#yu ziyuan x madame jin

[otgo-brooklyn]

Lychee Lunch

"Ziyuan," "Hm?" ("It's nearly as sweet as you")

[b0dwr1ter]

Explain why, if you want

[joys-of-everyday]

MXTX's women part 2

Let's do ✨discourse™✨part 2

This is a follow up to this post where the only conclusions I came to were vibes based... mainly because my opinions here are generally vibes based (except svsss - I am pretty firm on my view of svsss, but that's a separate post). I think there are strong arguments either way, and tbh I have nothing against vibes based conclusions, but for fun, I'm going to take a position and argue for it.

disclaimer: 1) this post is not my opinion. 2) nonetheless, this post is entirely unironic. I think these are compelling arguments.

Position 1: MDZS and TGCF are sexist.

To recap, I posed (dramatically, in bold face) that the most important question to ask are: What is the intent? How is that intent received? This can be summed up as: What is the message you take away?

Obviously, you can fight me here, but I'll expand. Firstly, the question doesn't fundamentally come down to what the work contains, even though this is important. Every statement on the lines of 'x is sexist because it contains y' has a counterexample. Is the Handmaid's Tale sexist because it contains men in power and women treated as objects? Well op, this is a dumb example, you might say, and you would be right. The message of the Handmaid's Tale is clearly different from, say, MDZS and everything it contains is a support of that message - that a woman's reproductive freedom is her right. And I would go, ah ha, yes. Intent. (You can still disagree with me lol. This came out of a conversation literally a week ago.)

But also note, the author's actual intent is secondary. It's a useful framing to understand what the message is, but due to e.g. unconscious bias, or internalised sexism, the message gained by the reader/audience can be entirely independent of the intent of the author. For example, (one of my all time favourite c-dramas) the Secret of the Three Kingdoms I think is trying to be empowering for women, has lots of cool female characters, but the ultimate message can be summarised as 'men plough, women weave'... which is :/

Another subtlety to point out is that trends and popular tropes/archetypes tell a very different story when looked at overall. 'Woman in the refrigerator' and 'bury your gays' isn't a problem about individual works (although it often is mixed into other problems), but it's prevalence and dominance spreads harmful messages. A work which is great on it's own can actually be contributing to a wider problem, thus making it a problem.

MDZS: Women as accessory

It's not that difficult to argue that MDZS has an exceptional cast of women. I have no intention of arguing that MDZS's women aren't well developed, because enough people have come up with compelling counterarguments and they aren't hard to find. I think MDZS's portrayal of sexism is both exceptionally nuanced and not something you see much of. I love the way MDZS uses and breaks down tropes. I would argue (have argued) that the way MXTX puts sexism into her works is (at least partly) very much deliberate, and not with the intent of being sexist.

But remember, death of the author: author's original intentions don't matter in the face of what can be read from the text.

Notable in MDZS is 1) the lack of female characters who aren't defined by their relation to a major male character 2) women in the refrigerator.

1) Jiang Yanli is Wei Wuxian's older sister. Yu Ziyuan is Wei Wuxian's adopted mother. Wang Lingjiao is Wen Chao's girlfriend. Madam Jin, Meng Shi, Qin Su. Now, there are notable exceptions. Wen Qing is Wen Ning's sister, but her character is substantial even without that. Luo Qingyang (mianmian). Sisi (arguably). But there are overwhelmingly more male characters, and perhaps more importantly, hardly any male characters defined by their relation to a female character. There are a few. Madam Mo and her husband. Jin Zixuan as Jiang Yanli's husband (arguably). This isn't an exhaustive list but you get the idea.

2) Well, firstly, most of them die. Yu Ziyuan ends up in an unhappy marriage and dies as her sect burns down. Jiang Yanli loses a husband and then sacrifices herself for her brother. Wang Lingjiao gets offed by Wei Wuxian. Qin Su is killed by her husband. Mo Xuanyu's mother and Madam Jin just die of 'heartbreak' for what? Plot convenience? More egregiously, all of these deaths are there to either a) plot reasons or b) to add to the development of a male character. This is precisely the 'women in the refrigerator' trope, but multiplied a million times.

The only female character who got her happy ending was Mianmian... who lives a simple life with her family in the middle of nowhere. And it's great that in being brave and pursuing the right thing, she found happiness for herself, but this being the only example is um...

Well, the message feels suspiciously like women exist only for men. Men are the protagonists of their stories. Women are accessories. Sounds pretty sus. Maybe this is all due to the sexism of the world, but the message is then that the only way for women to succeed is to leave the system altogether, which is a nuanced thing but not true and somewhat unhelpful as a message.

Now, arguably, MXTX is leaning into tropes in order to be critical of them. Her female characters are full of tropes, and subversions of tropes - they could act as a critique of female characters in BL (in the way the female characters in SVSSS are critique of female characters in harem). There are a few pointers to this - Mianmian standing up to sexism, or the depth and nuance of Yu Ziyuan finding power+influence through her marriage of Jiang Fengmian. But the point stands is that isn't the message most people take away, because of the way MDZS is framed. MDZS just works as a xianxia action/romance. It isn't a parody (or at least, you don't need to read it as one to follow it). It isn't explicitly critical of how the women end up, nor is the narrative centered around the experiences of women. It is very easy to take away the surface level messages, which I think many people end up doing.

Whatever MXTX intended to say with her female characters, arguably MDZS already adds to an existing problem in how media portrays women. Media plays a huge role in how we see ourselves and other people, and unideal representation of women can lead to unconscious biases and stereotypes which are harmful. This being the case, one could argue that any media that fails to either fix the issue or address the issue sufficiently is problematic. On this vein, MDZS falls short.

TGCF: women as secondary

While TGCF improves on the front of women in power doing well, and more explicitly calling out the sexism of the world, it fails at a different front: the lack of women within the core plot.

The structure of TGCF is very different to MDZS, in that it contains a lot of what I would call 'side quests'. This is not a bad thing (this is sort of the whole point of things like (old) Star Trek or Doctor Who). But the core story of TGCF is (arguably) 1) Xie Lian's two ascensions and in between 2) Meeting Hua Cheng at various points 3) Tonglu mountain. And within this core story, there isn't a single female character necessary for the plot.

Ling Wen, Xuan Ji, Banyue, Shi Qingxuan, Yushi Huang... are all exceptional female (and non-binary) characters in their own right, but the story doesn't require them. They could be swapped out quite easily with other characters, unlike e.g. main pair, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Jun Wu... (Note this isn't about how often they appear, or how developed they are. Lang Ying (the old one) doesn't appear a lot, but is essential to the plot.) (Yushi Huang and Ling Wen are kind of required, but equally for like... quest and item giving purposes which is not really the same.)

