#i blame helian. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kdromo · 2 years

Text

Just finished reading Qi Ye/Lord Seventh and it was such a good read. I've been interested in learning Jing Beiyuan's backstory since I watched Word of Honor, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.

Jing Beiyuan is the smartest and craftest person in the story, but he is honestly so hilarious. I understand he's tired and deserves rest, but he really takes his dedication to sleeping and being lazy to the next level. But I can't blame him. If I too could run amok and be a lazy pampered sloth, I would do it.

And Wu Xi🥺. He's so straightforward, honest and endearing, and his love story with Jing Beiyuan of childhood friends to lovers is so sweet. Before they became friends they were both unhappy and isolating themselves. But then they slowly take steps towards each other, and find their happiness and love in the other. Just top tier romance.

Wu Xi falls for Jing Beiyuan first which isn't surprising. But even though Jing Beiyuan takes longer to acknowledge his love for Wu Xi, I love how he makes the choice to love him. It's not fate or destiny, they both choose who they love. There's something beautiful in that.

And when comparing Jing Beiyuan's relationship with Wu Xi versus Helian Yi, Helian Yi might have been his fated love but Wu Xi was his chosen soulmate. Even though Helian Yi should have known Jing Beiyuan's true self, he never learned to trust him in either lifetime. Instead, in both lifetimes he became paranoid and longed for him to change.

Then you compare that to Wu Xi who chooses to trust and love Jing Beiyuan. Wu Xi might not always agree with his decisions and sometimes wants to correct Jing Beiyuan, but he never wants him to change or be different. Instead, Wu Xi chooses to stay by Jing Beiyuan's side and works to feel more worthy of him. Even offering directly to change for him.

But Jing Beiyuan also doesn't want Wu Xi to change. He loves Wu Xi's honest, steadfast and unwavering nature despite complaining about it. That's why it never works with Helian Yi, because Helian Yi and Jing Beiyuan never come to truly understand each other. While Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi do. They both know and accept the man they love, and love them wholeheartedly.

And then we have my dear Zhou Zishu being a shady murder baby. It's a bit melancholic having him in the story, because I know he'll slowly lose everything before finding happiness again when he meets Wen Kexing. But it was nice to see how they all grew up together and were really good friends. Jing Beiyuan and ZZS are also a funny pair if you ignore the murder. They are very different but very similar. They also have the same future aspirations in life - being lazy trophy husbands who are well taken care of. Glad it worked out for both of them.

#qi ye #lord seventh #word of honor #am i reading a priest novel #if one of our love birds don't try and go off alone to die #also i know helian yi and prince jin from woh are meant to be the same person #but they really are not #prince jin is more like helian qi #and i love the side characters #priest really knows how to make interesting side characters #finally where is my live action #this story is made to be on tv #my ramblings thoughts #andy reads

27 notes · View notes

elmpire · 1 year

Text

from @emblasin ❛ what’s that smug look for? you think you can do any better? ❜ (MIK ILY AAAAAAAA)

when you clip a bird's wings, its sharpened beak and talons are all that remain— it is with this sort of aggression that thrasir snaps at her, more claw and feather than anything else. veronica huffs. she's being sensitive, angry especially at the fact that veronica had stepped in to help her. the helian is fortunate the only thing she's nursing after this encounter is a bruised ego, and not injury, but she is too childish to realize.

veronica cannot blame her— she was once the same, refusing to ask for help and relying only on her own power. and she knows that it is difficult for the dead to grow. wilted flowers no longer bloom, after all, and thrasir was not affored the same chance to become the leader she was meant to be.

but she will not spare herself the sympathy. pity is a cage that she will not trap herself in— not in this world or in any other one. she knows it's not what either of them want; not what veronica wants.

and so, she chooses to lead her towards growth; if no one pushes her, she will never be able to fly. and fortunately for her, veronica pushes hard.

"oh, i'm not saying i can do any better. i just think that you can."

embla's princess brushes dust off of where it had dirtied her skirt, and takes a moment to look beyond thrasir and into their surroundings. the group of bandits that ambushed them lay dead on the ground, their lives snuffed out by enclosing dark and ifingr's power both. veronica hums— she hadn't noticed it while she was fighting them, but they numbered around a dozen. far more than a single person could hope to defeat alone.

she clicks her tongue. absently taps a bandit's limp body with her foot. "you've grown in age, but you still act like ever the child. either let go of your pride or fall behind."

