#ehyde

I have kind of a love/hate relationship with Guardian lol.

I really really enjoyed the first two volumes (of the 3 volume the 7seas TL), but volume 3 lost me. Something about the final arc just really didn't work for me, and I found myself both consistently annoyed with Shen Wei and disinterested in the plot. Priest loves a dense, complicated scheme with twists on twists, and she loves characters Who Had Planned For This All Along, and IMO both of those elements felt kinda forced in Guardian. I've seen her do both of those things much better in other novels (including but not limited to Tai Sui).

The romance also ultimately didn't land for me as much as I wanted it to. It was fun at first, and it has its great moments (Mountain Spirit extra my beloved), but I'm a hard sell with reincarnation romances. I prefer a romance where the couple feels like friends as well as lovers, feels like they're compatible beyond physical attraction and Passion, and I think Guardian falls into the trap of what always bothers me about reincarnation romances: sometimes it just feels like They're In Love Because They're In Love. It doesn't sell me on their actually liking each other as individuals, but in its own internal logic, it doesn't need to, because They're Connected <3.

And like! I definitely didn't hate Guardian!! The whole cast of side characters at the SID is great, the mythology is cool, and the first two volumes overall were a genuine blast. And even when the rest of vol 3 was losing me, I loved Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi's subplot all the way through. It's just that what problems I do have with it are big enough to cast a shadow over my feelings on it as an overall work.

All that said, you're definitely right that I also just really really like several of the other priest novels on my list lol. NPNPH in particular is so good and thematically delicious, and it's also a strong contender for her funniest novel.

I think I tend (with exceptions) to prefer priest's more recent work to her earlier, less mature work, and you can definitely see that reflected in my rankings.

Paper Dolls and Butterflies

by EHyde (@ehyde)

G, <1k, Wei Wuxian & Wen Yuan

Summary: While Wei Wuxian is testing a spell, A-Yuan finds a silly paper doll to play with. Kay's comments: Just a cute little story that offers some slice-of-life content for the time Wei Wuxian was living in the Burial Mounds with the Wens. The focus is on his relationship with A-Yuan and the story is from A-Yuan's POV as well and it's just very cute, no angst just fluff. If you ignore that A-Yuan is stumbling over bones while playing. Excerpt: “Chasing butterflies?” Qing-gugu asks. “No!” The paper doll isn't a butterfly. “Oh!” he realizes. “I bet it wants to play with A-Yuan's butterflies!” The paper doll circles around Qing-gugu's head and hovers in front of her face. “Wei Wuxian,” she says. “Xian-gege is, Xian-gege's asleep!” “Asleep, hm?” “Really asleep! I jumped and jumped on top of him and he didn't wake up!” The paper doll nods in agreement, and Qing-gugu laughs. Laughing is right! Jumping on Xian-gege is really fun!

pov lan sizhui, slice of life, burial mounds ensemble as family, burial mounds settlement days, fluff, parent-child relationship, families of choice, good parent wei wuxian

~*~

Oh. Technically speaking, every other reincarnation AU ficlet I write is an alternate version. 😂

But no that fic came straight from my head onto tumblr/ao3 no beta no editing.

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Wei Wuxian & Jiang Yanli Additional Tags: dubiously consensual stabbing, golden core mutilation, Body Horror

Word count: 2k

Summary:

“Shijie, you’re really going to make me a sword?” Wei Ying asks. “I’m down by the swordsmith’s a lot—” because be it swords or bells, seeing how things are made is pretty neat— “and I’ve never seen you there. Do you do your apprenticeship somewhere else?” 

An awkward silence falls. “Wei Ying,” Jiang Cheng says, finally. “Jiejie is a forge, not a swordsmith.” 

Sprout

by EHyde

G, 6k, jin ling & lan jingyi & lan sizhui

Summary: Lan Wangji brought two things back from the Burial Mounds: Wen Yuan, and the strange, almost sentient vine that led him to the child and would not untangle itself from him. Uprooted, it too survived the journey back to Gusu, and was left in the capable hands of two cultivators eager to study such an unusual plant.

But that's in the past. And Jin Ling thinks that Sizhui and the other Lan disciples are far, far too calm about the fact that Jingyi started growing roots.

My comments: Hee, hee, hee. Plant!Jingyi. Now aren't you curious enough to go read it?

post canon, adorable juniors, plant lan jingyi, crack, crack taken seriously, friendship, silly and intriguing, radish lan jingyi, @ehyde​

Good morning! If you're asking about the font I used for your Sprout rec specifically, it's JFWildWood (available in all caps only). Otherwise I use a grab-bag of fonts from Senty Font which focuses on 'study and digitalising ancient Chinese calligraphy and comtemporary handwritten Chinese'. These fonts are created in China.

15 a scene from one of my fics I'd like to see illustrated