#reading thousand autumns

[cowboykakashi]

Imagine being followed for days on end by this scary old man who jumps out and beats the shit out of you every once in a while

#DONT YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO #reading thousand autumns #oh yeah I’m doing that btw but slowly #I’ve watched most of the show but I’m seeing there is a big difference #thousand autumns #yan wushi

[phoenixkaptain]

A story like Thousand Autumns is very subtle in its romance.

Shen Qiao has only ever known his sect. He knows it very well, because of this fact. He knows the people, he knows the rules, he knows the daily doings and who is doing them. He knows every blade of grass and every stone. He’s like a lonely mountain flower, on the highest peak, unseen by any but a few birds and unknowing that there’s more it might never know.

When he finds himself away from his sect for the first time, he’s confused. At most, he’s gone to the base of the mountain, maybe the fields surrounding that, but no further. The flower was plucked and tossed aside.

For a man stumbling blindly in the world, literally and figuratively, there really isn’t a better guide than one that knows just about everything. And that’s, without a doubt, Yan Wushi.

Yan Wushi has lived longer than Shen Qiao, has been more places than Shen Qiao, and has fought more battles than Shen Qiao. Yan Wushi is the perfect example of something out of reach even for someone out of reach. He’s the only one who could answer any questions asked of him, but especially the questions that Shen Qiao would want to ask him.

And there’s no question in my mind that Yan Wushi doesn’t fall for Shen Qiao at first sight, but he’s certainly attracted to him. Not in an overtly sexual or emotional way, but Yan Wushi, the way his character is set up? It’s impossible for him not to be fascinated by Shen Qiao.

He knows Shen Qiao is the very picture of a peerless immortal. He’s well aware that Shen Qiao is considered untouchable by even the people closest to Shen Qiao. He’s most aware that Shen Qiao is Qi Fengge’s (coughhndisputedcough) favourite disciple, and honestly that’s enough for him to overwhemingly want to mess with Shen Qiao.

There are a lot of reasons for Yan Wushi to fall for Shen Qiao. Most of the people in the novel fall for Shen Qiao, after all, there is a precedent.

But the one I’ve seen questioned is Shen Qiao’s affection for Yan Wushi. Where does it come from? When did it start? Does Shen Qiao even fucking like that asshole?

The easy answer is: yes, he does. The novel tells us that. Shen Qiao, despite everything, does fall for Yan Wushi’s, um, “charms” in the end. This is made clear.

But why? A thousand voices cry out. Why the fuck would any reasonable person like Yan goddamn Wushi in any capacity?

Well, there’s your first mistake. Shen Qiao is not a reasonable person.

Shen Qiao as a character is absolutely terrifying. He could absolutely destroy the world given half the inclination, but he just doesn’t want to. He’s already considered unmatched before he’s pushed unceremoniously off of a mountain, and his journey only increases his strength. He isn’t quite equal to Yan Wushi, but he’s the only person Yan Wushi ever sees as equal to himself.

Shen Qiao’s best and worst trait is his patience. He’s unwavering. He really just embodies taoism, especially as it’s presented in the novels. He is the picture of a river that doesn’t stray from its path.

Which is why it’s hard for him to reconcile his own attraction to Yan Wushi, but let’s all be clear here. Yan Wushi absolutely starts seducing Shen Qiao on day fucking one. If he could’ve (if Qi Fengge hadn’t been there) he would’ve tried to eat that cabbage when it was just a little sprout. Shen Qiao is unpracticed in most social interactions, to be frank, but he’s especially unused to romance and Yan Wushi really is his first introduction to being hit on.

Yan Wushi is far from good, at really any point, to anybody but especially to Shen Qiao. But that doesn’t particularly matter because Shen Qiao chooses to forgive him, again and again. And I really think, after giving Shen Qiao to a confirmed terrible, awful person who has already promised to do terrible thing to Shen Qiao, that Shen Qiao himself wouldn’t forgive literally anyone else for doing that. And he shouldn’t, because it was really fucked up, but that still doesn’t matter because Shen Qiao ultimately DOES forgive Yan Wushi.