It's almost like there is no female person in Xie Lian's life who is essential to his personhood. And the message might inadvertently be that women are part of side quests - they aren't necessary.

This is, in part, a Xie Lian problem. The narration is tied closely to Xie Lian's pov (but isn't third person limited, interestingly), and we get delights like this:

Aside from the fact that Xuan Ji went mad whenever she ran into Pei Ming, she was otherwise much more detail-oriented and cautious than Qi Rong - she was a woman, after all.

(btw, be exceptionally suspicious of statements like 'women are more detail-oriented and cautious'. They are often wrong, or with heavy caveats.)

This is not on it's own a bad thing - e.g. compare with Shen Qingqiu's narration in SVSSS. But it is arguably a bad thing if you pair it with the fact that Xie Lian is 1) presented as much more likable than Shen Qingqiu 2) is not as obviously bias. He comes across as a trustable character, and so we are less likely to question his biases... so we run into the same problem as in MDZS: we aren't led to question the surface level messages, so the message we take away is an unhelpful one.

I feel like the way around this is (somewhat paradoxically) to reintroduce female characters whose lives (from narrator pov) revolve around the protagonist. (e.g. get in an Jiang Yanli) (The 800 year time skip means they either need to 1) become gods, 2) become ghosts 3) die, all of which have their own potential problems but that's for the author to figure out :p) Making Xie Lian less sexist would be slightly unrealistic but not at all out of character. Having Xie Lian's biases explicitly called out and this be a big thing is another way to go. Or both.

To conclude

Both points fall down to something along these lines: although both MDZS and TGCF make attempts at commentary on the struggles of women, because this narrative is not at the forefront of the story they inadvertently give across only half the message, which is worse than no message at all. 'There are tropes within the genre which treat women badly and this is bad' becomes 'women are like what these tropes say they are like'. 'Women aren't given opportunities so end up worse off' becomes 'women end up worse off'.

Maybe something in between MDZS to TGCF would be an improvement, but also, if the focus on male characters meant these narratives were difficult to execute within a reasonable word count, it might have been better to just skip sexism altogether. (sci fi is usually where this is attempted seriously, but fantasy definitely has scope for imagining better societies.) (This is all much easier said than done btw. Part of a fan's job is to stand on the sidelines and complain, right? 😂)

[thatswhatsushesaid]

fandom confession: Yu Ziyuan x Madam Jin is the only mdzs femslash ship I find believable, interesting, appealing, compelling, etc etc.

The rest of the them feel so forced and dry.

you're so real for saying this anon and I am 500% in agreement with you. I can't remember who said it--maybe @lansplaining?--but someone suggested a headcanon that yzy was clearly so intent on marrying jyl to jzx so she could experience the closest analogue to marrying jin-furen herself, and I fuck with that headcanon heavily.

[soursoppi]

they went to the same date spot...

(also if you’re curious about my naming choice for Mdm ex-Jin here’s a blurb explaining her name!)

[annalacerda17]

How reputation works in MDZS is quite representative of the novel's themes.

Reputation in MDZS, much like in real life, does not accurately represent the truth about a person, but rather it represents how they are perceived. And how they are perceived in cultivation society has a lot more to do with status and power than what their personality is like or what they actually did. More importantly, it has to do with how well they adhere to societal expectations (a lot of which are based on status).

That's why people like YZY, whose attitude was terrible and who never did anything impressive in the novel (at any point that we're told) had a reputation as being impressive and powerful, and yet she liked to whip little boys and lost the only battle we saw her fight. She couldn't even stop WLJ of all people from sending off the signal to initiate the invasion of Lotus Pier - and we're explicitly told that WLJ was so weak she couldn't even wield a cultivation sword and had to make do with a branding iron. WLJ was absolutely not a fighter. YZY was also an incompetent leader, who failed to prepare for an attack everyone knew was coming - refused to believe the Jiang sect would be attacked despite what had happened to the Lan clan just because of her delusions of superiority born out of her classist world view - and once the Wens did arrive at her door, she handled the situation in the worst way possible by escalating it and finally choosing to sacrifice the sect for the sake of her own personal pride, again, born out of classism. To me, this means that we're supposed to notice that YZY's reputation is empty, and it actually comes from her being born with a hight status.

We also have JZXun, who we all know was an imbecile and cruel, arrogant and mean person, whose deeds can all be summarized as abusing and preying of the weak while overestimating himself. He was the one who ambushed WWX with 300 archers by his side, and yet he was seen as a victim by society as the victim, and defended as such, and his flaws were consistently ingnored.

Then we have JC, who built up his reputation by slaughtering the Wens in the burial mounds, people he himself had identified as the weak, the old the women and children. He then went on to spend the next 13 years kidnapping, torturing a d killing people he suspected of being demonic cultivator, and didn't let go even when proven wrong. I won't bring up the life debt he owed the Wen siblings and the golden core he owed WWX because society at large didn't know about those. The point here is that even with all that despite not being liked by people who actually met him, being known to have a bad temper, to not protect his own people unless it either brought him glory or somebody died first, and being known to act like a tyrant, at the time of WWX's resurrection into MXY's body JC was known as a war hero. That's because he was a sect leader. Had JC not had his status, he wouldn't have had anything else either.

Then we have WWX who was always righteous. When he was fighting for the sects in the SSC, everyone approved of him, when the war ended and he didn't act submissive, they feared and hated him. During the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, WWX took down one third of the prey and NMJ took down another another third, and yet, everyone was criticizing WWX, accusing him of breaking the (inexistent) rules and disapproving of him for acting above his status. On the other hand, nobody thought there was anything wrong with NMJ doing the very same thing WWX did. In fact, the thing the cultivation society hated the most about WWX wasn't his cultivation, evidenced by the fact that nobody cared that the Jin sect had XY experiment with demonic cultivation until XY went and murdered a whole clan (and even then, only NMJ did anything about it and it was only the murder he seemed to have a problem with), and nobody had any qualms about using WWX's knowledge and inventions. In fact, what the cultivation society hated the most about WWX was that he dared to act above his status. Just like this, WWX who was a truly good man had a much worse reputation than all those men mentioned above, all of whom were incomparably worse people than he.

We see a few cases like LWJ's, whose reputation was quite accurate and whose exalted deeds were true. Crucially, LWJ was a member of the Lan clan, the son of a sect leader and then the brother of one. He was famous for going where the chaos was, and helping anyone regardless of their identity. The pinacle of what a cultivator should be like, a truly righteous man. And yet, the moment he sided with WWX, the man they had previously slandered to death, cultivation society was ready to turn against him. It was only by the intervention of NHS that LWJ and WWX even got the chance to prove their innocence and expose the true culprits. Crucially, NHS was a sect leader who had real power (unlike LWJ who was the brother of a sect leader and therefore had high status bit little power).