#♛ —- INBOX;; LETTERS TO THE PRINCESS.#EMBLASIN #((AAAAA THANK YOU ARIA ILYTOOOO))#((i think abt the veronica-thrasir dynamic sooooo much))#((how veronica's development rn is such a stark contrast to the tragedy of thrasir's arc))#((and how their awareness of that tints each interaction with a sort of bitterness))#((not to mention the light sprinkling of being overly self-critical that veronica has))#((oooooohhaaasddfgjgjgjgjg))

1 note · View note

hunxi-after-hours · 2 years

Note

长篇大章还望海涵 qi ye anon reporting back to say i finished tgcf's main chapters and am now speeding right into my nth danmei-induced meltdown in this year of hua cheng 2021. or maybe that should be year of ruoye idk (RUOYE MY BELOVED). anyway:

a) possibly sideways-lodged into my brain by your mu qing post but i am now staring at the ceiling at 1am thinking about the (anti?)parallels between how hua cheng as san lang and lin shu as mei changsu present themselves on extreme opposite ends of the likeability scale upon reuniting with their respective Person Who Constitutes >99% Of The Reason They Came Back From The Dead For. except that hualian is helped along by xie lian consistently rolling nat 20s on perception when it comes to hua cheng, while jingyan… well. to be fair this is mostly changsu's fault actually;

b) on that note the thought of hua cheng as mei changsu is equal parts intriguing and absolutely horrifying;

c) this is 100% 扯不上关系 territory but jing beiyuan @ helian yi 7.0 is arguably an eldritch triangle third point on the aforementioned likeability scale, in that he does his level best to be a non-entity until the plot calls;

and finally to go off on another tangent entirely, d) the fact that mu qing is the only one aside from qi rong shown calling xie lian by name by the end of it (at least that i recall) is giving me Some Kind of feelings. not sure what they are but they're definitely there

omg welcome back 七爷 anon, I missed you and also sdlkfjsdlkj am the worst since I simply never??? responded??? to your previous ask???

in no particular order:

your reading speed is terrifying, I hope you're getting enough sleep, I say this not in a patronizing manner but in a projecting manner in which I hope to manifest this upon myself by manifesting it upon everyone else first

if I had a quarter for every wuxia/xianxia novel that incorporated backstories of unholy complexity refracted through the additional mess of dying and returning to life (total makeover optional but welcomed), I'd uh... be decently well off I think. no one ever truly dies and there's no angst like Coming Back to Life Different, say every danmei/wuxia/xianxia novel ever

this is why I can't read non-speculative lit, what's the POINT if your cosmic saga doesn't travel through the realms of life, death, and undeath several times over the course of its telling

Hua Cheng 🤝 Mei Changsu (🤝 Yan Wushi): top 10 verbal takedowns in literature/film

look Xiao Jingyan is not perfect but we really can't blame him for the fact that everyone was gaslight gatekeep girlbossing him away from finding out Mei Changsu's true identity for 95% of the narrative

like, even his own MOTHER gaslit him about this. I think Xiao Jingyan deserves several hugs in recompense

I see your eldritch triangle third point and I raise you one wangxian, if only for the hilarity of the "gay chicken to throw person off your scent only to have it dramatically backfire in your face" deserves to be on this graph somewhere

#‘还望海涵’ 哎呦不用那么客气 #我还望你海涵呢我一直没回

40 notes · View notes

silviakundera · 3 years

Text

My very unofficial official book review for Lord Seventh, now that I've had time to "sit" on it.

Context: I watched 25 eps of Word of Honor before halting to go back and read the novels.

Now my take-aways: On the whole, I truly enjoyed Lord Seventh and at times it moved me emotionally. By the end I was very invested in the protagonist, the Crown Prince (Helian Yi), and Zhou Zishu. The plotline of Jing Beiyuan being reborn and having to deal with all the baggage of his previous 6 life times and the fascinating, fraught relationship w the ex-love of his life... and his decision to still commit himself to supporting the Crown Prince's faction despite all that messy past: fantastic! In another novel, this would be your standard reborn revenge tropes. But that is ABSOLUTELY not at all the dynamic in play here. Best aspect of the novel for me and made it stand out. So many options to walk away cleanly and he never does, until he is certain that the dynasty has been secured. The complicated, deep mutual misunderstanding & distrust between him and Helian Yi... and yet how they never put all that baggage ahead of the duty they feel to the people as a whole... Dedicating themselves to something greater, beyond love, affection, pride, self-satisfaction. Do I admire them? Hell no. These mofos are screwed up and do terrible things. But do I find them compelling af? YES.

"Helian Yi paused, then slowly took a few steps forward. Under the impression that he wanted to say something, Jing Qi leaned over, only to be caught off guard by the other hugging him. A cheek that had been blasted ice-cold by the night wind was pressed close against his neck, as if he was about to be roughly dragged off his steed and firmly forced into Helian Yi’s arms.

The horse took a few tiny steps in place.

Jing Qi was stunned for a second, hand still clutching the reins, and didn’t know how he ought to react. Three hundred years… he had once waited three hundred years just for this hug. Yet, now that he had long refused to wait any longer, he had been put into this awkward position without warning. His shoulders were pulled down low, pushed into the hollow of Helian Yi’s own. It wasn’t the least bit warm, solely causing sorrow to emerge in one’s heart.

