Tumgik
#qjj meta
hamliet · 2 years
Text
Enemies to Lovers: Cezhou's Defeats & Victories
Enemies to lovers. Such a popular trope, and such a well-used one in Qiang Jin Jiu. But, as I said here, the ultimate enemy Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye each face is not each other, nor is it the corrupt dynasty or the Biansha Tribe.
It’s themselves. 
Shen Zechuan said leisurely, “I can just admire myself in the mirror; there’s no need for another person.”
“You still don’t know how to have fun.” Xiao Chiye said. “How can self-admiration be as delightful as being admired by me? Both of us have to be reflected in the mirror for it to be aesthetically rousing.”
With glistening eyes rippling with desires, Shen Zechuan asked, “So what’s considered aesthetically rousing?”
“Seeing is believing.” Xiao Chiye checked Shen Zechuan’s temperature. “Try it with me one of these days, and you’ll find out.”
Shen Zechuan is wrong in this passage. He needs to see others around him--especially, of course, Xiao Chiye. Xiao Chiye, too, needs to have Shen Zechuan there to not just be fully alive, but to be fully himself. This begins even before the novel proper begins: Shen Zechuan was saved from the Chashi Sinkhole  by his elder martial brother, Ji Mu, and was then immediately captured by Xiao Jiming, the elder brother of his future other-half. What Shen Zechuan lacks, he finds in Xiao Chiye, and vice versa.
What does it mean to lose yourself, and what does it mean to find yourself? Well, let’s look at Cezhou’s losses and victories, shall we? Specifically, their first major military losses operating on their own: to Huo Lingyun and to Hasen, and then their final military victories on their own: over Qudu and over Hasen.
Defeat: Huo Lingyun and Hasen 1.0
Both Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye experience a defeat at their first conflict with Huo Lingyun and Hasen. The difference, of course, is that Xiao Chiye’s defeat is in-person, while Shen Zechuan’s defeat is via his representatives in Fei Sheng and his troops. This fits with Shen Zechuan’s role, as observed by Xiao Fangxu: “Men like this can’t fight battles, yet they can come out on top to stand upon a mountain of corpses amidst a sea of blood.” 
Through seeing how Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye interact with these respective foils in Huo Lingyun, Hasen, and Li Jianting (all five of whom claim legacies via seeking revenge for family; in 4/5 cases it’s their fathers specifically), we can see not only the central flaws Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye each respectively overcome, but what the novel is trying to say about what it means to get to know yourself, what it means to create a lover from an enemy, and what victory over an enemy actually is. 
Tumblr media
Shen Zechuan and Huo Lingyun
How Shen Zechuan finds himself seems pretty clear. Throughout the novel Shen Zechuan slowly gathers allies, who all represent parts of himself:
Ji Gang: desire to live and grief
Xiao Chiye: strength and family
Qiao Tianya: bitterness and loss
Yao Wenyu: physical weakness
Gao Zhongxiong: shame
Fei Sheng: the search for a purpose
Hairigu: his mother’s legacy
Huo Lingyun: trauma
Qi Zhuyin: non-conforming and underestimated
Hua Xiangyi: kindness
This list is by no means exhausted and is simplified, but you get the idea. Not to mention, most of these people have, at some point perhaps with the one exception of Ji Gang, been an enemy or at the very least a rival of Shen Zechuan’s. 
Shen Zechuan starts the novel with nothing, with every part of his life seemingly over except for the physical, which is locked up. Of course that’s symbolic too: Shen Zechuan’s primary internal conflict is in locking himself up and hiding his true nature. 
Shen Zechuan’s true nature is not fierce either: it’s wounded and empty; submissive, no, but hollow all the same. Yes, he bites back, but because he was first bitten. He has little purpose or drive: yeah, he’s leading a rebellion, but why exactly? He’s not great at answering that question, because to answer that question would mean admitting certain things about himself that he would rather not.
Yet, Xiao Chiye is aware of Shen Zechuan’s true nature from the start. It’s important that Shen Zechuan becomes completely unable to hide it during a physical act (sex) because the physical is Shen Zechuan’s sacrificial mask in other circumstances, but not with Xiao Chiye. Instead, the physical heals with Xiao Chiye. 
He could not keep up an ounce of pretense, and what remained of “Shen Zechuan” lay fully exposed before Xiao Chiye. This was a side of him that Shen Zechuan himself could not bring himself to face. All that had to do with hypocrisy, deceit, and hostility was swept up into the tidal waves of desire.
So what is this part of himself Shen Zechuan cannot face? Shen Zechuan has been hurt his entire life. In contrast to Xiao Chiye, he does not need to defeat himself. He needs to embrace and accept every part of himself in order to find his purpose. These hypocrisies, deceits, hostilities, betrayal and loyalty and hatred, are all most blatantly embodied in Huo Lingyun.
Huo Lingyun, like Shen Zechuan, operates from the shadows and masks his true self. He sets up an elaborate plan to get revenge for his father’s death at King Li’s hand, but uses his own body as bait for it (much like Shen Zechuan continually does, to Xiao Chiye’s chagrin: while Huo Lingyun’s bait is sexual and Shen Zechuan’s is violent, they are both still sacrificing their bodies for a cause).
Huo Lingyun is sexually abused by King Li and then by Cuiqing, and then has the woman torn apart by dogs. The woman is the one who raised and sold Shen Zechuan’s mother--even if not as a prostitute, there is certainly a sense of poetry to this woman being finally destroyed by a clear parallel of Shen Zechuan. Huo Lingyun succeeds by acting as if his father meant nothing to him, when in actuality, his father meant everything to him.Shen Zechuan also starts off motivated in part by a father, to prove that “Shen Wei never collaborated with the enemy.” And indeed Shen Wei didn’t, but it was precisely Shen Wei’s intense fear of being seen as collaborating with the enemy that led to him strangling Bai Cha, a woman who was not only Shen Zechuan’s mother but one of the few people who cared for others no matter their heritage.
So, who then is Shen Zechuan really fighting for? Just for himself? He states that this is the case:
“Regardless of who my parents are... I am Shen Zechuan... I am my own nightmare.” ... Shen Wei, Bai Cha.   He did not care for them at all. 
Surely this is somewhat true, but is this entirely accurate? Shen Zechuan is a highly unreliable narrator, holding the reader at a distance as he holds most people (save Xiao Chiye). It might have been accurate when he spoke it, but it is almost certainly not actually accurate considering he didn’t even know his mother’s story at the time. When he accepts his mother’s true story from Hairigu, he gains new allies in those his mother helped save.