NHS himself had a high status but a reputation as an incompetent and useless brat. However, NHS's case is different from WWX's because NHS had such a reputation intentionally, and used it as means to achieve his goals.

Anyway, I'm just ranting here because I got tired of seeing JC and YZY stans using their reputation of all things to claim that they were "badass" or somehow good or heroic when it doesn't match the actuality of their actions and capabilities in the novel.

[taikerart]

[rated-r-for-fear]

the untamed women: korean music fanmix

Click here for a link to fanmix itself. It also has annotations for each song choice. I basically woke up from a nap and realized I had to make a fanmix for this fest. Specifically one with music by Korean girl groups and female solo artists. Some of the selections are very tongue in cheek while others are more serious. But I swear I put thought into each one!

Lan Yi; Deja Vu - Dreamcatcher ↳ B-Side: Poison – PinkFantasy

Cangse Sanren; Gotta Go - Chungha ↳ B-Side: Stereotype – StayC

Meng Shi; Midnight Driver - Fromm ↳ B-Side: After We Ride – Brave Girls

Yu Ziyuan; Twit - Hwasa ↳ B-Side: I Like That – Sistar

Wang Lingjiao; Dumb Dumb - Somi ↳ B-Side: Hands Up – Cherry Bullet

Wen Qing; Hwaa – (G)I-DLE ↳ B-Side: Remember Me – Oh My Girl

Jiang Yanli; Likey - Twice ↳ B-Side: Mago - Gfriend

Madame Jin; L.I.E. - EXID ↳ B-Side: Hate – 4Minute

A-Qing; Wannabe - ITZY ↳ B-Side: Cool – Weki Meki

Qin Su; Heroine - Sunmi ↳ B-Side: Body Talk – Red Velvet

Sisi; Ring x Ring - Billlie ↳ B-Side: Jam Jam – IU

Baoshan Sanren; How You Like That - Blackpink ↳ B-Side: Me – CLC

Mianmian; new - Yves ↳ B-Side: Holo– Lee Hi

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 15

(Masterpost)(Other Canary Content)

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

This rewatch is going to fit into a single post, because a third of the episode is just crying and yelling on a very slow boat. If you want to learn the Chinese words for “Mother” and “Father” this is your episode. 

Captain Blowhard

Clan Leader Yao shows up, having barely survived the massacre of his clan, along with two disciples who aren't too excited about their unwilling promotion to top targets. Jiang Cheng tells his dad that the Wens are systematically exterminating the smaller clans, and have said anyone who helps the survivors is going to be punished. 

Jiang Fengmian tells Yao that the Jiang Clan will protect him. Which is why Wei Wuxian is responsible for the massacre of the Jiang Clan. 

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian both think that taking Yao to the Jin clan is the best way to keep him safe. Wei Wuxian was wrong to help the heirs of the powerfullest richest clans, but sure, let's save this asshole.

Road Tripping

The boys go down to the dock to send Jiang Yanli and Jiang Fengmian off, saying a formal goodbye with a bunch of disciples and showing off how extremely good they look in these close-fitted, simply cut robes with cool belts.

Yu Ziyuan comes down to say goodbye to Yanli and give her some medicine, covering by saying it's for Jiang Fengmian, because being sick is bad for marriage prospects, probably. 

Later the boys will mention their hope that YZY will be mollified by the time JFM returns, which means this possibly isn't the usual state of their relationship. The dislike and jealousy seem to be constant, but perhaps being openly at war with each other is not.

(more after the cut!)

Club Ruohan

At Club Ruohan, Wen Ruohan is tired of sitting on his big uncomfortable throne so he's sitting on the floor next to it, instead. He's suffering the embarrassing problem of black smoke leakage, and needs Wen Qing to give him acupuncture to fix it, but she's not around. Wen Ruohan has an awful lot of trouble containing resentful energy, possibly because he is controlling a bunch of zombies 24x7 instead of letting them take a break. Wei Wuxian is mostly able to control it--except when he, you know, totally isn't--without ever needing an attractive acupuncturist to give him a poke.

WRH learns from Wen Chao that Wei Wuxian 1. killed a boss-level monster on nightmare level difficulty without his sword 2. took whatever thing had been suppressing the nightmare monster for the previous really long time.  WRH wants whatever it is.

Boys in Charge

When the boys get back to Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng doesn't understand why they couldn't all go to the Lins together, and Wei Wuxian explains it to him. Wei Wuxian is the one seeing the big picture, and he wants to plan how to handle the Wen forces when they, inevitably, arrive. 

Jiang Cheng would rather talk big than actually plan, showing how--at this age--his anger management problem is an issue on a strategic level, not just a personal one.  As a clan leader he will eventually master this aspect, for the most part, and learn to keep a cool head in regard to martial matters, while continuing to feed his interpersonal rage problem.

The brothers supervise the archery practice of the Jiang disciples, having their last nice time together, and still without a plan. Wei Wuxian is bored and calls practice early so he can go be bored on the porch or in his room, since he isn't allowed out. In fact he's so bored by lockdown that he starts an irreverent niche blog.  

(he’s kidding! keep your mask on, don’t go to wine houses)

Knowing that the Wen Clan is gunning for enemy cultivators, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng send the whole group of disciples, including children, outside the compound walls to retrieve their kites. This is what happens when you don't have a plan.

Wen the Levee Breaks

Wen Chao’s girlfriend Wang Lingjiao finds a kite with a hole in it and uses it as a pretext to snatch up the youngest disciple. 

The other disciples come running back and tell WWX and JC what happened. Wei Wuxian calmly gets all of the information from them and starts figuring out what to do, while Jiang Cheng freaks out. 

Jiang Cheng is a good fighter, and matures into an excellent one after a core upgrade and war experience. But Wei Wuxian is a born battle leader, developing strategies on the fly and staying cool under pressure.

Madame Yu is as brave as a barrel full of bears and Yinzhu and Jinzhu chase lions down the stairs

Yu Ziyuan and the murder twins show up and all of the disciples line up behind them, relieved to have someone scary in charge.. Yu Ziyuan is also a natural leader and an awesome fighter, but her judgement is terrible, as we're about to discover. 

Bitchfest

Wang Lingjiao strolls in to the main hall and has the nerve to comment on the interior decorating, because it doesn't have enough rough-hewn black rock and lava pits, apparently.

