Xuexiao and carquinyoli appreciation blog

[deathbyoctopi]

...so I did a thing!! >w<

A tgcf hualian amv, with the song La gent que estimo (the people I love) by Oques Grasses! 

I’ve always thought this lyrics go so well with them, so there you are! 

[pumpkinpaix]

mdzs rough timeline

this isn’t meant to be definite! I’m mostly posting this so that @thewickling​ can take a look and see if there’s anything helpful in here while she finishes crafting her frankly incredibly referenced timeline. or so we can debate finer points lmao, though she definitely has the upper hand on research.

here’s what I have put together, though the dates used are re: Lan Wangji’s age, not in relation to Wei Wuxian’s death. Things I’m unsure about are marked with (?), and there are a lot of events that could take place in a range of dates that I’ve kind of just stuck in there for the sake of having them marked. I haven’t cross-referenced this in a while, and it’s working largely off of memory ;;; I just edited a bunch of this on the fly in the text editor HAHA so this may be off in several ways. I may eventually edit this into something more cohesive, but for now. have this mess.

Notes:

Mass Graves” = Yiling Burial Mound Jinlin Tai = Koi/Carp Tower I’m using both novel and audio drama as canon, plus some assorted bits of memory re: mxtx interviews

Approximate Timeline (using Lan Wangji’s age, starting with lectures at Gusu):

Year 15:

Lectures at Cloud Recesses

Year 16:

Wei Wuxian harasses the Poetry Florist lady (?)


Wen Ning meets Wei Wuxian at Qishan (?)

Meng Shi dies (?)

Meng Yao is kicked down the stairs of Jinlin Tai (?)

Year 17:

Burning of the Cloud Recesses

Lan Xichen flees and takes shelter with Meng Yao (currently working as a bookkeeper)

Indoctrination at Qishan (unclear amount of time: few days to a month?)

Xuanwu Cave (approx. 1 week)

Qingheng-jun dies and Lan Xichen becomes sect leader of Gusu

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng return to Lotus Pier (unclear amount of time passes: few days to a month)

Massacre at Lotus Pier

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng flee to Yiling with Wen Ning’s help

Golden Core transfer

Wei Wuxian is thrown into the Mass Graves for three months

Sunshot Campaign starts in earnest

Meng Yao is appointed Nie Mingjue’s new aide

Wen Xu is killed by Nie Mingjue

Wei Wuxian emerges from the Mass Graves and begins hunting Wen Chao

Wei Wuxian kills Wang Lingjiao

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng kill Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu

Lan Xichen speaks to Meng Yao regarding his ambition

Meng Yao sets off to meet up with his father’s sect in Langya

Nie Mingjue visits Jin Guangshan and asks after him only to discover JGS has not seen Meng Yao

Nie Mingjue discovers Meng Yao killing Lanling cultivators—Meng Yao flees

Year 19?:

Sunshot Campaign finally arrives at Qishan: Meng Yao assassinates Wen Ruohan

Meng Yao is recognized as Jin Guangshan’s son and given the courtesy name Jin Guangyao

3zun swear blood brotherhood

Year 20:

Nighthunt at Phoenix Mountain (in the audio drama, S3E01, Wei Wuxian mentions that he is 20+ years old at this point)

Lan Wangji goes to Yunmeng and meets Wei Wuxian (flower throwing episode)

Opinions about Wei Wuxian begin truly shifting now that Sunshot is largely over

Four Sects continue hunting down the Wen remnants

Wei Wuxian runs into Wen Qing who begs for his help saving Wen Ning

Confrontation with Jin Zixun at Jinlin Tai

Qiongqi Dao 1.0: Wei Wuxian flees with the Wen Remnants to the Mass Graves

Mianmian leaves Lanling Jin sect in defense of Wei Wuxian

Jiang Cheng goes to the Mass Graves and confronts Wei Wuxian: they set a duel and declare him exiled

