#wen kexing from tyk

[sirenofthegreenbanks]

something i adore about the zzs from the novel is that he is not just an expert in his field, hes an expert in his field and hes a LOSER. he SUCKS. hes a poor lonely little man, just some guy, a really sad dude who screwed up and continues to be sad and lowkey stupid. he is JUST SOME GUY; hes a mess. and thats also what i adore about wkx‘s reactions to him: when gx tells wkx about zzs‘s deal with lao li but displays it as if zzs just sold himself for three peanuts, wkx immediately believes it. wkx seems to find zzs adorable and a little dumb, he constantly calls him beautiful but without brains, in fact zzs‘s notable abscence of smartness is cited as an argument that zzs MUST be wearing a disguise there is no way he is NOT drop dead gorgeous considering how stupid he is. and like, sure. wkx is a little bit of a shellgame guy too. he plays off on reactions and expectations, he sometimes uses one truth to hide another, not everything he says and does is sincere. but. wkx is an extremely successfull guy, hes currently one of the most powerful people in jianghu, hes the boss bitch, the big bad wolf, the terror in the night. to him, everything concerning „normal life“ is a farce. his interaction with zzs is a GAME. zzs, even at his worst, cannot be anything but funny, his snarkiness and sharp tongue nothing but cute to the man who was raised by wolves. this is wkx‘s VACATION. so its not difficult to believe that wkx, on top of being conscious of zzs‘s high level of skill, is not intimidated, and even lowkey aware hes a loser, and he likes it but he does have OPINIONS

[deepestbluesky]

a fake screenplay fic for the day 5 prompt (fortune) of the DZZS Lunar New Year mini prompt fest! i hadn’t been sure i was going to write anything for today, but i knew if i did, i wanted to bring in JBY’s fake fortunetelling gig from Qi Ye. i orginally was writing it as regular prose but dialogue only, and then i got tired of trying to telegraph blocking and switched to this. if you don’t count the speaker tags, it comes in at a nice solid 243 words 😎

[WEN KEXING and ZHOU ZISHU are sitting at a small table. They have a jar of wine and cups in front of them, but they’re paying more attention to each other than to drinking.]

WEN KEXING: A-Xu, should we get married? Oh, but we’d have to consult a fortuneteller first, wouldn’t we. Where would we even find one?

ZHOU ZISHU: There’s one right here.

WEN KEXING: What?

ZHOU ZISHU: (turns to look over his shoulder) Qi Ye!

[JING BEIYUAN and WU XI sit across the courtyard, heads bent together, ignoring the other two until ZHOU ZISHU speaks.]

JING BEIYUAN: Surely you haven’t forgotten all your propriety out here in the jianghu. There’s no need to yell.

WEN KEXING: A-Xu, you must be joking. Him?

ZHOU ZISHU: He spent a whole season telling fortunes in the capital once.

[JING BEIYUAN crosses to the table.]

JING BEIYUAN: I did, I did, it’s true. What sort of divination would Wen-gongzi like done? I know you are well-settled in love, but perhaps a prediction for health or the outcomes of the next year?

WEN KEXING: I don’t need any predictions from you.

JING BEIYUAN: A shame. My talents, wasted again.

ZHOU ZISHU: Getting cold feet, Lao Wen?

WEN KEXING: (quietly) Never.

JING BEIYUAN: Ah, I see. Well, consider this a gift: I hear five days from now is a very auspicious date for a marriage.

WEN KEXING: You made that up—

ZHOU ZISHU: (interrupting) Why five days?

JING BEIYUAN: Because we have to leave in six. Wouldn’t it be good to have friends at your wedding, Zishu?

[ZHOU ZISHU shakes his head in disbelief, smiling.]

ZHOU ZISHU: I suppose it would.