She shows them all the kite and says that because it looks (kind of) like the sun, using it for target practice is an attack on the Wen Clan. Bitch, everything your clan wears and uses has fire on it and is red. The sun is not your emblem, no matter what the text says. This kite situation is presumably where the anti-Wen campaign gets its name of "Sunshot," however, which sounds pretty cool.

Wang Lingjiao moves along to her main point, which is that Wei Wuxian needs his ass kicked, and she'd like Yu Ziyuan to do the kicking. To goad her, she starts talking about the rumors about Wei Wuxian's parentage.

Let it Whip

So let it whip (let's whip it, baby) Get a grip (let's whip it baby) Well, what's your trip? (Oh no)

Yu Ziyuan takes the bait, and proceeds to whip the shit out of her strongest battle asset, in a sequence that's either horrifying or completely fucking awesome, depending on how you feel about whump.

There are a lot of bad effects in this show and a lot of questionable fighting, but any time Zidian flies, I am HERE for it. I gave this beatdown its own gifset over here.

Jiang Cheng is devastated and tries again and again to protect Wei Wuxian, but his mother and her lieutenants keep moving him out of the way so the beating can continue.

Yu Ziyuan hits Wei Wuxian at least 5 times, until he is totally unable to get up off the floor. Wang Lingjiao has succeeded in eliminating him as a threat for the moment.

Gotta Hand It To You

Wang Lingjiao isn't satisfied with the brutal whipping, however; she wants his right hand as a trophy, and for him to be unable to recover.  Yu Ziyuan tells Jinzhu and Yinzhu to close the doors because some blood is going to fly. 

I'd like to think this is when Yu Ziyuan decides to kill the Wens, rather than maiming WWX, but I'm not certain. Because she doesn't start attacking until after Wang Lingjiao says the Wens are taking Lotus Pier, and tells her to discipline Jiang Cheng. So maybe she is okay with taking WWX’s hand, but draws the line at giving up her house.

Through all of this, Wei Wuxian doesn't once protest, even when he thinks they're getting ready to take his hand off. He'll do whatever it takes to make peace. THIS is the core of his heroism; he will sacrifice anything to do what he thinks is right. He's not "playing the hero;" not doing this for fame or kudos, but for a clear conscience.

It’s a Murder Party

Wang Lingjiao explains the new Wen World order, and Yu Ziyuan smacks her to the floor and then takes out all 8 of the Wen soldiers in one elegant move. 

Can we talk about how incredibly effective a fighter Yu Ziyuan is, without a sword? With her first-class spiritual tool as her only weapon? Nobody is telling her she needs to carry a sword. She shows she can use one, after she gives Zidian to Jiang Cheng, but she's absolutely devastating without one.

Having defied Wang Lingjiao, Yu Ziyuan...doesn't kill her. She chokes her, slaps her and yells at her. Then she insults her clan and sticks her FOOT on her FACE.

She sics the murder twins on the guards in the room, and they shank all of them at super speed while the boys watch with alarm. 

Then she has them sloooowly advance on Wang Lingjiao, giving her plenty of time to holler for Wen Zhuliu before they can kill her.

Het Heat

Wen Zhuliu comes flying in, literally, kicking both murder twins across the room at the same time. This is followed by Core-Melting Hand x Violet Spider suddenly becoming the most shippable M/F couple in this thing, because wow, they have some serious chemistry.

I never saw a pretty girl look so tough

Actor Feng Mingjing continues to do an awful lot with almost no lines, in his portrayal of Wen Zhuliu. WZL politely apologizes to Yu Ziyuan. Is he offering to withdraw, or is he just being polite before getting down to the killy bit? Either way, Yu Ziyuan is ready to rumble, and doesn't even consider de-escalating.

You know who was able to rein in his temper, after fighting with this same extremely dangerous dude, and therefore lived to fight another day? Fucking Nie Mingjue, that's who, who has a generational CURSE making him angry. While Yu Ziyuan, is like, "fuck the safety of my clan, this is Wei Wuxian's fault anyway" and throws down.

Wen Zhuliu and Yu Ziyuan proceed to have an epic, sexy fight, where he catches her whip and she dodges his attempt to feel up her core.

He's a magic man, mama, he's got the magic hands.

Wei Wuxian, still incapacitated, tells Jiang Cheng to stop Wang Lingjiao from calling for help, but JC gets distracted by the threat to his mom, and goes to engage with Wen Zhuliu.

Jiang Cheng takes a horrifying smack in the chest, which injures him and takes him out, while Wang Lingjiao sends the signal that seals the fate of Lotus Pier.

It’s All Over Except for the Crying

Yu Ziyuan immediately sees that she's lost the battle, and has the murder twins divert Wen Zhuliu while she brings the two boys to the pier. 

She verifies that Jiang Cheng's core is still intact, showing the viewers, for future reference, that it's possible to tell by touch if someone's core is missing, although a casual touch won't do it.  

Then she re-codes the Zidian so that it recognizes Jiang Cheng and puts it on his wrist. She follows this with a display of maternal affection for Jiang Cheng unlike anything we've seen so far, which super fails to reassure him.  

She follows this up with screaming at Wei Wuxian and telling him how much she hates him, and blaming him for the multiple shitty choices she just made..  

With a heart full of rage, she reminds him that his worth lies in what he can do for more important people.

She binds the boys with Zidian and then sends the boat on its way....

...with a frickin' TALISMAN, holeee shit. As toxic as she is for Wei Wuxian, there is a direct line from her cultivation skills to his.  

Dad To The  Rescue...sort of

The last third of the episode is basically yelling and crying punctuated by a couple of interactions out on the water. The extreme emotions go on for long enough that I eventually stop feeling bad for the characters and start feeling bad for the actors, who had to maintain this level of feeling for probably days of shooting.

The boys eventually meet up with Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli. JFM discovers that Zidian responds to his control, which tells him something is very, very wrong, since it probably knows how his wife feels about him.

This thing isn’t biting me; your mom is in serious trouble. 

Here Jiang Fengmian decides to do the heroic, totally futile thing, which is exactly his style. He tosses Jiang Yanli in with the boys and takes his leave so he can go die with his wife while the children survive.  

He has to know that Yu Ziyuan is the stronger fighter of the two of them, and that he's not going back to rescue her. He's just going to stand with her and die together, which is the most romantic thing you can do in a C-drama, after all.  

How Much Do You Owe the Jiang Clan?

Jiang Fengmian tells his two children not to cry, making them and the viewer cry extra hard. (specially ouchy gifset here).

Then he turns to Wei Wuxian and, with a heart full of tenderness, reminds him that his worth lies in what he can do for more important people.

Next episode: Is going to be even more horrible! 