If only… if only, in the previous life, you weren’t the Rongjia Emperor, and I wasn’t Prince Nan’ning. "

The relationship between Jing Beiyuan and Zhou Zishu is also so subtly interesting. There is this quiet respect and rapport between them, always. Late night chats and promises to reunite for another drink, another future day. This unspoken understanding of each other so deep that Jing Beiyuan doesn't blame ZZS for bringing forth the charges to set him up for death in the 1st life. tbh if not for watching some WoH first, I probably would have shipped them and hoped for post-canon Get Together fic.

I must admit I just never really got very invested in the romantic subplot in this one. There some nice shippy moments towards the end, when the lil murder teen becomes a safe place for Jing Beiyuan, but they never thrilled me like the couple in Golden Stage, for instance.

I think one problem is, I just finished watching Nirvana in Fire. I was just far more interested in the political plotline and the romance arc was mostly disconnected from it and happening on the sidelines of the action. I have no issues w this narrative choice and it makes thematic sense. Didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel. It just ended up that I was "ok" with the romance arc. I could see why that's how the protagonist's story ends and I agree it's a happy ending for them. I was satisfied. Just never felt the hype on the canon otp. But I completely see the appeal for others.

I do recommend the novel to anyone who plans to read Faraway Wanderers. He's not the main character but it gives you so much context for where ZZS is coming from and why he would vibe with the Valley Master so well, why he's so lackadaisical about all the chaos and violence happening around him. (And Jing Beiyuan is a WAY more intriguing MC than comes across in Faraway Wanderers. If I'd read that book first, never would have thought I'd love a whole book about that dude lol.)

tmw I'll put together my thoughts on TW 🤔

#qi ye #jing qi #qi ye spoilers #lord seventh spoilers #lord seventh #faraway wanderers #word of honor #jing beiyuan is so tired of everyones bs 24/7 #jing beiyuan #zhou zishu #zzs

30 notes · View notes

helltalia-inc · 2 years

Text

Question about the gift exchange:

Would you like to have a theme for it?

If yes, what theme would you like?

The gift exchange won't be on time for Christmas Holiday, so a Christmas theme doesn't seem like a good idea.

If I was to pick up now a theme it would be horror (and I blame @helian-skies for the spooky content they made for Hetaween... My dark side is now showing 😂). But I know horror isn't everyone' cup of tea, so I wanted to know what the majority would like.

If there are no suggestions, I could either pick horror as a theme or wait to make it a "Valentine's Card Gift Exchange thing". (at least those are the options for now)

#Helltalia-inc #Hetalia #Aph #Hws

12 notes · View notes

verseandrhyme · 3 years

Note

her group is leaving early, and the helian makes haste to say her goodbyes— not that there were many to bid farewell to. still, her preparations are paced with a fair sense of urgency, and she approaches the pink-haired cleric once she is ready to go. it would be unfortunate, should she be unable to see off someone she now considered a friend.

“mitama, i—“ the words halt themselves at the bypass of her lips, fumbling to seal themselves shut as eir realises, belatedly, how sudden she must be coming off. a pause is given, a brief moment to ponder her next words— eir picks them out as carefully as removing flowers of their ends. “… wanted to say goodbye. it is likely we will not have the chance to hear from one another for quite some time.”

there’s a shift in her expression, something that borders on concern and sincerity; eir continues.

“… i know well that we have all grown from our last mission,” she murmurs. at the thought of the ordeal within the sealed forest, her eyebrows crease slightly, only a little short of a frown. eir had begun to grow wary of the missions as issued by the church, though the matter was kept close to her chest. “but forgive me, for worrying. i cannot help but believe that this is no matter less than unsettling.”

“… please, be careful.” eir finishes, hesitantly. she would have offered mitama a hug, had she been less nervous of the other’s boundaries. “i would be at a loss should anything happen to you.”

Mitama had, admittedly, lost track of Eir during the time from the Battle of the Eagle and Lion until now. Much had come to pass since then, and it was natural (although unfortunate), that the two had not had time to talk again since then. Mitama wished they could have seen each other again under more pleasant circumstances.

She waits patiently for Eir to sort through her words, nodding in understanding wherever appropriate. "Goodbye may, perhaps, be a touch dramatic for our departure, no?" Mitama laughs. "At the very least, I hope it to be."

Her smile shrinks at the memories of the forest and Mitama shakes her head. "No, I do not blame you for such worries. In truth, I have little faith we will not find ourselves faced with the same threats, though I hope otherwise. All the same..."

