4^ example

And usually, only Akira and Morgana wear anything that represents the older characters specifically. (Morgana dressed as the "mascot" and Akira as the protagonist) everyone else is just wearing the uniforms, EXCEPT for the P2 collection where Goro Akechi is dressed as none other than Jun Kurosu (aka Joker, funnily enough).

None of the other characters are wearing this uniform either.

Now, this strikes me as particularly interesting cuz they're clearly drawing a parallel... and its a pretty weird one honestly.

So let's see the similarities:

(using the persona wiki for like descriptions)

"Jun's character is defined by his ambiguity"✅

"he is asocial, introverted, calculating and actively uses his beauty to manipulate other people."✅

"wants to fulfill the dreams and wishes of humanity, even if his means of achieving this goal are questionable. Additionally, he is afraid of being marginalized by the society he's working to please."✅

Jun is distinctly less selfish then Goro but they share similar desires and fears as well as approach .

"dismisses the idea of him having any of the positive traits"

Goro tends to view himself irredeemable the same way Jun does.

Goro and Jun both have an alter ego of sorts as well, but Jun's facade is disconnected from himself in ways that Goros isn't but the fact they both hold a secret alter ego in the first place and are both kind of fitting a similar narrative niche.

Another similarity is Jun hated his parents who fought constantly and generally neglected him. so like mood I guess. oh, hey,  look at this...."The Aquarius Skull mocks Jun for being his father's pawn and for forgetting the person who should be there, later revealed to be his mother, Queen Aquarius, who had taken a fatal blow meant for him back at Caracol."

Pawn to an evil father? ✅

Loosing sight of the love of their mother? ✅

Jun also shares an intimate bond with the p2 protagonist. one fairly akin to the bond Akira and Goro has…. with the whole two sides of the same coin narrative foil inexplicably drawn together by some form of fate… deal.

Though the main difference being Jun and Tatsuya met as children and where best friends that spent their time ... playing ... heroes together...

wait....

Nice! wait... .

"One For all, all for justice, put your hearts together with your friends and pierce through."

"if only we'd met a few years earlier"

oh...not nice.

Okay so i made this post originally on reddit and on the P5 amino a few months ago so update on “ i cant make this shit up” They gave Goro the Black Condor equivalent costume for the Featherman dlc and gave Akira the Red Hawk equivelent.

Just like Jun (Black Condor) and Tatsuya (Red Hawk)

So persona be comparing goro and akira to Jun and Tatsuya.

Guys....

Just.....

Even more I guess

[plan-d-to-i]

It’s easier to put things into perspective if we use characters whose dicks people don’t thirst over

Gigsaw torturing and murdering random people = wrong

Literally anyone getting his ass and torturing and killing him as punishment for what he did = right

ok you could kill them without all the torture bc it also dehumanizes you but well point still is evil people deserve to pay with their lives, innocents don’t

Lmfao I can almost guarantee you that someone out there is simping for jigsaw's jigsaw but I get what you're saying and I agree. I really don't mind fictional characters going all out for revenge against ppl who the narrative has set up as horrible and irredeemable and just all around hateful. WWX is an amazing person to not be overwhelmed by resentments in his second life after how the cultivation world treated him. I have no complaints w how he handled WC & co.( which jc was more than enthusiastically on board w.). Giving ppl who've run around abusing their power, gleefully destroyed your home, killed your sect, beat you and threw you into hell on earth to die, a special sendoff is not the same as jc not repaying his debt; As jc leading a siege against mountaintop of what he himself called "the old, the weak, the women, and the children" or carrying on for 13 years torturing & disappearing any random person he though might be WWX- And that's what it was about. He wasn't saving the world from the scourge of demonic cultivation -although that is some funny imaginative PR from his stans, he was torturing anyone he thought might maybe possibly perhaps be WWX and he didn't mind getting the wrong ones as long as he didn't miss out on the right one. That's it. jc carrying over his resentments, the three poisons etc is his whole deal? Nothing happens to him bc he's in a position of power and privilege and the people he's kidnaping and torturing are not. WWX literally mocks him for it:

Wei WuXian massaged the back side of his waist, and crawled up with the support of the donkey. He hid behind it and yelled angrily, “How amazing! You really can do anything when you’re from a powerful clan, can’t you? You can even beat up anyone you want! Tsk tsk tsk!”

