#everything about wwx is amazing in this scene

[rainbowsky]

Hi rainbowsky! I'm a new-ish (autumn 2023) Yizhan fan - it's been so much fun to explore and read everything available, your blog included! I really enjoy your opinions and insights. I have a question and a request. Question: When CQL first started airing, what were people saying about the relationship between WWX and LZ in the show, and about the actors playing them? Did the CP start right away? Request: Then later on, when the BTS started appearing (when was that - after the show finished airing, right?), what were people saying about the real interactions between the two actors? Were people shocked? Amazed? Even more curious? I can imagine social media was on fire! But I'd like to hear from someone who "lived" through it in real time. Please give me a description of what it was like - especially what your thoughts and feeling were as you saw it happening. I wish I could have been there! Thank you!

Hi Blbrave! Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog!

This is all a very, very long time ago, but I'll do my best to share what I can remember.

Actually, the CP started before the show began airing. The supertopics were opened during filming in 2018. I think this was inevitable, given that the series is based on a BL story. Of course fans of the novel will go into all of this with an eye toward the two characters and, by extension, GG and DD.

Similarly, as the show was airing of course there were a large number of viewers who knew it was a BL and viewed it as a BL at that time, even though it was being billed as a martial brotherhood series. There was a lot of analysis from fans trying to spot various ways that the production team managed to get around censorship and signal the queer romance between WWX and LWJ.

Others have done far better, more comprehensive analysis of all that than I could ever do, but it's so long ago I don't know where those posts might have gone. Some of this was discussed in my post about queerbaiting, so you can look there for more info.

As I said in that post, one of their smartest ways of highlighting the queer relationship was to downplay romance between the straight characters. We never see a straight couple doing something that we don’t also see LWJ and WWX doing. The wedding happens off camera, yet we see LWJ and WWX do their bows on camera. There’s never a kiss or any kind of PDA between straight characters, yet we see LWJ and WWX in each other’s arms throughout the series.

We got a gay kiss:

We got gay sex:

There was also the headband repeatedly being described as the domain of only family and spouses, and the various ways they connected it with WWX. WWX grabbing it when he was possessing the paperman, and also at one point being tied to LWJ by the wrist with the headband - all of this signalling that WWX was a spousal figure for LWJ.

There was the drunk scene with LWJ giving WWX chickens (a wedding tradition in China).

And many more examples I won't get into.

There were many of those types of things in the series, and they were discussed enthusiastically at the time. However, I don't think there were many bystanders who made those connections. It was primarily fans of the books/show (i.e. those who appreciated it as a BL story and not as a bromance/friendship story) who saw and discussed those hints.

I know the idea that anyone could be so oblivious to the gay subtext throughout the story that they miss the queerness entirely is hard to get one's head around, but straight viewers usually just see WWX and LWJ as best friends and sworn martial brothers. The show could never have been made or aired if that wasn't the case.

In fact, newer fans might not be aware that there was a lot of controversy during filming because of leaked early attempts to create a straight romance between Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing. Some relationship-building scenes between them were filmed, and at one point in the BTS GG is heard complaining about the straight romance and saying that all those scenes should be deleted.

In the production team's defense, there was doubt at the time about whether the show could air given its source material as a BL novel. They likely had investors and backers pressuring them to make sure that the story was unambiguously straight.

Fans of the novel made a massive uproar about it, threatening to boycott the series. The backlash was so extreme that it became a bigger threat to the success of the show, and the straight romance was killed. We all owe a lot to those agitators! 😅

The BTS

The BTS clips were first discussed in an Untamed press conference (that section of the interview starts at around 36:30). The producer said that in the future some of the behind-the-scenes moments would be shared. GG and DD exchanged a glance and looked extremely uncomfortable with it.

A lot of turtles find that clip funny, and laugh about what GG and DD might 'have to hide', but I have never understood how fans can find GG and DD's discomfort funny.

It might surprise some newer turtles to hear that there were moments where GG and DD appeared to be uncomfortable with the BTS, but there were.

Another moment happened in an interview where GG and DD were asked to explain a BTS scene of the two of them in the boat, where GG is lying in DD's lap. DD turns to the interviewer with a shocked and displeased look on his face and says, "They released this?"

There were other moments as well, but I haven't kept a comprehensive record of all that. This happened long before I clued in on how quickly clips can disappear in this fandom.

I believe that it is totally normal to have mixed feelings about the BTS, and I believe GG and DD are no exception to that. No doubt they enjoy some of the clips and feel uncomfortable about some of them, just like many turtles (myself included).

There were official BTS clips released during promo, but the unofficial BTS clips didn't come until later. I talked in more detail about the unofficial BTS and how they came to be released here.

The unofficial clips began being released by fansites in the fall of 2020. It would be hard to overstate how different the atmosphere around them was to what it is now. Now it's quite common to find BTS clips all over the place, both in C-social media and on international sites like YouTube and Instagram.

However, back in 2020 they were extremely hard to get ahold of, and sharing them outside of where they were initially released was strictly forbidden and frowned upon by fans. In fact, if you dig back through my 2020 posts I'm sure you'll find many posts where I admonish people not to share the BTS clips, and where I bitch about people sharing them without authorization. I also answered a lot of asks about these issues at the time (just one example).

Times have changed a lot, and now everyone is sharing them all very freely without any concerns.

The situation was a lot different back then:

GG and DD had gained a tremendous amount of popularity from the show, but their reputations and careers were not yet fully established and secure.

227 was still an active concern that was still making news and still impacting GG's life directly. He had not yet recovered from any of it and was still mostly lying low. He was constantly being attacked and antis were constantly out to get him.

The Untamed was still fresh and current, and being discussed regularly in the media. Because filming was still fairly recent, what happened during filming would still run the risk of impacting GG and DD's lives and careers.

Fans were coming under very close scrutiny because of 227 and other fandom-related scandals. The government was starting to crack down heavily on fandom culture.

This was all uncharted territory. No one knew how the BTS might be received, or how it might impact GG and DD. Fans were very freaked out about the possibility of anything compromising getting leaked and harming the boys.

No doubt fansites were also worried about how fans might respond to some of the releases, and wanted to ensure they didn't upset or anger fans, or stir up more excitement than could be safely contained within the fandom.

All of this contributed to a climate of extreme caution and secrecy around the release of BTS clips.

We never knew when one might be released, and when they were released they were typically only put online for a few minutes, then deleted. This was all done in an effort to limit the exposure of these clips primarily to turtles who have GGDD's best interests in mind.

The clips were heavily watermarked and overlaid with visual and audio curses that 'reuploaders must die!' ('banyun biss', which I'm sure most of you have encountered in some of the clips you've seen).

Early clips were heavily watermarked.

Those who missed out were out of luck. It was extremely socially unacceptable to re-share clips once they'd been deleted. Those who missed out would have to rely on recaps and transcripts from those who had seen the clips. Fans took to staying up all hours watching and waiting for a release.

Back in those days people tried to save every clip they could, hoarding them greedily. Turtles' phones were filling up with large video files. It's funny to think about now, because the clips are everywhere and so easy to find these days, but back then it was a whole Thing.

The initial releases were sporadic and quite tame as fansites dipped their toes in the water of how all this would be received. Gradually over time clips became more frequent and stayed up longer, and some of the more salacious stuff began being released. Those clips were often accompanied by hilarious intro images.

(For those who don't get it, it's the PornHub logo).

Of course all of the clips were heavily discussed as they came out, and a clearer picture of GG and DD's relationship and of their experience of filming began to take shape over time. Some of the fake rumors (such as the 49 fake candies and the CPN that GG designed a racing suit for DD) were gradually proved to be true as these clips were released. However, that was mostly confined to fandom circles.

There were occasionally times when these clips or their content would cross over into the mainstream and start trending on Weibo. In many of those cases, the hotsearches would be bought and pushed by antis of GG and DD who want to see them cancelled. At those times turtles would jump into action to wash those topics and replace them with mundane, unrelated content.

There were fan theories and fake rumors about GG and DD's reaction to the clips. Sometimes when new clips were released GG and DD would be seen online and turtles assumed they were watching them. Of course, considering the clips featured them, it's highly likely that they did eagerly await releases just like the rest of us.

A large percentage of BXG light banners and slogans came directly out of the BTS, some of which you can see GG and DD discussing in LRLG rumors.