Eir hesitates, hovering, so Mitama moves first, reaching out to take Eir's hand and squeeze it reassuringly. She holds it delicately between her two palms and smiles as best as she can. "You fared well in the forest, for all the deficits stacked against you. I am certain you will be plenty capable in this as well, but...do try your best to avoid any unnecessary risks."

"Distance and absence / weigh in equal gravity / both for good and bad."

#ic #eir support #asphuxia #unlockedcatacombs2021

2 notes · View notes

twilightofthejedi · 3 years

Text

i was listening to taylor swift and i realized that my tears ricochet is the DEFINITION of jing beiyuan and helian yi!

and you’re tossing out blame

drunk on this pain

crossing out the good years

and you’re cursing my name

wishing i stayed

look at how my tears ricochet

holy shit it’s beiyuan talking to helian yi

#qi ye #lord seventh #word of honor #tian ya ke #jing qi #jing beiyuan #helian yi #prince jin

3 notes · View notes

drivingsideways · 5 years

Text

Episode 70

*deep sigh *

It’s clear that FZW by now, has completely lost all trust in NY; or rather she *trusts * him to do all the wrong things.

OH THE FUCKING IRONY OF THIS, LISTEN TO YOURSELF NING YI, YOU REALLY HAVE BECOME YOUR FATHER.

Zhiwei’s single minded focus here is to get her people to safety- a stance that Ning Yi finds infuriating.

I remember the first time I watched this I went DUDE NO DON’T GO THERE DON’T GO THERE DON’T GO THERE

BUT OF COURSE HE WENT THERE

ME: *GASP * DUDE YOU DID NOT YOU DID NOT

Oh Zhiwei. But here’s the thing- in the end, this simplifies things for her? Like, he’s just another man, who thinks he can take what he wants from her, just another man who’s reducing her to her body, and that? that is nothing that she can’t trade for the sake of her people, whom she OWES.

Ning Yi YOU FUCKED UP

SO BADLY I CAN’T EVEN.

me: take it back, take it back, jesus have you lost your fucking mind

Zhiwei starts disrobing: the equivalent of a slap to his face, and you can see he FEELS it.

“Why?” he asks

He’s so angry, he pushes her to the bed- DUDE DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU FUCKING IDIOT

MORAL: WE ALL TURN INTO OUR PARENTS

me: * bangs head on desk *

They cut to that scene where Wei Zhi and Ning Yi had a conversation about how society needs to change (disregard status and connections)

what a fucking tragic call back, my heart is in pieces.

Again, I’m fairly sure a scene cut here ruined some of this: it feels Zhiwei would have something to say here? because the next scene is a jump cut to them sitting together on the bed and she’s all soft and sad and tragic

He also reiterates his wish for peace and prosperity for Tiansheng, and the right to life and dignity for all people-

but it’s tragic that she calls him “Your Majesty”, and not Ning Yi, and his response, heartfelt as it is, is also from that perspective. And so no matter that he is tender and emotional (”I want all your lifetimes”), the man next to her is The Emperor, not just the man she is in love with; and she is the Princess of Dacheng, not just Feng Zhiwei.

OOOOPS.

Yep boy, you’re always going to be the Emperor, even in the bedroom, there’s no escaping it.

Ning Yi tells her that he’ll have proof for her in three days time, and asks whether she will be willing to become his Empress if she is satisfied after that.

The contrast to the first proposal he had made, way back in Minhai, could not be more stark. This is an Emperor negotiating, never mind that he is still desperately in love with her; but love and possession and power are too mixed up now, and he doesn’t know how to untangle it. Neither of them does.

Later, she comes to the former residence of the Prince of Chu

ARGGHHHHH THESE TWO ARE SO GREAT IN THIS SCENE,and i love how this is set in this room, with the masks, and how Ning Yi swings between being just himself and being The Emperor (even when he clearly doesn’t want to)

When he takes a step toward her, she steps back!

Me: OH NO, OH NO. THIS IS TOO PAINFUL TO WATCH.

AND SO HE STEPS BACK TOO.

I’m just going to be wailing for the rest of the time.

Yueling is brought out (by Gu Nanyi, which, what?? NO EXPLANATION FORTHCOMING) - but Zhiwei can only remember her brother’s telling her that he loved Yueling and that she must trust her. Turns out that *Yueling * stabbed Helian Zheng to death.

me: *rolling eyes * This show is so transparent in its attempts to make NY a “hero” despite all the awful things he’s done. Like the whole Helian Zheng thing is twisted in a most unfuckingbelievable way to make it that NY *didn’t * kill HZ. Outrageously bad writing there, I can’t even.

Yueling’s anger spills over

(Note the similarities to what happened with Zhu Yin)

Feng Zhiwei tells her that she is willing to lose her life to make sure Yueling is safe, but she must give up her plan to destroy the Ning family.

Ning Yi interrupts to say, she doesn’t want you dead, she wants you and me to turn against each other, she wants Tiansheng to destroy Dacheng so that you and I can never go back, and he vows that he will not let that happen.