[punk-weiwuxian]

wen kexing using the blood of his enemies to dye his hair red that’s it that’s the tweet

[mtkay13]

Wen Kexing!! My focus here was to channel his coolness even through warm colors, and to get his... "essential vibes" through one picture. More (rambling) below! (this is essentially a post about WKX's personality)

A big case can be made about "who or what is the 'true' Wen Kexing". So; let's be real, I don't know if anyone makes a "big case" out of it, but I sure have seen people seemingly arguing against a vague 'common opinion' regarding Wen Kexing's personality. The """common""" opinion (allegedly): the true Wen Kexing is [insert one of WKX's facets] (or something along those lines) The case against it: all Wen Kexing's are the true Wen Kexing Now I do agree with the fact that "all Wen Kexing's" are Wen Kexing, technically. For clarity, let's list and name those various facets (most are commonly accepted, some I'll just name on the go): - Wen Kexing: I'll use his full name for the personality we're first met with in the book. Someone cold, rather quiet, analytical and distant. Giving off strange vibes in social situations (ZZS thinking he's weird, other jianghu figures being creeped out by him or thinking that he's up to no good), contemptuous - Philantropist Wen: The more extravagant, (bullshit) storyteller, outrageous and shameless flirting enthusiast version of WKX. - Valley Master Wen: cold, calculating, quiet, cruel, unbelievably patient, dislikes fun and games, barely feels anything - Wife Wen: The over the top dramatic wife whose life is made difficult by his difficult and shameless husband, essentially a lot of roleplaying the good littol domestic wife and whatnot - The wooden man: similar as Valley Master but demure and apparently subservient? (for calculated purposes) Okay they could be more I guess, but the point is, we have an array of WKX personas and personalities and the actual consensus (I think, my sample is like 10 people so....) is that every one of those is "true" to WKX and that not one of them is a fully constructed persona. Now, while I agree, I guess that what I wonder is: what is WKX in his resting state? If nothing is happening and that he's not in a particularly social or specific situation, what do we get to see? I think that the answer mostly resides in extra 4, which is an INCREDIBLE retelling of TYK from WKX's perspective; someone who thinks quite a lot, and for long, someone who observes things with distance and little to no emotion. Someone who is used to having one goal (revenge, taking care of ZZS during his coma), and who will probably go through a lot of quiet thinking when finally faced with the void of not having one specific thing to aim for. Someone who will have to learn to find joy/happiness, and who probably doesn't... get there "naturally"? (and by that I mean, without ZZS or without directly following ZZS around). Someone whose ties to his own emotions have been severed a long time ago, I guess. Someone still quite contemptuous of many things and people and who has a whole life he didn't plan for or even consider ahead of him. Which is............ what I tried to draw............ here..................... (That and also I wanted to draw a pretty looking hanfu in sepia colors) (but I SWEAR that was not the main goal) (I think) (anyway please ignore me)

[lanbichenbunny]

The battle of the flirts

*I don’t know either of them but I still want to know who’s winning.

I love both of these

[minsarasarahair]

I do love the princess-like fan user stereotype characters in Danmei

This is only based on what I know/read so far so I'll definitely miss other characters, okay? From right to left > From goodest boys to someone morally questionable

Shi Qingxuan (Tian Guan Ci Fu) - Supporting character, Wind God, Younger Brother, Genderfluid, Righteous, Sheltered

Yan Zhengming (Liu Yao) - Gong, Spoiled, Peacock, Cultivator with great potential but Lazy, Dashixiong/Eldest Disciple, Sect Leader

Shi Qingxuan (SVSSS) - Shou, Transmigrator, Peak Lord, Look cold outside but panicking in his mind, Anti, Stallion novel reader, Use humor as he face horror situation, Obsessed in a fictional character, Teacher

Xie Jinglan (Du Zhu You Bing) - Gong, Scholar, Governor, Schemer, Tsundere, Bookworm, Clean freak, Neglected, Can martial arts

Shen Zechuan (Qiang Jin Jiu) - Shou, Schemer, Cunning, Avenger, Prince, Emperor, Wrongly Accused, Very Pretty, Can Be Ruthless, Look like he can't fight but actually know martial arts and can use swords, Wife

Nie Huaisang (Mo Dao Zu Shi) - Supporting character, Avenger, Schemer, Artist, Sect Leader, Younger Brother, Cunning, Pretends he don't know anything or a coward but actually know a lot

Lou Zhu (You Yao) - Gong, Transmigrator, Merchant, Landlord, Emperor's henchman, Rich, Schemer, Cunning, Drunkard, Has a carefree lazy facade but actually intimidating, Don't know any martial arts, Yearner

Wen Kexing (Tian Ya Ke) - Gong, Schemer, Mostly use his fan in Word of Honor Cdrama but I believe TYK Wen Kexing is all-around who can use different weapons even if he probably prefer barehands so some of TYK official arts illustrated him using fan, Malewife, Avenger, Cannibal, Leader of Exiled Murderers, Former Brothel Regular Costumer

[bluemorningsoup]

If on a winter road a traveller, a TYK WenZhou fanfic

Rating: T

Length: one-shot, 3.3k words

Notes:

Based on an idea from MT: what if Zhou Zishu says, “I love you,” to Wen Kexing?