What am I saying? I’m saying that Shen Qiao fell for Yan Wushi first. It is the only way the story makes any sense. Shen Qiao is annoyed at him, he’s furious at him, he’s so fucking pissed he could kill that man, but he likes him. He likes Yan Wushi’s company. He likes that Yan Wushi gives him a challenge. He’s exasperated, but he likes it.

Shen Qiao forgives Yan Wushi SO MANY TIMES. Yan Wushi humiliates him and mocks him and is the absolute worst, but Shen Qiao forgives him and more than that, Shen Qiao always is waiting for Yan Wushi to come back to bother him more.

Is there more to Shen Qiao’s attraction? Probably. Is it a daddy kink? It could be. But I honestly can’t help but read it as Shen Qiao falling for the absolute pits of a man that is Yan Wushi. Shen Qiao likes that old bastard and decides to spend the rest of his life with the fucker and he is just too much of a block of ice to show it.

#thousand autumns #qian qiu #shen qiao #yan wushi #yanshen #long post #it’s been a while so #extra long post #the inane ramblings of a madman #listen i realize that this is an unpopular reading #but the story just makes more sense #if you read it as shen qiao coming to terms with his own terrible taste in men #there are so many other who shen qiao could have with just a thought #but he has the worst taste in men known to man #and qi fengge KNEW #and that’s whY QI FENGGE ENCOURAGED HIM TO STAY ON THE MOUNTAIN #IT’S ALL CONNECTED #look i promise it’s all connected i promise #just look at my corkboard and you’ll see it- #xiao qiao er asked qi fengge who that handsome guy was #and qi fengge immediately planned how to make it so his precious baby would never ever leave #qi fengge has suffered for so long without us knowing #but i uncovered it #🫡 you’re welcome #how much sleep did you get last night kacie? #about fifteen

[roxiusagi]

lookie lookie!! I made for myself some danmei food-related stickers to decorate my cookbook (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ𓇼

I actually think they turned out super cute!! Unfortunately tho the sun was not in an agreeable mood so the pics don't rly do them justice but whatev i wanted to share them now!

attempt to save the poor photoshoot conditions by adding some artistic greenery is a courtesy of Mayhem my beloved all the kudos to her xD 💓 (oh also she made the fancy lettering lol I couldn't make anything that pretty)

#svsss #mxtx #woh #thousand autumns #sangcheng #wenzhou #yanshen #cumplane #yu shengyan #he xuan #nie huaisang #ye baiyi #liu qingge #luo binghe #shen qingqiu #stickers #ok thats enough #i dont want to spam it everywhere #also theres ofc more recipes in the book but these were the only relevant pages lol #mayhem if ur reading this im sorry for being a problem I love you shdjkahs #my art #tag rights denied #oh well it is what it is ig

[tsty-brry]

going insane over him‼️

#thousand autumns #shen qiao #i WANT to see him feral #yan wushi #i mean his face isn't there but his heart is #currently watching the show and hhhhh #will there be season two because i badly need it #ALSO #my dad saw the cliff scene. he laughed at me as he read the song lyrics out loud #now he's very aware of their homoeroticness #my art

[mejomonster]

Modu by priest was truly such a good read. If you like romance? It has a sweeping romance, with a well done bisexual and gay lead (and straight best friend) all written in ways that manage to feel realistic, it's got features people likely found it for when looking for a danmei - rich manipulative younger man, older investigator who's got a hero streak, and yet those categories don't really do justice to them (and of course tao ran is the more grounded detective story lead who keeps his theories to himself and worries about dragging others into his mess).