After some months, Lan Wangji arrives in Yiling and brings news of Jiang Yanli’s upcoming wedding

Wen Ning regains consciousness

Wei Wuxian has a first family meal with the Wen remnants

Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng visit; Wei Wuxian names his future nephew

Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan are married

Year 21:

Jin Ling is born

Wei Wuxian is invited to his one month ceremony and begins working on his present

Qiongqi Dao 2.0: Jin Zixun and Jin Zixuan are killed

Three days later, Wen Qing and Wen Ning turn themselves in to protect Wei Wuxian and the rest

Lan Wangji speaks in defense of Wen Ning and Wen Qing

Wen Ning loses control and begins killing people at Lanling

Wen Qing is executed; Wen Ning is imprisoned

Wei Wuxian rushes to Lanling to try and retrieve their remains and hears about the plans to besiege the Mass Graves

Wei Wuxian goes to Qishan directly and confronts the sects for their hypocrisy

Wei Wuxian loses control and Jiang Yanli is killed

Lan Wangji takes Wei Wuxian and hides him away in a cave, defends him against 33 of his elders

Lan Wangji takes Wei Wuxian back to the Mass Graves

Lan Wangji returns to Gusu and is punished with 33 blows from the discipline whip and bedridden

First Siege of the Mass Graves: Wei Wuxian is killed by demonic backlash; the Wen remnants are massacred and thrown into the Blood Well (except A’Yuan, who hides in a tree)

Lan Wangji drags himself to Yiling to search for Wei Wuxian, finds only A’Yuan, whom he brings back to Gusu and gives the name Sizhui

Year 22:

Jin Guangyao marries Qin Su (?)

*Xue Yang massacres the Yueyang Chang clan

Xiao Xingchen takes him into custody

Jin Guangshan insists on keeping Xue Yang

Mo Xuanyu is invited to study at Lanling

Jin Guangyao begins playing guqin for Nie Mingjue

Xue Yang massacres Baixue Ge and blinds Song Lan

Xiao Xingchen takes Song Lan to Baoshan Sanren and gives him his eyes

Xiao Xingchen disappears

Xiao Xingchen meets A’Qing

Xiao Xingchen and A’Qing take in Xue Yang and begin living in Yi City

Nie Mingjue qi deviates

Jin Rusong is born

*Yueyang Chang massacre is stated to take place 10 years prior to the present, which would put it at year 24, but Jin Guangshan must be alive for at least a time afterwards—Jin Guangshan’s death is stated to take place 11 years prior to the present, which puts it at year 23. I’m prioritizing JGS’s death, because Lan Wangji describes the tragedy of Xiao Xingchen as taking place 1-2 years after Wei Wuxian’s death (being bedridden, he cannot pursue the issue), thus it makes sense that YYC massacre takes place earlier than stated.

Year 23:

Jin Guangshan is killed

Mo Xuanyu banished from Lanling (?)

Year 25:

Song Lan comes to Yi City and is killed

Xiao Xingchen commits suicide

A’Qing is killed by Xue Yang

Year 26(?):

Jin Rusong is killed

Year 34 (Present Day):

Mo Xuanyu sacrifices his body to Wei Wuxian

Events at Mo Village

Dafan Shan; run into Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng; Wen Ning appears

Lan Wangji takes Wei Wuxian back to the Cloud Recesses

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji set off on their quest to find all the body parts

Jin Ling at the Nie clan’s saber hall

Nie Huaisang shares information

Jiang Cheng catches Wei Wuxian; Jin Ling lies about Wen Ning and frees Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian takes on Jin Ling’s curse mark

Wei Wuxian frees Wen Ning from the influence of the nails

Yi City

Drunk Lan Wangji part 1

Nie Mingjue’s body assembles itself and attacks without a head

Lan Xichen shows up

Discussion conference at Jinlin Tai

Wei Wuxian finds Nie Mingjue’s head and an address in Yunping

Qin Su commits suicide

Wei Wuxian’s identity is revealed and he and Lan Wangji flee to Gusu

Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen search for the music Jin Guangyao was playing