Featuring artworks by @mtkay13 and @butleronice

AO3 link

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 2, Wave 3, Poll 10

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Wen Kexing-Faraway Wanderers / Tian Ya Ke

Qualifications:

1. The LGBTQ+ part: he is canonically a gay man. (Though he does not identify by this specific word due to being from, yknow, fantasy ancient China, he is very vocal about only having interest in men / not having interest in women.) He is also one half of the main (canon, mlm) couple in the book. 2. Disability part: he has complex PTSD, with dissociative symptoms being most prominent. It's not articulated as clearly as the gay part, but there's a lot of textual evidence. For example, for his bouts of dissociation, he has a clear trigger - thinking or talking about personal loss (mostly his initial traumatic event, brutal murder of his parents when he was a child, but at least once it was fear of losing his partner), - and there's a very distinctive way the author describes it: "far-off gaze", "blank" expression or eyes, being "in a daze"/"dazed" were all words used more than once in those situations. He also exhibits symptoms of depersonalization, especially in contexts of violence. The one that made it click for me was a moment when someone was striking to kill him while he couldn't defend himself, and he was described as being calm "as if the one about to die was not himself", but there are also smaller hints, like several times he is described as 'fighting as if he doesn't notice pain and exhaustion' - which I would not take as evidence on its own, but tied in to other dissociative moments of his... yeah. 3. Last thing, in case you aren't sure PTSD/dissociative disorder should count as a disability, I want to make my argument that it should, as it noticeably impacts the character's quality of life. Both continuously (he mentions, for example, sleep problems/insomnia - that clearly stem from his traumatic experiences) and at specific moments (like that time he started dissociating in the middle of the battlefield, nearly resulting in him getting killed........)

Propaganda:

Okay, imagine a classical Chinese martial arts story. Young orphan meets a mysterious master, who imparts all his knowledge upon him; the boy trains hard and challenges various villains, until making it all the way to the final boss who was behind everything. Now, imagine if, in the very beginning of this story, the final boss accidentally ran into that mysterious master. And became suspicious of him. And began following him under pretense of falling in love with him at first sight. And then fell for him for real. And then they had adventures and also started co-parenting that young orphan.

THAT is the plot of Tian Ya Ke. And the final boss in question? Well, that's Wen Kexing I'm submitting! And yes, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu - the aforementioned mysterious master and the main character of TYK - are a canon couple. Wen Kexing in particular is very, ah, out and loud gay. Gay and making it everyone else's problem even. So that's the LGBTQ+ part. (Also they are SUCH a couple. They're so funny! The whole circus! And then they do something and you are like oh yeah right. each of them is a villain of a different story. Good thing they decided to play house instead.) On the disability front, Wen Kexing has mental health stuff - to be specific, complex PTSD with signs of dissociative disorder. I'm not gonna describe his wide array of traumatic experiences on the form because it needs SO many trigger warnings, but the important part is how those impacted him. For example, he mentions having sleep problems/insomnia due to fear. (Which made the fandom lose our shit once we connected it to the earlier moment where he, in a vulnerable state, drags himself to Zhou Zishu's side and falls asleep on his lap. The! Trust! That! Shows!) He also dissociates frequently when thinking/talking about his initial traumatic event. Which is my favorite part of the portrayal of his PTSD because... you know how there's this trend in media with superpowers/magic when the character's trauma response is portrayed through their powers, like their powers going out of control? And TYK went 'yeah, no, when /our/ OP final boss has a ptsd flare up, he just dissociates like a normal person'. (and I, a normal person who also copes by dissociating, was like 'i owe u my life'.) Also, I think it's great that not all of his episodes are plot relevant. Like, in four out of five cases it's just something that happens (the narration / pov character makes note of it), and then the scene moves on - so it feels like a feature of his character, as opposed to a plot devise for creating situations. And the one case where it does happen in an action moment - when Wen Kexing gets revenge on the person responsible for his initial trauma and promptly starts dissociating in the middle of the battlefield, and someone else has to step in to prevent him from getting killed by other enemies - kinda highlights the disability aspect, imo. Like, it shows that PTSD creates barriers for him where a person without it wouldn't have any.