JGY himself calls jc a mad dog. Like it's obvious everyone knows what he gets up to, but bc few are as righteous as the Lan Clan, as powerful as Hanguang-Jun to stand up to jc and his little band of thugs; or as right place right time as the Lan Clan was w MXY, so jc can pretty much do whatever he wants. Certainly in Yunmeng where his Clan is the most influential who's going to challenge him for some poor nameless person. It's not like he went after Xue Yang who was under the protection of the Jin Clan. Most importantly, we're not meant to see them the same. jc is some lame side character antagonist and WWX is the mc who's the moral ideal in the story. jc's fictional, that's his role. He's not hurting over it. lmfao

[scottspack]

My Wife Has An 18 Hour Drive Fic Rec Roundup

I wanted to make a fic rec post for the insane amount of Untamed fic ive been reading anyways, and Chi @got2ghost​ is driving halfway across the country tomorrow, so there’s no time like the present to put all of the really great fics ive read over the past couple of weeks in one location! Let’s get it poppin!

Ones That Chi Already Read:

A Lot of Edges Called Perhaps by hansbekhart (Wangxian, E, 21k)

The funny part is - and it is a little funny, even if Wei Wuxian has no one left to share the joke with - they never have. Not anything. He has never kissed any part of Lan Zhan besides his slim hands; never been even partially undressed with him anywhere besides a miserable, xuanwu-infested cave. It’s always been like this between them, this simmering need, this desperate understanding: a knowledge so deep that it lives somewhere in his bones, that if he wanted to have Lan Zhan he could have him, and if Lan Zhan wanted Wei Wuxian he could have that too. But they never have.

I found this fic on someone’s blog when they said that it was the definitive fic to read directly after finishing the series so i saved it, read it directly after finishing the series, and felt completely and wholly fulfilled by the resolution found in this fic. 10/10 cant recommend enough. 

One Rouge Spark In My Direction by hansbekhart (Lan Wangji/Xiao Xingchen/Song Lan E, 5k)

He’d thought, in Yueyang, that they’d seen something in each other, something familiar. That maybe they’d recognized something in him. But it’s been many years, and many things have happened since, and he’s guessed wrongly at other people’s hearts before. Lan Wangji looks back down at the table, at his steaming, bitter tea. He’ll beg if he has to.

In “A Lot Of Edges Called Perhaps” Wangji mentions that he has had sex before and this is the in-universe story of that time and WHEW BABY!!!! AHHHHHH!!!

Gathered Herbs & Sweet Grasses by hansbekhart (Laz Sizhui & Lan Wangji, G, 19k)

Later, when he’s older, it’s this that A-Yuan will remember most: the stretch of silence, the two of them both dirty and shaking with fever, as he looked at Brother Rich, and Brother Rich looked back at him.

This is a fic about Lan Wangji raising Sizhui from when he brings him back from the Burial Mounds until they bring Wuxian back to Cloud Recesses after he’s resurrected. It made me cry about 18 times and I consider it fully canon in relation to the show. I reread this fic at LEAST once a week. *chefs kiss*

Seldom All They Seem by Fahye (Wangxian, E, 25k)

or, one hundred and thirty-three principles of the Gusu Lan, pertaining to the state of marriage

***

He bows to Wei Wuxian, sword in hand, sleeves falling properly. Wei Wuxian bows in return, and the sect leaders begin the opening courtesies, and for all of ten minutes Lan Wangji is under the impression that he is betrothed to a boy who is perfectly normal and acceptable apart from an unfortunate tendency to fidget with his clothes.

That impression does not last.