They're so much more... Fei Du is a traumatized young man who's worried he's as monstrous as the people who scarred him, who is preparing to take the leap and cross the line to become an even more terrifying version of himself if it will destroy the corruption poisoning this city and harming so many, Luo Wenzhou is a cop that used to want to be a hero and learned he will fail people and be unable to save people and holds onto Fei Du as someone who reminds him he DOES fail but also reminds him why he wants so hard to keep Trying to help people even when it seems impossible... why trying and putting in effort to care and help Even when its too late to fix things is Worthwhile. Tao Ran is a contrast to them both, Fei Du living in a world where there's only monsters and victims and Luo Wenzhou desperately trying to force the world to be a place where justice CAN prevail and win even as he sees it fail over and over, trying so hard to believe all people have the capacity for everything and are worth trying to save. Even though Fei Du doesm't believe that, being around Luo Wenzhou makes him want to consider it. Tao Ran, their contrast? Believing the world can go either way, and its up to people like him to create any justice at all, any structure at all, or else everything is just meaningless suffering chaos. As characters, the three of them serve to explore how the world works and views on it in terms of a detective murder mystery encompassing the whole city, the small scale version of the world. Modu is a romance, but its also fully commited to being a murder mystery that wants to tackle the kind of themes that come up in the setting it's created. Its characters are so much more than Insert Character Ship types here. These characters were made this way to explore these ideas (just as the villains are all made to parallel and contrast Fei Du to explord these ideas in comparison to our point of view Fei Du moments, our impressions of Fei Du from Luo Wenzhou and Tao Rans varied perspectives, all of them are different lenses to view humanity and how it works, if the world is just or if we have to make it good, if we can be inherently good and if good people will reach out to us if we just keep treading water to survive, if its luck and chaos, and how much... and much more frankly).

Modu is like. If you want a story about a corrupt city and its victims, symbolizing a corrupt world and all of us at its mercy, and you want to see the heart of the people doing something about it. First the main trio, but also every victim Fei Du recruits to help, every murderer recruited to the corruption, all the people in the cases swayed to some side. Thats what Modu is about.

The romance is just one facet of exploring that, the personal debate about what these things mean about the world as told through two people who view this world incredibly differently. Yet find some way to exist in the same space, same mutual world, when together. It hooks you in and doesn't let you go and youre wondering right there with them, left to draw your own meaning in the end. Hopefully that its worth trying, that doing something is worth trying even when its just the trying you can do and not the succeeding, at least thats what I got from it (at least in regards to Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou meeting each other, unable to live up to the pillar they put each other on but trying anyway, is what I felt from them).

Then like? Modu gives you THAT story, which in its own right is enough to make you contemplate.

And if you're like me and care about people, about characters? Well it gives you, like I said, those big themes and a city's nightmares symbolizing the world, and brings them down to an individual level. You read from the mind of the little girl who grew up in this (one of my favorite scenes and when I felt this novel was going to not shy away from dark psychological moments and bringing them to you). You read from the mind of Fei Du when he knows himself, when he doesn't. You read from the minds of all kinds of people, and the heart of much of the investigation is peoples motives and things they'd gone through and how that shaped what they'd do next. Why they'd do it. Leaving you to wonder who's right. Jaded idealist Luo Wenzhou who wants to believe in the goodness of the people he loves, but also is willing to risk that strangers may have good intent? Fei Du who thinks theres only victims and perpetrators and everyone is going to fall into one in the right circumstance? Tao Ran, who feels the world is too messy to dare declare predictable, who thinks even your closest can betray you and even you can accidentally hurt them, nevermind strangers, and the only thing you can control and rely on is your own choices? Some mix? None of them? The side characters as they come up, grow and evolve, do they understand the world better or worse, and is the world they experience different than anothers and justify why their worldview is likewise different? Modu gives you that up close and personal, over and over. Im still thinking about it. And the way its done, they all get to feel like lived in people. Not structures to tell the themes only. But on their own, there's a personal struggle between Fei Du feeling like a monster who'll destroy Lup Wenzhou if he loves him, like his dad destroyed his mom, and Luo Wenzhou carrying the guilt he could never save Fei Du and desperate to believe in Fei Du (and keep trying to save him in that way if only that way) as person who can do good despite not being saved and despite Fei Du's fears. You could cut the entire city's plot away, all of the crimes and make the city calm, and still that core of their plot would be carrying a Lot of weight. Theyre playing a game of "enemies" to lovers sure, or whatever romance story structures they fit into. But they're also made to be deeply rooted into each other, their personal beliefs tied into the outcome of what they hope or fear happens if they are close together. Modu made me care about that. Its like the fears many people might have, abiut theur own flaws, about getting close to others, about trusting and being unsure if that trust is safe to give. Its that and magnified into bigger form, in this landscape of a fucked up city and the tragedy of Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou's meeting and former lives.