I suspect that it was likely a mixed bag for them. Some clips might have really stressed them out either upon initial release or after reactions began to emerge, while others likely made them laugh and feel nostalgic about filming.

Dumplings, rice noodles, 3+2 biscuits (cr @knivescharade in this post), discussed in this LRLG rumor.

There were definitely a few scandals and close calls that came out of the unofficial BTS, and solos and antis frequently tried to use them against GG and DD and tried to spin negative narratives about their relationship based using disingenuous takes and edits of them (they still do to this day).

For example, the clip where GG tells DD that he prefers a natural look to idol makeup was used against GG at the time, and antis tried to make it seem like GG was homophobic and that GG was against men wearing makeup. Some of the clips where they were playfighting or bickering were used to try to create a narrative that they hated each other. That kind of thing.

BTS and fan service

One of the most common questions I've gotten about the BTS - and I still often get this question - is, "Aren't the BTS just acted out/scripted as fan service to promote the show?"

There are a few reasons people have this question in their minds.

Solos #1 narrative about GGDD is that their CP was just for the show and the BTS was all fan service, and nothing about their relationship is real. They push this claim very aggressively on social media anytime GGDD or The Untamed is discussed, and new fans will almost always encounter those claims in this way.

CP fan service is a normal part of how dramas are promoted, so people familiar with Asian dramas will often immediately jump to that assumption about GG and DD and about the BTS.

Heteronormativity leads many people to immediately dismiss the possibility of a gay relationship, which leads them to try to come up with other explanations for those clips.

People naturally have a hard time believing what they're seeing with some of those clips. Some of it is pretty jaw-dropping and it's understandable that some people will be skeptical.

However, there are a lot of really good reasons why these clips are obviously not fan service.

For one thing, the show was billed as a martial brotherhood, not as a romance. Some of the official BTS clearly did try to appeal to CP and MDZS fans and could be counted as fan service, but those weren't even the ones BXG are most excited about. (There is a playlist of some of the official BTS clips here).

The most exciting stuff was never released during promo, and almost none of it is overtly romantic. A lot of it is really crude and totally unreleasable as promo. GG and DD are lewd, crude and often rude in ways that only two people who are really close could ever get away with. In many cases it's the casual way GG and DD constantly cross polite social boundaries with each other that shows their intimacy, rather than anything overtly sweet or romantic.

A lot of it is also totally incomprehensible to regular audiences. You have to be a turtle digging deeply into GGDD to understand the significance of most of it. For example the way GG took care of DD on his birthday, or the way DD constantly bargained and haggled with GG to get him to eat more.

Most importantly, if it was all fan service then why did GG and DD never do any joint CP endorsements? The entire point of doing that type of fan service is to make a buck. Other drama CP - including BL - do this all the time.

And it doesn't make sense that a production that was as low budget as The Untamed could afford to have the two lead actors learn a whole second set of lines and do a whole second performance that never ended up getting released.

And of course, none of that explains why the bulk of the BTS clips ended up in the hands of fans and released years after the show finished airing. A lot of it still has never been released to this day.

I've often joked that if the BTS were scripted they were far more complex, more melodramatic and better written than the drama itself. You just can't come up with this stuff in a writer's room. 😅

Anyway, this post got a bit long but hopefully it gives you a bit more of a picture of what it was all like at the time. Sorry, I guess I didn't talk much about my own feelings/reactions, but hopefully you can get somewhat of a sense.

Overall it was exciting, but I also had some deep reservations about it all (and got a lot of hate mail for voicing those feelings, too). Keep in mind this wasn't long after 227, so I think it's understandable that I was feeling very wary about everything.

But that's all water under the bridge now. It's been many years, and if the BTS were going to harm GGDD it would have already happened. I think it's all pretty safe territory now.

Edit: some more of my thoughts and feelings at the time:

One of the most exciting things for me about the BTS clips was seeing so many of the fake rumors being proved true. There were a lot of rumors (including the 49 fake candies) that I totally scoffed at when I first heard about them, only to later find via the BTS clips that I had been totally wrong about them and that these things had actually happened, and even crazier things were gradually revealed.

Things were changing pretty rapidly for a while there now that I think about it.

Learning more about their relationship and seeing just how much they looked out for each other was another big one for me. Also the timeline. The BTS really reinforced my belief in The Devil's Timeline (the belief that they got together prior to filming).

But overall that was a very different time in the fandom as well. There were always so many candies coming out, not just BTS clips but things that came out of GG and DD's activities and social media posts. It was a really really busy time in the fandom.

Since then there has been a government crackdown on fandom culture, on the entertainment industry, on LGBTQ etc. in China, plus DD's split with Nike and him having to delete a lot of his GG candy posts from his Weibo account.

Things are so different now, and unfortunately a lot of it for the worse. Being a turtle is not always easy, and I'm sure being GG and DD can't always be easy either. We make it work, but I do sometimes look back wistfully on the freer, more exciting times in the fandom.

More such times could come in the future. We just have to keep moving forward and hope for the best.

Somewhat related: I did a semi-comprehensive post about GG and DD's reaction to turtles here.

#bjyx #yizhan #untamed bts #the mysteries of yizhan #thanks so much #ask

[runespoor7]

I mean obviously I’m am going to ask you about chengxian, for the ask meme

What made you ship it?

It was the most interesting relationship in the book. I'm a sucker for childhood friends with broken promises, for grief, for misunderstandings over loyalty and love, and for relationships whose resolution in canon is bittersweet.

It still took some time and effort before I started really shipping it. I was theoretically open to shipping it but I hadn't yet read fics that really sold me on it (this was in 2019, I think). Then as an experiment I put a WWX-inspired character in the setting I was GMing for the JC and JYL NPC stand-ins to have him to play off of. Turned out I did ship them.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

😬

*wide, helpless, expansive gesture*

It's never simple with them. It's always fraught. They love one another but they also resent one another. Hunting demonic cultivators is about WWX still maybe being alive. Maybe JC can bring himself to kill WWX this time, or maybe he can find a way to bring WWX back home and forgive him. WWX promises to be with JC but he ends up promising that he won't stay ("like my father served your father") but he didn't mean it with an end. the mess that is the fraughtness of WWX's liminal space when it comes to his social rank.

love hurts, what hurts is love.

the fact that the one 'leading' is WWX, not JC, going against the accepted social order. (tbh, if that wasn't the case, I probably wouldn't be into the ship.) it paints such a picture of WWX being so charismatic, and JC being so taken with him, that JC falls into being WWX's sidekick. no wonder YZY was awful about it.

JC keeping Chenqing like a mad dog and keeping Lotus Pier WWX-safe. I. god. JC rating WWX's attention >>>>>>>>>>>>> JC's self-respect every time, in every way. Amazing.

it's incredible to me how WWX asks JYL about love in a scene framed in a manner to make it subtextually point in the direction of LWJ (it's mdzs; the canon pair in mdzs is wgxn; there are no - explicit - love triangles in mdzs; and yet even WWX's original crush on LWJ is, uh. informed by JC and how WWX is with JC and the fact that LWJ is New and Not The Son of WWX's Benefactor. this is normal.), where it's apparent that WWX is scared of being in love because it changes how you act, it's a limit, it's a cage, you're limiting yourself for someone else - and then WWX does something for JC that is everything he was scared of.

and it does ruin him! it's terrible! so his romance with LWJ is everything his feelings for JC weren't. He's not the one doing the protecting. LWJ doesn't question him. There are no expectations of anything, no discussions of the future, no thoughts of society. LWJ is just such a comfort, just a good thing WWX gets because he wants it. Also LWJ isn't emotionally taxing af (this is a big one). (WWX kinda ends up YZY-ing himself at the end of the book but I'm not thinking about that.)

WWX's utter toxicity toward JC. not a iota of respect for either JC or JC's boundaries to be found, except when convenient for WWX.

they both really, really believe that WWX is better than JC in every way. it's very cool

look. i'm a simple person. arrogant genius jerk/grumpy dutiful tsundere otp.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I love the joke that chengxian isn't incest but both of them wish it were, but I think the only time one of them wished they were brothers was JC when he decided to sacrifice himself for WWX and he was lying in bed making morbid jokes. At least sacrificing yourself for your brother who is the better cultivator and can lead the sect would be simple. Forgivable. Good.

I also think they might grow to think of one another as brothers at some point post-canon, that's a sort of reconciliation that might happen, but to me it's key that during canon they don't know what they are to one another, they just know they're scarily, terrifyingly important, and there's no word for what they are to one another.