She brings up Ya Le, Lady Wang and Helian Zheng’s deaths, blaming the both of them for it. You both have so much blood on your hands, she says.

She confesses to killing Ning Shizheng, but Ning Yi doesn’t let Ning Cheng immediately kill her, he orders that she be taken to the Ministry of Justice to await trial.

Alone together, Ning Yi tells her that the truth is hard to bear, and that sometimes it is best not to know.

Meanwhile, Ning Ji tries to convince Ning Qi to turn himself in. There’s a jump cut, so we’re not clear whether his argument actually works, but the next scene is that Ning Qi goes to the Prince of Chu’s residence to meet Ning Yi. They face off against each other, and then DUN-DUN-DUN-

Ning Shizheng is ALIVE!

Honestly, on the first watch, this PLOT TWIST shocked me, but I still find it kind of ...unnecessary?

Ning Qi and Ning Shizheng have a confrontation, with Ning Qi clinging to the edict , like, at the end of the day, it’s the only concrete sign he has that his father may, possibly, once, have loved him. GAH. FUCKING TERRIBLE. :’(

Again, really weird scene cuts- when Ning Qi comes in, there’s only Ning Cheng and Ning Yi in the room. When the Emperor comes in, he’s accompanied by Official Zhao and Yujin. After the flashback to the night of the coup, we come back to the room- and suddenly we have Xin Ziyan and Ning Ji in the room- WHAT????

Me: *tearing out my hair * WHY DID THIS SHOW GO AND RUIN BASIC STUFF LIKE SCENE CONTINUITY IN THE LAST STRETCH

Ning Qi demands that Ning Yi be punished for killing Lady Wang, and finally, finally, Xin Ziyan admits that he was the one.

Oh Ning Yi. What were you planning to do, if Ziyan hadn’t admitted it? (Luckily we don’t have to find out, because I’m sure it would have been something terrible)

The revelation of the miscarriage shocks Ning Qi- “Child?” he keeps saying, “child?”.

Because this entire fiasco is really about their totally fucked up father, and his inability to be a good parent.

Ning Qi stabs himself with the hand with his hair pin

the answer to that is pretty much, NOPE.

Have you not been paying attention, Ning Qi?

God, Ning Shizheng needs to DIE.

In the end Ning Qi is taken away to Zongzheng Temple, completely unhinged.

It’s a very distressing scene, and everyone there is deeply affected by it, and you can see the mix of pity and revulsion on their faces, except the Emperor, who, having survived a murder attempt is probably still bitter about having to give up the throne...ugh.

After Ning Shizheng leaves, Ziyan and Ning Yi are left together.

Ziyan finally comes clean, and also, it seems, finally recognizes Ning Yi’s right to the throne

but Ning Yi has already lost too much, too many people

Ning Yi is too wearied by the losses already, and chooses to let Ziyan go free (or at least that’s the implication) p.s I had to look up what the “Ten Abominations” mentioned in the oath Ning Yi takes as the Emperor were i.e. which crimes did not come under the general amnesty he announces on his ascension and ha, consequently the “Eight Deliberations” i.e. which crimes may be forgiven and for what reason- and I suppose Ziyan could be forgiven on several of those counts, legally and ethically as per the conventions of that time, but honestly, in this case, it really is that Ning Yi cannot bear to lose his friend (though, in a certain sense, the distance between Ziyan and The Emperor will now always remain, as we see below)

HANDHOLDING! OH NO, KILL ME NOW.

Ziyan takes a step back- leaving Ning Yi’s hand empty (me: :’((

oh no

:’((

Somebody rescue my sad murder bae from his lonely fate :’((

Meanwhile, Feng Zhiwei finally confronts Ning Shizheng

area man is shocked by local news at 10

Sigh. Her fight to exist as her own person, to get to choose whom she wants to be during this story has been even more intense than Ning Yi’s, actually. Being a woman in a patriarchal, misogynist world has meant that she’s had to fight every step for her freedom. It is only Qiu Mingying (another woman) who finally says “let her be whoever she wants to be”.

She confronts him about the deaths of her mother and brother

me, whispering softly: oh no oh no oh no

me: * lies down on the ground *

Literally every man in her life has tried to force her to being the shape that they want or need her to be, and expected her to follow, and like in this case, be grateful for it. Whether that was Master Zong (her first teacher), or Ning Yi (her lover) or Zhangsun Hong (her brother).

THAT’S RIGHT GIRL

But Ning Shizheng is more than a match for her, a man who knows exactly how to wield a knife and how deep it will go. He asks her whether Ning Yi has asked her to be the Empress, whether she thinks that will turn out well. Your identity as Dacheng’s heir will be a thorn in his side, he says. and it will turn to bitterness and resentment.

look at her face, oh no oh no

me: *gasp *

OH THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION. IS HE, IS HE?

