Nirvana in Fire Feels

As long as your heart stays true, telling right from wrong, truth from lies, what hardships can’t be endured? Just like this snow outside, falling ever faster and fiercer—but we both know it will stop in the end.

Nirvana in Fire x Twelve Kingdoms AU Part ½ MCS and JY are two halves that cannot be separated <3 Just because <3

Pardon that it is text heavy. I had a difficult time cramming the plot points of Juuni Kokki and NiF (both are plot heavy stories) together. 

I experimented alot for this one. I tried (tried) experimenting different style in drawing. (It was my first time inking in CSP instead of usual SAI. I was also experimenting putting decorations because the setting feels like I can try doing thatt. The combination and heavy text made it ends up a little bit crowded that I wanted it to be. But anyways, it ends up to be a fun experiment  

Just because everything’s changing Doesn’t mean it’s never been this way before All you can do is try to know who your friends are As you head off to the war

OK, I get it that the Chinese concept “Jianghu”, used frequently in Chinese period dramas, is difficult to translate. (Translated below in Nirvana in Fire as “pugilist”.)

“Jianghu” literally means “rivers and lakes”, but if word definitions were always so literal, translation wouldn’t be half as challenging. Depending on the context, “jianghu” is sometimes used to generally distinguish a person without any official designation. A person in “jianghu” is someone unconnected with Court, and uninvolved in politics. Other times, the term is used more specifically to denote a martial hero affiliated with one of the well-known martial sects and alliances, in which case the person is beholden to rules common to such martial organizations.

Or, what if the ones framed alongside Prince Qi wasn’t the Chiyan army… but Prince Jing’s instead?

(AO3)

i.

They’re drawing up plans for this week’s drills with Nie Duo – the Chiyan army hardly lacks battle experience over any terrain one could care to name, but Donghai presents a rare opportunity to test that mettle over water – when Wei Zheng crashes into the command tent at a flat-out run, face red with more than mere exertion. “Young Marshal!”

Lin Shu’s gaze flicks quickly from his lieutenant to his father, who nods slightly. Outside of official situations, the Chiyan generals have never been excessively particular about protocol, and whatever made Wei Zheng agitated enough to rush in here is clearly urgent. 

“What is it?” he asks.

“News from the capital, they’re saying that–” is all Wei Zheng manages to get out before they’re again interrupted, this time by the officious tones of a herald.

His father’s gaze meets his again across the length of the table, and Lin Shu doesn’t even need to guess at what they’re both thinking: what could bring a court herald all the way out here?

Bonus:

Nirvana in Fire (琅琊榜) Mei Changsu and his Jiang Zuo Alliance 

the emperor as the ailing and increasingly paranoid king who has all but snuffed out magic in the kingdom

any use of magic is banned and all suspected witches/warlocks branded as traitors and summarily executed

the house of lin has served the emperor for generations as magicians, until the betrayal

Jingyu was the only one in the royal family who had magic, and thus was already under suspicion

the emperor hating JY in this universe bc he defended the lin family and jingyu, and bc he continues to express the opinion that not all magicians are bad

NH as morgana!! But a morgana who’s fully in control of her powers and determined to hide it as well as the burgeoning powers of mu qing from the emperor

jinghuan and jingxuan strategically accusing ministers of using magic to get rid of political opposition/gain power and property

MZ as a secret magician? Except it’s easier for him to hide because his magic mostly lies in martial arts and isn’t flashy (guess whose magic IS)

the complete change from LS to MCS is easy to explain due to ~magic cure~

except now MCS not only has to hide his identity from JY but also his magic

he finally tells JY about the magic at some point, or JY finds out, except it only makes him more suspicious because now it’s not only the little gestures/habits that remind him of LS but also the way his magic FEELS

xianjing bureau carrying out a magical inquisition

except xia dong is starting to question if it really was magic/lin xie who killed her husband

xia jiang as the emperor’s pet wizard, who only escaped persecution because he uses his magic to hunt down others, and has throughout the years built back up the emperor’s trust via his thoroughness and ruthlessness

GONG YU AS A MAGICAL ASSASSIN just think about it ok

YJ’s mom died in childbirth and magic couldn’t save her, and yan dad doesn’t hate all magic but he’s heartbroken and bitter and can’t bear to look at YJ

no one’s really sure if jingmom is magic but her pastries are always perfect and never burns, and somehow her medicinal tonics and poultices are better than that of any other doctor

imagine now LS making fun of JY because he’s “as stubborn as a buffalo and just as magical”

MCS is still able to cast magic but the cost of being brought back from the verge of death is that it now takes a part of his life energy (and thus shortens his life), and he’s had to do more and more of it on his way to get JY on the throne and expose the truth of the massacre

Jianghu as well as being a world out of the court’s strict jurisdiction is a free underground world where magicians roam.

Jiangzuo has become prominent as a sect in the Jianghu because they’re able to grow/survive/compete in Jianghu without any obvious use of magic.

Of course there is no magic in Jiangzuo, MCS declares to the court of Jin. Jiangzuo is proof that magic is not needed in our world and it can be defeated.

This delights worst!dad.

JH and JX have ministers with secret magical powers who serve them and use their magic to spread corruption and self gain

The true role of Jiangzuo is to try and save any citizens of Jin who fall under the suspicion of magic and try to ferry them out to the jianghu before they can be arrested and executed.

MCS’ presence in court is a direct challenge to Xia Jiang

JY hates MCS on sight because MCS as a wizard hunter embodies everything that caused Jingyu and the Lin family’s deaths BUT

MCS tells JY he would support him for the throne since JY is the only eligible prince who doesn’t (currently) have ties to magic

As time grows, JY becomes more and more convinced that MCS has magic and why does he feel so much like LS sometimes

The boat scene which I always question how Changsu moved it. First I just wanted to draw small motorboat with Changsu and FeiLiu. Then everything multiplied, I drew a ferry instead - but I was too lazy to draw full body of ferry

Anyway