JC refused shixiong-shidi (in a shocking reversal of their normal dynamic, I think he forgot he did that and spent roughly two decades feeling insecure and weird that WWX doesn't call him shidi) and they can be nothing else, socially speaking. The love that dare not speak its name, if you would. And at that same time post-canon they could also decide that what they're to each other is that WWX used to be in love with JC, and maybe JC still is, and they're not brothers. Or maybe both! The point is, the definition of their relationship is uncharted waters and they never thought of each other as 'brothers' (much less called each other that).

2) WWX is incredibly bitter and resentful of giving his core to JC and that colors everything he thinks and says about JC afterwards, including after he's returned to life. Basically, he gave, and gave, and gave, and felt there was no gratitude, and he's unable to live the life he wanted, unable to reap the promises life made him, and JC isn't any more agreeable or tractable than before (less so, in fact!). It's not fair.

#chengxian #ask meme

[mxtxfanatic]

So i was reading a wangxian fic last night, and it started out great: wwx ran away from yunmengjiang and ended up in the cloud recesses and met lwj and they became friends. I got super excited cuz it was very promising, but then a couple chapters in jc appears and then they do the whole “oh no wwx and jc love each other, they are best bros, wwx left because he didn’t want to cause his siblings pain by them having to be associated with him, jc begs his beloved brother to come back because he will always have a home in lotus pier, etc” and I immediately wanted to throw the whole fic away, but i guess im a masochist (and honestly it’s so freaking hard to find a good wx fic that doesn’t somehow involve the homophobic grape) and kept reading.

That was a mistake, long story short the whole thing ended with both wwx and lwj being best of friends with jc, lsz loving his grape uncle who’s the best and just so amazing and them all living happily ever after. Im so disappointed in myself for reading that crap 😩

Wish I could find that post someone wrote about how in mdzs fics, when Jiang Cheng shows up, the plot and all characters warp to accommodate him. No matter how in-character everything and everyone is, once Jiang Cheng enters the scene, it becomes the most ridiculous fanon mess that breaks even the logic of the story that the fic writer, themself, set up. Op was so real for that.

#mdzs asks #anon #still remembering the fic where the whole conflict was jc explicitly (and overtly homophobically) rejecting wwx’s wish to get married #and wwx fought him on it THE WHOLE STORY #but then in the last chapter jc cries about how he just wants wwx’s life to revolve around him #so wangxian agree that lwj THE HEIR OF ANOTHER CLAN should marry into lp #so wwx can continue to prioritize jc #despite that entitement being THE conflict of the story let me remind you #9 chapters of conflict just to end on the most ridiculous ooc ‘happily ever after’ #because the author couldn’t commit to jc not being entitled to wwx’s life

[phoenixcatch7]

Hey mdzs crowd how would wwx being a bloodborne hunter sucked into a night of the hunt every full moon sound?

Maybe not a full long night, just an 'hour' of it every month, so he finishes one full hunt a year??

A qi free place, exactly like the actual game, but he has to sneak away into the moonlight portal or risk an agonising transformation into a grotesque beast himself for the duration the moon is in the sky. Cloud cover does nothing. He will try and kill everything in his path unless chained.

A choice between becoming a werewolf or the hunter, basically.

And lwj somehow following him through the portal once, to this qi less place, but as a cultivator of significant insight and an unprotected human of normal blood it goes REALLY downhill fast until wwx is able to free him, either by a high adrenaline scene getting a collapsing lwj back through the portal before it closes or by managing to drag his increasingly agonised and overwhelmed body to the sanctuary until the time is over, thus wasting valuable time and making things so much worse for wwx in the next full moons. It's a very angsty and traumatising reveal all round.

Because wwx is a whip smart guy with dangerous thoughts on resentment and the use of corpses, who went through horrifying things and emerged amazingly intact but not untouched, and I think it'd be really interesting to see the interplay of these dual lives. How the cultivation world is so, so much better in pretty much every way, but its own horrors reflective of yharnam, its capabilities for so much more than what they have.

Like, he'd be so much more desensitised to horror and gore, but it'd be matched by the stubborn drive that this is his home, his refuge from the dragging terror of the hunt, and he'd defend that to his last breath. And living a life as a (horribly fragile if lethal) mortal and still surviving the worst yharnam has to throw at him, he'd have a very different outlook on losing his core. He's already seen how, with the right tools, he can be just as dangerous if not more than the average cultivator. And in the cultivation world there's just so much more potential!

His inherent goodness, too, would not survive without damage just from the smog of hopelessness in the air. A wwx who can't keep that instinctive urge to help, but now has to choose, with every second, to remain kind (if not extremely inflammatory about it lmao).

The contemplation of demonic cultivation, too, would have a very different sort of draw. It's not just forbidden, taboo, but he's seen the very worst of it in action; the healing church, the orphan of kos, the vile bloods, the school of mensis, the feral beasts in rotten human skin roaming every street convinced they're still human.

But wwx isn't wwx without truly amazing levels of trailblazing hubris and curiosity, and he'd have the little niggling whispers in the back of his head, theories about how what they did could have been used for actual good, or at least more humanely. When he committed to the risk of demonic cultivation, he'd feel the dangerous itch to practice on things already dead, things that can't touch his home. To organise his goals, get some sort of advantage from this awful place, where the consequences (probably) can't follow him home. But yharnam is the most dangerous place possible to try messing with blood and the dead, and the knowledge of the rheumy eyes of the eldritch monstrosities above him is a heavy pressure on the back of his head.

I'd love to explore the themes of the changes wrought, these two different existences touching through wwx, but also can you imagine the yiling patriarch with a gun and a butchers knife?

#Wwx really living up to those rumours huh #World's first guy to discover blood types and invent blood transfusions therefore saving the lives of thousands to come #But noooo everyone remembers that one time he had a flashback to the night of the hunt during a night hunt and #Ripped a zombie wolfs throat open with his teeth #Lwj still wants him tho have no fear #mxtx #mxtx mdzs #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #lan wangji #wei wuxian #the untamed #Idk maybe lwj finds it hot when his crush is insanely competent and also covered in blood. Who's knows what's going on in his head #mdzs fandom #wwx #mdzs wwx #the untamed wwx #This happened because I can't consume two media at once at NOT fuse them #Runner up was mdzs/bayonetta because wwx would make the best witch ever but bloodborne doesn't go with like ANYTHING else I have its so dar #bloodborne

[space-heat3r]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Thank you for the ask!

In all the media I've loved? That's a hard oneee. I don't think I could put it in any particular order buuut:

Liu Qingge (SVSSS) -

I am enamored with this man for some reason. He's so so so pretty and I love his character. Fiercely loyal and like a personal uber driver to SQQ. He's such a sweetheart even if he doesn't show it and I love every single scene he's in. In the years that SQQ was "dead", I really liked how he stopped at nothing to try and retrieve his body from Luo Binghe so that he could have a proper burial (even if he was unsuccessful) and the way he returns SQQ's fans whenever he loses them. He just wants to protect the ones he cares about and I want to give him a big big hug.

2. Hua Cheng (TGCF) -

I truly love his dedication and pure infatuation with Xie Lian, as well as the fact that this man is FINE. His character has so much depth and his willingness to do anything for XL is so beautiful. His 800 years of commitment and the way he is willing to give his everything to XL AGH he's so amazing.

Also. He's SMOKIN. Like scalding. Like HOT DAMN.

3. Hajime Hinata/Izuru Kamukura (Danganronpa) -

Since these guys are technically the same person, I'm just gonna count them as one.

Hajime is my favorite protagonist of the Danganronpa games and I love that at first you think he's a pretty basic dude, like "Oh yeah there's not much to write home about him." But then you see his sassy quips and his slight tsundere personality which just adds to him, and then you learn about his backstory and his entire character as a whole changes for you. His need to be accepted, his insecurity and deep longing for approval in which he takes drastic measures in order to try and accept himself. He agreed to be lobotomized not knowing that him as a whole was just going to disappear. Enter Izuru Kamukura. Who honestly I just think is really cool and there's not a lot I have to say about him tbh. Like even though he's kind of a completely different person, parts of Hajime still make their way through to who he is.

4. Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa) -

I find him to be one of the best written antagonists in Danganronpa, his intentions always somewhat insane but when you learn about the meanings behind them, he's always calculated and intentional. Also, due to his terminal illness that he somehow outlasts due to his luck, he struggles in social settings, which I think adds to the depth of his character and how he sees things. He really doesn't think much of himself and yet manages to have a superiority complex over people he deems "lesser" than him (which then changes after the events of the Dr3 anime). Also I just think he's pretty goofy haha. He's pretty kooky and I like him a normal amount (lie).

5. Kurapika Kurta (HunterxHunter)

He is SO PRETTY. I really love a good revenge plot and I enjoyed his character a lot. I thought his powers were really interesting even though they took years off of his life :(

(Also I want his earrings)

6. Zhuzhi-Lang (SVSSS) -

I think he deserves so much love and I just want to give him the biggest warmest hug. He deserves so much. He's so loyal and willing to do anything for those who have been kind to him and made him feel like a person rather than a monster.

7. Lan Wangji (MDZS)

His pure LONGING and adoration for WWX are just so precious. He seems all aloof and chaste and pure but on the inside he's a lovesick and pining mess. I can never get over the scene where he hears WWX's confession and you can just see how this is all he's ever wanted and finally, finally, he can be with the one he loves with all of his being.

8. Chiaki Nanami (Danganronpa) -

Chiaki is so sweet and kind and truly cares so much about her friends. She gave up her life believing in them and knowing that a brighter future awaits them. She's so loving and knows that she may not be with them, but she will forever live on in the hearts and memories of the ones dearest to her.

Also: Gamer.

9. Shen Qiao (Thousand Autumns)

Shen Qiao is just so benevolent and good-hearted, he really just deserves the best things and yet draws the short-end of the stick continuously. He's such a sweetheart and such a beauty, I love himmm.

10. Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) -

Honestly I just really enjoyed his character and his interactions with Phoenix. He is so gay.

#Ok this took me a long long time #I had to think for a WHILE #Ask #Long post #Svsss #tgcf #mdzs #danganronpa #thousand autumns #qian qiu #Hunterxhunter #hxh #sdr2 #Ace attorney #I really wanted to add Wei Wuxian but my list of loves is too long #Actually Ball Monokuma is my number one sorry guys

[grewlikefancyflowers]

Do you think wwx is a bad or good cook?

i think he is probably an ok cook? we are told that his food is far too spicy for others, but not that its badly made in any other way.

there is also that little scene in dream come true about him burning a hole in a pan & being chased out of lotus pier's kitchen.

'Wei WuXian responded, his expression serious this time, “I’m sorry. I was just too happy. Lan Zhan, how come you’re so good at everything? You’re amazing even when it comes to cooking!”

His praise was of utmost sincerity. Lan WangJi had heard countless compliments from when he was a child, but not a single one of them were able to make it so hard to stop the corners of his lips from blooming into a smile. He only pretended to be calm, “It was no difficult task.”

Wei WuXian, “No. It is. You don’t know how many times I’ve been chased out of the kitchen.”'

but i think this is not that straightforward.

in context, wwx had just teased lwj about how he wouldn't be able to cook (wwx assumes) due to his upbringing & taste. but he then learns that not only does lwj intend to cook for him, but he had also done so before and wwx hadn't eaten much or been able to appreciate it as much as he would have wanted to if he'd known! wwx was reeeeeally desperate for lwj to cook for him, absolutely thrilled at the idea, so he heaps praise upon lwj. when lwj insists its nothing, wwx insists that it is, after all, he's so bad at it, he was even chased out of the kitchen. so i think wwx here was mainly just really wanting to make sure lwj knew that he really appreciated him cooking for him, esp after teasing him before. i think he exaggerates how bad his skills were here, afterwards he backtracks a little and says he just burned a hole in a pan one time.

lwj wants to make sure he can cook things wwx will like, but he doesn't really want to tell wwx he made the food because he doesn't want him to pretend to like it out of obligation. while wwx wants to eat it specifically because lan zhan made it, and he genuinely would love it even if it tasted bad, just because it was lwj who made it. they're so cute lol.

also

'Lan WangJi, “What did you put inside the pan?”

Wei WuXian thought about it for a moment, smiling, “How could I remember something from so long ago so clearly? Forget about it.”

Lan WangJi didn’t comment, but he seemed to have slightly lifted his brow. Wei WuXian pretended as though he didn’t notice the minuscule expression. Suddenly recalling something, he threw his hands up in regret, “But back then why didn’t you tell me you were the one who made them? I was an idiot. I didn’t even eat all that much.”'

it seems like there is more to this burning a hole in a pan story than wwx was letting on. i suspect he was actually up to some kind of mischief back then lol

anyway, i got off track. it seems wwx might cause some chaos in the kitchen, and his food is too spicy for others, but other than that we're not told that his food is bad.

not that it matters either way, because he definitely won't have to cook again for the rest of his life haha

#im thinking about how like. my mum and sister say im a bad cook because i 'just put chilli and garlic in everything' #like.... #mdzs #bet u weren't expecting this unnecessarily long answer anon!!!!! :3c

[fortune-maiden]

2, 4. (for "Standing Alone"), and 16 for the fic writer asks!

(there were so many good ones I didn't know which to pick oop)

Thank you!! :D

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

Humor (77) Hurt/Comfort (39) Fluff (34) Tumblr Prompt (16) Friendship (15)

Sounds about right for me xD Although I am shocked at how much humor outnumbers everything else! I would have thought it'd be fluff or h/c honestly. Where did all these humor fics come from? ._.

What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

Standing Alone - I'm really proud of the section where NHS reveals to LXC that he somehow learned the Song of Clarity and implies that someone is leaking sect secrets. This was the scene I had sharpest in my head when I came up with this fic and the one I was most excited to write. I'm really proud of the end result!

I also like this line:

“Da-ge, forgive me. I think it’s best if Huaisang doesn’t come to the Cloud Recesses for a while.”

LXC, as polite and diplomatic as he can be, declares that he wants nothing to do with NHS for a while... it has a certain punch to it imo

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

I've read so many amazing AUs! >.<

A few standouts (please don't ask for links because I'm not sure all of these are on AO3)

The one where Wen Qing travels back in time and becomes Baoshen Sanren

The one where the cultivators of the past kill the god of death and this has Consequences

The one where WWX & WQ unlock their full mad scientist/doctor potential and bring their findings to the Nie sect

The one where someone (I think JC?) travels back in time and goes to NMJ for help.... only for NMJ to learn how much of a mess the future is because people didn't listen to him and decides that he will not be helping JC fix things. JC will be helping him.

The one where WWX's inventions/spells wreak very silly havoc and young plucky demonic cultivator MXY is tasked with investigating them!

The one where TGCF & MDZS exist in the same world, and Pei Ming joins the Sunshot Campaign incognito to investigate his temples being burned

Something I would love to read would be.... maybe something with dark LXC? I like the idea of NHS dying before he could finish his revenge, and LXC takes up the mantle.

No more Mr. Nice Er-ge!

#thank you! #these were fun to think about #and i liked remembering all those aus >.< #i really would love more of mdzs & tgcf exist in the same world type of stories

[rosethornewrites]

The big thing to remember about writing long works or interconnected works is that you can rush through it. I see a lot of beginning writers engage in a lot of summary instead of storytelling to get to a certain plot point.

It’s a common tendency. If you know you’re doing it or tend toward doing it, flesh out the summary with bits of dialog, description, and narration before you post it.

You never know, you might find amazing details and important bits you wouldn’t discover otherwise.

I often start with specific moments I want to get to, but I have to get there as the narrative requires.

For instance, my fic “the thing with feathers” was started because I had a moment in mind for the Gusu lectures. I haven’t even gotten to that point in 17 chapters of that and 9 chapters of “and sings the tune without the words.”

As much as I want to get to that scene, I can’t skip the changes caused by wwx’s botched time travel and accidental amnesia. It wouldn’t make for a good fic, imo, though one bookmark note calls it “boring.” (That’s what lwj called wwx, so guess what my interpretation is. 🤪)

I could write the Gusu scene, but it has to be with the understanding that bits along the way will likely add to the scene, so it’ll require rewriting and editing. I can’t rush toward it and gloss over everything that leads to it.

#writing #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my writing

[sarawatsaraleo]

#the untamed #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #nie huaisang #xiao zhan #wang zhuocheng #ji li #mytuedit #myedit #long post #everything about wwx is amazing in this scene

[righteousinadversity]

Let's talk about how hubris is not Wei Wuxian's fatal flaw.

