and sings the tune without the words by RoseThorne
Time travel fixit
29 chapters (work in progress)
34k words
[Note that the story is restricted to registered users of AO3. An invitation link is provided on the home page of AO3]
I’m sorry it took me a little while to write to you. Something happened that was scary, but I promise I’m okay. Please don’t worry.
I went to the training ground to watch A-Niang and A-Cheng with their whips, and I had a bad episode—I guess that’s what A-Niang and A-Die call them? I don’t know if I ever saw A-Niang use Zidian before, but in my episode she was whipping me with it and yelling terrible things, like that I would bring ruin on the Jiang sect.
A-Cheng said I fell and was moving like I was being whipped, and after they were afraid I wouldn’t wake up because it took two whole days for me to. Plus when I fell I hurt my wrist, which is another reason this letter took so long. I’m still not allowed out of the healing pavilion without an adult with me, so it’s super boring.
When I told A-Niang what I saw, she cried and promised she never raised Zidian at me and never would, but she told me before I was hurt she was angry with me because she misunderstood why A-Die brought me home, and that she was really sorry.
She’s been so kind to me that it’s hard to believe. But we had a long talk, and she said I’m an asset to the sect and could only bring the Jiang pride. She said she thought A-Die loved my mama and wanted her as his wife instead, but learned he was grieving my baba and rescued me to raise me for him since they were sworn brothers.
I don’t think it matters what happened before. I don’t remember it, and she’s A-Niang. She comforted me when I was scared, and she believed me about the yao. She said she would work to be worthy of my forgiveness even if I already forgive her.
and sings the tune without the words is a continuation of Author RoseThorne's the thing with feathers, which was the subject of my third review of fiction back when I first started over three years ago.
What began as a Time Travel fixit has been continued by a series of letters that are meant to encompass the time from the ending of the thngs with feathers up to the Gusu Lan lectures. Some are sweet, like the letters between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, who are actually sharing their thoughts.
Many carry the story forward with events in both Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier. There is no particular time frame presented (although a note in chapter 23 does indicate passage of 2 years after the initial story), but there are certain incidents worth noting, including the first time Jiang Wuxian sees Madame Yu use Zidian, and the unfortunate events around the visit of Wen-Zongzhu (for which a separate vignette is provided in a short story titled sore must be the storm (wait until you come across the description of the visit before reading that one).
There are still plenty of conflicts among the Cultivation sects, some discussion conferences and their aftermath and, generally, a feeling of time passing toward something better.
Author RoseThorne is adept at writing letters that bring details clearly to mind. As with the original story, this is one I highly recommend.