A canon-divergent fic exploring “what if Wangji and Wuxian were betrothed from when they were young like Yanli and the peacock?” It’s extremely good and very compelling and also made me cry multiple times. (The confrontation in the rain doesn’t get any easier even if they’re betrothed!)

Half Cloak & Half Dagger by Fahye (Lan Xichen/Meng Yao, E, 13k)

Jin Guangyao lifts his head and smiles. "I'm considering a problem."

"Can I be of any assistance with it?"

He drops a kiss on Lan Xichen's chest. With the nail of one finger he lightly traces the characters for irony on Lan Xichen's side. "Not this one, er-ge."

In the “Seldom All They Seem” universe but focused on xiyao. Has hands down the best written characterization of meng yao in any fic ive read so far. I continuously come back to this fic just to read the absolutely genius way this author writes the Head Bitch In Control of the cultivation world.

Hurricane by gdgdbaby (Wangxian, E, 6k)

"Haven't you heard?" Nie Huaisang replied, clicking his tongue, though he was clearly pleased that he could be the one to break the news. He leaned in to announce with a dramatic flourish: "Lan Wangji just took emergency family leave this past weekend."

WANGXIAN AS SPIRK STAR TREK PON FAR AU!!!!!!!!!!!!! WEEWOO WEEWOO WEEWOO!!!!!!!! This was actually recced to ME by CHI and I have not stopped thinking about this fic for a full month. It’s like author gdgdbaby sat down one day and was like “Tumblr user Liv Scottspack deserves everything she wants in this life.” and then wrote this fic. Thank you author gdgdbaby, I love you.

Ones That Chi Has Yet To Read:

My Age Has Never Made Me Wise by idrilka (Wangxian, E, 63k)

“We hear that His Excellency might be married by summer’s end,” the merchant’s wife says and Wei Wuxian freezes, his heart in his throat. “The Gusu Lan sect has been buying enough red silk and brocade that the merchants in Caiyi can’t satisfy the demand.”

He feels himself grow brittle inside, like a flick of a finger to his temple might make him shatter. His ears are ringing.

“Who’s the lucky bride?” he asks despite himself. His tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth.

Or: The story of a marriage.

I LOVE THIS FIC. The absolute best kind of slow burn and I think such an extremely accurate representation of the canon material. I’m always surprised by the authors in this fandom’s ability to write shit that is so concretely grounded in the universe. This could and should be a real companion novel. Amazing. I love it.

The Year of Drought by idrilka (Wangxian, E, 24k)

Wei Ying could not be contained by the walls of the Cloud Recesses, alive again and overflowing with it, bursting like a dam in spring with the force of two lives unspent. And so he had to go. Lan Wangji understands that—he understood it when Wei Ying told him of his plans, looking at Lan Wangji above the rim of his cup with an apologetic smile, like craving freedom was something to apologize for.

Wei Ying would go, and Lan Wangji would see him off; this has always been the only way it could be.

Or: In the absence of Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji waits.

The previous fic but from Wangji’s perspective. Absolutely required reading if you read the other one. Wangji baby.......i love you.....

A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste (Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui, T, 20k)

“And,” said one of the pompous ministers, “there’s the matter of a marriage to consider as well!”

Jin Ling, who at the beginning of that sentence had expected to slam into the very last wall of his patience and lose his temper entirely, paused. “A what?”

Thing was… it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Jin Ling gets it in his head that as sect leader he should get married and sets his sights on Lan Sizhui. I cannot stress enough how FUCKING CUTE this fic is!!! Sizhui being the best boy! Jin Ling having more uncles than he knows what to do with! Jiang Cheng being the worst at relationship advice! It’s so fucking good it love it so much.

Anyway, Here’s Wuji by kakikaeru (Lan Jingyi/Lan Sizhui, T, 18k)

The melody gets a little clearer when he breaks out of the trees, and Jingyi changes course with certainty, barreling down the back hill and through the Cloud Recesses, dodging scandalized disciples left and right. He throws open the doors to the Receiving Hall without announcement and bows nearly double, eyes on the floor instead of on the shocked faces of the Mei delegation and the impenetrable gaze of the Chief Cultivator.