I am very, very tired of this take.

Hubris is the fatal flaw of many a hero throughout history. The hero thinks of himself better than everyone, has a high self-confidence bordering on arrogance, and finally, it leads to his downfall.

Those stories are indeed an amazing exploration of human arrogance. But MDZS is not such a story. WWX is not such a hero.

Perhaps people are misled because WWX is not a character afflicted with self-esteem issues (whatever CQL may choose to portray or popular fanon may claim). He is completely confident in his actions, assured in his competence, secure in his endurance. He does not doubt his morals, he is righteous and brilliant and competent.

This is confused with arrogance, especially because much like Gui Dao, his so-called 'arrogance' is often called the reason for his downfall. And until the very moment of revelation, MXTX gives us scenes that are out of context to give us the impression that WWX's downfall was his own fault.

I have said this before, I will say it again, I will say it a thousand times. WWX's demise was the punishment the society forced upon him for having the audacity to stand up against cruelty. For having the audacity to do the right thing when the world was drunk on power and hatred and vengeance and passivity.

Now then. About Hubris.

“Not everything was because of his cultivation path. Wei WuXian’s personality is quite immoral. One’s deeds will be paid, one way or another; what goes around always comes around.”

We have this in the prologue, which, as we all know, are rumours surrounding WWX that are systematically decried throughout the book.

A moment that WWX's apparent arrogance is shown to us is during the empathy with NMJ. His perceived arrogance is clearly shown as a mask when WWX himself says that he was joking with JC as he walks away. However, after this, he has a fight with JZX, a fight that at that particular time, seems uncalled for. JZX inquires about JYL, and WWX does not care for it. Out of context, this seems like WWX is making trouble for no reason.

But later, during Phoenix Mt. Hunt, we find out that JZX's last interaction with JYL ended with her sobbing until she almost couldn't breathe. That JYL was content to stay far, far away from him after the soup incident. WWX's anger makes far more sense, especially because JYL is described as someone who very rarely cries.

Fanon about WWX's 'hubris' is almost inseparable from his use of Gui Dao, or perhaps, more specifically, his control over it.

From the moment he comes back from the Burial Mounds, commanding resentment, LWJ confronts him about his control over it.

Lan WangJi, “Some things you cannot be able to control at all.”

Displeasure flashed across Wei WuXian’s face, “Of course, I can control it."

An important thing to realise about this moment I feel, is that when LWJ says this, WWX is just a few days out of the Burial Mounds. WWX knows he can control Gui Dao - it's not arrogance, its confidence built on the fact that had he not been able to do so, he would not have survived the Burial Mounds. LWJ is questioning his control, and WWX's anger, aside from distrust from the man he held in high regard and was so fond of, is very likely to have stemmed from his time in the Burial Mounds being very, very fresh in his mind.

Later, at two more instances, the two being Yunmeng meet and Yiling meet, LWJ expresses similar concerns, and WWX again affirms that he knows his own powers and can control it.

Now the Hubris caused WWX's downfall fanon obviously holds up two specific moments as the moments where his Hubris comes into play. JZX death and JYL being injured.

But when we think about the two instances, in fact, they are two moments that show us that WWX in fact does know his cultivation best.

First and foremost, the two instances are most notably, moments when WWX is in mortal danger, surrounded by people who want him dead, being attacked by them, and under enormous stress. In QQP, there are 300 archers. In Nightless city, 3000 cultivators wish to kill him and then slaughter the innocents he protected. Both are moments where he is vulnerable and very, very alone.

Don't for a moment forget that WWX fought in a war. Instincts like that do not disappear. Similarly, and more importantly, WWX was in a place akin to hell for 3 months, surrounded, helpless, in mortal danger.

In QQP, WWX tells JZX to stay back. I can't understand how people read that and not understand that WWX is well aware of his own control. He tells JZX to stay away. JZX, the Enormous Idiot that he is, doesn't. What he does do, is lunge at WWX. When WWX is being attacked from all sides, when he is focused on protecting himself and has already told him to stay away.

In a similar vein, WWX absolutely has no intention to hold back at Nightless City. He has been confronted with the stark reality that the Righteous Cultivation Sects would stop at nothing to kill the Wens, to see him dead. He is shot, and he himself is filled with anger and rage. However, the moment JYL appears on the battlefield, he leaves the roof, fearing for her safety. He knows that his cultivation is volatile at the time, surrounded by danger as he is.

It is enormous control he shows to calm down in those situations and calm the corpses, all at JYL's request. It is undoubtedly stemming from his concern for her, his want for her to be safe, but it shows that WWX, can, in fact, control his cultivation because he is shown doing it in a circumstance of immense pressure.

It is interesting to note that post 13 years, WWX still uses Gui Dao, and LWJ, with 13 years to grow and having understood better, never questions him on his control over it. But this is very easily forgotten about - and I absolutely blame CQL for demonizing resentful energy and actually making WWX's confidence in his cultivation seem like arrogance and pride.

Making WWX and his Hubris the scapegoat is a very easy excuse to make for the Cultivation World. But it is a severe injustice to the very strenuous circumstances he is under, as well as the trauma he has gone through.

Can WWX bear the weight of the responsibilities he takes on because of how morally upright he is? Yes. But even he buckles under the pressure when the world turns against him. This is why things are so different post his resurrection because he is not alone anymore. He has someone who stands by his side, no matter what the crowd says. He has Lan Wangji, who supports him, who stands by him, and Wei Wuxian knows Lan Wangji is there. He has a guardian, a protection he has never, ever had before.

WWX's fatal flaw is not Hubris. His demise is not the making of his Arrogance. His death was a tragedy precisely because he was punished for doing the right thing.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #wwx's downfall #hubris #continuation of my gui dao rant #because apparently there are so many things that are only WWX's fault #not going to consider the fact that he was the only one who stood up to do the right thing #rant #with a side of salt

[romana-colasour]

Okay but, the amazing thing about JC is that you know early on that that he’s WWX’s shidi and that (allegedly) he’s the one who gave the final blow, however when you see them interact during their study days you see how well they get along, but you also see how much better WWX is at basically everything and you think “oh no, does their relationship turn sour because of this?” And you keep reading and no, it isn’t

You see scenes that make you go “did this contribute?” Like Madam Yu’s parenting and Jiang Fengmian’s repeated preference over WWX and think “this must have chipped away some of their love for each other” but it doesn’t

JC desperately tries to get WWX to go back to Lotus Pier where he can protect him and they argue about it, the next chapter narrates the fight and you think “this must have done it, that was the drop that spilled the glass” but it isn’t

It isn’t until JZX dies at Wen Nin’s hands and JYL loses her life to protect him that things actually go sour, and even then JC wasn’t the one to deliver the final blow

Even after years of resentment, of desperately searching for him JC still misses him despite everything

And I can’t help but think that the reason for that is because, after everything they went through, he, as WWX did, thought they would stand side by side for the rest of their lives as the Twin Prides of Yunmeng. That after losing all of his family except for his nephew there is still a possibility that HE will come back. That someone who was like a brother to him will come back and he won’t be alone. Let’s not forget that most of his peers died when Lotus Pier was attacked, he became a sect leader at a very young age and due to the complex politics we only get really only a glimpse of, finding someone who he can trust is out of the question.

What I’m trying to say is that, saying that JC was selfish and jealous is a huge misunderstanding of his character and his relationship to WWX. It doesn’t break because of either one of those things. It breaks when they both lose one of their most beloved person

#mdzs #mdzs novel #jiang cheng #mdzs spoilers #just in case #also #when i was rereading I realized that wwx doesn’t even bear ill will towards him #he’s like ‘yeah i fucked up big time’ #and mainly avoids him at the start cause it’s the wise thing to do #because he knows how angry he is #but even when jc finds him he still shows that he’s been waiting for that day for years #and despite not knowing exactly what he’s feeling when you’re first reading you know later that he’s feeling A LOT of things at that moment #in short i love jc #he’s such a complex character with a lot of layers #and seeing his and wwx’s relationship undermined is missing a chunk of the story #which is a shame cause mdzs is an awesome story about gray morality #also no i don’t ship them #i actually have their ship name blacklisted xD #and yeah i know that he goes and leads the burial mounds siege but i’ve always seen it as an #‘when emotions run high you do things you regret later’ which is what I think happened anyway

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 30 part one

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes! 