Lan Xichen tells Wei Wuxian the story of their parents

Jin Guangyao tells Lan Xichen that Wei Wuxian has kidnapped children in Yiling

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji go to Yiling to rescue the kids; meet Wen Ning along the way

The adults arrive afterwards and Su She’s plot is revealed

Wei Wuxian makes himself into bait, the Wen remnants rise from the Blood Well and save him and the kids

Wen Ning realizes who Lan Sizhui is

Everyone travels to Yunmeng

Sisi and Bicao share their stories

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have a confrontation with Jiang Cheng; Wen Ning reveals the Golden Core situation

Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and Wen Ning travel to Yunping

Drunk Lan Wangji part 2

Final confrontation at the Guanyin temple

Approximate relative ages at the start of the story, as I understand them: Wei Wuxian: 15 Lan Wangji: 15 Jiang Cheng: 15 Nie Huaisang: 15 Jin Zixuan: 15/16 (I like to think 16) Jiang Yanli: 17/18 Lan Xichen: 18 (at most) Nie Mingjue: 19/20 Wen Ning: 13/14

[deathbyoctopi]

The chronology of mdzs is and will always be a murky thing, because of so many interconnected points in time and so many characters whose lives overlap juuuust slightly...

BUT!!! The one interesting conclusion I draw out of it is that...

Xiao Xingchen spend more time with Xue Yang as companion that he did with Song Lan!

He he he!

[wangxianswuji]

[deathbyoctopi]

The twin prides of Yunmeng might have walked very different paths in life... powerful in their own way, but always united at a soul-deep level.

Two brothers, one heart.

Two prides, one core.

😍😍😍😍

Thank you for these phenomenal creations, the light is phenomenal, and that mosaic halo, with the little lotus, is such a wonderful detail♥️♥️♥️

[basicbascinet]

I'm surprised the knight kink crowd hasn't picked up on the fact that historical knights had a habit of capturing each other for ransom. What do you mean you don't see the sexual tension in rivals seeking each other out in battle or through ambush, deliberately avoiding harming their target so they may be taken back to the attacker's castle, either held as a prisoner or as a honored "guest" as the case may be, until they are redeemed by their friends and allies?

[sophia-epistemia]

@tenderheartedbrat

[whumpster-fire]

enemies to lovers arc where a knight takes a rival prisoner and then the captive's awful relatives just don't pay the ransom.

[deathbyoctopi]

Oh, they're good relatives and stall paying just enough to see if a couple weeks as a guest in Lord Wilmore's castle is enough for young Darrel to get to first base

[playwrongs]

Look at this crazy vanity table designed by Gaudí (picture from Wikimedia Commons, by user amadalvarez)

I tried to come up with text to put here, but I can’t. Just look at it! Someone had that in her house

[roach-works]

good god, that fucks

[elodieunderglass]

Hat tip @kittensforbrowncoats !

[deathbyoctopi]

ok, SOMEONE might correct me on this fact (plz feel free to!) but I've always heard that in cases like the Milà and the Batlló families, who commissioned Gaudí for their fanciful domiciles in the new fashionable avenue of Barcelona, some of the members of that upper class might resent a little living in a building that was a bit of a laughing stock.

Look for example, what the satirical magazine l'Esquella de la Torratxa made to mock the bizarre design of Milà's house!

Like many architects of the time, Gaudí designed everything that was supposed to be in the house. Outside, inside, furniture.

but perhaps tired of the curves of art nouveau (and of people whispering behind their back that their buildings looked like something a pastry chef could create), as soon as the fashion sensibilities changed and Art Nouveu was no longer in fashion, they renovated with great ardour and absolute indifference towards the works of art so unique and suitable for THEIR houses.

Just look at what they did to Casa Batlló... Gaudí would be spinning so hard in his grave if he saw, he would screw right through his crypt of Sagrada Familia and straight into the metro.