"Forgive this disciple," Jingyi shouts, because he's going to get punished for rule breaking regardless. "From the back hill, Hanguang-jun, there is a song in the wind!"

Lan Jingyi comes of age.

A Jingyi-central fic about Jingyi growing up and falling in love and being a hero and being the second best boy of my heart right after Sizhui. Not only is this fic sweet and romantic but it’s another one that explores a lot of interesting things within canon and all of the supporting characters are written very well and are just as interesting as second best boy Jingyi.

Ok, JiuJiu by kakikaeru (Jin Ling/Ouyang Zizhen, T, 16k)

Uncle's jaw works in the way that suggests he's about to say something irredeemable. Jin Ling, in a move of diplomacy he hopes the Chief Cultivator appreciates, distracts him with spicy food and his favourite subject: the incompetence of his own officials.

"I hear the lakes in the south east are having drainage problems?" he asks nonchalantly, sticking three big slices of braised pork belly into his Uncle's bowl.

Jin Ling just wants to get through the Discussion Conference with his Sect, his dignity, and his heart intact.

A follow up fic to “Anyways, Here’s Wuji.” I LOVE the Jin Ling/Ouyang Zizhen dynamic of Jin Ling having been raised by Jiang “I keep all my emotions right here and then one day I’ll die” Cheng being hopelessly charmed and smitten with Ouyang “President of the I Love Love Romance Novel Book Club” Zizhen! I LOVE IT! EXTREMELY CUTE!

This Side of Paradise by greenfionn (Wei Wuxian/Wen Qing, E, 3k)

Wei Wuxian does some very quick math in his head that goes something like this: He is pretty sure he’s in love with Lan Zhan - Lan Zhan is not here and likely never will be here - Wen Qing is here, not to mention very hot and let us not forget, actually interested in sex with him - there’s a solid chance he goes genuinely crazy or dies, or both, in the next few months and really, who wants to die a virgin?

Listen.......the fic premise is “Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing, noted bisexuals, figure life sucks enough at the Burial Mounds, they might as well have any fun they can before they die” and........I Am Looking Directly At It. It features Wen Qing bossing Wei Wuxian around and Wei Wuxian’s canon he-wants-to-be-pregnant kink. It’s........I liked it.

To The Act of Making Noise by words-writ-in-starlight (Lan Sizhui & Lan Wangji, G, 19k)

His father in white plays the song late into the night, and when A-Yuan wakes up confused and afraid, the guqin lulls him back to sleep.

Lan Sizhui hears his father play the same song every night for his whole life, and never, ever get an answer.

Another very moving and heartwarming fic about Lan Wangji raising Sizhui and Sizhui figuring out Wangji’s past and then eventually reconnecting with Wei Wuxian. It’s cute and soft and Sizhui is my best boy!

History (Proud To Call Your Own) by words-writ-in-starlight (Wen Ning, G, 5k)

“A-Yuan? Um—Lan-gongzi,” Wen Ning corrects, trying to set a good example. The children are young, seven and eight, exactly a dozen of them lined up in two crisp lines of tiny blue and white robes. Wen Ning can feel them staring at him, even though most of them have already mastered that Lan trick of neutrality. The smallest, a little girl with liquid dark eyes, is clinging to her nearest shijie’s sleeve and half-hiding. “Can I—what can I do for you?”

Wen Ning gets himself recruited for services, while he and Sizhui are visiting Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian gets a fan club.

Set in the same universe as “To The Act of Making Noise,” a very cute fic about Wen Ning finding his place in the post-canon world and being proud of his cousin Sizhui and being the world’s best substitute teacher. As the official Wen Ning Fan Club President, I had to include this.