Anything Else?:

1. It's a Chinese novel, so character names are written down with surname first. So Wen Kexing = surname Wen + given name Kexing. 2. There's a live action adaptation of this novel, called Shan He Ling / Word of Honor, but it's uh. well. The portrayal of Wen Kexing's trauma and PTSD in it is. Bad. 'Completely butchered everything I thought was refreshing about it in the novel' bad. (please understand i hate everything about the adaptation and am barely refraining from infodumping about how much I deplore it here) So if WKX makes it into the tournament and none of the images I sent work for u, pls at least don't use the live-action version? He is practically a different character there!

Luke Skywalker-Star Wars

Qualifications:

his own dad cut his hand off :( THE gay character of Star Wars

Vader cuts off his hand in The Empire Strikes Back and he's very commonly portrayed as gay and/or aro in fanon. I think he might have been quietly confirmed as bi in some of the new canon novels but I'm not super familiar with OT-era EU material.

Propaganda:

Chanel boots etc etc

he was wearing the chanel boots. he saved the universe with the power of love and kindness. just look at him

[evilvillainapologist]

In this moment,Zhou Zishu realized with some dismay that Wen Kexing could probably ask anything from him and Zhou Zishu would give it to him. Grudging, with a lot of complaints and biting remarks, but somewhere along the way his ability to say no to this guy had slowly eroded.

Today's editor's choice of favourite sentence in my TYK WIP

[verycharismaticdragon]

Hi lovely! I recently got into cdramas and have fallen in love with Word of Honor. I have read your meta post on the original novel and would greatly appreciate it if you were to provide me with the link to the tyk novel if you have it.

Hey there! Sure thing. There are several translations around, but sadly one of the best ones seems to have been deleted/locked, so here's my current recommendation:

Start w/ chapters 1-29 from lianzi (their tl is the best of the ones currently around)

Read chapters 30-77 from chichi (technically they have a full tl of the main text, but i prefer lianzi's)

Finish with 5 extras from kexingzishu (chichi also has some extras tl'ed, but! kexingzishu's doc has the 5th extra thats not translated anywhere else!)

Additionally: TYK is actually the second book in a series, with the first being Qi Ye / Lord Seventh. Translation of Qi Ye can be found here. The protagonist of this one is Jing Beiyuan, while Zhou Zishu is a prominent side character. Now uh whether to start with Qi Ye, esp coming from watching the show...

Basically, starting w/ Qi Ye: pros: you will actually know the correct backstory for TYK Zhou Zishu and not expect the beats from the show that will never come (eg 81 dead sect members); you will have a coherent picture of thematic framework of both novels together; you'll be able to appreciate the cameos in TYK fully. cons: i have seen show-first people run out of Qi Ye screaming that their poor little meow meow would never over the first atrocity Zhou Zishu commits; it's more political drama than wuxia, so if you prefer the latter, it can be a bit boring.

starting with TYK: pros: a little less heavy, or at least slightly more comedic, than Qi Ye - so an easier read; Zhou Zishu is more chill due to being retired, so you can slowly get used to his amoral villain-of-another-story ways instead of being slapped in the face with that one plot point; the best character (Wen Kexing) is there. cons: everything you saw in the show will actively hinder your understanding of the characters and themes; you will have to contend with Zhou Zishu's lying ass unreliable narration; you will miss some implications, esp of the scenes with Jing Beiyuan.

So uh, this is all I can tell you. Up to you where to start!