Soundtrack: 1. When The Levee Breaks, Led Zeppelin 2. The Tale of Custard the Dragon (poem) by Ogden Nash 3. Let it Whip by the Dazz Band 4. U Got the Look by Prince & Sheena Easton 5. Magic Man by Heart

[otgo-brooklyn]

I Forget About the Sky

"My lover asked me: /What is the difference between me and the sky?/ The difference, my love, Is that when you laugh, I forget about the sky." - Nizar Qabbani

[rosethornewrites]

My MDZS/Untamed Fic Masterlist

Try to Praise the Mutilated World series (post-canon, unfinished)

It might be over, but there’s still residual trauma. Mostly CQL-canon. Some titles from a poem with the same title as the series.

Spectre - Lan Wangji wakes from a nightmare shortly after Wei Wuxian returns to Gusu after his travels following the defeat of Jin Guangyao. (lwj POV)

leaves eddied over the earth’s scars -  Lan Wangji wakes to find Wei Wuxian quietly grieving his shijie as her birthday nears. (lwj POV)

remember the moments when we were together -  With Wei Wuxian grieving and not eating or sleeping well, Lan Wangji asks Sizhui to eat with him. Sizhui learns more than expected. (lsz POV)

rain falls and soaks into the earth (no war AU, unfinished)

Based on a prompt from @angstymdzsthoughts, Wei Wuxian is nearly killed by Madam Yu. Some titles based on poems by Mei Yaochen, including the series title.

a candle blown out - Gusu Lan takes in Wei Wuxian after Yu Ziyuan nearly kills him punishing him. (lxc POV)

a ghost in the mirror - Lan Wangji is losing hope as Wei Ying withers away, but he keeps trying. (lwj POV)

this body yet survives - Wei Wuxian continues to recover from his traumatic near-death experience, and the cultivation world slowly reacts to the event as well. (lwj POV) 16/? 

moonlight falls (modern corporate spy AU series, unfinished)

Based partly on a prompt from @angstymdzsthoughts, but also started for the WangXian Lunar New Year gift exchange, wherein Wei Ying is accused of corporate espionage and blacklisted from the tech industry, and Lan Zhan follows and supports him. Titles based on poetry by Li Bai, who was exiled and often wrote about missing home, friends, and family.

I look up and see the bright moon - A fluffy found family piece written for @wangxiangiftexchange. Five years after the corporate espionage accusation, the Wei family is ready to add a new member. (wwx POV)

frost on the frozen ground - A few weeks after “I look up and see the bright moon,” Lan Qiren shows up. It does not go well. (wwx POV)

a pool of light - With the trial and incarceration of the real culprits, Wei Ying's reputation officially cleared by the courts, things have settled down for the Wei family. They don't stay that way, as Jiang Cheng attempts a reconciliation in an emotionally constipated way. (wwx POV) 3/3

Wangxian Tax Universe (crack tax benefits AU series, collaboration, unfinished)

Friends with Tax Benefits (by adrian_kres) - Wei Ying suggests he and Lan Zhan should get married for the tax breaks. It works out.

Gimme a Tax Break -  Wei Ying tells his adoptive family. (wwx POV)

Tax B(racket) (by adrian_kres) - Betting Pool Group Chat!

Tax Haven -  Nie Huaisang initiates a group call. (wwx POV)

Capital Gains (by adrian_kres) - Wei Ying wants to talk about Lan Zhan's uncle.

The Sin Tax -  Lan Zhan gets Wei Ying a gift. (wwx POV)

Hope universe (botched time travel AU, amnesiac!wwx)

the thing with feathers (time travel transmigration, 17 chapters, finished) - A night hunt gone wrong leaves Wei Wuxian facing life without a husband and son. He refuses. Using an experimental array, he attempts temporal transmigration, but it goes wrong. Pre-canon kidfic as of yet, with some reference to MDZS and CQL canons. Frankencanon. Various perspectives. 17/17

and sings the tune without the words (epistolary, unfinished) - Letters exchanged over the next five years. (11/?)

sore must be the storm (dual wwx POV) - Wen Ruohan wakes Wei Wuxian. It does not go well for him. Set in chapter 8 of “and sings the tune without the words.”

紅線 universe (canon divergence, lwj stays in Burial Mounds)

the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break (lwj pov, unfinished)- Following the return of Wen Ning's spiritual cognition, Wei Wuxian doesn't pull away quickly enough to avoid Lan Wangji discovering his secret. Largely CQL-verse with some frankencanon. (lwj POV) 24/?

Honor Good People (lxc pov, to be read after part 1, ch. 22) - Lan Xichen does not ask permission before adding Wei Wuxian to the family registry as Wangji’s husband. Lan Qiren disapproves.

illuminate the world (jzx pov, to be read after part 1, ch. 24) - After the events of chapter 24, Jin Zixuan must consider the request to swear siblinghood and the entire situation, including the actions of his own clan.

like mayflies wandering universe (post-canon cql)

a grain of millet drifting (wwx pov, finished) - Post-canon, Wei Wuxian is traveling when he catches a Nie disciple killing an assassin apparently after him. Turns out it’s not the first, so he heads toward the Unclean Realm and his old friend. 3/3

hold the bright moon in my arms (wwx pov, unfinished) - Visiting Qinghe, Wei Wuxian tries to find peace, balance, and purpose. Nie Huaisang is not entirely helpful with this. 4/4

Operation Barking Dog (post-MDZS canon, unfinished)

In a world where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji didn’t have drunk sex and there was no confession in the temple, the pining continues as they travel across Jianghu post-canon. In which Wei Wuxian learns Mo Xuanyu adored Xianzi (Fairy) and decides to honor him by again attempting the impossible: curing his cynophobia. Largely novel and donghua canon. Very loosely based on an @angstymdzsthoughts post. WangXian Winter Solstice gift fic for @rymyanna. (lwj pov) 7/8

a pear blossom bathed in springtime rain (one-shot, finished)

Wei Wuxian has a habit of being a messy drinker, letting alcohol slide down his chin and neck. He didn't realize there was enough on his skin for Lan Zhan to get drunk off of. (wwx POV)

trees long for peace but the wind will never cease (one-shot, finished)

While he's missing, Lan Wangji can't help but fantasize about rescuing Wei Wuxian from the Wens. Set during episodes 19-20 of The Untamed. (lwj POV)

a song of joy and regret (one-shot, finished)

Wangji hadn’t dared remove the mask the entire trip back to Cloud Recesses, the unconscious body of what could be Wei Ying solid and limp in his arms. Set during episode 3 of CQL. (lwj POV)

ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water (accidental time travel, one-shot, finished)