Lan Sizhui's Guide to Courtship by Kimblydot (Lan Sizhui/Lan Jingyi, T, 23k)

In which Jingyi is a little oblivious, Sizhui is patient (and should have said something in the beginning), and everyone else is resigned to watching them dance around each other for far longer than necessary.

(Or: five things Sizhui tries to do in his courtship, and the one time Jingyi realizes there was one happening in the first place.)

I’ll stop describing fics about the juniors as being “cute” when they stop being SO FUCKING CUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Grow by cafecliche (Lan Sizhui & Wei Wuxian, T, 14k)

“Okay,” Jingyi says, as Sizhui puzzles this out aloud. “Okay! So the demon has been turning its victims into children.”

“I think so,” Sizhui says.

“To make them easier prey,” Jingyi says.

“Yes,” Sizhui says.

“So—” Jingyi’s voice cracks here, “this kid is Senior Wei.”

Wei Wuxian, still tangled in his own massive robes, blinks politely at them.

(Or: Wei Wuxian is cursed on a night-hunt, and the junior quartet rapidly finds themselves in over their heads.)

What I expected to be a goofy, silly fic turned out to be extremely emotional and made me FULLY CRY! It’s a very moving fic about Sizhui coming to understand himself and Wei Wuxian a lot better AND features all of the juniors arguing over who’s turn it is to hold 6 year old Wei Wuxian. A true win/win of a fic.

Your Name, Safe In Their Mouth by astrolesbian (Lan Sizhui & Wei Wuxian, G, 10k)

“You’ve got a fever,” Wei Wuxian says soothingly. “You just keep still as well as you can. We’ll have you fixed up soon.”

Lan Sizhui recognizes his tone—this is the voice that Wei Wuxian uses on hurt people and young children, a very calm and no-nonsense voice that has none of the mischief and cheer of the way he sounds the rest of the time. Lan Sizhui looks up and meets his eyes, and they are dark, stormy gray, muddled and concerned.

“I’m all right,” he croaks.

“Hush,” Wei Wuxian says, in a low croon, like someone quieting a baby. Then he blinks, and looks away, awkward. “I mean—you shouldn’t speak. You’re tired. Rest if you need to.”

or: lan sizhui gets sick on a night hunt. wei wuxian comforts him. they both have a lot of feelings about it.

The Wei Wuxian and Sizhui bonding fic that I so desperately desperately needed to read. Scratched the very particular itch of “but have they REALLY talked about what it means that they’re reunited after 16 years???”

Stainless by Fahye (Wangxian, E, 6k)

"I'm starting to feel," says Lan Xichen, "that this was a counterproductive suggestion."

Wei Wuxian looks down onto the pristine, tranquil cold springs of the Cloud Recesses. Sitting in the water, their bare shoulders rising like dumplings carefully spaced in a steaming-basket, are a large number of Lan disciples.

"They seem to be doing better," he says, encouragingly. "If they--oh, no, I see what you mean."

At the near bank, someone has pressed someone else against the rocks and is kissing them frantically.

It’s smut! What is getting into a new pairing if not an excuse to read sex pollen in new and exciting ways!

Sweet Night by thejillyfish (Wangxian, E, 10k)

It was like coming back to life again, like being restitched into existence, cell by cell, nerve by nerve. From the surface of his skin to the marrow of his bones, everything new and purposeful. Like being pulled back from oblivion into an embrace of pure light. A feeling of absolute asylum.

That’s what it felt like, to realize Lan Wangji was in love with him.

In-show au of “what if they just admitted they’re in love and fucked during episode 43?” Soft and romantic and hot!

Shadows In The Sun Rise by Yuu_chi (Wangxian, E, 25k)

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji says, voice slow and a pitch too quiet. A second later Wei Wuxian understands why. “I cannot hear.”

Or; Lan Wangji is cursed into internal isolation. Their ability to understand one another remains as unwavering as ever.

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD. I have been thinking about this fic nonstop since I read it. It is.....fucking incredible. One of the best qualities of wangxian is that they’re so in tune with each other and able to work so cohesively with little communication and this fic is like “what if we take that and DIAL IT UP TO ELEVEN” and i was like AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! 