[sirenofthegreenbanks]

i dont know if this is a wildly shared take but im always ,, enraptured is maybe a fitting description ,, im enraptured by novel wen kexing's (specifically NOVEL wkx's) sanity. alright so he is not the sanest person around, obviously. he is unhinged and unashamed of it. but he is so contained and self-controlled in his insanity.

im used to characters like him, of the same or an equal standing with equal power, history, goal, and personality who end up externalizing their inner demons in some shape or form at some point in the story (or in their own backstory). and i have the impression that wen kexing never really does that. not really. even when he skins the old valley master and bathes the valley in blood, is this the culmination of long years of planning; it is a calculated statement of power. its politics. not explosion. he remains grounded and reachable throughout; and even though describing what he does to crown himself valley master this way is a stretch, i would say it is still within the perimeters of it. it definitely is not anything where he seems to lose his shit.

the one moment when he comes close to a slipping sanity, when he maybe loses his marbles a bit expresses itself so very different to how these moments usually look like; in heavy sorrow, instead of rage. at the end of the main story, when wen kexing has fulfilled a-xiang's wish and killed mo huaiyang to avenge cao weining for her, and when he attains an injury that could turn fatal and is sitting in the shards of his life and really feels the loss of his a-xiang, his little girl in purple. he comes very close to dying there, dying because he cannot bring himself to remember his will to live. and only when zhou zishu asks him whether he wants to live does wen kexing seem to regain some spirit. only when zhou zishu tells him he is not going to leave him, does wen kexing regain his hope. and this is so interesting because this is not an explosion of rage, it is not violent. its just grief and sorrow, as simple and mundane as that. it makes him seem ,, well, not human, because rage is human too ,, maybe common. an everyman. i find that absolutely insane.

how can a guy like wen kexing, with a life and a lived experience like wen kexing, rettain his steadiness, his psychological stability, to that degree? absolutely maddening

[web-novel-polls]

WN Criminal Upper Bracket

Qiyan Agula from Clear and Muddy Loss of Love (JWQS)

Source: Wiki 

Submission: So many crimes... She is really the criminal of all time… 

Wen Kexing from Faraway Wanderers (TYK)

Submission: He makes murder look so sexy. 

Wiki Link 

[Please be kind and respectful in the notes. Anti-Propaganda is NOT allowed.] 

[hadassahriv]

Fic Master List: Tian Ya Ke

I did a master list for my TWEWY fics, so now it's time to cover my other fandom: Tian Ya Ke. I appeared from the void with a fic in March 2022 and have written five more fics, one of them 65,000 words long, since then.

Strange how certain the journey (9,850 words) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, Jing Beiyuan, Wu Xi (Qi Ye), Zhang Chengling Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife (Faraway Wanderers), Jealousy, Switching, Stories within Stories, Spoilers for TYK and QY, Non-Graphic Violence, Slight Canon Divergence Summary: When Wen Kexing watches Zhou Zishu and Jing Beiyuan together, he can see Lord Zhou. He never asked Zhou Zishu about his past before, but now they have time and maybe . . . maybe he wants to know. His feelings about Lord Seventh have nothing to do with it. - Storytelling as an act of love.

Notes: The fic that served as my introduction to the fandom. I had never even spoken to a single TYK fan and just showed up one day with 10k words of WenZhou in hand. TYK, QY, slight (mostly implied) canon divergence re: the WenZhou relationship timeline, and the beginning of it all.

We all write our own endings (3,710 words) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Time, Developing Relationship, Mid-Canon, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife (Faraway Wanderers), Spoilers for TYK and QY Summary: If I die, would it not be a loss for you?   In Zhou Zishu's experience, sex can be a currency, or a weapon. In this moment, with Wen Kexing, it's neither. - A point of divergence.

Notes: The canon divergence prequel to my first TYK fic, jumping off from the end of chapter 63. This is where I was officially writing a series, but all of the stories are pretty loosely linked and could be read standalone. It's also where I decided that every fic in the series would have a title from a Vienna Teng song, for no reason in particular.

For we are a woven thread (9,135 words) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, Zhang Chengling Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife (Faraway Wanderers), Families of Choice, Murder Mystery, Small Town Horrors Summary: It should be just another night in a small jianghu town. And it would be, if not for the murders. Even backwater towns on the edge of nowhere have secrets. - A ghost story, of sorts.

Notes: This story is an interesting one for me because it has some dialogue exchanges I am particularly proud of, but gets the least attention of any of my TYK fics. That happens sometimes and I don't mind. But if you do read and enjoy it, I'm glad!

Uncover the weight of your bones (6,651 words) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, Jing Beiyuan, Wu Xi (Qi Ye), Zhang Chengling Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Missing Scene, Slight Canon Divergence, Spoilers for TYK and QY, Post-Siege of Ghost Valley, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife (Faraway Wanderers), Nails of Seven Torments (Faraway Wanderers), Hurt/Comfort Summary: On Mount Changming, Wen Kexing cares for Zhou Zishu—and fears for him—as they prepare for the removal of the nails. A human experience and therefore one that Wen Kexing, so recently a ghost, finds himself laughably unprepared for. - Love in the spaces between.