Middle Management

This episode starts off with light-hearted music and turnip-selling shenanigans to let us know that things are looking up for Wei Wuxian. I'm sure everything's going to go well from now on.

Wei Wuxian is working on incorporating a managerial class into his feudalism, supervising poorly while Wen Ning does all the work in the marketplace. 

He’s happy to criticize Wen Ning’s style and to offer presentation tips, but he continues to make the socially-awkward corpse guy do the hawking while he, charismatic hottie who might actually have some sales skills, lies around doing nothing. 

If you weren’t already obsessed with Xiao Zhan’s mouth, this grass-chewing scene aims to correct that.

(More behind the cut!)

Compass of Evil

In a recent episode we saw Wei Wuxian attempting to carve a compass out of wood--the compass of evil that he uses in his second life when they are in the Nie tomb.  As if you need a compass to figure out where the evil is in that joint.

Wei Wuxian is a gifted 2d artist but he struggles when working in 3 dimensions, as we have already seen with his Yin Remora Tiger Seal. So when he sees this fake disciple hawking a beautifully crafted Compass of Evil in the marketplace, he wants it.

Leaning into his nascent capitalism, Wei Wuxian dramatically underpays this artist, sneakily swapping out the compass for a turnip.

While he is checking out his newly stolen acquired evil compass, he finds Jiang Cheng standing in front of him. 

Nice work, compass! But you don’t have to go so hard on Jiang Cheng this time; he's here on a mission of being actually not a dick, for once.

Jiang Cheng looks fierce and super-fuckable in this outfit, which is maybe as dark a main robe as we've seen him in, coupled with elegant flying shoulders.

He brings Wei Wuxian to a private courtyard and shuts Wen Ning out, which is rude, but Wen Ning is a walking dead man, which is definitely more unorthodoxy than Jiang Cheng can handle, so.

Rehearsal Dinner

The reason for the visit is so that Wei Wuxian can see Yanli, who is all dressed up in her wedding finery. She's in spectacular red and gold, and Wei Wuxian drinks in the sight of her, ignoring Jiang Cheng's snide asides to him. 

She looks amazing and both brothers happily tell her so, only a little envious that Jin Zixuan’s opinion matters more than theirs. 

Baby Naming

Then the three of them sit down and choose a formal name for Yanli's future son, Jin Ling. Wei Wuxian is given the honor of choosing the name.

Wei Wuxian chooses 兰 (Lán) for the syllable that he contributes--Ru is the family generation name, so that part is pre-set for males of Jin Ling's generation. Jiang Cheng complains that it sounds like 蓝, the Lán of the Lan clan. It’s not the same word, though--Lan Wangji's family name, 蓝 means "Blue" in English, according to Google Translate, while 兰 means "Orchid," which is a particularly elegant and beautiful meaning. So WWX isn’t totally letting his boner for Lan Wangji determine his future nephew’s name, only sort of. 

Wei Wuxian defends the choice by saying the Orchid is one of the four gentlemen among all flowers, and also the Lan Clan isn't bad, and also shut up, Jiang Cheng.

Yanli reveals that it was JC's idea to let WWX name the baby, which seems like a significant honor, particularly considering that this hypothetical kid is the entire next generation of the Jiang family. Jiang Cheng is making an overture here to show Wei Wuxian that he's still important. But because he's Jiang Cheng, he's also being a grumpy ass about it.

Soup

Obviously Yanli won't have brought soup all the way from Yunmeng or tried to cook soup in her wedding clothes or...ha ha ha just kidding. 

Of course she has brought lotus & ribs soup, and they all enjoy a family meal together...for the last time. Jiang Cheng loves her soup as much as Wei Wuxian does, which is cute and also heartbreaking, like everything in this show. 

Yanli gets up and goes to give Wen Ning a bowl of soup, which Jiang Cheng is not ok with, but he doesn't stop her. Wen Ning is overwhelmed by being included. He tries a bite and then decides to save it for A-Yuan. Yanli seems startled to learn that there's a child in the settlement, and she asks how Wei Wuxian is doing there.

We don't hear what Wen Ning says, but since he's a literal dead guy, he probably thinks Wei Wuxian is doing just fine, comparatively.

Back in the courtyard, Jiang Cheng unexpectedly ascends to an utterly godlike level of sibling trollery, raising his soup bowl and declaring a toast to the Yiling Patriarch. 

This hits a nerve; Wei Wuxian chokes on his soup and tells Jiang Cheng to shut up, not amused at all, which isn't like him.

Good Advice

Then Jiang Cheng asks about his injury and Wei Wuxian lies about his healing; they compare their results from their fight and the tension eases between them for a bit. Jiang Cheng asks about his plans and Wei Wuxian says that as long as they don't cause any trouble they'll be able to hang out in the burial mounds and be safe.

Jiang Cheng tries to explain why that's totally not going to work; tries to make Wei Wuxian realize how vulnerable he is, but Wei Wuxian isn't hearing him. 

He's confident he can kill any adversary. Which...he can, but he doesn't realize how much collateral damage that will involve, in the future. 

Unfortunately, Jiang Cheng has spent a lot of time advising Wei Wuxian to stop helping people and to let his loved ones die. So he's the last person Wei Wuxian is going to listen to at this point. Jiang Cheng is upset that Wei Wuxian isn't listening to him, but he is remarkably calm and mature about it; being away from his brother appears to have been good for him, although painful.  

Wei Wuxian has had enough, and gets up to go, in a camera shot that’s perfect in its symbolism. Wei Wuxian is framed inside the handle of Jiang Yanli’s soup tote, and then exits that frame, and the family dinner table, forever.

Family of Choice

Jiang Cheng warns him, surprisingly kindly, that if he goes back to the Wens, he won't be able to see them for a while. The way he phrases this is translated variously as "us, the people that you know" or "us, your close acquaintances," depending on the subtitle source. 

Whenever there is a super-awkward phrasing in subtitled English, it’s probably best to assume that the concept is a little more subtle, or more culturally specific, than concepts that render easily in English.  I’m guessing the meaning here is roughly “your homies” in informal English.    

Wei Wuxian accepts this warning, but then smiles warmly and says that the people he’s going back to are also his close acquaintances. And the camera focus shifts to Wen Ning, smiling warmly back at him.  

The choice he's making is more complicated than just Wen Ning vs Jiang Cheng; it's his conscience vs. the entire cultivation world, but Jiang Cheng isn't really equipped to understand that. This makes a contrast to Wei Wuxian’s parting with Lan Wangji in the previous episode; the conversations followed roughly the same shape, but Lan Wangji understood Wei Wuxian's choice, and was unable to disagree with it.

So Long, Farewell

Then we are treated to an absolutely excruciating farewell between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli, which she kicks off by giving him this gorgeous lotus tassel that was left for him by Jiang Fengmian.

Look at this work of art! It has a carved lotus flower at the top, a carved slice of lotus root in the center, and carved lotus seed pods at the bottom. 

He takes the tassel and grips it the way Lan Wangji grips Bichen when he’s upset, and then takes his leave, formally and wordlessly, not letting himself look back even when Jiang Yanli calls for him. 

Ow

Ow

Ow

Ow.

I’m sure the next time they see each other, things will be better. Right? ....right?

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #restless rewatch the untamed #episode 30 #canary3d-original #the untamed spoilers #cql

[withinsnow]

Having those wangxian thought again, and this time I'm thinking about how you can essentially describe wwx's feelings for lwj as "fondness". It's not a grand word by any means, but I find it wonderful and fitting precisely because of it's simplicity.

It's in how wwx will look at lwj, and in response to seeing him simply exist as the person he is, feel such an overwhelming sense of warmth and happiness. True lwj is an amazing man (and very handsome to boot), and there's no doubt his virtuous character and unshaking belief in wwx plays a big part in why wwx adores him so much. Still, while those are parts that makes lwj who he is, they are only that. Parts. Anybody could have those same qualities (well not anybody, as they're admirable qualities you find in few but hopefully you get my gist) though that wouldn't make them lwj, and that's the thing isn't it.

Building on that; I feel that the core of wwx's love doesn't lie in moments of grand romantic gestures, or demonstrations of unwavering faith and support. It's how lwj will fall asleep after one cup of wine, and wwx will treat that piece of information as something endearing and precious. It's not that the trait is special in itself, it's special because it's a part of lwj. Scenes like "if he catches me, I'll-" and "I am here" are scenes that demonstrate lwj's loyalty to wwx, as well as further solidifying his place in wwx's heart, but they're not the foundation nor a requirement. There is no other requirement than lwj being lwj.