Similarly, when Shen Zechuan accepts Huo Lingyun, he gains another new ally (and invigorate the flagging loyalty of Qiao Tianya). Huo Lingyun is first introduced to Shen Zechuan as a prisoner in shackles too heavy for him, and Xiao Chiye initially dislikes him. (Fei Sheng’s attitude towards Huo Lingyun is a mirror of Xiao Chiye’s attitude towards Shen Zechuan too.) It’s all very much a callback to the first chapters of the novel, and a challenge to Shen Zechuan to acknowledge the parts of himself he would rather not: his weakness, his suffering, and the consequences of his actions.
Everyone mistrusts Huo Lingyun, for good reason, just as they mistrusted Shen Zechuan. Huo Lingyun doesn’t do himself a lot of favors when he insults Xiao Chiye. But, it is then significant that Xiao Chiye stands up to him and helps Huo Lingyun find a place, because this moment reflects how Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan are polishing each other by working together like iron sharpening iron. Shen Zechuan gives Huo Lingyun a chance symbolizes him giving the worst parts of himself a chance to improve, trusting Xiao Chiye to hold them in check.
Xiao Chiye and Hasen
If Shen Zechuan’s motif is finding and specifically gathering, Xiao Chiye’s is in losing. But, he’s a victorious general, obviously, though this by no means comes easily to him. By the time he’s faced his first loss in battle, he’s already lost in other ways:
His home
Tantai Hu (whom he gains back, but the point is that Xiao Chiye has to first lose things to get them back)
His friend, Li Jianheng
Xiao Jiming has been defeated
His own reputation is shot
But how do you tame a wild animal? As is noted by Xiao Chiye himself with Meng, the falcon, through hardships. Torture even, breaking its will, etc. Hence, it makes sense that for Xiao Chiye to tame himself, he has to lose again and again and again.
That said, Xiao Chiye faces no military defeat until he does at Hasen’s hand. And in contrast to Shen Zechuan’s standoffishness creating his own defeat with Huo Lingyun via Fei Sheng, it’s Xiao Chiye’s activeness that creates his defeat:
Xiao Chiye thought he was taking the initiative, but he was, in fact, paralyzing himself. Right from the moment he decided to turn around and head for the Tudalong Banner, he had already fallen into the role of the passive player.
Hasen himself takes note of this:
“His desire to win is too strong... Like my father, he won’t allow himself to cower and retreat. This is his strength, but also his weakness...”
So what saves Xiao Chiye’s life this battle? Well, firstly, Shen Zechuan (even though, as is usual for Shen Zechuan’s battle motif, he’s not physically present):
A loud “THUD” rang out as the blow was blocked by the arm guard Shen Zechuan had gifted him.
And of course, his father riding in to save the day. Xiao Fangxu’s following advice to Xiao Chiye about his defeat is interesting:
“You don’t need seven years to defeat Hasen.” Xiao Fangxu gazed at Xiao Chiye and said, “But you must learn to be tolerant.”
The interesting part of this is that this statement occurs within Xiao Fangxu expressing his insatiable desire to win in warfare. What does tolerance have to do with that?
Because the real battle isn’t physical. It’s inside. I’m not saying it’s a trite “believe in yourself” (on the contrary) but instead it’s about taming yourself for the sake of a broader picture. Taming wild beasts is a motif of Xiao Chiye: he tames Meng the falcon, his wild horse, even Shen Zechuan to an extent, but the one he ultimately needs to tame is himself. He can’t act selfishly. He has to act with the good of others in mind, including his family. He has to act with love, which is not the same as acting with desire (hence why it’s symbolic Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan’s relationship starts with being purely physical and slowly becomes something far more intimate).
Xiao Chiye, much like Shen Zechuan, cannot be motivated by simply wanting to defeat enemies, because often enemies are part of you. He must be motivated by those who love him and whom he loves.
Tumblr media
When Xiao Chiye is first brought back to Qudu, he lashes out multiple times at Shen Zechuan because he sees himself in him: an innocent child in prison for the military actions of a father and brother. The only difference is that for Shen Zechuan, it was the Shens’ defeat; for Xiao Chiye, it was Xiao Jiming’s victory. Win or lose; it’s all the same. The children still wind up as prisoners, not just of corrupt kingdoms, but of hatred and warfare and corruption. We see it with Huo Lingyun, with Hasen, with Li Jianheng, Li Jianting, and more.
Xiao Chiye and Hasen 2.0
Xiao Chiye then finds himself engaging in a series of victories over Biansha. Well, victories-ish. Because the motif of losing to be tamed is still there.
Firstly, Xiao Chiye loses his father, but then finds some semblance of himself back when he singlehandedly storms the enemy camp to get Xiao Fangxu’s head back. It’s interesting that he interrupts Hasen as Hasen is pondering the reality of what victory might mean:
To both parties, excessive compassion was tantamount to suicide...
What does strict revenge actually offer? The answer is that it offers nothing.
Hasen had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
“But you don’t look very happy,” Wulihan said.
“Not quite what I expected.” Hasen held up the bowl with both hands and remembered his war trophy. “I grew up listening to legends of him. He’s invincible, coming from my father’s mouth.”
Killing just continues the cycle. Xiao Chiye getting his father back is, on the one hand, an incredibly risky and stupid move. On the other hand, he succeeds thematically because he’s driven by pure love for his father. He will not allow his father’s legacy to be a head mocked by enemies. Victory is not in killing or battling an enemy.
Xiao Chiye’s subsequent confrontation with Hasen warns him of what could happen:
He stared at Hasen and said, one word at a time, “Give my father back to me.”
Hasen brushed back the red hair that was hanging over his eyes and looked at Xiao Chiye as he said in a cold, detached voice, “Then, when will your father give my brother back to me?”
Xiao Chiye had already sprung closer. He had no wish to hear Hasen speak at all...
Hasen twirled out a new piked dagger between his fingers. He slid those fingers along the cold gleam of the blade and said expressionlessly, “I’m merely returning the favor tit for tat.”
Xiao Chiye has no wish to hear Hasen speak, because compassion has little place in the world of Qiang Jin Jiu’s Dazhou. Or does it? Because Bai Cha’s legacy endures because of her compassion, not in spite of it. Xiao Chiye gets his life saved because of Shen Zechuan’s romantic love, not in spite of it. Xiao Fangxu’s head is rescued because of compassion, not in spite of it.