Notes: This fic is me filling in some of the scenes we don't get at the end of the novel. This one is the most closely linked to the canon divergence, because it happens before the extras, so should ideally be read within the continuity of the series. But I respect a rebel, if you don't feel like doing that.

Of a tender history (2,503 words) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, Zhang Chengling Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Top Wen Kexing/Bottom Zhou Zishu, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife (Faraway Wanderers), Married Sex Summary: To live is a peculiar thing. Or: Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu, in moments.

Notes: This is my gift fic for MT, from the Immortal Wanderers exchange, and not related to the other stories. Post-canon WenZhou with non-linear storytelling, which is something I really enjoy writing. Nothing heavy in this one—it's mostly WenZhou being happy together.

From Halfway Along (65,334 words) Chapters: 21/21 Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, Gu Xiang (Faraway Wanderers), Zhang Chengling, Jing Beiyuan, Wu Xi (Qi Ye), Cao Weining Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Space Opera, Developing Relationship, Art Crime, Human Experimentation (mostly voluntary), corporate warfare, Canon-Typical Talk of Death and Dying, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife (Faraway Wanderers), Extensive World Building, Families of Choice, Telepathy Summary: After dedicating years to the service of an empire, Zhou Zishu has walked away to spend what's left of his life wandering the galaxy. And if that freedom has come at a cost . . . doesn't everything? His plans did not include getting entangled with a dangerous man on a mission of his own. A man who not only looks at him, but sees.

Notes: I left this for the end of the list—the WenZhou space opera AU novel no one asked for but I was delighted to deliver. If I am known for anything in the TYK fandom, it's this fic. It is very much a Hadassah Story, with a lot of hallmarks of my style and sensibilities. I also structured it like a TV show, with cold opens in every chapter but (by design) one. I used to work in entertainment and From Halfway Along probably shows it more than any of my other fics.

[mtkay13]

Two illustrations of the "are you sincere?" scene, TYK, chapter 65.

More words below! VERY VERY LONG POST AHEAD

It's probably one of the most famous scenes of the book, considering it's the closest to an actual, outspoken declaration of feelings. Funnily enough, my first reaction to the scene was that of frustration, since WenZhou get once again interrupted, and the running gag + horniness distracted me from everything else that was going on in that scene which I now consider to be truly incredible, imo.

Those two illustrations, but mainly the second one, mainly take from one small paragraph in particular, but I will elaborate a little bit on other parts as well. First, though, a translation of the scene:

[...] Wen Kexing raised his head, looked at him. The lamp's light softening Zhou Zishu's chiselled features shone through his eyes, and Wen Kexing was lost in thoughts— He felt like he and this man had known each other for such a long time. From the moment he'd noticed his shoulderblades, felt this rush of excitement, to when he'd started liking who Zhou Zishu was, when he'd thought——so this is the Commander of Tian Chuang. Suddenly, he'd felt as if he'd met his other self. Both of them, lone wolves caught in a hunter's trap, struggling for freedom to no avail, until they had resolved to coldly gnawing off their own legs in the end. He'd felt compelled to follow him around, watched him, until he suddenly realised—if Zhou Zishu could live like this, then surely, so could he? He thought, and thought, until he fell, fell deep until he couldn't climb out anymore. Wen Kexing absent-mindedly reached out to gently caress Zhou Zishu's face, only brushing him with his fingertips. He felt a slight chill from contact of Zhou Zishu's rough skin against his own palm littered with scars and callouses. All of a sudden, he blurted: "Don't die. Should you die and leave me behind, I would be so lonely..." Zhou Zishu grasped his wrist, but didn't shake him off. He smiled: "As long as there is the slightest chance for me to live, I won't die. My life is mine, my gong-fu is mine. The Heavens granted me this fate, and taking it back from me won't be that easy." Zhou Zishu's breath brushed against Wen Kexing's fingers. He squinted, then said, seemingly deep in thoughts: "Once upon a time, an owl knocked over the bowl of red water carried by a villager..." Zhou Zishu looked at him and, his expression unchanged, he gently asked the question he'd already asked before: "Why was the villager carrying a bowl of red water?" Wen Kexing's lips slowly stretched into a smile, and he answered: "Water is colourless, but should blood trickle into it, wouldn't it turn red?" Zhou Zishu still looked at him but remained quiet. As if Wen Kexing's spirits had suddenly returned to him, his faraway gaze coming back into focus.

