issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Belated thoughts on MDZS and CQL | Untamed:

I did watch the animated version, and read some of the translated novel, but I have to admit that my overwhelming familiarity is with the TV show. I think that explains why:

(1) I cannot stand Xue Yang. No, you can't rehabilitate him in any way or form, not even in a time-travel or AU fic where he's a cute kid who has yet to start holding a sword. I still cannot read any fic about him, and if he is mentioned in all but a passing reference, I scan past or backspace. Similar sentiments go for:

(2) Meng Yao, aka Jin Guangyao. And damn it, first of all I hate his name. It may be a very petty matter, but his dad was Jin GUANGshan, and he calls himself Jin GUANGyao? His dad is a total waste of space, we get that, but MY's name keeps giving me the impression that he totally dissed his dad in the most meaningless way possible. [ETA: Looks like it's more complicated than that, as [personal profile] libitina points out in the comments. (Thanks, [personal profile] libitina!) So the name thing may not be his fault. But I still do not like him. He's like the Yue Buqun of MDZS|CQL-verse.] And in one way (to me) it was totally a foreshadowing of how he perverts everything: as a son, as a father, as a brother, as a husband, as a leader of a sect. I also find it very hard to read fics where his character is rehabilitated, no matter how much Lan Xichen sayangs him.

(3a) Fics where people change their surnames are... puzzling. I admit that it's because in my culture people usually don't change their surnames upon marriage. They might do so for family reasons, such as if you were adopted as a child or if your mum re-married or if you were in a single-parent situation and took your mum's surname. They might use the spouse's surname as a part of a courtesy title (e.g. Mdm Lan*) but they wouldn't change the name itself. To have Wei Wuxian become Lan Wuxian after getting married is just plain OOC to me. It's the height of disrespect to the memory of his own father, and even if WWX doesn't remember his parents, I don't think he'd want to do that.

*And the logical extension to this name changing schtick is that that Mdm Lan was made to change her name... and that kinda makes me want to throw things.

(3b) I guess I can see the Wen remnants changing their names? On pain of death? They wouldn't do it if it were just because they wanted to support WWX, though. I could see them pretending to take on another name but secretly using their Wen names. Why shouldn't they hold on to it? They'd paid for it in blood.

(3c) Someday I want to write a fic where Lan Sizhui defeats a petty challenger from, say, the Yao sect, by making him shit his pants with fear, by telling him, "I'm not just Yiling Laozu and Hanguang Jun's son - I'm a Wen too, you know."


Fics:

to the act of making noise, wip, past Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Lan Sizhui, angst, by words-writ-in-starlight (Gunmetal_Crown)

a paper friend, AU, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, by savedbythenotepad

acoustic, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, guqin, by hanguang-jacked (nasaplates)
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Talismans, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Yiling Patriarch, explicit, by brooklinegirl

Gathered Herbs & Sweet Grasses, Lan Wangji, Lan Sizhui, by hansbekhart
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Untamed fics:

moon in midday, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, immortality, AU, by Synoshian

He shall wait for eons, immortality, AU, fanon, by ahealthydoseof

Dream a little dream of me, AU, WIP, by Moominmammashandbag
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Averting my eyes from the instrument-playing while re-watching the Untamed. I didn't pay it much attention the first time round, but now it's a bit winceworthy, how the fingering does not match the music.

But the fics!

Linger in the Sun, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Lan juniors realising they're married, case-fic, longfic, the Untamed, by etymologyplayground. This is spectacular.

A Civil Combpaign, and Besieged, Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, combs as courting gifts, by Ariaste

Hearts In Tune, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, modern!fic, WIP, by carryaworld

a million faces (but all i'm seeing is you), Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, modern!fic, Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing, by erlenwein


And one epic:

The Bodhisattva of Jinling, Mei Changsu/Lin Chen, Groundhog year, longfic, Nirvana in Fire, by kimboo_york
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
In addition to the fics I listed the previous post, I also got another gift: Homecoming, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Wen Ning, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, the Untamed, by shirasade

Which is in addition to the fic already gifted to me: Double Date, Meng Shaofei/Tang Yi, Jack/Zhao Zi, HIStory3 - Trapped, by shirasade.

SO MUCH THANKS.

And the reveal that FlyingQuetzal wrote Lets Be Boring, Nam Shin III/Kang So-bong, Are you human too? for me, which makes me grin so hard. Thank you for your time and hard work! I enjoyed reading it.