Yet, Xiao Chiye has already learned an important lesson: to defeat an enemy, you have to learn to think like them. Instead of relying on his own strength and prowess, like he did the first time he fought Hasen, he learns to think like his enemy, and that is what gives him a heads-up (i’m sorry) that something is wrong with Xiao Fangxu.
Xiao Chiye... paced back and forth in the same place and rubbed away those haphazardly drawn lines. He gradually stopped tracing Xiao Fangxu’s path and put himself in Hasen’s position.
To overcome himself, he must think like the enemy. To defeat his enemy, he must overcome himself. Xiao Chiye is as much his own enemy as Hasen is, and everyone realizes this. It’s why the Empress Dowager is convinced Xiao Jiming and Xiao Chiye will turn on each other, why Xiao Fangxu scolds him instead of praising him, and why Shen Zechuan nearly ends up dead from a certain kick. But in each of these relationships, love proves to be an elixir healing them, helping Xiao Chiye paradoxically become more himself and also more like those around him. Chief among these is Cezhou.
Xiao Chiye’s relationship with Shen Zechuan can be seen as symbolic of a new way forward, of making family out of enemies.
Of course, the other party has to be willing, and Hasen is not:
“After tonight, my name will overshadow the Libei Armored Cavalry. I’ll make you people pay back double for what you owed me since the battles on the eastern mountain ranges.”
Hasen claims to be repaying Xiao Fangxu “tit for tat” for Xiao Fangxu killing his brother. But an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. This is the same path Shen Zechuan started the novel on, but thanks to his relationship with Xiao Chiye, has been pulled back from.
We see this thematic line continued through Xiao Chiye fighting two more battles against Biansha.
Firstly, he fights A-Chi at the Chashi Sinkhole by tricking A-Chi into falling into the same trap Xiao Chiye once fell into: being too quick to act. Xiao Chiye even changes the field via literally moving the goalposts to trick A-Chai. He’s learning to see the playing field, the bigger picture beyond his wants and needs. Just like Xiao Chiye’s first loss against Hasen, we see Shen Zechuan’s armguard saving Xiao Chiye’s life.
When Xiao Chiye gets buried in the sinkhole with Lang Tao Xue Jin, it’s symbolic of his primitive, immature, animalistic side being buried. He’s symbolically pulled out of the sinkhole by Shen Zechuan, of course, who is terrified. This accomplishes two things: firstly, instead of losing another beloved person to the sinkhole like he lost Ji Mu, Shen Zechuan is able to pull Xiao Chiye out by his hand. Secondly, it forces Xiao Chiye to experience the human crush Shen Zechuan had barely survived back then, even if only for a few moments, forcing him literally into the experience of someone he once  considered an enemy. Shen Zechuan, too, goes from being a physical yet object guard to being a physical presence pulling Xiao Chiye from the battlefield, and saving him from the trauma he himself experienced.
It’s only after that experience, that empathy and Shen Zechuan’s saving him, that Xiao Chiye is able to grow up at last. Xiao Chiye is given the chance to grow via learning how to work with his enemies--whether they are Biansha or even from Libei (Guo Weili, who attacked Gu Jin). It’s telling that this is the opportunity Xiao Jiming offers Xiao Chiye to prove he’s really ready to fully grow up and lead in their father’s stead: can you reconcile with your enemies? 
And then Xiao Chiye can defeat Hasen at last. This time, Shen Zechuan is not just present in an object, nor does he arrive to save Xiao Chiye after the battle. This time, he’s a physical presence, because the two of them are fully one now.
Tumblr media
That Xiao Chiye will defeat Hasen at last at Duanzhou is a fitting conclusion: it happens in the same place where Shen Zechuan’s nightmare, where the sins of Shen Wei, linger , thereby resolving Xiao Chiye’s need for revenge for his father, and also for Shen Zechuan’s torture after Shen Wei’s defeat and for Bai Cha’s abuse and murder. For Shen Zechuan’s part, he cannot do it all by himself. He can only reclaim his legacy through others (Xiao Chiye, Fei Sheng, Huo Lingyun, Qiao Tianya, etc). 
Xiao Chiye also can only reclaim his trauma through another (Shen Zechuan). Insofar as the trauma concerning Xiao Fangxu’s death is concerned, the final battle at the Chashi Sinkhole is not about Hasen and Xiao Chiye, or Xiao Fangxu. It’s about Xiao Chiye first and foremost saving what he loves in Shen Zechuan. And it’s Shen Zechuan’s presence that gets Hasen and Xiao Chiye to confront one another. That Hasen almost kills Shen Zechuan and indeed wants to use Shen Zechuan’s death to taunt Xiao Chiye is symbolic of Hasen recognizing that befriending your enemies is a new way forward, and not being particularly enthused about it.
Tumblr media
Yet the ultimate end goal is not accomplished with Hasen’s death. Amu’Er continues to want to kill in revenge, even though he himself threatened Hasen to bring results or face his wrath. 
Tumblr media
Duo’Erlan waffles between wanting to save her child and wanting revenge. She and Amu’Er both demand that Xiao Chiye give her back Hasen, much like Xiao Chiye demanded that Hasen give him back his father, and so on. The end of Xiao Chiye’s arc is less about killing Amu’Er as it is about sparing Duo’Erlan (a vengeful, angry, hurting person who lost their home and the people they love; aka she’s a Shen Zechuan foil, and a Xiao Chiye one). Xiao Chiye kills the mighty legendary warrior he has always been destined to be, but saves the future he has (raising a child) despite Duo’Erlan’s begging him to kill her if she can’t get revenge. 
Shen Zechuan, Li Jianting, & the Role of Emperor 
Shen Zechuan’s arc is about his identity, which is not found in the Shens, who rejected him and ignored his existence out of paranoia. It is also not found in a throne or in victory, and it is certainly not found in hatred. Instead, it’s found in acknowledging those who loved him: his allies and their trust in him, his mother and the legacy she left, and the legacy Shen Zechuan builds with Xiao Chiye.
His victory comes when he finds that others need him as emperor, and when he accepts that he can be a good one. One cannot truly become their own person without other people. His victory is in accepting his role with Xiao Chiye’s help. 
In a tragic sense, Shen Zechuan also foils Li Jianting here. In the end, she chose to identify herself with her heritage. If her heritage burned, then she would burn with it. She could see no other purpose, and it’s tragic. 