Being in the Cloud Recesses facing his fifteen-year-old self, surrounded by other fifteen year olds, many of them long dead in his time, is… sadly not the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to him. (wwx POV)

藕断丝连 (during the years of wwx’s death, one-shot, finished)

The first Qingming after Hanguang-Jun's seclusion, Lan Sizhui is introduced to lotuses. (lsz POV)

卧薪尝胆 (post-canon, one-shot, finished)

Wei Wuxian comes across Ouyang Zizhen in the bunny fields, there while his father petitions the Chief Cultivator. Unfortunately, Lan Wangji is a bit petty toward those who continue to call him the Yiling Patriarch and blame him for all ills. Honestly, what were things coming to when he had to be the reasonable one? (wwx POV)

感情用事 (in the Xuanwu cave, one-shot, finished)

Beyond words, Lan Wangji intended to bite his arm. But he made the mistake of looking at Wei Ying's face... (lwj POV)

手下留情 (post-canon, one-shot, finished)

Wei Wuxian had been back in the Cloud Recesses a week when he first heard the gossip. He was only somewhat surprised—if any rule was going to be broken, that one would be first anywhere. The cultivation world loved gossip, and even if the Lan sect was founded by a monk, his descendants weren’t all ascetics by any definition despite their airs. (wwx POV)

beneath rose-colored clouds (post-canon, one-shot, finished)

Lan Wangji comes across his husband asleep amongst the bunnies. Written for @writersmonth 2021, prompt “feather.” Title from a Hanshan poem.

Impossible Things (post-canon, The Untamed, one-shot, finished)

As he leaves the Cloud Recesses and his zhiji to travel, Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what he yearns for, only that Lan Wangji grounds him. Written for @writersmonth 2021, prompt “darkness.”

mountain peaks shatter and crumble (Burial Mounds, wwx’s canonical death, MDZS, one-shot, finished)

He’d felt it, ever since he’d first fallen into the Burial Mounds, like glass burrowing beneath his skin—resentful energy, tearing him apart inside. For the August 11 prompt “glass” for @writersmonth 2021. Title comes from Poem 193 of the Shi Jing.

do not go gentle (post-canon, Wen Ning POV, MDZS, one-shot, finished)

During their travels together, Wen Ning realizes there is a non-resentful spirit attached to Lan Sizhui, and brings it to the attention of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji when they return to Gusu. For the August 13 prompt “night” for @writersmonth 2021. Title is from Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

只羡鸳鸯不羡仙 (post-canon, crack, one-shot, finished)

Wei Wuxian has an accident with an experimental talisman. Now he has to find his husband. For @writersmonth 2021 day 14, prompt “duck.”  Title is from the Lu Zhaolin poem, “Chang’an nostalgia.”

a flower beyond the edge of the clouds (Nightless City, Soulmate AU, The Untamed, one-shot, finished)

In a world where the first time Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian meet a red thread ties them together, Lan Wangji does not acknowledge the soulmate bond. Things unfold much the same way, at the edge of a cliff. @writersmonth 2021 has two prompts each day, and this time I used both of them: “edge” and “soulmate AU.” Title is from “Long Yearning” by Li Bai.

拨云见日 (post-canon, self-indulgent, one-shot, finished)

When Wei Wuxian attends the first cultivation conference since Lan Xichen left seclusion, he doesn't expect a demand he stand trial. Apparently others planned for that contingency. The title is an idiom. Literally, to dispel the clouds and see the sun, but figuratively to restore justice.

suddenly an old song fills my heart with home, my eyes with tears (post-canon, one-shot, finished)

Jiang Cheng was presumed dead 16 years ago, but was actually de-aged, his memories sealed, by a dying yao's curse. He should have died of exposure, but when Wei Wuxian found an abandoned infant he decided he and Lan Wangji had gained a new son. Raised Wei Yanyin, his memories return during a night hunt, and he must tell his now-parents who he once was, and decide who he is. Based on an @angstymdzsthoughts post.

dragons white to ride (dragonji, smut, one-shot, finished)

On their steamy wedding night, Wei Wuxian learns some rather unexpected things about his new husband. Written as a lwj birthday fic. The title is from a Qu Yuan poem, “Crossing the River.” He was rumored to be the lover of an emperor.

separated hearts (CQL missing scene, one-shot, finished)

The cultivation world consumed Wei Ying as surely as fire, a sacrifice to its greed, and Lan Wangji thought them parted forever, Wei Ying somewhere Inquiry couldn’t reach, separated from the world as surely as Chang’e from Houyi. The title is a reference to the Zhang Jiuling poem “Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away.”

born under unlucky stars (canon-adjacent, ghosts, one-shot, finished)

Mo Xuanyu comes to awareness with surprise, then anger. He let go after summoning Wei Wuxian, freely offering his body in exchange for revenge and the oblivion of non-existence. He had expected nothingness from the Soul Sacrifice Summons spell, and he has been denied even that. The title is taken from Bai Juyi’s poem, “Li Bai’s Tomb,” specifically a translation from Tumblr’s hunxi-guilai.

a cup of sugar (modern!AU, pet loss, one-shot, finished)

Late one night, a haggard-looking Wei Ying knocks on his neighbor’s door to ask for a favor.

blue flies buzzing (post-canon, one-shot, LJY POV, finished)

At a discussion conference hosted by Lotus Pier, a disciple accuses Lan Sizhui of being a Wen survivor after losing an archery competition. Jingyi knows if the adults handle this, it’ll end in bloodshed, and he’s not the unLanest Lan for nothing. Title from a classical Chinese poem about slander.

[leatherbookmarking]

guys. please. X-furen/X-fujun means “wife/husband of someone whose family name is X”. it’s a title.

it’s not like in the west, where you may take your husband’s family name but may also not do that, and instead of moving into his house, you move out to a new one to form a cool nuclear family. in china you don’t take your husband’s family name, as i understand, and it’s not a matter of girl power, it’s just a thing.

example: jiang yanli marries jin zixuan. she does NOT become jin yanli. she becomes jiang yanli, jin-furen, wife of a person who has the family name jin.

if wen qing married jiang cheng when he offered, she would be jiang-furen. she would not be wen-furen, because -furen is not a “just btw, i’m married, don’t hit on me” sticker, it shows who you’re married to, whose house you live in. and it doesn’t work both ways. if wen qing marries into the jiang family, then her husband, jiang wanyin, is not wen-fujun, but simply jiang wanyin, jiang-zongzhu.

if, however, jiang wanyin married into the wen family, he would be wen-fujun, husband of a person who has the family name wen.

yu ziyuan is an outlier and should not be a reference. like, she is the lady of the house, but the house is jiang. she should be jiang-furen, but i guess if you want the Respect™, but hate your husband, you have to improvise.

in case of men marrying into other men’s families (or women, etc), you can still -furen them, but i’d say it’s more because mdzs wwx wouldn’t mind some wife play, and less because oh, the 人 character means person, not woman. yeah, well, that it does, but the word 夫人 means wife/madam. if two cultivators exchange news about gusu and one of them mentions lan-furen, the other will assume it’s a woman, because it means wife.