I’ll be honest: I don’t know, and I think Feng Zhiwei doesn’t know either, and that’s not a good enough answer.

and then the MOST TERRIBLE SCENE OF ALL

GOD HE CAN’T EVEN LOOK HER IN THE EYE FOR LONG AS HE ASKS WHETHER SHE WILL HONOUR THEIR PROMISE

She asks for three days

me: Zhiwei, Zhiwei, wait, wait , wait , think about it, take a year off, take two years off *whimpering *

me: *wailing * GO AFTER HER YOU STUPID MAN GO AFTER HER YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN SHE’S ACTING HOW MANY TIMES HAS SHE DONE IT IN FRONT OF YOU

Zhiwei goes off to settle things so that the remnants of Dacheng can be safe in Minhai. Honestly, Yan Huaishi is the only valid person in this entire clusterfuck, fight me.

After they leave, she says

Zhiwei, retain some of that hope for yourself, gdi.

Nanyi renews his vow to go where she goes.

This is the part I really don’t get- would she really do that to him? Leave him alone in the world? I can’t believe it :’(

I would have absolutely accepted an ending where she takes him and they leave? Like, if anyone can swing that, it would be her.

But I think this is where the weight of everything that has happened to her, the seeming inevitability of it, seems to have finally broken her.

And so, like Ning Shizheng had predicted, it is a harsh winter.

So look- I said earlier that on the rewatch, I could see that they were telling a different story than what I had first imagined: that the central conflict is not between individuals but between individuals and Fate, and the writers come down on the side of “Fate” winning, all the time.

With that in mind, I suppose, you can see her suicide as a last act of resistance- “you are free” says Ning Yi to her, in his last soliloquy. She escapes her “Fate” through death; but he remains alive and bound to it. Theoretically, I can see how that works?

But on another level, I still can’t accept it specifically because she’s a woman, and how they wrote that story. While Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei have parallel arcs about identity and finding their place in the world, and fighting Fate for their freedom, only one of those two arcs ends in death.

Her anger- which we are only allowed to see in flashes, and always, is almost just as quickly, undermined- especially, especially at the end, when it is turned at the “hero” of the story. Her anger is transmuted in the writing to despair and sorrow. I was reading a Leslie Jamison quote the other day that hit me so hard, because I was watching this at the same time. A woman’s anger is not seen as “manageable”, we would rather see her sad, than angry. A corollary to that is that the anger and sorrow must be- has to be- turned inward, upon herself than outward. Men, on the other hand- well, we know how that goes. And that’s why, at the end of the day, Ning Yi’s sorrow can be (hypothetically) turned into a vision of a utopian empire; his anger and power seeking (morally justified in the writing, over and over, because of the terrible things that happen to him, upto and including the fact that Zhiwei leaves him behind in the end) can be rewarded, in some way; not that he’s not tragic, like sure, there’s the whole metaphorical sacrificing of himself (Liulang) for the man he is destined to be- it’s that he’s left alive. With life, there is always possibility. Besides, being a man, HE HAS THINGS TO DO LIKE RUNNING THE WORLD. NATURALLY. So Ning Yi is left with possibility, and a final breakng-the-fourth-wall-look-into-the-camera-as he promises to Fulfill his Mission- while Feng Zhiwei- no, she’s not allowed that, she can only throw herself off a cliff (and float through the air, as though someone ending their life because they can’t see their way forward is beautiful.)

Well, anyways, that ends that.

This has been...fun? ahahahahaha, NO IT HAS NOT.

THIS SHOW HAS RUINED MY LIFE.

#the phoenix pit #phoenix drama #a tragedy by any other name

21 notes · View notes

fishylife · 4 years

Text

Spoilers for the rise of phoenixes ep 42.

We finally got to Wei Zhi’s reveal (of actually being Feng Zhiwei). Zhiwei was in prison crying buckets while Ning Yi was suggesting methods for her to get out and I was like NING YI JUST COMFORT HER AND TELL HER IT’S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT!!!

I have a bad feeling about Ning Qi. I read a possible spoiler one time that Zhiwei gets married twice to men who aren’t Ning Yi, so I’m wondering if Ning Qi is going to take on Zhiwei as a concubine?! I think he knows that Ning Yi and Zhiwei have a special relationship, so if he becomes Zhiwei’s husband, then he can hold her hostage and have Ning Yi under his control.

We all thought Ning Qi was going to be a good boy, seeing as how his mom is pretty timid and his wife seems kind and nice too. But I guess he figured that he has a real shot at the big prize here and is going to go for it. He said he didn’t want to be apart from his mother ever again, and I guess realistically the only way he can stay alive with her in peace is if he becomes the emperor (because as we know, many emperors have their brothers put to death to avoid coups).