WHEW OKAY that’s enough for right now!

I’m constantly reading new fics all the time so maybe eventually I’ll make a second one if Chi actually reads/likes any of these (they’re picky!), or if anyone else likes this list and wants updates.

TO CHI: Thank you for getting me into The Untamed! I love you! I had the best time texting you every thought that passed through my head while I watched it. I’ve loved all of the content you’ve sent me from the book and the comic. I’ve loved making fun of Yibo with you. I’ve loved being your fic taste tester. Life sucks right now but at least we have wangxian!

TO EVERYONE ELSE: If you read any of these fics please come to my DMs and talk to me about them! I have a lot of feelings and love to cry over fics! Thank you!

[evilpol]

So I present to y'all... Not really an new character, but rather the one I had for a while, who only now I actually created in game: Junav, aka sometimes you just need an evil and absolutely irredeemable character.

Born Olmakhan, he left the tribe at a young age, and due to some lucky (or not, depends on the viewpoint) circumstances, joined Mordant Crescent as a mercenary, advancing through the ranks and proving himself an valuable ally, so when he died during one of the missions, he was 'rewarded' with awakening.

Jun has no regrets over his actions and all the blood he spilled, in fact, he founds hunting Sunspears and raiding villages a nice little hobby. Despite all that, he deeply values honesty and loyalty, and genuinely enjoys facing worthy opponents in combat. Even more, however, he enjoys stomping them into dirt. So at the end we get bloodthirsty, violent, sometimes sarcastic undead charr with a weird moral codex. He's the type who will rip off someone's hand just because he wants to and then joke about it. Absolute bastard, and I love him for it.

[isisparker]

Moment at Eighteen/ At Eighteen/ Moment of Eighteen - Episode 14 - Hwi Young’s Redemption

“... A monster who stomps all over people who are weaker than him and only cares about his own selfish gain, no matter what it takes. Human trash. I’ve already turned into that monster, and I can’t undo it. The thing is I can’t go back to the time when I wasn’t like this. I wanted to become a better person than you! But I can’t anymore.”

Say what you will about Hwi Young (he’s an asshole, he’s cruel, he’s a cheater, he’s a manipulator, etc) but in the runtime of this drama I’ve come to realize a few things about him: 1. he’s the product of shitty parenting and 2. he’s still technically a YOUNG ADULT (a high school kid at that) that has a lot of growing up to do. 

In the beginning he was the perfect foil, the perfect antagonist to Jun Woo... But in a drama like this, it’s nice to know that not all these fit into those “high school drama” stereotypes that we are so used to seeing. Hwi Young especially is perfect for that role of rich, entitled, Student Body President manipulative asshole with a crappy home life... but it’s the little nuances that make him a fully realized character that we can’t help but want to see be better than what he was!

Yes he’s smart enough and observational enough to make choices and he does need to learn to live with the consequences of his actions/choices, but the fact that he gets anxiety over not “being perfect” (to the point where there’s a legit physical manifestation of his anxiety on his right arm), the fact that he has expressed geniune guilt (despite being a coward to own up to that), the fact that he more or less keeps his own head down and not engage in unneccesary drama (see: Episode 10 where he didn’t get involved in that fight between Ro Mi and Da Heen) unless it affects him (thus his whole issue with Jun Woo, because he saw Jun Woo as a threat to upheavel his entire world), the fact that he cares about his mother so much that he has literally taken hits for her, the fact that he is still a teen/young adult that is still growing and has people around him (see: Mr. Oh) that want him to be better, and the fact that he now wants to stop the privileged cycle that his parents started for him also adds to the complex character that Hwi Young is!

This episode was amazing for Hwi Young because you not only start to see him accept his flaws, accept his destructive behavior, but you also saw him ironically push against his toxicity by pushing away and isolating himself from everyone (his mother, Ki Tae, Oh Je*, and even Soo Bin) because he realized that he’s an irredeemable “monster.”