So... lots of ladies had killer vanity tables like that one.

And sadly, LOTS of them threw them away like worthless trash when they were not considered fashionable any longer...

[beardedmrbean]

[6qubed]

that was everything I was hoping it would be. marvelous

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

I love this because you know exactly where it's going and you're not disappointed

[charlesoberonn]

I was so looking forward for the Jupiter gravity and it didn't disappoint and THEN THE SUN GRAVITY MADE ME HOLLER

[bunjywunjy]

i think you could reach escape velocity on pluto by just jumping really hard

[mokimo-art]

THWE DRAMATIC PAUSE IN THE SUN GRAVITY HAD ME

[deathbyoctopi]

You can see the poor car's soul leaving its body in the end

[wangxianswuji]

[pinklocksoflove]

[wangxianswuji]

[wangxianswuji]

[wangxianswuji]

dragon twins au

[deathbyoctopi]

Hou Minghao and Ding Yuxi are two peas in a pot, birds of a feather, two sides of the same coin, two halves of the same orange, kindred souls and twin dragons born of the same egg and no one can convince me otherwise!!!!!

(And they are so precious!)

Pleaaaase someone cast them together as brothers, or sworn brothers, or martial brothers... But if they can be TWINS, that would be the absolute joy, because they'd be constantly bickering to see who is the gege and who the didi!

[wangxianswuji]

The devil(god) wears prada...

Luo Yunxi is made to be on beautiful magazine covers.

Photomanip

[deathbyoctopi]

There's something insanely exciting about these kinds of fan content. Like yeah, I know a certain reality in which this would be the way Chu Mo announces him taking over the world, like the absolute diva he is.

City on fire, ran over by demons and controlled by a dark god? Sure, take a good picture, print it, and let all the cowering subjects know who is in charge now!

This is like a tiny fraction of that reality has become real and I can see it in my hands, I simply adore that!

[smittenskitten]

[wangxianswuji]

😏

[deathbyoctopi]

do we NEED any more proof that the true ship in TTEOTM is these two and whatever the fuck they had going on behind the scenes???

Tantai Jin and Xiao Lin had more chemistry together in their short time than any other couple in the whole series! >w<

[circumference-pie]

Website idea: Writers of all nationalities give each other advice on how to name OCs from their native culture/language.

For example, a native English speaker can tell you that "Henry Edward" is kinda weird and evokes Tudor kings, and a native Chinese speaker can tell you that, I don't know, "mīmī" sounds cute but means titties.

[supernumerarianism]

Re: Chinese names, there is something cool people should know about, (maybe you already know):

Using this database, you can access the names and biographical information of real people across Chinese historical periods and dynasties. You can go on here and find the names (not just given names but courtesy names and other sorts of honorary aliases, depending on the period) of thousands of real individuals, though it's almost entirely men in the older dynasties. Very few women.

Need a character name for your Tang Dynasty official? Check out the CBDB and find a *literal Tang Dynasty official* to grab a name from!

[yuriartillery]

bad things shouldn't happen to my friends. i should be the worst thing that happens to my friends

[veliseraptor]

#xue yang when anything upsets xiao xingchen (other than him) (via @aphel1on)

[la-venere]

nothing sexier than that picture with the italian players on top of eachother after the win and the english ones going through the 5 stages of grief in the back

[la-venere]

THIS ONE

[phthalooo]

i can see it

[nottheweirdest]

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask Game Part II

💖 Which of your fics is your pride and joy? 🎥 Pick a fic and I'll tell you the song I imagine playing during its movie trailer.

📝 How many words do you have posted?

🤩 What's the most meaningful comment you've ever received?

🔮What's your favorite plot twist you've ever written?

👄 Your OTP are having their first kiss. What song do you imagine is playing?

🎭What genre of writing comes easiest to you?

🙊Your coworkers or classmates stumble across one of your fics, but don't know you're the author. Do you fess up? Or keep quiet?