Helian Zheng panicked a bit when trying to plead for Zhiwei. First, he offered to marry Shaoning, and then after Wei Zhi was revealed to be a girl, he offered to marry her X’D At that point, he was just getting a bit annoying because, like, the Emperor had more pressing manners to worry about, like the fact that his currently most trusted official had been lying to him this whole time. But I think it’s kind of cool that when it comes to Helian Zheng vs. Ning Yi, they’re pretty much on the same page in terms of goals. Helian Zheng cares ZERO about Dasheng politics, he’s just there to have a good time. Where he gets involved is when it comes to Feng Zhiwei’s well-being. He was angry at Ning Yi for throwing her in jail, but I think he will come to understand why Ning Yi did what he had to do. Given Helian Zheng’s crush on Zhiwei, I wonder if he gets married to Zhiwei at some point. It would make sense. I think Zhiwei tolerates him (like, as a friend, but an annoying one), and the only barrier between them is that Zhiwei doesn’t have romantic feelings for him.

Meanwhile Qiu Mingying and fuzi are trying to get Zhiwei out of prison as well. Other than Ning Qi marrying Zhiwei, there is also a good chance that Gu Nanyi + company try to bust Zhiwei out of prison, but leave an obvious sign of who they are, which causes Dasheng to reopen the case of the ninth prince from the last dynasty.

Oh yeah, about Shaoning. I do feel bad for her. I can imagine that she must feel humiliated, especially since she’s a princess and all. I think she will outwardly show hate to Feng Zhiwei, and will also hate Ning Yi even more now. I don’t think Zhiwei has any chance of getting on Shaoning’s good side and convincing her to not do treasonous things, at least not in the near future. Maybe in the far future though.

Back to the scene between Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei in prison though. Ning Yi’s two ideas involved (1) pretending that Feng Zhiwei was pregnant by Ning Yi and (2) showing the secret note asking Feng Zhiwei to pose as a man to enter the academy. Either way, Ning Yi was willing to put his reputation on the line, but it’s because he has a better chance of pleading for a lighter sentence for himself as a royal prince (if he took on all of the blame). He doesn’t like to show it on his face, but he cares a lot about Feng Zhiwei. After all, she is his little leopard ;v; I loved it when he reminded Zhiwei that she has nine lives. Feng Zhiwei said that she couldn’t put all of the blame on Ning Yi, even though he did technically arrange for her to enter the academy. She said she’d rather die TAT This is the closest we’re ever going to get to a love confession between these two right now and the slow burn is KILLING ME.

That being said, I still appreciate that these two characters are like this. They will always put their professionalism first because it is their means of survival. Their love has to come second to that, but they make it work. They show their love with banters and jokes when they get the chance, and also doing massive favours for each other (i.e. backing each other up when it comes to going against political rivals). Given that Ning Yi is currently the most senior prince at court who is very firmly in the political game, he knows he can never rest. Work for him is 24/7. But keeping Zhiwei alive is the best way he can show her that he cares for her. As for Zhiwei, she understands that Ning Yi has to keep a distance with her, for both of their sakes. Being closely linked puts both of them at risk. So she tries her best.

;_; I can feel the angst building up, and I know it’s going to crush me in an inevitable avalanche of heartbreak.

#thinking out loud #tv #the rise of phoenixes #天盛長歌

0 notes

drivingsideways · 5 years

Text

Episode 65

EPIC BREAK UP Part 1/ 2

Well, episode 65 brings fresh pain: Ziyan and Ning Yi are on entirely different trains now.

Ning Yi is happy/relieved to be a commoner now, as long as he has his mother; Ziyan cannot bring himself to tell Ning Yi about what happened to his family that day. He seems to think that Ning Yi was “faking” the whole commoner stunt just to get his mother back and also deflate the Emperor’s suspicions. Uh, not an entirely unreasonable assumption since NY and he have not talked at all since before he ran off to Puyuan. He tries to get “Liulang” interested in what is going on with the so-called Huofeng Gang. He’s desperate to bring down Ning Qi, understandably.

But Ning Yi is not listening at all, and he repudiates all of Ziyan’s “plans” saying he has no wish to get back into the mess that is the fight for the throne. When Ziyan sees that Ning Yi is so happy with his mother, as “Liulang”, he leaves, without telling Ning Yi anything further about what had happened.

Ziyan’s way of processing the trauma is to immediately get into revenge mode/ planning mode/ just DO SOMETHING that will help him re-establish control, but Ning Yi’s refusal is like a slap in the face. He has no place in this new life that Ning Yi is carving for himself, and at the time he needs him most, Ning Yi is abandoning him (or so it must feel like to him).

Although Ning Yi wants Ziyan to be a part of his “new life”, Ziyan, at that moment just can’t.