However, towards the end of this episode, when he was finally realizing the consequences of what he and his parents had allowed, and he sank further into that self-loathing and despair out in the rain (because of course! what’s a kdrama without a rainy angst scene?); Jun Woo finds him and calls him out on his cowardice [because I also had a sense that it hinted that maybe Hwi Young was contemplating suicide] and for lashing out at Ki Tae for worrying about him. He further calls him out for not being brave enough to not just live with his consequences but own up to it and make things better for himself and I think that was the turning point Hwi Young needed. He needed for Jun Woo, of all the people to help him see, because he is the one person that had been brave enough FROM DAY ONE to call Hwi Young out on his bullshit. To help make him realize that he may have done all these horrible things, but that doesn’t make him irredeemable. Jun Woo knows all too well about second chances and having the courage to participate again in a world that has kicked you down... So he’s telling Hwi Young to do the same: to own up to your mistakes and make amends because THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.

Hwi Young is many things and he has done some awful things to himself and others... but he’s not the monster that his father is, and he’s still young enough to be given a second chance to be a better person.

Because at this moment in your life, at eighteen, you are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them and grow and discover the person you were meant to be.

[*I was gonna add in my thoughts on his reaction to Oh Je in this one, but it would do a disservice on Hwi Young’s character, so I’m yet again dedicating a separate post on that]

[sundaynightnovels]

11/11/11

i was tagged by the amazing @insearchof-solace​ for this & okay i haven’t actually read through the questions that you’ve given me, but let’s hope that i actually have answers for them  1. What story elements keep popping up in your wip(s)? It could be a personality trait, a setting, some sort of symbolism, anything.