"Ah-Xu, you should sleep with me once," Wen Kexing said, his eyes smiling up into crescent moons. "This way, we'll have each other in our hearts; so you won't die so easily, and neither will I. How does that sound?" His tone was playful, but Zhou Zishu didn't banter back; he merely watched Wen Kexing with an odd glint in his eyes, and after a moment, he asked: "Are you sincere?" Wen Kexing chuckled, leaned forward so that his breath was brushing against Zhou Zishu's lips: "Can't you tell, if I'm sincere or not?" Zhou Zishu faintly startled, before he replied in a low voice: "I... I really can't. I haven't seen much sincerity in my life, and can hardly discern it. So, are you?" Wen Kexing's fingers climbed up along the curve of Zhou Zishu's shoulder, and he tugged his bun loose. His black, silky hair cascaded down, at once making the hardened man appear a few shades more fragile. Wen Kexing's playful smile faded, and in a soft, yet deeply grounded voice, he said: "I am." He closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to Zhou Zishu's, finally lifting the heavy turmoil from his heart. Zhou Zishu slowly reached up, a long moment passing before he rested his hand upon Wen Kexing's shoulder, gripping his robes with his fingers. [...]

Phew that was a bit long but it felt necessary! TL by me.

Obviously, the second illustration is based on this passage:

"Wen Kexing's fingers climbed up along the curve of Zhou Zishu's shoulder, and he tugged his bun loose. His black, silky hair cascaded down, at once making the hardened man appear a few shades more fragile," which I have lost my mind about too many times to count. I feel like the contrast between this and the mention of Zhou Zishu's rough skin, and his assured words above, is very cool.

About the scene itself, while I guess it's mostly self-explanatory, I feel like mentioning what particularly touches me here:

I think that Wen Kexing's impression of Zhou Zishu, his freedom, "the way he lives", is really the core of what moved Wen Kexing in the first place. It is also echoing that scene, back in Dongting, when Wen Kexing watches Zhou Zishu lazily sitting in a restaurant, feeling what could be interpreted as resentment or envy when he sees how free he looks.

Wen Kexing unconsciously halted his steps. He stared at Zhou Zishu’s relaxed silhouette for a while, with no trace of an expression in his face or eyes. His heart swelled with some strange feeling—strange, in that it was no feeling at all. He felt as though this man was mocking him with this wordless posture; he who rushed around for one thing or another, who was burdened with so many cares, yet obstinately put on a devil-may-care persona. Zhou Xu—as carefree as duckweed, he thought, with a body like willow catkins. In all the world, with its boundless perspectives, where could you find someone who walked their path alone and never allowed anything to trouble them?

(TL by Lianzi)

Wen Kexing longs for him, to be like him, to be free like him; they both came to having to hurt themselves to be free of their shackles, but Zhou Zishu kept living freely afterwards.

By evoking the red water, the past he could never tell straightforwardly, I think that Wen Kexing is expressing how this past of him has been his shackles and how now, he wishes to follow along, to follow Zhou Zishu in his freedom.

And then, Zhou Zishu's words—they almost feel like his own confession, to me. Later, by the tree as well, his words refer to life, the will to live, and not being really direct, it sounds like his way of telling Wen Kexing, "I am serious about you." Wen Kexing was the first one to hold onto his life, to want for Zishu to live, and now Zishu follows along.

His words feel so powerful, and said so straightforwardly, baring himself to Wen Kexing like that, it makes so much sense for me to expect, finally, a proper confession from him as well, considering how each and every one of Wen Kexing's declarations have so far been over the top, jokey or deflected one way or another. Of course, I also think that Zishu does feel some form of insecurity, does need reassurance, and is gambling a lot here, but I guess... he's essentially worked to bare himself and expects the same in return.

ANYWAY. I think this is a gorgeous scene. I DO think, for balance, that the ending is a bit abrupt and that they would have deserved for Priest not to undermine the emotions right away—for that does take away from it a bit and distracts (calling back, once again, to the tired running gag of "oops they're interrupted). Not that the joke shouldn't have come up, but it could have waited a bit more.