So of course, Ziyan has to monologue in the moonlight (very pretty, I approve)

Yep, the terrible thing that happens to him certainly brings out all his worst qualities- his vanity and entitlement curdling into self pity, and a desire for revenge. He swears he will bring Ning Qi down. Side note: Ziyan comes from a humble background, and I’m pretty sure schemed and clawed his way up- for such a person, being let down this way (”Heavens have been cruel to me!”)- naturally offends his sense of justice- as per him, he has always been on the side of the angels- so this cruel trick of Fate leaves him angry and lashing out.

Ya Le attempts to tell Ning Yi that he should not give up his dreams- and also warns him that there will still be “enemies” around him who would destroy his happiness. She re-iterates what she’d written in the letter- that he must find his “mission’ in life.

Meanwhile, while Ning Qi is happy to receive confirmation that the Emperor will shortly name him as heir, he is still vastly threatened by Ning Yi’s continued existence. Like XZ, he believes that the commoner thing is only a stunt- and he needs to use the time he has to make sure that Ning Yi is neutralized. Encouraged in this line of thinking by Zhangsun Hao, he has Ya Le kidnapped.

In the kidnap attempt, Zong Cheng is killed by Ning Cheng- unfortunately this is witnessed by Gu Nanyi and further lies by Zhangsun Hao- that it was orchestrated by Ning Yi, who wants to destroy Dacheng- create more complications. Gu Nanyi reports the same to Feng Zhiwei, who resolves to go back to the Capital, to get to the bottom of it. Helian Zheng, upset, tells her he’s divorcing her. Zhiwei decides to return anyway.

Ning Yi confronts Ning Qi about his mother’s kidnapping, but gets nowhere.

The Emperor finds out about Ya Le’s kidnapping and naturally suspects Ning Qi- but doesn’t quite do anything about it. He wants to find a way to get Ning Yi and Ning Qi to resolve their differences.

XZ finally tells Ning Yi about what happened with Erhua and Dahua, and when Ning Yi apologizes for not knowing, he says that he didn’t know about Ya Le’s kidnapping until the fight Ning Yi had with Ning Qi- both of them have kept a distance from each other, but it’s clear that XZ hopes they can reconcile and get back to their former state. XZ argues that Ning Yi being powerless is a worse off situation than before because he still has enemies, but no power to do anything about it. He urges “Liulang” to return to the palace and make good with his father-but Ning Yi is having none of it, refusing to risk his mother’s safety.

Well, that pretty much puts a nail in the coffin of their relationship- except that Ning Yi doesn’t realize it yet. Like their entire relationship has been falling apart over some time- Ning Yi has no real clue about the shit that Ziyan went through during the Qiu Mingying/Feng Hao damage; he has no idea how Ziyan has been holding things together while he was away in Minhai and then Puyuan; conversely, Ziyan is not around for the traumatic revelations that Ning Yi has had re: his parents, the stress (and destruction) of Puyuan etc. They are just not on the same page anymore and basically...forgot to inform each other? And by the time they do have that conversation (like here), too much distance is between them for them to actually understand what’s going on with the other. GOD. And yet, they do care for each other (it wouldn’t hurt so much if they hadn’t) and as we’ll see, their lack of communication REALLY FUCKS THEM UP.

Ning Yi has fought his Fate all his life; the accident of his birth into a royal family has been nothing but pain for him. BASICALLY HE’S LIKE I AM TIRED OF BEING THE HAMSTER I WANT TO GET OFF THIS WHEEL.

Ziyan seems to operate under the assumption there is no getting off the wheel at all. There is a just order and balance to the universe, in Ziyan’s world, and rectifying any imbalances are your sacred duty. In Ziyan’s eyes, Ning Yi has to accept that he is an instrument of Fate as part of a larger purpose (as he, Ziyan also is) and that’s really the bottom line. Also, when it comes to power- Ning Yi was born to it, stripped of it, gets some, and finds himself rejecting it; Ziyan was born without any- and what power he has now is hard won-and so for him, the question of rejecting power is almost unthinkable. He’s secure enough (arrogant enough!) in his self-righteousness to believe that he cannot be “corrupted” by it. And you can see that when he commits a grave moral crime, by any standards, he just cannot deal with it; because to do that would be the end of his carefully constructed self image, it would bring his house of cards crashing. Ning Yi is so much more emotionally aware than Ziyan is; his weakness is that he’s incredibly navel-gazy about it all, and the emotionally abusive childhood leads to him internalizing blame all the time; Ziyan’s just the opposite; his legendary compartmentalization means that the person he’s most dishonest with, is himself.

me: I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOUR ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE TERRIBLE WITH EACH OTHER.

#the phoenix pit #phoenix drama #featuring the kind of break up where one party doesn't realize that the other doesn't love them anymore #OOOOPS

6 notes · View notes