Its like. Id love to to read another danmei (Ive got a lot on my to read list). But what's going to give me roo

#modu #silent reading #lb #meta #like... modu was so fucking good. #it was 3 characters symbolizing their city symbolizing the world in terms of worldviews morality justice and if theres a point to #trying to help at all. like damn #i want to read ANOTHER danmei that makes me weigh those questions. that uses the characters this personally and intimately with the readers #because the Characters weigh the themes in their OWN lives so heavily. #like... i know priest can probably give me this kind of huge delivery in can ci pin and sha po lang (at least i estimate #priesr probably can as theyre very popular novels by priest) #and 2ha can (because ive read half and know its themes) #but like. what other danmei can? can thousand autumns? can peerless? can wu shang jie? #can Mistakenly Saving the Villain? #like... the only non priest danmei i read was svsss and i got supremely lucky #cause i personally LOVE satire and critique commentary affection for the topics it explores #and svsss AS a satire is incredibly well done. having read 2ha first? and seen Eternal Love? #svsss does an amazing job at critiquing webnovel culture and flaws. at the way capitalism effects writing #at the way some tropes have become staples of certain genres and when used well yeah you get 2ha but when used badly you get #the fake novel svsss was making fun of that there Are many real novels like

[orchidblacktea]

I think Shen Qiao read the same book 'How to be a good Shizun' as Shen Qingqiu and Chu Wanning because the first rule seems to be: pat your disciple's head as often as posible to show him he's a good boy.

#thousand autumns #qian qiu #shen qiao #svsss #erha #reading qq vol 2

[yoondepity]

alternating between reading erha and thousand autumns is the best decision I have ever made cuz while one book makes me incredibly emotional and upset the other one has enough of a neutral tone to it that I can immerse myself in the political mess presented in the book and not be emotional and upset. I have reached the equilibrium of book reading

#erha #2ha #the husky and his white cat shizun #thousand autumns #reading

[oh-wow-im-still-here]

#i would add 2ha but i think outside of mxtx's work it is the most popular. #the fanfic count compared to others on the poll are quite stark #i have read all the published volumes from every series on this list except guardian and ive thoroughly enjoyed them! #i would reccomend them highly to anyone who enjoyed any of mxtx's work👍 #well #after you read the content warnings of course #but anyways i have guardian on my shelf and im excited to start it sometime soon! #thousand autumns #stars of chaos #sha po lang #remnants of filth #yuwu #guardian #danmei

[tonyglowheart]

"Does Shen Qiao even like Yan Wushi?"

I feel like it may be relatively easy for people to pick out "what does Yan Wushi like about Shen Qiao / what does YWS get out of yanshen." but I think a criticism/line of thought I see around is people struggling with "well what does Shen Qiao get out of all of this?" and like, "does SQ even like YWS, what with how YWS annoys him and gets him angry all the time."

But I think that actually is the crux of their relationship, lol. Because if you think about it, to everyone else, Shen Qiao is this lofty ideal, this untouchable immortal/仙, maybe even this obstacle or goal to conquer or shoot down.

Who else treats him casually and teases him and pokes at him to get emotional reactions out of him because they like that about him?

If he wants to seek people who treat him with respect and reverence, he just has to step out into the city square - hell, he just has to travel out and random people he meets are likely to treat him with that sort of dazzled awe or reverence too (we literally see this happen several times in the course of the novel).

So yeah, I think joking not joking, YWS makes him angry and feel Emotions and he likes that, YWS is enrichment for him, YWS pushes his buttons and his boundaries but reframing that it's pushing him out of his comfort zone and like hardening him off to the elements and realities of the world like a gardener with plants out of the greenhouse. But also, YWS treats him like a person, like a man, and not like Shen-daozun, Shen-daozhang, Shen-zhangjiao. To Yan Wushi, Shen Qiao is Shen Qiao. (and he loves to tease the shit out of him hehe (￣▽￣) )

CONVERSELY! This also gives Shen Qiao a space to *be* Shen Qiao. With Yan Wushi, he does not have to be Shen-daozun, Shen-daozhang, Shen-zhangjiao. He does not have to always be magnanimous and generous and a bastion of righteousness. These are in his nature, yet, but it's not ALL of his nature - he is, after all, still a man, a human, with human emotions -- including the full breadth of human emotions. Yes Yan Wushi annoys him and he shows it, but it's specifically BECAUSE of that that they are closer than him and anyone else in the world. He can "be himself" around Yan Wushi, he can get worked up and be petty and be snippy, and it's fine and won't cause catastrophes or undesired splashdown sociopolitical effects.