But yeah! Thanks for reading!

[lunarriviera]

i just had to cut the most magnificent paragraph from my paper on tyk; so now you have to read it, because i can't let it have died in vain:

In the midst of great political tension falls a comic scene wherein the two lose a bet and must perform a sexual act for the novel’s villain, the Scorpion; instead, Zhou Zishu promises him something unprecedented: “Aren't you sick of watching a few lumps of flesh roll around all day long? Wait for a brief while longer, and I’ll let you see something novel.” “Something novel” turns out to be erotic art, although unfortunately, Zhou Zishu being limited in skill, the result is a dozen drawings of stick figures having sex, rendering even Wen Kexing speechless, though he rallies and offers to explicate the drawings to the Scorpion, pointing out enthusiastically that he is the one on top (57-58). 

(it had to go because it didn't illustrate anything or prove any point besides PRIEST IS HILARIOUS AND AWESOME PLS READ HER, but i'm still sad about it)

[minsarasarahair]

Costume Danmei completed adaption with "kinda" happy ending that I watched

Ah, my 3 Danmei obsession these past years... MDZS, TYK and YY.

The Untamed (Drama) - They go in their separate ways but there's an implication that they will probably meet again. When exactly? I don't know. But when Wei Wuxian turned around and smiled, he finally reunited after years with Lan Wangji. They have two endings. There's another one for special edition where they are playing their respective instruments by the waterfall and pledge to continue fighting for justice.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Donghua) - WangXian go home together. I will probably enjoy this ending if the supporting characters got their more hopeful ending. Ok fine, let the flawed characters like Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen suffer but what about Jin Ling?? He's just a kid who don't deserve to become an orphan? Why is he crying?? At least, let him be happy??? I rather see him scolding Jiang Cheng like what happened in the novel than this!! Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for Wangxian! But its hard for me to be happy while others are suffering that don't deserve it. Aka Jin Ling. Like why not let Wangxian visit him instead if the donghua really want Jiang Cheng to be the bad guy? This is worse than his original character ending in the novel. I want to see him happy!

Word of Honor (Drama) - WenZhou did dual cultivation where Wen Kexing gave a part of his life to save Zhou Zishu so his hair turned white. In the special episode, they became immortals who live in icy mountains and sometimes teach disciples. If they descend down the mountain and eat human food, they will become older and die as mortals like Ye Baiyi. At least they are together but the problem with them is the repetitive miscommunication before the ending. The miscommunication really gave me bad watching experience because its keep repeating. Very different from TYK WenZhou's good communication. Also, Chengling should be the one visiting them. I want to see WenZhou with their son!

Are You Ok (Donghua) - They go in their separate ways but stated they will write to each other. Zuo Yunqi became the new Pangmen leader and Lou Zhu travel around Da Liang to learn more about the world he's in. Years passed, they are reunited and Lou Zhu is considering Zuo Yunqi's place as his retirement home. In the earlier episode, there's actually an attempt of ZYQ suggesting his place to become Lou Zhu's home but he realized he's being selfish so he let Lou Zhu go. To his surprise, Lou Zhu returned to him. They have good communication as a pair despite their generation gap and all of their friends have their own good ending. Even the YuKe pair that has tragic ending in the novel look more hopeful in the donghua. The international IQIYI episode don't have the reunion part but its actually included in the final episode if you check the China mainland IQIYI version.

What's up with Danmei adaption having two version of endings lol

Of all these endings, Are You OK (You Yao) is actually the closest to the original material. Lou Zhu and Zuo Yunqi are like in long distant relationship in the novel because of circumstances so they write to each other frequently despite Lou Zhu describing their letters not romantic(they just gave update to each other to check if the other one is still alive) but the donghua made it hopeful because the two finally reunited and the strong implication that Lou Zhu's home is where Zuo Yunqi. MDZS donghua is also quite close if we're talking about only the Wangxian ending and yeah, Nie Huaisang + Jin Guangyao's ending but it only covers the main story. Are You OK's reunion is inspired from extra story that's not even available in print because of censorship so seeing it in the donghua is a surprise. That means the donghua team knew this rare, deleted extra story exists. While WOH and Untamed have their own happy ending that are way different from the original material. I love all of them despite the flaws.