***

As for me, I wrote Ventures, Lan Sizhui, Jin Ling and Lan Jinyi, with sneak updates on LWJ, WWX and JC, the Untamed. It's not as nicely plotted as I had it in my head, for which I feel twitchy about, but I hope [personal profile] halotolerant was generous enough to overlook that.

I also wrote Since there was no body, Wen Qing survives. Because I badly wanted to write it ever since I first watched the Untamed, but only Yuletide gave me the impetus to actually write it.

Actually, the prompts for Yuletide were quite inspiring, only when I started writing I realised I had to take into account the receipients' DNWs, not that that's a criticism - I mean, Yuletide's a fic exchange and who wants to get a gift that makes them unhappy?

It also means that I get to indulge in my procrastinating habit whilst I plot fics. -_-;;

***

More Untamed | MDZS recs:

Begotten, AU, angsty, pining, Lan Yuan | Wen Yuan, Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, WIP, by ecorie

A Bell That Tells Us to Rise and Fight, AU, Lan Yuan | Wen Yuan, Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, WIP, by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee. Also by same writer, Wait a Minute (Mr. Postman), humour, and delicious humour at that, outside perspective.


ETA: Plus a HIStory 3 - Trapped fic:

Four meetings with Officer Meng (But one with Shao Fei) by weilongfu
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Hope everything had a nice break!


I'm so gleeful to get a Trapped fic, you don't even know. Much thanks to whomever wrote this for me, because it's what I've always wanted! Thank you again!

Double Date, Meng Shaofei/Tang Yi, Jack/Zhao Zi, HIStory3 - Trapped

And I'm so moved that someone wrote this Are You Human Too? fic for me! Thank you so much!

Lets Be Boring, Nam Shin III/Kang So-bong


***

Other recs

The Untamed | MDZS

A Bell That Tells Us to Rise and Fight, AU, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, WIP, by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee

Dimples, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, by bodhan
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
The envy of the world, casefic, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, teaching, the other Lan disciples, by vulnerable_bead. Ooof. I adore this fic.

Business as Usual, Subaru/Seishiro, X/1999, Tokyo Babylon, by AKK, part of the Decagram series. I also adore this fic.

Why does reading fic get in the way of my writing my Yuletide fic...? *plays tiny violin*

***

Though I finally got down a rough sketch of my Yuletide fic, which was a relief considering that it's too late to default (not that I want to). Knowing what to write is half the battle, I swear. I have bits of conversation and action in mind, but creating a narrative is hard. I'm just not a plotter by nature.

Partly also because I keep getting distracted because I have this fic in mind that I really, really want to write, except I have to write Yuletide fic first, and then I want to work on my Trapped AU, and then my Trapped AU WIP. It's frustrating that there are so many competing things that I want to write and I only have that much time, ugh.

But in one sense, this is the first time in my life that I have the luxury of imagining more than a couple fics. Luxury of space and time, I mean: welcome side-effect of living alone. ^__^;
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
1) Re-watching The Untamed again: I'm not the only one who notices that EVERYONE wears the same make of shoes, am I? I mean, this has to do with how the production team does their work, of course, but it's very obvious when you film characters slo-mo-ing into the scene and rich or poor, from Gusu or Qinghe, they all wear the same shoes. Somewhere out in CQL-verse, there is a shoe manufacturer which has a monopoly; and it is probably from the Lanling clan, which explains why they're so wealthy. :p

I'll not ask who makes all those little tassels.

2) Following HIStory3: Make our days count
And it is adorable. And daring, for what it's worth?, in terms of the sexy scenes? I must try a crossover with Trapped soon.

3) Re-watching Story of Yanxi Palace vs watching for the first time, Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace
I do like Zhou Xun lots, but Yanxi Palace wins it for me, being a better story* and a little bit more naturalistic in terms of the relationships between the characters. It has serious moments but knows not to take itself super-seriously. And the costumes and hairpieces are excellent. I watch just to admire the pretty.

ETA

*I mean, at its core it's a story of Wei Yingluo getting revenge even if it takes her 20 years. And she still ends up winning the harem stakes. Who doesn't like that?

Also, both my favourite characters at present have the surname Wei (it's even the same Chinese character). Hm...