But also, he (lets himself?) get worked up by Yan Wushi - they HAVE that level of intimate understanding with each other where they can be like this and not have feelings hurt in any irreparable way. This isn't something that SQ does (lets himself do?) with just anyone, which we see throughout the novel reflected in his internal narration and comportment. So really, the fact that he DOES get annoyed with YWS shows that they are on a different, more "real" level with each other than SQ is with anyone else.

And like, they didn't get there in a day, sure, but imo we definitely see through the novel how they get there, so imo, the yanshen relationship is incredibly justified.

(I also say this bc I think literally every "I've connected the two dots" moments I've had in my reread, I would metaphorically flip the page only to be met with that connection I'd made spelled out on the page by MXS lmao. Like... yeah okay MXS *shakes your hand* you know your stuff. oh and also because I do think there may be some level of skepticism about yanshen esp from SQ's side floating around lol, but like... MXS did the legwork! yes chapter 45 happened, yes YWS never "apologizes" with words, but that doesn't mean that they don't share a deep mutual understanding of themselves and each other by the end, nor that they haven't moved past the events of literally 83 chapters ago, 96 if you count the extras -- a whole literal two-thirds of the novel ago. Like, I know we piss on the poor here and many educational systems around the world are in shambles these days, but work on developing reading comprehension skills, pls :') )

(lmao rip this post got long AGAIN. well, hopefully at least some people are reading all of this lol.)

#qian qiu #thousand autumns #qian qiu meta #yan wushi #shen qiao #mood is another great idea by ME dot meme #anyway here is my latest hot take! inspired by a meta post I glanced at from ages ago that I did not actually read properly #bc I think even then I Disagreed with the thoughts on it and thought it was kind of lukewarm lol #when like... I think SQ is also insane for YWS - it's just harder to see if you're approaching it from a conventional kind of interp #and also bc YWS is so much more vocal/ostentatious with his brand of craziness lol #but like. I very much ascribe to the 'actually SQ is like padme amidala' school of thought (that I coined lol) #and it's like. when you let go of 'but who would DO that/think that' and just accept. he does. and what does it say about him #it all starts to make sense #also yes I did this in a sort of long-winded reblog lol but now I'm making it its own post #hopefully this one is a bit more uhh concise than the last one now that my thoughts have percolated and set (as with a mousse) some more

[one-bunny-a-day]

16/01/2023

a little peony ♡

#daily bunny #016 #fan bunny #bai rong #thousand autumns #bnuy wife #dedicated to bastet everyone go read The Double-Headed Dragon on ao3 #one of the fics of all time I adore it

[bellaroles]

I think I made the list before but I can't find it. So I made a new one since I just finished reading Beidou/the Plough

Meng Xi Shi's books signature

The Slow Burn romance is really slow but I love every single little bits of relationship development in every ship so far. Also the payoff is so good! I also love the banter in every one of her books. Very satisfying to read!

Tsundere shou! ( Not always but I think Shen Qiao, Tang Fan, Cui Buqu are these types and also Ling Shu to a certain degree) Though they're under the same category, they're portrayed as very different in personalities and I can't get enough of them. Their respective gong are also very unique and cunning in their own way when it comes to making the shou admit their feelings!

Cross dressings! Hilarity ensues!

Solving mysteries! be it crime investigation, treasure hunting, political machinations, unmasking evil cult or even ruining evil cultivators plan to rule the world etc.

Strong women side characters. Also if they're among the very beautiful then they usually are either evil and end up dead or they find a way out of their predicament on their own.

Spoiler alert: the betrayal! We need at least one scene of either true betrayal (looking at you, Yan Wushi!) or it was just an act (Peerless, the Plough) or qi deviation (Shen Shang)

The last few chapters at least one or both of the main characters fight to the brink of death and yeah their love for each other is reaffirmed because of this but...that's not the true ending though! Go read that in the extras!