Conclusion
Xiao Chiye ends up back in Qudu, but this time he is not a prisoner, but the emperor’s husband. It’s not the circumstances that matter but the people. Additionally, Xiao Jiming sends Xun’Er to Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye to raise as heir, a reversal of both Shen Zechuan’s and Xiao Chiye’s circumstances at the beginning. Xiao Xun’s presence is not as a hostage, but instead as an expression of trust in family, of love.
77 notes · View notes
cantalooprat · 1 year
Text
Poyun/Breaking Through the Clouds
What I Liked
the second theme song which rly catapulted my desire to read, songbait is a v strong motivator to pick up new stories 230530 edit: the way the song incorporates a sweet quote from the end of the novel...! hnnnng
the dynamic is 😔👌 i've lowkey been struggling to find this sort of dynamic where they're initially quite sus n distrusting of each other but then the mutual trust n attraction Grows, n also plus points to the rather brash-and-cocky charismatic manly gong and cold elegant shou archetype which i've also been craving lmao
speaking of dynamics, the way their romance unfolds is so?? love how yan xie Falls n it reads a little like early qjj actually, the way the gong stares at the shou even when the shou is doing sth completely mundane but he gets horny n im like, yes i like this, is this trashy of me,
hnng the way the plot slowly unravels and how it all ties into jiang ting's past, is it strange that i like it bc it doesnt seem as galaxy brain as modu lmao
i was actually pleasantly surprised to find that it's v easy to stop in between arcs
230530 completed comments:
the sheer aoe emotional damage it put me through... i love huai shang
i liked the last 2 arcs a lot, the buildup of the plot climax and the sheer emotional turmoil it put me through, damn that scene when yan xie doubted jiang ting and jiang ting went away leaving only "i love you, yan xie" goddddd i cried then when jiang ting doesn't want to die anymore... when jiang ting revealed how he's actually always wanted to spend more time with his comrades and was planning to after case 1009 but it all went up in flames... captain jiang is now no longer alone /cries
their wedding... very sweet, very fun. yan xie being the utter straight man and yet the one having pre-wedding anxiety and jiang ting, the indulging wife lmao i love that it was sunny and bright, it was an ending that's truly breaking through the clouds
and the love story hnnnnng i rly... rly just love it so much. jiang ting rly does love yan xie a whole lot. he might be a lot more subdued in his emotional expression but that doesn't mean he loves yan xie any less y'know?
and also the way jiang ting uses up all of yan xie's pu'er tea cake that's meant for his future wife lmao i think abt it sometimes. n i'm just so. it was all meant to be from the very first time jiang ting consumed those tea cakes.
What I Disliked
lmao the way yan xie's Manliness™ is emphasized literally like every chapter does get kind of grating sometimes like yes i understand he is bursting w male hormones i dont need to keep being reminded how strong his chest muscles r n how he looks lean when clothed but absolutely ripped when shirtless😭
the romance was. in hindsight it was very fast. like i kind of understand that ~40 ch in meta wn terms is like... normal pacing, but within the story only like 1-2 months have passed n they just?? trusted each other so fast?? n fell super fast???
not exactly dislike but like the v v v obvious sequel bait lmao like it was clear huai shang was planning tunhai alrd
Notes
221120 actually im not done w poyun yet😭 ive read like 92 of the total 160ish ch total, at a stopping point where i've consumed fluff n smut n b4 the next case picks up. will prob continue reading when arc 3 is done??
230530 it is 00:30 and i just finished poyun. i actually completed poyun earlier than qjj...
2 notes · View notes
hamliet · 2 years
Text
I Am My Own Nightmare
Rereading Qiang Jin Jiu and getting so. much. more. out of it the second time around caused me to notice a recurring motif throughout the story. Actually, several motifs, like that it is way more based in alchemy than I first thought--
But anyways. The motif I want to talk about is that of Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan rescuing each other (and themselves) from their worst nightmares. 
Chapter 96: Leaving Qudu
Xiao Chiye flipping over a city wall to rescue Shen Zechuan, who is trapped inside and probably about to get himself killed in a futile attempt to save his Teacher Qi Huilian is literally Xiao Chiye facing his own nightmare of being stuck forever in Qudu. At this point, Xiao Chiye’s been trapped in Qudu for years as a glorified hostage to keep his own father and brother in line, and it was all futile anyways. In the end, Xiao Jiming still got poisoned and defeated and injured, and Xiao Fangxu still had to return to the battlefield. Li Jianheng got killed too. 
Tumblr media
(art by Jianyachi on Twitter, who has given permission for use)
So, Xiao Chiye rescues Shen Zechuan from Xiao Chiye’s nightmare... only to symbolically see that Xiao Chiye is not facing just his own trauma, but the trauma Xiao Chiye inflicted. Everything about the confrontation between Shen Zechuan and Han Cheng is a callback to the start of the novel, from Qi Huilian being dragged before the city gate in chains just like Shen Zechuan was to Han Cheng’s demand that Shen Zechuan humiliate himself to save his Teacher. 
A disheveled Qi Huilian was dragged out. He fell into the rainwater and cursed, “Treacherous traitor!”
Yanking at the chain, Han Cheng spurred the horse forward and dragged Qi Huilian through the streets. He pointed at Qi Huilian and said to Shen Zechuan, “Haven’t you been looking for him for a long time? He’s here! Shen Zechuan, come and get him!”
“Traitor, traitor!” Qi Huilian was boiling with fury as the dragging smeared his face with muddy water.
Han Cheng looked at Shen Zechuan’s pale face, then at the dark expression in his eyes. He said, “Your eldest brother is the Hereditary Prince of Jianxing, I remember that the Biansha Cavalry dragged him to his death alive. But there is no love lost between you both, so you weren’t hurt by it at all. Are you hurting now that it’s your teacher’s turn today?”
Han Cheng mistakes whom it is he’s symbolically giving a “turn” to. It’s not reminding Shen Zechuan of Shen Zhouji, whom he didn’t even know, but Shen Zechuan’s own being dragged before the city gate to be kicked to death by Xiao Chiye that he’s alluding to. Learn to read, Han Cheng! (this is a joke, but also shows how Han Cheng misunderstands whom Shen Zechuan is loyal to; his filial piety has nothing to do with his blood family, nor should it).