🙌What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

🦉Is there another author that helped inspire you to write?

👶Fankids: How you do you feel about them? Would your OTP have kids?

🐗How do you handle trolls?

🟥How long do you spend in edits?

🏡What is your perfect writing envrionment?

💪What motivates you to write?

🚿Where do your best ideas seem to strike?

🌠What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3?

💻What do you write your stories on? Laptop, phone, paper, etc.

🤔What are some words or phrases you find yourself overusing?

📕How do you feel about people printing your fics?

🤷‍♀️What's a fic you didn't expect to be popular, but really took off?

🍎What's something you learned while researching for a fic?

🥘What wip are you most excited about?

🦗Do you write in sequence or jump around?

👀 Would you ever accept requests or commissions?

😱What's your greatest fear as a fanfic writer?

☕Coffee or tea while you write?

📈Which are your top three most popular fics by bookmarks?

🎬One of your fics gets turned into a TV series. Which one is it and what network is it on?

🛌 What's a trope you haven't written, but want to?

🐸 If you incorporated your OTP into a Disney movie plot, which would it be?

👩‍🎓 Do you have an 'official' creative writing background such as a degree or previous experience publishing?

⏳If you could go back in time and tell your younger writer self something, what would it be?

💯 What rating do you write the most? Gen Audiences, Teen, Mature, or Explicit? How many fics at that rating do you have?

😁What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?

🐎 Would you ever do a medieval or pirate au?

👩‍🏫Pick a character and I'll tell you their favorite season and why.

🎵Do you make playlists for your fics?

🌷What's one of your fics that isn't as popular, but you hold dear?

❓Insert your own question here!

[fieri-sentio-et-excrucior]

@deathbyoctopi @10holmes want to play?? Will you answer these questions for me:

💖🙌🟥🚿🤷‍♀️😱🛌⌛😁🌷

[deathbyoctopi]

Aii, fun!! Hadn't done any of those in a while, so I'm a bit rusty.

Let's see...

Which of your fics is your pride and joy? Aaahh!!!! Starting with a difficult question!!! Sorry, I truly cannot stick to one here...

I'm immensely proud of To carry a bit of yesterday. The first time I thought something I had written was good enough to commission art for it. Some kind of dream is in the same vein, so I love it equally.

Shards of morning nights and forbidden kisses, because it was my first attempt at omegaverse AND niecest+jadecest, and beyond the sexiness I just loved to write about the politics of those horny idiots's respective sects.

A comedy of Yi City errors was a THRILL to coordinate and turn into hilarious crack. It took a lot of planning but the results are brilliant, I think. In a similar vein, Just another corporate secret is equally fun for all the well pieced-together modern day equivalences for the sect's meeting (with NHS cockwarming LWJ in said meeting!)

You never learned to fall upwards, because for ONCE we get horny and cruel Xiao Xingchen domming Xue Yang in a (drumroll!!!) canon-fitting way, and without breaking their happy life at Yi City. Yey!!

And a big mention to Hell hath no fury from Mysterious Lotus Casebook, because I think I managed to capture the devious and fast-thinking personality of Li Lianhua, weaponizing his own rape to escape from a tricky situation.

What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of? Too many to count. I've been re-reading for this answer game and I had to stop because everywhere I see too may things I love... Let's just leave it with the ending lines for Some kind of dream.

“Hmm… Daozhang?” asked a sleepy voice beside his ear. “Yes?” “I’m not… not done with you.” “Ah?” “I’m still a wanted criminal.” It almost sounded like a pout. “Ah… Yes, of course.” “Fearsome, and cruel, and terrible, aren’t I?” “You are, A-Mei.” “…your worst nightmare,” he mumbled, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Xiao Xingchen hummed in agreement, but Chengmei didn’t seem to be awake anymore. Calmly making his way back home, with a smile on his face and warmth on his heart, Xiao Xingchen felt like he couldn’t agree more. “You certainly feel like some kind of dream to me.”