oooh. well okay, right now i only have one wip, but from previous long-form things that i have written (and may / may not ever continue, depending)... of course found family is a huge thing, but also like... having trios as main character groups. yknow, there are always the iconic Three in any great novel / series, and yes i usually do have that too! for like all things out of season there are actually a few groups of trios, like the shou-zhen-lu odd family, the teng-jun-yu(m) eccentric gang, the jun-ren-jia messy relationship people... i also always like having flippant characters & serious characters. yknow what i mean? in any good comedy there has to be a serious character for the stupidity to work, so yea. (though my previous works were not... exactly... comedies). & i like writing banter. all the banter for me. 2. Do you mainly draw inspiration from real things/places/events/people? Or do you get inspiration from other fictional settings? probably more from other fictional stuff, idk. if i see something i like in a show i’ll be like hey how bout MORE of that thing . usually a lot of inspiration comes from sit-coms or something funny that i’ve read.  i do get some inspiration from real places / events but those are... not as often. probably because that requires a lot more research and sometimes midway through i’m like lkjasldjasdksa like i’m kinda planning for teng’s story to be set in around 1930s shanghai and i am not ready for that research yet 3. What major thing drives you to write your current wip(s)? i don’t even know right now. when i was writing the first draft, it was to just get something out there so i have something to work with. now that i’m doing the second draft i don’t really have much driving force except for my endless procrastination that drives my brain to a little of a duUDEEE DO SOMETHING NOW mode and then i write. probably.  4. Is there anything you hate about your characters? eh. hate is a strong word. i don’t particularly hate anything about them, but shou really is too noisy and he’s stuck in his head too much, do you know how difficult it is to write his scenes without getting sidetracked and writing maybe 10 paragraphs of some random digression that he’s made??? (there was a lot of that in draft one that i am slowly cutting away) making zhen do things / especially proper serious stuff is like pulling teeth. jun too. yu(f) is annoying because she is just so caught up with work , like i think almost 90% of her scenes in the book takes place in her room and that’s such a boring setting to work with! and i don’t like that characteristic particularly because i don’t relate (lol) so it’s difficult to write about. i still barely even know yu(m) but that’s my fault i guess. lu and teng are dolls.  5. Which two (or more) of your characters clash the most in personality? Do they ever meet? If they do, what happens? uh. zhen and yu(f) because well, one is lazy and one is irredeemably hardworking. they live in the same apartment block and when they meet, well, yu(f) tries not to engage / interact because getting involved with zhen (even if zhen’s not really doing anything at the moment) is always chaos. always. and she doesn’t need that in her life.  zhen doesn’t particularly want to meet yu(f) too because she finds her constant-rushing-to-work-and-only-talking-about-doing-work annoying, but she also doesn’t like it if she sees yu(f) actively running away / avoiding her so she will, just to be an ass, engage. they argue a lot. 6. How much of your wip(s) do the people around you know about? Are you planning on letting them know more? my current wip? nothing. HA. i might have mentioned to some of them that i’m writing something, but yknow they don’t ever show an interest and so i don’t talk about it.  to be fair, even if they did show an interest, i don’t know how i’d go about talking to them about it. OKAY actually i think there were many like a few who were like ‘oooo what’s it about’ and i just go ‘lol it’s just something really stupid but i love it’ and they don’t question after that, which is. very well i guess. 7. What about history, or which event in history, would you rewrite if it were all fictitious? i love historical fiction! just not sure if i’ll write much of them because laskjdlaskjd so much research (which i love doing, but not like, for the tiny details). especially in terms of clothing?? i hate describing fashion / clothes. i don’t think i’ve ever described clothes in my wip.. okay wait. i think there was once or twice. but still! i also feel like describing clothes are kinda a waste of time . or actually, describing any physical appearance in detail is a waste of time when it comes to me, because when i’m reading a book, no matter how detailed you’ve described your character , chances are, after that first introductory description, i’ve completely forgotten how the said character is supposed to look like and i just visualise them however i want in my mind based on... instincts, i guess. or simply based on what comes up when i’m reading the book. so unless it’s necessary for plot or whatever, i guess descriptions are not my thing. (oops i think i digressed there) okay an answer: don’t think i’d rewrite any historical event! probably 8. Which detail in a book you’ve read impressed you the most? Why? i wanted to give up on answering this because my memory sucks and i don’t remember, but something suddenly came to me! but i also can’t really describe it here because it’s quite a major plot twist but anyway. it was from the Young Elites series and it was great. if you’ve read the book / don’t care about spoilers, you can dm me to talk about it! it was just so . smart! 9. Have there been any happy accidents during the writing process or planning process of your wip(s)? what planning? the happy accident is that i finished writing it. HAHA.  10. Are there any motifs in your wip(s)? Why did you include them? i think i might have mentioned this in some other tag game / post / whatever, but a lot of the motifs are water-related like rivers, fog, things like that. because they’re related to life & death. yup. 11. An extremely rich and pretentious book collector wants to add your book/wip to their collection. The price they’re offering to buy it at would ensure that you would be able to lead a comfortable life (in every aspect, including nutrition and healthcare) until you inevitably die of old age, but they want all rights and claims to your book/wip. Do you sell it to them? If yes, how would you pitch it to them? nope, not gonna sell it to them. giving them complete rights and claims is a crazy idea. it means basically they can do whatever they want to my work and i know that they’d definitely ruin it with by forcing in a heterosexual romantic relationship (i have no romance in my book and i am keeping it that way!) and probably try to do this big twist / unexpected reveal (my book really has no twists) and insert an insidious conspiracy or plot-line, and well, that’d be a really different book then. i think my book is kinda unique because it doesn’t really have any of those points (or much or a plot, really, besides characters just talking and interacting in a common setting) so i’m sure by selling off my rights, my entire manuscript will get like a complete makeover that i might not be happy with. also, he’s a pretentious book collector. my book isn’t pretentious (i hope). it’s full of nonsense! go find some business elsewhere! i’m also pretty lazy to come up with new questions, so i’m going to tag a few people and if you want, you can answer to the same questions! @rhiannon-writes @coffehousecreations @gettingitwrite @lexaawrites @bookenders