夫君 fujun, however, is a word that means husband. as mentioned earlier, who is (name) and who is X’s (spouse) can depend on who moves into whose house/who is more important. lan wangji, the lan-zongzhu and chief cultivator, does not become wei-fujun (well, maybe if there’s some roleplaying involved). if you call wwx lan-fujun, though, he’ll probably marinate in mirth, and the second cultivator will know hanguang-jun married a man, young people nowadays.

so

if qin su marries jin guangyao and moves into his house, she’s jin-furen.

if jin guangyao marries lan xichen and moves into his house, he’s lan-fujun.

if lan xichen, lan-zongzhu, marries nie mingjue, nie-zongzhu, then he’s either a/ roleplaying, or b/ resigning from his position of a sect leader. if b/, see above.

if jin guangyao and lan xichen decide to abandon their past and their names and fuck off into the night, their absence from the cloud recesses only discovered in the morning, they’re going to make up new names for each other, along with some cover story, so it doesn’t matter.

[rainiedeforest]

Attempt the impossible

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Untamed) Pair: Madame Yu | Yu Ziyuan & Madame Jin Link to AO3: [here] Resume: Seemingly vain conversations with much deeper meanings between Yu Ziyuan and Madame Jin Words: 1917

Madame Yu Birth name: 虞夜花 – Yú Yèhuā

虞 yú – to worry 夜 yè – night 花 huā – flower

Courtesy name: 虞紫鸢 – Yú Zǐyuān

虞 yú – to worry 紫 zǐ – purple 鸢 yuān – kite (bird)

Madame Jin Birth name: 星笑甜– Xīng Xiàotián

星xīng – star 笑Xiào – laugh 甜tián - sweet

Courtesy name: 星紫星– Xīng Shèjì

星xīng – star 紫星 shèjì - wish

“Why not?”

Xiaotian's question, now Xing Sheji after her naming ceremony, made her roll her eyes. Was she really asking her something like that? Was it a joke?

“Because not and that’s all,” replied Yehua, lifting her legs to the bed in the small room they had reserved for the night. “I have enough with having met him again. Is there no more inns in the entire city?”

Xiaotian took off the delicate golden crown that decorated her long black hair and looked at her best friend, raising an eyebrow and clearly amused.

“It was more than obvious that we were going to meet him. Only you thought it wasn’t going to happen something like this.” Xiaotian's words fell like a bucket of cold water on her. “He is guarding the new disciples of his sect towards Cloud Recesses. It is what is expected of a cultivator like him.”

Yehua growled and dropped back onto the bed, covering her face with the pillow so that her best friend wasn’t able to see the frustration that paint each one of her features. Even though she hadn't had too many encounters with Jiang Fengmian since she was given her courtesy name three years ago in that pseudo-ceremony (which she was grateful for, because the kind smile ha gave her, though she thought he was just teasing her because of the sparkle in his eyes when he saw her in the room, had embarrassed her enough to almost annoy her), the few encounters that had happened between them were enough proof that the uncontrollable rapid beat of her heart was something she didn't like too much.

Because that implied that she wasn’t able to keep herself under the rigorous control that she appreciated so much and that filled her with calm.

Her hands absently caressed Zidian's silver ring that remained cold against her skin and she snorted, getting up to remove the outer layers of clothing.

“I don't want to keep talking about it.”

“Someday we'll have to talk about it,” Xiaotian reminded her with a certain sardonic tone, smiling mockingly before continuing to undress. They would soon get into bed to sleep, since tomorrow they still had a long way to go until they reached the GusuLan sect.

“I don’t see why we have to.”

Xiaotian turned, looking at her incredulously, before throwing her own pillow at her.

“I don’t know? Perhaps because you've been completely and hopelessly in love with him since you was twelve.” And there it was the reminder that she couldn't control something as simple as her own feelings. “Look, I don’t want to put the finger in the sore but the boy is handsome, I won’t deny that, and he is very nice, but he doesn’t look like a god. I wouldn't turn to look at him twice. And we have to think that he doesn’t particularly stands out especially by his cultivation skills,” she replied with a laugh, without a single pause, glancing at Yehua and adjusting the tie of her underwear. She expected a great reaction from her friend. “He is good with the sword, that’s true and I cannot denied it. But…”

“And here comes the but…”

“He doesn't have a gold core as strong as yours and that makes him a rather unsuitable candidate for you.”

“Xing Sheji!”

“Yu Ziyuan!”

“Agh! You are impossible!” Yehua exclaimed angrily, almost getting into bed with her shoes. “Let's see. Who, in your wise and valid opinion, is better than Jiang Fengmian?”

Her friend smiled before going to the other girl's bed, climbing on it and getting too close to Yehua. A shiver ran up and down when she felt her so close, staring her into her eyes.

“Jin Guangshan, for example,” Yehua tried to hold back the dry, scornful laugh she doesn’t wanted to share, but failed miserably, causing Xiaotian to look at her with pursed lips. “What?”

Yehua continued laughing, shaking her head before pulling back, at the risk of hitting herself with the wall.

“Tell me you're kidding.  Yes, you have to be joking because you would never name him.”

“Yu Ziyuan! I don’t get why you are laughing at me. What’s so funny?”

“Gods ...” Yehua managed to say when she calmed down a little, seeing how her best friend was not only getting angrier, but was looking at her waiting for a response with her arms crossed. She wasn’t kidding. “No way, you mean it… You really mean it… It can't be true, Sheji.” But one last look made her snort. “He spends more time thinking about his appearance and which maiden is better to seduce, than in his cultivation skills! Which are quite mediocre, if we compare them with your measuring stick.”

“That's not true. Liar”

Yehua raised both eyebrows and shook her head.

“Liar? Come on, A-Tian. He wasn’t able to beat that yao from the forest. And my little sister would have finished it in a single blink!” Yehua replied, pushing the opponent's pillow against her chest to push her away. “Though, he was very good at crying. I think I will sympathize with the poor woman who has to marry him.”

“At least she will be really happy at night,” Xiaotian commented as if talking about the weather, being hit with the pillow. “Ouch!”

“You are shameless,” Yehua chuckled, feeling her cheeks flush, and was soon accompanied by Xiaotian.