Han Cheng then asks Shen Zechuan to do this:
“...If you still want him to live, then kowtow to me and admit your mistakes! Kneel and call me ‘father’ loudly three times, and I’ll spare him, and you as well!”
Shen Zechuan strode a big step forward and said, “Deal!”
Which of course calls to mind Xiao Chiye’s request in front of the temple years ago:
Xiao Chiye retracted the whip and said, “You can say anything, but who knows whether or not they are true. How about this? Bark a few times like a dog. Once I’m satisfied, I’ll let you off tonight.”
Shen Zechuan said nothing.
The Squad Commander was scared witless by Xiao Chiye’s eyes and shoved Shen Zechuan a few times.  
The color drained from Shen Zechuan’s face as he said timidly, “… At least let me do it before you alone.”
Xiao Chiye then flips back over the wall, descending into his own nightmare to pluck Shen Zechuan out, and has to face his previous self: selfishly making cruel demands of a boy he knew nothing about, willing to kick a battered and beaten man while he’s already chained. He sends Meng, a symbol of Xiao Chiye’s free nature, to claw Han Cheng’s eye out. To leave Qudu, Xiao Chiye’s nightmare, and find freedom, Xiao Chiye has to first face the worst parts of himself--face the fact that his cruelty and aggressiveness can imprison not only others, but the best parts of Xiao Chiye. It’s pretty telling that after this rescue, Xiao Chiye promises Shen Zechuan that he should never have to be in pain again, and tells Shen Zechuan he loves him. 
Chapter 174: Burning Tower
Of course, we have to talk about the chapter where Shen Zechuan declares that he is his own nightmare. 
“Regardless of who my parents are,” Shen Zechuan turned his head to the side and whispered into his ear, “I am Shen Zechuan. Whether your word is the truth or a lie is of no significance to me at all. I am my own nightmare.”
...
Shen Wei, Bai Cha.  
He did not care for them at all.
Is this true? Well, ish. I’ll write more about this another time. Shen Zechuan is not exactly a reliable narrator. It may be somewhat true in how he regards himself, for sure, but it isn’t true at all in how the world regards him, and how the world regards him does affect him whether he wants it to or not. 
The symbolism of this scene is that Shen Wei’s legacy is a burning tower trapping Shen Zechuan with seemingly no escape. Lei Jingzhe then tells Shen Zechuan something that should make him look twice at himself:
“You’re really the world’s most pitiful child. Do you know how Bai Cha died? Shen Wei found out her real identity, then strangled her to death with his very own hands. You were born of abhorrence. Why did Shen Wei raise you? Did you think you were regaining lost grounds when you crawled your way out of the Chashi Sinkhole and returned to Zhongbo after experiencing all that hatred and sorrows?” He let out a dreary laugh and said cruelly, “You made it all out to be so incredibly touching, but you didn’t expect it, did you? No one will accept you for how you are. If Libei were to find out who Bai Cha is, Xiao Chiye’s blade would turn on you.” 
He challenges Shen Zechuan’s identity at its core, asking if he really is Shen Wei’s son, asking if he really is born of love or of assault, asking if he is part Biansha, the army that traumatized Shen Zechuan at the Chashi Sinkhole and took away Ji Mu and Hua Pingting. He tells him that no matter, once Xiao Chiye finds out, he will turn against Shen Zechuan. The truth is muddled here, some parts honest and some parts lies, all cruel: symbolic of Shen Zechuan’s relationship with the Shen legacy.
But here’s where Lei Jingzhe is wrong: even if he had been telling the truth about Bai Cha (and he wasn’t), Xiao Chiye would not have turned against Shen Zechuan. Their loyalty to one another is not born out of some sense of filial piety or tradition or even bloodline: it’s out of love. If Shen Zechuan were to find out everything he thought he knew about his family was a lie that went up in flames, if he fell from that pyre, Xiao Chiye would still catch him. Which is exactly what Xiao Chiye does. 
Tumblr media
(art also by Jianyachi on Twitter; please support them!) 
This scene also challenges Shen Zechuan, though, to face what his parents might be and to actually consider what he wants and why. If he wants to reunite and lead Zhongbo, he can’t do it just because he’s Shen Wei’s blood, and he can’t do it without facing Shen Wei’s legacy. Lei Jingzhe calls out Shen Zechuan’s own hypocrisy here: he needs to face his legacy and the worst possibilities of who he is and what he could become in order to move forward. If he wants to move forward, he has to look back and ask himself to what extent these legacies matter. With Xiao Chiye to catch him, he’s able to leap off the worst possibilities of what his past might be and to let it burn.
There’s another similarity with Shen Wei that Shen Zechuan has to face during this confrontation with Lei Jingzhe. Shen Zechuan had considered himself a weapon rather than a person for so long (which infuriates Xiao Chiye off to no end; hence why he was so angry after Shen Zechuan risked his safety atop the burning tower). He uses his own body as a weapon, and risks himself carelessly. And this is directly compared what Shen Wei did:
When Shen Wei was once again faced with the choices presented to him as he stood before the fork in the road in front of him, he hesitated for only a moment before ending her.    
He was a blade.
Who eventually stabbed himself bloody.
It of course also calls back to Xiao Chiye’s own mentor, Zuo Qianqiu’s, decision to shoot an arrow through his wife to defeat his enemy. Zuo Qianqiu considers himself to have died when he shot that arrow, after all, and the message is clear: fear and love do not coexist, and if you live in a place where the worst parts of yourself remove what you love, then... you might know yourself, but you also might be afraid of yourself. 
Choosing duty over loved ones is not always the best answer (Shen Wei, Zuo Qianqiu--Shen Zechuan’s father; Xiao Chiye’s mentor, though of course Zuo Qianqiu is able to then learn to love his students and come back to the effort for them). Choosing love over duty is also not always the right answer (see, Mu Ru and Li Jianheng). Yet, sometimes love is the right choice (Xiao Fangxu, Ji Gang; Xiao Chiye’s father and Shen Zechuan’s mentor) especially when tempered with wisdom. It’s a complex theme that is more question than answer, and this scene forces Shen Zechuan to ask who he is, but the fear can be soothed by love. The nightmares might not cease, but you can walk through them with others.
Tumblr media
And that’s precisely what Shen Zechuan does, and finds himself in Xiao Chiye. The parts of him that are a blade, a weapon, are tempered by Xiao Chiye, and the parts of Xiao Chiye that want to imprison others as he himself was once imprisoned are challenged and tempered by Shen Zechuan. These traits of theirs are both flaws and strengths, and they compliment each other perfectly. 