I've read 5 series of hers so far and I like them all very much.

Thousand Autumns

14th year of Chenghua

Peerless

Estranged

The Plough

Have Bu Tian Gang on my shelf already. Might start on that next, or All under heaven.

#i wish people read more of her works other than thousand autumns which is already popular #her books are a keeper #meng xi shi #highly recommend #thousand autumns #qian qiu #peerless #wu shuang #the fourteenth year of chenghua #estranged #shenshang #the plough #北斗 #梦溪石 #无双 #成化十四年 #参商 #yanshen #fengcui #well i didn't mean that all of them fit all of these but they all has a lot of these in common

[cowboykakashi]

He’s such a bitch omg

#they’re so funny I love these guys #why should I even WASTE MY BREATH shut up old man #reading thousand autumns #thousand autumns

[melancholycatastrophe]

#dont take this seriously this is an inside joke with my discord #danmei #mxtx #wei wuxian #chu wanning #shen qiao #shang qinghua #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #hua cheng #zhou zishu #tianlang jun #svsss #mdzs #tgcf #thousand autumns #faraway wanderers #erha #based on the ones ive read

[veliseraptor]

look, I know he means it and everything, but yan wushi's whole "the only person worthy of standing next to me is my rival [dumps shen qiao into mortal and sexual peril]" is hard not to read as the kind of panic that results when your self-image as a cold-hearted badass is threatened

me @ yan wushi: that post that's like "yes dear, your evil laugh is very scary and your sinister plans are very nefarious"

#it's not that i don't believe he is a cold-hearted bastard but #yan wushi #lise reads thousand autumns #webnovel liveblogging

[yeyayeya]

Spoilers for Thousand Autumns/Qian Qiu English Volumes 1-3

Reading Volume 1 of Thousand Autumns: hmm I can see the potential for romance, but Yan Wushi is too much of an asshole for me, but maybe later on he’ll grow to like Shen Qiao

Reading Volume 2: Yan Wushi sucks! You betrayed him?? After Shen Qiao called you a friend??? I hate omg WHYYY???

Reading Volume 3: NO WHAT??? YAN WUSHI COME BACK!! Shen Qiao tried to save you after everything wtf don’t go! You would turn yourself in??? BITCH COME BACK DONT GET HURT AGAIN PLEASE

My emotions regarding Yan Wushi have been all over the place I cannot put a name to my emotions regarding him help me

please tell me he is ok I need to read volume 4

#yeyarants #thousand autumns #qian qiu #shen qiao #yan wushi #yanshen #WHY IS HE SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND #i have been extremely freaked out over how Shen Qiao and I had the same thoughts regarding Yan Wushi #we basically on the same wavelength regarding him #I DONT KNOW WHAT TO FEEL #I felt very neutral towards him when I finished volume 1 #then extreme hatred and betrayal towards him in volume 2 #and now I feel sad and hopeful that he’s ok because he literally turned himself in help me idk what to feel #YAN WUSHI IS IN LOVE FUCK #I wanted to get volume 5 of erha and volume 3 of yuwu #…but now I need volume 4 of qian qiu #I LOVE SHEN QIAO BUT OMG THE TURMOIL I FEEL REGARDING YAN WUSHI IS SO CONFUSING #DO I LIKE HIM OR NOT IDK #BUT I WANT TO KNOW IF HES OK #*point at Yan Wushi* you sir are a complicated enigma #and I need to know wtf is going inside your brain #I’m so confused I would have been fine hating him but now I feel like a concerned mother wondering where her child is #yan wushi the man that you are #meng xi shi #I can’t read erha or yuwu because I have become invested in this shit HELP ME #I NEED TO KNOW #YAN WUSHI ARE YOU OK??? #im gonna reblog shit after once I’m done because I did not want to know any sorts of spoilers

[orchidblacktea]

"Sect Leader Yan..." Yan Wushi gripped Shen Qiao's chin and forced him to raise his head. "Didn't you call me Shizun before? Why such a quick change?" "I want..." Shen Qiao murmured, his words somewhat slurred. Yan Wushi bent forward a little, lowering his head to listen.

#thousand autumns #qian qiu #yanshen #reading qq vol 1 #my gifs