***

The Untamed | Chenqing Ling | MDZS, all of the Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (main or background):

Wei Wuxian’s Kidnapping Back and Forth Farce (Starring Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji) by misscam

Inquiry, Lan Yuan | Wen Yuan, background Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji, by incendir

At Your Side, by suzvoy

Dimples, Lan Xichen,by bodhan
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Whoa, I would totally quit and look for a new job if it weren't for the fact that:
(a) I like my job (mostly); and
(b) I hate looking for new jobs;

but boy do I need a nap. And another. And another.

***

The Rock and The River, Chihiro, Spirited Away, by Pi (Rhea)


The Untamed:

Tall Once More in the Spring Wind, Cangse Sanren, Wei Changze (aka Wei Wuxian's parents), OC as Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji's mother, backstories, WIP, by Fayjay

Because I was following MDZS and the Untamed so sporadically, and skipping chapters/episodes, I first came across the backstory about LXC and LWJ's mum in a fanfic, and I thought it was just a fucked up (but typical) fic backstory. My consternation when I found that it was canon... I think I told myself either their mum had hate!sex with their dad, or that LXC and LWJ were adopted.

Anyway, I'm loving Fayjay's backstory.

The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts, WIP, crack, self-referential, Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji, the ducklings' shenanigans, the Untamed, by aubreyli

The Haunting of Wei Wuxian, crack, pupeez4eva
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Minor rantage:

I know some people attach a lot of importance to top/bottom roles in an m/m relationship, but I really, really roll my eyes very hard when a fic writer portrays a situation where the top agrees to switch roles as a special favour and sees it as a sacrifice and something to endure.

***

Untamed fics:

my heart is stone (and still it trembles), Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen, by Christian_Richtown. I can only put this under 'crack' but heeyyy, it's fun. WIP.

Four-Thousand Rules (Which Ones Do You Follow?), A-Yuan, Lan Sizhui, by OnceABlueMoon. Angsty.

Untamed

Oct. 15th, 2019 11:17 pm
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
Takeaways from watching The Untamed:

1. The most entertaining part is the Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's Day Out with the Ducklings. (If it isn't too mean to count WWX running away from dogs.)

2. Japanese music is majorly evil. Ah, China. Never change.

3. You can apparently invent a whole new discipline in demonic arts within 3 months of being trapped in a ditch with no food, no water, and no means of research. Props to WWX.

4. All of the big bad ('cept for the Wen family, they're just power-hungry) have class issues. Ah, China. Never change.

5. The source of wealth of major sects (like wuxia sects) is a total mystery. (Well, I always speculate that they're wealthy landowners, since they don't seem to be good at trading and there's no industry. When this universe enters its equivalent of steampunk/silkpunk industrialisation, watch out.)

6. Guqin totally sounds like guzheng. Not.
issenllo: strawberry thief print from William Morris (Default)
My job is primarily as an explainer of things.

Eg (1):
Me: Your mortgage will be paid off when you sell the property.
Client: Why can't I pay off my mortage a few months after I sell the property?
Also me: *struggles to define "mortgage" in an easy-to-understand way*

Eg (2):
Me: You're supposed to repay your loan with the money you get from the sale.
Client: But I hate handling large sums of money. Why can't you do it?
Me: Because.

Eg (3):
Client: Yes, my wife and I are buying the house. Does she need to come and sign the documents?
Me: *What do you think?* Yes.

So, work has been fun. Add some RL stuff and it's been time-consuming thing after time-consuming thing. Which is another way of saying ficcing is taking more time than I planned. Which pisses me off, because I have all these things in my head to write, and when I come to write them I'm already out of energy, gah.

Part of that could be the new obssession with The Untamed, ahahah, which comes in novel, animated and live action versions, so you're spoilt for choice. Well, it's a good problem to have.

Lan Zhan|Lan Wangji/Wei Ying|Wei Wuxian (I gotta say, I'm loving this birth name & courtesy name thing, it's so layered) fics:

It's Only Time, by etymologyplayground

Grand Pianos Crash Together, also by etymologyplayground

The Heart of a Lan, by cerbykerby

The (Several) Convenient Kidnappings of the Chief Cultivator by the Yiling Patriarch, crack, by misscam

And not forgetting the still unforgettable Trapped:

Every Spark a Conflagration, Jack/Zhao Zi, by skuldchan

Also, is anyone writing Trapped for Yuletide? Because I went to nominate it.

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