With the case of the Zhongbo troops’ defeat unraveled, the primary issue Shen Zechuan faced was not only the threat of the cavalry from the east, but also how he should naturally progress to stand on his own feet under the stain of Shen Wei’s name...
“During my time in Duanzhou, I thought that if there ever came a day when I grew up, I would change my family name and take on shifu’s family name to become a Ji. Then I’d be a squad commander in Duanzhou, just like my big brother.” Shen Zechuan glided his fingers along gently; he was like the imprisoned moonlight as he lay here in Xiao Chiye’s arms. “But then, while at Zhao Zui Temple, I came to the realization that I would still be Shen Wei’s son even if I were to change my family name.”
With a face that bore a striking resemblance to Bai Cha, all traces of Shen Wei seemed to have been erased by his mother. But those traces lay concealed deep within him, manifesting into a different kind of insanity... 
Xiao Chiye could succeed in keeping Shen Zechuan under lock and become Shen Zechuan’s sheath.
... 
“They all say that I resemble my old man.” Xiao Chiye looked at Shen Zechuan, “When I was sent to Qudu, I thought it was a punishment, because I had once been complacent over it. There in Qudu, I wanted to strip off the part of me that belonged to Libei...”
That was a sort of restless torture. Xiao Chiye did not even know who he should hate during that period of time. He knew that his father and brother were not at fault—he could only hate himself...
“You may be Shen Wei’s son,” Xiao Chiye whispered, “but you’re mine.”
Through this encounter, Shen Zechuan has to face his hypocrisy: like Lei Jingzhe, he can betray and manipulate and use others, and he is Shen Wei’s son. But, Xiao Chiye protects him from himself (as a sheath protects a blade’s owner from stabbing themselves).
Chapter 208: Chashi Round 2 
In one of the latest released chapters, Xiao Chiye tricks the Biansha troops to arriving at the Chashi Sinkhole and defeats them there. Ish. (For a moment the novel scared me and made me think something happened to Lang Tao Xue Jin, which is utterly unacceptable, but fortunately the horse is fine.)
Of course, throughout the novel Shen Zechuan has been having actual nightmares of the massacre at the Chashi Sinkhole. Waking to find Xiao Chiye with him is of course symbolic itself (especially because they first have sex after Shen Zechuan wakes up from just such a nightmare). 
Tumblr media
Just as the scene in Qudu to end volume 1 puts Shen Zechuan in Xiao Chiye’s waking nightmare, this scene puts Xiao Chiye in Shen Zechuan’s nightmare. Now Xiao Chiye is the one trapped in the Chashi Sinkhole, the place Shen Zechuan lost his older brother, his freedom, his name, and where Biansha then slaughtered so many in Zhongbo. 
...the moment he entered the vicinity of Chashi Sinkhole, that nightmare came surging to the surface like a tidal wave, and the familiar stench of blood choked his nose and throat. Shen Zechuan gasped for air, unable to see Xiao Chiye in the bloodshed.
Shen Zechuan shouted in a grim voice. “Xiao Ce’an—!”
Fei Sheng... jumped up and down, waving his blade as he shouted. “The sinkhole, in the sinkhole, Second Master is in the sinkhole!”
In that instant, Shen Zechuan’s face turned a shade of ghastly white. With icy-cold limbs, he rolled off the horse; even his hands that were holding onto Yang Shan Xue were trembling. Blood seeped through his white robe, wetting it as he stepped over the corpses. All he could see was the sinkhole that appeared in his nightmares millions of times...
Nightmare and reality overlapped. Shen Zechuan had seen his own body strewn among the corpses here before, but he had never imagined that Xiao Chiye would be among those lying here.  
But, some things are different. This time, Biansha is the one who ended up there by mistake, which shows Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan have grown from their traumas and defeats and can reverse their worst nightmares into nightmares  for their enemies--which is exactly what they need to do: face the worst parts of themselves and overcome them, together. Xiao Chiye gets to be the one enacting a trap. Shen Zechuan can pull him out of it, even if Xiao Chiye ends up trapped by his own traps. 
And the worst part of Shen Zechuan’s nightmares he gets to reenact:
Over the course of seven years in which he was plagued by nightmares, Ji Mu turned into a grotesque skeleton. Shen Zechuan forgot what his elder brother looked like; he could not even remember their last conversation.
Why didn’t he pull Ji Mu up?
Shen Zechuan crawled his way out, then fell back in again. In the first few years, he would still lie within and cry inconsolably. And so, “Shen Zechuan” was left behind here.
This time, he is able to pull Xiao Chiye up and out of the sinkhole, and to see his face: 
He dug up the body before Lang Tao Xue Jin among the bloodied mountain of corpses, raking so hard with his hands that they both turned slick with blood. The ‘corpse’ suddenly raised a hand, and grabbed hold of Shen Zechuan’s wrist with speed and accuracy.
“Lanzhou,” Xiao Chiye felt suffocated under the helmet. “Lan…”
Shen Zechuan had already pushed off Xiao Chiye’s helmet. In that whirling snow, he got a clear look at Xiao Chiye’s face, and with no regard for the bloodstains, he hugged Xiao Chiye’s head tightly in his embrace.  
Here, Xiao Chiye is not only a symbolic reflection of Ji Mu, but also of Shen Zechuan himself. He’s pulling Xiao Chiye out of the nightmare, just as Xiao Chiye is pulling him away from his worst self. Xiao Chiye is experiencing what Shen Zechuan experienced before he gave Shen Zechuan that kick years ago. The bloodstains are also symbolic: it doesn’t matter if Xiao Chiye stains him, if Shen Zechuan stains Xiao Chiye. They’ll bear it, together. 
Who Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan have to defeat are not Hasen and the Biansha Calvary, nor are they the Empress Dowager, Xue Xuizhou, and/or the rotten Dazhou Empire. They have to defeat themselves, first, and learn to turn these losses into victory. 
Future Chapter ? Hasen
Tumblr media
Just a theory: there’s one nightmare that Xiao Chiye is noted to have that Shen Zechuan is depicting comforting him from within the story that hasn’t been reenacted yet: 
He heard Hasen, Hasen—this name being shouted everywhere.
This word was a shadow haunting him relentlessly.
At night, Shen Zechuan could not sleep well. He had to wake up every now and then to make sure Xiao Chiye was still there, but when he awoke this night, Xiao Chiye was not inside....