How long do you spend in edits? Little to no time. Negative time, actually, if you consider I often post fics and only then I realize there are typos I have to quickly attack.

Where do your best ideas seem to strike? In the shower. Without fail.

What's a fic you didn't expect to be popular, but really took off?Shadows in red, green, yellow I took part in a trauma-based fic exchange, which had such interesting props, but my giftee asked for a SVSSS fic, which I had never written for. I wrote original Shen flashbacks to his slave years and the unfortunate trauma Liu Qingge triggers with his aggressive manners. I liked the wordplay in the title, and thought the nice parallels between the three chapters were pretty clever, but I didn't think much of it beyond that… Just a little hurt/comfort story. It is my most kudosed fic ^^U (comes to show how insanely loyal and starving for content the svsss fandom is. I love them all)

What's your greatest fear as a fanfic writer? That ao3 shuts down one day. It is so big, so important, and there are far too many people who would see it burn out of hostility towards things they don't like nor understand.

What's a trope you haven't written, but want to? I've never dared mafia/thriller AUs even though I find the genre interesting, because I don't think I know enough of the matter not to avoid falling into cliches that would make it boring. Jin Corp working behind the scenes, hired assassin Xue Yang, environmental activist Xiao Xingchen (and friends) who oppose a very lucrative deal… it all fits too neatly, see? Maybe I should find a twist, like XY going undercover in their hippy little group and has more fun sabotaging the daoshi's relationship than the actual greenpeace operation… or XXC is really a serial killer behind SL's back… idk.

If you could go back in time and tell your younger writer self something, what would it be? Don't be afraid to write fanfiction. There is not one right way to write fics, no boogyman will bite your head off for not doing it "correctly", and if you love the original material enough to want to tell stories about it, characterization will just come naturally to you.

What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks? Comments are the pride and joy of any writer. Commenters who engage in conversation? A true treasure. That's how I made amazing friends all these years.

What's one of your fics that isn't as popular, but you hold dear? I adore Relentless in love (and in dodging needles). Cangse Sanren and Xiao Xingchen having some sibling time together!! As a way to show both these character's personalities, I'm really very proud of how it came out, but naturally the tags aren't that attention-grabbing.

In fact... I do want to add a passage I like from it.

Song Lan said more things, but Xiao Xingchen barely heard him. He didn’t dare move his focus away from the fight between the spider and the young cultivator, who was now laughing maniacally as it chopped off more legs with glee. “MWAHAHAHA! What’s that, you bug? You scared?? Want me to stop? Sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of you DYING!!!” she yelled. Her sword slashed twice more, and the spider was finally discharged of all its legs, falling heavily on the ground where it rolled slightly until it hit the wall. The young woman swiftly jumped on the round body, stomping pettily on it while the spider let out pathetic little whines. Xiao Xingchen was in awe. (...)

She must have been a very skilled and powerful cultivator in life! And such a powerful spirit, she could become a true menace if corrupted by rage and grief. Xiao Xingchen needed to be very, very careful. “Stop with the frowny face, silly. I know I’m dead”

Ok, that's it. Thank you very much for inviting me to this game.

I do have questions for you too!

💖 Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

🤩 What's the most meaningful comment you've ever received?

🔮What's your favorite plot twist you've ever written?

🙌What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

🌠What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3?

📕How do you feel about people printing your fics? (Trick question I know hahahahahahhaha)

👀 Would you ever accept requests or commissions?

🐸 If you incorporated your OTP into a Disney movie plot, which would it be?

💯 What rating do you enjoy writing the most? Gen Audiences, Teen, Mature, or Explicit? How many fics at that rating do you have?

😁What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?

🐎 Would you ever do a medieval or pirate au?

🌷What's one of your fics that isn't as popular, but you hold dear?

(If it's too many questions, feel free to drop a few)

By the way @10holmes the same questions (minus the ones you answered already in your post) apply to YOU! >w<