This is what I think of when I use the word "fond" and why I feel it's simplicity is so fitting, because wwx's feelings are in a sense very simple: He finds happiness in everything lwj is, wether it's his righteousness or the way he sips his tea. A lifetime of marriage is a wonderful prospect because it's a lifetime spent by lwj's side, and this is exactly the reason why I adore their post-canon dynamic so much.

#just #wangxian #mdzs #snow's ponder corner

[jooniely]

svsss thoughts lol

i posted this on twitter but wanted to post it here too cuz ppl here love to discuss and will actually read this maybe and i would love to discuss things cuz that way i get to see things in a new light

so here it goes, my messy thoughts months after finishing svsss main story but not the extras:

thought about how shen jiu and bingge are parallels of each other and illustrate how cycles of abuse work, and how both suffered and made others suffer, and ultimately lost everything they ever wanted and worked for in their lives and now im sad

i dont think theres a lot of fics that explore how similar their characters are. its also odd to me that there are fics that paint bingge as being okay while sj is irredeemable and scum. i had a lot of issues and was upset about the potentials of svsss that were not met

thankfully i was not the only one & i was able to find very few fics that delved into things svsss ignored. i appreciate how mxtx writes her stories as realistically as possible cuz she loves to write about how ppl judge without knowing everything. its a common theme in her works

it works well in tgcf and mdzs but to me it ends up being frustrating in svsss. it works well in tgcf cuz we still see the whole picture so we dont miss anything, its the same with mdzs but with some restrictions ex/ mxy and how we only know him thru rumours

and given the false rumours that we saw with wwx we can guess how false the rumours about mxy were as well. someone also wrote about this lack of closure or knowledge for both the characters and readers and how it works well with the themes of the novel but i cant find it lol

that being said, this style, although perfect for her other 2 novels, it falls short imo with svsss. now im admitting that i have yet to read the extras so maybe these things were answered there but there are major characters that we just dont get much about

my complaint here is 100% not critical lol, its personal, i wanted more info more screen time for characters like shen jiu given how important he is but we never got that. our narrator is so unreliable we cant trust him on anything (imo that takes away from the reading pleasure)

sy 100% believes everything from PIDW when it comes to lbh and sj and with lbh it causes so many issues that could have been avoided, this is not a complaint, this is part of the story and theme. but it leaves me frustrated especially since with the other 2 stories the reader gets to get out of the narrator's head or can see to an extent the flawed judgemental way of thinking and how it was wrong. with svsss we dont really get that? maybe cuz i never realized our narrator is extremely unreliable, idk. tbh idek how to explain

idk how to explain properly cuz my thoughts about it are messy. like random thought i re-remembered: the lack of reaction to sj just up and disappearing. sy never realizing the ppl around him are ppl and not just fictional characters. sy not caring about the person who's life he had to live. from the lack of background on sy himself we as a fandom assumed he had absent parents and died alone and thats why he never cared about his old life, no mourning or grief. he easily gets accustomed to life without almost everything old teens/young adults live with. no reaction to the amount of violence and death around him. its one thing to read about but another to live thru. from our assumed old life about him, he should have been very sheltered

the more i think about it the more i see things that frustrate me cuz the potential was so high &honestly if mxtx took a crack at it now with her improved skills, it would reach the popularity levels of her other novels. but oh well i guess thats why we have fanfic lol

there are other things that i just didnt like at all, like that assault scene or how it ended with them apparently just leaving everything behind? and how i can literally list the red flags in their relationship (and i have listed them in a previous svsss rants/thoughts post on here when i hadnt yet finished the novel) but i attribute this to just idk, i like to ignore it, its not great

this is all over the place but if you read this, then i welcome any response just be nice pls lol, i had to block some ppl from my last post cuz they were being mean and rude and honestly that just makes me upset and less likely to enjoy the content you may be rudely defending. despite my criticisms of svsss i still love reading fanfics about it cuz i see the potential and see some writers who are angels and write some amazing svsss fics that fulfill the potential.

#svsss #scumbag system #scum villain self saving system #mxtx #danmei #bingqiu #luo bingmei #luo bingge #luo binghe #shen jiu #shen yuan #shen qingqiu #scumbag villain #mo xiang tong xiu

[redxblueihateloveyou]

Am I the only one who doesn’t get why some (tw) are shitting on Haru and Rin separately just for the fact that they reciprocate each others feelings? Because it’s not the feelings they wanted them to reciprocate? Just curious because I'm new and recently entered the fandom. And since when miscommunication in between means that they don't deserve to be happy at the end? Because you're an idiot when it comes to love, doesn't mean you're a bad person. I came from chinese bl and it's weird to me.

Hehe welcome to the madness, perfect time to join! Yeah, tbh that's the thing in the fandom that always bugged me the most. The fact that some act like if you don't reciprocate someone's feelings, it makes you a bad person. I always found it incredibly cringy when ppl in real life for example make ppl feel guilty for not feeling the same way and make you feel like shit bc of it. I don't get why you have to apologize for that or feel bad, if you never ever gave him any hope or anything in the first place.

Nowdays it's thankfully a rare sight already in this fandom, bc most already grown and see perfectly what's truly healthy and unhealthy, it's just tbh only the same 3 accounts ppl keep sending me that are still on that, who also think that Haru is literally possessed in the last movie so I don't see the point of like arguing with ppl like this. It's just they're always getting extremely angry when Haru wants Rin as if it's his fault that he feels this way and always go about it like he is inconsiderate of Makoto's feelings. Implying that they're mad that he doesn't feel that way about Makoto, while Makoto does. I'm same as @tododeku-or-bust for example said here (idk what fandom brought this on, but just in general) also do not get what's appealing about this kind of relationships in the first place.

If they shipped it in terms of like it's mutual I'd get it, but they go on about how Rin or Haru are bad friends bc they're not in love with their best friends... like ?????? I didn't know you owe it to your friends to have romantic feelings for them.

In real life if you found out that your bestie feels that way for you while you don't reciprocate, it's a burden, that'll make you feel uncomfortable and at times guilty when you shouldn't technically feel that way. So putting on someone a burden of "I was pining for you all along", when you know they don't feel the same is giving me this feeling of cringe. So I personally do not get what's enjoyable at seeing it like that in Free. But to each their own kink lmao.

It's like... is Haru at fault for the fact that he was Ikuya's first love too? I do not get it really. Like he doesn't have to take responsibility for everyone who falls for him and he doesn't owe anyone to reciprocate their feelings. Even to Rin. Like if he didn't feel the same way for Rin, it wouldn't be his fault either. But since he does feel the same way for him, it's like... good, great, happy for them.

Like once again if someone believes that Makoto and Sousuke are unrequitedly in love with Rin and Haru, that's not rinharu fault. Haru literally never ever lead Makoto on EVER. He never ever did anything that would make Makoto believe that they're more than friends. He was always honest about everything. Like when Makoto thought that he went out to see him, but Haru just wanted to see the sunrise, he told him just that. He never encoraged anything, he refused to live with him and never wanted. I do not get why it's supposed to be his fault that he doesn't like his friend in that way. If Makoto has some unrequited feelings for him and decided to hang up on this, it's his own life choice in my opinion.

It's like saying that Onodera and Takano for example don't deserve to be together just because they unintentionally hurt each other and got separated for 10 years bc of misunderstanding. This argument is like typical Yokozawa life position aka "but I was there when he left you heartbroken for several years, that means you MUST pick me". As I've said before, that's just not how it fucking works. And just bc they couldn't explain things to each other normally, doesn't mean that they don't deserve be happy now. Being idiots is not a crime.

Or if you came from chinese bl, lets go "Guardian" for example. Zhu Hong also was on about how "why you love Shen Wei, not me, I always did everything for you and I was always there, I even wore heels bc you once said you liked those etc". Like he never asked her to do this, he never gave her any hope, he was beyond rude and open about the fact that he's not interested, he never did anything to make her think she had a chance since the beginning. Just bc she decided to dedicate her life to false hope that maybe one day something might change is not his fault. It was her choice. Why Yunlan should feel like shit bc of that I do not get personally.