Shen Zechuan watched Xiao Chiye’s tears slide down slowly. He understood everything; to this day, Xiao Chiye was still lost in his memory of that blizzard. The wolf pup that had run alone for dozens of li had not returned at all.    
Shen Zechuan embraced Xiao Chiye hard and stood on tiptoe to cover the back of Xiao Chiye’s head, as if he was a barrier, taking the physically and emotionally battered Xiao Chiye completely into the protective shelter of his arms.
Xiao Chiye rescued his father’s head from Hasen, but it was just a head. It wasn’t really his father. Considering the ongoing motif of nightmares and reenactments, one metaphorical and one literal for Shen Zechuan and one metaphorical for Xiao Chiye, and here we have one literal one for Xiao Chiye that hasn’t been addressed yet... I’d bet anything Hasen is going to get his hands on Shen Zechuan at some point, but this time Xiao Chiye will save Shen Zechuan’s life. 
223 notes · View notes
hamliet · 2 years
Text
Fei Sheng + Huo Lingyun = Xiao Chiye + Shen Zechuan
I briefly mentioned how Fei Sheng and Huo Lingyun are set up as baby!Xiao Chiye and baby!Shen Zechuan (respectively) here, but now that chapter 214 has given us more material on this, I want to talk more about it. 
As I’ve said before, the main conflict for both Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan is internal--they are their own nightmares, their own worst enemies. “Enemies to lovers” is the main conceit of the story, not just in terms of Cezhou’s love story but in terms of oh, pretty much every relationship in the story. (How many of Shen Zechuan’s allies were once his enemy or at the very least his rival/disliked him? I think Ji Gang and maybe Yao Wenyu are the only ones who weren’t.) 
So what is the point of this? Well, through reconciling with others, Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan are learning more about themselves--which is the ultimate endgoal of their respective (and intertwined) arcs. The story is pretty Jungian--it’s based on alchemy, and the end goal of literary alchemy and Jungian stories is individualization (becoming your own fully-realized person). It also has elements like reconciling with your shadow (the worst parts of you, usually embodied in another character(s) and oh look that’s the essence of Cezhou). And, another archetype that’s come up in QJJ, is the inner child. 
Tumblr media
Jung says:
The remnants of the child-soul in the adult are his best and worst qualities; at all events they are the mysterious spiritus rector of our weightiest deeds and of our individual destinies, whether we are conscious of it or not.
While not actual children, Fei Sheng and Huo Lingyun are definitely younger!versions of Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan in their best and worst qualities. Working with them is clearly going to offer both some much needed understanding of what Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan lacked as their younger selves--specifically from when they first met and Xiao Chiye almost killed Shen Zechuan. Hence why again, the main antagonism here is from Fei Sheng--because Xiao Chiye needs this reminder more than Shen Zechuan does. 
Shen Zechuan is by nature a more introspective character than Xiao Chiye--he plays a good game of avoiding being honest with himself, but when he’s confronted, he’s not terribly likely to deny it. He immediately recognizes Huo Lingyun for whom he is (himself), even when everyone else is like strongly advising him to beware the pretty vengeful prisoner. 
“The firearms seized by Fei Sheng were handed over by Huo Lingyun himself.” Shen Zechuan turned the folding fan between his fingers around and rested it on the side of his hand. “This person is interesting; I do have to meet him.”
Xiao Chiye himself, though? Not so much. While Huo Lingyun is fascinated by Shen Zechuan from first sight and Shen Zechuan is also intrigued, Xiao Chiye is at best apathetic to Fei Sheng. Fei Sheng, for his part, however, really admires Xiao Chiye, and hopes to work with him. 
Fei Sheng had only wanted to follow under Xiao Chiye’s command in the past because Xiao Chiye had the unprecedented spirit of a groundbreaking pioneer. On the day they rebelled and fled from Qudu, Fei Sheng had done so willingly and wholeheartedly. But Xiao Chiye refused to accept him, so he could only step back to work under Shen Zechuan instead...
All along, he had never been able to understand the trust Chen Yang and Gu Jin had in Xiao Chiye, but at this very moment, as he stood in the wind and opened his eyes once again, he possessed that trust. 
Everyone in this world wants to be Xiao Chiye.   
But there can be no other Shen Lanzhou!
(you are Xiao Chiye, Fei Sheng, and this is exactly the sort of thought Xiao Chiye would have)
Tumblr media
Even so, Xiao Chiye does order Fei Sheng to essentially act as Xiao Chiye (minus the romance, obviously) while he cannot be with Shen Zechuan:
Tumblr media
Xiao Chiye’s coldness to Fei Sheng, however, is just like Shen Zechuan’s fascination with Huo Lingyun: it’s a callback to how Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan felt about their own lives at the start of the novel. 
Shen Zechuan took two steps to bypass the water puddle on the ground and said, “...Xiao Chiye, even if you try your best to hide it, you are already used to looking down from above. You are no different from the people who look down on you today. And all those eyes on you now agonize you.”
He laughed out loud and patted Xiao Chiye on the back with a palm.
“I seek to live. You seek to die.”
Xiao Chiye ties his life to other purposes and even to Shen Zechuan’s, but he needs to be willing to live as himself to fully mature and become his own person. Xiao Chiye is not quite able to individualize, while Shen Zechuan is ahead of him a bit. Enter Fei Sheng. 
Fei Sheng isn’t particularly thrilled with Huo Lingyun. Actually the text directly states that he hates Huo Lingyun for several reasons, namely that he’s ruthless and vindictive and he humiliated Yin Chang with that initial loss. 
Xiao Chiye’s enmity with Shen Zechuan starts because Shen Zechuan’s survival caused many soldiers from Libei to lose their lives, and complicated his brother Xiao Jiming’s victory over Biansha:
Xiao Chiye said coldly, “My intent was to kick him to death. Old Dog Shen allowed a bloodbath to happen in Zhongbo. We have been burying those soldiers in the Chashi Sinkhole for half a month, and we are still not done burying them....  Besides, my eldest brother has been carrying out raids for thousands of li.” 
Fei Sheng has similar thoughts about Huo Lingyun:
Fei Sheng served Shen Zechuan, and he had plenty of opportunities to render meritorious service in the future when they established a light cavalry, but Yin Chang might not necessarily have the chance. The old man’s hair and beard were all white now, and he only got to battle this one time after waiting several years. But then, a male consort appeared out of nowhere and took most of the old man’s credit with that bit of dirty, underhanded tricks of his.