It wasn’t that the affairs of lovers were strange to them. When they reached an age, the maids were more than willing to tell them all kinds of details. The married maids, of course, the others were too suspicious to tell anything, not even for a small price. And, fortunately for them, not only the maids, but they could easily see it in the cities.

In fact, Yehua still remembered one of the first nights they met on a hunt... It was in a brothel, not because both girls went to that place consciously, and they both saw things that they would rather not have seen.

“I think one of the two had the wrong gender at birth,” Xiaotian replied once they calmed down.

“What do you mean?”

“Neither of us is too feminine.” Yehua stared at her incredulously and pointed to her clothes. “Just because I like to take care of my image doesn’t mean that I behave like a lady.”

“At least you do it more than I do. Haven't you listened to my mother?” She asked, snorting. “She says that she doesn’t make a career with me, that I should be married or with a view to be, and that she hasn’t educated me to be a little savage. I don't know what she expects from me, really.”

“Do we ever know?” She asked, letting out a big sigh.

Yehua looked at her before beginning to fiddle with the delicate necklace around his neck.

“Exactly. Sometimes I think it would have been easier to be born as a man. They can do whatever they want, go to a lot of places, improve their cultivation and they don't have to get married so soon as we. If they don't want us to behave as one… Why do they teach us cultivation then, if our only goal is to get married and have children?”

“Mm… Yes? Because we have to be able to bear strong children who can inherit, be it a sect or some kind of legacy.”

“If I ever marry...”

“Something that you will do in the end...”

“I wouldn't be so sure, A-Tian,” she replied, trying not to think about it. She didn't know if there was really anyone in the world willing to spend the rest of his life with her. “But if I marry, I will make sure that my husband doesn’t prohibit me from remaining the way I am right now.”

Xiaotian looked down and smiled bitterly, even giggling, silenced by the movement of her sleeve.

“Good luck. We both know that it’s impossible.”

“Then... I'll attempt the impossible,” she replied before laughing. Because even she knew how complicated that would be.

Xiaotian helped her get rid of the ornaments in her hair in silence, neither of them speaking since neither of them knew what else to say. The topic of marriage was something that had been weighing them down since they first bled. And as they approached a suitable age, their families put more and more pressure on them to put aside everything they enjoyed and had known since childhood to become the women they wanted.

“In the next life, one of the two will have to born as a man,” Xiaotian commented casually, setting the decorations on the small table.

“So that we can marry each other?” Yehua asked amused. “You know? I would be a great husband.”

Both girls shared a knowing look before laughing, but their laughter was soon silenced by a high-pitched moan.

“Oh, Young Master Jin!” They heard a woman exclaim through the thin doors of the room they shared.

Xiaotian and Yehua shared a surprised look. Young Master Jin? They only knew one young master, the heir of the LanlingJin sect, but he didn’t stay at that same inn as they. What's more, they had no record of them going to share lessons in the Cloud Recesses with him. However, both girls couldn't help but laugh, covering their mouths so they won’t be too scandalous and attract the attention of both lovers. This was such a coincidence.

“At least someone is going to enjoy the night,” Xiaotian replied before getting out of bed. Although they hadn’t seen him at the inn, because they knew that the Jin clan always reserved the best inn of all for themselves, even if they didn’t fill all the rooms, they imagined that he would also be escorting more disciples or that he would go to attend himself to the readings, the latter somewhat improbable given that he was older than them.

“Yes... I just hope that their enjoyment will let us get enough sleep. Or I will have to visit him with Zidian,” Yehua replied, closing his eyes. “Seriously, couldn't he have gone to his own inn?”

Xiaotian ignored the latter and smiled as she moved provocatively by the room.

“Mm... You better not give him too many ideas. Maybe he will even like it.”

The look of horror on Yehua's face was enough to make her friend laugh again before running to her bed. She loved to make Yehua rage, because she blushed very easily despite the fact that she believed she gave an image of a hard and impassive woman, but she wasn’t so stupid as to stay close to her, especially when she had Zidian in her hand.

“As I have said before, poor of the woman that has to marry him. She is going to have to carry it straighter than a stick.”

“Mm... It can be an interesting challenge,” Xiaotian murmured more to herself than to Yehua, covering with the sheets.

Yehua looked at her confused, frowning slightly. She hoped she had misheard, but when she received no signal from her best friend, she snorted.

“Xing Sheji! You cannot be serious!”

Xiaotian was silent for a few minutes, as if she was really thinking it up, before smiling.

“Mm... why not?”

And after a few seconds in silence, Xiaotian asked, talking again:

“Do you think they will do the postures of the book that we took from your brother?”

“Xing Sheji!”

[keysmash]

Madame Jin/Madame Zu AU Pt. 1: what if, way back, maybe right after JFM brings back WWX, Madame Jin just said to herself "Screw this" and convinces Madame Jin to ditch her cheating husband and they run off, taking their kids with them, and start their own cultivation sect. JFM would probably protest about the kids but i don't think he'd start a war over it. Perhaps they'd come up with a shared custody arrange. JGS being himself is pretty happy to offiically take on the mantle of deadbeat dad.

M. Jin/M. Zu AU Pt. 2: I’ve got this headcanon where Madame Zu always thought if she could have picked her own husband, she’d have chosen someone as uncompromising and strong as her friend and if only her friend had been born a man and head of her family’s sect, and from there I just wanted a happy AU where she says to herself, “No, what I actually want is not a husband but Madame Jin as my wife” and she takes her loyal maids and kids and runs off into the sunset with her childhood crush.

M. Jin/M. Zu AU Pt. 3: But what about JZX/JYL? Does JC end up heir to his dad’s sect or his mom’s sect? Does WWX grow up with JYL and JC as his siblings part time per the custody arrangement or is he effectively JFM’s only child? What would happens when the Wen sect inevitably moves in on the other sects if JYL and JC are with their mother’s sect while WWX is at Lotus Pier? I don’t know…I just wanted Madame Jin to have a happy AU, at least up to the point where the Wen’s show up.

I take it it’s a typo and you mean Madam Yu instead of Madam Zu (YZY)? Yu Ziyuan? We’ll go with that I hope I got that right~ Can I tell you a secret? I initially ship Jiang Fengmian x Wei Changze AND Yu Ziyuan x Cangse SanRen. And then I legit HC if YZY were to leave JFM, she’d go with Mdm. Jin because JGSTD is too shitty anyway.

Maybe JC would still be in Lotus Pier. JZX doesn’t die and head the Jin Sect. The bond between the two sects would be stronger than ever. They can weed out (read: promiscuous, weak men of the sects) the sects together and face the Wens when the time comes.

Thank you for this idea Anon