I'm just buffled bc like Haru for example is the most caring about other ppl's pain person, but they call him selfish and rude bc of the way he is with Makoto at times, not even realising that it IS in fact what means being kind sometimes.. to not give someone a chance when you know you don't feel it. I was always saying this like since forever, being kind doesn't mean for example giving everyone second chances, loving everyone, wanting to be friends with anyone etc. In some situations it's not being kind, it's being stupid or even not being a good person. Once again... offering someone friendship after he openly dissed your friend and you see that he's not in any position to talk back is not kind. Or if someone cheats on you constantly, but you always forgive them it's also not you being kind. It's you being stupid. Sometimes you have to be harsh. It's for the greater good.

And like I saw several times stuff like someone under scenes where Rin has his eyes for Haru only, commenting like "oh great, look at Rin being inconsiderate of Sousuke's feelings again. Can't believe you guys find this romantic." I mean, if in their opinion Sousuke is in pain from being Rin's friend, he can end it, it's his choice. It's not Rin's fault that he thinks of him as just his friend. So thinking that Rin is an asshole bc each time he simply hangs out with Sousuke he's a selfish bitch is fucking insane. I'd feel extremely bad if my best friend was seeing it this way for example. It's like hella ugly.

This annoys me also bc of the fact that Rin, the person who at the age of 12 single-handedly saved his family from falling apart after his father's death, who's an amazing friend to Sousuke and did everything to make his happy after he found out about his trauma and always checks on him first and cries about his shoulder, who in the late evenings taught Rei to swim, when everyone else gave up already xD, who was looking after Nitori during his training, who pretends to walk the same road, just because he's scared to let Gou return alone in the evenings, the most amazing son and brother, is suddenly an asshole just because Haru is in love with him, but not with Makoto. I mean, thats just... huh? Like I dont mind you ship what you want to ship, it's like to each their own crayons for real. But like dissing them and call them selfish just bc they only see their friends as friends and don't want anything more is weird to me.

As for the fact that bc of the misunderstanding they don't deserve to be happy, that's just idiotic. I mean, lets punish Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan too just bc Lan Zhan couldn't voice his real feelings back then and bc WWX misunderstood him. Lets ship WWX with Wen Ning instead. Nezumi is cancelled, he doesn't deserve to be with Shion. He left him. Takano should stay with Yokozawa, Onodera is trash. Wu Xie is trash for wanting to be with Zhang Qiling too. It doesn't matter why he leaves, it only matters that he always does. I can't believe he doesn't see that Pangzi is there with him all along xD. What an ungrateful trash of a human being I can't even.

And anyways btw both Rin and Haru are not ideal human beings in any way (otherwise I wouldn't love them this much tbh xD). But their flaws are definitely not what for example mh shippers usually blame them for. You can argue about their other imperfections easily. Like being stupidly stubborn for example. I won't point fingers here, Haru lolz. Or literally anything else.

My point is you can find what to trash them for logically, if you wanna. Do it smartly tho. Otherwise you make your ship look bad.

And I once again say what wise person said about his relationships and about the fact that not being able with someone he loves hurt him and 'why is he doing this to himself' he answered: "it's not on him. my happiness and my pain is for me to handle". Everyone decides for themselves. This is why for example Haru was so broken about voicing this to Rin and didn't have any intentions to tell him that in the first place. Bc it's not right, if you're not sure that it's requited. Technically he has no right to blame Rin for making him fall in love with him and then leaving in the first place. It's not Rin's fault really, that he made him feel what he feels for him, it's ultimately Haru's problem. That's why he feels has no right to blame him in the first place. I mean, he doesn't know that Rin feels the same, that means saying to him "you break my heart each time you leave" and making him feel bad about it is technically wrong. That's why Haru to himself said "no, please, don't say such things to him". Everyone for himself decides who deserves your 5, 7, 800 or 10000 years of your pain. It's your decision. It's your life. If Haru feels like Rin is worth it, then you have no say in that matter really. The only reason we call Rin an idiot or Haru an idiot is because we know they feel the same, so we can. But blame someone else for not feeling what you're feeling is not right.

So like even if you feel like Makoto and Sousuke have feelings for their friends, blaming Haru and Rin for having feelings for each other and not for them is beyond weird. And there's nothing wrong with putting someone you love first, every bro/sis gets it. You can say bros before hoes all you want, but like Lan Zhan might just drop his bro for his hoe, if he was given a choice. Would it make him a bad person? The fact that Wu Xie chose to save Xiaoge before Pangzi makes his a bad person? My point is it's not all that easy.

I just feel like many ppl in this fandom are very weird about many things. Either because they do not get what it's like to go through some things or maybe they just do not get that no matter how cheesy this sounds love is not that simple. I mean, for example not all selfish is bad, sometimes like in Haru's case for example not being selfish is also bad. Bc if he finally asks for what he wants, he will make both himself AND Rin happy.

To be angry at Rin bc of the aftermath of his father's death and s1 I never had it in me, after knowing everything and how adults handled it. If some of Sousuke's fans bc of Yakusoku and the fact that Rin found his salvation in Haru bc he helped him to move forward after getting his family out of this hell alone and that Haru was the safe haven that made him happy in this moment of his life, want to trash Rin for the fact that he "neglected" Sousuke, its like your opinion. I personally do not get it. Rin doesn't owe Sousuke anything. It's not his fault again that Haru's existence helped him to feel better.

Just like not everyone will get why Haru in 1x12 was so happy about the fact that he could help Rin. To be that special somebody for someone who can "save" you in moments of your life like this, especially if you love them is an incredible feeling. And no, your bestie isn't always the person for this job, no. I don't see why people do not get that I guess, that's all. But we all have our own opinion on everything, so...

We same as you do not get it since forever, but its like it is what it is in this fandom. I personally just have another life position on stuff, so I'm very far from that point of view they have.

#answered #anonymous #rinharu #harurin #free! #nanase haruka #rin matsuoka

[agendratum]

also, while i’m at it, i’m been thinking about switching blame for a while after seeing that post about madam mo and what just happened in the donghua reminded me. you know, the way yu ziyuan constantly blames wwx for things, even tho sometimes it’s not his fault at all and sometimes he’s not the only reason something happened, right?

like here, yu ziyuan and jiang fengmian are having this conversation that’s unavoidably circling back to them and their unhappy marriage, and the different takes they have on that

jiang fengmian says that if they don’t love each other but are forced to be together, they will be unhappy, and yu ziyuan says, “just like us?”

and then there is a moment of quietness, before yu ziyuan speaks again, “that wei wuxian”. it’s clearly hanging in the air, right in front of their faces, but she doesn’t want to talk about it. it’s easier to start talking about how all this is wei wuxian’s fault, than start this conversation, about years and years of miscommunication, mutual dissatisfaction, about something they can no longer change, and for such a strong, self-reliant person to try and admit that she craves understanding and love (reminds me of someone else later in the story) - almost impossible.

but she isn’t the only one who’s gladly jumps on the topic of wei wuxian. jiang fengmian also avoids talking about their unhappiness, there is just too much to untangle at this point, he wouldn’t want to try doing that. it’s easier to talk about wei wuxian, to defend him, to feel himself be in the right here.

for both of them it’s just so much more convenient to talk about wei wuxian than about the actual heart of the problem between them

you know, like it is for so many other people throughout the story

and i get the similar feeling from the boat scene, when yu ziyuan blames wwx for the wens coming to lotus pier. the thing is, especially if the memory isn’t failing me, she predicted that would happen. they argued with jiang fengmian about this exact thing. for wens - everything was just an excuse, and yu ziyuan knew that. but at that moment she also knew - lotus pier was falling. she failed as its protector, her husband failed as its leader, she would never see her son and daughter again. to think about all of that - isn’t it easier to find one target? i don’t think she would truly blame wei wuxian when she understood wen sect’s motivations, but in the moment for her it was the easiest thing to do.

and later, in the field, when jiang cheng also put the blame on wei wuxian, i don’t think he really blamed him. i think he just wanted a target, a target that wasn’t himself, for it would too much for him to handle, and a target that wasn’t the wens themselves - he wouldn’t be able to reach them anyway.

anyway, i’m endlessly fascinated by this story and the themes in it, and how it continues to amaze me with every version of it

and now i need to actually finish watching the episode oops

#yana watches mdzs #meta #god i just grew to love yzy #she's a fascinating character that we know so little about #and i gave her so little credit when i finished cql for the first time #and her relatioship with all the kids under her care is so much more complicated too #relationship*