Fei Sheng was displeased deep down.
(Also, consider how similar their thought processes are on Huo Lingyun. Xiao Chiye:
If Huo Lingyun had not thrown a monkey wrench into their plans with the firearms, Yin Chang would have been able to take down Fanzhou during his first battle; he would not have given Shen Zechuan the opportunity to even tell him to bring his own head on a platter to meet him.)
Anyways, while both Xiao Chiye and Fei Sheng have ambitions of their own, they are genuine in their respect and desire for Xiao Jiming and Yin Chang to receive credit where credit is due, and do care about others not being needlessly sacrificed. Problem is, these sneaky twinks keep ruining things.
Tumblr media
Like Xiao Chiye targets Shen Zechuan right away by making his life harder, Fei Sheng uses chains that are noticeably heavier than normal to restrain Huo Lingyun and presumably cause him physical discomfort. Like Zhao Hui, Lu Guangbai, and other Xiao allies (with Xiao Chiye present and supporting them) argue with Emperor Xiande in an attempt to persuade him to execute Shen Zechuan, Fei Sheng subtly argues for Shen Zechuan to execute Huo Lingyun. 
By bringing up Huo Lingyun’s feeding of people to the dogs at this point in time, he was tactfully telling Shen Zechuan in a roundabout way that it was hard for this person to be of great use.
Contrary to Fei Sheng’s expectations, Shen Zechuan did not go along with it.
But, there are some differences. For one thing, Fei Sheng does not actually attempt to take Huo Lingyun’s life. Secondly, he and Huo Lingyun end up working together far more swiftly than Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye did. Fei Sheng also bottles up his hatred and doesn’t actually bully Huo Lingyun like Xiao Chiye did with Shen Zechuan. #progress?
Xiao Chiye cast a glance at Fei Sheng but said nothing. Fei Sheng had done a fairly decent job playing it safe in his handling of Huo Lingyun’s matter. He had held his temper in check and did not attack the other man, and even if he could not stand the sight of Huo Lingyun, he did not go around creating trouble for him. As a result, Xiao Chiye was now finally willing to remember and recognize him.
Basically, Fei Sheng is behaving properly in the exact ways Xiao Chiye did not. This is progress--the younger are doing better than those who came before (another theme). It’s also symbolic that Xiao Chiye responds by finally acknowledging Fei Sheng--through seeing how Fei Sheng does slightly better than Xiao Chiye’s younger self did, Xiao Chiye finally feels like he can acknowledge his younger self... but only once he knew he’d grown from whom he used to be, growth that is symbolically represented in Fei Sheng’s treatment of Huo Lingyun.
Tumblr media
Furthermore, it’s notable that this comes up right before Xiao Chiye gets a Certain Letter from Xiao Jiming, a letter that asks him to figure out how to work with someone who might be on Libei’s side but is very much Xiao Chiye’s enemy in all the ways Xiao Chiye finds it hard to forgive (hurting someone Xiao Chiye cares deeply about): Guo Weili, who humiliated, injured, and almost killed Gu Jin. (I mean I haven’t forgiven him either honestly.) 
However, if he wanted to put the Libei Armored Cavalry to full use, he would have to overcome the obstacle that was Guo Weili. Otherwise, a lack of unity among the generals who were not of one mind would surely lead to disaster.
Of course, Shen Zechuan is slightly further along in his arc and gives Xiao Chiye Narrative Pointers for how to individuate: 
Shen Zechuan felt sleepy in the room. With his eyes half-closed, he murmured softly. “Ce’an... This is an opportunity your eldest brother is giving you.”
Under the dim light, Xiao Chiye recollected the campfire in the snowstorm. Xiao Fangxu had clenched his fist right before his eyes, and amidst the flickering light of the fire, his old man had asked him:
“You want this position, but are you truly qualified enough?”
Essentially, Xiao Fangxu’s memory, Xiao Jiming, Shen Zechuan, and the narrative are challenging Xiao Chiye. Now that he’s accepting his younger version, is he willing to demonstrate himself (not in Fei Sheng) how far he has come by figuring out how to work with Guo Weili? To do so, he’ll almost certainly have to again face the uglier aspects of himself and how he used to be (~shadows~). But if he really wants to advance and become whom he is meant to be, then he has to face it head-on. 
66 notes · View notes
hamliet · 2 years
Note
Random ask...what if QJJ were adapted into k-drama or thai drama? Would you still watch it, hamliet?
Listen if my favorite novels are adapted by any country any time any place I will 100% watch it, bitch about what I don't like, and still enjoy the hell out of it.
(Dying laughing about the latest qjj chapter. Which dad had the better reaction, Xiao Fangxu or Ji Gang?)
2 notes · View notes
hamliet · 2 years
Note
Hi, hamliet....First of all, sorry if I'm wrong, but if I'm not wrong, a few weeks ago, you said that at that time you were reading, Mistakenly Saving the Villain...I just saw this title now on my recs list...Can I ask your opinion on it?
On another note, love that most of your predictions about BNHA become canon....Love reading your metas, hamliet.....
Hi! Yes, I've read Mistakenly Saving the Villain! It has some of my favorite tropes, and I quite liked both the characters and the premise. The main couple has a fun dynamic, and the characters are unique, with neither quite fitting the mold of the character archetype they seem to be.
I think the writer could have gone much, much deeper than she did with the characters and themes (there was a lot of telling rather than showing). Compared to MXTX or Meatbun, or QJJ's author, the story was not necessarily as sophisticated? But that isn't to say it's poor; it's not, and it has some really beautiful and deep moments. It just could have been even better.
But yeah. I would recommend it regardless; the main couple are so interesting both by themselves and together that it was definitely worth it.
19 notes · View notes
hamliet · 2 years
Note
I just wanted to say I love reading your metas on fandoms I am familiar with (i.e., danmei.) They are so well thought out!
Even when I don't necessarily agree with the ultimate conclusion (because everyone has their own views on things so nobody is going to align 100%), they are so well-reasoned and thorough they are a pleasure to read!
Tumblr media
Aiiiiiii thank you so much; this is very kind of you! I've so enjoyed reading your content as well! Especially on QJJ and CFC since there's a general dearth of content for both on Tumblr.
I have so many metas I want to write for both... at least I can probably finish one of the CFC ones with today's chapter; QJJ's I need just a little more of the translation haha!
Tumblr media
15 notes · View notes